IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINERY
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING
MACHINERY." A communication from abroad by Auguste Bernard
Albaret, of the Firm of Albaret and Company, of Paris, in the
Empire of France, Machine Makers.
Sealed the 28th August 1868, and dated the 23rd March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 23rd March 1868.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING
MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in thrashing machinery, by
which a better and cleaner product is obtained, both as regards grain
and straw, than by the machinery heretofore employed, and the dust
ordinarily created during the operation, which proves a great source
of inconvenience to the attendants, is driven off without the expendi.
ture of any power other than the action of the beating drum.

page_text: The machine is composed of a rotating drum or beater mounted within.
a concave, which instead of being fixed as usual is carried by a rocking
counterweighted lever pivoted to the framing; by this arrangement the
concave is kept up to its work at the same time that it will yield to
the pressure of the straw when the feed is too great, and thus prevent
the choking of the machine. The straw, after passing under the action
of the beater drum, falls upon the straw shaker, which completely frees
it from the thrashed grain. In order to drive the dust out of the
machine it is provided with an upright curved sifter screen or sheet of
wire gauze or perforated metal, which is situate beyond the beater, and
through which the dust is driven into a chamber at the outer end of
the machine. The meshes or perforations of the screen are too small to
admit of the passage through either of the grain or straw. This chamber
may either be collapsible like a hood and closed when the machine is
not at work; or it may consist of a rigid casing provided with a spout
or spouts below, to which a sack or sacks are adapted to receive the
dust; it may also have a flue above for the escape of air and fine dust.
The corn, as it leaves the straw on the shaker bars, passes down into a
hopper below, together with the refuse and small straw, and thence
into troughs below, where the refuse and small straw are blown away
out of the machine, leaving the clean corn free to pass down shutes
into sacks below. The straw is discharged from the machine by the
shaker, the refuse and small straw falling separately into receptacles
below. The shaker consists of longitudinal bars, to which a rocking
motion is imparted by means of an arrangement of toggle joints driven
by a band from a pulley below on the fan shaft. The toggle joints
are protected from dust by means of a shield, which is only opened when
this mechanism is required to be lubricated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent 3
Office on the 23rd September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINERY," being a communication to me
from abroad by Auguste Bernard Albaret, of the Firm of Albaret and
Company, Paris, Machine Makers, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):
This Invention relates to both fixed and portable thrashing machines,
the improvements being intended to ensure among other advantages an
economy of power in the working of the machine, the delivery of the straw
in an unbroken state and without any admixture of corn, the suppression
of floating dust which is so injurious to the health of the attendants and
the delivery of the grain in a completely winnowed state.
One great inconvenience attending thrashing by machinery has always
been the dust. The straw collectors have been so incommoded by it that
they were obliged to abandon their post and difficulty was found in
getting any one to fill their place. Many attempts have been made to

page_text: palliate this evil, and for this purpose various systems of ventilators have
been established, but their action (more or less complete) is only effected
at the expense of the motive power. Now by this Invention not only is
nothing abstracted from the motive power but moreover no portion of
the thrashed straw can escape the effect of the ventilation produced by
the beater. This is one of the essential advantages resulting from these
improvements, the nature of which will be understood by reference to
the accompanying Drawings and the following description.
Fig. 1, Sheet I., represents in longitudinal vertical section a portable
thrashing machine of three-horse power; and Fig. 2 is a transverse
section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1.
In these Figures A is the feed table; B, the beater; C, the beater
cover; and D, the counter beater or concave. This concave is held up
to the beater by means of the counterweight R, which counterbalances
it and thus allows it to yield to an undue feed taken into the machine.
The large chamber E receives the long straw, which passes from the
beater and which facilitates its descent upon the shaker bars J. Behind
the rotary beater is a perforated metal screen F, through which passes
the dust that escapes from the straw; this dust passes through an
opening of greater or less extent formed by the raising of a hanging
door hinged to the end framing of the machine. To prevent the dust
escaping laterally flexible side pieces (of canvas or other suitable
fabric) are made fast to the framing and to the hinged door or cover H;
this door is completely closed during the transport of the machine, and
it is only opened when the machine is at work. The door and flexible
covering serve to guide the dust downwards that it may deposit on the
ground or in a suitable receptacle. I is the mechanism for actuating
alternately the adjacent shaker bars J, which allow all the thrashed
grain to pass away and throw out the completely shaken straw to the
attendants who make it up into bundles.
It should be here observed that the perforated metal screen F may be
replaced by wire gauze or by latticework or other body with meshes
placed sufficiently close together. The jointed shaker actuator is entirely
protected from dust by the cover G, which is only opened for the
purpose of lubricating the mechanism; it is the supports K which
determine the reciprocating movement of the bars J. The hopper L
receives the grain, small straw, and refuse which pass through the
shaker J, and which by a reciprocating motion conducts them to the

page_text: two troughs, the gratings of which allow the cleaned grain to pass, the
refuse and small straw being blown out of the machine by the fan N
while the grain passes down shutes M into sacks. The long straw
descends the inclined grating O and the small straw and refuse at Q,
Fig. 1. The course of the straw will be readily traced on referring to
Fig. 1. As it leaves the beater B it is projected into the chamber E
and falling back on to the shaker J the thrashed corn is shaken
therefrom.
It should be here remarked that as the application of the perforated
or wire gauze screen F forms an essential feature of this Invention
various kinds of machines with different modes of its application are
represented in the Drawings.
Figure 3 shews in longitudinal section a stationary thrashing machine
of three-horse power constructed according to this Invention.
Fig. 4 represents in longitudinal section a portable machine of five-
horse power for heavy work. It should be remarked that as this
machine is intended to produce large quantities the curve of the
perforated screen F is in one part somewhat illiptical, so that in
proportion to the equality of the angles of incidence and reflection the
grain thrown in the direction of the radii springing from the centre of
the beater is thrown back into the hopper. This arrangement avoids all
breaking up.
Fig. 5, Sheet II., shows the application of the perforated screen F
to a portable thrashing machine of three-horse power on Duvois'
system.
Fig. 6 represents in longitudinal vertical section a stationary machine
of three-horse power, to which is also applied the perforated or gauze
screen F which affords passage for the dust.
As regards this last machine it may be observed that the dust chamber
is the same for machines without feed rollers as with them.
In order to avoid useless repetition the same letters of reference are
employed in Figures 3 to 6, as for the parts described and shewn in
Figures 1 and 2.
Having now described the nature of this Invention of "Improve-
ments in Thrashing Machinery," and explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, as communicated to be by my foreign correspondent,
I desire it to be understood that I do not intend to confine myself

page_text: rigidly to the construction, arrangement, or dimensions of parts
above shewn and described, as the same may be modified according
to circumstances without departing from the nature and object of
the Invention, but under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim,―
First. The application to portable and stationary thrashing machines
of the means above described for discharging from such machines and
collecting the dust created by their working.
Secondly. The arrangement whereby the straw on leaving the beater
is caused to return and pass under the action of the shaker, by which
means the separation of the grain from the long and short straw is more
completely effected than heretofore.
Thirdly. The arrangements described for effecting the self-adjustment
of the concave or counter beater and for protecting the mechanism which
actuates the shaker bars from the adhesion thereto of dust and other
extraneous matters.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)