IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR HULLING AND POLISHING RICE AND OTHER SEEDS AND ALL KINDS OF GRAIN
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Augustus Bryant Childs, of 16, Mark Lane, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR HULLING AND POLISHING RICE AND OTHER SEEDS AND ALL KINDS OF
GRAIN."
Sealed the 20th February 1872, and dated the 29th December 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Augustus Bryant Childs
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 29th December 1871.
I, AUGUSTUS BRYANT CHILDS, of 16, Mark Lane, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINES FOR HULLING AND POLISHING RICE AND OTHER SEEDS, AND ALL
KINDS OF GRAIN," to be as follows:-
The machine consists of a closed revolving cylinder in suitable
bearings, by preference placed in a horizontal position, and made partly
of metal and partly of wood, from two to four feet in diameter, more or
less, and provided with a shaft passing through its centre, which is also

page_text: made to revolve in bearings in the ends of the cylinder. Both cylinder
and shaft are driven by suitable mechanism herein-after described. The
shaft in the cylinder is provided with a series of independent hard or
chilled cast metal discs of suitable diameter firmly attached to it by keys
or otherwise, and so shaped or formed that they will screw or conduct
the grain from one end of the cylinder to the other in the process of
cleaning. The entire surface of the discs are made rough in the process
of casting or otherwise for acting on the grain for cleaning and other
purposes. The grain is fed into the cylinder at one end of it through a
suitable feeding apparatus, and discharged out of it at the opposite end or
at any desired point of its circumference. Openings are made through the
sides of the cylinder and covered by pierced metal plates or wire gauze
to permit the dust and dirt to discharge from it in the process of cleaning
the grain. A portion of each disc is cut away from its centre to its
circumference to facilitate the passage of the grain through the cylinder
or machine. The cuts or openings thus made in the discs are arranged
on the shaft so as not to come opposite each other, but so distributed as
to form a spiral around the shaft. The pitch or curve given to the disc
for carrying the grain through the cylinder as before stated depends on
the nature of the work to be done; when a severe action is required on
the grain the pitch will be fine, and thereby retain the grain in the
machine for prolonging the cleaning action on it. The cylinder and
shaft of the machine is revolved by preference in the same direction.
The shaft is first moved through the medium of a belt, and the cylinder
is revolved through the medium of a countershaft and pinions attached
thereto, and made to work in a toothed wheel or wheels or rim secured
to the circumference of the cylinder. The countershaft for giving
motion to the cylinder is worked from the shaft passing through it by
means of a belt and pullies.
When the roughened or cleaning surface of the discs are worn smooth
by their continual action in the same direction their motion may be
reversed by crossing the belt or belts or otherwise for causing the discs
to revolve in the opposite direction for sharpening themselves, and
thereby get the advantage of a good cleaning surface at all times.

page_text: ference of the cylinder, so that they will revolve or pass between the
discs on the shaft. These segments are made long or short to suit the
cleaning requirements on the grain with their cleaning surfaces made
rough similar to the surfaces of the discs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Augustus Bryant Childs in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th June 1872
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTUS
BRYANT CHILDS, of 16, Mark Lane, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Augustus Bryant Childs,
Her special licence that I, the said Augustus Bryant Childs, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Augustus Bryant Childs, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR HULLING AND
POLISHING RICE AND OTHER SEEDS, AND ALL KINDS OF GRAIN," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Augustus Bryant Childs,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Augustus Bryant Childs, do
horohy doclare the nature of my soid Invantion
and in what mannón

page_text: the saint IS
pa
tained in and by the following statement :-
The machine consists of a closed revolving cylinder in suitable
bearings, by preference placed in a horizontal position, and made partly
of metal and partly of wood, from two to four feet in diameter, more or
less, and provided with a shaft passing through its centre, which is also
made to revolve in bearings in the ends of the cylinder; both cylinder
and shaft are driven by suitable mechanism herein-after described. The
shaft in the cylinder is provided with a series of independent hard or
chilled cast metal discs of suitable diameter firmly attached to it by keys
or otherwise, and so shaped or formed that they will screw or conduct
the grain from one end of the cylinder to the other in the process of
cleaning. The entire surface of the discs are made rough in the process
of casting or otherwise for acting on the grain for cleaning and other
purposes. The grain is fed into the cylinder at one end of it through
a suitable feeding apertuer and discharged out of it at the opposite end,
or at any desired point of its circumference. Openings are made
through the side of the cylinder and covered by cast opened or pierced
metal plates or wire gauze to permit the dust and dirt to discharge from
it in the process of cleaning the grain. A portion of each disc is cut
away from its centre to its circumference to facilitate the passage of the
grain through the cylinder or machine. The cuts or openings thus made
in the disc are arranged on the shaft so as not to come opposite each
other, but so distributed as to form a spiral around the shaft. The pitch
or curve given to the disc for carrying the grain through the cylinder as
before stated depends on the nature of the work to be done. When a
severe action is required on the grain the pitch will be fine, and thereby
retain the grain in the machine for prolonging the cleaning action on it.
The cylinder and shaft of the machine is revolved by preference in the
same direction. The shaft is first moved through the medium of a belt,
and the cylinder is revolved through the medium of a countershaft and
pinions attached thereto, and made to work in a toothed wheel or wheels
or a rim secured to the circumference of the cylinder. The countershaft
for giving motion to the cylinder is worked from the shaft passing
through it by means of a belt and pullies.
When the roughened or cleaning surface of the discs are worn smooth
by their continual action in the same direction their motion may be
reversed by crossing the belt or belts or otherwise for causing the discs

page_text: to revolve in the opposite direction for sharpening themselves, and
thereby get the advantage of a good cleaning surface at all times.
To increase the cleaning surface of the machine, and also to assist in
regulating the motion of the grain through the cylinder, flanged
segments are screwed on or otherwise attached to the inner circum-
ference of the cylinder, so that they will revolve or pass between the
discs on the shaft. These segments are made long or short, deep or
shallow, to suit the cleaning requirements on the grain, with their
cleaning surfaces made rough similar to the surfaces of the discs.
In order to give a fuller understanding of the Invention reference is
here made to the accompanying Drawings by the letters and figures of
reference marked thereon, and made to form part of this Specification;
similar letters refer to corresponding parts.
Fig. 1, on Sheet 1, represents a longitudinal sectional elevation of the
machine; Fig. 2 is an external end elevation; Fig. 3 is a transverse
sectional elevation shewing the face of one of the discs attached to the
shaft, and the flanges attached to the inner circumference of the
cylinder; Figs. 4 and 5 are views of the disc drawn separate from the
machine; Fig. 6 are views of the segment pieces forming the circum-
ference of the cylinder; Fig. 7 is a separate view of the segment piece
attached to the inner circumference of the cylinder; Fig. 8 is a trans-
verse sectional view of several discs of the machine mounted on the
shaft, shewing different shapes of discs through their diameter.
A, A, represents the general frame of the machine, usually made of
metal, and provided with bearings at each end for the cylinder and shaft
to revolve in, as represented in Fig. 1. The cylinder is composed of
head pieces B, B', provided with necks or journals cast to their outer
ends, and made to revolve in the bearings a, a. The circumference of
the cylinder is composed of cast segmental pieces J, with openings cast
through them as represented in Fig. 6 for the dirt and dust to escape
from the machine during the process of cleaning the grain. By pre-
ference the openings in the segments are cast or made so that their
length will be concentric with the circumference of the cylinder. The
segments are held in their place by grooved rings or flange pieces H, H,
extending around the cylinder as represented in Fig. 1. These rings are
adjusted to their proper position by stud or dividing pieces I, I, and are
firmly united and held together by screw bolts K passing through the

page_text: heads of the cylinder rings H and studs I, as represented in Figs. 1
and 3. The ring pieces H, H, are so made that any one of the segments
pieces J forming the circumference of the cylinder may be removed and
replaced without removing the bolts K, K, for holding the parts of the
cylinder together or interfering with any section of the segments except-
ing the one to which the segment belongs that may require removing
for repairs or other purposes. The central portion of the cylinder
heads B, B', are composed of arms S, S', for the ingress and egress of
the grain in and out of the cylinder through the feeding spout O and
discharge spout or aperture h. Plates N and M are fitted opposite the
arms S, S¹, of the cylinder heads B, B¹, to prevent the grain from
escaping. These plates are so arranged with the machine as to be held
stationary while the cylinder revolves. D, D, are discs secured to the
shaft C at proper distances apart by inserting pieces of wood E between
them as represented in Figs. 1 and 8; the discs are secured to the
shaft C by the keys d, as seen in Fig. 4, and firmly held to their place
longitudinally by the flanges g, g, and screw collar F. Each disc is
provided with a segmental opening X, as represented in Figs. 3 and 4, to
facilitate the passage of the grain through the machine in the process of
cleaning. The discs will be so arranged in the machine that the
segmental openings X are not opposite each other, but are set so the
openings will form a spiral around the shaft C. The discs are also made
slightly spiral, as represented in Fig. 5, for passing the grain from the
receiving to the discharge end of the cylinder. The discs are cast or
provided with roughened surfaces for acting on the grain for cleaning
purposes. L are flanges also provided with roughened surfaces and
secured to the inner circumference of the cylinder by bolts or otherwise,
and arranged so as they come between the discs D, D, on the shaft C;
these flanges are used partly for retarding the motion of the grain as it
passes through the cylinder in the process of cleaning, for causing a
reaction of the grain in the discs D, D, for increasing the cleaning
powers of the machine.

page_text: The grain for cleaning is fed into the machine through the spout O at
the end of the cylinder, and is cleaned and carried through the machine
by the action of the discs D, D, and discharged at the opposite end of
the cylinder through the aperture h, the opening of which may be
increased or diminished to suit the required discharge of the grain.
The Drawings on Sheet 2 represents two views of a machine. Fig. 9
is a longitudinal sectional elevation and Fig. 10 is a transverse section of
the machine. The machine represented on this Sheet is similar to the
one shewn on Sheet 1 in every particular excepting the segmental
flanges L, L, as shewn on Sheet 1 are not used, but instead of them
flange plates or discs W, W, are employed. The shape of these plates
are more fully represented in Fig. 10, and are attached to the inner
circumference of the cylinder at points f, f, by arms forming part of the
plate and by the use of screw bolts or otherwise as represented in Fig. 10.
The object in using the plates W, W, is to increase the cleaning or
scouring surface and efficiency of the machine without enlarging its
dimensions, which is effected by extending the inner edges of the
plates W, W, up to the shaft or separating pieces E, E, as represented
in Fig. 9. When the machine is thus constructed the grain is forced up
by the action of the discs D, D, between the disc and plates W, W,
which temporarily confines it between them, during which time the disc
and plates have a prolonged cleaning action on the grain, and by pressing
the grain between the discs and plates it is made to clean itself by the
grains of the material rubbing or abrading each other as it passes
through the machine.
The grain passes from the receiving to the discharge end of the
cylinder through the segmental openings V, V, cut out of the
plates W, W, at their circumference between the attaching arms or
flanges f, f. None of the grain is permitted to pass over the inner
edges of the plates W, W, as they are made to work close against the
shaft or dividing pieces E, E, as before stated.
The letters of reference on Sheet 2 are the same and refer to the same
parts of the machine as shewn on Sheet 1, excepting the difference
herein described by using the plates W, W; therefore it is not necessary
to further specify the structure or action of the machine on Sheet 2, as
the same is fully set forth in the foregoing Specification describing the
machine on Sheet 1.

page_text: Having described the structure and nature of my improvement and
manner of performing the same, what I claim is the combined arrange-
ment of parts or surfaces for acting on the grain in the process of
cleaning the same, as herein-before described and represented on Sheet 1;
but I do not confine myself to using the exact form or shape of such
cleaning surfaces as represented, which may be changed to suit the
requirements of the grain or material to be acted on.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustus Bryant Childs, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
AUGUSTUS BRYANT CHILDS. (L.S.)