Improvements in Means for Sifting or Separating Grain, Seeds, ·· and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Feb., 1897-Accepted, 27th Mar., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Sifting or Separating Grain, Seeds, ··
and the like.
We, FAIRFAX HENRY WHEBLAN, Merchant, and ROBERT WEBSTER JESSUP,
Manufacturer, both of No. 224 California Street, in the City and County of San
Francisco, State of California, U.S.A., do hereby declare the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to that class of separators employing screens arranged in
series in a passago with directing and stop plates whereby the material is delivered
to the successive screens and the separated particles kept apart.
Our invention is particularly adapted for, and is applied to what may be termed
"grain_separation," by which we mean the separation from whoat, of oats, chess,
sweet clover, and mustard; from barley, of oats, small. kernels of barley, mustard,
chess or seeds; and from oats, of the smaller oats, mustard, etc.; though it is also
adapted for the separation of all the smaller seeds.
The object of our invention is to provide a separator which by reason of the peculiar
construction of the screens, as well as by their relative arrangement in the device,
shall, while effecting a more perfect separation, insure a self-clearing action,
and by doing away with all tendency to clog, keep the screens in perfect working
order.
To this ond our invention consists in the novel construction of the screens, and also
in their arrangement in the dovice, which we shall now describe by reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which-
Figure 1 is a vertical section of our separator.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the screens B.
A is a casing in which are located, at an incline, successive screens B, front
directing plates and back plates D, upon which the material passing through
each screen above, is received and is directed outwardly to fall to the bottom and
discharge chutes.
In the upper portion of the casing is a feed plate or hopper E. The material from
the front of the screens discharges through the bottom of the casing, while the
material from the back discharges at an aperture a at the lower portion of the sides
or back of the casing. Each screen B consists of a number of parallel spaced
needles b, secured fixedly in a common head and thence extending free and
independent to the other end, having no connection at said other end whatever. It is
essential for the purposes of our grain and small seed separation that these needles
shall be of a diameter small enough and a longth sufficient and of proper material to
render them pliant, yielding or springy under the impact and weight of the material
discharged upon and flowing over them, so that they shall vibrate while in action-
which vibration, in addition to their general pliancy, produces an agitation of the
material resulting in a more perfect separation as well as keeping the screens
themselves clear and free, by inducing the passage of the smaller partiolos through
between the needles, and clearing out any particles inclined to clog and obstruct,
because the needles being pliant separate at thoir lower ends sufficiently to permit said
particles to be forced out.

page_text: In practico, we find that the ordinary steel knitting noodles are best suited for our
The needles are best secured in a groove d formed in the back or stop
plate D.
screens.
The end needlos of each screen are preferably stiffened so that they will not
vibrate, or will not vibrate to any extent. This is to keep the material from passing
down between the end needles and the walls of the casing and clogging.
This stiffening may be effected in various ways as by making them heavier or by
soldering several together as shown at 6 in Figure 2.
The back plates F may be made in the form of continuous surfaces, but we have
found it proferable to make them in the same manuer that the screens B are made,
that is the surfaces formed of parallel needles having the exterior ones at each side
sufficiently stiff to prevent the material from passing between these outside ones
and the walls of the casing where it is apt to wedge and leave a permanent opening
at the lower end, of too large a diameter, because of the lack of vibration of the
walls of the casing.
67
Those screens B and F are so arranged that the surface discharge from the screens B
will strike upon the screens F and this again will travel over the lower ends against
the screens B, thus alternately operating from side to side until the material reaches
the bottom, where the grain passing down through the centre is discharged, while the
material passing through the screens and down upon the outside, will be delivore.l
through side chutes as before described.
The screen and guide surfaces all stand at such an angle within the casing, as to
allow the material received upon them to flow freely by gravitation.
The back guide plates D extend approximately at right angles with the
screens B and F, as shewn, and have their upper edges curved as shown at D³ so that
they form hooks to engage the transverse rods and thus suspend the screens.
The inner angles between the plates D and the screens B or F rest against other
rods a' so that the screens are suspended in this mauner from the rods and are easily
removable.
The casing is arranged with side doors which can be removed to obtain access to
the interior, and when these are so removed the screens can be readily taken out
or returned by simply unhooking them from the rods or returned again hooking them
over the rods.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is;
1st. In a separator for grain and small seeds, the combination of a screen composed
of parallel spaced needles having a fixed connection at one end, and thence extending
separate and independent to the other end, and free at said end, said needles being
pliant and springy and adapted to vibrato under the contact of the material and its
passage over them, an inclined directing plate in front of screen to deliver the
material to it, and an inclined plate behind the screen to koep apart the separated
materials.
2nd. In a separator for grain and small seeds, the combination of a series of
screens, each screen being composed of parallel spaced needles of a pliant and springy
character, plates to which said needles are fixed at one ond, and thence extend separate
and independent to the other end and free at said end whereby they are adapted to
vibrate under the contact, and flow of the material, Raid plates traversing the spaces
between the adjacent ends of the screens and serving to keep the separated particles
apart, and inclined directing plates in front of the screens to direct the material
to thein.
3rd. In a separator for grain and small seeds, the combination of a series of.
alternately disposed inclined screens with means for delivering the grain against the
screen surfaces by gravitation, inclined guide surfaces fixed to the upper end of each
screen and extending at an angle therefrom to the foot of the screen above und means

page_text: for removably suspending each combined screen and guide independent of the others-
to form-contínuous screen and separating surfaces.
P T 1
100M
for removably suspending each combined screen and guide independent of the others-
to form-contínuous screen and separating surfaces.
Dated this 2nd day of February 1897.
For the Applicants,
GEDGE & FEENY,
Dated this
2nd day of February 1997.
For the Applicants,
GEDGE & FEENY,
60 Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Chartered Patent Agents.