Improvements in Apparatus for Sifting and Purifying Meal or other Ground or Granular Material, or Flour, Dunst, Middlings, Semolina, and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 9th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 5th Dec., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Sifting and Purifying Meal or
other Ground or Granular Material, or Flour, Dunst, Middlings,
Semolina, and the like.
I, JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM, of 32, Seel Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Milling Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention is applicable to sieves having a rotary motion and its object is to
provide improved apparatus for separating the material of a lighter specific gravity
from the material of a heavier specific gravity passing over the surface of rotary
sieves by means of currents of air.
Also to provide a means of dividing the material lifted by the air currents so that
a portion of such material consisting of the heaviest of the lifted particles may be
automatically returned to the sifting surface.
Also to provide a means of evenly distributing the material upon the sieve while it
is under the action of an uprising current of air.
Also to provide a means of propelling the material on the sieve or upon the
collecting trays under the sieve in any desired direction.
In carrying out that part of my invention which is used with air currents I place a
tray over the surface of the sieve arranged at a suitable distance therefrom and I place
upon such tray a series of hollow casings, each hollow casing being constructed for
the purpose
of causing a vortex in the air contained in its interior, and a vortex in the
air surrounding its exterior and I call such casing a vorticor.
I make the vorticor casing hollow and it may be either cylindrical, conical, oval,
triangular, square or polygonal in form, but I prefer to make it of a cylindrical or
conical shape, or of a combination of a cylinder or cone. The lower part of the
vorticor casing projects below the tray to such a suitable distance from the sifting
surface, as will allow a thin layer of the material being sifted to be evenly distributed
between the bottom of the vorticor casing and the top of the sieving surface.
In the interior of the hollow vorticor casing 1 form a middle ledge or ring having
an opening or aperture through the same, above the tray and the ledge I form a top
or cover to the casing having a similar opening or aperture, also
aperture in the upper part of the casing preferably at a tangent to the same.
form a side
1 place a side chamber on the outside of the casing preferably close on its top and
sides and open at the bottom and I carry such chamber through the tray to a suitable
distance from the sieve surface, thus I arrange the casing and its side chamber so that
a circuit may be set up as follows:-
By exhausting the compartment in the rotary sieve above the tray of vorticor
casings a current of air rises through the sieve and the material thereon and lifts
material of a lighter specific gravity into the lower part of the casings, the laden air
then enters into the upper part of the casings and the major portion of the air and
the lightest portion of its load then passes out of the vorticor casings into the
exhausted compartment through the openings in the tops or covers of the casings.
The laden air in its passage through the interiors of the vorticor casings acquires a
whirling motion from the rotary motion of the sieve, with the result that the heaviest
of the lifted material is thrown by centrifugal force against the interiors of the
vorticor casings and is automatically discharged from thence through the side
openings and the side chambers on to the sieve surface below the tray.
I also arrange the shape of the side chamber so that it forms a projection or
wing upon the outside of the vorticor casing and I place the position of the vorticor
[Price 8d 1

page_text: casings with their projections or wings so as to produce outer vortices in relation to
the direction of the rotary motion and the direction in which the material is to travel
over the sieve surface, such as causes the material being sifted to be propelied in the
required direction.
In some cases I may make a side aperture leading into the side chamber underneath
the ledge or tray in addition to the side aperture above the ledge or tray, or 1 may
make one side aperture from bottom to top of the casing.
In some cases I may make two or more side apertures and side chambers to each
vorticor.
In some cases I may dispense with the middle ring or ledge and its opening in the
casing, and I may place a helical ring thereby to carry the material to the sieve
surface instead of using the side apertures.
In some cases instead of making the vorticor casing with a side aperture and
projecting side chamber I may make it with an outer projecting propelling wing and
in such case I may cause the heaviest of the whirling material lifted by the air to
leave the interior of the casing by means of an annular opening or partially annular
opening or openings formed in the periphery of the casing in such manner that the
material passes underneath the tray on to the sieve, or I may combine the same with
the helical ring as above described.
In carrying out that part of my invention which is applicable for propelling the
material upon the surface of the sieve without the use of air currents for separating
light from heavy material, I place a tray over the surface of the sieve at a suitable
distance therefrom and I place upon the underside of such tray a series of hanging
vorticer prominences having wings arranged in such manner as to form vortices in
the air on the outside of the prominences and so that such vortices combined with the
rotary motion of the sieves causes the material to be propelled in the desired direction,
also arrange such hanging vorticors so that their lower surface may be at such a
suitable distance from the sieve surface as will cause the material thereon to be evenly
spread over the sieve.
I
In carrying out that part of my invention which is applicable for propelling the
material upon the surfaces of the collecting trays under the sieves I place a series of
raised vorticor prominences upon the upper surfaces of the collecting trays and I
make each of these vorticor prominences with a wing arranged in such manner that
the rotary motion of the sieve causes a vortex to be set up, on the outside of each of
the vorticor prominences, also I arrange the series of vortices so that the vortical rings
cross and interfere with each other in such manner as to propel the material from
vortex to vortex in the desired direction.
In some cases I may make the hanging or raised vorticors with enlargements at
their lower or upper ends.
Dated this 9th day of December 1895.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Sifting and Purifying Meal or
other Ground or Granular Material, or Flour, Dunst, Middlings,
Semolina, and the like.
I, JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM, of 32, Seel Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster
Milling Engineer, 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 :-
This invention is applicable to sieves having a rotary motion such as that used in

page_text: ordinary band sieving, and its object is to provide improved apparatus for separating
the material of a lighter specific gravity from the material of a heavier specific gravity
passing over the surface of the rotary sieve, this separation being effected by means
of currents of air, also the invention is designed to provide means for dividing the
material lifted by the air currents, so that a portion of such material consisting of
the heaviest of the lifted particles may be automatically returned to the sieving
surfaces, also to provide a means for evenly distributing the material upon the
sieve while it is under the action of an uprising current of air, and to provide
means for propelling the material on the sieves or upon the collecting trays under
the sieve in the desired direction. That part of my invention which is used with
air currents is illustrated in the drawings annexed hereto in which
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of part of a machine.
Figure 2 a sectional plan drawn on the line Z Z and
Figure 3 sectional elevation taken on line X-x of Figure 1.
The section of hollow vorticor marked C' on Figure 2 is taken on the line V-V of
Figure 1. and it shows a horizontal sectional plan of the hollow vorticor.
In these drawings, the arrows without feathers show the course of the air current,
the arrows with feathers show the course of the material on the sieve.
Referring to these drawings AA are the sieves of the usual perforated porous
material, B B trays placed at a convenient distance above the sieve. Fixed in these
trays are a series of hollow casings C, each hollow casing being constructed for the
purpose of causing a vortex of the air contained in its interior and a vortex in the air
surrounding its exterior, and I call such casing a vorticor. I make the vorticor
casing hollow, and it may be either cylindrical, conical, polygonal or other form, but
1 prefer to make it of a cylindrical or conical shape or of a combination of a cylinder
and cone. The lower part of the hollow vorticor casing projects below the tray to
such a suitable distance from the surface as will allow a thin layer of material on the
sieving surfaces to be evenly distributed between the bottom of the vorticor casing
and the sieving surfaces. In the interior of the hollow vorticor casing at its bighest
point form an annular ledge, and sometimes place a similar annular ledge at about
the height of the tray but having an aperture. This ledge is not shown in the
drawings as for most purposes 1 omit it altogether. I also form a side aperture M in
the hollow casing opening into a side chamber N. This side chamber N is made
tangential with the chamber and is preferably closed at its top and sides and open
at the bottom, and this chamber is carried through the tray to a suitable distance from
the sieve surface, usually the same distance as the vorticor casing itself, thus I arrange.
the casing and its side chamber so that a circuit may be set up as follows:-
By exhausting the compartment above the tray of vorticor casings a current of air
arises up through the sieve and the material thereon, and lifts the material of a lighter
specific gravity into the lower part of the casings below the central annular ledge
when there is one. The laden air then enters into the upper part of the casings and
the major portion of the air and the lightest portion of its load pass out of the vorticor
casings into the exhausted compartment through the openings O in the top covers or
annular ledges of the casings. The laden air in its passage through the interiors of
the vorticor casings takes a whirling motion from the rotary motion of the sieve, with
the result that the heaviest of the lifted material is thrown by centrifugal force
against the interiors of the vorticor casings and is automatically discharged from
thence through the side openings M and the side chambers N, and from there falls on
to the sieve surface below the tray. I also arrange the side chamber N so that it
forms a projection or wing W upon the outside of the vorticor casing and I also place
the vorticor casings with their projections or wings W in such positions in the tray or
sieve as to produce outer vortices in relation to the direction of the rotary motion and
the direction in which the material is to travel over the sieve surface such as causes
the material being sifted to be propelled in the required direction. The side opening.
leading into the side chamber of the vorticor can be of any depth. In the drawing it
is shown extending from top to bottom of the vorticor, but for some kinds of material
it will probably be found best to only extend a short distance from the top, and the

page_text: remainder of the partitions between the vorticor casing and the side chamber is in
that case left solid. In some cases I may make two side apertures and side chambers
in each vorticor. In some cases I may place a helical ring inside the vorticor casing
to carry the materials back to the sieve surface instead of using side apertures. In
some cases instead of making the vorticor casing as a side aperture and projecting
side chamber I may make it with outer projecting propelling wing and in such cases
I may cause the heaviest of the whirling material lifted by the air to leave the interior
of the casing by means of an opening or openings in the casing in such manner that
the material passes underneath the tray onto the sieve through an annular or partly
annular passage and in such case I may combine the same with a helical ring above
described. This arrangement however will be comparatively rarely advantageous and
I have not therefore illustrated it in the drawing which only sets forth my most
improved form for general milling purposes. In carrying out that part of the
invention which is applicable for propelling the material upon the surfaces of the
sieve without the use of air currents for separating light from heavy materials I still
place a tray over the surface of the sieve at a suitable distance therefrom and place
on the under side of such tray a series of hanging vorticors or vorticor shaped
prominences F having wings FI arranged in such manner as to form vortices in the
air on the outside of the prominences, and so that such vortices combined with the
rotary motion of the sieve cause the material to be propelled in the desired direction.
Also I arrange such hanging vorticors so that their lower surfaces may be at such a
suitable distance from the sieve surfaces as will cause the material thereon to be
evenly spread over the sieve. These vorticors are set forth at F in Figure 1. In
carrying out that part of the invention which is applicable for propelling the material
upon the surfaces of the collecting trays under the sieves I place a series of vorticor
prominences E or vorticors upon the upper surfaces of the collecting trays and I make
each of these vorticor prominences E with a wing E' arranged in such manner that
the rotary motion of the sieve causes a vortex to be set up on the outside of each of
the vorticor prominences. These wings are shown at E on the left hand side of
Figure 1 and Figure 2. Also I arrange the series of vortices so that the vortical
rings cross and interfere with each other in such a manner as to propel the material
from vortex to vortex in a desired direction. This is shown well in Figure 2 where
the featherless arrow R shows the rotary motion and the feathered arrow RR the
direction of travel of the material. In some cases I place the vorticors with their
wings upon the surface of the sieves as shown at E' on Figure 1 for the purpose of
propelling and distributing the material upon the sieve itself. Referring now further
to the figures, the left-hand side of Figures 1 and 2 shows a portion of a plansifter in
which there is no upward current of air, as although the part below the bottom tray
is connected as hereafter explained with an upward current there being no escape for
an upward current through the sieve, no upward current actually takes place through
the sieve. The right-hand side of Figures 1 and 2 and Figure 3 shows an arrange-
ment where there is an upward current. The material from the left-hand side passes
along the bottom sieve and goes over this upward current. The air of this upward
current and the lighter particles pass upward through the openings O of the vorticors C
and down through the passage G. The heavier particles falling through the sieve pass
out at H and the tailings out at I. In each instance however these materials have to
pass through the upward current which carries the lighter particles into the vorticor
and these whirling round the heavier of the lighter particles are dropped out of the
side chamber N back again to the sieve or into the space beyond the tails as the case
may be.
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 a rotary sieve having an upward current of air a series of vortex chambers or
vorticors arranged with side passages (or their equivalent as described) so that the
heavier of the particles carried up by the current are drawn to the sides of the

page_text: vorticors by centrifugal force and pass out through the side passages or their
equivalent back again to the chamber from which they were raised by the air
current, while the air current and the lighter of the particles raised by it pass away.
2. In combination with a sieve having rotary motion a series of pendent prominences
placed a short distance above it and having wings (or their equivalent substantially as
herein described and illustrated) and so arranged that by means of the rotary motion
the material shall be propelled forward in a given direction along the sieve.
3. In combination with a sieve or a sieve bottom or other surface along which it is
desired that granular or pulverulent matter should travel in a given direction, a series
of winged discs or similar prominences placed on that surface and so arranged that a
rotary motion such as that given to a hand sieve imparted to that surface shall propel
the material forward in a given direction substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of September 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, Patent Agents.