IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WASHING AND DRYING OF GRAIN TO REMOVE THE OUTER RHIND OR HUSK AND IN THE APPARATUS · OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR' PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Graham Walker, of the firm of Gibson and
Walker of Bonnington Steam Mills Leith in the County of Midlothian, North:
Britain, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WASHING AND DRYING
OF GRAIN TO REMOVE THE OUTER RHIND OR HUSK AND IN THE APPARATUS
· OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Graham Walker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th November 1883..
JAMES GRAHAM WALKER, of the firm of Gibson and Walker of Bonnington
Steam Mills, Leith, in the County of Midlothian, North Britain, “IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE WASHING AND DRYING OF GRAIN TO REMOVE THE OUTER RHIND OR HUSK
AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR,"
This Invention, which relates to improvements in the treatment of Grain and in
the apparatus or means employed therefor, has for its object to remove the outer
rind or husk of the grain so as to leave the inner part clean for being operated
upon by milling machinery.-The mechanism by which this object is effected
consists of a washing apparatus and a drying apparatus by means of which the
moistening of the grain, the separation of the rind or husk and the subsequent
drying of the Grain are conducted as a continuous operation; or as a continuous
series of operations.
The mechanism consists of a revolving cylinder or riddle into which the grain in
its natural condition is continuously discharged by a shoot.-This riddle distributes
the Grain into another shoot having a flat discharge piece through which it escapes
and meets with a stream of water by which it is moistened, and the moistened.
Grain is then carried forward to one or more vertical cylinders having
perforated covers, and in which revolving fanners are placed.-The moistened
Grain in passing through these cylinders becomes partially dried by the action of
the fanners and the rind or husk is loosened. In this condition, that is to say,
with the husk or rind loosened the grain and husk are carried still further forward.
by screw creepers or their equivalent and on passing further onward through the
mechanism the bran is separated from the clean Grain by means of one or more
blowers after which the Grain is passed over one or more riddles or sieves and
from which it is finally collected in a clean and nearly dry state.
In place of moistening the grain in the Apparatus herein before described by
means of water it may be moistened by admitting steam either at the place where
water is admitted, or within the first or others of the series of vertical.cylinders'
when such a series is employed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Graham Walker in the Patent Office on the 19th May 1884.
JAMES GRAHAM WALKER, of the firm of Gibson and Walker of Bonnington Steam
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
Mills, Leith, in the County of Midlothian, North Britain
WASHING AND DRYING OF GRAIN TO REMOVE THE OUTER RIND OR HUSK AND IN
THE APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREFOR
"
My said Invention which relates to improvements in the treatment of grain, has
for its object to remove the outer rind or husk so as to leave the inner part clean
for being operated upon by milling machinery.-The mechanism by which this
object is effected consists in the combination of a washing apparatus and a drying
apparatus, by means of which the moistening of the grain, the separation of the
rind or husk and the subsequent drying of the grain are conducted as a continuous
operation, or as a continuous series of operations.
The mechanism consists of a revolving cylinder or riddle into which the grain in
its natural condition is continuously discharged by a shoot.-This riddle distributes
the grain into another shoot having a flat discharge piece through which the grain
escapes and meets with a stream of water by which it is moistened, and the
moistened grain is then carried forward to one or more vertical cylinders having
perforated covers, and in which revolving fanners or their equivalents are placed.—
The moistened grain in passing through these cylinders becomes partially dried by
the action of the fanners and the rind or husk is loosened.-In this condition, that
is to say, with the husk or rind loosened, the grain and husk are carried by a chain
elevator or equivalent means to one or more blowers to separate the bran from the
clean grain, after which the grain is passed over one or more riddles or sieves and
from which it is finally collected in a clean and nearly dry state.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I now proceed
more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or under which, the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings and to the Letters and Figures marked thereon, that is
to say :-
The accompanying Drawing Figure 1, represents a portion of a Mill in section,
shewing the apparatus, constructed according to my said Invention, in elevation.
From the granary floor a, the grain is fed into the hopper b, through the
grating 6', into the shoot b', down which the grain falls and is discharged into the
revolving riddle c,. The said riddle c, is mounted in suitable bearings at a slight
incline over the hopper D, and is preferably formed at its inner part c¹, with fine
perforations, and at its outer part c, with larger perforations, the grain falling
through the perforations of the riddle into the hopper D, the extraneous matters or
larger impurities being discharged at the lower open end of the riddle, and through
the shoot d, into any suitable receptacle.-Below the hopper D, is a water cistern E,
having a water inlet e, and outlet e', both capable of being regulated by valves, and
the cistern or trough is provided with an inclined division e, the top of which is in
a position below the end of a flat discharge outlet d¹, of the hopper D.-The
water in the part es, of the trough, is so regulated that a current of water flows
continuously over the top of the division e, the overflow being mixed with and
flowing with the grain as it falls from the shoot d', of the hopper, the heavy or
other extraneous matters, failing to be carried away by the current, drop on to the
inclined plane e, and sink to the bottom of the water in the trough E, the pipe e',
being fitted for the purpose of cleaning out the said trough.-The grain is carried
by the overflow, down the inclined side of the division e³, (as indicated by the

page_text: arrow) and is discharged by the duct f, the bottom of which may be perforated in
such a manner as to allow of the escape of the excess of water, and the grain is
conducted into the lower part of the vertical perforated cylinder G, in which
fanners rotate at a high velocity, the blades of the fanners being so inclined as to
carry the grain from the bottom up to the top of the cylinder and discharge the
grain down a shoot h, into the top of a second perforated cylinder I, in which
ordinary fanners-rotate at a high velocity, the grain being discharged through the
shoot j, to the screw creeper j', shewn in end elevation in the Drawings, which
feeds the grain into the receptacles of the chain elevator K, through which the
chain of buckets pass and lift it to the upper part of the elevator K, from which it
is discharged into the further drying apparatus.-The fanners of the two
cylinders G, and I, which are rotated by the shafts g, and i, at a high velocity,
cause the wet grain, by centrifugal action, to be thrown against the perforated
sides of the cylinders, whereby the grain is partially dried and at the same time
the outer rind or husk of the grain is loosened.-In lieu of employing two
cylinders G, and I, as shewn in the Drawing, one only or more than two cylinders
may be employed.-The dirty or waste water from the cylinders may be carried
off, as shewn, by the trough L, over or upon which both the cylinders and the
trough or cistern E, are mounted.
The grain having passed through the cylinders G, and I, as described, is carried
by the chain or equivalent elevator K, to the upper part of the elevator K, and
discharged continuously down the shoot M, into the further drying machine.-This
consists as shewn of a casing N, preferably of wire gauze mounted upon a box P,
in which casing, fanners are caused to rotate, at a high velocity, by the pulley n,
the grain being thrown by centrifugal force against the wire gauze of the said
casing, and the loose husks being thereby further detached from the grain,
which falls from the casing m, through a shoot (not shewn on the Drawings) on to
the vibrating sieve. Q, which is shewn more particularly in plan at Figure 2, of the
Drawings, the sieve being operated by the crank q,. under the action of the
spring -Below the said casing, and within the box P, is mounted a blower R,
which is preferably rotated, simultaneously with the fanners above, by the pulley n,
a side draught is thus produced by the blower to act upon the grain as hereinafter
set forth.
The husks and other detached matters from the grain, as they are carried with
the grain along the inclined sieve Q, fall through the meshes of the said sieve, and
are carried off by an under receptacle and emptied away by the shoot 8, the full
grain as it is discharged from the end of the sieve falls upon the series of inclined
steps or plates t, arranged within the framing T.-The grain, as it thus falls from
step to step, is acted upon by the current produced, in the direction of the arrows,
by the blower R, and the last detached portion from the grain, blown off, and are
carried by the current into any common receptacle U.
The grain having passed through the series of steps or plates and having been
acted upon by the blower as herein described, is now sufficiently dried and
completely separated from the husks, and is carried away by the chain or other or
other elevator W, and discharged as clean and finished grain from the shoots w, and
collected in sacks or other receptacles.
In lieu of moistening the grain by water as herein before described with reference
to the preliminary operation of washing the grain, the grain may be inoistened
with steam, by admitting the steam to the first or others of the series of vertical
cylinders, when such a series is employed at any convenient part.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the system, mode or manner in or under which the same is or may
be used or practically carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do
not limit myself to the use or employment of the precise construction of either the
washing or the drying apparatus, as shewn in the Drawings, as the same may be
varied in the details of their construction without departing from the nature of my
said Invention, and I wish it also to be understood that I do not claim the several

page_text: details of my said apparatus when used separately, but what I consider to be novel
and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein before
in part recited Letters Patent is :-
In the treatment of grain, to remove the outer rind or husk, the effecting of this
object as a continuous operation or as a continuous series of operations by the
combined use of washing and drying apparatus arranged substantially as
herein before described and shewn on the accompanying Drawings.
In Witness Whereof I, the said James Graham Walker have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Fourteenth day of April in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty-four.
JAMES GRAHAM WALKER (L.S.)