IMPROVEMENTS IN MILLS FOR GRINDING CORN OR SIMILAR MATERIALS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th October 1883. Communicated
to him from abroad by Jean Martin Simon, of Paris, France.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, " IMPROVEMENTS IN MILLS FOR GRINDING CORN
OR SIMILAR MATERIALS [a communication to him from abroad by Jean Martin
Simon, of Paris, France]
"
This invention relates to mills for grinding corn, and the like by means of
metallic rollers, the weight of one which is utilized to obtain the pressure necessary
for grinding.
The characteristic difference between a grinding mill constructed according to
this invention and grinding mills as heretofore constructed provided with rollers
the weight of which serves to effect the grinding, is that the yielding roller in the
former may move from the fixed roller when a large foreign body passes between
the said rollers.
According to the said invention, the yielding roller is carried by two bearings
attached to levers pivotted to the frame of the machine. By suitably arranging the
position of the pivots, variable pressures may be obtained between the two rollers.
If for instance the yielding roller is moved so that a line passing through the centre
of the said roller and the centre of the said pivots is at an angle of 45° to the
horizontal, the pressure between the yielding roller and the fixed roller will increase
from the weight of the yielding roller to two or three times the weight of the same.
When the yielding roller is caused to move upon the lever-pivots, the pressure
between the rollers is considerably increased.
By means of the above arrangement the pressure between the rollers is rendered
constant and elastic. Wedges are placed under the movable bearings whereby the
pressure of the rollers may be regulated, the said wedges being simultaneously or
individually acted upon by means of a shaft carrying a hand-wheel and two worms,
the latter engaging with worm-wheels attached to screws connected with the said
wedges by means of nuts. The rapid movement of the yielding roller from the
fixed roller is effected, without stopping any of the belts communicating the
movement from the motor, by means of excentrics and levers.

page_text: Both the yielding roller and the fixed roller carry pulleys. Belts transmit the
movement from the motor to feed rollers placed in the feed hopper, which is
prolonged as far as the grinding rollers.
I sometimes modify the construction above described when the mill is to be used
for grinding grits into flour. In this case the rollers are superposed whereby a
more considerable pressure is obtained between the said rollers. The upper roller
is mounted in movable bearings in the form of levers and acted upon by springs
compressed by means of screws. The pressure can be regulated by means of
wedges which can be adjusted simultaneously by means of a shaft, and wheels,
worms and screws. One hand-wheel is keyed upon one worm whereas the other
hand-wheel is placed upon a cone and secured thereupon by means of a nut. By
unscrewing the said nut either one or both of the wedges may be regulated as
required.