Improvements in Apparatus employed in Maturing Wheat or other Grain.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 17th June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 17th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 13th May, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus employed in Maturing Wheat or
other Grain.
We, THOMAS NIELD ROBINSON, and ARTHUR MAURICE ROBINSON of
Railway Works Rochdale in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, and RICHARD
BAXTER of 4 Spencer Street, Darnley Road, Gravesend, in the County of Kent,
Flour Miller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus employed for maturing wheat or other grain,
after being washed, and has for its object to keep the chamber or container in
which the grain is being matured or dried always full notwithstanding any
irregularity in the supply of grain to such chamber, whilst at the same time the
grain is continuously in motion through the said chamber.
For this purpose we provide a valve or slide at the lower end of the chamber
and operate such valve by means of a rope or other suitable connection attached
to a movable plate or valve in the feeding hopper at the upper end of the chamber,
or to a movable hopper so that the valve at the lower end of the chamber will
allow more or less grain to pass out according to the quantity supplied at the top of
the chamber.
T1000
Per pro J. T. KING,
J. Johnson,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus employed in Maturing Wheat or
other Grain.
We THOMAS NIELD ROBINSON and ARTHUR MAURICE ROBINSON of
Railways Works, Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, and RICHARD
BAXTER of 4 Spencer Street, Darnley Road, Gravesend, in the County of Kent,
Flour Miller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to apparatus employed for maturing wheat or other grain
after being washed, and has for its object to keep the chamber or container in
which the grain is being matured or dried always full notwithstanding any
irregularity in the supply of grain to such chamber, whilst at the same time the
grain is continuously in motion through the said chamber.
For this purpose we provide a valve or slide at the lower end of the chamber
and operate such valve by means of a rope or other suitable connection attached
to a movable plate or valve in the feeding hopper at the upper end of the chamber,
or to a movable hopper, so that the valve at the lower end of the chamber will
allow more or less grain to pass out according to the quantity supplied at the top
of the chamber.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical section and Fig. 2 a front view of wheat or grain
maturing apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention.
a is the chamber in which the wheat or grain is being matured or dried. The
chamber is preferably of the usual zig zag form and is fitted with heating pipes or
TD 077

page_text: appliances and air inlet and outlet ways not shown on the drawings in any ordinary
or convenient way. is the feed hopper. In order to sufficiently dry or mature
the wheat so as to bring it into proper condition for being ground the washed and
wet wheat or grain run into the heated chamber a must remain there a sufficient
length of time to allow of the moisture introduced into the interior of the grain in
the washing process being driven from the interior to the exterior so as to loosen
any remaining exterior dirt and also the finer outer skin and in order to ensure
that the said wheat or grain shall remain in the said chamber a sufficient length of
time it is necessary as above set forth that the chamber should remain full whatever
the variation of inflow of grain may be. We have therefore fitted the discharge
orifice of the said chamber with regulating valves c free to be moved to and fro in
guides d on the chamber a so as to regulate the speed of the out flow of the grain
to that of the inflow. Such valves being normally closed. The said valves are
made with racks e into which are geared pinions f. The said pinions e are secured
on shafts g free to rotate in bearings attached to the said chamber a. On the
shaft are secured arms i, j, diametrically opposite and each arm is provided with
an adjustable weight k and each held in position on its arm by a set screw or
equivalent device. The weight k serves to provide sufficient power to readily
close the valves c, whilst the weight is used to balance to any extent required the
surplus acting power of k, so as to allow of the valve being freely opened as
required by the mechanism hereinafter described. Within the hopper 6 is a
valve m pivotted on a knife edge bearing n and weighed by an adjustable weight o
so as to seat against a projection p. The valve m and the arm i are connected by
the cord which passes over the pulley s carried in a bracket secured to the
hopper b. u slotted pieces connected by a thumbscrew for adjusting the length
of the cord so that when the valve n is closed the valves c are also closed. It will
be obvious that according as the valve n is opened by grain flowing into the
hopper so will the valves c be opened to allow grain to flow out of the chamber.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
In apparatus for maturing grain the combination of a feed valve with a discharge
valve substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
Dand his 10th 1
f Manah 1002
Per pro J. T. KING,
J. Johnson,
Agent.