Improvements in and relating to the Purification of Middlings
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 4th Oct., 1890
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[Communicated from abroad by JOHN POPE, of Richmond, Virginia, Tobacco
Manufacturer.]
Improvements in and relating to the Purification of Middlings.
HENRY KINGSBURY TERRY of 55 Holborn Vialnet in the County of Middlesex
Cigarette Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the samo is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following stateinent :—
My invention relates to apparatus for purifying middlings. In the art of purifying
middlings it is usual to pass the middlings through a separator and then direct the
coarse product to one purifying machine and the fine to another in order that the
separate grades or middlings may be operated upon by air blasts io separate there-
from the dust and other impurities without losing any of the good material. The
action of separating impurities from the middlings by an air blast is so delicate that
were it attempted to operate upon the coarse and fine middlings as they come from
the belting reel an air blast strong enough to purify the coarse middlings would carry
off valuable material from the finer middlings hence the necessity for their separa-
tion. Middlings have been separated into coarse and fine by the use of screens the
separating device and the two purifying machines required to operate thereon con-
stituting three separate machines.
According to my invention the process is greatly simplified and a machine is
produced in which the operations of soparating and subsequent purification of both
coarse and fine middlings are carried on simultaneously in one machine.
According to my invention the steam of mixed middling passes into a hopper and
from thence downward into a channel provided with shelves or deflectors over which
it falls and is spread. Regulable air inlets are provided at one side of the vertical
channel and a passage leading to an exhaust fan at the other. From the exhaust fan
a passage extends to a device which I have termed a catcher" which comprises a
number of vertical reticated diaphragms enclosed within a case having walls of cloth
or other material which will allow of the escape of air, but not of even the finest dust.
The catcher leads to a sieve suitable for the reception and treatment of what are
known as "Gine middlings." The discharge spout of the verticle channel loads to a
second sieve suitable for the reception and treatment of what are known as coarse
middlings. As the material is delivered to the hopper above the separating spout it
will fall from shelf to shelf and be spread, or distributed thereby and as the said
material passes downward the suction of the fan will take out from it all the finer and
lighter particles comprising light bran, germs fine middlings etc., and deliver them to
the catcher where they are arrested and allowed to fall downward through suitable
passages to the fine middlings sieve. The coarser and heavier particles, what are
known as coarse middlings will not be affected by the suction of the fan and will
therefore continue to fall from shelf to shelf and passing entirely through the
separator be discharged at the head of the coarse middlings sieve. Suitable valves
are provided in the side walls of the separator to admit a greater or less quantity of
air and thereby regulate the action of the suction fan to cause it to draw off from the
descending stream material of only the desired grade. The sieves are suitably
shaken and knocking devices provided, also brushes travelling across their undersides.
Above the sieves is a valve chamber communicating at its upper side with a second
fan the valve chamber being designed to afford perfect regulation of the purifying
fan upon the material in the sieves.
A machine embodying my invention will be hereinafter described and referred to in
the appended claims.

page_text: Fig. 1. is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention parts being broken
away for convenience of illustration.
Fig. 2. is a vertical longitudinal section of the machine as a whole.
Fig. 3. is a rear end alevation.
Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on the line 4 of Fig. 2.
As indicated in the drawings the exterior frame of the machine is composed of a
frame work A A' the space between which is enclosed by suitable exterior casing a.
The casing is hopper shaped at its lower portion and provided with a pair of con-
veyors B. B. Above the conveyors is placed a longitudinal air blast pipe which is
provided along its top and the upper portions of its sides with narrow longitudinal
slips or openings (". A pressure blower D supplies air to the pipe C which issues
through the slits (and passes upward. The slits C' are so placed that the blast will
be distributed evenly throughout the hopper shaped compartment. Above the hopper
shaped compartment are located a pair of sieves E. F. which are suitably joined
together endwise by flexible arms ffto operate as one. The heads of the sieves E. F.
are towards the ends of the machine where they are supported by links F F
and EE respectively. The tails of the two sieves are separated a short distance
and discharge into a spout G placed adjacent thereto and leading to the exterior of
the machino. e e represent connecting rods which may be attached to the sieve E and
extend through suitable opening in the end wall of the machine for connection to a
vibrating shaft for imparting the desired movement to the sieves. The respective
heights or inclinations of the two sieves may be adjusted as desired by means of
levers which are connected to horizontal shafts H H passing through the
machine and provided with cranks H' ' from which extend flexible links JJ'
secured at or near the tail ends of the sieves the links J to the sieve F and the
links J to the sieve E. Movement of the lovers g g' will rotate the shaft HH
thereby turning the cranks H'H' and raising or lowering the moveable ends of the
sieves which are held in desired positions by securing the extremities of the adjusting
levers. A knocker I is provided with each sieve the action of which is well
understood. Transversely moving brushes G1 G2 are provided and operated in the
usual manner. The space above the sieves E F is desirably divided into two com-
partments J. Kas by a partition J³. Above the compartments J. K is located the
valve chamber which is divided into compartments; k by a partition J placed
centrally with respect to an exhaust opening L. The compartmentsjk communicate
with the compartments J K through suitablo openings and the said compart
ments are provided with stationary transverse partitions and with binged
transverse valves adapted when moved into contact with the edges of the
stationary partitions to close the chambers j k and prevent the passage of air there-
through. The axes of the valve ja extend to the exterior of the machine and are
provided with operating levers M. the extremities of which may engage and be secured
between projections or teeth upon segmental indicators M' for indicating upon the
exterior of the machine the respective positions of the valves and also retaining the
lovers in the desired position. A suction fan N is connected with both
the chambers j k through the channel I, leading thereto and acts when the valves are
opened to draw upward through the sieves and their contents and through the space
above them and the valve chamber the air delivered to the lower portion of the
machine through the blast pipe. The purifying action of the air upon the material in
the sioves is regulated and controlled in the manner well understood in the art. Tho
fan N discharges the dust and other impurities removed from the middlings to a dust
spout n.
Power may be applied to drive the respective parts of the machino in any con-
venient or desirable manner the particular means employed forming no part of the
present invention. As indicated a vertical shaft located at the front end of the
machine is geared to the axes of the conveyors for imparting rotary movement
thereto and tho said shaft extends upwardly and is geared to a horizontal shaft 2

page_text: which is provided with cranks to which are connected the arms e e for transmitting
reciprocating movement to the sieves. The shaft 2 is provided with a belt pulley 3
which is connected by a belt 4 with a driving pulley on the shaft 5 upon which are
mounted the rotating blades of the fan N and also of a second fan O to be described.
The shaft 2 is also provided with a small driving sprocket 6 which is connected
by a chain 6 with a sprocket wheel 7 upon a transverse shaft 8.
The shaft 8 is also provided with a worm pinion in mesh with a worm gear 9 upon
a longitudinal shaft 10 which is provided with a lateral projections or teeth 11
arranged in juxtaposition to vertically extending arms 12. 13 attached to the
knockers 12 so that with each rotation of the shift 10 the teeth 11 will engage with
the arms 12 18 of the knockers raising them and then moving out of engagement
therewith to allow them to fall upon suitable portions of the sieves as is well
understood.
The shaft 14 carrying the fan D receives power through a driving belt 15 passing
over a pulley 16 also upon the shaft 2. At the front end of the machine is located
a receiving hopper P which extends downwardly by a vertical channel p and
discharges into the head of the sieve E through spout p. A feed roller P¹ is located
in the neck of the hopper P and driven by a pullev 17 upon a shaft 18 the pulley 17
being belted to a small driving pulley 19 upon the shaft 8.
The stream of middlings is delivered to the hopper P and by the action of the
roller P is feed downward into the vertical channel p the rate of foed being con-
trolled as desired by a pivoted adjustable valve p. The vertical channel p is provided
with a number of inclined surfaces or shelves Q. As soon four of the shelves Q
are provided two on each side of the channel p so that the material falling into said
channel from the feed roller will drop from shelf to shelf and be spread out and
distributed. Four inlet air openings 9 are provided in the sides of the vertical
channel as seen one being located under each of the shelves although I do not
confine myself to this particular number or arrangement as more or fewer of the air
inlets and shelves may be used in practice. Each of the air inlets 9 is provided
with an adjustable valve y' by which the inlets q may be opened or closed to any
desired extent.
The suction fan O is provided with a trunk O' extending between the fan and the
vertical channel the said trunk O' terminating in a suction passago 0² connecting
with the vertical passage p in the vicinity of the shelves Q. The fan O being
in motion and the valves y opened to a suitable extent air will be drawn into the
vertical passage and draw out of the descending stream of middlings all the lighter
portions thereof known as "fine middlings" thus separating the descending stream
into fine and coarse middlings the fine passing to the fan O and the coarse con-
tinuing their descent and passing through the spout pl to the head of the coarse
middlings sieve E. The fan O discharges through trunk 0³ into an aparatus that
I have termed a "catcher."
The catcher R is as shown a funnel shaped chamber although this form is not
essential and might be varied without detriment. The chamber R is covered in part
or altogether with pervious material or fabric S which will permit the free escape of
air but not of fine middlings or even dust a suitable covering material being cotton
cloth. Within the chamber R are located a number of vertical diaphragms of
reticated material such as bolting cloth or fine wire gauze. The diaphragins R' R³ R³ R*
fit closely against the top of the chamber R and extend downwardly to within an
inch more or less of the sieves or lower portion thereof. The said diaphragms are of
various degrees of fineness the one R¹ nearest to the trunk ( being the coarsest and
the last one R* the finest. The lower portion of the chamber R connects by a
suitable passager with a spout arranged to discharge at the head of the fine
middlings sieve F. To prevent the creation of disturbing or conflicting air currents
the spout is provided with a grooved feed roller R mounted upon a suitable
shaft 20 which receives motion through a pulley 21 and belt 22 driven from a pulley
upon the shaft 14.

page_text: The operation of the catcher is to arrest the fine middlings delivered thereto by
the blast of the suction fan O by which they are withdrawn from the course middlings
in the vertical channel p. The fine middlings entering the catcher R strike first
against the coarse vertical diaphragm which arrest the larger particles which then
drop downward to the passager. The larger particles of the material passing through
the diaphragm are arrested by the diaphragm R from which they fall downward
into the passage r.
The same action takes place with the succeeding diaphragm so
that everything contained in the air blast is arrested by one or other of the diaphragms
and caused to drop into the passage passing thener by spout and feed roller R to
the hond of the fine middlings sieve I do not confine myself to the use of any
particular number of diaphragmus in the catcher I since a greater or less number
may be used in practice without in any manner departing from the invention
The air force into the catcher by the fan O escapes through the pervious walls
thereof without carrying anything whatever therethrough so that the line middlings
are delivered to the sieve F in their entirety. The subsequent purification of the
separated middlings is similar in all respects to the well known methods of operation
by which the dust and impurities are drawn ont by suitable currents of air although
so far as I am aware no machine has hitherto been constructed in which both fino and
coarse middlings could be operated upon at the same time and this I claim as an
important feature of the present invention.
The means for separating the fine from the coarse middlings and for reclaiming
the material so withdrawn from the air blast constitutes a distinct feature of invon-
tion and one which may be applied otherwise than as here shown. For example
two separate middlings purifying machines may be employed in connection with my
method of separating the fine from the coarse the coarse middlings passing to the
spont being delivered to one machine for purification and the fine middlings from
the spout to the other. This arrangement will however form the subject of a
separate application for Letters Patent.
By providing the air blast pipe ('arranged to distribute its output evenly
throughout the whole lower portion of the casing of the machine, I am enabled to
dispense with the air inlet valves usually provided in the lower portion of such a
machine and to maintain a more regular and evenly distributed action than when
such inlet valves are used. The supply of air to be drawn up by the suction fan N
may be readily controlled by varying the speed of the fan or opening or closing
the entrance to the pipe Cas preferred.
Having now particularly described my invention and the manner in which the same
is to be performed what I'claim is
1. In a middlings purifier the combination with means for separating the
middlings into fine and coarse of means for separately treating the graded middlings
in one machine substantially as described.
2. In a middlings purifier a grading device comprising a vertical channel provided
with inclined surfaces for spreading the material adjustable vulves for admitting air
neross the channel and a suerion far for withdrawing any desired proportion of the
descending stream of material substantially as described.
3. In a middlings purifier a separating or grading device comprising a vertical
spout having inclined surfaces for spreading tlio material an exhaust fun for with-
drawing the lighter portions of the descending stream and a catcher provided with
pervious sides to permit the escape of air and with vertical diaphragms for arresting the
stuff substantially as described.
4. In a middlings purifier means for separating fine middlings from an air blast
comprising a chamber having pervious walls to allow the escape of air and one or
moro reticated diaphragms for arresting the particles of material substantially as
described.
5. In a middlings purifier the combination of the exhaust fan air chambers and air
controlling valves of the air supply fan D and the pipo C formed with longitudinal

page_text: openings along its upper portion whereby the supply of air is distributed evenly
throughout the lower portion of the machine substantially as described.
6. In a middlings purifier a pair of separate sieves united and actuated as one
substantially as described.
7. In a middlings purifier a pair of separate sieves connected and actuated as one
and means as described for separately adjusting the position thereof substantially as
described.
8. The combined middlings separator and double purifier substantially as described
and shewn.
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