NEW OR IMPROVED FEEDING APPARATUS FOR GRAIN MILLS AND DRESSING DRESSING MACHINES, SUITABLE ALSO FOR OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hurt and Alexander Morton Strathern, both of
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, for an Invention of
NEW OR IMPROVED FEEDING APPARATUS FOR GRAIN MILLS AND DRESSING
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hurt and Alexander
Morton Strathern at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
28th December 1881.
JOHN HURT, and ALEXANDER MORTON STRATHERN, both of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North-Britain. "NEW OR IMPROVED FEEDING APPARATUS FOR
GRAIN MILLS AND DRESSING MACHINES, SUITABLE ALSO FOR OTHER ANALOGOUS
PURPOSES."
This Invention has reference to a new or improved mode or manner of, and
means or appliances for feeding grain or granular substances into grain or other
grinding or crushing mills, or grinding rollers, purifiers, or any other grinding or
dressing machinery where continuous and regular feeding is required:-And which
are more simple in construction, aud also more simple, efficient, and regular in
their action than the feeding apparatus and mechanisin heretofore used in such
mills.
The essential nature and novelty of the Invention consist in the use of a single,
simple feeding hopper over the feeding roller or other equivalent of the mill, into
which the grain or granular substance is supplied in an approximately regular
stream from the supply bing, hopper, or elevators above: especially in making the
amount and weight of the grain or material supplied to this feeding hopper, to
oscillate or tilt it on a fulcrum against the power of a small counterpoise spring or
weight, and so open or close the lower feeding-in edge of the front of the hopper
up off the surface of the feeding roller and thereby weigh the supply, or allow the
material to be fed through in a regular thin stream more or less in proportion to
the supply to and weight of the material in the hopper for the time being.

page_text: One modification of this Invention or manner and means of carrying in into
effect, consists of a feeding hopper, with one side at a different angle from the
other, and hinged or fulcrumed at the side having the greatest angle near the
feeding mouth. The lower feeding edge of the other or straight or feeding side is
made to rest on the usual feed roller or other equivalent having a spiral or other
spring or counter-weight so arranged that the hopper is balanced in this position,
and the ends of the hopper might be either angled or wall sided. The action
would then be as follows:-When the grain or other material to be ground, falls
into the said hopper, the sides being at different angles, the side having the greatest
angle over-balances the other and tilts the hopper on its fulcra against the power of
the spring or counter-weight which relieves the straight side from the feed roller,
thereby allowing the material to fall on to the grinding rollers or stones in
proportion to the quantity fed into the hopper. A lever and weight, or a cord
passing over a pulley with a weight at the end may be used, instead of the
counterpoise balancing spiral or other springs described.
In another modification, both sides of the hopper may be formed of the same or
nearly equal angles with the feeding side hinged near the top, and this side would
preferably be fitted to the ends of the hopper by a flexible medium; or this
inovable side may be made of a flexible material fixed to the ends, to prevent the
passage, of the material being ground, over the ends of the feeding roller.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Hurt and Alexander Morton Strathern in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th June 1882.
JOIN HURT and ALEXANDER MORTON STRATHERN, both of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain. "NEW OR IMPROVED FEEDING APPARATUS FOR
GRAIN MILLS AND DRESSING MACHINES, SUITABLE ALSO FOR OTHER ANALOGOUS
PURPOSES."
Our said Invention has reference to new or improved means or appliances for
feeding grain or granular substances into grain crushing mills, or grinding rollers,
purifiers, or into other grinding or dressing machinery where continuous and
regular feeding is required. The improved appliances are more simple in con-
struction, and also more efficient and regular in their action, than the feeding
apparatus and mechanism heretofore used in connection with such mills.
In carrying out the Invention a single simple feeding hopper is fitted over the
feeding roller of the mill, into which the grain or granular substance is supplied in
an approximately regular stream from the supply bing or hopper or elevators
above. The amount and weight of the granular material supplied to this feeding.
hopper is caused to oscillate or tilt it on a fulcrum against the power of a small
counterpoise spring or weight, and thereby open or close the lower feeding-in edge
of the front of the hopper in relation to the surface of the feeding roller. By this.
means the material is fed through in a regular thin stream increasing or
diminishing in proportion to the weight of the material in the hopper for the time
being.
In order that our said Invention, and the manner of performing the same may
be properly understood, we have hereunto appended a Sheet of explanatory
Drawings representing modifications of our improved apparatus.
In these Drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section through the feeding hopper A
Figure 2 is an end elevation, Figure 3 is a front elevation, and Figure 4 is a plan
of the same. Figures 5 and 6 are end elevations of modified arrangements of the
improved apparatus.
•
Referring to these Drawings, the improved apparatus consists of a feeding hopper
A with one side A' at a different angle from the other, hinged or fulcrummed at
the side A' by means of pivot centres b passing through side checks or standards
B fixed over the framing of the grinding rolls. The lower feeding edge a of the
vertical side A of the hopper is made to rest when out of action on the usual feed
roller C of the grinding rolls as shown in Figure 1, but when the hopper A becomes
filled or partly filled with grain, the hopper oscillates on its centre pivot bits
movement being controlled by a spiral or other spring D, by which the weight of
the hopper and its contents is balanced. This spring D is attached to the angled
side A of the hopper and enters a guide tube D¹ fixed to a cross bar D³ carried by
brackets D³ fitted to the side cheeks B. Within the tube D' is fitted a piston
against which the end of the spring D bears, and the position of this piston is
varied to regulate the action of the spring by means of a screw d and jam nut d'.
The hopper A is formed with a mouth piece A, to which a loose bag E is
attached to lead the grain into the hopper while leaving the hopper free to
oscillate. When the grain or other material to be ground falls into the hopper A,
the hopper is tilted on its fulcrum or centre pivots b against the power of the
spring. The straight side A a is thus raised slightly from the feed roller C, thereby
allowing the material to pass through between it and the roller C, and fall on to
the grinding rollers or grinding stones, in proportion to the quantity fed into the
hopper; as shown particularly in Figure 2.

page_text: In the modified arrangement shown in Figuro 5, a lever F fitted with an
adjustable weight F¹ is attached to the hopper A to balance the weight of the
hopper and its contents, and control the motion of the hopper on its centre pivots b
and thereby also regulate the outflow of the grain between the edge a of the
hopper and the feed roll C.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 6 a cord G passing over a pulley G¹ with a
weight G at the end, is attached to the side of the hopper A and is used instead of
the counterpoise balancing spring or weighted lever described.
A spiral spring or springs under tension may be used for balancing the hopper
(A) instead of the spring (D) shown in the Drawing; or other forms of springs may
be employed to act either under tension or compression.
Having thus described our said Invention and the manner of performing the
same, we have to state that we do not restrict ourselves to the precise details of
apparatus herein described or delineated, but what we believe to be novel and
original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein before in
part recited Letters Patent is :-
First. The arranging and combining of the parts of apparatus for feeding grain
or other similar material to grinding or crushing rolls, or to similar machines,
substantially in the improved manner herein described with reference to the
accompanying Drawings.
Second. In apparatus for feeding grain or other similar material to grinding
or crushing rolls, or to similar machines, the fitting, over the feed roll, or
equivalent feed plate of an oscillating hopper balanced by a spring or springs, or by
weighted levers or weights, to regulate the flow or "feed" of the material from
the hopper, substantially as herein described in reference to the accompanying