IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO MACHINES FOR HULLING OR DECORTICATING COTTON SEED AND OTHER SEEDS, ALSO GRAIN, BERBIES, AND OTHER LIKE PRODUCE
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick John Cheesbrough, of the Office for Patents, 15,
Water Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO MACHINES FOR
HULLING OR DECORTICATING COTTON SEED AND OTHER SEEDS, ALSO GRAIN,
BERBIES, AND OTHER LIKE PRODUCE." A communication from abroad by
Joseph Collingbourne Vincent and David Kahnweiler, both of the City and
State of New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick John Cheesbrough
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th December 1877.
FREDERICK JOHN CHEESBROUGH, of the Office for Patents, 15, Water Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND APPERTAINING TO MACHINES FOR HULLING OR DECORTICATING COTTON SEED
AND OTHER SEEDS, ALSO GRAIN, BERRIES, AND OTHER LIKE PRODUCE." [A commu-
nication from abroad by Joseph Collingbourne Vincent and David Kahnweiler, both
of the City and State of New York, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to improvements in and appertaining to machines for
hulling or decorticating cotton seed and other seeds, also grain, berries, and other
like produce; and consists in the arrangement and adjustment of the knives of the
cylinder of a machine for hulling or decorticating, and in the formation of the
cylinder and concave, and the parts connected therewith.
A machine constructed according to this Invention consists of a revolving cylinder
which is divided into two or more longitudinal sections. Each section provided
with a set of knives or cutters, the working edges of which project through the
periphery of the cylinder. Each section of the cylinder is rigidly attached to the
shaft on which the cylinder is mounted, and which revolves the cylinder, and
the knives are so arranged on their respective sections that those on each section
have a different cut from either of the others, and so that in working on the seed,
grain, or berries which is fed into the machine through a suitable hopper, only a
Prine 81

page_text: single knife on one of the sections is cutting at one time, thus greatly lessening the
power required for driving the ordinary hulling machine.
The knives or cutters on the cylinder are fastened to the respective cylindrical
sections by suitable screws, which pass through blocks which serve to fill out the
cylinder between the knives. Other screws are let into the cylinder, so that their
ends bear against the backs of the knives, and so that by turning them the knives
may be set out from the surface of the cylinder. There are slots in the knives
through which the fastening screws pass to allow of adjustment.
The cylinder revolves in a concave or cylindrical section constructed of a series of
bars, which is provided with four knives or cutters, or more or less, as required.
Each knife is slotted and connected to its respective bar by screws, so that the
knives may be adjusted in their respective position in relation to the knives or
cutters of the revolving cylinder as required.
The bars are rigidly attached at each end of the bar to the frame or carrier. The
cylinder shaft revolves on journals carried on end frames, which support the
machine.
The machine is driven by a pulley or its equivalent on the shaft, to which power
is applied.
The carrying frames of the machine are connected together by suitable rods or
their equivalent.
The machine is provided with a feeding hopper, as herein-after described, and a
sheet metal apron, by which the cylinder is partly surrounded.
The feed hopper consists of a hopper in which is mounted a serrated feeding
cylinder carried on a shaft, and receiving motion from the shaft of the hulling
cylinder. The feeding cylinder has partition ribs which project to nearly the points
of the serrations or teeth of the cylinder.
In operation the seed, grain, or berries to be hulled is thrown into the feed hopper
by means of a hopper above it, and any sticks, nails, or foreign matter which may
be combined with the seed, grain, or berries is prevented from being carried down
into the machine by means of the partition ribs, as such foreign substances cannot
enter the serrations or grooves, and are thrown on one side. The seed, grain, or
berries to be hulled enters the grooves of the feeder, and is carried down and
delivered on to the hulling or decorticating cylinder as the feeder revolves.
The hulling or decorticating cylinder is driven round in the concave, and the
seed and hulls or chaff which are cut and separated from the seed are thrown by the
centrifugal force of the cylinder mainly against the covering apron, from whence
they are discharged.
By constructing the cylinder in longitudinal sections, as described, and arranging
the knives on the sections so that only one cuts at a time, the machine is made
more effective than ordinary hulling or decorticating machines, while the power
required for driving it is greatly reduced from that ordinarily applied to machines
used for hulling seed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederick John Cheesbrough in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th June 1878.
FREDERICK JOHN CHEESBROUGH, of the Office for Patents, 15, Water Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND APPERTAINING TO MACHINES FOR HULLING OR DECORTICATING COTTON SEED
AND OTHER SEEDS, ALSO GRAIN, BERRIES, AND OTHER LIKE PRODUCE." A commu-
nication from abroad by Joseph Collingbourne Vincent and David Kahnweiler, both
of the City and State of New York, United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in and appertaining to machines for
hulling or decorticating cotton seed and other seeds, also grain, berries, and other
like produce; and consists in the arrangement and adjustment of the knives of the
cylinder of a machine for hulling or decorticating, and in the formation of the
cylinder and "concave," and the parts connected therewith.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use this Invention I will proceed
to describe the exact manner in which the same is to be carried out, and for that
purpose I have attached three Sheets of Drawings marked with letters and figures
of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation :-
=
Similar letters of reference where they occur indicate the same or corresponding
parts.
In the accompanying Drawings,—
Figure 1 represents a vertical cross section of a machine constructed according to
this Invention.
Figure 2 is an outside view of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of Figure 1 with cover and concave removed.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of Figure 1 with cover partly removed, showing the
knives of the concave.
Upon reference to the Drawings it will be seen that A represents the revolving
cylinder, which is divided into two, three, or more longitudinal sections marked
A, B, C. Each section is provided with a set of knives or cutters, the working edges of
which are seen at the points marked d. Each section of the cylinder is rigidly attached
to the shaft, a convenient method being by having a right and left hand screw on the
outside sections, with nuts to correspond. By this means the sections are kept rigidly
on the shaft N, and tend to tighten themselves when the machine is running; and
the knives are so arranged on their respective sections that those on each section
have a different cut from either of the others, and so that in working on the seed,
which is fed into the machine through a suitable hopper, only a single knife on one
of the sections is cutting at one time, thus greatly lessening the power required for
driving the ordinary hulling machine.
- repre-
As seen on the Drawings, the knives F on the cylinder are fastened to the cylin-
drical sections by the screws G, which pass through the blocks H. These_blocks
serve to fill out the cylinder between the knives, as seen on the Drawings.
sents screws which are let into the cylinder, so that their ends bear against the
backs of the knives, and so that by turning them the knives may be set out from
the surface of the cylinder. This method of fastening and adjusting the knives is
plainly seen in the cross section, Figure 1. There are slots in the knives, through
which the fastening screws pass, which allow of this adjustment.
J represents the knives of the concave, which are four (more or less) in number.
Each one is slotted, and connected to a bar K by the screws L, so that they may be
adjusted to the cylinder in a proper manner.
The bars K are rigidly attached at each of the ends R, R; N is the cylinder shaft,
which revolves on journals confined to the heads, as represented in Figure 3.
O is the pulley on the shaft, to which the power is applied.
P represents rods by which the ends R of the machine are connected together.

page_text: S is the base of the hopper, and T is a sheet metal apron, by which the cylinder
is partially surrounded, as seen in Figure 1.
U is the feeder, consisting of a serrated cylinder on the shaft V; W represents
partition ribs on the cylinder, which partitions project to near the points of the
teeth X.
The seed to be hulled is thrown into this feeder by means of a hopper above it,
and sticks or nails which may be combined with the seed are prevented from
being carried down into the machine by means of the partitions, as such foreign
substances cannot enter the grooves between the teeth, and are thrown on one side.
The seed to be hulled enters these grooves, and is carried down and delivered on to
the cylinder as the feeder revolves.
The feeder U is driven by the belt Y from the shaft of the cylinder A, as seen in
Figure 2; or the pulley on feed roll might be placed on the other side (lengthen out
the shaft on cutter head to give motion from there to the feed pulley).
There may be any number of partitions W in the feeder, so that nails and stones
may be excluded.
The cylinder is driven in the direction of the arrow, and the seed and hulls or chaff
which are cut and separated from the seed are thrown by the centrifugal force of
the cylinder mainly against the apron T, from whence they are discharged.
By constructing the cylinder in longitudinal sections, as described, and arranging
the knives on the sections so that only one cuts at a time, the machine is made
more effective than ordinary hulling machines, while the power required for
driving it is reduced from that ordinarily applied to machines used for hulling
seed.
Having thus described this Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondents, what I claim is,―
First. The combination of a series of knives F (steel or cast iron) placed on cutter
stocks, and held firmly with blocks H, H, by means of screws G, forming a cylinder
with knives extending to work against knives J, J, in concave bars K, each bar K
being curved out, having sufficient room for the seed to revolve, and receiving
repeated cuts and throws by the following knives J, attached to bars K.
Second. The combination of a series of knives arranged on a single cylinder or on
a cylinder divided into two or more contiguous longitudinal sections, as shown and
described, with a series of knives J separately adjustable, and having their cutting
edges in the same diametrical plane with the axis of the revolving cutter stock, all
as set forth.
Thirdly. The arrangement of set screws I at the back of each knife in the recesses
of the cutter stock to adjust and form a back rest for the tool, as shown and
described.
Fourthly. In combination with a hulling machine, the feeder U provided with the
partitions W, constructed substantially as and for the purpose described.
Fifthly. In combination with the hopper, the feeder U with partitions W, con-
structed as described, and either with or without the cylinder A or cutter head for
excluding sticks, nails, or stones, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick John Cheesbrough, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
FREDERICK JOHN (L.S.) CHEESBROUGH.