Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1886
Complete Left; 27th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 30th Sept., 1887.,
I, JOHN EDWARD SHAW, of Sowerby Bridge, in the County of York, Corn Miller,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
-
In machines for washing grain, if at any time the machine is stopped, the grain at
once settles down into the stone box, and the entire contents thereof have to be cleaned
afresh. I know of no apparatus too, that will separate the wheat and stones
absolutely. This is usually owing to the grain having to pass close to the stone box
in its upward course and having a free unimpeded passage to the stone box.
Now my invention consists in placing the stone box beyond or in rear of the
entrance of the grain in the upward current or elevating washing apparatus, and in
providing a valve between the entrance of the grain and the stone box, through
which the stones, but not the grain will pass. I can form this valve in a great
variety of ways and make it automatically closing or otherwise as desired. It can
be caused to close the instant the current is removed by the actual cessation of
pressure of that current on wings. It can be closed by a ball or other governor
connected with the driving or other shaft, or, but I do not advise this, it can be
adjusted exclusively by hand. However in all cases, I prefer to so arrange it that
it can be regulated and closed by hand if desired. I form the valve with preferably.
a V shaped aperture, point upward and make it in two parts, so that they can close
like shears, it can however be a slide with a hole narrowed towards the top, by raising
or lowering which the aperture is increased or diminished, but I prefer the dual
arrangement.

page_text: The mode of action is as follows:-The exact amount of opening best for the
purpose is found by actual experiment on first starting with each variety of grain and
the valve adjusted to this opening by hand while the machine is running at its
normal speed. In regular working, the grain is carried past the valve by the upward
current the stones slide down through the valve. The moment however the current
decreases or stops, the governor or the cessation of current itself closes the valve and
cuts off the entrance to the stone box; the latter can be emptied before the machine
is set to work.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for Washing or Separating
Grain or other Seeds or like Material from Stones, Dirt, and
the like.
I, JOHN EDWARD SHAW, of Sowerby Bridge, in the County of York Corn
Miller, 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:
In machines for washing grain, if at any time the machine is stopped, the grain at
once settles down into the stone box, and the entire contents thereof have to be cleaned
afresh. Also I know of no apparatus that will separate the wheat and stones absolutely.
This is usually owing to the grain having to pass close to the stone box in its upward
course and having a free unimpeded passage to the stone box.
Now my invention is designed to remedy these defects and it consists in placing the
stone box beyond or in rear of the entrance for the grain into the upward current or
elevating washing apparatus, and in providing a valve between the entrance for the
grain and the stone box, through which the stones but not the grain will pass.
The way in which I carry out my invention may be best described by reference to
the accompanying drawings in which―
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of that part of the working apparatus comprising
my improvements.
Figures 2, 3, and 4 are transverse sections taken respectively on the lines
x-x, yy, z—z, Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a plan of part of Figure 1.
In these A is the washing trough, which when working is usually placed in an
inclined position, the stone box B being at the lower end. The central elevating
shaft C carries a series of paddles or skew blades C' by means of which the grain is
gradually drawn up from the bottom to the top end of the trough A. The lower end
of the shaft C may be supported in any suitable manner as at C2. The store box and
the lower part of the trough contain water, into which the uncleansed grain is fed at
some point A¹ beyond the stone box, being drawn from thence by the paddles Cand
preferably meeting a spray of clean water as it ascends the trough.
A diaphragm D is placed at the junction of the trough with the stone box, said
diaphragm being provided with an opening d which may be closed when required by
a valve or valves, the shaft C or a bush e thereon forming a spindle on which the
valves may turn. I may form this valve in a great variety of ways and make it to
close automatically or otherwise as desired. It can be caused to close the instant the
current is removed by the actual cessation of pressure of that current on wings.
Or it may be closed by a ball or other governor connected with the driving or other
shaft, or (but I do not advise this) it can be adjusted exclusively by hand. However,

page_text: in all cases, I prefer to so arrange it that it can be regulated and closed by hand if
desired. I preferably form the valve in two parts E & E' so that they can close like
shears, but when open leave between them a V shaped aperture 1, point upwards.
The valve can however, be a slide with a hole narrowed towards the top, by raising or
lowering which, the aperture is increased or diminished, but I prefer the dual arrange-
ment as shown.
Each part E E¹ of the valve is formed with a projecting arm E2 E³ by which a
connection is made with suitable governing mechanism. When the valve is fully
opened these two arms overlap one another as may be seen in Figure 2, being clamped
in that position, if desired by the thumb screw e¹. Besides the valve already described,
I also preferably add a stop valve E (Figure 2) which when the machine is at work
is held in the open position as shown by the weighted arm F1, the wing F2 being
clear of aperture d. In case of emergency or at other times if desired, the arm Fi
is thrown over and the wing F2 closes the opening d. Plates D1 and D2 with the
diaphragm D support the valves laterally and are provided with the requisite thick-
ness strips d'. The plates are secured on the bush e (on which the valves oscillate)
by the collar c¹ and nut c².
The mode of action is as follows:-
The exact amount of opening best for the purpose is found by actual experiment
with each variety of grain on first starting, and the valve E E¹ adjusted to this
opening by hand while the machine is running at its normal speed. In regular
working the grain is carried away from the valves F E and F by the upward current
and the stones slide down through the valves into the stone box B. The moment
however the speed of the current or paddle shaft decreases or stops, the governor or
the cessation of current itself closes the valve E E' and cuts off the entrance to the
stone box before the grain can enter it. The box can be emptied before the machine
is set to work.
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:
1st. In a grain washer or separator having an elevating device working in an
inclined trough which opens into a stone box, a regulating valve capable of auto-
matically adjusting the area of the opening between said trough and stone box, as the
speed of the said elevating device or current within the trough varies, and of
instantaneously closing the same the moment said elevating device or current stops,
all arranged substantially as shown and described.
2nd. The combination of the automatic dual valve E E¹, the diaphragm D having
an angular opening d, and the auxiliary stop valve F, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
3rd. The valve apparatus, as a whole, constructed substantially as herein shown and
described.