A New or Improved Machine for Sorting Cereals and Removing Stones and Grit therefrom.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1894-Accepted, 22nd Sept., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Machine for Sorting Cereals and Removing
Stones and Grit therefrom.
I, FRIEDRICH HERMANN SCHULE, of 57 Eilbeckerweg Hamburg, Germany,
Millwright, 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 a new or improved machine for sorting cereals and
removing stones and grit therefrom and it is specially adapted for the separation
of foreign materials from cereals when they differ from the latter by their volume
as well as by their specific gravity. Such a separation cannot be performed by
means of sieves.
The machine which is particularly suitable for sorting shelled as well as unshelled
rice, differs chiefly from other machines of a similar construction by having a new
form of sheet metal receiver which enables a machine of reduced size and power to
give a continuous and rapid output.
Owing to the improved form of this sheet metal receiver, which is provided with
throw plates hereinafter more particularly described, its surface is not soiled on
coming in contact with the grain and the injurious effects heretofore experienced
from this cause is therefore obviated.
The machine also differs from other machines in having improved adjusting
mechanism by means of which the principal part of the machine i.e. the shaking
mechanism supporting the sheet metal receiver, can be set and fixed in an inclined
position so as to allow the sides of the said shaking mechanism, which carry the
discharge outlet for the sorted material, to be always free and easily accessible.
A further feature of the invention consists in the peculiar construction of the
supporting framework carrying the shaking mechanism, which is so devised, that
it enables the mechanism to move constantly in one plane and not in an undulating
manner as is usual with apparatuses having suspended or spring supported shaking
mechanism. The framework is also so devised that all the shocks which usually
occur in this class of machine are fully equalized or deadened.
On the accompanying sheets of drawings a machine, provided with my improve-
ments, is shown having 20 working chambers or compartments in two tiers; ten
below and ten above.
Fig. 1, is a view of the shaking mechanism, the part A being a plan, the part B a
horizontal section on the line x-x Fig. 2, i.e., through the upper tier of compart-
ments, and the part C a horizontal section, through the lower tier, on the line y, Y
(Fig. 2).
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the machine.
Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line - Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a cross section of the upper division or tier of the shaking mechanism.
Fig. 44 a cross section of the lower division or tier of the shaking mechanism,
taken on the line 2¹ z¹ Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a front view of the machine.

page_text: sheet metal plates 6, 61 (Figs. 4 and 4^) and form the receivers upon which the
throw plates c and c', (Figs. 1 and 3) consisting of polished steel plates are
screwed or otherwise fixed. These throw plates are arranged in a peculiar manner,
as clearly shown at Fig. 1, and form with their ground or polished surfaces in
conjunction with the plates 6 and 6' the two divisions or tiers d, d' for the work.
The machine is fed through the trough e which extends across the whole length
of the shaking mechanism, and whose front sides fare furnished with outlets for
feeding the two separate divisions or tiers. These outlets correspond with the
channels g and gl. As clearly shown at Figs. 2 and 3 the channels g lead from
the trough e to the lower division d, whilst the channels g¹ lead to the upper
division d¹. The outlets in the front wall of the trough e may be used
independently of one another and be closed and opened as desired by means of the
slides which can be raised and lowered by means of the thumb nuts i on the ends
of their spindles. The slides are adjusted by the thumb nuts i¹.
The material, when treated, falls into collecting canals k k³, and, in order to
prevent it bounding over the edges of these canals, a frame m covered with wire
gauze or its equivalent, extends from the upper longitudinal edges of the shaking
device to the upper edges of the canals (see Figs. 5 and 6) and forms a partition
between the outlet and said canals. These frames m are, preferably, made in
several parts or sections which are so arranged as to turn with their upper sides
against the upper edge of the shaking device. The divisions or sections can be
firmly fixed to the canals by means of bolts, joints, or straps. The object of this
arrangement is to enable each division to be separately lifted and ventilated during
the sorting operation and while the sorted material issuing from each of the two
working divisions is separately controlled.
In Fig. 5 the central division is shown as raised whilst the side ones are folded
down.
For the purpose of regulating the degree of slope or incline of the shaking
device (Fig. 6) it is fitted on a strong frame R with its transverse sides turning
on pins or pivots o, and movement, in a vertical plane, is given to it by means of
the set screws q which are fixed to the frame R and engage with brackets 9' secured
to the shaking device.
The device when shifted to the desired angle, by means of the screws q, can be
fixed in position by means of clamping screws p secured to it and which pass
through slots p' in the frame so as to be tightened up on the outside by means of
thumb nuts.
The shaking device rests upon toothed sectors F (Figs. 5 to 8) which are so
suspended from bolts G¹ passed through lugs G on the frame R as to turn freely
thereon. Reciprocatory motion is imparted to the device by means of a crank
shaft and connecting rod or, as shown at Fig. 5 by means of a shaft n having an
eccentric D whose rod D' is secured to a pin joint E fitted in the lug E' at the
bottom of the frame R. It will be readily understood, that, under these conditions,
when the shaft n is revolved the frame must move back and forward in a horizontal
plane.
In order to take up the shocks of the machine and to prevent the toothed sectors
slipping the supporting framework is made to assume the peculiar form shown at
Figs. 7 and 8, where the beams ¹ which serve as a bed for the machine, bave
inserted in them racks 'K with which the teeth F¹ of the sectors mesh. Both ends
of the arc of the sector carry blocks F' against which bear rounded heads of
bolts L' which are passed through guide holes in cross pieces at the top of stays L
secured to the beam K' as shown. Spiral springs L³, rubber cushions, or buffers,
are, as shown, mounted on the bolts, which latter are guided in their movements in
the stays L by means of sliding pieces or washers L³. The whole shaking
mechanism, which is held in position by the stays L thus rests upon four toothed
sectors somewhat in the same manner as a carriage on four wheels. The two front
and two rear sectors are coupled together by bolts I which pass through holes H
(Fig. 7) and are firmly secured by jamb nuts 1' (see Fig. 8).

page_text: This supported framework can, if desired, without difficulty, be converted into a
suspended framework as shown at Figs. 9 and 1. In this case the arcs F are
held in position by means of pins R' passed through slots S in the sectors and also in
lugs secured to the overhead beam K³.
R Figs. 9 and 10 is the ceiling of the workshop.
The modus operandi is as follows:-
After loosening the screws p the shaking device is adjusted to the required slope
by the screws q and the screws p are then again tightened. The shaft n is now
set in motion by means of the usual driving gear (fast and loose pulleys) and the
shaking device is reciprocated, in the direction of the arrows P (Fig. 1). The
material to be sorted dropped into the trough e so as to run uniformly through
the outlets therefrom down into the canals 9, 9¹ and be distributed according to the
positions of the slides h. As soon as the sorted material has passed these canals it
falls into the different chambers where it is operated on by the working surfaces of
the throw plates c, c'. These surfaces have, in plan, the form of a saw whose teeth
point in the direction of the arrows s, and form with each other partly two obtuse
angles as shown at Fig. 1. As a consequence the material, when it falls on the
bottom plates b, b¹ receives a somewhat whirling or eddying motion, corresponding
to the direction of the arrows r, and is energetically mixed. The larger and
heavier component parts roll, by virtue of their gravity in the direction of the
arrows s down into the collecting canal or trough k (Fig. 6) whilst the lighter and
finer component parts, on account of their mobility, do not adhere to the inclined
planes but are seized by the slant working surfaces and move forward in the
direction of the arrows s¹ and finally fall into the collecting canal or trough k¹.
As already mentioned, by raising the frame m the material dropping from the
two divisions can be conveniently controlled.
The supporting framework operates in such a manner that the rear springs L³,
Fig. 7, are stretched when the shaking device moves forward and thereby takes up
the shocks of the machine when it moves in this direction while the front springs
are stretched and take up the shocks when it moves in the opposite direction."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
consider novel and desire to claim is:
1. A machine for sorting cereals and removing stones or grit therefrom in which
the working surfaces of the throw plates c, c' of the receiver are made to partly
form obtuse angles in order to produce, at such places, a whirling or eddying
movement of the material, substantially as hereiubefore set forth.
2. Throw plates c, c', arranged as claimed in Claim 1, made of polished steel in
order to prevent the soiling of their working surfaces by the material being sorted
and thereby injuriously affecting the whirling or eddying action of these surfaces,
substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
3. A machine constructed as hereinbefore described and having its shaking
device mounted on pins or pivots o secured to the frame R which latter is
reciprocated by means of crank or eccentric gear, substantially as and for the
advantages herein before set forth.
4. In combination, a shaking device, suspending or supporting toothed sectors F
therefor, stays L. and means, such as springs or buffers, for absorbing or neutralizing
the shocks resulting from the operation of the machine substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to the drawings annexed.
Dated this 27th day of July 1894.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.