IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DECORTICATING APPARATUS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jonah Hadley, of the City Flour Mills, Upper
Thames Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of "Im-
2
Sealed the 13th August 1869 and dated the 1st March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jonah Hadley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st March 1869.
I, JONAH HADLEY, of the City Flour Mills, Upper Thames Street, in
the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF DECORTICATING APPARATUS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for decorticating
grain, the object being to effect this operation in an efficient and
economical manner. The machinery admits of modification in its
constructive details, but under all forms the principle of subjecting the
grain to the action of rotating. friction surfaces is retained.

page_text: The decorticator consists of a vertical external cylinder, within which
is mounted a vertical spindle carrying a series of friction rings or discs,
which severally work within a similar ring carried by the outer cylinder.
These discs or rings are separated from each other by annular plates
(grooved or plain) attached to the cylinder or frame of the machine, and
in these plates openings fitted with sliding doors are made to discharge
the grain from the upper to the lower compartment formed by the
plates.
One form of this apparatus consists of a fixed cylinder fitted with
rings of wire set endwise like bristles at suitable distances apart on
its inner periphery. The central spindle carries a cylinder of wire
gauze to which are attached bands or rings of wire set endwise, which
rotate within the stationary rings. All these rings are secured in their
places in any approved manner. Sufficient space is left between the
rings for them to clear each other and for the grain to enter between
them and receive the friction of the rotating and stationary wires.
The grain as it passes down between the series of friction surfaces
contained in the decorticator will be deprived of its outer skin and
will then be discharged into a suitable receptacle. The amount of
rubbing to which the grain is exposed will depend on the rate of
discharge permitted from one compartment to another.
In some cases it is proposed to use segment plates of steel forming
rings in place of the wire surfaces; these rings will be grooved vertically,
the section of the grooves being such as to present chisel edges to the
grain. Or the rings may be made of steel plates set flatwise one above
the other and having saw teeth on their working edges; or the rings
may be composed of saw blades set endwise. Filling pieces will be
inserted between the plates or saw blades to separate the layers or lines
of saw teeth and give space for their action.
Another plan is to use in lieu of wire rubbing surfaces a cross file cut
covering for the rotating cylinder, and also for the inner periphery of the
case or outer cylinder. Again, rings studded with steel pins may be used
in the upper part of the cylinder instead of wire surfaces to act ener-
getically on the grain at the commencement of the operation, and if
thought desirable these may be continued throughout the decorticator;
or short knife-edged files may be fitted to the internal cylinder instead
of the pins. The friction surfaces of the outer case or cylinder may be

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jonah Hadley in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JONAII
HADLEY, of the City Flour Mills, Upper Thames Street, in the City of
London, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Jonah Hadley, Her special licence
that I, the said Jonah Hadley, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Jonah Hadley, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF DECORTICATING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Jonah Hadley, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jonah Hadley, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):-
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for decorticating

page_text: grain, the object being to effect this operation in an efficient and
economical manner. The machinery admits of modification in its
constructive details, but under all forms the principle of subjecting the
grain to the action of rotating friction surfaces is retained.
The decorticator consists of a vertical external cylinder, within which
is mounted a vertical spindle carrying friction surfaces, which work
To
within segmental friction surfaces carried by the cylindrical case.
these rotating friction surfaces I prefer to give the form of rings, which
are separated from each other by annular plates attached to the cylin-
drical case of the machine, and in these plates openings fitted with
sliding doors are made to discharge the grain from the upper to the
lower compartments formed by the plates.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings I have shewn in several
views one form of my Invention; Fig. 1 being a vertical central section
of my improved decorticating machine; Fig. 2 a horizontal section taken
in the line 1, 2, of Fig, 1; Fig. 3 a plan of the cylindrical case with
the cover and internal fittings removed therefrom, and Fig. 4 a plan
view of the machine,
A, A, is a circular frame upon which is mounted a cylindrical
case B, B, composed of four tiers of segment-shaped castings a, a, built
up upon a bed plate b, b, within vertical wedge-shaped pieces c, c,
affixed to the standards of the framing. The case is separated into
compartments by means of horizontal annular plates d, d, and upon it is
placed a cover b', open at the centre for the purpose of ventilation, and
furnished with an opening near the periphery for the admission of the
feed. By means of screws projecting downwards from the top plate
of the framing and bearing upon this cover 6 all the parts are held
firmly together.
The Drawing shews six segment pieces (for each tier) as forming the
periphery of the case; four of these are cast with recesses to receive
steel friction or attrition surfaces e. These segment pieces are
adjustable radially, the remaining two segment pieces are cast with
openings through them, which openings are closed with wire gauze or
perforated metal f for the discharge of dust from the interior. In the
centre of this case B is a drum C keyed to a central shaft D, which is
supported in suitable bearings in the framing A. This drum is formed
with recesses to receive segment-shaped saw-edged steel plates e¹ which
constitute the operating surfaces of the drum. These plates e¹ are piled

page_text: horizontally one upon the other with intervening filling pieces of sheet
iron or other suitable material, and they are held in place by means of a
dovetail fastening, as shewn at Fig. 2. The same arrangement is
adopted with respect to the saw-edged plates e, e, fitted to the case B.
Openings are made in the annular plates d, d, to allow of the grain
falling from one compartment to the next below, and a similar opening
is made in the bottom plate b for the discharge of the decorticated grain
into any suitable receptaole. These openings are fitted with horizontal
slides d', which regulate the passage of the grain through the machine.
To provide for the adjustment of the segment pieces carrying the saw-
edged plates e I connect these pieces together in groups by means of
vertical bars g, g, and these bars I connect (at top and bottom) through
links to central ring plates E, fitted respectively to and capable of
turning on bosses on the plates b, b. These plates are provided on
a portion of their periphery with rack teeth into which gear pinions F
on a vertical shaft F. By turning therefore this shaft by a key the
adjustment of the segment pieces a, a, may be effected simultaneously.
The action of the machine is as follows:-Grain being fed through the
opening * in the cover 6' to the space between the steel segment friction
surfaces of the uppermost compartment, and rotary motion being im-
parted to the drum or cylinder C, the grain will be subjected to severe
attrition in that compartment. On the drawing out of the slide d' it
will work down into the second compartment, where it will be still
further acted upon; thence it will pass to the next, and so through the
machine, the contraction or the enlargement of the discharge openings
determining the rate of discharge and consequent duration of the attrition
to which the grain is to be subjected.
Modifications of my improved decorticating machinery are shewn in
several Figures in Sheet II. of the Drawings; Fig. 5 shews in partial
sectional elevation, and Fig. 6 in partial sectional plan view, the fixed
cylinder or case of the apparatus-clothed with steel wire e, e, set endwise
like bristles on its inner periphery. The central spindle carries a
cylinder of wire gauze to which are attached bands or rings of
similar wire brushes e', which rotate within the circumscribing wire
3 clothing of the case B. All these rings are secured in their places in
any approved manner. Sufficient space is left between the case and
rotating cylinder for the one to clear the other and leave room for the
grain to enter between them and receive the friction of the rotating and

page_text: stationary wires. The grain as it passes down between the series of
friction or attrition surfaces contained in the decorticator will be
deprived of its outer skin and will then be discharged into a suitable
receptacle. As the amount of rubbing to which the grain is exposed
will depend on the rate of discharge permitted from one compartment
to another (the means for regulating which will be similar to that
described with reference to Sheet I.) the careful attention of the
attendant to the working of the machine will be required for some littlo
time after it is started.
Fig. 7 shews a modification of the above-described arrangement of
decorticator in which corrugated segmental surfaces e, e, are used in
place of the stationary brushes e of Figures 5 and 6.
I also propose to use segmental friction plates of ribbed steel forming
rings in place of the fixed and rotating wire surfaces, the continuity of
the rings of the case being however broken to allow for ventilation
through the periphery of the case, as explained with reference to Sheet I.
This arrangement is illustrated by the plan and sectional views Figures
8 and 9. These rings will be grooved vertically, as shewn in Fig. 10,
which represents in face view one of the segment plates detached.
The section of the grooves is such as to present chisel edges to the
grain.
Fig. 11 shews a modification of the form of the grooves for the fixed
or stationary segment plates, which grooves instead of being made to
form chisel edges give a square edged rib.
Another plan of forming the fixed and rotating friction or rubbing
surfaces is to provide a diagonal or cross file cut covering for the
rotating cylinder, and also for the inner periphery of the case or outer
cylinder. This arrangement is shown in the Diagrams Figs. 12. Again,
rings studded with steel pins, as shewn at Fig. 13, may be used in the
upper part of the rotating cylinder instead of the wire or other friction
surfaces above described, which studded rings will act energetically on
the grain at the commencement of the operation, and if thought desirable
these may be continued throughout the whole length of the cylinder.
Figures 14 and 15 shew in sectional elevation and plan view a further
modification of fixed and rotating surfaces; e¹, e', are short knife-edged
files fitted to the rotary cylinder (instead of the pins of Fig. 13) at
suitable distances apart, and e, e, are the friction surfaces of the fixed
case or cylinder formed by casting the concave segment plates com-

page_text: posing it with vertical internal ribs e, e. In other respects than the
acting surfaces all these modified arrangements of decorticator resemble
that described with reference to Sheet I. of the Drawings.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
in the Construction of Decorticating Apparatus," and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that
under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim, the application to
decorticating apparatus of attrition or friction surfaces, constructed and
arranged as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jonah Hadley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the First day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
JONAH HADLEY. (L.S.)