IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR DISLODGING THE GERMS FROM WHEAT AND OTHER CEREALS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Theodoro Henry David Voss, of No. 13, Charlotte Street,
Bloomsbury, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR DISLODGING THE GERMS FROM WHEAT
AND OTHER CEREALS,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Theodore Henry David
Voss at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th November
1881.
THEODORE HENRY DAVID Voss, of No. 13, Charlotte Street, Bloomsbury, in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS
FOR DISLODGING THE GERMS FROM WHEAT AND OTHER CEREALS."
The grains of wheat and other coreals if carefully examined are found to present
on their one side a certain flatness with a central indentation or crease, at the one
end of which is found the germ. My Invention relates to a process and apparatus
whereby I am enabled to take advantage of this peculiarity of form for the purpose
of dislodging the germ as a preparatory operation before milling the grain. For
this purpose I pass the grains between a pair of rollers made with annular ribs and
grooves of triangular form fitting into one another, and of such size and set at such
distance that each of the grains in passing between them becomes somewhat
flattened out in two lobes, one on each side of its croase, and the germ at the end
of the crease is either entirely or partially separated. In feeding the grain to the
rolls I employ a slightly inclined feed table to which a vibratory movement is
imparted, and this has the effeat of causing the grains to turn with their flat sides
downwards before they reach the edge of the feed table. This edge is more
sharply inclined downwards and made with grooves corresponding to those of the
rollers, so that each grain in succession is caused to present itself with its creaso
coinciding with one of the projecting ribs of the one roller, and its rounded side
coinciding with the groove in the other roller. Thus the portions of the grain
on each side of the central crease pass along the obliquo spaces between the rolls,
whereby they are squeezed into lobes of increased breadth and diminished
thickness.

page_text: '
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Theodore Henry David Voss in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 25th May 1882.
.
THEODORE HENRY DAVID Voss, of No. 13, Charlotte Street, Bloomsbury, in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND APPARATUS
FOR DISLODGING THE GERMS FROM WHEAT AND OTHER CEREALS."
The grains of wheat and other cereals if carefully examined are found to present
certain peculiarities of form; a grain of wheat and rye has on one side a certain
flatness with a deep central indentation or crease, at the one end of which is found
the germ. A grain of barley, oats, and rice has also the central indentation, but
not so deep as in wheat; a grain of maize generally has no distinct indentation,
but its germ lies in a kind of mould in the middle of its flatter side.
My Invention relates to a process and apparatus whereby I am enabled to take
advantage of these peculiarities of form for the purpose of dislodging the germ as a
preparatory operation before milling the grain. For this purpose I pass the grains
between a pair of rollers made with annular ribs and grooves of approximately
triangular form engaging with one another, and of such size and set at such
distance that each of the grains in passing between them becomes somewhat opened,
flattened out, or split in two lobes, one on each side of its crease, and the germ at
the end of the crease is either entirely or partially separated.
In feeding the grain to the rolls I employ suitable arrangements for guiding
each grain between the rolls in such a manner that the wedge-shaped rib of the one
roller enters the natural crease of the grain and opens it out or splits it, unseating
the germ.
In some cases I employ a slightly inclined feed-table to which a
vibratory movement is imparted, and this has the effect of causing the grains to
turn with their flat sides downwards before they reach the edge of the feed table.
This edge is more sharply inclined downwards and made with grooves corresponding
to those of the rollers, so that each grain in succession is caused to present itself
with its crease coinciding with one of the projecting ribs of the one roller and its
rounded sido coinciding with the groove in the other roller. Thus the portions of
the grain on each side of the central crease pass along the oblique spaces between
the rolls. In the case of maize a grooved feed roller is employed to deliver the
grains to a grooved feed table, down which they slide, presenting themselves to the
working rollers so that the ribs of one of them split the grains longitudinally,
separating the germ either entirely or partially from the two halves of the grain.
For grains like barley, oats, and rice, it is only necessary that they be guided
between the working rollers to be split longitudinally without regard to the
position of the crease.
In the case of wheat and rye the vibratory motion of the whole feed table may
be dispensed with by employing a small vibratory table for delivering the grains
to a feed roller provided with sharp annular ridges to which the creases of the
grains accommodate themselves so that the grains are delivered in proper attitude
to the feed table.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a front view, Fig. 2 a side elevation,
Fig. 3 a cross section, and Fig. 4 a plan of a machine arranged to operate according
to my Invention. The grains pass (as shewn to an enlarged scale in section at
Fig. 5 and back view at Fig. 9) from the hopper H to the small vibrating table y
at the bottom of the hopper, and through a channel so bent that the grains stand
nearly upright as they approach the feed roller F. This roller is annularly grooved
as shewn in Fig. 8, each groove being of such sizo as to hold one grain, and
having in its middle a sharp central ridge. Should the round side of a grain

page_text: present itself to the groove it will generally remain standing on the table y, but as
it is turned round by the vibration, when the crease presents itself towards the
sharp central ridge, the grain will be carried by the roller F over to the feed
table. This feed table is grooved like F but not quite so deeply, as shewn in
Fig. 7, and it is set at such an angle that the grains readily slide down, retaining
their proper attitude to the working rollers A and B. These rollers are grooved
as shewn in Figs. 6 and 10, the sharp ridges of the roller B coinciding with the
small central ridges of the feed table and roller F. The crease of the grain
generally presents itself exactly to the ridges of the roller B, the round back of the
grain being accommodated in the groove of the roller_A.
In order more effectually to dislodge the germs I prefer to give the roller Ba
speed somewhat greater than A, so that while the grains are relatively retarded
by A the sharp ridges of B moving more rapidly along the creases of the grain
tend to drag out the germ.
For operating on maize the vibrating table y may be dispensed with and the
grooves of the feed table f and of the feed roller F are made without the central
ridges, so that the grains are simply guided longitudinally between the rollers A
and B, which, in this case, may be grooved, as shewn in Fig. 11.
For operating on barley, oats, and rice, and cereals of like character, the
central ridges in the grooves of the feed roller F and of the feed plate ƒ may be
omitted.
These
In some cases when all the germs are not detached, although the grains are split
longitudinally, the process may be repeated by passing the half grains through a
machine like that described, having wedge-shaped ridges on its rollers.
without again actually splitting the half grains by a wedging action tend to unseat
any such germs as were not dislodged in the first instance.
The grains after being split along their natural creases in the degerming machine
are passed through a dressing machine whereby the smaller particles, including
the gerins, the middlings, and the dirt dislodged from the creases are separated
from the half grains. And in like manner when a second degerming machine is
employed, the germs, middlings, and flour are separated by subsequent dressing.
By employing suitable wire gauze or silk in the dressing apparatus the germs can
generally be entirely separated from the broken grains before the bulk of the grain
is reduced to flour by stones or rollers in the usual way.
The degerming machine as shewn is driven by a strap on a pulley P fixed on the
shaft of the roller B, from which the roller A is driven by gearing B' and A'. The
feed roller F is driven by bands on pulleys g, g'. By wheels k, k, a small counter-
shaft W is driven, and a wheel on this shaft acting on an arm x gives vibratory
motion to the table y.
Having thus described my Invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, I wish it to be understood that I make no general claim to the use of
rollers having annular ridges, but I claim,―
First. The herein described process for dislodging the germs from wheat and
other cereals by guiding the grains between annularly ridged and grooved rollers
so that they are opened or split longitudinally along their creases or germ lines.
Second. The construction and arrangement of degerming apparatus, substantially
as herein described with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the Theodore Henry David Voss have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.