Improvements in and connected with Measuring Machines for Corn, Grain, or similar Granulated or Pulverized Substances.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Measuring Machines for Corn,
Grain, or similar Granulated or Pulverized Substances.
I ANTON BEHRINGER of Wygmael near Louvain in the Kingdom of Belgium
Merchant 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 thereof that is to say :-
The object of this invention is to provide a hopper or machine capable of conveying
regular quantities of corn or similar granulated substances either whole or already
milled from a silo or other source to the loading place, whilst at the same time
measuring such quantities as they are being conveyed from different silos for instance,
thus greatly facilitating the loading of vessels, an advantage of great importance for
the manufacture of flour.
According to the methods hitherto adopted this could not be accomplished in conse-
quence of the cups and cylinders containing more or less grain according as the latter
was dry or wet. As heretofore arranged the removal of grains from silos was very
difficult to supervise and control in consequence of which the said silos were often
found empty or obstructed without its being noticed at the time whereby serious
miscalculations occured.
Now according to my invention this drawback is entirely obviated, the apparatus
being placed in communication with the counting house by an electric bell which
gives warning every time the said apparatus stops. The latter may be used alone
or in combination with an automatic measuring apparatus which by indicating the
revolutions of the axis enables the discharge of corn to be easily regulated. With
machines as hitherto constructed it was impossible to ascertain accurately the amount
of corn discharged at any particular time owing to the variations in the speed of
the axis while the discharge of corn varied according as it was fed in a dry or wet
state.
The machine consists of two circular plates A and B Fig. 2 of the drawings
annexed the plate A being fixed to an axis C. Between these two plates stands the
drum or grain conveyor D screwed on to the plate A. These two parts A and D
are wedged together on the axis C. Around the drum D are ten grooves of a mortise
shape arranged parallel to the axis & corresponding to vertical grooves cut in the
plates A & B. In these grooves the divisions or partitions of the drum or conveyor D
are placed. The plate B is fixed to the drum D by means of three screws a so as to
enable the said drum to be detached & moved back on the axis.
The drum D is also constructed between the said divisions with other ten mortise
shaped grooves which are closed by means of wooden blocks of a similar shape. If
it should be desired to stop working one or more divisions or compartments the
plate B is unfastened the small wooden block is withdrawn and a filling up part or
block is put in its place which block occupies all the space of the said compartment ;
the plate B is then put back & the apparatus is again ready for working. The feeding
pipe F which is heid stationary by two iron bars is rectangular in shape; its width
equals the distance between the two plates A & B, but its height must always be in
proportion to compartment to be filled. That side of the pipe which clears the over-
flow is provided with a caoutchouc blade to prevent the crushing of the grain for this
In the pipe F leading
purpose also the front edge of each division is rounded.
from the silo is the overturning plate G which stands in a horizontal position so long
as the corn drops and which rises by means of a balance weight as soon as there is a
want of corn. This balance weight which is of metal is fixed to the plate G by means
of an insulator glass tube and when it falls it causes the electric current to be com-
municated to a bell in the counting house. Above the plate G is a wire sieve H

page_text: intended to retain the coarsest foreign bodies. Above the sieve there is a closing
slide J and between the two latter is a small door K through which to remove the
stones &c. laying upon the sieve. Upon the axis C is fixed the driving wheel O and
beside the latter a tooth which sets the automatic measuring apparatus in motion.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows.
..
The matter to be measured drops into the aperture of the pipe F on to sieve H;
it then passes through the seive and in falling on the plate G compels the latter to
assume its horizontal position by which means the electric current is interrupted.
The matter then descends into the apparatus where the overflow is shaved off or
removed by the caoutchouc blade before mentioned and whereby it is retained by the
cover up to the point M, thence it drops freely into the funnel N which sends it to
mix with other matters. Should it happen that a pipe gets stopped up or a silo
gets empty the balance weight drops and the plate G falls upon the two electric
alarms causing the current to communicate with the bell in the counting house or
other convenient situation.
Having thus 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
claim is
The improvements in measuring machines for corn grain or similar granulated or
pulverized substances arranged combined and operating substantially as and for the
purpose described.
vun uay or reoruary 100.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.