Improvements in Machines for Drying Granular, Fibrous, and like Materials, also Applicable for Cleaning, Bleaching, Damping, Germinating, or Disinfecting.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1887
Complete Left, 16th May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th July, 1888
Improvements in Machines for Drying Granular, Fibrous, and like
Materials, also Applicable for Cleaning, Bleaching, Damping,
Germinating, or Disinfecting.
I, RALPH HOWARTH of 24 Manchester Road, Rochdale in the County of
Lancaster, Corn Miller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object the construction of a simple machine whereby
granular, fibrous, and like materials, such as grain, wool, tea, coffee, malt, china clay,
cement, hops, feathers, sand, etc., can be uniformly and speedily dried, or such articles
as grain, wool, or feathers can be cleaned, bleached, damped, or disinfected and grain
can be germinated.
To this end I employ within a suitable chamber, in horizontal or nearly horizontal
plane, a rotating cylinder the covering of which I make of wire gauze or other
perforated material, suitable for the material to be treated, and provide the interior
with propeller blades, if necessary.
Each end of this rotating cylinder I provide with a ring fixed on the shaft of the
rotating cylinder against which ring I fit a stationary disc.
These discs may be solid or of wire gauze or other perforated material in the lower
half, and are furnished with an inlet and an outlet opening.
These openings are so arranged as to exclude the ordinary air, as much as possible
while admitting and discharging the material, which is done in some cases by means
of doors, in some other cases the material itself preventing the air entering at these
openings.
The chamber in which the rotating cylinder is employed I divide into two com-
partments, in the lower compartment hot or dried air is suitably created or admitted,
and the upper compartment is so separated from the lower one, as to cause all, or
nearly all, of the hot air, to pass through the material in the cylinder before it gets
access to the upper compartment, to which is attached an air trunk provided with a
suitable number of valves forming a communication between the air trunk and the
said chamber, and serving to regulate the air current.

page_text: The working of the machine is as follows:-By means of the inlet opening, the
material to be treated, gravitates or is carried into the rotating cylinder.
The hot or dried air created, is then constantly drawn through the rotating cylinder
by,a fan or other suitable means in connection with the air trunk.
The hot or dried air, is thus drawn through the whole body of the material under
treatment, or such portion of it as is desired, and the action of the cylinder assisted
by suitable buckets, blades, or forks, according to the requirements of the material
under treatment, turning the same constantly over, causes the material to be uniformly
dried, while the dried material is delivered continuously or by hand as deemed best,
through the outlet opening.
In cases where the material under treatment requires cooling a current of cold air
is admitted underneath the rotating cylinder, at such part as will enable the fan to
cause it to pass through the whole, or any part, of the material.
For damping, bleaching, or disinfecting purposes, I employ above the rotating
cylinder, a water jet or jets, and below I create or admit the gases necessary for
bleaching or disinfecting, such being drawn or blown with or without the hot or dried
air, through the rotating cylinder.

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Drying Granular, Fibrous, and like
Materials, also Applicable for Cleaning, Bleaching, Damping,
Germinating, or Disinfecting.
I, RALPH HOWARTH of 24 Manchester Road, Rochdale in the County of Lancashire,
Corn Miller, 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 has for its object the construction of a simple machine, whereby
granular fibrous, and like materials, such as grain, wool, tea, coffee, malt, china-clay,
cement, hops, feathers, sand, etc., can be uniformly or speedily dried, or such articles
as grain, wool, or feathers can be cleaned, bleached, damped, or disinfected, and grain
can be germinated.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood I have caused to be
appended hereunto one sheet of drawings marked with letters of reference indicating
like parts in the various figures.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 2, a vertical cross section and Fig. 3, a view
of the feeding end of the machine."
In carrying out my invention I employ within a suitable chamber, preferably an
iron chamber a in a suitable position, preferably in a horizontal or nearly horizontal
plane, a rotating cylinder b, the covering b' of which, I make of wire gauze or other
perforated material suitable for the material to be treated and provide the interior
with propeller blades 63, see dotted lines, if necessary.
Each end of this rotating cylinder I provide with a ring c fixed on the shaft d of
the rotating cylinder b, against which rings c I fit respectively by means of the
brackets e bolted to the cross pieces a³, a stationary disc e, the covering b¹ being
suitably fastened to the said rings o and intermediate rings e¹ fixed on the shaft d, to
which a slow rotary motion is transmitted preferably by means of a worm & worm
wheel d¹ & d'.
These discs e may be solid or of wire gauze or other perforated material in the lower.
half, and are furnished respectively with an inlet and an outlet opening f & ġ the
g
rings themselves fitting tightly into and revolving in the fratne ends of the
machine.
These openings f&g are so arranged as to exclude the ordinary air as much as
possible while admitting and discharging the material, which is done in some cases by
means of doors f¹ & g¹, in some other cases the material itself preventing the air
entering at these openings f & g.
The chamber in which the rotating cylinder is employed I divide, preferably by
metal strips k covered with felt, fixed along the periphery of the cylinder b, into two
compartments and i, in the compartment h, hot dried air is suitably created or
admitted, for instance, by a furnace or pipes m, and the compartment i is so separated
from the compartment h, as to cause all or nearly all of the hot air to pass through the
material in the cylinder b, before it gets access to the compartment i, to which is
attached an air trunk l, provided with a suitable number of valves ¹ forming a com-
munication between the air trunk and the said chamber part i and serving to regulate
the current which is created by means of an fan n or air propeller, or other suitable
means.
The working of the machine is as follows :—By means of the inlet opening ſ, which

page_text: is provided with a hopper f2, the material to be treated gravitates or is carried
into the rotating cylinder so as to be filled always more than half when in full
operation.
The hot or dried air created is then constantly drawn through the rotating cylinder b
by the fan n or other suitable means in connection with the air trunk l. The hot or
dried air thus drawn through a considerable body of the material under treatment,
and cold air through such portion of it as is desired and the action of the cylinder b,
assisted by suitable buckets, blades, or forks, according to the requirements of the
material under treatment, turning the same constantly over, causes the material to be
uniformly dried, while the dried material is delivered continuously or by hand, as
deemed best, through the outlet opening g and channel 9 attached thereto."
In cases where the material under treatment requires cooling a current of cold air
is admitted underneath the rotating cylinder b, by means of a slide o, at the tail end,
or such part as will enable the fan n to cause it to pass through the whole, or any part
of the material.
A considerable body of grain in a continuous stream is thus exposed to the heat at
one time, each grain gets an equal share of the heat, and the moisture is thus extracted
without burning, scalding, or damaging any of the grain.
The slide g at the tail end of the machine, regulates the speed at which the grain
travels out of and through the machine, and the other slide o at the tail end admits cold
air underneath the end of the cylinder 6 and when this latter slide is open the grain is
cool on leaving the cylinder b.
The hot air can be produced either by steam or an open fire, the latter is, of course,
the cheapest and most effective, but the former is clear of fire risks, and will be found
quite effective enough for mellowing wheat and extracting the same amount of moisture
generally required by flour millers.
In all cases this machine improves the quality of grain put through it, as it allows
much of the dust to drop through the perforations away from the grain, and the hot
air extracts along with the moisture much of any objectionable smell the grain might
contain.
For damping, bleaching, or disinfecting purposes I employ above the rotating
cylinder 6 in the chamber part i a water jet or jets and in the chamber part / I create
or admit the gases necessary for bleaching or disinfecting, such being drawn or
blown by suitable means, with or without the hot or dried air through the rotary
cylinder b.
For germinating I also employ a water jet or jets over the rotating cylinder and
employ as much water and heat as is necessary to cause the required germination.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1st. The employment of a perforated rotary cylinder b enclosed in a chamber a,
through which cylinder 6 the substance or material to be treated passes, substantially
as & for the purpose specified.
2nd. Dividing the chamber a within which the perforated cylinder 6 revolves, in
two parts &i, the part i being in connection with a fan or air propeller n which
causes the hot air to pass from the chamber through the perforated cylinder b,
and the material under treatment therein, substantially as & for the purpose
specified.
3
1000
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester,
Agents to Applicant.