IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES, AND OTHER MACHINES FOR DRESSING AND SEPARATING GRAIN, AND IN ROTARY SCREENS TO BE USED THEREIN, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Hornsby, of Spittlegate Iron Works, in the
County of Lincoln, Agricultural Engineer, John Bonnall, of Spittlegate
Iron Works aforesaid, Engineer, and Henry Shield, of Spittlegate Iron
Works, aforesaid, Wireworker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THRASHING MACHINES, AND OTHER MACHINES FOR DRESSING AND SEPARATING
GRAIN, AND IN ROTARY SCREENS TO BE USED THEREIN, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES."
Sealed the 6th December 1867, and dated the 11th June 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Hornsby, John
Bonnall, and Henry Shield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents;
with their Petition, on the 11th June 1867.
We, RICHARD HORNSBY, of Spittlegate Iron Works, in the County of Lincoln,
Agricultural Engineer, JOHN BONNALL, of Spittlegate Iron Works, aforesaid,
Engineer, and HENRY SHIELD, of Spittlegate Iron Works, aforesaid, Wire-
worker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES, AND OTHER MACHINES FOR DRESSING AND
SEPARATING GRAIN, AND IN ROTARY SCREENS TO BE USED THEREIN, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in thrashing machines and
other machines for dressing and separating grain, and in rotary screens to be
used therein and for other purposes.

page_text: In thrashing, dressing, and separating machines the sieves or riddles over
which the grain is passed have a short vibratory or shaking movement com-
municated to them, and to admit of this the sieves or riddles are hung by
means of links or hangers capable of turning on studs or pins; this however
involves the use of a great number of centres which require lubrication.
According to this Invention a tube of vulcanized india-rubber is placed on
each of the studs or pins, and the eye of the link or hanger is made sufficiently
large to receive the india-rubber tube within it; then when the link or hanger
is in its place the india-rubber is compressed by means of a nut screwed on
the end of the stud or pin which causes the india-rubber to bind tightly both
to the stud or pin and to the interior of the eye of the link or hanger. The
elasticity of the india-rubber tube will then allow sullicient movement of the
link or hanger around the stud or pin without any friction or rubbing taking
place between the parts.
With cylindrical or rotary screens for thrashing, dressing, and separating
machines, and other uses, it is desirable to be able to increase or diminish the
spaces between the wires, so as to make the screen either coarser or finer as
may be required by stretching or compressing the cylindrical or rotary screen
longitudinally. For this purpose in some cases the circumferential wires which
form the screening surface bave been fixed to spiral springs running direct
from end to end of the screen in place of to straight wires or rods similarly
placed as in an ordinary unadjustable rotary screen.
.
Now according to this Invention the circumferential wires are bound to
other wires or rods as in an ordinary rotary screen, but in place of arranging
these wires or rods to pass direct from end to end of the screen they are
arranged in a helical direction, so as to pass partly or entirely around the
screen as they run from end to end of it. The attachment between the circuni-
ferential wires and the helical connecting wires or rods is formed by means
of binding wire as is usual, except that it is found convenient to use the binding
wire double, and to pass the double binding wire twice around the wires of the
screen at each crossing. Cylindrical or rotary screens thus constructed may
readily be compressed or extended longitudinally, so as to vary, to the extent
to which it is requisite in practice, the coarseness or fineness of the screening
surface. In mounting these screens they are connected at their ends to rings
supported by arms from an axis; the rings can be moved to and from each
other by a screw or otherwise, and one of the rings is able to turn on the axis.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Hornsby, John Bounall, and Henry Shield in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th December 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RICHARD
HORNSBY, of Spittlegate Iron Works, Grantham, in the County of Lincoln,
Agricultural Engineer, JOHN. BONNALL, of Spittlegate Iron Works, aforesaid,
Engineer, and HENRY SHIELD, of Spittlegate Iron Works, aforesaid, Wire-
worker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Richard Hornsby, John Bonnall, and Henry Shield, Her special licence
that we, the said Richard Hornsby, John Bonnall, and Henry Shield, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Richard
Hornsby, John Bonnall, and Henry Shield, our executors, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES, AND OTHER MACHINES FOR DRESSING
AND SEPARATING GRAIN, AND IN ROTARY SCREENS TO BE USED THEREIN, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Richard Hornsby, John Bonnall, and Henry Shield, our executors or adminis-
strators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals,
or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 Richard Hornsby, on behalf of myself
and the said John Bonnall and Henry Shield, do hereby declare 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
thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in thrashing machines, and
other machines for dressing and separating grain, and in rotary screens to be
used therein and for other purposes..

page_text: In thrashing, dressing, and separating machines the sieves or riddles over
which the grain is passed have a short vibratory or shaking movement
communicated to them, and to admit of this the sieves or riddles are hung by
means of links or hangers capable of turning on studs or pins; this however
involves the use of a great number of centres which require lubrication.
According to this Invention a tube of vulcanized india-rubber is placed on
each of the studs or pins, and the eye of the link or hanger is made sufficiently
large to receive the india-rubber tube within it; then when the link or hanger
is in its place the india-rubber is compressed by means of a nut screwed on
the end of the stud or pin, which causes the india-rubber to bind tightly both
to the stud or pin and to the interior of the eye of the link or hanger. The
elasticity of the india-rubber tube will then allow sufficient movement of the
link or hanger around the stud or pin without any friction or rubbing taking
place between the parts.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings is a side view of a thrashing machine of
which the riddles or screens are mounted in this manner, but other riddles and
screens for dressing and separating grain may be similarly mounted. a is the
upper shoe, screen, or riddle. of the thrashing machine, and 6 is the lower;
c, c, c, c, are the hangers by which they are suspended; they are metal bars
formed with eyes at their ends, as is shown in section at Figure 2, and in front
view, partly in section, at Figure 3; d, d, are stud axes fixed to the frame of
the machine. or to the shoe screen or riddle as the case may be; e, e, are short
tubes of vulcanized india-rubber surrounding these stud axes and fitting
within the eyes c*, c*, at the ends of the hangers c; f, f, are washers resting
on the ends of the vulcanized india-rubber tubes e and which when the nuts g, g,
are screwed on to the ends of the stud axes compress the tubes e against collars
with which the stud axes d are formed, until the india-rubber tubes tightly fill
the eyes of the hangers. The reciprocating motion is given to the shoes,
screens, or riddles as heretofore in any convenient manner.
With cylindrical or rotary screens for thrashing, dressing, and separating
machines, and other uses, it is desirable to be able to increase or diminish the
spaces between. the wires so as to make the screen either coarser or finer as
may be required, by stretching or compressing the cylindrical or rotary screen
longitudinally; for this purpose in some cases the circumferential wires which
form the screening surface bave been fixed to spiral springs running direct
from end to end of the screen in place of to straight wires or rods similarly
placed as in an ordinary unadjustable rotary screen.
Now, according to this Invention the circumferential wires are bound to
other wires or rods as in an ordinary screen, but in place of arranging these.

page_text: wires or rods to pass direct from end to end of the screen they are arranged in
a helical direction, so as to pass partly or entirely around the screen as they
run from end to end of it. The attachment between the circumferential
wires and the helical connecting wires or rods is formed by means of binding
wire as is usual, except that it is found convenient to use the binding wire
double and to pass the double binding wire twice around the wires of the
screen at each crossing; cylindrical or rotary screens thus constructed may
readily be compressed or extended longitudinally, so as to vary to the extent to
which it is requisite in practice the coarseness or fineness of the screening
surface. In mounting these screens they are connected at their ends to rings
supported by arms from an axis; the rings can be moved to and from each
other by a screw or otherwise, and one of the rings is able to turn on the
axis.
Figure 4 is a vertical section of a thrashing machine taken through the
rotary screen of the dressing apparatus, which screen is constructed according
to our Invention. The parts at the upper part of the figure are of the ordinary
description and require no detailed description. The grain passes by the
spout a into the rotary screen, which consists of an axis b carried in suitab
bearings and having on it a boss c which is able to turn on the axis but r
to move longitudinally; c', c', are arms on this boss carrying the ring c². Th
axis is hollow, and near its other end there is another boss dupon it capa
of sliding longitudinally, but it is prevented turning by a feather fixed
which enters into a longitudinal slot in the axis and is fixed also to a nut e
within it; f is a screw working with this nut so as to slide it endwise in the
axis and it takes the boss d with it; d', d', are arms on the boss d carrying the
ring d. The cylindrical screening surface is carried by the rings c' and d³, and
when the screen is long it may also be supported from the axis by a ring in
the centre; g, g, is the screening surface, and it is in the construction of this
surface that the main feature of this part of our Invention consists. It
consists of wires g', g', bent to a helical form attached at their ends to the
rings c and d², and having the wires 92, 93, secured to them by binding wire.
In putting the sereen together it is convenient to use a wooden drum of the
size of the screen; it receives at its ends the rings c² and d. On this drum the
wire gis wound and it has a shallow groove cut around it in which the
convolutions of this wire lie accurately spaced. The block has other deep
grooves in it corresponding with the courses of the wires g¹, and in these
grooves the said wires. loosely lie; their ends are fixed to the rings and d
A convenient way to do this is to bend the wires round to a hook-like form at
each end, and this book drops into a recess formed in the outside of the ring

page_text: and fitting to the exterior of the hook, and within the hook a pin is tapped
into the ring; then a covering ring c* or d* is driven on to the inner ring c² or
as the case may be, and so the wires g¹ are firmly held. By means of the
binding wire the workman firmly binds the wires g² to the wires g', and he
then takes out the central wooden block which is made in pieces so as to
come out freely. In this way a screen is obtained of which the gauge can be
adjusted by separating or approaching the bosses c and d, the wires g¹ and 9³
working the one on the other like the parts of a parallel ruler, that is to say
as the ends of the screen are separated the wires 92 become more nearly
perpendicular to the wires g', and they become more inclined as the ends of
the screen are approached. This will be more clearly seen on reference to
Figure 5, which is a plan, full size, of a portion of the surface of the screen.
h, h, is a screw-formed plate fixed within the screen to cause the grain to
traverse from end to end of the screen as it revolves.
We would remark that the wires g² need not run from end to end of the
screen; they may (but much less conveniently) be made in short lengths, as
they serve simply as connecting links to keep the screening wires equally
paced when the screen is expanded or contracted, and this they do as
ready explained by assuming a more or less inclined position in respect to
dese wires.
We would also remark that we do not claim generally the combining the
ening wires and the supporting wires of screens so as to work in the
aner of a parallel ruler, as flat screens have heretofore been so constructed,
but we do claim the construction of cylindrical or rotary screens in this
manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Hornsby, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of December in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
RICHARD HORNSBY. (L.S.)