CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING MILLS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, of 32, Essex
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Inven-
tion of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING MILLS."-A communication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux
Bellford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd August 1855.
I, AUGUSTE EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 32, Essex Street, Strand,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING MILLS," a commu-
nication, to be as follows; and relates to a grinding mill working in an inclined
position; the improvements being intended to remedy several evils arising
from the methods of grinding at present in use, viz., waste of grinding material
or matter, and deperdition of aromatic and other matter, which is vaporised by
the heating of the matter when ground as usual, and consists in the use of a
grinding plate, which is combined with a millstone on which the grinding
action is carried on. This grinding plate or disc may be of wrought or cast
iron, and along its circumference is secured a crown or ledge of mill burr
of suitable width, which is dressed as usual for grinding corn or other
materials.

page_text: This grinding plate, which acts instead of the common runner, has a sufficient
weight to grind upon a bed stone, having a flat surface, that is placed under-
neath it; this bed stone matches the runner in shape, being grooved out, so as
to fit or nearly so on the crown of burr, above mentioned. The surface of the
bed stone is equivalent to about one-fourth or one-fifth of the surface of the
grinding plate, and this bed stone has the shape of an annular sector with an
eccentric portion, by which it receives from a hopper the material to be ground,
whilst the meal or powder drops through an aperture at the opposite end of
the annular sector. The bed stone and grinding plate may have a suitable
inclination towards the aperture, so as to facilitate the descent of the material
that is being ground.
The whole apparatus is arranged in such manner that the mill spindle
which carries the grinding plate may be adjusted to a proper height by means
of levers, screws, &c., motion being given by any suitable means. The bed
stone is also adjustable to suit the grinding plate and the material to be
ground.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th January 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTE
EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 32, Essex Street, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, Her special licence, that I, the said
Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, my exe-
cutors, administrators, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN GRINDING MILLS," a com-
munication, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Auguste
Edouard Loradoux Bellford, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-

page_text: tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
do hereby declaro the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This new kind of mill is represented in the annexed Drawings. It consists
of a stone table so arranged as to bear a millstone scooped out at its centre,
so as to form a crown or ledge of mill burr of suitable width, dressed in the
same manner as other millstones used for grinding corn and other grain.
The grinding plate, which acts instead of the common runner, has weight
sufficient to effect the grinding on another millstone in lieu of the stationary
stone; the upper part of this stone has a plane surface, and lateral projections
which fit into certain interior and exterior indentations made in the circum-
ference of the runner. This new kind of lower grindstone extends only over
a certain portion of the under surface of the upper grinding stone about 1/4
or 1/5, and receives at one extremity the grain or substance to be ground,
which is fed in through a sieve; the flour is of course thrown out at an outlet
made at the opposite side or even at the extremity of this lower grinding
The flour received from this outlet is sent on to the bolting house as
in the ordinary process.
stone.
By my system, the shaft to which the grinding plate is attached forms a
certain angle with the vertical line, as shown in the Drawings hereunto
annexed, the said shaft being supported by levers, screws, &c., so that the
distance between the upper and lower grinding stones may be properly
regulated; the grinding plate may be regulated by gearings, friction wheels,
bands, &c.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section, supposed to be made in the centre; Fig. 2,
another vertical section, made through a plane perpendicular to Fig. 1; Fig. 3
is a plane view of the parts replacing the stationary stone; Fig. 4 is an under
view of the mill; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section passing through the centre
of Fig. 4.
The runner a is arranged as shewn in Fig. 4, and is composed of several
pieces a¹ of grinding stones, such as are generally used for mills. These pieces
a¹ are all cut laterally, and fixed to the sides of one another by the iron work b.
To make these stones a¹ bear in the direction of the centre, they are cut in
a cone shape, diminishing towards the top. The centre bit c is made of cast
iron; it is narrower at its lower part than at its upper part, so that the

page_text: extremities of the stones a' towards the centre fit into the centre piece c, and
at their outer circumference is compressed by the circle 6; the whole forms a
solid mass or runner a.
passes,
This centre piece c may be limited, as shewn in Figs. 4 and 5, or cover the
upper part of the millstone, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 2; in such case the cast-
iron top is furnished with an exterior circle, which covers the exterior edges of
the stones a¹, and contributes with the circle 6 to keep them firm; this piece c
is fixed on its shaft d, consequently the whole runner is borne by the shaft d.
The said shaft d is kept in an inclined position by a cushion e, resting on a
support fixed to the framework f, represented in the Drawings as being
made of cast iron, but which may be made of any other suitable substance.
The lower extremity of the shaft d, which is made conical or otherwise, rests
on a step or socket g, having a suitable cavity for the conical part of the shaft,
and is inserted in a support h, between the legs of which the lever i
the opposite end of which has a screw j, terminated at its upper part by a head
piece having several handles. By means of this arrangement, the screw j
being turned in one direction or another, the grinding stone a is heightened
or lowered; thus the grinding process may be regulated; for this millstone a
rests a portion of its lower surface on a piece k, seen separately in Fig. 3.
This piece k may be of a single piece, or, as the millstone a, be composed of
several pieces of stone, fitted on a cast-iron plate supported by the framework.
The top of this stone k is cut in such manner as to leave it an exterior rim,
and inside the part exposed to friction of the millstone a. Moreover it should
be stated that this stone k has a kind of head k', on which the bottom of the
mill hopper passes, in which the grain is deposited on the side, from whence
it escapes to pass between the grinding stone and the stone k; the mill
hopper has a moveable part, which serves to regulate the supply of grain.
Besides this, on the side opposite to the part k' of the stone k is an aper-
ture, through which the flour escapes, and runs down an inclined plane
to the bolting house. An arch m surrounds the upper portion of this mill;
for though the grinding process takes place only on the stone k, and the flour
escapes by the opening 1, it is evident that the runner will frequently in its
motion carry off some, which will be thus collected by the arch-m-;-and-the-
bottom being placed at an inclined plane, the flour will still be all sent on to
the bolting house. Any mover may used to work the shaft n, which carries
the angle wheel o, gearing with the pinion p, fitted on the shaft d of the
grinder a, which by this means receives its continuous circular motion. This
system, exceeding suitable for fixed mills, may be so modified as to be
advantageously used for portable mills.

page_text: Thus taking care to construct the several parts of lesser dimensions, the
driving wheel may be set in motion by horse power, or by a crank worked by
hand, or, if need be, the mill might have the action direct on it, that is to say,
that teeth might be made round its circumference gearing with a pinion worked
by the mover. These portable mills may of course have each a bolting house
attached to them, and would be of great service to farmers, colonists, & to all
inhabitants of remote districts. This mill may not only grind grain, but like-
wise chesnuts, acorns, and such like substances.
The advantages gained by this new system of mill with inclined plane are,
preservation in the weight of the matters ground, and preservation of their
aroma; for these matters not being heated by the process, there would be no
loss of the constituting parts.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of January,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
A. E. LORADOUX BELLFORD. (L.S.)