Improvements in Cleaning and Grading Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cleaning and Grading Machines.
A communication by DAVID J. DAVIDSON, A. S. MARTIN, and S. G. MARTIN,
all of Port Huron, in the County of St. Clair, and State of Michigan, United
States of America.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil 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 has for its object a gravity and cut off grain cleaner and grader,
the same being provided, with a cut off sieve cleaner, the device being of superior
simplicity of construction and operation, and also of superior efficiency and
utility.
This invention consists of the construction, combination and arrangement of
devices and appliances hereinafter specified and claimed, and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the machine.
Figure 2 is a vertical cross section through the sieve.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the machine.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the sieve and suction fan the case of the latter being
omitted.
Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section illustrating a modification of the
invention.
Figure 6 is a plan view of the same.
Figure 7 is a partial side elevation of the same.
Figure 8 is a longitudinal vertical section illustrating another modification of the
invention.
Figure 9 is a side elevation thereof.
Figure 10 is a vertical section of the same on the line of Figure 9.
This invention is more especially designed for farmers' use, to enable them to
properly clean and also to grade their grain, so that the best of the grain may
be separated from that which is of lighter weight or of inferior quality, as well
as from all impurities, so that neither impurities nor good grain of inferior quality
nor light weight shall cause the bulk of the grain marketed to be regarded as
second class by the buyer, and thus enable the seller, by separating effectually
his first class grain from the rest, to get a higher price than would be the case
if the lighter grain were mixed therewith. This invention is also designed for
any and all uses to which it may be found adapted.
One of the chief features of the invention lies in the cut-off, various modifi-
cations of which are herewith shown and described. The sieve cut-off in itself,
forming a feature of the invention, may be used for cleaning not only grain, but
also for sifting flour and like purposes.
The invention is carried out as follows:-
A represents the case of the machine. B is a hopper, preferably provided with a
slide B to control the rate of feed therefrom.
C denotes a suction fan of any suitable construction, and C¹ is the fan shaft.
D is the driving wheel, engaged upon the side of the frame and belted by a belt D'
with a pulley C upon the fan shaft.
E represents a cut-off sieve, upon which the grain passes from the hopper B.
This sieve is located in a case El constructed with a fixed bottom E' and with a

page_text: movable bottom E³, located between the fixed bottom E2 and the sieve proper.
This movable bottom is constructed of a series of valves or slides "e" located edge
to edge, and extending the full width of the sieve underneath the same.
The sieve E is of finer mesh at the end thereof adjacent to the fan, the opposite
end being made coarser, as shown more fully in Figure 4.
Certain finer seeds and impurities mixed with the grain in the hopper will, of
course, drop through the finer portion of the sieve E. The slides "e" may be
pulled out, as many as may be desired, to allow such small seed and other smaller
impurities to fall upon the fixed bottom E². The chamber between the two
bottoms of the sieve discharge at the end furthest from the hopper through an
opening at "e," into a spout "e².”
The chamber between the movable bottom and the sieve E discharges at the end
of the movable bottom into a spout or duct A'. By properly adjusting the
slides "e," the smaller impurities will be separated from the grain, said impurities
dropping upon the fixed bottom E2. The grain will be discharged through the
sieve upon the slides "e," which are left in closed position, and will be discharged
therefrom into the duct A'. The straw and other coarser impurities will be
discharged from the rear end of the sieve, and fall outside the duct A'. The
products that will pass into the duct A¹ are the best of the grain mingled with the
smaller, lighter and second class quality of grain. All the impurities, both
the smaller and coarser impurities, are separated therefrom in the manner above
specified.
The screen is reciprocated and shaken by means of connecting rods F connected
with eccentrics F upon the fan shaft, or in any other suitable manner.
To separate
the second class quality of grain from the first class grain after the impurities have
been removed therefrom, as above described, and grade the grain, the outer wall of
the duct A¹ is constructed with an orifice as at A2, the size of which may be
regulated by a slide A³. The case A' is also constructed with an adjacent
opening A preferably of more contracted size than that of the opening A².
Within the case A is formed a chamber A through which a blast of air is drawn
by the suction fan, the air being drawn in through the duct A' and the opening A*
into the chamber A³.
At the base of the chamber A' is a discharge spout A provided with flap
valves "a" and "a" opened by the pressure of the grain from within, and closed
by air suction. Within the chamber A³ a screen G is located which may be made
of flannel or fine wire gauze, the same extended downwards a desired distance from
the top of said chamber and leaving a free air passage thereunder as will be seen by
referring to Figure 1.
The operation of the grading features of the invention will now be understood
and is as follows-
As the grain drops into the duct A', the draught of air regulated as required
strikes it and carries the lighter portions thereof into the chamber A³ through the
opening A', the air blast being concentrated at the point of said opening by reason
of its more contracted area.
The first class grain of the heft will not be affected by the suction blast, but will
drop by its gravity through the duct A¹ into a bag H located therebeneath. When
the lighter grain has been drawn into the chamber A³, the same must of necessity
pass beneath the screen G, but as said screen will allow a portion of the air blast
to pass therethrough, it will be obvious that the air blast beneath the screen G will
be much diminished from what it was at its entrance into said chamber. This
diminution in the force of the air blast beneath the screen G will allow the lighter
grain to drop by gravity into the spout A' from which it will be discharged
as hereinbefore mentioned. The sides of the case A may be provided with air
valves I by means of which the force of the suction within the chamber A can be
regulated as required.
It will be perceived that the suction of air does not act upon the grain until it has
been discharged from the movable bottoms of the sieve into the duct A'. Dust will

page_text: therefore drop with the grain into the duct A' and will be drawn with the lighter
grain into the chamber A but the force of the suction blast will still carry the dust
along therewith after the lighter grain has dropped into the spout A' and discharge
it from the machine. }
The provision of the sieve with the movable bottom E³ formed of slides,
constitutes what is termed a cut-off sieve, as thereby the finer seeds and other
impurities are cut-off from passing further along with the grain.
The opening A2 is preferably extended a little below the opening A* so as to let
the air suction into the spout A¹ under the grain to get a good lift thereupon and
carry all the light grain into the chamber A³.
The object of having two flap valves a and a¹ is to have one closed while the
other is open so
as to lessen the force of the suction blast within the
chamber A. Only one sieve is thus required for dressing up any particular
kind of grain.
All the grain and impurities may be run into bags if desired.
In the modification shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7, the valves are shown as
rotatable, instead of consisting of slides to be drawn out, the whole of the cut-off
bottom beneath the sieve may be formed of these valves, or the valves may be
spaced suitably one from the other. Where rotatable valves are employed, they
may be journalled in the sides of the adjacent case, as shown. The rotatable valves
may be provided, if desired, with rotatable handles shown at 1. For many
purposes it will be desirable to provide the case of the sieve with a tight bottom
below the valves. For other purposes said bottom may be omitted and the products
be discharged through any desired cut-off valve into a suitable receiving duct or
chamber.
In the modification shown in Figures 8 to 10, the sieve cut-off provided with a
side discharge is shown. In this case, beneath the sieve a grooved cut-off
bottom Z is located shown in Figures 8 and 10 engaged with the frame or case
of the sieve, the grooves in the cut-off bottom extended upon a decline from one
end thereof to the other. These grooves or channels are separated by partitions z.
The case of the sieve on the side adjacent to the lower terminals of said grooves
is provided with a corresponding series of outlet orifices shown at 2', said orifices
being controlled by corresponding slides or other suitable controlling devices.
The products passed through the screen fall into said grooves and may be drawn
off by opening any given slide or valve. The operator may thus take out from
beneath the screen any grade of grain or other material desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is
⭑-
1. A sieve cut-off having in combination a sieve and a cut-off bottom provided
with a series of valves whereby the product screened may be cut off at any desired
point, substantially as set forth.
2. In a cleaning and grading machine, a case A constructed with an air
chamber A³, a duct A' having openings to the atmosphere and communicating with
the said chamber, a suction fan to produce air suction through said duct and air
chamber, a sieve discharging into said duct, a screen G located in the air chamber
and extended downward therein toward the base thereof, and a spout A provided
with controlling valves located at the base of the air chamber, said sieve provided
with a sieve cut-off having a series of valves whereby the product passed through
the sieve may be cut-off at any desired point, substantially as described.
3. In a cleaning and grading machine, a cut-off sieve having a fixed bottoin
therebelow and a movable bottom between the sieve and the fixed bottom, said
movable bottom provided with a series of valves, substantially as described.
4. In a cleaning and grading machine, a case A provided with an air chamber A°,
a duct A¹ having openings to the atmosphere and communicating with the said
chamber, a suction fan to produce air suction through said duct and air chamber,

page_text: a sieve discharged into said duct, a screen G located in the air chamber and
extended downward therein toward the base thereof, and a spout A provided with
controlling valves located at the base of the air chamber, substantially as
described.
5. In a grain cleaner and grader, a case A. provided with an interior air chamber,
a grain duct A¹ opening into said chamber and to the atmosphere, a suction fan
to produce air suction through said duct and chamber, said air chamber provided
at its base with a discharging spout AⓇ and with a screen suspended above the
base of said chamber to let the air pass thereunder, substantially as described.
6. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, a case constructed with an air
chamber A, a grain duct communicating with said chamber, a suction fan to
produce air suction through said duct and air chamber, and a cut off sieve
constructed with a fixed bottom and with a movable bottom located above the
fixed bottom, the grain upon said movable bottom discharging into said duct A¹
the impurities discharging from the sieve and from the fixed bottom independent
of the said duct, substantially as described.
7. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, the combination of a case A, a
sieve supporting case E¹ constructed with a fixed bottom E2 and a movable
bottom Ethereabove and spaced therefrom, a vibratory sieve located in the
case E above said movable bottom and spaced therefrom, the spaces between the
two bottoms and between the movable bottom and sieve having separate discharge
openings toward the rear end thereof, said movable bottom composed of a series
of independent slides extending at right angles to the movement of the sieve, the
space between the fixed and movable bottoms cut off by the fixed bottom from
communication with the interior of the case A, and the space between the movable
bottom and sieve communicating with said interior, substantially as described.
8. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, a case A constructed with an
interior air chamber A³, a duct A' communicating therewith at one side of said
chamber, a suction fan located at the opposite side of said chamber, a vibratory
sieve extended over the top of said duct, a movable bottom located below said
movable bottom and spaced therefrom, said fan producing an air suction beneath
said screen and through the duct A' and chamber A', substantially as described.
9. In combination with an independent sieve supporting case, a sieve engaged
with said case, a movable cut-off bottom located below the sieve and spaced there-
from, said movable bottom composed of a series of independent valves, said case,
sieve and cut-off bottom made simultaneously movable, substantially as described.
10. In combination, an independent sieve supporting case, a sieve engaged
therewith, a movable cut-off bottom located below the sieve and spaced therefrom,
and a fixed bottom located below the cut-off bottom and spaced therefrom, said
cut-off bottom constructed of a series of independent valves, said case, with its
sieve, cut off bottom and fixed bottom made simultaneously movable, substantially
as described.
Dated this áth dev of November 1892
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.