Improvements in Apparatus for Scouring Grain.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by GILES SLOCUM CRANSON, of Silver Creek, County of
Chautaugua, State of New York, United States of America, Miller.]
Improvements in Apparatus for Scouring Grain.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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 relates to that class of grain scourers which consist essentially of a
Scouring case and a drum rotating in the same, and which scours the grain by rubbing
the kernels against each other, and against the scouring surface of the case and drum
as distinguished from that class of machines in which rotating beaters are employed.
In scouring grain, especially wheat, it is very desirable to remove the beard and fuzz
which adheres to the ends of the kernels and to remove from the kernels their outer
or ripe cuticle and polish the live bran without such a violent action as would cut or
abrade the live bran or break the kernels. The object of my invention is to produce
a scouring and polishing machine which shall effectually accomplish these results,
and my invention consists of the improvements which will be hereinafter fully
described.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a grain scourer provided with my
improvements.
Figure 2 is a fragmentary face view of one of the scouring plates.
Figures 3 and 4 are cross sections in lines x, x and y, y Figure 2 respectively.
Figure 5 is a transverse section of a pair of scouring plates of the scouring
case and drum, the section being taken through the bottom of the groove in each.
plate.
Figure 6 is a fragmentary view of one of the corrugated scouring plates.
Figure 7 is a plan view of one of the scouring plates.
Figure 8 is a vertical cross section of the machine.
Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.
A A represent the end frames of the machine, and a the horizontal shaft journalled
in bearings in the end plates. B is the feed hopper, and 6 the feed spout secured to
the head which closes one end of the scouring case and which is secured to the
end frame A at the head of the machine.
D represents the separating screen, d the wind trunk of the preliminary air
separator from which the grain passes to the feed hopper. E the fan mounted on
the shaft a and e the wind trunk of the subsequent air separator through which the
grain passes after it has passed through the scouring machine. G represents the
head at the tail end of the scouring case, and g the outer shell which surrounds
the scouring case and forms an annular air passage around the same leading to
the fan. All of these parts may be of any ordinary or well known construction.
H represents the scouring drum which is secured to the shaft a between the
heads and G and 1 represents the scouring case or cylinder which is secured
with its ends to the heads C and G.
The scouring drum is preferably composed of alternating transversely grooved
scouring plates J and longitudinally corrugated or grooved scouring plates K.
The front or advancing end of each plate, in the direction of its rotation, is nearer
the centre of rotation than its retreating end so that the space between the drum
and the scouring case gradually decreases from the entering to the retreating end of
each plate and the action upon the grain gradually increases in intensity as the sheet

page_text: of grain passes between each plate and the scouring case. The transverse grooves j
in the plates J are preferably made slightly inclined or spiral so as to assist in moving
the grain from the feed toward the discharge of the scouring case. The grooves are
provided in or near their bottoms with recesses, depressions or indentations which
cause the kernels, in passing through each groove, to change their position frequently
by entering these depressions head on and turning over, instead of retaining their
position in moving through each groove. The kernels also whirl or turn with their
ends in these recesses whereby the beard or fuzz at the ends of the kernels is removed.
The advancing side of each groove, which receives principally the pressure of the grain
is made inclined, while the retreating side is made abrupt, as clearly represented in
Figures 2, 3 and 4. This causes the kernels to turn over as they pass over the abrupt
rear edge of each groove in being forced longitudinally through the scouring case
toward the discharge end thereof, and affords more room for the reception of grain
in each groove.
The transversely grooved scouring plates are preferably provided at their low
entering ends with inclined flights which move the grain toward the tail end of the
scouring case, and if desired, each of these plates may be provided at its front and
rear ends with such flights of still greater length as represented in Figure 7.
The longitudinally corrugated plates K alternate preferably with the tranversely
.grooved plates J. These plates K elevate the grain and distribute it around the
circumference of the scouring cylinder and they also cause a thorough change of
position of the kernels between every two transversely grooved plates. The grooves
of these longitudinally grooved plates may also be provided with recesses or pockets
like those formed in the grooves of the transversely grooved plates.
The scouring case I is preferably composed of a lower imperforate section M and
an upper perforated or ventilated section N. The imperforate section is composed of
a transversely grooved concave plate having its grooves provided with recesses like
those of the plates J of the scouring drum. The grooves in the plate M are preferably
inclined in an opposite direction to the grooves in the plato J, so as to cross these
grooves, as represented in Figure 1, in order to retard the motion of the grain and
to give the kernels a whirling motion and cause a more thorough and more frequent
change of position of the kernels.
The upper perforated or ventilated section N of the scouring case may be con-
structed of perforated sheet metal or of wire cloth made of flat wire or of both of
these materials, as shown in Figure 8. Although the grain is distributed over the
entire circumference of the scouring case by centrifugal force, it is densest at the
bottom of the scouring case, and I therefore locate the imperforate section at the bottom,
where the best, scouring and polishing effect is obtained, while the best ventilating
effect is obtained at the top where the grain is less dense and the dust and air can
more readily escape.
The grain in passing through the scouring machine is rubbed and polished the
outer ripe cuticle of the grain is detached without cutting or abrading the live bran
or breaking the kernels, the beard and fuzz adhering to the ends of the kernels is
also removed in a satisfactory manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is.
First The combination with a scouring case, of a scouring drum provided with
transverse grooves and recesses or depressions in said grooves, substantially as set
forth.
Second-The combination with a scouring drum provided with grooves and
recesses or depressions in said grooves, of a scouring case provided with grooves
and recesses or depressions in said grooves, substantially as set forth.
Third In a grain scourer, a scouring plate provided with transverse grooves
having inclined advancing sides and abrupt retreating sides, and recesses or depres-
sions in said grooves, substantially as set forth

page_text: Fourth The combination with the scouring case, of a drum having a scouring
plate provided at its entering end with inclined flights and with transverse grooves
having recesses or depressions, substantially as set forth.
Fifth The combination with the scouring case, of a drum composed of alternating
plates having transverse grooves with recesses or depressions, and plates having
longitudinal grooves, substantially as set forth.
Sixth-The combination with a scouring drum, of a scouring case provided with a
tight bottom plate having transverse grooves and recesses or depressions in said
grooves, and with a ventilated top section, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 23rd day of July 1889
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.