Improvements in or Applicable to Apparatus or Mills for Decorti- cating, Splitting, Reducing, and Cleaning Corn and other Grain or Seeds.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in or Applicable to Apparatus or Mills for Decorti-
cating, Splitting, Reducing, and Cleaning Corn and other Grain
or Seeds.
I AMBROISE MILLOT of Zurich Switzerland Engineer 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
The object of this Invention is to provide an efficient and economical apparatus for
decorticating splitting reducing and cleaning corn or other grain or seed removing
from it impurities such as poppy seeds smut and the like with but little waste of the
good material.
I will describe it as applied to the treatment of corn from which its general
applications will also be well understood.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a vertical section, Figure 2 is a side elevation and Figure 3 is partly
a plan and partly a horizontal section of an apparatus arranged according to this
Invention.
Figure 4 is an underside view of the cover of the apparatus fitted with the working
surfaces.
Figures 5 and 6 are sections on a larger scale of the lower and upper discs
respectively.
The corn to be treated is introduced by the hopper A capable of being raised and
lowered by the hand wheel B'and screw working on a screw outside the hopper A.
· Pains R77

page_text: The corn is scattered by the rotating plate cover the sieve or grating D by which
foreign bodies larger than the grains of corn are kept from entering into the apparatus.
After passing under a ring J the corn is drawn between two discs E and F and passes
out by openings H in the ring J.
The upper disc F is made up of segments of cast iron tempered steel porcelain flint
granite or any other suitable hard material, which segments are attached (by means
of screws for instance) to the lid F¹ fixed to the frame U of the apparatus.
The segments F are provided with grooves of any suitable width and depth and at
any desired angle. The lower disc E is composed of segments also of hard material
and having any desired number of projections and spaces forming the working surfaces
of the apparatus as shown in Figures 3 and 5 and hereinafter described. The segments
are screwed or otherwise secured to the plate E' which rotates in the direction shown
by the arrow a in Figure 3.
The corn passing through the openings H enters into the recesses L (see Figures 3
and 5) of the segments E where it is spread over their whole breadth and driven by
centrifugal force onto the inclined planes M where the splitting takes place during its
progress to the highest point N after which the material falls into the recesses O and
is taken to the circumference of the plate E¹ and then drawn to the outlet Q1 by the
gatherers QQ fixed under the said plate E¹. The sides partitions or ribs P allow the
corn to pass out only by the inclined planes M, and prevent it passing unacted upon
through the machine.
The above description applies to the decorticating opening and splitting of grains of
corn or the like but the apparatus is applicable also for reducing or crushing in the
manufacture of grits or the like. Similar segments being employed for this purpose
with the necessary increase of working surface and additional grooves of the proper
breadth and angles. The plate or disc E' is rotated by a vertical shaft R which may
be supported in a footstep bearing R* and in an upper bearing R¹ with arms R² bolted
onto the brackets R³.
The shaft R is driven by a pair of bevel wheels S from the shaft S₁, and pulley T.
The whole is mounted in a rigid framework U. There may be two doors Q² to
facilitate the inspection and regulation of the discs E and F which regulation may be
effected by means of lever V operated by the hand wheel and screwed shaft W for
raising the footstep bearing R or by any other suitable adjusting device.
The entrance passages H for the corn between the discs E F made in the ring J as
shown in Figure 3 prevent the corn being operated upon before entering the divisions
of the segments K, the corn being distributed through these passages to the recesses L
and then a second distribution takes place over the surfaces to the outlet passages as
aforesaid and accumulation of corn on the working surfaces is avoided. This arrange-
ment presents the advantages of considerable production from the working surfaces-
great economy in the motive power as friction is reduced owing to the limited distance
travelled by the corn and the manner of spreading the same over the working surfaces.
There are also no shocks resulting from the accumulation of the material and overheating
is also prevented.
The discs or segments E and F may be provided with working surfaces on each face
so that they can be reversed when desired."
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. An apparatus for the purposes described consisting of the arrangement and
combination of parts hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
2. In an apparatus for the purposes described the combination of the fixed disc or
segments F with the movable disc or segments E the former having grooves of any
dagined dimension

page_text: described and illustrated more particularly in Figures 3 and 5 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. In an apparatus for the purposes described a distributing ring J with entrance
passages H in combination with the disc E and its working surfaces arranged for
co-operating substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. In an apparatus for the purposes described the combination of the discs E and F
with the distributing ring J with entrance passages H all constructed and arranged for
co-operating substantially as hereinbefore described.