Improvements in Apparatus for Oleaning and Grading Grain and other Materials, and Separating the Dust and Light Impurities therefrom.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 1891-Accepted, 14th Nov., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Oleaning and Grading Grain and
other Materials, and Separating the Dust and Light Impurities
therefrom.
A communication from abroad by THE BARNARD & LEAS MANUFACTURING
COMPANY, of Moline, in the County of Rock Island and State of Illinois,
United States of America, Manufacturers of Milling Machinery.
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, and 323 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 ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention is an improved machine for cleaning and grading grain and other
materials and separating the dust and light impurities therefrom, and its object is
to simplify the construction of such machines so as to provide in one compact
machine an endless air-circuit, and dust-collecting and grain-settling chambers by
which the material can be divided into four grades and delivered clean from the
machine while ample provision is made for the settling of the dust.
The accompanying drawing represents a vertical longitudinal sectional view of
the improved machine, and referring thereto by letters. B designates the feed
hopper having a feed roll b. D is a settling chamber in the upper part of the
machine having an approximately flat bottom which is cleaned by travelling brushes
or scrapers 1, 1, mounted on endless belts running over pulleys on shafts journaled
in the main frame at the opposite ends of said chamber. F is a small dust settling
chamber below hopper B and communicating at top through an air separating
device or trunk with chamber D. H' is a conveyor trough in chamber F below
hopper B into which the material delivered from the hopper will fall and be carried
out of the machine by conveyor H¹. E is a large dust chamber below chamber D
and extending under chamber F communicating at top with the rear end of
chamber D, and at its lower opposite end with chamber F through an opening f in
the bottom thereof. .n, n, are brushes mounted on endless belts running over pulleys
on shafts at the bottom of chamber F and adapted to scrape matters deposited
thereon into chamber E through opening f; and m, m, are travelling brushes for
cleaning the bottom of chamber E similarly mounted and adapted to sweep the
material deposited on the bottom of chamber E into a conveyor trough K whence
it is carried out of the machine.
G is a fan chamber located below chamber D and above and to the inside of
chamber F, and communicating with the latter through a passage F¹ and also
communicating with chamber E; and G is the fan therein, which when driven by
any suitable power will create a circulation of air through chamber F up through
the separating device into chamber D, thence into chamber E back to the fan
chamber, while a secondary air current will be established from chamber F into
chamber E through opening back to the fan chamber.
The fan, conveyors and brushes are driven by gears and belting on the exterior
of the frame, not shown herein.
Above trough H is a vertical air trunk C formed by the vertical transverse
boards c, c, and through which trunk communication is established between
chambers F and D.
C¹ is an inclined board below the hopper B adapted to catch the material
delivered from the hopper and direct it through an opening c¹ into trunk C through
which it falls into trough H¹ being subjected in falling to the action of the air

page_text: current passing upwardly through said trunk, the dust and lighter grades of
material being carried up into chamber D. Below the rear end of chamber D is a
bin I in the bottom of which is a conveyor i.
The bin is closed at sides, end and bottom, and its top is formed by the bottom of
chamber D, which is here formed of a number of adjustable valves or transverse
boards D' D' which can be adjusted so as to close the top of the bin, or opened as
desired, an opening D' however is left at the centre of the floor so that material
deposited to the left of said opening will be swept into the bin whether the valves
be closed or not. Beside bin I is formed another smaller bin or receptacle J having
a conveyor Jin its bottom, and any material swept off the valves when they are
closed will fall into bin J; a large adjustable valve or board J is pivoted to the
upper edge of the rear side of bin J and can be adju ted as indicated so as to
increase the width of the top of bin and narrow the passage between chambers D
and E as indicated in the drawing.
The force or volume of the air current is regulated by a valve f'in passage F
or other convenient position..
In operation, the fan is started and air currents established as indicated, the
material is then fed from the hopper and distributed into the trunk C where the
first separation takes place, the heaviest material falling into trough His conveyed
out of the machine. The lighter materials dust etc., are carried up over into
chamber D, in turning into chamber D from trunk C the second grade material
falls onto the floor of said chamber and is swept into bin I; the third grade of
material falls onto valves D' and into the mouth of bin J, so that two separate
grades are delivered from bins I, J, and by regulating valves D' the miller can
regulate the quality of material collected in chamber I, as the heaviest is deposited
nearest trunk C and only the lightest material will pass over the valves where it
will be caught in bin J, and by adjusting valve J' the quality thereof can be further
regulated, so that eventually, when properly adjusted, only dust and fluffy matters
escape into chamber E where they are deposited, having time to settle, owing to
the large area of said chamber, and are eventually carried out by conveyor K.
Before the air returns to the separating trunk however it is forced downward into
chamber F where it is caused to move almost in a complete circle so that the dust
will be deposited therein and returned through opening into chamber E to be
eventually discharged by conveyor K. By this construction the material is
separated by gravital action into four grades, and the air thoroughly cleaned before
returning to the first separating trunk.
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 :--
1. The combination of the hopper, the vertical air trunk beside the same, the
dust chamber below the trunk, the settling chamber above and to one side thereof
communicating with the dust chamber through said trunk, and a fan chamber
communicating with the settling and dust chambers and a trough in the dust
chamber for receiving material from the trunk, and a fan, all substantially as
described.
2. The combination of the air trunk, the dust chamber below the same com-
municating therewith, the settling chamber communicating with said trunk and
having a receiving bin at its end opposite the trunk, and a regulating valve at top
of said bin, and a fan chamber and fan for creating an endless air current through
the dust chamber, trunk, and settling chambers, substantially as described.
3. The combination of the settling chamber, the bin below the bottom thereof,
the travelling brushes in the bottom of the chamber and the series of regulating
valves in the mouth of the bin forming part of the floor of the chamber, with the
dust chamber, the fan chamber and fan, and air trunk, substantially as described.
4. The combination of the settling chamber, the pair of bins below and near one
end thereof, a dust chamber below said settling chamber communicating therewith

page_text: at the end adjoining the bins, a separating device communicating with said chamber
at the end opposite the bins and a fan chamber communicating with the separating
device and dust chamber, and a fan therein, all substantially as described.
5. In a combined purifier and dust collector, the combination of the settling
chamber, the bin below the rear end of the same, the dust chamber and air-trunk
communicating with said settling chamber at its opposite ends, the fan chamber
communicating with both the dust chamber and air trunk, the travelling brushes in
said settling and dust chambers, and the conveyors in the bin and dust chamber,
substantially as set forth.
6. In a combined purifier grader and dust collector, a vertical air trunk, a dust.
chamber below the same, a trough for said chamber adapted to receive material
falling through said trunk, the settling chamber above and to one side of the trunk
communicating therewith, a receiving bin below said chamber, the valves at the top
thereof forming part of the floor of said chamber, a second dust chamber below
said bin communicating with the settling chamber, a fan chamber communicating.
with both dust chambers, and a fan therein, all substantially as specified.
Dated this 21st day of September 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.