Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Grain or other like Produce or Materials.
Year: 1895

page_text: Cate of Application, 2nd Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Oct., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Grain or other like Produce
or Materials.
I, FREDERICK EDWARD VESEY BAINES, of Lynwood, Vanbrugh Hill,
Blackheath, in the County of Kent, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to provide a simple and efficient apparatus,
whereby grain, or other like produce, or materials, can be dried with rapidity and
ease, in a continuous manner, and with a minimum of. hard labour.
According to my invention I provide a floor and revolving rakes so constructed,
arranged, and combined that the whole of the grain, or other produce, or material
(I will refer to it as grain) whilst being heated on the floor, is moved along, and
turned over, or disturbed, continuously; and the temperature can be regulated as
desired, so that the grain; as it passes along from the entrance end of the floor to
the other end, is subjected to any desirable temperature at any of the various
portions of the travel of the grain.
The Hoor is preferably made in curved sections, the curves being arcs of circles
described by series of rakes mounted over the sections of the floor, so that the
rakes come in contact with the floor through practically its whole extent and no
portion of the grain is left unacted upon. There is a shaft carrying a set of rakes
mounted above each curved section of the floor, each set of rakes being so disposed
and operated that they do not interfere with the rakes of the adjacent set, or sets,
each set, during its revolution turning, or disturbing, and passing forward, the
grain from curved section, to curved section, of the drying floor. For this purpose
the shafts are set a distance apart but little exceeding the lengths of the arms
which carry the rakes, the whole of the rakes being mounted in such relative
position to each other, and moving at the same speed, and in the same direction,
that the rakes of one set pass those of the other set, or sets, adjacent thereto by
occupying the space between two of the rakes of such set or sets.
The floor may be heated by any suitable heating medium such as hot air or
steam. If steam be used it may be supplied to spaces beneath the curved sections
of the floor and the temperature at any portion of the floor be regulated by
controlling the supply of steam to each section. If hot air be used the
curved sections may be constituted by perforated, or reticulated, material mounted
on castings the upper surfaces of which may be turned true, or they may be simply
cast to shape and the rakes be constructed or made so that they can yield to
inequalities. The rakes may be made in any convenient way preferably of a strip
of spring metal mounted between two arms on the shaft, so that the strip extends
across the curved section of the floor, the said strips being set at such an angle
that they move the grain along and cause it to be turned. Beneath cach section
there may be a chamber, or box, in communication with a general channel through
which heated air can be passed by means of doors, or valves, between each chamber,
or box, and the said general channel, so that the supply of hot air can be regulated
as desired to each section of the floor, and this can be attemperated as desired
by means of cold air admitted to each box, or chamber, by a valve or coverable
opening at the side of each box, or chamber.
!
There may be one, or a number, of such longitudinal series of curved sections,

page_text: the shafts, which carry the rakes, extending from side to side of the series and
carrying sets of rakes in number according to the number of longitudinal series
of curved sections.
If the floor be of other shape than that wherein the sections forms arcs of the
circles described by the revolution of the rakes, the rakes will be made so that they
can yield as they pass over the floor.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Grain or other like Produce
or Materials.
I FREDERICK EDWARD VESEY BAINES of Lynwood, Vanbrugh Hill,
Blackheath in the County of Kent, Manufacturer, 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 :--
My invention has for its object to provide a simple and efficient apparatus
whereby grain, or other like produce, or materials, can be dried with rapidity and
ease in a continuous manner, and with a minimum of hand labour.
According to my invention provide a floor and revolving rakes so constructed,
arranged, and combined, that the whole of the grain or other produce, or material,
(I will refer to it as grain), whilst being heated on the floor is moved along, and
turned over, or disturbed continuously and the temperature can be regulated as
desired so that the grain, as it passes along from the entrance end of the floor to
the other end, is subjected to any desirable temperature at any of the various
portions of the travel of the grain.
The floor is preferably made in curved sections, the curves being arcs of circles
described by series of rakes mounted over the sections of the floor, so that the
rakes come in contact with the floor through practically its whole extent and no
portion of the grain is left unacted upon. There is a shaft carrying a set of rakes
mounted above each curved section of the floor each set of rakes being so disposed
and operated that they do not interfere with the rakes of the adjacent set, or sets,
each set during its revolution turning, or disturbing, and passing forward, the grain
from curved section, to curved section, of the drying floor. For this purpose the
shafts are set a distance apart but little exceeding the lengths of the arms which
carry the rakes the whole of the rakes being mounted in such relative position to
each other, and moving at the same speed, and in the same direction, that the
rakes of one set pass those of the other set, or sets, adjacent thereto by occupying
the space between two of the rakes of such set, or sets.
The floor may be heated by any suitable heating medium such as hot air or
steam. If steam he used it may be supplied to spaces beneath the curved sections
of the floor and the temperature at any portion of the floor be regulated by
controlling the supply of steam to each section. If hot air be used the curved
sections may be constituted by perforated, or reticulated, material mounted on
castings the upper surfaces of which may be turned true, or they may be simply
cast to shape and the rakes be constructed or made so that they can yield to
inequalities. The rakes may be made in any convenient way preferably of a strip
of spring metal mounted between two arms on the shaft so that the strip extends
across the curved section of the floor the said strips being set at such an angle that
they move the grain along and cause it to be turned. Beneath each section there
may be a chamber, or box, in communication with a general channel through which
heated air can be passed by means of doors, or valves, between each chamber, or

page_text: box, and the said general channel, so that the supply of hot air can be regulated as
desired to each section of the floor, and this can be attemperated as desired by
means of cold air admitted to each box, or chaniber; by a valve or coverable.
opening at the side of each box, or chamber.
There may be one, or a number, of such longitudinal series of curved sections,.
the shafts, which carry the rakes, extending from side to side of the sories and
carrying sets of rakes in number, according to the number of longitudinal series of
curved sections. If the floor be of other shape than that wherein the sections
forms ares of the circles described by the revolution of the ràkes the rakes will be.
made so that they can yield as they pass over the floor.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 shews in side elevation a drying apparatus constructed according to
my invention the central portion of the said apparatus being broken away as the
apparatus may be made of any desired length.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section, and Figure 3 a plan of the apparatus
with the cover removed.
"
A is a casing of metal in the interior of which is a flooring consisting of cast
metal gratings B of concave curved shape covered with finely perforated plates C.
The gratings B are supported on metal boxes D by which the space beneath the
floor is divided into separate compartments E forming air chambers. The casing A
is supported at its sides and ends on walls F of brickwork forming a chamber G
into which heated air is supplied by a fan H and admitted into the chambers E, as
required preferably by means of what are known as "hit and miss or "gridiron
slide valves I fitted to each of the said chambers E and actuated by handles I¹ on
the exterior of the casing A. In the chambers E are hollow girders K which
serve to support the concave curved gratings and into these girders cold air is
forced by means of a fan L the said cold air being conducted into the said hollow
girders by a pipe or passage M extending along the exterior of the casing A and
having branches N communicating with the interior of the hollow girders and
provided with suitable valves n to regulate the admission of cold air as required.
By means of the valves I for admitting hot air to the chambers E in combination
with the arrangement for admitting cold air to the hollow girders the volume of
air admitted to the chambers and the temperature thereof may be regulated as
required. Above the floor B are rotatable rakes or blades O carried on arms P
on shafts or spindles Q fitted to turn in bearings R in the sides of the easing A,
the said shafts being provided with worm wheels S with which gear worms T on a
shaft U mounted in bearings on the exterior of the said casing, and driven by
means of gearing V from a transverse shaft W driven from any suitable motor by
a strap passing round a pulley X. All the shafts or spindles Q are caused to
rotate slowly in the same direction and at the same speed. The distances between
the several shafts Q are equal and such as to only be just sufficient to admit of
the rakes on one shaft to clear, in their rotation, the adjacent shaft or shafts.
gear
The material to be dried is placed in a hopper Y at one end of the apparatus the
passage for the material from the said hopper onto the drying floor being regulated
by an adjustable inclined bottom Z the lower end of which is supported on curved
guides secured to the sides of the casing. The said adjustable bottom is suspended
by chains a connected to pulleys on a shaft c passing transversely through the
hopper and carrying on its end outside the hopper a worm wheel d in with
a worm e on a shaft or spindle / provided with a hand wheel g, by turning which
in one direction or the other the bottom Z can be raised or lowered as required
and so increase or reduce the passage for the material. The material admitted
onto the floor is acted on by the rotating rakes or blades O and moved or swept
over the surface of the concave curved floor from the feeding end thereof to the
delivery end the material being submitted to a regular and continual turning over

page_text: aud subjected in its passage to heated air passing from the chambers E through the
perforated bottom whereby it is effectually dried. At the delivery end of the
apparatus is a chamber into which the dried material falls and in the bottom of
which chamber is a rotating screw conveyor 2 which delivers the material through
an opening in the side of the apparatus. The screw conveyor is driven from the
shaft W by means of a chain passing round chain wheels i. The moisture driven
off from the material in its passage over the perforated floor passes from the
interior of the apparatus by an uptake k preferably situated at the feeding end of
the apparatus so as to provide for the ready escape of the moisture from the wet
material as it enters the apparatus. The volume of hot air delivered by the fan H
into the chamber G can be regulated by a counterbalanced valve H² and the
admission of the said air to the chambers E can be so regulated by means of the
slide valves 1, that the greatest volume will enter the chamber E nearest the feeding
end of the apparatus where it is most required and the volume be gradually
diminished in the succeeding chambers towards the delivery end of the apparatus.
At the same time the temperature of the air can be gradually reduced in the several
chambers from the feeding end to the delivery end of the apparatus by the
admission of cold air to the hollow girders K in proportion as the material becomes
drier in its passage over the floor. Each of the air chambers E is provided with
openings fitted with removable covers through which open.ogs any finely
divided matter that may pass through the perforated floor can be removed from
the apparatus as required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A drying apparatus consisting of a floor with means for heating it
and revolving rakes each acting on adjacent parts of the floor and provided with
operating devices to traverse the materials being dried over the said floor by
passing the said materials from rake to rake substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2. A drying apparatus consisting of a floor with means for heating it and formed
in curved portions or sections forming arcs of circles coincident with the paths
described by revolving rakes for acting on the materials being dried and traversing
them over the floor substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In drying apparatus a floor divided into curved sections with spaces beneath
and means for admitting sten n or other heating agent into the said spaces and rakes
arranged above the floor so that the prongs of adjacent rakes pass between each
other all substantially as herein before described.
4. In drying chambers a floor consisting of curved sections of perforated or
reticulated material and means for supplying heated air beneath the said sections
and rakes or the like for traversing the materials being dried over the said floor
substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. A drying floor with spaces beneath so divided and provided with means for
admitting heating and cooling or attemperating agents to each of them as desired
that the temperature applied to the various parts of the floor can be regulated as
desired substantially as herein before described.
6. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting a drying apparatus
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1895
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.