IMPROVEMENTS IN SIFTING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN THOMAS BOWER, of Sittingbourne, in the county of Kent, Engineer do
hereby declare the naturo of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIFTING
MACHINES" to be as follows, that is to say :-
This invention relates to improvements in machines specially suitable for sifting
cement but also applicable for sifting other materials.
In carrying out my invention I employ a suitable frame which may be mounted
upon wheels when required for portability. In a suitable position in this frame I
suspend a horizontal sieve constructed by preference of a frame of angle iron with
the flanges extending outwards; on these flanges I fix by any suitable means the
ordinary wire gauge to form the sieve; the sieve is suspended by-chains or their
equivalents and to give the required "shaking" motion to the sieve I provide it
with a shoe placed excentrically and connected by sliding brasses to a crank on a
shaft to which a rotary motion is communicated by any suitable gearing, the crank
and shoe being so connected together as to form a universal joint. Beaters
consisting of boxes containing balls are adapted to one or more sides of the sieve
for the purpose of preventing the sieve from clogging. The other parts of the sifter
are of ordinary construction except that in those cases where the sifted material is
not conveyed by a hopper to a creeper but is allowed to fall on the ground I
provide a scraper operated by endless chains so that the scraper on being drawn
along under the machine will draw with it the sifted material. This part of my
invention is also applicable to other descriptions of sifters.
"
By this arrangement it will be obvious that if a rotary motion be communicated
to the hereinbefore described crank the said crank rotating in the excentrically
placed shoe will thereby communicate to the sieve a shaking" notion for the
purpose of sifting the material to be operated on and the sieve in its motion will
cause the balls in the beater boxes to strike against the sides of the sieve and
thereby prevent the sieve from clogging.
Instead of suspending the sieve from above it may work upon bearings which
themselves work in cup joints.

page_text: I JOHN THOMAS BOWER of Sittingbourne, in the County of Kent, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIFTING
MACHINES " 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 improvements in machines specially suitable for sifting
cement but also applicable for sifting other materials.
In carrying out my invention I employ a suitable frame which may be mounted
upon wheels when required for portability. In a suitable position in this frame I
suspend a horizontal sieve constructed by preference of a frame of angle iron with
the flanges extending outwards; on these flanges I fix by any suitable means the
ordinary wire gauze to form the sieve;-the sieve is suspended by chains or their
equivalents and to give the required "shaking" motion to the sieve I provide it with
a shoe placed excentrically and connected by sliding brasses to a crank or excentric
on a shaft to which a rotary motion is communicated by any suitable gearing, the
crank or eccentric and shoe being so.connected together as to form a universal
joint. Beaters consisting of boxes containing balls or their equivalents are adapted
to one or more sides of the sieve for the purpose of preventing the sieve from
clogging. The other parts of the sifter are of ordinary construction. In cases
where the sifted material is not conveyed by a hopper to a creeper but is allowed
to fall on the ground I may provide a scraper operated by endless chains or bands
so that the scraper on being drawn along under the machine will draw with it the
sifted material.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, represents
a side elevation of a sifting machine constructed according to my invention;
figure 2 is an end view of the same and figure 3 is a plan view or diagram shewing
an arrangement by which two, three or more of such machines can be operated at
the same time from one common driving shaft or pulley; Figure 4 is a detached
plan view of the sieve, and figure 5 is a side elevation of the same; figure 6 is an
elevation of the shoe and crank and figure 7 is a plan of the shoe. Similar letters
in all the figures represent similar parts.
a, represents the frame of the machine which frame may when required for
portability be mounted upon wheels not shewn in the drawing; b, is the sieve
constructed by preference of a frame of angle iron c with the flanges extending
outwards and having the ordinary wire gauze d, to form the sieve fixed by any
suitable means to the said flanges; e, e, are the chains by which the sieve is
suspended in an oblique position as shewn in figure 1 to the frame a of the
machine, the sieve being open at the lower end as usual; ƒ is the shoe provided
with the sliding brasses or bearings g and h is the crank, the pin of which is formed
with a spherical end i, working in the said brasses or bearings g in such a manner
as to form a universal joint; j is a cap or cover consisting of a box in two parts
bolted together and serving to protect the crank pin and brasses or bearings from
dust or the like; k, is the shaft on which the crank h is fixed and placed
excentrically to the shoe f, the said shaft revolves in bearings and m, and receives
motion from a bevil wheel n fixed thereon and operated by another bevil wheel o,
on the main shaft p of the machine which is driven by means of a pulley q, shewn
in figure 3, receiving motion from the driving pulley of a steam engine or other
suitable source of power; s are the boxes containing the balls t forming the beaters
for preventing the sieve from clogging, the said boxes being adapted to one or

page_text: more sides of the sieve b; u is the hopper for conveying the sifted material to a
creeper or other means for transporting the said sifted material.
By this arrangement it will be obvious that if a rotary motion be communicated
to the shaft k and crank h by the gearing n, o, from the pulley of the steam or
other engine, the said crank h, rotating in the excentrically placed shoe f, will
thereby communicate to the sieve b a "shaking" motion for the purpose of sifting
the material to be operated on and the sieve b, in its motion will cause the balls tin
the beater boxes 8 to strike against the sides of the sieve b, and thereby prevent
the sieve from clogging.
The sifted material falls into the hopper u as shown in figures 1 and 2 and
therefrom into a creeper or otherwise as hereinbefore described, or the sifted
material may fall direct on to the ground and be collected and conveyed away by
any suitable means such as by a scraper as herein before described as it is drawn
along under the machine; the core or unsifted material is discharged through the
open end of the sieve into a receiver and is conveyed therefrom by any suitable
means.
When it is required to operate two, three or more sifting machines at once I
prefer to arrange the said machines as shewn in figure 3 and provide the main
shaft with universal couplings b¹, shewn clearly in figure 2 between each machino
which allows of the machines being driven from one common pulley q on the
engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1 A sifting machine having a suspended sieve to which the required shaking
motion is communicated by means of a crank or eccentric on a vertical shaft
operated by suitable means in combination with beaters consisting of balls or their
equivalents operating in such a manner as to prevent the sieve from clogging as
hereinbefore described.
2 In a sifting machine a sieve suspended from the frame of the machine in
combination with a shoe and a crank so formed and connected together as to form
a universal joint the said crank being fixed to or formed on a vertical shaft
operated by suitable gearing substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described and represented in figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.
3 In a sifting machine a suspended sieve operated by means of a crank working
in a shoe placed excentrically to a shaft for operating the said crank in combination
with beaters consisting of balls contained in boxes on the said sieve the whole
arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described
and represented in figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.
4 The improved sifting machine hereinbefore described and represented in
figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.