IMPROVEMENTS APPLI- CABLE TO FLOUR DRESSING MACHINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Armstrong and Robert Hamilton Neill,
both of Belfast, Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS APPLI-
CABLE TO FLOUR DRESSING MACHINES."
Scaled the 19th February 1875, and dated the 9th November 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Armstrong and
Robert Hamilton Neill at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 9th November 1874.
We, JAMES ARMSTRONG and ROBERT HAMILTON NEILL, both of
Belfast, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO FLOUR DRESSING MACHINES," to be as.
follows:-
:-
This Invention relates to improved means for preventing the clogging.
of the meshes of the silk covered reels of flour dressing machines by
husks, "greys," or other substances which retard the passage of the
flour through the silk.
To this end we cause a jet of air to be delivered on to the top of the
reel while rotating, and we thus effect the disengagement of the husks

page_text: .
from the silk covering. The jet of air is delivered through a pipe which
stands above the reel, and has a traverse motion parallel to the axle of
the reel.
This pipe is carried by a belt, which is mounted upon tension pulleys
in an air-tight case or box set above the reel, and which is supplied with
compressed air from a suitable fan or blower. The bottom of the box is
slotted longitudinally to allow of the air pipe projecting through the box
and moving freely over the reel from end to end thereof, and this slot is
covered by the belt which carries the air pipe so as to prevent air
escaping through the box otherwise than in the form of a jet through
the air pipe...
The belt receives.its traverse motion from the reel axle by preference
in the following manner:-Keyed to this axle are two pulleys, which are
provided the one with a straight and the other with a cross belt for
driving in reverse directions, for the purpose to be presently explained,
one or other of a pair of pulleys mounted loosely on an axle on the upper
part of the dressing machine. These pulleys are loose on their axle, and
are made fast thereto as required by sliding clutches, which are thrown
in and out of action by a clutch rod that is mounted in the air box.
Keyed to the pulley axle is a worm, which takes into a worm wheel
keyed to the axle of one of the tension rollers, and by this means the
traverse motion is given to the air pipe.
The clutch rod is provided with two stops, against which a wiper
carried by the travelling belt alternately strikes (as the air pipe reaches
the end of its course), and gives it an endway motion to the right or
left, as the case may be. By the connection of this rod with the clutch
lever the clutches are alternately thrown into and out of action, and thus
the direction of traverse of the air pipe is reversed. By this means a jet
of air will be delivered on to the silk reel so long as the supply is main-
tained in the air box, the effect of which will be to expedite the dressing
operation and to allow, if thought desirable, of the application of finer
numbers of silk than heretofore, which will produce a superior dress and
finer quality of flour.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Armstrong and Robert Hamilton Neill in
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th May 1875.
•
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
ARMSTRONG and ROBERT HAMILTON NEILL, both of Belfast, Ireland,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign; did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said James Armstong and Robert
Hamilton Neill, Her special licence that we, the said James Armstrong
and Robert Hamilton Neill, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said James Armstrong and Robert Hamilton
Neill, our 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 APPLICABLE TO FLOUR DRESSING MACHINES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that we, the said James Armstrong and Robert
Hamilton Neill, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, 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 bo 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 we, the said James Armstrong and Robert
Hamilton Neill, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained 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) :—
2
This Invention relates to improved means for preventing the clogging
11
1
•
1

page_text: husks, "greys," or other substances which retard the passage of the
flour through the silk.
Heretofore the silk covered reels have been cleared by the action of
beaters, and air has been introduced inside the reels for the like purpose.
The beaters however not only caused great wear to the silk reel, but
were liable to be broken, and the tendency of the air within the reel was
to drive the husks and "greys "which had entered the meshes of the
silk either through to the flour or to entangle them in the silk meshes.
Now to remedy these inconveniences we cause a jet of air to be delivered
on to the top of the reel while rotating, and we thus effect the dis-
engagement of the husks from the interior of the silk covering. The jet
of air is delivered through a pipe which stands above the reel, and has a
traverse motion parallel to the axle of the reel.
•
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in side elevation and
partial section a silk dressing machine constructed according to our
Invention; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the rear or delivery end of the
machine; Fig. 3 is an elevation partly in section of the front or feeding
end of the machine; Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken in the line 1, 2,
of Fig. 1; and Figures 5, 6, and 7 are views illustrating details of con-
struction to be hereafter particularly referred to.
"
A, A, Figures 1 and 3, is the silk covered reel of the ordinary con-
struction mounted in an air-tight casing B, B, as usual. The bottom of
this casing is formed of planking B', which slants from the sides towards
the middle, where it joins with a horizontal half round gutter or trough.
In this trough is mounted a delivery screw O for conducting the flour as
it is sifted through the reel to the discharge opening at the rear end of
the machine. As a continuation of this reel, but without a silk or other
covering, we form the part A' (Fig. 1), and by means of a transverse
partition B¹ we cut it off from connection with that part of the case B
into which the flour from the reel is delivered. This rear end or divided
off portion of the case B we term the sharps' purifier,. and we provide it
with a delivery opening for discharging the contents of the reel after the
flour has been sifted therefrom. In communication with the top of this
compartment we mount at any convenient position an exhaust fan D
(Fig. 4), the office of which is to withdraw the dust from the sharps, and
thus prepare the same for regrinding. The bottom of this compartment
is pierced to allow of air flowing freely therein and carrying the dust up
to and through the exhaust fan,

page_text: On the top of the case A an air trunk E is mounted. This trunk is
set over and parallel with the axle of the reel, and it extends nearly the
whole length of the reel. In communication with this air trunk is a
blower F (see Fig. 2) for supplying it with air under pressure, which air
is intended to be delivered in the form of a jet (through a travelling
pipe) on to the top of the slowly rotating reel. The construction of the
air trunk E and its fittings are shewn best in the longitudinal section,
Fig..5, and in the transverse section, Fig. 6. The, bottom of the trunk
is slotted to allow of the traverse of the air pipe G from end to end
thereof. This pipe is carried by an endless belt G¹, which is held at
tension and receives a traverse motion from rollers G³, G³. The slot of
the air trunk is covered by the belt, which carries the air pipe so as to
prevent air escaping from the trunk otherwise than in the form of a jet
through the air pipe.
The belt receives its traverse motion from the reel axle by preference
in the following manner:-Keyed to this axle are two pulleys 1, 2, which
are provided the one with a straight and the other with a cross belt for.
driving in reverse directions, for the purpose to be presently explained,
one or other of a pair of pulleys 1*, 2*, mounted loosely on an axle 3 on
the upper part of the dressing machine.. These loose pulleys are made
fast. to their axle as required by sliding clutches, which are thrown in
and out of action by a clutch lever 4 (see the partial plan view, Fig. 7),
that is mounted on a pivot bearing on the casing B. Keyed to the
pulley axle 3 is a worm 5, which takes into a worm wheel 6 keyed to the
axle of the tension roller G³, and by this means the traverse motion is
given to the air pipe.
•
The clutch lever is jointed to a clutch rod H, which extends from end
to end of the air trunk, and has its bearings in the ends thereof. This
clutch rod is provided with two stops h, h, against which a wiper g carried
by the travelling belt alternately strikes (as the air, pipe reaches the end
of its course), and thereby gives to the clutch rod H an endway motion to
the right or left, as the case may be. By the connection of this rod with
the clutch lever the clutches are alternately thrown into and out of
action, and thus the direction of traverse of the air pipe is reversed.
this means a jet of air will be delivered on to the silk reel so long as the
supply is maintained in the air trunk, the effect of which will be to
expedite the dressing operation and to allow, if thought desirable, of the
By

page_text: application of finer numbers of silk than heretofore, which will produce
a superior dress and finer quality of flour.
Rotary motion is imparted to the dressing machine through a pulley I,
keyed on the shaft of the screw C. This shaft also carries a pulley K,
from which pass driving belts to the pulleys d, f, respectively on the
axles of the exhaust and blower fans. A pinion L on the shaft of the
screw C drives through a train of gearing the axle of the reel A, which
is thus enabled through its pulleys 1, 2, and the gearing already described
to maintain the traverse motion of the endless belt carrying the jet
pipe G.
From the above description it will be understood that so long as the
rotation of the reel is maintained a jet of compressed air will be thrown
upon it, and thus the meshes of the silk will be kept clear, and the
efficiency of the dressing reel will be maintained. *.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements
applicable to Flour Dressing Machines," and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the
above in part recited Letters Patent we claim, the means 'above described
for keeping open the meshes of the silk covered reel, and thereby expe-
diting the operation of dressing flour.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Armstrong and Robert
Hamilton Neill, have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Fourth
day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-five.
Witness present,
.
JAMES W. BELL.
JAMES ARMSTRONG. (L.S.)
R. H. NEILL.
(L.S.)