Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Sept., 1995
Complete Specification Left, 10th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 25th Apr.. 1896
We, ALFRED SHUTTLEWORTH and FRANK SHUTTLEWORTH, both of Stamp
End Works, Lincoln, Agricultural Engineers, and ROBERT GAMBLE, of Stamp
End Works, aforesaid, Machine Foreman, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to chaff cutters of the large kind used in conjunction
with portable steam thrashing machines wherein the upper feed roller which
delivers the straw to the cutting knives turns in bearings at the outer ends of radial
arms located at the outer sides of the feeding trough. Usually these arms are
pivoted at their inner ends on pins fixed to the sides of the trough, a looped link
is suspended to the part of each bearing which projects beyond the radial arms and
these links are connected at lower bottom ends to the sides of a hinged quadrangular
frame or gate that has a central bar to which there is coupled by links and pins a
lever fulcrummed at one end to the frame of the chaff cutter and provided at its
other end with a heavy weight for causing a downward pressure to be exerted on
the straw by the upper feed roller. A cross plate connects the ends of the radial
arms above the upper feed roller, and has, bolted to it, a downwardly projecting
plate to whose under side is bolted a cleaning plate with indentations at its rear
edge corresponding with the raised teeth of the feed poller for the purpose of
preventing the straw being carried upwards by the feed roller.
When the upper feed roller is in its lowest position there is the same distance
between the lower outer edge of the cleaning plate and the bottom of the feed
mouth that obtains between the peripheries of the upper and lower feed rollers,
so that then straw is delivered to the cutting knives in the state of compression
to which it has been reduced by the action of the feed rollers; but the upper roller
rises as an increased bulk of straw is fed in and, as the roller rises, the outer
edge of the cleaning plate rises still more, owing to its greater distance from the
turning point of the radial arms, so that, until in its highest position the cleaning
plate is appreciably further from the bottom of the feed mouth than the peripheries
of the feed rollers are from one another.
It follows that, when the machine is fed to its utmost capacity and the upper
feed roller is in its highest position, the compactness of the straw when it reaches
the cutting knives is considerably less than when between the feed rollers, and it
results from this looseness that any short pieces of straw which may be mixed
with the long straw are dragged out by the action of the knives and either not cut
at all, or cut into irregular lengths.
Now this invention has for object to obviate or mitigate the evil just referred to,
for which purpose the upper feed roller, cross plate and cleaning plate are mounted
on bars whose movement is controlled by a parallel motion, the said bars (herein-
after called the top roller bars) taking the place of the radial bars before
mentioned. One arrangement is as follows:
Both ends of the top roller bars are made to move equally, being guided by .
pins fixed to the outer sides of the feed trough and projecting through slots in the
rear ends of the bars, which slots are inclined from the vertical to keep properly
in gear the cog wheels that drive the upper feed roller.
To ensure that both ends of the top roller bars shall move equally, each end is
connected by links to gates which are connected together by links jointed to the

page_text: respective gates by pins; one of these gates is coupled to the before mentioned
weighted lever by links and pins. The weight (it might be a spring) on the free
end of the lever causes a downward pull on the two gates and through them
With
and the connecting links on the top roller bar and the upper feed roller.
this arrangement, during the rise of the upper feed roller and the cleaning plate,
their angular position in relation to the lower feed roller and the bottom of the
feed mouth will not be altered, consequently the pressure on the straw behind the
cutting knives will be practically equal to that exerted by the feed rollers, and a
more even sample of chaff will be obtained, as the short straws will not be liable to
be dragged out by the action of the cutting knives. If it should be desired to
exert as the upper feed roller rises with a greater bulk of straw being fed in-an
increasingly greater pressure on the straw immediately behind the cutting knives
than when it is between the feed rollers, the relative positions of the pins on the
gates could be varied, so as to raise the rear ends of top roller bars to a
greater extent than their front ends and so give the upper feed roller a greater rise
than the lower edge of the cleaning plate thus tilting the latter somewhat
downwards and giving extra compression to the straw.
Dated this 26th day of September 1895.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.
"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Chaff Cutters.
We, ALFRED SHUTTLEWORTH and FRANK SHUTTLEWORTH, both of Stamp
End Works, Lincoln, Agricultural Engineers, and ROBERT GAMBLE, of Stamp
End Works, aforesaid, Machine Foreman, 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 reference to chaff cutters of the large kind used in conjunction
with portable steam thrashing machines wherein the upper feed roller which
delivers the straw to the cutting knives turns in bearings at the outer ends of radial
arms located at the outer sides of the feeding trough.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side elevation showing a chaff cutter
of the kind referred to, I being the upper feed roller mounted in bearings 2 in
radial arms 3 at the respective sides of the feed trough 4. Usually the arms 3 are
pivoted at their inuer ends on pins 5 fixed to the sides of the feed trough.
A looped link 6 is suspended to the part of each bearing 2 which projects beyond
the radial arms 3, and these links are connected at their lower bottom ends to the
sides of a hinged quadrangular frame or gate 7 that has a central bar to which
there is coupled by links 8 and pins 9, 9ª, a lever 10 that is fulcrummed at one
end 10 to the frame 11 of the chaff' cutter and is provided at its other end with a
heavy weight (not shown) for causing a downward pressure to be exerted on the
straw by the upper feed roller 1. A cross plate 12 connects the ends of the radial
arms 3 above the upper feed roller, and to it is bolted a downwardly projecting
plate 13 to whose under side is bolted a cleaning plate 14 having indentations at its
rear edge corresponding with the teeth of the feed roller 1 for the purpose of
preventing the straw being carried upwards by the feed roller.
With this arrangement, when the upper feed roller is in its lowest position, there
is the same distance between the lower outer edge 14 of the cleaning plate 14
and the bottom 15 of the feed mouth 16 as there is between the peripheries of the
upper and lower feed rollers I and 1ª, so that then straw is delivered to the cutting
knives in the state of compression to which it has been reduced by the action of the

page_text: feed rollers; but the upper roller rises as an increased bulk of straw is fed in..
and as the roller rises, the outer edge 14 of the cleaning plate 14 rises still
more, owing to its greater distance from the turning point 5 of the radial arms,
so that, when in its highest position, the cleaning plate is appreciably further
from the bottom of the feed mouth than the peripheries of the feed rollers are from.
one another.
It follows that when the machine is fed to its utmost capacity, and the upper-
feed roller 1 is in its highest position, the compactness of the straw, when it
reaches the cutting knives, is considerably less than when between the feed rollers,
and it results from this looseness, that any short pieces of straw which may be.
mixed with the long straw, are dragged out by the action of the knives, and
either not cut at all, or cut into irregular lengths.
Now this invention has for object to obviate or mitigate the evil just referred
to, for which purpose the upper feed roller, cross plate and cleaning plate are
mounted on bars whose movement is controlled by a parallel motion, the said
bais (hereinafter called the top roller bars) taking the place of the radial bars
before mentioned.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing an arrangement of this kind.
In this arrangement, 3* is a top roller bar, of which there are two, one at each
side of the feed trough 4. Both ends of these bars 3 are made to move equally,.
and are guided by pins 5ª fixed to the outer sides of the feed trough 4 and pro-
jecting through slots 3b in the rear ends of the bars, the said slots being inclined
from the vertical (as shown) in order to keep properly in gear the cog wheels (not
shown) that drive the upper feed roller.
To ensure that both ends of the top roller bars 3 shall move equally, the front
euds are connected by links 17 to the front end of the quadrilateral frame or
gate 7, which is pivoted at 7*, and is separately shown in plan in Fig. 3, and
the rear ends of the bars are connected by links 18 to the rear ends of a second
quadrilateral frame or gate 19, which is pivoted at 19 and is separately shown in
Fig. 4. The two gates 7 and 19 are connected together by links 20 jointed to the
respective gates by pins 21, 21". The gate 7 is coupled by its central bar 7b to.
the weighted lever 10 by links 8 and pins 9, 9%, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, the
latter figure being a section on the line zz of Fig. 2. The weight (it might be a
spring) on the free end of the lever 10 causes a downward pull on the two gates 7
and 19, and, through them and the connecting links 17 and 18, on the top roller
bars 3 and the upper feed roller 1. With this arrangement, during the rise of the
upper feed roller 1 and the cleaning plate 14, their angular position in relation to
the lower feed roller 1ª and the bottom 15 of the feed mouth 16 will not be
altered, consequently the pressure on the straw behind the cutting knives will
O be practically equal to that exerted by the feed rollers, au a more even sample
of chaff will be obtained, as the short straws will not be liable to be dragged out
by the action of the cutting knives.
If it should be desired to exert-as the upper feed roller rises with a greater
bulk of straw being fed in-an increasingly greater pressure on the straw imme-
5 diately behind the cutting knives than when it is between the feed rollers, the
relative positions of the pins 21, 21 on the gates 7 and 19 respectively could be
varied, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, so as to raise the rear ends of top.
roller bars 3 to a greater extent than their front ends so that when the upper feed
roller rises it will do so to a greater extent than the lower edge 14" of the
0 cleaning plate 14, thus tilting the latter somewhat downwards, and giving extra
compression to the straw.
55
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a chaff cutter of the kind herein referred to mounting the upper feed
roller cross plate and cleaning plate on bars whose vertical movements
are

page_text: controlled by a loaded parallel motion in such a way that, when the upper feed
roller rises, both ends of the said bars will be moved equally and the angular
position of the feed roller and cleaning plate in relation to the lower feed
roller and the bottom of the feed mouth will not be altered, so that the pressure
on the straw behind the cutting kuives will be at all times practically equal
to that exerted by the feed rollers, substantially as described for the purpose
specified.
2. A chaff cutter of the kind herein referred to in which the top roller bars
and parallel motion mechanism are constructed and arranged as herein before
described with reference to and shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive of the accompanying
drawings.
3. The modified arrangement of the parallel motion herein described in which
the relative positions of the pius and links connecting the gates 7 and 19 is such
that the rear ends of the top roller bars will be raised to a greater extent than
their front ends for the purpose specified.
Tlated this 10th day of March 1806
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.