Improvements in Machinery for Hulling or Decorticating Rice, Barley, and other Grain or Seeds.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMI UNID
Improvements in Machinery for Hulling or Decorticating Rice,
Barley, and other Grain or Seeds.
I JOSEF WINTER of Aschersleben in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of
Germany, Manufacturer, 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 and accompanying drawings:-
My Invention relates to machines for removing the husk or pellicle from rice, barley,
oats, peas and other grain or seeds hereinafter termed grain to avoid repetition. In
the operation of such machines as ordinarily constructed it is advisable that the grain.
to be operated upon shall be fed to the machine in measured quantities and be
automatically withdrawn after being operated upon for a definite or suitable period of
time. This automatic feeding and discharging of the grain takes up say half a minute
or more during which time the motive power which may amount to ten horse power
for driving the machine is free to a great extent. This sudden freeing of the power
occasions a considerable acceleration of the speed of the shafting and of the machines
connected therewith, and in case of the simultaneous working of several machines
this occurs to such degree as to become dangerous. So far as I am aware this
difficulty is not properly met by any of the brake regulators hitherto employed. The
principal object of my Invention is to obviate this disadvantage. As already premised
the hulling or decorticating operation is necessarily of some duration and it is of
importance to keep the grain in the space between the casing and the periphery of
the drum or stone for the necessary time, and this has been the object of the
intermittent filling and emptying hitherto practised. According to my invention the
feeding and the discharge of the grain are continually taking place and the grain is
compelled to make the traverse across the periphery of the drum or stone in a definite
controllable period of time. The herein before mentioned disadvantage arising from
the acceleration of the speed of the shafting and the consequent danger are entirely
obviated as owing to the supply being uninterrupted the absorption of power remains
about constant.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a
machine constructed in accordance with my Invention and Fig. 2 is a half end
elevation and half vertical cross section of the said machine. In the said Figs. a is
the supply pipe for the grain 6 is the feed roller and c is the inlet end plate which is
firmly connected by means of bolts to the outlet end plate d. Between these end
plates is, the hulling stone e carried by the shaft f which revolves in bearings carried
by the standards g, g'. In the example the part e is made in the form of a drum
which is provided with a rim of artificial stone in accordance with an invention for
which I have applied for Letters Patent number 12817 of this year 1889. Fitting
in annular grooves in the end plates are ribbed bars surrounding the drum at a
short distance from its periphery the combination forming a casing which is mounted
to revolve around the central shaft f. The formation of these bars is illustrated by
Fig. 4. Each bar is formed with projecting ribs h¹ which form channels along which
the grain passes when the said casing is rotated. These ribs h¹ are so placed with
relation to each other as that they form by combination as it were a screw thread
so arranged as to give the grain a tendency to travel from the inlet to the outlet side d
when the casing is rotated. According as the casing is caused to rotate more or less
slowly will the grain be passed through more or less quickly and in this
desired. The
manner
the duration of the operation can be regulated as
casing is driven from the shaft by means of a countershaft i and toothed
gearing k and the speed of the casing can be regulated by means of the stepped cone
pullies . . The grain passes into the machine through a shute a and is fed forward
by means of a revolving feeder b. The delivery of the grain is effected by means

page_text: of radial lifting shutes or passages m. n which deliver into a central projecting part o
of the casing. In this part o the grain is further brushed and cleaned by the revolving
brush p and finally falls over the edge of the part o into the case q from which it
makes its exit through an opening r. In order to free the grain from the
resulting husks and dust, the ribbed bars are so formed as that when arranged in
position long slits or grate-like openings are left through which openings the dust
escapes or is drawn by means of exhausters at the same time the continual supply
of fresh air produces a powerful draft and checks the heating of the drum or stone.
In the treatment of some kinds of grain it is desirable to operate chiefly on the
ends, or lengthways of the grain and to facilitate this the bars h are provided with
additional ribs ² arranged at right angles to the ribs or thereabouts so that small
cells are formed. The grains arrange themselves in these cells and are taken up in
the direction of rotation of the casing past the vertical centre of the drum when
they are operated upon, and as the longitudinal rib h² does not project so far as the
drum but leaves a space they slip down again. If now the connection between any
one of the ribs h² and the bar forming the bottom of the cell is rounded the grains
will naturally arrange themselves so that the points stand out towards the drum and
are principally operated upon but if on the other hand the part forming the bottom
of the cell is made straight or at right angles to the ribs the grains will arrange
themselves lengthwise to the drum and thus will be more operated upon in the
direction of their length. In order that either one or the other of these modes of
operating may be adopted the connection of each rib h² with the bar h may be rounded
on one side and straight on the other so that by changing the positions of the bars they
can be used for both purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
(1) The combination of parts forming the complete hulling or decorticating machine
substantially as set forth and indicated.
(2) The bars h h formed and arranged to have a screwing action upon the grain
so as to feed it gradually from one side of the machine to the other substantially as
set forth.
(3) In hulling or decorticating machines the combination with a revolving stone
or drum of the casing having a periphery provided with ribs h¹ for effecting the
forward movement of the grain and with cross ribs 2 so as to form cells having
straight or rounded bottoms and with means for continuously feeding and dis-
charging the grain substantially as and for the purposes set forth and indicated.
Dated this 15th day of August 1880.
DUFTITIAN
BILLTON
TTT
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.