IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING ROLLER MILLS AND DRESSING AND PURIFYING MACHINERY."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Harrison Carter, of Mark Lane, in the City of
London, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING
ROLLER MILLS AND DRESSING AND PURIFYING MACHINERY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Harrison Carter at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st March 1881.
JAMES HARRISON CARTER, of Mark Lane, in the City of London. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING ROLLER MILLS AND DRESSING AND PURIFYING
MACHINERY."
«
The object of the Invention is more especially to enable what is known as the
gradual reduction" or "new process" system of milling to be carried on auto-
matically. In this process the grain is reduced by successive operations. The
broken wheat, semolina, or middlings produced by the first operations is passed
into dressing and purifying machines, where it is separated into different sizes or
qualities, which are then further reduced in roller mills. The relative amounts of
the different sizes or qualities passing from the dressing and purifying machines
are from various causes liable to gradual fluctuations; sometimes there will be more
of one quality or size than of another, and sometimes less.
If the supply of material passing into the ordinary feed hopper of one or more
roller mills be less than the amount passing from the hopper to the rollers, the
hopper will empty, and there will no longer be a sufficiency of material in it to
maintain a proper feed across the whole width of the "gate" at the bottom of the
hopper through which the material passes to the rollers; the consequence is that
parts of the rollers having no material fed between them work against one another,
and thereby get injured. If, on the contrary, the feed comes to the gate of the
roller mill more quickly than it can escape, it accumulates in the shute, and
frequently causes a blocking or choking of the dressing or purifying machine from
which it is coming.
To prevent this I arrange the feed mechanism which controls the discharge of
material from the feed hopper to the rollers of the roller mills in such a manner

page_text: that if the supply of material to the feed hopper decreases, the discharge of material
from the hopper also decreases, and vice versa, so that the roller mills adapt
themselves for acting upon whatever amount of material is for the time being
supplied to them.
"
To effect this object I employ as heretofore a moveable slide along the bottom of
the discharge side of the hopper, which slide can be raised or lowered so as to
adjust the height of the "gate or opening between it and the revolving feed
roller, which is placed as usual below the bottom of the hopper. Within the
interior of the feed hopper I place a second hopper, into which the grain is fed;
this second hopper is kept suspended by springs, or by counterbalance weights, or
other equivalent, so that if the amount of material resting in the hopper decreases,
the hopper will be raised by the springs or weights, or if the weight increases the
hopper will descend.
The moveable slide of the feed hopper I connect with the internal hopper in such
a way that when the internal hopper rises, the slide is made to descend and partially
close the gate or outlet; and when the internal hopper descends the slide is made
to rise and enlarges the outlet.
One way of effecting this is as follows:-Along the moveable slide I mount a
spindle having toothed pinions fixed upon it, and these pinions I make to gear into
racks fixed to the hopper. Upon the ends of the spindle I fix lever arms, which I
cause to rest against the lower ends of projections standing out from the ends of
the moveable hopper, so that if the hopper rises the spindle will turn and the
pinions upon it will roll downwards along the racks and carry the slide downwards,
and so diminish the feed of grain passing from the feed hopper, and vice versa.
Feed apparatus constructed to act in the manner above described may also be
used for controlling the feed to dressing and purifying machines, and thus allow of
the gradual reduction process being carried on automatically.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Harrison Carter in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th September 1881.
.
"
JAMES HARRISON CARTER, of Mark Lane, in the City of London. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING ROLLER MILLS AND DRESSING AND PURIFYING
MACHINERY."
"
«
"
The object of the Invention is inore especially to enable what is known as the
"gradual reduction" or new process system of milling to be carried on auto-
matically. In this process the grain is reduced by successive operations. The
broken wheat, semolina, or middlings produced by the first operations is passed
into dressing and purifying machines, where it is separated into different sizes or
qualities, which are then further reduced in roller mills.
The relative amounts of the different sizes or qualities passing from the dressing
and purifying machines are from various causes liable to gradual fluctuations;
sometimes there will be more of one quality or size than of another, and sometimes
less.
If the supply of material passing into the ordinary feed hopper of one or more
roller mills be less than the amount passing from the hopper to the rollers, the
hopper will empty, and there will no longer be a sufficiency of material in it to
maintain a proper feed across the whole width of the "gate " at the bottom of the
hopper through which the material passes to the rollers; the consequence is that
parts of the rollers having no material fed between them work against one another,
and thereby get injured. If, on the contrary the feed comes to the gate of the
roller mill more quickly than it can escape, it accumulates in the shute, and
frequently causes a blocking or chocking of the dressing or purifying machine from
which it is coming.
To prevent this I arrange the feed mechanism which controls the discharge of
material from the feed hopper to the rollers of the roller mills in such a manner
that if the supply of material to the feed hopper decreases, the discharge of
material from the hopper also decreases, and vice versa, so that the roller mills adapt
themselves for acting upon whatever amount of material is for the time being
supplied to them.
"
To effect this object I employ as heretofore a moveable slide along the bottom of
the discharge side of the hopper, which slide can be raised or lowered so as to
adjust the height of the "gate or opening between it and the revolving feed
roller, which is placed as usual below the bottom of the hopper. Within the
interior of the feed hopper I place a second hopper, into which the grain is feed;
this second hopper is kept suspended by springs, or by counterbalance weights or
other equivalent, so that if the amount of material resting in the hopper decreases the
hopper will be raised by the springs or weights; or if the weight increases the
hopper will descend.
The moveable slide of the feed hopper I connect with the internal hopper in such
a way that when the internal hopper rises the slide is made to descend and
partially close the gate or outlet, and when the internal hopper descends the slide
is made to rise and enlarges the outlet.
One way of effecting this is as follows:-
Along the movable slide I mount a spindle having toothed pinions fixed upon it,
and these pinions I make to gear into racks fixed to the hopper. Upon the ends
of the spindle I fix lever arms which I cause to rest against the lower ends of
projections standing out from the ends of the movable hopper, so that if the hopper
rises the spindle will turn, and the pinions upon it will roll downwards along the

page_text: racks and carry the slide downwards, and so diminish the feed of grain passing
from the feed hopper, and vice versa.
Feed apparatus constructed to act in the manner above described may also be
used for controlling the feed to dressing and purifying machines, and thus allow of
the gradual reduction process being carried on automatically.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shews an end elevation, and
Figure 2 a front elevation partly in section of feeding apparatus arranged as above
described; Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken through the line A, B, Figure 2.
A is the ordinary hopper with moveable slide B along the bottom of its discharge
side; C is the revolving feed roller placed as usual below the bottom of the hopper;
D is the inner moveable hopper, open at the bottom, and kept supplied with material
through a pipe D¹, which rises up from it at the top. The material is preferably
supplied to this pipe through a flexible canvas tube. The material is discharged
from the bottom of the hopper A by the feed roller C as it revolves, and is con-
ducted to the rolls of the roller mills in the ordinary manner; E are projections
standing out from the ends of the hopper D; these projections pass through slots
in the ends of the fixed hopper A. The projections E rest upon nuts F screwed
on to rods G. The rods pass through holes in the top and bottom of small casings H
which are bolted to the ends of the hoppers A. Inside these casings and sur-
rounding the rods are spiral springs I; the nuts F rest upon the top of these
springs, and thereby the springs serve to support the inner hopper; K is a spindle
mounted in bearings upon the back of the slide B; L, L, are pinions fast upon the
spindle K, one near each of its ends. The pinions L gear into racks M fixed to the
hopper A. At each end of the spindle K is an arm N, the extremity of which
rests against the lower end of the rod G, the weight of the slide B, which can rise
and fall, in guides, being sufficient to keep the arm against the end of the rod.
The average feed from the hopper can be adjusted by screwing the piece. O
upwards or downwards upon the end of the rod G; P is a lock nut for locking the
piece O and holding it fast when the feed has been adjusted.
When there is little or no material in the hopper D, this hopper is by the
springs I held up into the position shewn at Figure 2, and in full lines at Figure 1;
the slide B will then be in its lowest position. As material accumulates in the
hopper the hopper will descend, and by turning the spindle K will cause the
pinions L to roll upwards along the racks M, and so the slide B will be raised
more and more according as the amount of material resting in the hopper
increases.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I claim the combination of mechanisın,
substantially as described, for controlling the discharge of material from a feed
hopper to the rolls of roller mills or to dressing and purifying machinery.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Harrison Carter, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
AUTORD