IMPROVEMENTS IN MIDDLINGS PURIFYING MACHINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Augustus Bryant Childs, of No. 70, Fenchurch Street,
London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MIDDLINGS PURIFYING
MACHINES,"
Sealed the 25th June 1880, and dated the 29th December 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Augustus Bryant Childs at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th December 1879.
AUGUSTUS BRYANT CHILDS, of No. 70, Fenchurch Street, London. “IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MIDDLINGS PURIFYING MACHINES."
The main frame of the machine to which the working parts and improvements
are attached is made about nine feet long and four feet wide (more or less), and of
the required height.
The main portion of the improvement consists in the means employed for
uniformly deflecting and distributing the air to the entire under surface of the silks
on the riddle, and regulating the quantity or blast of air to the machine, and mode
of using and distributing the air through the parts of the machine, and discharging
the air from the machine, which dispenses with the necessity of having a dust or
stive room. Other portions of my improvements consists in the means of giving
motion to the riddle, and the device for striking or jarring it to prevent the sieves
or silks from pasting with soft flour.
I employ a blast for purifying. The fan is usually connected to the air chamber
of the machine by a flexible tube. There are two or more chambers employed.
The chamber in which the air first enters is provided with an universal deflecting
board or strips composed of bars of wood or other suitable material, for dis-
tributing the air to the under surface of the silks as before stated.
The deflecting bars are arranged at a slight angle transversely with air passages
left between them about an inch wide (more or less); the bars are usually connected
to a longitudinal piece of timber at the centre of the air chamber, and in such a
manner that they form a convex or obtuse transverse angle on the underside, and
gradually extend downward towards the opposite end of the air chamber from
which the air enters, so that when the blast or air is forced into the chamber,
it is deflected uniformly to all parts of it, and consequently is distributed in
ID 177

page_text: pressure and quantity to all parts of the sieves or silks on the riddle, which
brings the entire surface of the silks into continuous action. Each of the air
chambers are provided with regulating valves operated or adjusted from the
outside, and automatic valves at the bottom of the chambers for discharging the
purified middlings.
The deflecting board for distributing the air may be made of solid sheet metal or
other suitable material provided with openings of such angular shape and size, to
deflect the air to any required part of the air chamber and under the silks, but
I prefer to make it as before described for obtaining the required deflecting air
passages through it, and getting the whole structure of the deflecting board made
at the proper angle with the least trouble and expense.
The riddle frame is suspended by four adjustable straps, and left free to move
horizontally in a longitudinal and transverse direction for shaking purposes.
Motion is imparted to the riddle through the medium of a revolving vertical shaft
usually working on the top of the frame; the lower end of the shaft is provided with
a slotted disc to act as a crank; tho slot is furnished with an adjustable T headed
bolt or pin capable of being moved to or from the centre of the disc for regulating
the extent of motion given to the riddle. This pin works in a box or step
attached to the top and centre of the riddle frame. The step is made so that the
pin is free to move up and down in the said box sufficiently to allow the riddle
frame being adjusted vertically without coming out of the box, and without
interfering with the horizontal motion of the riddle.
The end of the pin is made ball shaped to work in wood or metal boxes for
giving the necessary lateral play, so that either end or side of the riddle frames may
be elevated or lowered without causing the pin to bind on its bearing or the box
in which it works.
The means employed for preventing the silks from pasting with soft flour
consists of a vertical rod worked or lifted by the action of a cam, and usually made
to strike the riddle at its centre and top part by the force of a spiral spring acting
on the top end of the striking rod, which works is a boss provided with an
adjustable screw to regulate the tension of the spring for increasing or lessening
the force of the blow; this rod makes about twenty strokes per minute (more or
less).
The air chamber above the silks on the riddle which extends over the entire
surface of the silks is about six inches deep (more or less), and a portion of the air is
discharged, purified from this chamber through openings covered with filtering
canvas out into the room, and the remainder of the air may pass out with the fluff
and foreign matter at the tail of the machine, or if desired through an independent
discharging air passage at the end of the machine provided with canvas for filtering
or purifying it before it leaves the machine. By thus discharging the air purified
from the machine or chamber above the silks as described, and at the tail of the
machine, the intensity of the current of air which brings away the fluff and other
foreign matter is so much reduced that the machine may be worked without a dust
or stive room, as the fluff and foreign matter has not a tendency to fly about owing
to the gentle current of air that discharges it from the machine. All the air is
discharged into the room in which the machine works. Although the air leaves
the machine at different portions of it in gentle currents and yet it passes up from
the air chamber through the silks sufficient strong to keep the material on the
entire surface of the silks in lively motion for purifying purposes.
The machine is provided with the usual hopper feed gate and roller for
uniformly distributing the material on the riddle. The various parts of the t
machine are worked by belts and pulleys. Motion is taken for this purpose from
the fan shaft, which is worked from any suitable prime mover.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Augustus Bryant Childs in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
June 1880.
雪雪
AUGUSTUS BRYANT CHILDS, of No. 70, Fenchurch Street, London. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MIDDLINGS PURIFYING MACHINES."
The main frame of the machine to which the working parts and improvements are
attached is made about nine feet long and four feet wide (more or less), and of the
required height. The main portion of the improvement consists in the means
employed for uniformly deflecting and distributing the air to the entire undersurface
of the silks on the riddle, and regulating the quantity or blast of air to the machine
and mode of using and distributing the air through the parts of the machine and
discharging it from the machine, which dispenses with the necessity of having &
stive or dust room. Other portions of my improvements consist in the means of
giving motion to the riddle, and the device for striking or jarring it to prevent the
sieves or silks from pasting with soft flour.
I employ a blast for purifying. The fan is usually connected to the air chamber
of the machine by a flexible tube. There are two or more chambers employed.
The chamber in which the air first enters is provided with an universal deflecting
board or strips composed of bars of wood or other suitable material for distributing
the air to the under surface of the silks, as before stated. The deflecting bars
are arranged at a slight angle transversely with air passages left between them
about an inch wide, more or less; the bars are usually connected to a longi-
tudinal piece of timber at the centre of the air chamber, and in such a manner
that they form a convex or obtuse transverse angle on the underside, and gradually
extend downwards towards the opposite end of the air chamber from which
the air enters, so that when the blast or air is forced into the chamber it is
deflected uniformly to all parts of it, and consequently is distributed in pressure
and quantity to all parts of the sieves or silks on the riddle, which brings the
entire surface of the silks into continuous action. Each of the air chambers are
provided with regulating valves operated or adjusted from the outside, and auto-
matic valves at the bottom of the chambers for discharging the purified middlings.
The deflecting board for distributing the air may be made of solid sheet metal or
other suitable material, provided with openings of such angular shape and size to
deflect the air to any required part of the air chamber and under the silks; but I
prefer to make it as before described for obtaining the required deflecting air passages
through it, and getting the whole structure of the deflecting board made at the
proper angle with the least trouble and expense. The riddle frame is suspended
by four adjustable straps and left free to move horizontally in a longitudinal and
transverse direction for shaking purposes. Motion is imparted to the riddle through
the medium of a revolving vertical shaft usually working on the top of the frame;
the lower end of the shaft is provided with a slotted disc to act as a crank, the slot
is furnished with an adjustable T headed bolt or pin capable of being moved to or
from the centre of the disc for regulating the extent of motion given to the riddle.
This pin works in a step or box attached to the top and centre of the riddle frame.
This step is made so that the pin is free to move up and down in the said box
sufficient to allow the riddle frame being adjusted vertically without coming out
of the box and without interfering with the horizontal motion of the riddle.
The end of the pin is made ball shaped to work in wood or metal boxes for
giving the necessary lateral play, so that either end or side of the riddle frame
may be elevated or lowered without causing the pin to bind on its bearings or the
box in which it works.
The means employed for preventing the silks from pasting with soft flour consists

page_text: of a vertical rod worked or lifted by the action of a cam wheel and usually made to
strike the riddle at its centre and top part by the force of a spiral spring acting on
the top end of the striking rod, which works in a boss provided with an adjustable
screw to regulate the tension of the spring for increasing or lessening the force of
the blow, this rod makes about 20 strokes per minute (more or less).
The air chamber above the silks on the riddle which extend over the entire
surface of the silks is about six inches deep, more or less, and a portion of the air
is discharged purified from this chamber through openings covered with filtering
canvas out into the room, and the remainder of the air may pass out with the fluff
and foreign matter at the tail of the machine, or, if desired, through an independent
discharging air passage at the end of the machine, provided with canvas for
filtering or purifying it before it leaves the machine; by thus discharging the air
purified from the machine or air chamber above the silks, as described, and at the
tail of the machine, the intensity of the current of air which brings away the fluff
and other foreign matter is so much reduced that the machine may be worked
without a dust or stive room, as the foreign matter has not a tendency to fly about
owing to the gentle current of air that discharges it from the machine, all the air
is discharged into the room in which the machine works. Although the air leaves
the machine at different portions of it in gentle currents, yet it passes up from the
air chambers through the silks sufficient strong to keep the material on the entire
surface of the silks in lively motion for purifying purposes
The machine is provided with the usual hopper feed gate and roller for uniformly
distributing the material on the riddle. The various parts of the machine are
worked by belts and pulleys, motion being taken for this purpose from the fan shaft
which is worked from any suitable prime mover.
The following is a description of the improvement, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings forming part of this Specification and to the letters of
reference maiked thereon, like letters refer to the same parts :—
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the improved machine; Fig. 2 is an end
elevation; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same; Fig. 4 is a plan
of the deflecting board with the silk frame removed, and Fig. 5 is a separate
sectional view of the slotted disc and ball crank pin for regulating and giving
motion to the riddle frame. A is the main frame of the machine; B is the hopper
provided with an ordinary feed roller C worked from the fan shaft by means of a
belt, as represented in Fig. 1, D is the riddle frame supported and connected to the
main frame A by four adjustable straps E, E, or their equivalents The fan Fis
usually connected to the air chamber G by means of a flexible tube, shown in dotted
lines (Figs 1 & 3), and commonly made of leather or any other known flexible air
tight material The top of the air chamber and directly under the silks is provided,
by preference, with bars or strips of wood H with suitable air spaces left between
them, as represented, which form the deflecting board for uniformly distributing
the air to the silks, as herein before mentioned; there are two 10ws of these bars,
one placed on either side of the chamber and set at a slight transverse angle as
represented by the Drawings (Figs. 3 & 4); one end of these bars are attached in
the middle of the air chamber to a common center piece as represonted in Fig. 4,
and the other end to the side of the air chamber. The air chamber is provided
with a regulating valve I for increasing or diminishing the force and quantity of
air from the fan; means are employed for working this and the valve J from the
outside of the machine
The riddle frame receives its longitudinal shaking motion through the medium of
the belt K worked from the fan shaft, the vertical shaft L, belt M, vertical shaft N,
slotted disc crank O, and ball crank pin P, working in self adjusting bearings Q
attached to the top of the riddle frame, as fully represented in Figs. 1, 2, & 5
A section of the bearings of the ball crank piu is fully shown in Fig. 5, which is
constructed to slide up and down the box in which they work so as not to cause
any binding of the crank pin at any point of its rotation, and in the meantime

page_text: permit any slight irregular vertical adjustment of the riddle frame without interfering
with the smooth working motion of the crank pin, by reason of its ball shape end
and the freedom the bearings in which it works have to move up and down.
The riddle frame further receives a vertical jarring or concussive motion to
prevent the silks from pasting with soft flour, and keep them clean to permit a free
downward passage of the material being treated and an upward current of air from
the air chamber; this is usually effected through the medium of a belt worked from
the feed roller (Fig. 1) working the horizontal shaft R provided with a cam
wheel S which is made to lift the vertical spindle T and strike down on the top
of the riddle frame D by the action of a spiral spring on the top of the spindle T
(not shown in the Drawings); this spring is encased in a cast tube, and acted on
by a screw for increasing or diminishing its force. The top of the riddle frame
where the spindle acts is provided with a metal shoe (or any other suitable material
to receive the blow).
After the middlings or other material being treated have passed through the silks,
purified by the blast blowing the fluff and impurities away, they fall into the
bottom of the air chamber G and out through the automatic valvos U, U³, at the
bottom of the chambers, the first middlings passing out at the valve U and the
second at the valve U', as shown in Fig. 3.
The air after it passes up through the silks for purifying the middlings, instead
of it and the impurities being blowed out at the tail V of the machine in the usual
way, which would cause a strong current and necessitate a dust or stive room; to
avoid this I purify the air after it passes through the silks by forcing it through
filtering canvas attached to the top of the air chamber at the several points
W, W, W, W; for lessening the force of the air current and allow the purified air
to escape into the room while the dust and impurities separated from the middlings
and a portion of the air is carried out at the tail V of the machine. The impurities
are allowed to fall from the machine or may be deposited in a movable vessel for
taking away.
The following is a description of the operation of the machine:-The blast fan F
is set in motion by means of a belt from any suitable prime mover, and the other
moving parts of the machine are operated from the fan shaft in manner hereinbefore
described. The material is placed in the hopper B and regularly and uniformly fed
on to the silks by the feed roller C. The first and finest middlings are separated and
purified as they pass over the upper part of the silks and fall through the air spaces
of the deflecting board H into the air chamber, and discharged from the machino
through the automatic valve U. While the second or coarser middlings pass over
the lower part of the silks and are purified and fall into the second air chamber and
discharged from the machine through the automatic valve U, the refuse and
impurities are made to pass out at the tail V of the machine while a portion of the
air that has been used for purifying is filtered out at the top of the air chamber
above the silks and allowed to escape into the room in which the machine is
situated, for the purposes herein before mentioned. The foregoing description and
accompanying Drawings will fully show the structure and operation of the machine
without further specifying the saine.
Having now described the nature of my improvement and manner of constructing
and working the same, what I claim is,—
1st. The deflecting board composed of strips of wood H, H, or their mechanical
equivalent, placed at the same or various angles, with air spaces left between them
for uniformly deflecting and distributing the air to the entire under surface of the
silks on the riddle frame D, in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
2nd. The manner of purifying and discharging the air from the machine at
several points above the silks at W, W, for lessening the force of the air current, for
dispensing with the use of a stive or dust room, as hereinbefore stated.
3rd. The ball crank pin P working in vertical self adjusting bearings Q attached

page_text: to the top of the riddle frame D, or their mechanical equivalent, for giving motion
to the riddle frame for the advantages and purposes hereinbefore described.
4th. The cam wheel S¹, and vertical spindle T, acted on by a spiral spring or its '
mechanical equivalent, as described, for giving a vertical jarring or concussive motion
to the riddle frame D to prevent the silks from pasting with soft flour, as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustus Bryant Childs, have hereunto sot
my hand and seal, this Twenty third day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
AUGUSTUS BRYANT CHILDS. (L.S.)