IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING GRAIN OR MATERIALS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lake
OTHER
& Co Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING GRAIN OR
MATERIALS." Communicated to him from abroad by Charles E. M'Neal,
of Silver Creek, New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th July 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING
GRAIN OR OTHER MATERIALS " [A communication to him from abroad by Charles
E. MoNeal, of Silver Creek, New York, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to improvements in separators for grain or other materials,
and its object is to provide the means for a more certain, rapid, and perfect
separation of oats, cockle, garlic and other seeds or materials from wheat.
consists in the combinations of parts hereinafter described.
It
According to this Invention I provide upon the framework of a separating
machine a fan made and operated in the usual manner by means of pulleys and
belts. Two air-trunks are arranged one behind the other, and they both enter an
air chamber producing a double air-blast in one direction and dispensing with a
second air chamber.
I also provide two screens supported in the ordinary manner and made to vibrate,
but instead of being operated on an incline in the usual manner, they are arranged
horizontally, so that the lower moving parts of endless belts (which are supported
on rollers) as they move, will act as feeders, which carry the grain evenly.
spread onto the screen and sweep the oats, straws, and other longer material off
from the tail of the screen, while the grain, by the action of the screen, falls through
perforations. The upper screen, is a single wheat screen. The grain, as it drops
therefrom, passes through a spout into the first air-trunk, and from thence down
upon the lower screen which is provided with three sizes or perforations one for.

page_text: fine cockle, dust, sand, and the like, one for large cockle, and the other for wheat;
or there may be three separate screens, each made easily removable if desired.
Heretofore one of the objections to an endless feeding belt has been that it does
not retain its level position, as the grain will sometimes lift it higher in one place
than in another, and allow sticks, straw, and the like to gather under it. Further-
more it is well known that a belt running horizontally, or nearly so, is liable to
vibrate, which vibration would leave room for the oats or other longer material
to up-end or tip up and pass through the screen. To avoid this objection I place a
level plate, board, or rack over the belt, which is held in place by means of bolts
or screws to bars. These bolts may be arranged in any well known manner so
that the said plate or board can be adjusted vertically. The said plate is fastened
to the horizontal bars of the frame by means of cross-bars and bolts, a block of soft
india-rubber being interposed, to afford the means for vertically adjusting the board
or plate by screwing the said bolts up or down. The lower moving part of the said
belt travels toward the tail of the screen, and at the same time operates as a feeder
for drawing the grain, evenly spread, and at a uniform rate, on to the
as the screen is in motion the wheat will sift through the perforations adapted for
it; but as the oats are longer than the wheat, and have the travelling belt resting
on them, and kept in its proper position by the said plate or level board, it is
impossible for them to turn up and fall through the perforations, but they are
swept by the moving belt past and over the tail of the screen away from the
wheat. The cockle, garlic, or other seeds pass through the cockle screen before
reaching the perforations for the wheat, so that the separation of the cockle or
other smaller material from the wheat is as complete as the separation of the oats
or larger material therefrom.
screen,
and
Underneath the lower vibrating screen is placed a stationary rack having bars
which are preferably about one-eighth of an inch wide and one-fourth of an inch
apart and arranged at a uniform distance below the screen, say one-sixteenth of an
inch. The motion of the screen causes it to move to and fro over the bars, and
should any grains of wheat get into the holes of the cockle screen the end of the
grain, as soon as it passes partly through, will, by the motion of the screen, be
brought in contact with the bars of the rack, and be thereby immediately driven
back to the upper surface of the screen. Owing to the shape of the cockle, garlic,
or other seeds, they do not come in contact with the .bars until they are too far
through to be driven back, and consequently fall below the bars away from the
grain. The broken wheat, cockle, or other seeds cannot lodge in the said perfora-
tions, as the pressure of the endless belt will drive them through. Two sizes of
cockle screens are used in the lower screen, the finest being for sand, small seeds,
or small cockle and the larger one for letting through the large cockle or broken or
imperfect grain. The siftings of each screen are conducted from the machine
separately through spouts or openings. The top of the aforesaid rack is provided
with a series of thin strips, arranged longitudinally and fastened firmly thereto, the
said strips projecting above the rack at a uniform distance, say one-sixteenth of an
inch; these strips serve as a support for the cockle-screen to rest upon, and also
keep all parts of the screen (which would otherwise be liable to sag) at the
required uniform distance above the bars in the said rack, and at the same time,
leave the screen free to slide to and fro. The screen is held down on these strips
by its own weight, and also by the weight of the grain and the pressure of the
endless belt resting upon it.
I have described the said rack as stationary; but it may be constructed so as
to have a vibrating motion, in opposition to the motion of the screen, without
changing the nature of this part of my Invention; and the plate or board may be
fastened in place if desired so as not to be adjustable; but it would not answer
the purpose as well; and in some cases the longitudinal bars of the rack may be
dispensed with; or they may be fastened to the bottom of the screen; but the
expense would be more, and the bars would slide on the top of the rack. The said
endless belt is adjusted by some suitable tightening device.

page_text: The screens may, if desired, be arranged in the usual manner on an incline; but
the advantage in arranging them and the travelling belts horizontally instead of
inclining them, is that the grain does not have to travel so far over the face of the
screen before sifting through it. Consequently the screen can be made shorter,
thereby reducing the expense of construction, and producing a lighter and more
durable screen in proportion to its capacity, and the oats, sticks, straw, and the
like, would not have to travel so far before passing over and off from the tail of
the screen.
The endless belt is provided with tightening devices, which are fastened to the
sides of one of the screens by caps and screws, and rollers are fitted in vertically
adjustable boxes operated by thumb-screws.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th January 1883.
+
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING
GRAIN OR OTHER MATERIALS," A communication to me from abroad by Charles
E McNeal, of Silver Creek, New York, United States of America.
This invention relates to improvements in separators for grain or other materials,
and its object is to provide means for a more certain, rapid and perfect separation
of oats, cockle, garlic and other seeds or materials from wheat than has heretofore
been practicable. It consists in the combinations of parts hereinafter described.
In the accompanying Drawing
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the frame-work of the machine,
the fan, the air-chambers, and screens.
Figure 2 is a sectional view, drawn to an enlarged scale, of one of the screens, a
portion of one of the air-trunks, the plate or rack above the lower moving part of
the belt, and the stationary rack below the screen,
Figure 3, is an end view of the said stationary rack and
Figure 4 is a top view or plan of the same.
Figure 5 is a horizontal section through the vertical frame-bars shewing a plan
or top view of the plate or rack for holding the lower part of the endless apron in
place.
Figure 6 is a vertical transverse section through the centre of the frame and the
said rack or plate.
Figure 7. is a vertical transverse section through the horizontal frame and the
lower screen, showing an end view of the stationary rack and the manner of
connecting it to the frame, and,
Figure 8 is a view, drawn to an enlarged scale, showing a portion of the movable
belt and the device for adjusting it.
A represents the ordinary frame-work of a separating machine; and B a fan
constructed and operated in the usual manner by means of pulleys a a¹, and the
belt b, and pulleys a², a³, a*, a³, and belts 6 63. The air trunks C, C' are arranged
one behind the other, as shown, and both enter the air-chamber D thereby pro-
ducing a double air blast in the direction of the arrows c, c¹ and dispensing with a
second air-chamber. The air-chamber D being of the ordinary and well-known
construction, a further description is unnecessary.
E E' represent the screens which are supported in the ordinary manner upon
springs L and made to vibrate by the usual crank or eccentric e and arm or
pitman e' as shown in Figure 2, or by the arms e, e shown in Figure 1; but
instead of being operated on an incline they are arranged horizontally so that the
lower moving parts F, of the endless belts, F¹, (which are supported on rollers f, f¹)
as they move in the direction of the arrow g (Figure 2), or toward the tail of the
screen, will act as feeders which carry the grain evenly spread onto the screen and
sweep the oats, straw and other longer material off from the tail of the said screen,
while the grain, by the action of the screen, falls through the perforations. The
upper screen E¹, is a single wheat screen. The grain, as it drops therefrom, passes
through the spout into the air-trunk C, and from thence down upon the lower
screen E which is provided with three sizes of perforations, one for fine cockle,
dust, sand, and the like, one for large cockle, and the other for wheat; or there
may be three separate screens each made easily removable if desired.
Heretofore one of the objections to an endless feeding belt has been, that it does

page_text: not retain its level position, as the grain will sometimes lift it higher in one place
than in another and allow sticks, straw, and the like to gather under it. Further-
more, it is well known that a belt running horizontally, or nearly so, is liable to
vibrate, which vibration would leave room for the oats or other longer material to
up-end or tip up and pass through the screen. To avoid this objection I place a
level plate, board, or rack G over the belt as shewn in Figure 2, and hold it in
place by means of bolts or screws G' attached to the bars G. These bolts may be
arranged in any well known manner so that the said plate or board G can be adjusted
vertically, as shewn in Figures 5 and 6.
The said plate is fastened to the horizontal bars of the frame A by means of the
cross bars R and bolts G¹, a block of soft india rubber Gs being interposed to afford
the means for vertically adjusting the board or plate by screwing the bolts G' up
or down.
It will be seen that the lower moving plate F of the belt F travels
toward the tail of the screen, and at the same time operates as a feeder for drawing
the grain, evenly spread and at a uniform rate, on to the screen, and that as the
screen is in motion the wheat will sift through the perforations adapted for it but
as the oats are longer than the wheat and have the travelling belt resting on them
and kept in its proper position by the plate or rack G, it is impossible for them to
turn up and fall through the perforations, so they are swept by the moving belt
past and over the tail of the screen, away from the wheat. The cockle, garlic, or
other seeds pass through the cockle screen before reaching the perforations for the
wheat, so that the separation of the cockle or other smaller material from the wheat
is as complete as the separation of the oats or larger material therefrom.
Beneath the lower vibrating screen is placed a stationary rack H, (see Figures 2,
3, and 4) having bars i which are preferably about one eighth of an inch wide
and one fourth of an inch apart arranged at an uniform distance below the
screen, say one sixteenth of an inch. The motion of the screen causes it to pass
to and fro over the bars i, and should any grains of wheat get into the perforations
of the cockle-screen, the end of the grain, as soon as it passes partly through, will
be brought in contact with the bars of the rack H and be thereby immediately
driven back to the upper surface of the screen. Owing to the shape of the cockle,
garlic, or other seeds, they do not come into contact with the bars i, until they are
too far through to be driven back, and they consequently fall below the bars away
from the grain. The broken wheat, cockle, or other seeds cannot lodge in the said
perforations, as the pressure of the endless travelling belt will drive them through.
Two sizes of perforations are used in the lower screen as shown in Figure 2, the
finest being for sand, small seeds or small cockle, and the larger for letting through
the large cockle or broken or imperfect grain. The siftings of each screen are con-
ducted from the machine separately, the cockle and other smaller material through
the spouts or openings J. J', and the wheat and oats through the conductor K K¹
Figure 2. The top of the rack H is provided with a series of thin strips ¿¹
arranged longitudinally and fastened firmly thereto, the said strips projecting
above the rack at an uniform distance, say one sixteenth of an inch, these strips
serve as a support for the cockle screen to rest upon, and also keep all parts of the
screen (which would otherwise be liable to sag) at the required uniform distance
above the bars in the rack H, and at the same time leave the screen free to slide
to and fro. The screen is held down on the strips by its own weight, and also
by the weight of the grain and the pressure of the endless travelling belt resting
upon it.
If desired, the rack H may be constructed so as to have a vibrating motion in
opposition to the motion of the screen without changing the nature of this part of
my invention; also, if desired, the plate or board G may be fastened in place so as
not to be adjustable, but it would not answer so well the purpose for which it is
intended. In some cases the longitudinal bars of the rack H may be dispensed
with, or they may be fastened to the bottom of the screen, but the expense would
be greater and the bars would slide on the top of the said rack. The endless belt F
is adjusted by the usual tightening device N shown in Figure 2.

page_text: E represents the ordinary oat or coarse wheat screeen. The screens may, if
desired, be arranged in the usual manner on an incline but the advantage in
arranging them and the travelling belts horizontally instead of inclining them, is
that the grain does not have to travel so far over the face of the screen before
Bifting through it; consequently the screen can be made shorter, thereby reducing
the expense of construction and producing a lighter and more durable screen in
proportion to its capacity, and the oats, sticks, straw and the like would not have
to travel so far before passing over and off from the tail of the screen.
The operation of the machine is as follows, that is to say the wheat is first fed
into the coarse shaking screen E³, for the purpose of removing the coarse
screenings. It then passes onto the screen E' over which the belt or apron travels.
This belt acts as a feeder by drawing the grain onto the screen as herein before
described, the oats passing over the tail of the screen, while the wheat drops
through upon a conductor which conducts it into the wind trunk C, where the
first air separation takes place. From the first wind trunk the grain falls upon
the head of the second vibrating screen, and is fed by the travelling belt over the
said screen
The perforations of the screen E are first for fine cockle, second for
coarse cockle, and third for wheat. The fine perforations take out the sand, seeds,
and small cockle, the second the larger cockle and small imperfect grains, and the
third the wheat, while the oats are carried, by the action of the belt, over the tail
of the screen. The wheat from the screen E is conducted into the air-trunk C¹
from which it is discharged free from all foreign substances.
Sometimes the endless belts F¹ are provided with tightening devices M as shown
in Figure 8 which are fastened to the sides of the screens E or E¹ by caps and
screws PP, and the rollers ff', are fitted in vertically adjustable boxes N, operated
by thumb-screws O. The object of making the belts adjustable vertically is to
adapt them for different kinds of grain or other material.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim
First. The combination of the travelling belt and its supports, with a screen E,
a rack H, and means for vibrating the said screen between the said belt and rack,
for the purposes described.
Second. The travelling belt, the adjustable plate or board G, the bars G2, and
the bolts or screws therefor, in combination with the vibrating screen and a
stationary rack H arranged below it.
Third. The combination of the vibrating screen, and a rack arranged below it
having a series of transverse bars i and a series of thin longitudinal strips for
the support of the same, and for limiting the distance between the said transverse
bars and the screen, as, and for the purpose, specified.
Fourth. The combination of a grain-screen E and an endless travelling belt
supported on rollers arranged in boxes N in a frame supported by the caps and
screws and provided with the adjusting screws O and M, whereby the said belt
and its supporting-rollers may receive both horizontal and vertical adjustment,
substantially as described with reference to Figure 8 of the drawing, and for the
purposes specified.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Twelfth day of January in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.