Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Drying or Conditioning Grain and other Substances.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Jan., 1893-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Drying or
Conditioning Grain and other Substances.
I, PIETER VAN GELDER of Sowerby Bridge in the County of York, Milling
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for drying or conditioning grain and has for
its object to regulate automatically the passage of the material to be dried through
the machine.
In carrying out my invention, I provide a box or hopper having one or more
openings or spouts into which the grain or other substance to be dried or
conditioned is fed. This box is either attached to or adapted to operate a pivoted
arm having a balance weight at one end, which exceeds the weight of the box and
retains it in a given position. A pair of conical speed pulleys are provided, one of
which receives the motion from any suitable source of power, while the other one
communicates the motion to any suitable conveyor, such as a slowly vibrating floor,
table or worm. When cone pulleys are employed, they are connected by a belt,
and by means of a belt fork (secured to or operated by the pivotted arm) the
speed of the driven pulley can be changed and consequently the velocity of the
conveyor.
The mode of action is as follows:-
The material to be dried or conditioned is fed into the box or hopper and from
thence falls through the openings or spouts into a drying apparatus from whence
after being conditioned it is delivered by the conveyor. Should however any
sudden increase occur in feeding of the grain into the machine, the increased
weight of the hopper caused by the accumulation of grain therein will overbalance
the weight; the hopper descends, operating the belt fork and shifting the position
of the belt on the cone pulleys, whereby the velocity of the conveyor is increased
and the delivery of grain accelerated. As soon however as the normal rate of
feeding in of the grain is resumed, the weight of the hopper is reduced by the
diminished quantity of grain contained therein. The balance weight overcomes
the weight of the hopper which therefore rises operating the belt fork, and
increasing the velocity of the conveyor. By this means the passage of the grain
through the machine is automatically regulated.
Instead of conical speed pulleys, any suitable friction gear or its equivalent may
be used for varying the speed. Suitable stops may be provided for regulating
minimum and maximum quantities.
The mechanism may also be so arranged that the hopper is only enabled to ascend
to its highest position when the feed is entirely stopped, and, when this takes place,
the belt gear or its equivalent is thrown by the fork on to loose pulleys, whereby
the motion of the conveyor is stopped. When the feed is resumed at a normal
speed, the hopper descends, setting the conveyor in motion, and an increase in the
feed increases the velocity of the conveyor as already described.
One arrangement of conveyor consists of a slide or floor having openings at
intervals through which the grain can fall; over these spaces are located sloping
hoods, which prevent the grain falling directly through the said openings. A
certain quantity of the dried grain is however delivered through them at each
vibration of the slide and the rate of discharge is governed by the velocity of the
alide.

page_text: The invention is applicable not only for grain but also for drying and
conditioning other substances besides.
Dated this 31st day of March 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Drying or
Conditioning Grain and other Substances.
I, PIETER VAN GELDER of Sowerby Bridge in the County of York, Milling
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 in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to apparatus for drying or conditioning grain, and has for
its object to regulate automatically the passage of the material to be dried through
the machine.
Figure 3, a section on twice as large a scale through the centre line of Figure 1
but at right angles to the latter and with an eccentric motion shown instead of a
crank.
It is obvious, however, that the crank shown in Figure 1 could take the place of
the eccentric shown in Figure 3.
In carrying out my invention, I provide a box or hopper A having one or more
openings or spouts B into which the grain or other substance to be dried or
conditioned is fed. This box is either attached to or adapted to operate a pivoted
arm C having a balance weight D at one end, which exceeds the weight of the box
and retains it in a given position. A pair of conical speed pulleys E F are
provided, one of which, E, receives the motion from any suitable source of power,
while the other, F, communicates the motion to any suitable conveyor, such as a
slowly vibrating floor, table or worm. It is shown on the drawing connected by
gearing G to floor H, shown in detail in Figure 3, and to a worm I at the bottom
of hopper L. When cone pulleys are employed, they are connected by a belt K,
and, by means of a belt fork J (secured to or operated by the pivotted arm C)
the speed of the driven pulley can be changed, and consequently the velocity of
the conveyor.
The mode of action is as follows:-
:-
The material to be dried or conditioned is fed into the box or hopper A, and
from thence falls through the openings or spouts B into a drying apparatus M,
from whence, after being conditioned, it is delivered by the conveyor I. Should,
however, any sudden increase occur in feeding of the grain into the machine,
the increased weight of the hopper A, caused by the accumulation of grain therein,
will overbalance the weight D: the hopper descends, operating the belt fork J
and shifting the position of the belt K on the cone pulleys E F, whereby the
velocity of the conveyor I and of reciprocating floor H is increased and the
delivery of grain accelerated. As soon, however, as the normal rate of feeding.
in of the grain is resumed, the weight of the hopper is reduced by the diminished
quantity of grain contained therein. The balance weight overcomes the weight
of the hopper, which therefore rises, operating the belt fork and increasing the
velocity of the conveyor. By this means, the passage of the grain through the
machine is automatically regulated.
Instead of conical speed pulleys, any suitable friction gear or its equivalent

page_text: may be used for varying the speed. Suitable stops may be provided for regulating
minimum and maximum quantities.
The mechanism may also be so arranged that the hopper is only enabled to ascend
to its highest position when the feed is entirely stopped, and, when this takes
place, the belt gear or its equivalent is thrown by the fork on to loose pulleys N N,
whereby the motion of the converor is stopped. When the feed is resumed at
a normal speed, the hopper descends, setting the conveyor I and floor H in motion,
and an increase in the feed increases the velocity of the conveyor as already
described.
The arrangement of the slide or floor H is set forth in detail in Figure 3.
There is a fixed floor or a series of inverted troughs P above, and a reciprocating
floor H below full of openings corresponding to the troughs. Through these
openings, arranged at intervals, the grain can fall when these openings in floor H
are opposite or partially sufficiently opposite the openings between the troughs P
for the grain to run, the troughs P at other times preventing the grain from
falling directly through the said openings. A certain quantity of the dried grain
is, however, delivered through them at each vibration of the slide H and the rate
of discharge is governed by the velocity of the slide and, if desirable, also by the
length of stroke of the slide.
The invention is applicable not only for grain but also for drying and con-
ditioning other substances besides.
I have not shown in detail the drier M, as this apparatus is good for delivering
from many varieties of driers at present known, and the drier itself forms no part
of my invention except in so far as the arrangement for regulating the exit or feed
and exit is concerned, and the apparatus devised therefor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manuer the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In combination with an apparatus for drying or conditioning grain or other
substances, a reciprocating slide H or other conveyor or discharging device
regulated by weight of the grain in the hopper or other receiving device sub-
stantially as described, such regulating devices being themselves adjustable to
varying conditions, whereby the working is regulated automatically and to any
required conditions.
2. The combination of the troughs P or obstructions P and reciprocating
flooring H provided with a series of openings, which, at one (preferably the
central) point of the travel of the floor, shall have their centres opposite the
centres of the troughs or nearly so, whereby a series of openings is alternately
made for the grain to escape and closed again, substantially as described.
3. The arrangement of regulating machinery for apparatus for drying or
conditioning grain and other substances, substantially as and for the purposes
herein described.
Dated this 31st day of December 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, Patent Agents.