An Improved Apparatus for Agitating or Turning Over Malt and other like Substances.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th June, 1889
Complete Specification Loft, 17th Foh 1800 Accented 22nd Mar. 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Agitating or Turning Over Malt and
other like Substances.
I, SIEGFRIED HIRSCHLER, of Worms-on-the-Rhine, in the Empire of Germany,
Maltster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for agitating or turning over germinating malt
and like substances.
In my improved apparatus the turning of the malt or other substance is effected by
means of scoops and forks which are arranged on a rotating shaft moving slowly over
the floor of the kiln or other place while the scoops and forks are rotated in an opposite
direction to the forward movement. The apparatus is provided with an automatic
stop and is reversed and started by hand.
A rope operated from a pulley is used to give motion to the apparatus. The frame
of the agitator consists of a carriage in which are mounted a number of rollers
running on rails. Two of these rollers mounted on the same shaft are driven by
means of the said rope through a pulley and tooth wheels. Two guide rollers serve to
keep the rope in proper contact with the periphery of the pulley. By the rotation of
the first named two rollers the carriage is moved along the rails. On a cross bar of
the carriage is a projection which, when the carriage reaches either end of the floor,
comes against a lever of a shifter-fork by means of which a clutch is operated and
the apparatus thereby stopped; the said clutch when engaged causing the rotation of
the shaft and roller. After the malt has been left for several hours the clutch is again
moved so as to cause the carriage to run in the opposite direction. The shaft of the
said carrying rollers is located inside the hollow shaft of the scoops and forks. The
scoops are made of curved wooden boards which are fixed in pairs on forked arms
secured to the said hollow shaft so that the scoops enter the malt with their edges and
then lift it up.
The forks are made by hammering teeth or spikes into a lath which is similarly
fixed by means of arms to the hollow shaft.
The hollow shaft is supported in the two end plates of the carriage and is driven by
a toothed wheel gearing with a toothed wheel on the rope pulley. In order to ensure
the carriage working directly parallel with the rails and thereby avoiding friction I
provide a longitudinal bar fixed to one of the end plates of the carriage and having
rollers at its ends which rollers run against a rail.
To reduce the shock or strain caused by the scoops entering the malt along the
whole width of the floor I sometimes arrange the scoops in sections set at different
angles.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Agitating or Turning Over Malt and
other like Substances.
I, SIEGFRIED HIRSCHLER, of Worms-on-the-Rhine, in the Empire of Germany,
Maltster, 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 :-
My invention relates to apparatus for agitating or turning over malt and like

page_text: In my improved apparatus the turning of the malt or other substance is effected by
means of scoops and forks which are arranged on a shaft moving slowly over the floor
of the kiln or other place and rotating in an opposite direction to the forward
The apparatus is provided with an automatic stop and is reversed and
movement.
started by hand.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can be carried
into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 is a vertical section, and
Figure 2 is a plan of an apparatus arranged for turning over malt for the purpose
of regularly drying it and constructed according to my invention.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of the scoops and forks.
Figure 4 is a sectional end elevation, and
Figure 5 is a front elevation illustrating a modified arrangement of the scoops.
Figure 6 is a vertical section, and
Figure 7 a sectional plan illustrating my apparatus adapted for agitating barley
for the purpose of exposing it to the air.
I will first describe my invention by reference to Figures 1 and 2.
A rope S operated from a pulley R is used to give motion to the apparatus. The
frame of the agitator consists of a carriage W1, W2, W³, W, in which are mounted
rollers R1, R2, R3, R₁ running on rails F, F. Two of these rollers R¹ R2 mounted on
the same shaft are driven by means of the rope S through a pulley S¹ and toothed
wheels Z1, Z2, Z3. Two guide rollers L L serve to keep the rope S in proper contact
with the periphery of the pulley S. By the rotation of the rollers R R2 the
carriage W, W2, W³, W4 is moved along the rails F F. On a cross bar W³ of the
carriage is a projection D which, when the carriage reaches either end of the floor E
comes against a lever H¹ or H2 of a shifter-fork by means of which a clutch K is
disengaged and the apparatus thereby stopped, the clutch K, when engaged, causing
the rotation of the shaft and the roller R. After the malt has been left for several
hours the clutch K is again moved so as to cause the carriage to run in the opposite
direction. The shaft of the carrying rollers R', R2 is located inside the hollow
shaft A of the scoops and forks M, and N respectively. The scoops M are made of
curved wooden boards, which are fixed in pairs on forked arms M¹ secured to the
hollow shaft A so that the scoops enter the malt with their edges and then lift
it up.
The forks N are made by hammering teeth or spikes into a lath N2 which is
similarly fixed by means of arms N' to the hollow shaft A.
The hollow shaft A is supported in the two end plates W1 W2 of the carriage and
is driven by a toothed wheel Z³ gearing with a toothed wheel Z* on the rope
pulley S. In order to ensure the carriage working directly parallel with the rails,
when the driving power is applied to one side only of the apparatus, and thereby
avoiding friction, I provide a longitudinal bar B fixed to the end plate W₁ of the
carriage and having rollers at its ends which rollers run against the rail F.
To reduce the shock or strain caused by the scoops entering the malt along the
whole width of the floor I sometimes, as shewn in Figures 4 and 5, arrange the
scoops in sections set at different angles.
In figure 5 only the scoops marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in figure 4 are represented.
When drying malt it is sufficient to simply turn it gently over and deposit it in
the same place, the scoops for this purpose requiring to be rotated slowly as in the
apparatus herein before described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. This treat-
ment, however, is insufficient when requiring to agitate germinating barley for the
purpose of exposing it to the air as it is not then intended simply to turn it over
but to thoroughly expose the barley for as long a time as possible to fresh air so as
to prevent the formation of mould. This I effect by means of rapidly rotating
scoops arranged on a shaft which throw the barley backwards in a long curved line
thus securing a complete change of position and more especially a thorough airing.
As, however, the rapidly rotating scoops when striking against the upper layers of

page_text: barley when dry would destroy the grains I provide a rake in front of each scoop.in
order to loosen the upper layer and prepare it to be lifted up by the scoops.
This apparatus is illustrated in figures 6 and 7.
The
It is operated by means of a rope v which passes over two rope pulleys a and b
situated near the ceiling and over a driving pulley d mounted on the carriage A of
the apparatus. To allow the rope to pass over and be in contact with a large portion
of the periphery of the driving pulley d an additional pulley cis used.
rotation of the pulley d is by means of gear wheels e, f, g, h, i, k mounted on the
carriage A communicated at a greatly reduced speed to the carriage wheels o and q
which are united by a shaft. The carriage wheels run on rails and carry the
apparatus slowly over the floor.
A spur wheel keyed on the outside of the frame to the shaft of the wheels f and g
gears with another wheel keyed to the shaft S carrying the scoops t and causes the
latter to rotate at a quick rate of speed. The great speed at which the scoops work
through the barley causes it to be thrown backwards over the agitator in a long
curved line, that is to say, it is thrown in an opposite direction to the movement of
the carriage. The barley is loosened before being lifted up by the scoops, by means
of the rakes or forks u which are arranged between the scoops. These rakes form an
important feature in the construction of this barley agitator. The scoops t are
symmetrically shaped at both ends so as to be of equal service during the forward as
during the backward movement of the apparatus. The apparatus is arranged so that
it will stop each time it reaches the end of the floor and return, after a certain lapse
of time, to the starting point.
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 I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for turning over malt and other like substances:—
(a) The arrangement of scoops M constructed to work in both directions and
forks N on a rotating shaft A.
(6) The means of imparting motion to the shaft A of the scoops and to the
carriage W1 W2 W3 W* consisting of a driving rope S extending the length
of the floor which, in combination with the guide pulleys L L the rope
pulley S and toothed wheels Z' Z2 Z3 Z Z³, causes the rotation of the scoop-
shaft A and two of the carriage wheels R' R².
(c) The arrangement for automatically stopping the apparatus after each single
journey across the floor and the hand starting lever in combination with
reversing mechanism such as G G¹ G² K' H.
(d) Arranging the scoops in such a manner that each scoop is divided into several
parts which are set at different angles.
(e) A guide bar such as B arranged parallel with the rails when the driving
power is applied to one side only of the apparatus.
2. In apparatus for agitating germinating barley:-
(a) The arrangement of rakes or forks u and scoops t on a rotating shaft & in
such a manner that the forks first enter the barley and loosen it prior to
the scoops lifting it up and throwing it through the air over the apparatus in
an opposite direction to the direction of travel of the apparatus.
(b) The employment of a driving rope, which rope v through the medium of a
guide pulley c is caused to pass over a large portion of the periphery of the driving
pulley attached to the carriage A the motion of the latter pulley being
communicated at a considerably reduced speed by means of a train of gear
wheels e, f, g, h, i, k to the rollers or travelling wheels o, q whilst the scoops
on the shaft s are rotated through the medium of a pair of spur wheels m, n
driven from the train of gear wheels.

page_text: 3. The improved apparatus for agitating or turning over malt, barley and other
like substances hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 17th day of February 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.