Improvements in Machinery for Cleaning or Dressing Barley and other Grain.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 21st Apr., 1893-Accepted, 10th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Cleaning or Dressing Barley and
other Grain.
1, THOMAS, STEVENS, of The Ceres Ironworks, Kingston-on-Thames in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
$6
My invention refers to machines for cleaning barley and other grain, and
particularly that class of grain known as Foreign barley," and the objects of the
invention are to combine in one and the same machine in a compact form, means
whereby the foreign substances contained in the grain are removed in a much more
efficient manner than heretofore.
According to my invention I provide the top of the machine with a feed hopper
and feed adjustment having a revolving stirrer just above the outlet and extending
through and across the hopper. Immediately below this hopper there is a heddle
or riddle through which the grain passes to a zig zag platform having a smaller
meshed heddle or riddle, on or above the return platform, with shoots leading to
each side of the machine, for carrying off foreign substances, such as stones and
straws, from the top riddle, and dust which has gone through the lower heddles,
while the corn is guided by a sloping shoot, and falling therefrom is acted on by a
blast of air from a fan or blower, whereby the chaff is carried away through an
opening in the end of the machine provided for that purpose, while the grain falls
onto a sloping screen below the fan, the grain passes through this screen, the large
foreign substances passing to shoots at the end, each leading to the sides of the
machine as in the previous case, and below this sloping screen there is another
screen, the two forming a sort of double shoot leading the cleaned grain off, or
else to a cockle and broken kernel cylinder when such is used, and then from this
cylinder to an endless worm conveyor or other convenient form of delivery.
In front of the fan there are deflecting plates adjustable from the outside of
the machine and adjustable guide boards for guiding the direction of travel of the
grain.
The fau or blower shaft has a toothed pinion keyed on its outside, gearing with
a toothed wheel, with which latter another pinion gears having cranked spindle
connections for imparting the jogging motion to the screens and heddles, the latter
being hung by spring hangers outside the frame of the machine on each side
thereof. The driving gear is carried by a bracket frame on the outside of the
machine, and the toothed wheel is driven by crank handle, or by pulleys, receiving
motion by strap from any prime mover. If preferred I may drive the various
parts by belts instead of gear wheels, still adopting the same arrangement
of parts.
The chaff is driven off at one end, the cleaned grain is delivered at the opposite
end, while the dust, stones, straws, and other foreign substances, are led off at the
sides of the machine.
Machines constructed and arranged in the manner before described, are enclosed
by panels all round with the necessary openings for the exit of chaff, dirt, stones,
and other foreign substances required to be removed, and when so arranged they
are compact, occupy comparatively small space, are very effective in action,
and can be sent out for use ready to be placed in position for work without
any fitting.
Deted this 21st dow of June 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Cleaning or Dressing Barley and
other Grain.
I, THOMAS STEVENS, of The Ceres Iron Works, Kingston-on-Thames, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
My invention refers to machines for cleaning barley and other grain, and
particularly that class of grain known as "Foreign barley," and the objects of the
invention are to combine in one and the same machine in a compact form, means
whereby the foreign substances contained in the grain are removed in a much more
efficient manner than heretofore.
In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings illustrative
thereof, wherein
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 2 an end view of a combined
machine constructed according to my invention.
Figures 3 and 4 shew in side & plan views a sieve and driving device detached.
A is a feed hopper at the top of the machine, having a revolving stirrer just.
above the outlet and extending through and across the hopper, or an equivalent
device may be provided as at B on the drawings. Immediately below this
hopper A there is a heddle or riddle C (Figures 1, 3 and 4) through which the
grain passes to a platform below and from thence to a smaller-meshed heddle or
riddle D on or above a return platform F; G and H are shoots leading to each
outer side of the machine for carrying off foreign substances such as stones and
straws from the top riddle C, and dust which has gone through the lower heddle D,
while the corn, may in some cases, be guided by a sloping shoot and falling there-
from is acted on by a blast of air from a fan or blower I, whereby the chaff is
carried away through an opening J in the end of a machine, provided for that
purpose, while the grain falls onto a sloping screen K below the fan; the grain
passes through the screen K, the large foreign substances passing to shoots Lat
the end, each leading to the sides of the machine as in the previous case, and
below this sloping screen K there is another screen M, the two forming a sort of
double shoot leading the cleaned grain off, or else by the shoot N to a cockle and
broken kernell cylinder O as shown in the drawings, when such is used, and then
from this cylinder to an endless worm conveyor or other convenient form of
delivery.
The riddle C reciprocates at a considerable speed (about say 300 per minute),
this has in other machines very much shaken them so as in time to knock them to
pieces; to prevent this I introduce a spiral spring on each side between the main
frame of the machine and the riddle case, the spring is compressed with a certain
amount of tension so as to keep all its parts in constant thrust; these springs at
each reversal of the stroke bring the moving parts gradually to rest, prevents
back lash, and entirely stops the vibration of the machine.
In front of the fan there are deflecting plates P adjustable from the outside of
the machine, and adjustable guide boards for guiding the direction of travel of the
grain. The screens and heddles are hung by spring hangers outside the frame of
the machine on each side thereof; and in order to impart the jogging motion thereto
I provide the fan or blower shaft with a pulley 11 driven by a belt from a cranked
spindle R, the latter by a connecting rod communicating the jogging motton to the
lower sieve, the shaft R being provided with pulleys R' for receiving motion by
strap from any prime mover, or the shaft R may be driven by a crank handle; the
several other driven devices are actuated by belts from the spindle R. S is a

page_text: crank shaft driven by belt and S₁ (Figs. 3 and 4) connecting rods giving motion to
the sieves as shewn in the latter figures.
Where the devices are actuated through the medium of toothed or other
gearing, the blower or fan shaft, may be provided with a toothed pinion gearing
with a toothed wheel, with which latter another pinion gears, having cranked
spindle connections. The driving gear is or may be carried by a bracket frame on
the outside of the machine.
The chaff is driven off at one end, the cleaned grain is delivered at the opposite
end, while the dust, stones, straws, and other foreign substances are led off at the
sides of the machine.
Machines constructed and arranged in the manner before described, are enclosed
by panels all round with the necessary openings for the exit of chaff, dirt, stones,
and other foreign substances required to be removed, and when so arranged they
are compact, occupy comparatively small space, are very effective in action, and
can be sent out for use ready to be placed in position for work without any
fitting.
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 machines for dressing barley and other grain, the platform and shoots
Figs. 3 and 4 in combination with the fan for carrying away the chaff, and sloping
screens to receive the clean grain with dust shoots at the end thereof, and with or
without a cockle and broken kernel cylinder below the sloping screens, an endless
worm or other conveyor, devices to impart the jogging motion to the spring hung
heddles, and whereby foreign substances are efficiently removed from the grain in
one combined machine, all constructed, arranged and acting substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.
2. In machines for cleaning barley and other grain, the several devices combined
in one machine, and whereby the foreign substances contained in the grain are
removed in a much more efficient manner than heretofore, all acting substantially
as and for the purposes herein described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
AMIIANA
Dated th
HAA
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicant.