IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SORTING, BREAKING, OR CRACKING EARTH, PALM, AND OTHER NUTS, AND FOR SIFTING AND SEPARATING THE KERNELS FROM THE SHELLS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Crompton Ashlin, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, and Moritz Herschell, of the same Place, Merchant, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SORTING, BREAKING, OR
CRACKING EARTH, PALM, AND OTHER NUTS, AND FOR SIFTING AND SEPARATING
THE KERNELS FROM THE SHELLS."
Sealed the 28th May 1878, and dated the 8th December 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Crompton Ashlin and
Moritz Herschell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th
December 1877.
E
HENRY CROMPTON ASHLIN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
and MORITZ HERSCHELL, of the same Place, Merchant. IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SORTING, BREAKING, OR CRACKING EARTH, PALM, AND OTHER NUTS,
AND FOR SIFTING OR SEPARATING THE KERNELS FROM THE SHELLS."
The object of this Invention is to construct apparatus which shall be capable of
breaking or cracking the shells of earth and palm or other nuts of various sizes,
without damaging the kernels, and without undue expenditure of power, and which
shall also separate the said kernels from the shells.
For the above purposes we construct apparatus or appliances which shall separate
or sort the nuts into any desired number of sizes, and feed each size of nuts to a
hammer suitable for breaking or cracking the shell of that particular size of nut.
After the shells of the nuts have been cracked or broken the loose shells and kernels
are automatically delivered to sifting or separating apparatus or appliances, which
deposit the shells and the kernels into different receptacles.
In carrying the Invention into practice we proceed as follows:-
First. As means for sorting and sizing and feeding the nuts to the hammers we
make use of a hopper, from which the nuts are carried or caused to travel by an
endless screw or other mechanism across or over a series of openings gradually
increasing in size. The smaller nuts pass down the openings nearest to the hopper,

page_text: whilst the larger nuts are carried further forward. After the nuts have passed
through the openings they slide by the action of gravity down tubes or channels,
and are deposited on rotating wheels or their equivalent, divided circumferentially
into cells. The said wheels or their equivalent carry the nuts forward, and deposit
them on a platform or on anvils under the breaking or cracking hammers. The
tubes or channels are when necessary provided with doors, free to open, and allow
nuts of extra length to be carried forward by the wheels or their equivalent.
Second. As means for breaking or cracking the shells of the said nuts
economically we arrange a series of hammers lifted by cams or like means, and so
arranged, weighted, or acted upon by springs that each hammer in falling delivers
a blow adapted to break or crack the shells of that size of nuts upon which
it acts.
Third. As means for separating the kernels from the shells the broken nuts aro
swept by suitable means into a rotating cylindrical sieve, along which such nuts
are carried by means of an archimedean screw. The sieve is formed or constructed
with fine meshes or openings, where the nuts enter, and with coarse meshes or
openings at the delivery end, so that finely divided portions of shell may pass into
a trough or receptacle near the feet end, whilst the kernels, which are not so finely
divided, will fall into a trough or receptacle near the delivery end. The unbroken
nuts and large pieces of shell are delivered from the open end of the sieve into any
desired container.
The moving parts may be geared together by means of toothed wheels, belts, and
pulleys, or in any other desired manner, and any available driving power may be
used.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Crompton Ashlin and Moritz Herschell in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 8th June 1878.
HENRY CROMPTON ASHLIN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
and MORITZ HERSCHELL, of the same Place, Merchant.
APPARATUS FOR SORTING, BREAKING, OR CRACKING EARTH, PALM, AND OTHER
NUTS, AND FOR SIFTING OR SEPARATING THE KERNELS FROM THE SHELLS."
The object of this Invention is to construct apparatus which shall be capable of
breaking or cracking the shells of earth and palm or other nuts of various sizes
without damaging the kernels, and without undue expenditure of power, and which
shall also separate the said kernels from the shells.
For the above purposes we construct apparatus or appliances which shall separate
or sort the nuts into any desired number of sizes, and feed each size of nuts to a
hammer suitable for breaking or cracking the shell of that particular size of nut.
After the shells of the nuts have been cracked or broken the loose shells and kernels
are automatically delivered to sifting or separating apparatus or appliances, which
deposit the shells and the kernels into different recoptacles.
In carrying the Invention into practice we proceed as follows:-
First. As means for sorting and sizing and feeding the nuts to the hammers we
make use of a hopper, from which the nuts are carried or caused to travel by an
endless screw or other mechanism across or over a series of openings gradually
increasing in size The smaller nuts pass down the openings nearest to the hopper,
whilst the larger nuts are carried further forward. After the nuts have passed
through the openings they slide by the action of gravity down tubes or channels,
and are deposited on rotating wheels or their equivalent, divided circumferentially
into cells. The said wheels or their equivalent carry the nuts forward, and deposit
them on a platform or on anvils under the breaking or cracking hammers. The
tubes or channels are when necessary provided with doors, free to open, and allow
nuts of extra length to be carried forward by the wheels or their equivalent.
Second. As means for breaking or cracking the shells of the said nuts
economically we arrange a series of hammers lifted by cams or like means, and
so arranged, weighted, or acted upon by springs that each hammer in falling
dolivers a blow adapted to break or crack the shells of that size of nuts upon which
it acts.
Third. As means for separating the kernels from the shells the broken nuts are
swept by suitable means into a rotating cylindrical sieve, along which such nuts are
carried by means of an archimedean screw. The sieve is formed or constructed with
fine meshes or openings where the nuts enter, and with coarse meshes or openings
at the delivery end, so that finely divided portions of shell may pass into a trough
or receptacle near the feed end, whilst the kernels, which are not so finely divided,
will fall into a trough or receptacle near the delivery end. The unbroken nuts and
large pieces of shell are delivered from the open end of the sieve into any desired
container.
The moving parts may be geared together by means of toothed wheels, belts, and
pulleys, or in any other desired manner, and any available driving power may be
used.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a plan view, and Fig. 3 an end view of apparatus
or appliances constructed under our Invention.
Like letters denote the same parts in all the views.
Under the first part 1 is a hopper, from which the nuts are caused to travel by
the endless screw 2 across and over the openings 3, which gradually increase in size,
34 being the smallest, and 3b the largest. According to their sizes the nuts slide
down one or other of the tubes or channels 4, and are deposited on the rotating
wheels 5, which are divided circumferentially into cells. The nuts are carried

page_text: forward by the said wheels, and deposited on the anvils 6 under the breaking or
cracking hammers 7. The tubes or channels 4 are provided with doors 8, which
open so as to allow nuts too large to pass through the openings at the bottom of the
tubes or channels to be deposited on the anvils 6.
Under the second part the hammers 7 are lifted by cams 9, and so weighted that
each hammer in falling delivers a blow sufficient only to crack the size of nut
upon which it acts, thus making a great saving of power, as otherwise all the
hammers would have to give a blow equal to that required to crack the largest
sized nut.
Under the third part the cracked nuts are allowed to fall by means of the motion
of the pieces 10, which form part of the anvils, into the rotating cylindrical sieve 11,
and are carried along by the archimedean screw 12. The sieve 11 is constructed
with fine meshes at the upper end, and with coarser meshes at the lower end, so
that the finely divided shells, dust, and like matter will fall into a trough at the
upper end, whilst the kernels, which are in larger pieces, will fall into the trough 12
at the lower end. The trough 12, filled with water as shown, and is formed with a
lip or projecting piece, into which the kernels and any shells remaining are deposited.
The shells sink and fall through the opening 14 into the portion 15 of the trough,
whilst the kernels remain at 13.
Any suitable driving power is employed, and the moving parts are geared together
in any desired manner.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, so that others will be
enabled to carry our improvements into effect, we claim,―
First. Apparatus for sorting, sizing, and depositing nuts beneath hammers for
the purpose set forth.
Second. Apparatus for cracking nuts, in which a series of hammers are arranged
to act on different sized nuts, and to give a blow suitable for cracking the size of
nut acted upon.
Third. In combination with apparatus, arranged under the two first heads,
appliances for separating the kernels of nuts from the shells, substantially as set
forth.
In witness whereof we, the said Henry Crompton Ashlin and Moritz Herschell,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Sixth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
JAMES JOHNSON,
Patent Office,
Clayton Square,
Liverpool.
HENRY CROMPTON ASHLIN. (LS.)
MORITZ HERSCHELL.
(L.S.)
Witness.