IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF DECORTICATING GRAIN AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jasper Wetter of New Wandsworth, Surrey for an
invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF DECORTICATING GRAIN AND
IN APPARATUS THEREFOR A communication to him from abroad by Wilson
Ager, of Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jasper Wetter at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st May 1882.
JASPER WETTER, of New Wandsworth, Surrey "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD
OF DECORTICATING GRAIN AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," a communication to me
from abroad by Wilson Ager of Washington, District of Columbia, United States
of America,
This invention consists in a process of decorticating grain or cereals in a
horizontal screen cylinder, which consists, first, in subjecting the grain in a mass
sufficient to make its own weight a factor for keeping it against the decorticating
surfaces with a pressure sufficient to remove all of the impurities; second, in
maintaining an equal feed and discharge of the grain; third, in subjecting the
grain to abrading surfaces receiving a relatively fast and slow motion; and fourth,
in the withdrawal by air-currents of the impurities through the screen cylinder.
Also in the combination of a horizontal screen cylinder provided with a feed
opening at one end, adjustable discharge passages at the opposite end, radial arms
or decorticators movable in opposite directions, an enclosing shell, and an air blast.
Also in the combination of a screen cylinder and its slotted fixed head, with an
axially adjustable slotted head and means for fixing the latter to the fixed head
after its adjustment. Also in the combination of a screen cylinder, radial arms or
decorticators secured both edgewise and flatwise to it, and a central shaft armed
with radial decorticators. Also in the combination of the horizontal cylinder
provided with a feed opening at one end, a central shaft having decorticators
mounted on it, adjustable discharging passages at the opposite end, means for moving
the screen and decorticators attached thereto in opposite directions with a relatively
fast and slow speed, an enclosing shell for said cylinder and means for producing an
air blast.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Jasper Wetter in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th November 1882.
JASPER WETTER, of New Wandsworth, Surrey "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD
OF DECORTICATING GRAIN AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," a communication to me 5
from abroad by Wilson Ager of Washington, District of Columbia, United States
of America
The object of the first part of this invention is to maintain such a pressure in a
grain. decorticator that the body of grain therein will act by its own gravity to
keep itself against the decorticating surfaces
aces with a pressure sufficient to allow the 1
said surfaces to remove the feathery tails, the germ cells, and the cortical portions
of the grains, leaving all of the nutritive elements unimpaired, the foreign matters
being carried off during. this process by. currents of air, as will be hereinafter
described. The object of the second part of this invention is, the combination of a
rotary screen cylinder, having abrading plates secured to its interior surface,
arranged as hereinafter explained, a central rotating shaft, bearing radial decorti-
cating blades, rotating in an opposite direction to said screen cylinder and at a
different speed, a casing enclosing the said cylinder, and an air blast communicating
with it, as will be hereinafter explained.
The object of the third part of this invention is the employment of means for
allowing the grain to be discharged from the screen cylinder at different heights
according to the different conditions of the grain, as will be hereinafter described.
Fig. 1 is a diametrical section through the screen-cylinder showing the central
shaft and its radial decorticators, and the inlets and outlets of the cylinder.
Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the screen cylinder and its central
shaft.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the decorticating blades.
Fig. 4 is an end view of one end of the screen cylinder showing the adjustable
head and the discharge openings.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the machine complete.
The letter A designates a cylindrical screen, which is composed of gauze-wire, and
B, B1, B2 are the heads thereof. The grain is fed into the cylinder A through the
head B from a hopper, and discharged from the opposite end of the cylinder through
the heads B1 B2. The screen-cylinder is arranged horizontally, and centrally through
it passes a shaft C bearing a series of radial arms or decorticators D, which may be
made of any suitable material presenting abrading surfaces. These arms D may be
made of steel, with file surfaces, or of natural or artificial abrasive material, such
for instance as Derbyshire grey, tannite, or pressed Turkish emery properly
moulded or shaped. The said arms are preferably prismatic in cross-section, as
represented in the drawings; Fig. 3 is an illustration of a décorticator of a prismatic
shape.
The shaft G with its arms, receives rotation by suitable machinery, in the direction
indicated by the full arrow in Fig. 2.
The cylinder A receives a relatively slower rotation than shaft C, in the opposite
direction, as indicated by the dotted arrow on the same figure.
፡
.
Rigidly secured to the inner side of cylinder A, and arranged in any suitable
manner are decorticators G, H, which may be of equal or unequal length.
The decorticators G, are preferably arranged edgewise with respect to the radial
arms, D, and are like these arms, triangular in cross section and present serrated
!

page_text: surfaces to the body of grain in the cylinder to which they are or may be
attached.
The decorticators H are preferably arranged flat-wise with respect to the radial
arms D, and they aid in elevating the grain during the decorticating process.
The screen cylinder A is suitably encased, and the interior of this case
communicates with a fan for the purpose of creating currents of air and thereby
carrying off the pellicle, dust, and other foreign matters separated from the grain.
The foreign matters are carried off through the meshes of the cylinder A, and
through the casing which encloses this cylinder, as represented in Fig. 5. The grain
is fed into the cylinder A as described, and discharged from this cylinder through
the openings a. These openings a are formed by oblong slots made through the
cylinder heads B₁ B². The outer head is movable about its own axis, and the
slots are of such shape that the points of discharge for the grain can be raised or
lowered without materially increasing or diminishing their size. The conjugate
diameters of the slots a are tangents of a circle described within the circumference
of each plate B1 B2, concentric to the axis of the shaft C. By means of set screws b
the movable head B2 can be fixed to the head B¹ after adjustment.
By these means a uniform discharge of grain can be obtained, although the
points of discharge be adjusted higher or lower according to the condition of the
grain acted on.
In order to successfully conduct the process it is necessary to maintain a proper
pressure of the grain in the cylinder A, that is to say, the level of the body of grain
in the cylinder A should be kept at about the point indicated by letter y, y, on
Figs. 1. and 2 for the ordinary run of grain.
The level will be higher or lower according to the different conditions of the
grain.
The object of thus keeping a proper level of the grain in the cylinder, is to cause
the weight of the grain in mass to keep itself against the decorticators with sufficient
pressure to allow the abrading surfaces to clean the grains of all extraneous matter
without breaking them or removing from them the nutritive matter.
I move the decorticators slowly to prevent heating the grain, and I use blasts of
air to keep the body of grain cool. I also give a rotatory movement to the grains
so that every part of each grain shall be brought in contact with the decorticators
repeatedly.
I claim as this invention: -
1. The process of decorticating grain or cereals in a horizontal screen cylinder,
which consists, first, in subjecting the grain in a mass sufficient to make its own
weight a factor for keeping it against the decorticating surfaces with a pressure
sufficient to remove all of the impurities, second, in maintaining an equal feed and
discharge of the grain, third, in subjecting the grain to abrading surfaces receiving
a relatively fast and slow motion, and fourth, in the withdrawal by air currents of
the impurities through the screen cylinder, substantially as described.
2. The combination of the horizontal screen cylinder provided with a feed opening
at one end, the adjustable discharge passages at the opposite end, the decorticators,
movable in opposite directions, an enclosing shell, and an air-blast, substantially as
described.
3. The combination of the screen cylinder and its slotted head B¹, with the axially
adjustable slotted head B² and means for fixing the latter to the head B¹ after its
adjustment, substantially as described.
4. The combination of the screen cylinder, the decorticators secured both edgewise
and flatwise to it, and the central shaft armed with radial decorticators, substantially
as described.
5. The combination of the horizontal cylinder provided with a feed opening at
one end, the shaft C, having decorticators mounted on it, the adjustable discharging
passages at the opposite end, means for moving the screen and decorticators attached

page_text: thereto in opposite directions with a relatively fast and slow speed, an enclosing
shell for said cylinder and means for producing an air blast, substantially in the
manner herein described.
In Witness whereof I the said Jasper Wetter have hereunto set my hand
and seal this thirtieth day of November A.D. 1882.