AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR DRYING COFFEE, CORN, OR OTHER GRAINS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Gordon, of No. 9, New Broad Street, London,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR DRYING COFFEE, CORN, OR OTHER GRAINS." A communication
by James Stewart, of El Rosario, in the Republic of Guatemala, Central
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Gordon at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st January 1881.
JOHN GORDON, of No. 9, New Broad Street, London, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer. AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR DRYING COFFEE, CORN, OR OTHER
GRAINS." (A communication by James Stewart, of El Rosario, in the Republic of
Guatemala, Central America.)
This Invention has reference to the construction of a machine for artificially
drying coffee, corn, or other grain in a rapid & effective manner, and for preserving
the same from damage during wet weather.
The Invention consists of a rotating cylinder containing a number of radial
divisions in which are placed a series of galvanised wove wire shelves, fixed in such
a manner as to leave a uniforın opening between the shelves and the radial
partitions. The said cylinder is provided with a central movable half tube or pipe'
fitted with a feeding and discharging screw. The central tube being supported
independently of the cylinder at both ends by cast iron bearings, one of which
carries a feed hopper & branch pipe for heated air, and the other is fitted with
exhaust pipe or chimney & discharge door or outlet. The large cylinder is sup-
ported on frames, fitted with rollers & actuated by a toothed pinion working into
an internal toothed segment fitted to one or both ends of the cylinder. The action
of the machine is as follows:-
.
The hopper being supplied with grain to be dried rotary motion is imparted to.
the large cylinder and to the feeding screw while heated air is forced into the
cylinder; the result of which is that the grain is introduced into the cylinder, &
becomes distributed throughout same by means of the arrangement of the
partitions & shelves, the substance to be dried is thereby agitated and subjected
to the influence of the hot air with which the cylinder is charged. The substance
having been dried the open portion of the central tube containing the discharging
screw is turned upwards, when the grain falls into it & is discharged through the
outlet by the screw.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Gordon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th July
1881.
JOHN GORDON, of No. 9, New Broad Street, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer.
"AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR DRYING COFFEE, CORN, OR OTHER GRAINS." A com-
munication from abroad by James Stewart, of El Rosario, Guatemala, Central
America.
This Invention has reference to the construction of a machine for artificially
drying coffee, corn, or other grain in a rapid and effective manner and for pre-
serving the same from damage during wet weather. The Invention consists of a
rotating cylinder containing a number of radial divisions, in which are placed a
series of galvanized wove wire shelves in such a manner as to leave a uniform
opening between the shelves and the radial partitions. The said cylinder is
provided with a central movable half tube or pipe fitted with a feeding and dis-
charging screw, this central tube being supported independently of the cylinder at
both ends by cast iron brackets or bearings, one of which carries a feed hopper
and branch pipe for heated air, and the other is fitted with an exhaust pipe or
chimney & a discharge door or outlet. The cylinder is supported on frames
fitted with rollers, & is actuated by means of a toothed pinion working into an
internal spur wheel fitted to one or both ends of the cylinder. The accompanying
Drawing represents a machine constructed according to this Invention; Figure 1
is a side elevation in part section; Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line x, x, of
Figure 1. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in tho two
Figures. is a cylinder, which consists of c, cast iron centres; d, wrot iron
arms; c, two cast iron rings in segments, one or both provided with internal teeth
by which motion is imparted to the said cylinder a through the spur pinion f;
sheet iron cylindrical shell; h, angle irons; i, radial partitions made of sheet iron,
either plain or perforated, and which divide the cylinder into compartments j. In
cach of the compartments ; a series of brackets k are fitted, on which are secured
galvanized wove wire shelves . An open space m is left between the shelves and
the partitions i throughout their entire length; each compartment; is constructed in
the same manner and as the one fully illustrated in Figure 2. The parts of which
the said cylinder a is composed are fastened together in any suitable and sub-
stantial manner. The cylinder is carried by and revolves on rollers n. Within
the cylinder a and placed concentrically is the tube o, supported independently of
the cylinder a by the brackets p & q. This tube is semi-cylindrical in form and
open from to, and is capable of being turned by the lever s into any required
position. The bracket has two openings to which the feed hopper u is fitted,
and v to which a suitable branch or flange is provided to receive a pipe from the
air-boating furnace. The bracket 9 has also two openings to which the exhaust
pipe y is fitted, and the discharge outlet provided with a hinged door. Within
the tube o is placed a shaft a' running in bearings provided in the brackets p & q.
On this shaft a' is fitted a conveying worm or screw ; c' is a pulley, by incans
of which motion is imparted to worm b. The heated air for tbis said drying
apparatus is obtained by means of a suitable blowing fan and arrangement of pipe
and furnace. The action of the machine is as follows:-The tube o is turned by
the levers until the open portion of the tube is at the lower side. The hopper u
being then supplied with the grain to be dried motion is imparted to the cylinder a
by means of the pinion, and to the worm b' by means of the pulley c¹ while
heated air is forced into the cylinder through the aperture v, the result of which is
that the grain is forced by the worm b' along the tube o until it falls through the
ง

page_text: open portion to into the compartments, where by the rotation of the cylinder
upon the rollers n the grain becomes distributed throughout the shelves and
constantly agitated, while during each ascent and descent of the compartments j
a portion of the grain runs downwards through the openings m, & again falls
into the lower compartments to be once more raised; by this means the grain is
constantly exposed to the action of the hot air and parts with its moisture, the
vapor escaping through the pipe y. The grain having been sufficiently dried the
position of tube o is reversed until the open portion 7, 21, is upwards, when
the grain in falling through the openings m is delivered into the tube o & is
discharged by the worm 6' through the outlets. The grain is examined from time
to time by gradually turning the tube o until a few grains fall into the tube, and
become discharged by the worm b' at the outlet 5.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed I declare that,―
Firstly. I claim the arrangement of partitions & shelves in the cylinder &
the central tube with charging & discharging worm, all substantially as herein-.
before described, and
Secondly. I claim the said arrangement of partitions, &c., fitted up with any
suitable combination of parts so as to form an apparatus for drying grain, sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Gordon, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and eighty
one.
JOHN GORDON. (L.S.)