IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR DRESSING GROATS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Jensen, of 33, Chancery Lane, London, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR DRESSING GROATS." A communication
from abroad by Nikiphor Alexeevitch Gratscheff, of Jekaterinburg, in the
Empire of Russia.
Sealed the 18th February 1879, and dated the 24th September 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Jensen at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th September 1878.
PETER JENSEN, of 33, Chancery Lane, London. 'IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR DRESSING GROATS." (A communication from abroad by Nikiphor Alexeevitch
Gratschieff, of Jekaterinburg, in the Empire of Russia.)
The lower opening of the hopper or shoot for supplying the groats to the machine
is provided with a curved leather flap or shield from which the groats are regularly
distributed on to a roller. To regulate the feed of the groats through the said
opening there is an adjustable slide which by means of regulating screws can be
raised or lowered. From the roller the groats fall on to a slanting load easing
board, and thence they fall upon the sifters which are stretched on the riddle frame
which is fastened inside a frame by means of screws with thumb nuts. The sifters
are by preference arranged with four kinds of meshes, and these are so placed that
the closest or finest are near the entrance opening from the hopper. There are say
five adjusting screws the nuts of which are let into the riddle frame and which
serve to stretch the sifted material. Immediately under the riddle frame there are
say four shakers with eight slanting surfaces converging two and two, from which
the groats pass into distributing gutters through openings.
The frame with the riddle frame and shakers are supported by say four pairs of
flat wooden springs or feathering posts, the outer ones of which support the frame and
the inner ones the shakers. The whole obtains motion from a shaft provided with
four eccentrics with wooden feathering eccentric rods fastened to the riddle frames
and to the shakers. The sifted groats pass from the four gutters into two

page_text: chambers, each having three outer compartments or jackets, of which the two outer
compartments serve for the dressing and delivery of the groats proper, but the inner
one for receiving the branny pollard stive and meal dust. Each of the outer com-
partments is by means of two partitions divided off so as to form three tubes.
The openings in the gutters are situated over the outer tubes. In the walls of the
chamber and immediately below the said openings there are openings the size of
which, and consequently the flow of the blast or draught through them can be
regulated by means of small slides. The groats in their descent pass these openings
and are exposed to the air current produced by a suction fan whereby the heavier
parts fall in the first or outer tube, the lighter parts in the adjoining inner tube
and the dust and groats dust in the third tube. On the inner partition walls of
the tubes there are flap valves at three different levels; these can be placed in a
more or less slanting position according to the quality of groats desired; by a
greater inclination of the flaps against the openings a cleaner groat is obtained, and
by less inclination a less clean groat, all as desired. The spindles of these flap
valves have handles outside the machine for setting the flaps as desired.
There are
other flaps for regulating the draught. By the further descent of the material the
heavier parts pass through other contracted openings where they are once more
dressed by an air current; on descending still further through other contracted
openings they receive another dressing by an air current. Finally the material
falls into a screw placed in a closed chamber, and the clean groats then pass off to
be ground. The light material falling into the intermediate tube pass through a
similar process and at last fall into another screw which may be situated on the other
side of the machine; from this screw it may be raised by any convenient means to
the hopper in order to pass through the machine a second time together with fresh
material. The dust and groats which pass into the inner tube collect in slanting
passages, pass then in vertical passages, and then into chambers on cach side of
the fan where they are carried along by the air current and escape by an opening
under the fan into a chamber in the lower part of which there is a screw with a
cover over, the heavier parts fall down and are carried off by the screw, the lighter
parts are by a pipe blown into a separate space.
The groats which did not pass through the sifter riddles are moved to the further
lower end of the same and fall into a shoot and thence between rollers which crush
the groats; these then fall into the screw which again delivers them to the entrance
shoot or hopper to pass through the machine again along with fresh material.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Peter Jensen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th March
1879.
PETER JENSEN, of 33, Chancery Lane, London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR DRESSING GROATS." (A communication from abroad by Nikiphor Alexeevitch
Gratscheff, of Jekaterinburg in the Empire of Russia.)
This Invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying Drawings, of
which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the machine; Figure 2, a
section on line E, F ; Figure 3, a section on line A, B, Fig. 1; Figure 4, a side view;
and Figures 5 and 6, end views of the machine.
The lower opening of the hopper or shoot a for supplying the groats to the
machine is provided with a curved leather flap or shield 6 from which the groats
are regularly distributed on to a roller c. To regulate the feed of the groats
through the said opening there is an adjustable slide d which by means of regulating
screws e can be raised or lowered. From the roller c the groats fall on to a slanting
load easing board f, and thence they fall upon the sifters g, which are stretched on
the riddle frame h, which is fastened inside a frame i by means of screws with
thumb nuts. The sifters g are by preference arranged with four kinds of meshes
as here shown, and these are so placed that the closest or finest one near the
entrance opening from the hopper a. There are say five adjusting screws 1, the
nuts of which are let into the riddle frame h, and which serve to stretch the sifter
material. Immediately under the riddle frame there are shakers with eight slanting
surfaces m¹, converging two and two, from which the groats pass into distributing
gutters n, o, through openings n.
The frame i, with the riddle frame h and slanting shaker surfaces are supported by
say four pairs of flat wooden springs or feathering posts o, the outer ones of which
support the frame i, and the inner ones the shakers m'. The whole obtains motion
from a shaft W, provided with four eccentrics with wooden feathering eccentric
rods p, p, and r, the former p being fastened to the riddle frames i¹ and the latter r
to the shakers m¹. The sifted groats pass from the four gutters n, o, into two
chambers S, each having three outer compartments or jackets, of which the two
outer compartments serve for the dressing and delivery of the groats proper, but
the inner one for receiving the branny pollard, stive, and meal dust. Each of the
outer compartiments is by means of two partitions divided off as to form three
tubes 1, 2, and 3. The openings in the gutters n, o, are situated over the outer
tubes 1. In the walls of the chamber and immediately below the said openings
there are openings t, the size of which, and consequently the flow of the blast or
draught through then can be regulated by means of small slides u. The groats in
their descent pass these openings t, and are exposed to the air current produced by
a suction fan J', whereby the heavier parts fail in the first or outer tube 1, the
lighter parts in the adjoining inner tube 2, and the dust and groats dust in the
third tube 3. On the inner partition walls of the tubes there are flap valves α, a₁, a
at three different levels; these can be placed in a more or less slanting position
according to the quality of groats desired; by a greater inclination of the flaps
against the openings a cleaner groats is obtained, and by less inclination a less
clean groats, all as desired. The spindles of these flap valves have handles j, Figures
2, 3, and 4, outside the machine, for setting the flaps as desired. There are other
flaps B, B1, B., for regulating the draught. By the further descent of the material the
heavier parts pass through other contracted openings n where they are once more
dressed by an air current cutering at t1; on descending still further through other
contracted openings n 3, they receive another dressing by an air current entering at
t2. Finally, the material falls into a screw K, Fig. 2, placed in a closed chamber,
and the clean groats then pass off to be ground. The light material falling into the
intermediate tube 2 pass through a similar process and at last fall into another
screw L, which may be situated on the other side of the machine as shown, from

page_text: this screw it may be raised by any convenient means to the hopper a, in order to
pass through the machine a second time together with fresh material. The dust
and groats which pass into the inner tube 3 collect in slanting passages v. pass then
in vertical passages w, and then into chamber x, Figure 3, on each side of the fan
J, where they are carried along by the air current and escape by an opening y,
Figure 1, under the fan into a chamber N, in the lower part of which there is a
screw M, Figures 1, 2 and 3, with a cover over; the heavier parts fall down and are
carried off by the screw; the lighter parts are by a pipe P blown into a separate
space.
The groats which did not pass through the sifter riddles are moved to the further
lower end of the same and fall into a shoot R, and thence between rollers Z, which
crush the groats; these then fall into the screw L, which again delivers them to the
entrance shoot or hopper a, to pass through the machine again along with fresh
material.
The advantages of the improved construction of machine are, firstly, that the
riddles are preserved as much as possible from choking up because the groats are
not thrown so hard on them and are more evenly distributed on them, both because
of the piece of leather b sliding against the roller c and of the load easing board ƒ;
secondly, saving of power because the riddles are all placed in one row: thirdly, the
light, certain and even movement of the riddles, because of the addition of the
springs p, p, and ; fourthly, the trebble cleaning (winnowing) of the groats because
of the three openings t, t', and t2; fifthly, the application of the rollers Z, whereby all
the usual operations for the treatment of the groats which have not passed through
the riddles are superseded and the said groats obtain a further cleaning; sixthly, the
cheapness and saving of space; and seventhly, the greater efficiency as to yield.
And having thus described and ascertained the nature of this Invention, and how
the same is or may be carried into effect, I declare that I claim,―
First. The arrangement and combination of the shaft c, leather flap b, and board
f substantially as described and shewn.
Second. Arranging the riddle surfaces in a row and the means for tightening
them up, substantially as described and shewn.
Third. The employment of the moving springs p, p, and r independently of the
supporting springs o, substantially as described and shewn.
Fourth. The combination of parts forming an adjustable trebble cleaning appliance,
substantially as described and shewn.
Fifth. The combination of the crushing roller Z and the screw L for the treat-
ment of the unriddled groats, substantially as described and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Jensen, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.
PETER JENSEN