Improvements in "Dressing Machines" for Meal, Flour, Grain, and other Whole or Broken Materials.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 17th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 19th Sept., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in "Dressing Machines" for Meal, Flour, Grain, and
other Whole or Broken Materials.
1, WILLIAM HENRY Price of Gresford in the County of Denbigh, Milling
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in "dressing machines" for moal, flour,
grain, and other whole or broken materials, and has for its object the construction
of a "dressing machine" having great "dressing power," filling small space, taking
little power to drive, whilst at the same time the material boing treated (usually
called the "chop") is not subjected to the severe friction which it usually meets
with when treated by the old machinos.
In "dressing machines" there are three principal causes of friction :—
First: The "boaters" striking the "chop."
Second-The "chop" being thrown against the silk, or other material with which
the machine is covered, (usually called the "cover") in a direction which is not
perpendicular to that part of the "cover" which it strikes, nud so being caused to
slide across the meshes of the same.
Third The sliding of the "chop," as it falls after it has been thrown against
the "cover."
My invention consists in placing two sheets of silk, or other suitablo "dressing
material," upon a framework, in such a manner that they stand upon their edges,
one behind the other, and slightly apart from each other.
Perpendicular to the surface of these sheets of silk, or other suitablo "dressing
material," is placed a horizontal rod, having a to and fro motion; in the direction
of its length, imparted to it, by the use of an eccentric, a cam, or othor suitable
apparatus. This rod being attached to the frame which carries the silk, causes
the silk to have a to and fro motion, perpendicular to the surface of the silk.
The frame, which carries the silk, is supported upon springs, or other suitable
apparatus, which, while preventing its movement in other directions, allow it to
move to and fro, in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the silk.
The "ohop," being fed by n "roller feed," or other suitable feeding apparatus,
falls in a thin stream between the two sheets of silk, and, in its fall, is struck, first
by one sheet of silk, and then by the other, and so is tossed to and fro until it
reaches the bottom edges of the sheets of silk, at which point the coarser part is
discharged.
The flour, or smaller particles of the material treated, passes through, and falls
away from the silk into a hopper or other suitable receptacle.
If thought desirable a strip of wood may be placed between the two sheets of
silk, at any distance from the top edges of the same, extending from side to side,
and having a fall in the direction of their length.
By this means a thin stream of "chop" may be fed on to the higher end of the
strip of wood, and so be carried across from one side of the machine to the other,
at which point the coarser part would be discharged.
Or a number of such strips may be so placed, underneath, and slightly apart from
each other, so forming a series of channels into which the material to be treated
may be divided.
Or several different kinds of material may be treated, by placing one kind in

page_text: each channel, and arranging suitable receptacles for the different products of oach
material treated.
Or a number of channels, with their bottoms of wood, or other suitable unper-
forated material, and their sides of silk, or other "dressing material," might be
placed parallel to, but a little apart from each other.
One end of each of these channels would be higher than the other end, for the
purpose of causing the "chop," which would be fed into the higher end, to travel
towards the lower end, at which point the coarser part would be discharged.
The flour, or smaller particles of tho "chop," would pass through the silk, or
other "dressing material," with which the sides of the channels would be covered,
and so would be discharged into hoppers, spouts, or other suitable receptacles.
In each of the above instances the motion of the silk, or other dressing material,
would be in a direction at right-angles to the surface of the silk, or other dressing
material.
Dated this 15th day of October 1895.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in "Dressing Machines" for Meal, Flour, Grain, and
other Whole or Broken Materials.
I, WILLIAM HENRY PRICE of Gresford in the County of Denbigh, Milling
Engineer, do hereby doclare the nature of this invention and in what mannor the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in dressing machines for meal, flour,
grain, and other whole or broken materials, and has for its object the construction
of a dressing machine having great dressing power occupying amall space, capable
of being driven with little power, while at the same time the material treated and
still moro the sieve surfaces are not subject to the severe friction usually incidental
to the use of machines of the old types. In dressing machines in use at the
present time there are three principal causes of friction, first, the beaters striking
the chop. The only uso of this is to forco it against the sieving surface and the
work here done is practically wasted for sieving purposes. Secondly, the chop
being thrown against the cover or sieving surface in a direction oblique to that
surface whereby a large part of it is caused to slide across the meshes of the
sieving surface and even rebound instead of being sieved to the best advantage.
Third, the sliding of the chop as it falls after it has been thrown against the cover
or sieving surface.
Now my invention is designed to avoid all these causes of friction, to do without
beaters, the sieving surfaces themselves acting as beaters during the sieving
operation, and to so arrange the machine that tho chop shall strike the cover or
sieving surfaco nearly at right angles.
My invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings illustrating
my experimental device, in which,
Fig. 1, is a longitudinal section,
Fig. 2, a transverse section,
Fig. 3, horizontal section of my machine,
Figs. 4 & 5, details of sieve frame.
In Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown two slightly varying forms on opposite sides of
the same figure as will be hereafter explained. In these A is a base plate,
B pillars rigidly connected at floor and ceiling so as to form a framework. On
this framework are placed the bearings C of the shaft D. On this shaft D is auy

page_text: convenient eccentric E connecting the shaft with the frame F and giving the said
frame a reciprocating motion. G, G are two thin steel springs on which tho
framo F is supported. This frame can be suspended from above by springs or
other flexible suspending device and probably it will be found more desirable to
suspend from above. In the frame F''is fixed a box or chamber and this box is
held in place by means of the caps 1 of the framework F. These boxes H can
consequently be easily removed for examination and repair by taking off these caps
and drawing ont the end plate J of the chamber. The lefthand box is drawn
different from the rightband box in this respect, that in the lefthand box
there are two skeleton frames KK and on the face of these two frames facing
each other are mailed the covers or sioving surfaces. By taking off the covers I
and J these frames can be at once taken out and other frames substituted.
On the righthand side the frames form a portion of the entire chamber H
and consequently the chamber itself has to be changed or taken to pieces
to change the cover. L is a feed plate having a projecting edge M (Fig. 2)
for evenly distributing the feed over the width of the chamber. A feed
roller or other well known feed distributing device can be used instead. N is a
slanting bottom- plate of the sides of the chamber H for receiving the material that
passes through the sieve, and P is a perforated zinc surface for receiving the
material which does not pass through the sieve and separating it into coarse and
fine, the finer particles passing through this perforated zinc and the coarser passing
out on the lefthand side as shown in Fig. 2 as tailings. Q is the driving pulley.
The mode of action is as follows:-The material being fed in a fine stream passes
down between the two sieving surfaces in the centre of chambor H but the
eccentric being in rapid motion the two chambers are also reciprocated
horizontally with great rapidity. Tho material therefore in falling strikes the
side of the reciprocating covers or sieving surfaces, some of the lighter particles
pass through and the remainder is thrown with great force nearly horizontally
against the other sieving surface which in reciprocating throws it back to the first
and so on. Between the impulses the material continues falling down between the
two covers until at length all the finer material has been thrown out and some of
the coarser material has been broken up by its impact with the sieving surfaces.
The finer material that has passed through falls down ou to sloping plates N aud
passes out on the righthand of the machine as shown in Figuro 2. The coarser
material falls down between the two sieves on to plate Paud the coarsest passes
out on the lefthand side of the machine as shown in Fig. 2. The finor materials
pass through the perforated zinc and escape through spout R (Fig. 2). So far I
have simply described my experimental machine. It is obvious however that it
can be altered in various ways without departing from the principle of my
invention. I bave already mentioned that the chambers can be suspended from
above. They can also be supported ou rollers or in other ways whereby
horizontal motion can be effected without much friction whereas they are
supported practically rigidly as far as regards the vertical movement.
framework can be varied to a considerable extent, but in practice I prefer the plan
set forth on the left hand side of Figs. 1 and 3 as the framos are very light and can
be very quickly removed and replaced. In place of tho eccentric and eccentric
rod, a cain and rod or other equivalent device for connecting with the motion shaft
can be used. Auother plan which will be found probably very beneficial will be to
bave two eccentrics or cranks on each side of eccentric E and bent at right angles
or two angles of 120 degrees each with eccentric E, and theso occentrics or even
cranks provided with counter-weights exactly counter-weighting the weight of
frames H and the sieves when loaded. By this means the shaking and tremor that
would otherwise be caused by the working of this machine in the mill is to a
great extent or entirely overcome, and in very large machines of course I should
tako care always thus to counter-weight the machines. In some instances I may
counterweight it however by having two eccentrics and two frames and placing
one chamber on each frame, the two chambers alternatoly moving towards each
The

page_text: other and receding from each other and thus counterbalancing each other. The
eccentric rod can be a spring or be assisted by spring buffers. The speed at which
1. have run my experimental machine has been 560 revolutions a minute, the frames
have been three quarters to seven-eights of an inch apart, cover from cover, and
are about three feet deep and twenty inches wide, my object in making them of this
particular width being so as to clothe them with silk mado of this particular width,
otherwise the width within considerable limits is immaterial. Another point which
I have found very useful in the working of my machine is to add Indian corn, or
beans or other matters of similar character to the feed. The Indian corn or beans
give greater impact to the surfaces and thus prevent the pores from filling up. It is
obvious also that the sieving surfaces can be of two differont sizes of mesh, though
as a rule I prefer them to be all of the same size. If however they be of different
sizes the material sifted is divided into four different grades, the material that falls
through the finer sieve, the material that falls through the coarser siove, the
material that passes through the perforated zinc or equivalent material below and
the tailings. If too the surfaces be of sufficient length there can be several
finenesses of mesh in the depth, very fine silk covering the upper portions of the
sieve, coarser down below, and still coarser near the bottom, sloping blades being
attached to the back of the sieve so as to divert each grade into its respective
hopper or spout.
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 1
claim is :-
1. The improvement in dressing machines for meal, flour, grain, or other like
whole or broken materials, which consists in letting the material freely fall
between two adjacent sieving surfaces which are made to rapidly reciprocate at
right angles or nearly so to the fall of the grain and allowing the grain to freely
pass away from the bottom.
2. The improvement in dressing machines for the purposes described, con-
sisting in the combination of two vertical or inclined sieving surfaces near cach
other, a device for giving these two surfaces a reciprocating motion at right angles,
a free exit for the material which cannot pass through the sieves at the bottom,
and means for collecting the material that has passed through on each side, sub-
stantially as described.
3. The general arrangement and construction of dressing machines for meal,
flour, grain, or other whole or broken materials, substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
D
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.