IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING GRAIN
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM HEATHER SPENCE of 8 Quality Court Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING GRAIN" (being a communication
to me from abroad by Louis Jean Charpentier of Minotier à Fontenay-le-Comte
(Vendée) France) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a vertical centrifugal apparatus for clearing from corn
and other grain small stones and other foreign matters of greater specific gravity
than the grain to be cleaned.
The apparatus is composed essentially of a vertical metal shaft (the upper part
of which is hollow) turning in a step at the bottom and in a fixed guide at the top.
This shaft serves as an axis for the revolving fan or ventilator and at the same
time gives motion to a collector and shelf hereinafter described and is driven by
a pulley at the lower part. Within the hollow part of this revolving shaft or axis
is a fixed tube terminating at the top in a cup into which the grain to be cleaned
is fed, whence it descends to the bottom of the tube and passes through apertures
formed in the said hollow shaft or axis and is received on the said shelf.
This shelf being caused to revolve the grain will participate in the motion, and
be thrown by centrifugal force against the internal wall of a cylinder furnished all
round with short radial partitions or projections against which the grain by
striking loses a portion of its acquired velocity. It afterwards falls by gravity
down the side of the said internal wall reaching a circular opening and passes
along a narrow annular space between the said cylinder and another outside it.
The grain is there submitted to the action of a current of air caused by the drawing
in force of the fan or ventilator. This current of air is regulated in such a manner
that the heavier grains and small stones will be caused to fall by gravity into a
circular trough whilst the better grain, lighter particles and dust will be carried
by the ascending current into a large chamber between the fan and the aforenamed
cylinders. The current of air entering into this chamber of enlarged area is there
diminished in velocity, the better grain falls into a hopper at the bottom of the
chamber and thence on to the aforenamed shelf, whence it is taken by a collector
D

page_text: and passed into a conduit by which it is discharged from the apparatus. At the
same time the dust and light grains are driven out through a chimney.
In the case of a stone clearer of large dimensions it might be preferable to
dispense with the said hopper and to substitute for it an outlet adapted to discharge
the material towards the central part of a shelf of metal partaking of the motion
of the main vertical shaft or axis, from which shelf the material would be after-
wards discharged at its circumference on to a stationary shelf whence a collector
fixed to the revolving shelf would carry it towards the said conduit.
Some grains might also escape from the larger chamber and on accumulating
might open a valve and pass through a tube into the general outlet.
It is requisite that the velocity of the current of air above referred to should be
nicely adjusted for the satisfactory working of the machine.
This result is easily obtained by means of two counterpoised valves which on
being adjusted for a given pressure in the fan chamber become depressed on the
increase of such pressure and allow the air to enter again.
Instead of employing two semicircular valves one valve of circular form might
be used, such valve remaining horizontal in its up and down movements by sliding
between vertical guides.

page_text: COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
I WILLIAM HEATHER SPENCE of 8 Quality Court Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING GRAIN" (being a communication
to me from abroad by Louis Jean Charpentier of Minotier à Fontenay-le-Comte
(Vendée) France) and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention relates to a vertical centrifugal apparatus for clearing from corn
and other grain small stones and other foreign matters of greater specific gravity
than the grain to be cleaned.
In order that the said Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which Fig: 1 is a vertical section through the apparatus in a central line, Fig: 2
a half plan and half horizontal section in the line A B of Fig: 1; Fig: 3 is a half
horizontal section in the line CD of the same figure. Figures 5 and 6 represent
a particular arrangement of regulating valve for the ventilator.
The apparatus is composed essentially of a vertical metal shaft a (the upper part
of which is hollow) turning in a step c at the bottom and in a fixed guide b at the
top. This shaft serves as an axis for the revolving fan or ventilator V and at the
same time gives motion to a collector r and tray p hereinafter described and is
driven by a pulley e at the lower part.-Within the hollow part of this revolving
shaft or axis is a fixed tube t terminating at the top in a cup f into which the
grain to be cleaned is continuously fed, whence it descends to the bottom of the
tube and passes through apertures o formed in the said hollow shaft or axis as
shown in Fig: 1 and is received on the said revolving tray p.
This tray being caused to revolve the grain will participate in the motion and
be thrown by centrifugal force against the internal wall of a cylinder furnished all
round (as shewn in Figures 1 and 3) with short radial partitions or projections h
against which the grain by striking loses a portion of its acquired velocity.-It
afterwards falls by gravity down the side of the said internal wall reaching a
circular opening and passes along a narrow annular space between the two
cylinders g and l-The grain is there submitted to the action of a current of air
caused by the drawing in force of the fan or ventilator-This current of air is
regulated in such a manner that the heavier grains and stones will be caused to
fall by gravity into the circular trough m whilst the better grain, lighter particles
and dust will be carried by the ascending current into the chamber M between the
fan and the aforenamed cylinders.
The current of air entering into this chamber of enlarged area is there
diminished in velocity, the better grain falls again into the hopper n at the
bottom of the chamber M and thence on to the fixed shelf q whence it is taken by
the collector r and passed into the conduits by which it is discharged from the
apparatus. At the same time the dust and light grains are driven out through the
chimney G.
In the case of a stone clearer of large dimensions it might be preferable to
dispense with the said hopper n and to substitute for it an outlet adapted to

page_text: discharge the material towards the central part of a tray of metal partaking of the
revolving motion of the main vertical shaft or axis a from which tray the material
would be afterwards discharged at its circumference on to the stationary shelf q
whence a collector fixed to the revolving shaft would carry it towards the
conduit 8.
It may happen that some grains of corn may be drawn out of the chamber M,
these will then fall again into the conduit u and when accumulated there they will
depress the small counterpoised weight r and return into the conduit 8.
It is requisite that the velocity of the current of air above referred to should be
nicely adjusted for the satisfactory working of the machine.
This result is easily obtained by means of two counterpoised valves w, 201,
(Figures 1 and 2) which on being adjusted for a given pressure in the fan chamber
become depressed on the increase of such pressure and allow the air to enter
again.
Instead of employing two semicircular valves one valve S of circular form might
be used as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, such valve being equally balanced and
remaining horizontal in its up and down movements by sliding between the two
guides z z.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed (communicated to me
from abroad as aforesaid) I declare that what I claim is
First: The construction and use of the vertical centrifugal stone clearer for
separating by exhaustion the good or purified grains from the heavier substances
mixed with them substantially as represented and described.
:
And secondly: In such stone clearer the use of balanced valves for regulating
the exhaustion of the air whether two valves are employed as shown in Figures 1
and 2 or one valve as in Figures 45 and 6.
Doted this fourth dow of Men 1005