Improvements Depart
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Feb., 1899-Accepted, 25th. Mar., 1899
Improvements Depart
A communication from abroad by SECECA HAVER TROMANHAUSER, of 300, West
28th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America, Manu-
facturer.
I, JOHN CORRY FELL, of the Firm of Fell and James, of 1, Queen Victoria
Street, London, E.C., Chartered Patent Agents, 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 improvements designed for cleaning grain, and it is
especially adapted for cleaning wheat in elevators, mills etc. where machines of
large capacity are required.
The object of the invention is to provide a grain cleaner of most simple con-
struction, with few moving parts, whereby little power is rendered necessary in
the operation of the machine and the machine will be durable. A further object
of the invention is to provide a machine which may be easily regulated according
to the work to be done.
The invention consists generally in a machine having two or more conical
rotating sieves whereto the grain is delivered from a hopper, said sieves being
oppositely arranged and means for operating the same. Further the invention
consists in a machine having a smooth inclined plate over which the grain is fed
in a thin sheet or stream, whereby, as the grain passes down over the plate the
lighter materials will be brought closer to the surface of the plate than the
heavier kernels of grain, and as the material passes from the lower end of the
plate the heavier kernels of grain having greater momentum will be farther from
the plate than the fine material and thus be separated therefrom.
Further the invention consists in providing means for making a preliminary
separation or cleaning of the grain during its passage from the rotating sieves
to the inclined plate. Further the invention consists in means for making a
second separation or cleaning of the grain as it is discharged from the inclined
plate.
Further the invention consists in various constructions and combinations, all
as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.
The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompany-
ing drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a grain cleaning machine embodying my
invention.
Fig. 2 is a similar view on the line of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the upper portion of the machine showing
the screens and the interior of the screen casing.
This grain cleaner may be of any suitable width and of proportionate height
to adapt it for use in elevators and flour mills where large quantities of grain
are rapidly handled and for which purpose the machine is particularly adapted.
The casing at the ends of the machine is preferably closed, and also at the rear,

page_text: while the front casing 2 has an opening 3 at the top and a large central opening
that is covered by a blind or shutter 4 between the obliquely arranged slats of
which air may pass freely to the interior of the machine. At the top of the
machine is a hopper 5 having a receiving spout 6, and discharge spouts 7 and
8 which lead into the opposite ends of a screen casing arranged upon the top
of the machine beneath the hopper 5. Within the screen casing 9 are rotating
conical screens 10 and 11, preferably two in number, and composed, preferably,
of sheets of zinc folded into a conical form having their ends secured to cast
metal spiders or heads 12 of substantially the same diameter, the zinc sheets
being provided with a series of apertures or perforations increasing in size from
the larger to the smaller end of the screen. While I do not confine myself to
any particular size or arrangement of the perforations, I prefer to provide three
sizes in each screen, the largest perforations extending preferably one third of
the length of the screen, the second size perforations occupying the middle por-
tion of the screen and the third size the remaining portion. These screens are
preferably placed in substantially the same plane with the smaller end of the
one opposite the larger end of the other, and the heads or spiders, preferably
of cast metal, forming the ends of the screens supported in the screen casing,
and provided with flanges 13 which are normally in engagement with the sur-
faces of short trunnions 14 and 15 provided on the ends of the shafts 16 and 17
that are mounted in bearings in the ends of the screen casing. The shafts 16
and 17 are provided with suitable pulleys over which a belt passes to drive the
screens. The lower end of the spout 7 extends into the smaller end of one screen
at one end of the screen casing and the lower end of the spout extends into
the smaller end of the other at the opposite end of the screen casing, while the
larger ends of the screens are open to permit the discharge of straw and larger
particles of foreign material which may pass down through the spouts from the
hopper. The screen casing has a hopper bottom 18 provided with an opening 19
which is normally closed by a swinging valve 20 that is held in position by an
adjustable weight 21 on an arm 22. This valve is adapted to be forced open
by the weight of the grain in the bottom of the screen casing, and the delivery
of the grain from the casing may be easily regulated by the operator reaching
through the opening 3 in the front of the casing. Beneath the opening 19 is
an inclined plate 23, preferably of glass, supported, preferably, at its upper end
by a trough 24 and at its lower end by a plate 25. A plate 26 extends from
the front casing 2 to a point near the surface of the inclined plate 23 and
directs the air through the opening 3, and across the falling stream of grain
as it drops from the bottom of the screen casing to the top of the inclined plate.
The edge of the plate 26 being near the surface of the inclined plate 233 pre-
vents the air from being drawn up over the surface of the plate 23 instead of
through the opening 3. Within the trough 24 I provide a spiral conveyor 27
which catches the particles of foreign matter and small seeds that are separated
from the descending grain, as it drops from the screen to the top of the inclined
plate. This separation, I prefer to designate, as the preliminary cleaning, and
its object is to separate the light seeds and foreign matter from the grain as far
as possible before it drops upon the inclined plate.
The current of air is maintained through the opening 3 and across the upper
end of the plate 23 by means of fans 28 mounted on a shaft 29, and arranged
within fan casings 30 at the lower rear part of the machine. These fan casings,
as shown, have openings 31 leading to the outside air, and also openings 32
leading to an expansion or settling chamber 33, from the upper part
of which an air-trunk 34 lead's to the space beneath the screen.
casing and communicates with the opening 3. I prefer to provide a dust
collector 35 in connection with the air-trunk 34 above the expansion chamber,
and having a valve 36 which is adapted to swing out and permit the accumu-
lated dust to drop out of the chamber. A curved plate 37 arranged in the
air-trunk 34 above the dust collector obstructs the passage of the current of air,
and facilitates the deposit of dust in the chamber. The air-trunk 34 communi

page_text: cates with the screen casing at a point, preferably, opposite the rotating screens
by means of an opening 38 through which the dust from the rotating screens
is drawn while the machine is in operation.
A valve 39 is provided in the air-trunk by means of which the current of air
passing through the trunk from the opening 3 may be shut off. The front wall
of the expansion chamber 33 consists of an upright plate 40, between the upper
end of which and the plate 23 space or passage-way is provided, and between
said plate 40 and the plate 23 is a valve 41 which when opened permits a cur-
rent of air to pass between the slats of the shutter 4 through the descending
stream of grain, and into the expansion chamber above the plate 40, thereby
permitting a second separation or cleaning of the grain as it falls from the lower
end of the inclined plate 23.
In the lower forward part of the machine is a shaft 42 having a short arm 43
to which is pivoted a horizontally moving link 44, said link being provided at
its outer end with an upright deflector 45 which is adapted to be moved in and
out, toward or from the falling stream of grain by means of a quadrant provided
on the shaft 42 outside the machine, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1.
Beneath the rod 44 is a transverse trough 46 wherein is arranged a spiral con-
veyor 47, which receives and carries out of the mill, the seeds and foreign
matter caught by the deflector from the falling stream of grain.
In the lower forward portion of the machine I have shown a spout to receive
the grain as it falls from the inclined plate, said spout being composed of hinged
plates 46 and 46" being normally held together by a spring 4611 which yields
when the spout is filled with grain and permits the lower edges of the hinged
plates to separate and allow the grain to flow out into a suitable spout. I prefer
to provide this mechanism, or one similar thereto, for receiving and carrying
away the grain so that the lower portion of the machine will be closed except
when the spout is discharging its contents and the passage of the current of air
through the slats in the front of the machine will not be interrupted.
As indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, I prefer to provide a small conveyor on
the casing of the machine by means of which the seeds may be raised to a
sufficient elevation to be spouted away. As indicated also by dotted lines in
Fig. 1 the rotating screens and conveyors are all driven by a belt running from
the fan shaft, and as the separation is secured to a large extent by the gravity
of the material, it is obvious that very little power is required to operate the
machine, and that the frictional engagement of the heads of the rotating screens,
with the trunnions provided on the shafts beneath the same, will be sufficient to
drive the screens, thus doing away with the use of gears and the annoyance
incident to the collection of dust and dirt thereon.
The operation of the machine is as follows: The grain being fed into the
hopper is discharged through the spouts 7 and 8 into the ends of the rotating
screens which separates the straw and large particles from the grain and dis-
charges the straw at the open or larger ends of the screens. The grain meantime
is falling evenly through the screen perforations upon the inclined bottom of
the screen casing and the hinged plate 20, having been adjusted by means of
the weight 21, to yield to a certain weight of grain in the bottom of the screen
casing and being opened thereby, will allow a thin, uniform sheet of grain to
Meantime the fans
fall upon the upper end of the inclined glass plate 23.
having been started, and the valve 39 opened, a current of air will be set up
through the opening 3 beneath the screen casing, and through the sheet of
grain falling upon the upper end of the plate 23, and the heavier particles will
be taken out of the stream and deposited in the conveyor 27 while the lighter
particles of dust will be carried up through the trunk 34, and deposited in the
dust collector, the particles that are carried beyond the dust collector being pre-
cipitated in the expansion chamber. At the same time the dust from the
rotating screens within the screen casing will be drawn into the air-trunk
through the passage 38 and carried back to the dust collector. The grain strik-

page_text: ing the surface of the inclined plate 23 will slide down thereon very rapidly,
and the friction thereof upon the glass plate will create sufficient static elec
tricity to cause the fine or light material mixed with the grain to adhere to the
surface of the plate, leaving the larger particles at the top of the stream. Now,
as the grain arrives at the bottom of the plate and is projected therefrom, the
lighter particles will be on the underside of the stream, while the heavier
particles, to-wit; the kernels of grain, will be thrown forward and the
lighter particles drawn back by the strong current of air passing beneath the
inclined plate into the expansion chamber, and said particles will be deposited
into the conveyor 47 being guided therein by the deflector 45. Owing to the
preliminary separation of the grain kernels and the particles of dust while upon
the incline, the separation by the air current is rendered simple and short. The
strength of the air current is governed, of course, by the speed of the fans, and
an almost perfect separation of the heavier seeds from the fine particles of dust
may be made by the adjustment of the valve 41, while the mixing of the grain
and the seeds is prevented by the adjustment of the deflector 45 which is so
arranged as to catch all the seeds, while allowing the grain kernels to fall into
the spout or trough beneath. Very little of the light material is carried into
the fan owing to the large expansion chamber surrounding the fan casings,
whereby the velocity of the air is reduced as it passes from the air-trunks into
the chamber, to precipitate the light material within the chamber which might
otherwise pass into the fan. A very good separation may be maintained without
the operation of the suction fan, gravity being depended upon to precipitate
the grain particles and seeds at separate points.
.
I do not limit myself to the use of the plate constructed of glass, as polished
marble, metal, or even hard polished wood might be employed although prob-
ably not as advantageously as the glass plate. And while I secure better results
by using the air current through the sheet of material as it passes over the
inclined plate, I may in some instances, use the inclined plate without the air
current.
I do not limit myself to the form or special arrangement shown of the parts
of the machine, as it is obvious that the same may be varied in many particulars
without departing from my invention. The machine may be made of any suit-
able size, and it is obvious that by increasing the length of the plate the capacity
of the machine may be increased.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
Firstly, the employment of an inclined glass plate over which the grain is
passed in a thin sheet and wherein static electricity is generated by the passage
of the grain, for the purpose set forth.
Secondly, the combination and construction of the improved grain separator
herein before described.
JOHN C. FELL,
Agent for the Applicant..