Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Cereals in their Straw, and Hay and other Fibrous Materials.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 17th May, 1889-Accepted, 6th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Cereals in their Straw, and
Hay and other Fibrous Materials.
1, WILLIAM ALFRED GIBBS, of Gillwell Park, Chingford, in the county of Essex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improved apparatus for drying wheat, barley and other
cereals before they are thrashed or removed from their straw, and hay, flax, jute
and other fibrous materials.
According to my said invention I provide a corrugated floor below which is an air
chamber in connection with apparatus for producing hot air and introducing the same
into the said chamber.
The said floor is preferably composed of a number of sections which are arranged
in such a manner that air passages are formed between each two adjacent sections
through which the hot air introduced into the chamber below the floor can pass.
These air passages preferably extend the whole width of the floor and are advan-
tageously arranged just below the crown of each corrugation at one side the over-
lapping portion of the uppermost plate of each two overlapping plates serving as a
guard or shield to prevent fibres, grain and dust from passing through the said air
passages into the chamber.
In connection with the said floor I arrange a series of prongs, forks, brushes or the
like which are adapted to be moved by cranks or other mechanical means in circular
paths to sweep the material from one groove in the floor into the next groove.
It is to be understood that the circular path of each set of prongs, forks or the like
approximately corresponds with the curve of the corrugation in conjunction with
which it works, and that the material as it passes from one groove to the next passes
an air passage so that a current of hot air passes through it, which hot air together
with the heat of the floor itself serves to effect the drying.
In some cases I find it advantageous to arrange in the air chamber adjustable baffle-
plates or the like adapted to receive the force of the air current as it enters the
chamber and direct it towards the air passages or openings in the floor.
In this case
the bottom or floor of the air chamber is inclined upwardly so that the baffle-plate
in connection with each air passage receives the pressure of the air current.
Dated the 17th day of August 1888.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Cereals in their Straw, and
Hay and other Fibrous Materials.
1, WILLIAM ALFRED GIBBS of Gillwell park, Chingford, in the county of Essex,
Gentleman, 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 :-
My invention relates to improved apparatus for drying wheat, barley and other
cereals before they are thrashed or removed from their straw, and hay, flax, jute and
other fibrous materials.
According to my said 'invention I provide a corrugated floor, below which is an

page_text: air chamber in connection with apparatus for producing hot air and introducing the
same into the said chamber.
The said floor is preferably composed of a number of sections which are arranged
in such a manner that air passages are formed between each two adjacent sections
through which the hot air introduced into the chamber below the floor can pass.
These air passages preferably extend the whole width of the floor and are advan-
tageously arranged just below the crown of each corrugation at one side the over-
lapping portion of the uppermost plate of each two overlapping plates serving as a
guard or shield to prevent fibres, grain and dust from passing through the said air
passages into the chamber.
In connection with the said floor I arrange a series of prongs, forks, brushes, or
the like which are adapted to be moved by cranks or other mechanical means in
circular paths to sweep the material from one groove in the floor into the next groove.
It is to be understood that the circular path of each set of prongs, forks, or the like
approximately corresponds with the curve of the corrugation in conjunction with
which it works, and that the material as it passes from one groove to the next, passes
an air passage, so that a current of hot air passes through it, which hot air together
with the heat of the floor itself serves to effect the drying.
In some cases I find it advantageous to arrange in the air chamber adjustable
baffle-plates or the like adapted to receive the force of the air current as it enters
the chamber and direct it towards the air passages or openings in the floor. In this
case, the bottom or. floor of the air chamber is inclined upwardly, so that the baffle-
plate in connection with each air passage receives the pressure of the air current.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which-
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a corrugated floor arranged according to
my invention and of mechanism for moving the hay, or other material placed
thereon.
Figure 2 is a plan of a portion of the same, and
Figure 3 is an end view partly in section.
a is the corrugated floor, which is preferably composed of a number of plates bb,
the edges of which are arranged to overlap, as shown at cc, in Fig. 1, spaces being
left between the overlapping edges to form air passages d d.
e is a chamber formed beneath the said floor, and is a fan or blower of any suitable
construction for introducing a current of hot air into the said chamber e, with sufficient
force to cause the said hot air to issue through the passages d d and thence to pass
through the material lying upon the floor, to dry the same.
9, 9', g² are rakes or forks for moving the material over the floor; as shown in the
drawing, these rakes or forks are carried upon the crank shafts h, h', the throw of the
cranks being proportioned to the curves of the corrugations, so that as the forks are
moved, the prongs thereof will sweep the material out of such corrugations.
In order to reduce as much as possible the power required for operating the rakes,
the cranks carrying the same are advantageously arranged at angles to each other, as
shown most clearly in Fig. 1, so that at no time is more than one rake acting upon
the material upon the floor.
It will be readily understood that if straw, or other similar material is fed onto
the floor at the end indicated by the letter i, as the rakes are caused to move in the
direction indicated by the arrows, the material will at each rotation of the crank shaft
be moved from one corrugation into the next and so on until it has passed entirely
over the floor and been discharged at the opposite end to that at which it was
introduced.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine my invention to the arrangement
of forks hereinbefore described and the method of operating the same, as it is obvious
that such can be modified, for instance I can arrange a single set of forks, so that
the whole length of a corrugation will be swept at one time, or I can employ more
than three sets of forks.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for drying hay, straw and other fibrous materials comprising a corru-
gated floor arranged substantially as described, with a chamber beneath it and
passages or channels therethrough, in combination with rakes, forks, or the like for
moving the material to be dried over the said floor, substantially as, and for the
purpose, described.
2. In apparatus for drying hay, straw and other materials upon a floor having
openings therein for the passage of hot air, the arrangement of mechanism as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, for moving the material
to be dried over such floor.
3. The improved apparatus herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing for drying hay, straw and other fibrous materials.
Dated the 17th day of May 1889.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.