An Improved Grain Cleaner or Separator Enabling Smut to be Separated from Wheat.
Year: 1898

page_text: An Improved Grain Cleaner or Separator Enabling Smut to be
Separated from Wheat.
A communication by LA SOCIÉTÉ AMELIN & RENAUD, of 18, Rue Mogador, Paris
in the Republic of France.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, G, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a grain sorting or separating machine en-
abling smut to be separated from wheat. It is characterised by an arrangement
of rollers having a rotary movement one against the other and covered with a
suitable elastic material in which the spikes or asperities which cover the surface
of the smut are embedded under the action of the pressure revolving the rollers
against one another, whilst the smooth wheat or other grains fall directly into
a hopper arranged to receive them, the grains of smut being in their turn detached
from the rollers to which they are adhering by means of a suitable arrangement
of scrapers. The substance employed for covering the rollers may be of any
suitable kind so long as the grains of smut can become incrusted thereon and
remain adherent thereto for a certain time. For this purpose felt, cloth, caout-
chouc or the like may be used, but wound cord yields a particularly favorable
result and is therefore the material preferably employed.
The apparatus which will now be described has 3 pairs of rollers having
for their object to mutually assist one another but of course it is evident that
the principle of the apparatus would remain the same with a single pair of
rollers.
The apparatus comprises as a whole, the separator properly so called, the dis-
tributor, and the fan.
The separator proper is formed of a parallelopipedon box or frame of cast
metal; the ribbed sides of which are intended to support the gearing and separat-
ing rollers. The rollers arranged in superposed pairs in the box of the separator,
are wooden cylinders covered with a suitable covering of cord, felt, cloth, cr
the like. Each of them is firmly mounted on a metal shaft which traverses them
longitudinally and which revolves in block bearings mounted in horizontal slots
or recesses in the frame in which they can slide. Cast metal boxes having a

page_text: cheek or strengthening piece on their inner face are lodged in the horizontai
recesses of the frame and transmit to the bearings the desired adjustment by means
of regulating screws carried by the front wall of the frame so that thus the rollers
may be easily approached one to the other in each couple and their pressure or
contact be regulated at will.
The wheat after having passed between the successive pairs of rollers falls at
the lower part into a central passage and from there into the sacks or other
receptacles.
The grains of smut which adhere to the surface of the rollers and which are
carried round by the rotation of the latter are detached by scrapers or metallic
strips which rub on the surface of said rollers.
The scrapers are blades curved at one of their ends and have their ends mounted
in oblique grooves on the internal face in the strengthened part of each box,
they rest along all their length on fixed bars firmly fixed in said boxes.
The grooves in which the ends of the bars are mounted enable these bars to
slide, and regulating screws to the number of 3 more or less carried by raised lugs
attached to the fixed bars engage their free end in lugs on the bars and after the
rollers have been fixed in position, enable the approachment of the scrapers to
the rollers to be regulated at will, and thus a greater or lesser friction of the
ends of these scrapers on the surface of the rollers to be produced. The grains
of smut detached by the scrapers fall onto oblique plates suitably arranged across
the machine and are directed into side channels. Care is taken to provide a
suitable space between the upper edges of these plates and the surface of the
rollers to allow of the passage of the grains of smut at this place.
1
Above the separator proper, the distributor is arranged which comprises a
hopper for supplying the grain, a trough into which the grain falls
and a roller placed in the trough which is preferably cylindrical
parallel with the separator rollers, and on the surface of which
roller wings, angle irons or pins of metal or wood are fixed. These
pieces lift the grain and force it to pass into a longitudinal opening placed
in the axis of the apparatus vertically above the intervals separating the separating
rollers of each couple. One of the walls of the opening is movable and is sub-
jected to the action of a spring strip so that the section of discharge for the grain
may be regulated by means of a wing nut..
A fan is arranged to send a current of air through the layer of grain flowing
through the said opening, which current of air carries off the dust to a shaft
and throws the waste and light grains into a discharge pipe.
The blowing fan may be replaced by a suction fan in installations where con-
siderable motive power is at disposal. Three spur wheels keyed on the spindles
of three of the rollers gear with one another to impart to the six rollers the
requisite rotary movement. The driving is effected by means of a belt pulley
and the movement is also transmitted by belt or in other suitable manner to the
distributing cylinder.
Any suitable number of pairs of separating rollers may be employed according
to the number of passings through which it is desired to have, and the length
of said rollers may vary according to the required delivery of the apparatus.
In a modification there may be only a single pair of rollers. The only difference
consists in the elastic material only encasing one of the rollers whilst the other
remains hard and said elastic material being here an endless band serving at
the same time for conveying the grain from the hopper to the rollers. The
wheat or other grain falls out from between the rollers and the grains of smut
which are carried further along fall into another receptacle.
1
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1
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1000

page_text: An Improved Grain Cleaner or Separator Enabling Smut to be
Separated from Wheat.
A communication by LA SOCIÉTÉ AMELIN & RENAUD of 18, Rue Mogador, Paris,
in the Republic of France, Commission Agents.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, 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 has for its object a grain sorting or separating machine en-
abling smut to be separated from wheat. It is characterised by an arrangement
of rollers having a rotary movement one against the other and covered with a
suitable elastic material in which the spikes or asperities which cover the surface
of the smut are embedded under the action of the pressure revolving the rollers
against one another, whilst the smooth wheat or other grains fall directly into
a hopper arranged to receive them, the grains of smut being in their turn detached
from the rollers to which they are adhering by means of a suitable arrangement
of scrapers. The substance employed for covering the rollers may be of any
suitable kind so long as the grain of smuts can become incrusted thereon and
remain adherent thereto for a certain time. For this purpose felt, cloth, caout-
chouc or the like may be used, but wound cord yields a particularly favourable
result and is therefore the material preferably employed.
In order to allow of the invention being better understood reference will now be
made to the accompanying drawings, in which, as an example.
Figure 1 is a front sectional elevation of a sorting or separating machine having
3 pairs of rollers arranged conformably with this invention, the middle part of
the figure being in elevation and the upper and lower parts in section.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same apparatus on the line YY of
Figure 1.
Figures 3 and 4 are detail views of one of the scrapers for detaching the grains
of smut from the rollers of the separator.
Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of a modification of the apparatus.
The apparatus shown in Figures 1 to 4 which will now be described has 3 pairs
of rollers having for their object to mutually assist one another, but of course it
is evident that the principle of the apparatus would remain the same with a
single pair of rollers.
The apparatus comprises as a whole, the separator properly so called, the dis-
tributor, and the fan.
The separator proper is formed of a parallelopipedon box or frame a of cast
metal, the ribbed sides Figure 2 of which are intended to support the gearing
and separating rollers. The rollers 6 arranged in superposed pairs in the box a
of the separator, are wooden cylinders covered with a suitable covering of cord,
felt, cloth, or the like. Each of them is firmly mounted on a metal shaft c
which traverses them longitudinally and which revolves in block bearings d
mounted in horizontal slots or recesses in the frame a in which they can slide.
Cast metal boxes e having a cheek or strengthening piece on their inner face
are lodged in the horizontal recesses of the frame and transmit to the bearings d

page_text: the desired adjustment by means of regulating screws f carried by the front wall
of the frame so that thus the rollers may be easily approached one to the other
in each couple and their pressure or contact be regulated at will.
The wheat after having passed between the successive pairs of rollers falls at the
lower part into a central passage y and from there into the sacks or other receptacles.
The grains of smut which adhere to the surface of the rollers and which are
carried round by the rotation of the latter are detached by scrapers or metallic
strips h which rub on the surface of said rollers.
The scrapers are blades curved at one of their ends and have their ends mounted
in oblique grooves on the internal face in the strengthened part of each box e
they rest along all their length on fixed bars firmly fixed in said boxes e.
The grooves in which the ends of the bars h are mounted enable these bars to
slide, and regulating screws i to the number of 3 more or less carried by raised
lugs attached to the fixed bars engage their free end in lugs on the bars h
and atter the rollers have been fixed in position, enable the approachment or the
scrapers to the rollers to be regulated at will, and thus a greater or lesser friction
of the ends of these scrapers on the surface of the rollers to be produced. The
grains of smut detached by the scrapers fall onto oblique plates & suitably arranged
across the machine and are directed into side channels and 1. Care is taken to
provide a suitable space between the upper edges of these plates k and the surface
of the rollers to allow of the passage of the grains of smut at this place.
Above the separator proper, the distributor arranged which comprises a
hopper m for supplying the grain, a trough n into which the grain falls and a
roller o placed in the trough which is preferably cylindrical parallel with the
separator rollers, and on the surface of which roller wings, angle irons or pins p
of metal or wood are fixed. These pieces lift the grain and force it to pass into
a longitudinal opening placed in the axis of the apparatus vertically above the
intervals separating the separating rollers of each couple. One of the walls
of the opening q is movable and is subjected to the action of a spring strip
so that the section of discharge for the grain may be regulated by means of a
wing nut s.
A fan is arranged to send a current of air through the layer of grain flowing
through the said opening q, which current of air carries off the dust to a shaft:
and throws the waste and light grains into a discharge pipe.
The blowing fan v may be replaced by a suction fan in installations where con-
siderable motive power is at disposal. Three spur wheels u u¹ u² keyed on the spindles
of three of the rollers gear with one another to impart to the six rollers the
requisite rotary movement. The driving is effected by means of a belt pulley
and the movement is also transmitted by belt or in other suitable manner to the
distributing cylinder.
こ
Any suitable number of pairs of separating rollers may be employed according
to the number of passings through which it is desired to have, and the length
of said rollers may vary according to the required delivery of the apparatus.
In the modification shown in Figure ;5 there may be only a single pair of
rollers b. The only difference consists in the elastic material Z only encasing
one of the rollers whilst the other remains hard and said elastic material being
here an endless band serving at the same time for conveying the grain from the
hopper m to the rollers b. The wheat or other grain falls out from between the
rollers at Vand the grains of smut which are carried further along fail into
another receptacle U.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is:-
A grain cleaning or separating machine enabling smut to be removed from
wheat, characterised by the combination of a series of rollers covered with a
suitable elastic material, pressed and revolving one against another with an

page_text: arrangement of scrapers having the action of detaching the grain of smut from
the elastic material forming the casing of the rollers, whilst the wheat which is
not retained by said casing drops of itself into a hopper arranged to receive it, the
whole substantially as hereinbefore described and shown as an example in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21st day of December 1898