Improvements in the Construction of Machinery for Cleaning or Polishing Wheat and other Grain.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 3rd May, 1892-Accepted, 25th June. 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Machinery for Cleaning or
Polishing Wheat and other Grain.
We, HENRY BEDFORD LISTER and RICHARD NICHOLSON LISTER of
Kirkstall Road, Leeds, in the County of York, Corn Mill Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be us follows:-
The object of our invention is to produce a better and brighter appearance on
wheat and other grain than has been hitherto obtained in the cleaning. machines of
ordinary construction; and these improvements have particular reference to such
machines in which the ordinary horizontal screen is employed, through which a
shaft revolves with arms or brackets attached thereto carrying brushes and
beaters.
In our improvements we dispense with the narrow brushes formed of ordinary
bristles, and employ between the beaters long wide brushes of vegetable fibre,
which produce a firmer face and has the effect of more perfectly polishing the
wheat or other grain, consequently the appearance thereof is thereby greatly
improved.
Dated this 6th day of August 1901
J. W. HARDING,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Machinery for Cleaning or
Polishing Wheat and other Grain.
We, HENRY BEDFORD LISTER, and RICHARD NICHOLSON LISTER, trading
as Joseph Bedford, of The Argus Foundry, Kirkstall Road, Leeds, in the County
of York, Corn Mill Engineers, 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:-
The object of our invention is to produce a better and brighter appearance on
wheat and other grain than has been hitherto obtained in the cleaning machines of
ordinary construction; and these improvements have particular reference to such
machines in which the ordinary horizontal screen is employed through which a
shaft revolves with arms or brackets attached thereto carrying brushes and
beaters.
In our improvements we dispense with the narrow brushes formed of ordinary
bristles, and employ between the beaters long and wide brushes of vegetable fibre
which produce a firmer face and has the effect of more perfectly polishing the
wheat or other grain consequently the appearance thereof is thereby greatly
improved.

page_text: spout a'. Within the framework is mounted in suitable bearings a² an Archimedean
screw B for removing any dust or pellicles that fall from the screen C. The
framework A, Archimedean screw B, and means for imparting a rotary motion to
the screw and screen may be of ordinary construction.
The screen C, which is in general outline is preferably the frustrum of a cone, is
carried at its ends by suitable bearings c. c fixed to the framework A, and it is
caused to rotate slowly, say one or two revolutions per minute to three hundred and
twenty or four hundred and fifty of the beaters and brushes as the size of the
cylinder may determine, by means of worm e² and wheel c³ to which a rotary
motion is imparted from the shaft D (to be hereafter described) by pulleys c, c
and belting . The screen is covered with a reticulated covering preferably
consisting of screen wire laid plainly round or of a wire covering corrugated in a
diagonal or spiral direction so as to increase the capacity of the machine by causing
it to act as a worm. D is a shaft which is arranged to pass through the centre of
the screen and is mounted in bearings d. d on the framework A. either horizontally
as shown at Fig. 1. or on an incline as shown at Fig. 4. But when the shaft is
placed at an incline any suitable mechanical means, such as a hand wheel and
screw d, may be employed for retaining it in position. On the shaft D are mounted
any desired number of armed bosses E four of these armed bosses are shown in
the drawings two for supporting the beaters and two for supporting the brushes.
To cach boss E is cast or otherwise fixed any required number of hollow arms e
(eight arms are shown cast to each boss in drawings) for receiving the supporting
pieces ele respectively attached to the beaters F and brushes G. By fixing each
armed boss E on the shaft D as described, the beaters and brushes may when desired
be arranged at an angle or inclination with the axis of the shaft and of the screen,
and they may also be adjusted in the hollow arms to suit the inner periphery of
the screen.
Between the beaters are arranged at the tail end of the machine a number of
long wide brushes G. The brushes for cleaning grain are preferably in lengths
about one third of the length of the screen as shown at Fig. 1. and about five or
six inches in width (but these and any of the dimensions herein given may be
varied as circumstances require) and are made of strong vegetable fibre or other
suitable material which will remove the fuzzy matter from the wheat or other grain
without injuring or abrading the outer surface of the kernel.
A rotary motion is imparted to the shaft D carrying the beaters and brushes
from any suitable source through pulley d*.
The wheat or grain to be operated upon is fed into the machine through the
hopper a and as it passes through the conical screen C to the tail end thereof, the
dust and other loose fuzzcy matter falls through the meshes of the screen wire into
the trough a below for conveyance by the Archimedean screw B. The grain as
it passes to the tail end of the machine is brought in contact with the brushes G,
and as it travels between them and the inner periphery of the screen C, by the
frictional contact thereof all dust and other impure matter will be removed there-
from without injuring the grain, but at the same time more perfectly polishing and
improving its appearance before it passes down the spout a¹.
A fan (not shown in the drawings) may be provided at the tail end of the
machine, and aspiration may be provided in any part of the machine for more
thoroughly cleansing the grain and removing the dust.
When the brushes G are applied to a machine for screening malt as shown at
Fig. 4, they arranged to extend to the full length of the machine. The brushes in
this case are made of vegetable fibre preferably stronger, for say about one half of
the length of each brush, at the entrance or head of the machine for taking
off culms and then it is made of weaker fibre for the other half, or the brushes may
gradually diminish in strength as they reach the tail end of the machine for
polishing malt. In the machine shown at Fig. 4. the heaters are dispensed with,
and four brushes G extending the full length of the screen are fixed to armed
bosses E as described. The screen C, means for rotating it, and other parts of the

page_text: machine may be of a similar construction to those shown at Figs. 1. to 3, except
that the conical screen C, and shaft D are arranged to work at an angle and the
latter is driven by a pair of bevel wheels d**.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1. In a grain cleaning machine such as described the method of cleaning grain,
consisting in passing it to a revolving conical drum having beaters revolving inside
of it for throwing the grain against the reticulated covering of the screen for
removing any loose dust or fuzzy matter before being acted upon by revolving
brushes at the tail end of the machine substantially as described.
2. In a grain cleaning machine the combination with a horizontal or inclined
screen of a shaft armed with bosses carrying beaters and long wide brushes (or
brushes alone) made of vegetable fibre arranged and operated substantially as
described with reference to Figs. 1. to 4 of the accompanying drawings.
3. The grain cleaning machine when constructed for operation substantially as
herein described and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Second day of Mar 1892.
HENRY BEDFORD LISTER,
RICHARD NICHOLSON LISTER,
By W. Fairburn-Hart,
Agent.