Improvements in Maize Thrashers.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 4th Dec., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Maize Thrashers.
I, ARTHUR SAMUEL FRANCIS ROBINSON, of the White Horse Iron Works, Wan-
tage, in the County of Berks, 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 it. and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in maize thrashers in which the dis-
integrating of the corn and the cob is performed by a helical winged drum
revolving in a cage formed by a number of bars which are retained in position
by rings.
It is usual in these machines to have an upper and lower sifting shoe; the
upper shoe, which has a large sieve, receives all the cobs and maize immediately
they leave the drum, and separates the one from the other.
The corn then passes with the chaff or particles removed from the cobs to the
lower shoe, in which it is winnowed by wind from a blower.
Now in this arrangement the large sieve of the upper shoe gets surcharged, and
in sifting out the cobs, corn is liable to go with them, also by sifting the corn
and cobs so much together more chaff is made and more winnowing is required.
To avoid this and increase the capacity and efficiency of the machine, I fix
two sieves above the large sieve of the upper shoe, one immediately under the
drum cage and leading to another passing with a considerable inclination down-
wards, above the large sieve.
Beneath these sieves is a return shute leading the products from the sieves to
the back, or end nearest the drum, of the large sieve.
Under and through these sieves and up the shute wind is caused to pass from
a blower that is placed behind the drum and is of about the same width as the
upper shoe.
By this arrangement a rough first dressing is given to the grain immediately
it leaves the drum, and, before it commences to pass over the large riddle or
sieve, the cobs are almost entirely removed by the upper sieves.
In order that the said invention may be more clearly understood, I will proceed
by the aid of the accompanying drawings to more fully describe the same.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation representing a machine constructed
according to my invention, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken through the
sieve 3 shute 5 and large sieve 6.
1 is the drum cage, 2 the feed inlet, 2ª the delivery end for thrashed cobs, 3 the
sieve immediately beneath the cage carried on the top shoe, 4 the continuation
of 3 but with greater fall, 5 the shute to return the products of 3 and 4 to the
large sieve 6, 7 the blower blowing beneath 3 and 4 and upwards along 5 thus
winnowing the corn and assisting the cobs to traverse down the inclined sieve 4.
8 is the second dresser and 9 the second blower,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
The arrangement of the sieves 3 and 4, the shute 5 and blower 7 placed im-
mediately beneath the drum cage of a maize thrasher as and for the purpose
already set forth and described.