Improvements in Mills for Crushing and Grinding Grain or Granular Substances.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1887
Complete Left, 11th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 11th May, 1888
Improvements in Mills for Crushing and Grinding Grain or
Granular Substances.
I, ROBERT GRAY MORTON, of Errol, in the County of Perth, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows, that is
to say-
My said Invention has for its object by an improved construction or combination of
parts to provide a portable mill suitable for farmers and others, and which whilst of
inoderate cost can be used for crushing only or for grinding, the grinding operation
being facilitated by more or less preparatory crushing if desired.
In carrying out my Invention I construct the mill with a feed hopper having at its
bottom a rotating feed roller or stirrer, and a door or valve which can be adjusted to
regulate the rate of feed. The feed valve delivers the grain laterally upon an inclined
plate which leads it in between a pair of crushing rollers. These rollers are by
preference placed one above the other with the upper roller a little further from the
feed hopper so that the axes of the rollers are in a plane slightly inclined from the
vertical. One or both rollers may be driven and when both are driven one may have a
greater surface speed than the other so as to have a tearing or rubbing action on the
grain. The rollers are pressed together by levers connected to springs the pressure of
which can be adjusted. A delivery duct is formed below the lower crushing roller
down which the grain falls if it is to be crushed only; but if the grain is to be ground
a plate on a rocking shaft is turned over against the lower crushing roller, and acts as
a scraper and at the same time leads the grain to a grinding roller placed at a short
distance laterally from the crushing rollers. The grinding roller which is made with
a fluted or serrated surface works in combination with a concave plate of steel or hard
metal which extends round under the grinding roller. This concave plate which is
also fluted or serrated is jointed at the entering end to the fixed framing and its other
end is connected by rods to springs which allow the plate to yield away from the
roller if any hard substance gets between them. The concave plate is adjustable as
regards its distance from the roller and its outer end is placed nearer, the grain passing
being subjected to gradually closer positions of the grinding surfaces. The ground
grain passes from the outer end of the concave plate down a delivery duct.
Dated thi- Wifisenth day of July 1887
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mills for Crushing and Grinding Grain or
Granular Substances.
I, ROBERT GRAY MORTON, of Errol, in the County of Perth, North Britain,
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, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object by an improved construction or combination
of parts to provide a portable mill suitable for farmers and others; and which, whilst
of moderate cost, can be used for crushing or flattening only, or for grinding, the
grinding operation being facilitated by more or less preparatory crushing if desired.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same may
be properly understood I hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings to be
hereinafter referred to and showing a simple form of my improved mill as adapted for
crushing or grinding, or both.
Figure, 1, is a plan and figures, 2, and 3, are, respectively a side elevation and a
vertical section of the mill. In these drawings the same reference numerals are
used to mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
In carrying out my Invention I construct the mill with a feed hopper, 4, the ends of
which are formed by an upward extension of the framing, 5, on each side of the mill. The
hopper, 4, has at its bottom a rotating feed roller or stirrer, 6, and a door or valve, 7,
which can be adjusted to regulate the rate of feed by a screw spindle and button, 8.
The button has notches in its periphery in which a latch, 9, engages to retain the
adjusting device in any desired position. The feed valve, 7, delivers the grain upon
an inclined plate, 10, extending across the mill, its ends being fixed in the framing, 5.
This plate, 10, leads the grain in between a pair of crushing or flattening
rollers, 11, 12. These rollers, 11, 12, are by preference placed one above the other
with the upper roller, 11, a little further from the feed hopper, 4, so that the axes of
the rollers are in a plane slightly inclined from the vertical. The lower roller, 12, has
fixed on one end of its shaft a pulley, 13, which may be driven by a belt (not shown)
from any suitable motor. Both the rollers may be driven, if desired, and when both
are driven, one may have a greater surface speed than the other so as to have a rubbing
and flattening action on the grain. The rollers, 11, 12, are held in bearings in the
side framings, 5, the bearings, 14, for the upper roller, 11, being movable in slots
formed for them in the framings, 5. Each of the bearings, 14, has connected to it the
inner end of a lever, 15, the outer end of which is made with an eye through which
passes a rod, 16, having on it a spring, 17, acting on the lever, 15, so as to press the
two rollers, 11, 12, together with a pressure which is adjustable by the internally
screwed handwheels, 18, these being fixed by jam nuts when adjusted. In the event
of any foreign matter which the rollers, 11, 12, cannot crush, passing from the hopper, 4,
the springs, 17, will yield and allow it to pass thus preventing the breakage of any

page_text: part. A delivery duct, 19, is formed below the lower crushing or flattening roller, 12,
down which the grain falls if it is to be crushed only; two weighted scrapers, 20, 21,
cleaning the crushed or flattened grain off the rollers, 11, 12. If the grain is to be
ground a weighted plate, 22, on a rocking shaft, 23, is turned over against the lower
crushing or flattening roller, 12, as shown in figure, 3, acting as a scraper and at the
same time leading the grain to a grinding roller, 24, held in bearings, in the side
framing, 5, at a short distance from the crushing rollers, 11, 12. The grinding
roller, 24, which is made with a fluted or serrated surface works in combination with
a concave plate, 25, of steel or hard metal which extends round under the grinding
roller, 24. This concave plate, 25, which is also fluted or serrated is jointed at the
entering end to the framing, 5, and its other end is connected to the lower ends of two
rods, 26, having internally screwed handwheels and jam nuts, 27,
on their
ends.
If desired springs may be placed on the rods, 26, and connected to the plate, 25, to
allow it to yield away from the roller, 24, if any hard substance gets between them.
The concave plate, 25, is adjustable as regards its distance from the roller, 24, by means
of the rods, 26, and its outer end is placed nearer, the grain passing being subjected
to gradually closer positions of the grinding surfaces. The ground grain passes from
the outer end of the concave plate, 25, down a delivery duct, 28. The grinding
roller, 24, is driven by spurwheels, 29, 30, from the lower crushing roller, 12, and the
feed roller, 6, is driven from the roller, 24, by a belt, 31, and pulleys, 32, 33, on the
opposite ends of their shafts.
upper
The combination of a serrated roller with a concave serrated plate for grinding is not
in itself new, and is only one of various well known kinds of grinding mechanism
which may according to my Invention be combined in the same machine with a pair of
crushing or flattening rollers.
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. The combination of parts forming my improved mill for crushing and grinding
grain or granular substances substantially as herein before described.
2. The combination in one framing of a pair of crushing or flattening rollers and
grinding mechanism with accessory parts capable of adjustment for leading the grain
or granular matters so as to be crushed or flattened only or more or less crushed and
ground substantially as hereinbefore described.
TL Tanth dan of April 1888
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.