A Mixing Machine for Amalgamating Exact Proportions of Flours, Chemicals, and other substances.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Mixing Machine for Amalgamating Exact Proportions of Flours,
Chemicals, and other substances.
I, BRYAN CORCORAN of No. 31 Mark Lane in the City of London Millwright
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A mixing machine being a combination of two propeller worms with any number
of pulsating or other adjustable feeders, with or without cylinder with beaters or
brushes.
1
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Mixing Machine for Amalgamating Exact Proportions of Flours,
Ohemicals, and other substances.
I BRYAN CORCORAN of No. 31 Mark Lane, in the City of London, 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 is a compound machine for mixing with greater exactness than
is now being accomplished, definite proportions of different ingredients.
At the present time meals, flours, food stuffs, spices, condiments, chemicals &c.
are fed to worms or conveyors and afterwards mixed up together but these arrange-
ments do not ensure an even mingling of the different ingredients at all parts of
the bulk or a mixture of the desired proportions.
I accomplish this by the combination of hoppers and feeders or any regular
feeding arrangement now in use, with worm conveyors of all the various con-
structions as now employed but arranged in such a way that the ingredients they
propel and mix in their course can be made to travel along an endless path, passing
under or receiving the feeds that are gradually being delivered directly or
indirectly to them. The feeds may be delivered to either or both of the worms
and the worms may be of any lengths or the action may be augmented by any
number of other worms in separate troughs communicating together.
In combination also when desirable with the ordinary "wire brushing machine"
or "cylinder" with revolving brushes or beaters.
In the drawings hereunto annexed is shown a machine arranged as I prefer it
when my invention is applied for mixing three different qualities or sorts of flours
in any desired proportions, making baking powders, mixing meals, different powders.
or any other comparatively dry substances by manual labour.
Figure one is front elevation, partly in section on line A Figure 2, with bottom
part broken off.
Figure 2 is end elevation in section on line B Figure 1.
Figure 3 is side elevation of driving end.
Figure 4 is plan in section with top removed showing worms.
The three hoppers a a a are in about the proportions of 1, 1 and 21-capacities
but may be of any sizes or the divisions bb may be made adjustable.
The feeders c or bottoms of these hoppers are suspended on springs d d d d and
are caused to move backwards and forwards by the excentric e keyed on shaft f, the
amount of feed from each hopper depending on the excentric e and the height the
doors 9 9 9 are raised by the adjustments hhh, or any number of separate hoppers
can be used with different excentrics or movements,

page_text: The worm is driven by handle j for hand labour or the handle substituted by
pulley when other power is used.
The worm k is driven by two spur wheels that are fixed on the ends of worm
spindles. These worms ik are made preferably with separate flights rather than
continuous blades and being in this case both right handed the mixture is made to
travel to the left in one portion of the trough and to the right in the other, so that
ingredients entering at the right hand end of the worm k on arriving at the left
hand end pass to the worm i, travel to the right hand end, pass again to the worm k
and so circulating continually round and round. The spur wheel m fixed on the
spindle of the worm i drives the pinion n fixed on excentric spindle f. The worm
trough o may be shaped internally somewhat to the worms ik with or without a
division and cover 9. The slider when opened allows exit of the mixture from
the machine. The slide opens passage to the cylinder T. The revolving
brushes uuuu and tap beater fixed to the spindle wo are driven by the wheel a
which gears into idle wheel y which also gears with m, the idle wheel y is held in
frame and can be thrown out of gear when the mixture does not require blending
or it is not desired to use the cylinder.
V
The shoe a a receives motion from beater v and regulates the feed that is allowed
to pass through the slide s to the cylinder or half cylinder T as here shown, this
half cylinder is shown held in curbs bbbb and can be taken out for recovering with
wire &c. Spout ce is for the exit of the blended mixture, spout d d for exit of any
lumps or gruff.
For mixing liquids instead of powders, cisterns and cocks may be substituted for
hoppers and feeders, and for mixing pastes and thick viscous substances, screws or
scrapers and vessels with heaping up doorways or openings that only allow exit of
material when that already passed is cleared away may be substituted and for
chaff & rough materials sweepers may be substituted or any of these worked in
combination.
of each
In using my invention in a machine arranged for instance as in annexed
drawing for making a mixture of flours of three different qualities & of different
quantities of each, I take exact quantity of each sort to make the desired mixture
sufficient for a charge suitable to the capacity of the machine. I place each
separate sort in its separate hopper a, disengage the idle wheel y to throw the
cylinder spindle w out of gear, close the slides r and s, adjust the door
hopper, by means of screw has nearly as I can so that all the hoppers will empty
themselves at the same time but should some be flowing after others have delivered
their contents it will not affect the regularity or proportion of the sorts of which
the finished mixture is composed. I now have simply to put the machine in
motion by turning the handle, or a pulley in its stead, which causes the different
flours to fall from the feeders in regular pulsations to the front worm which mixes
and carries all the flours it gets to the back worm where they continue to be mixed
and travel again under the feeds falling to the front worm in their respective
proportions, which are further mixed in the back worm and this is continued until
all the hoppers cease to deliver flour. This mixing action may be continued after
the last hopper is empty if thought desirable.
I now throw
It will be noticed that a steady stream is passing continually along the worms and at
the same time is being added to it smaller streams of the other sorts.
the cylinder spindle into gear with the idle wheel y and partially open the slide s.
The mixture passes slowly to the shoe a a into the cylinder or half cylinder t
where by the action of the beaters or brushes it passes through the wire which
tends to further blend the different sorts. The blended mixture passes out through
the spout cc, any lumps or portions too large to pass through the wire make their exit
by the spout d d. If the mixture does not need to pass through the cylinder. I open
the slider instead of the slides and allow the worms to gradually empty the
trough through the spout e e, the machine in either case being kept in motion until
it is empty.
To work this machine continuously instead of charge by charge, instead of

page_text: placing exact proportions of each ingredient into its separate hopper it is only
necessary to set the doors 9 g g of the feeders accurately so that the different
ingredients pass out at speeds proportionate to their different quantities. This
adjustment can be attained after several charges have been mixed, by successive
regulations of the screws hhh till all the hoppers empty themselves simultaneously.
Draw the slider for mixing only or the slides and gear the idle wheel for mixing
and blending and the mixing or mixing and blending will continue automatically
so long as the machine is in motion and the hoppers are kept supplied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is ;-
1. Worms delivering from one to the other in such a way as to cause a circulation
of the material propelled in combination with feeders.
2. Power of continuing to cause the material to travel indefinitely over the
same path.
3. Power of adding evenly a layer of new material.