IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR PURIFYING FLOUR AND MIDDLINGS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR PURIFYING FLOUR
AND MIDDLINGS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE FOR
OTHER PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by David B. Moseley, of
Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th July 1880.
€
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY
FOR PURIFYING FLOUR AND MIDDLINGS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES." [A communication from abroad by David B.
Moseley, of Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America.]
My Invention relates to improvements in apparatus or machinery for purifying
flour and middlings, and has for its principal object the providing of such purifiers
or machines with means for separating and collecting the dust, fibre, and light
impurities from middlings, and the fibres or pulverized bran from the flour, as
hereinafter described.
The first part of the said Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for
purifying middlings or middlings purifiers, and has for its object the construction of
the said purifiers in such a manner that the dust can be collected in the machine,
thereby obviating the necessity of employing a dust room in a mill; this part of
the said Invention also comprises a brush so constructed as to travel on the top of
the cloth, the said brush being provided with friction rollers resting on the edge
of the screen frame. By this construction the cloth is relieved of the weight which
in the purifiers as heretofore constructed has caused considerable wear of such cloth,
and has rendered a brush travelling on the top of the cloth impracticable. This
part of my Invention also relates to a screen frame so constructed that the cloth
can be fastened to the frame by lacing instead of by tacking, as usual.

page_text: In carrying this part of my Invention into practice employ a blast fan or
fans which produce a current of air in the wind chambers; this current of air
escapes from the fans or a chamber in connection therewith through suitable openings
and passes up through the bolting cloth covering the screen frame; the wind or
current of air passing through the cloth then passes into a dust collector or frame,
the strength or rapidity of the current being increased by a suction fan, which
draws the air away from the blast fan or fans, and prevents the air from becoming
compressed and thereby creating back pressure. The fuzz and fibre removed by
the blast fans is prevented from entering the suction fan by coming into contact
with parallel strips of cloth in the dust collector; the dust and fibre are thus
caused to drop and pass through an opening and escape with the tailings from the
screen. The cloth in the dust collector is fastened to the corner post of a series of
posts in the same, and is then drawn around from one post to the other, thereby
leaving alternate openings for the wind to enter at one side and escape at the
other. The aforesaid frame or dust collector is so constructed that the cloth when
drawn around the posts constitutes a series of parallel strips, a suitable cross piece
being provided to hold the series of posts in position and to receive a bolt or
tightener for keeping the cloth properly stretched on the frame. In connection
with the said cloth I arrange a rocking shaft provided with a knocker or striker for
jarring such cloth, to prevent the fibre and fuzz from sticking to it. Moreover,
the arrangement of the cloth, as above described, in parallel strips or lines within
the dust collector prevents the wind or air when drawn through it from forcibly
impinging against its surface and the consequent forcing of the fibre into the
meshes of the cloth. In some cases, instead of the knocker above described for
removing the fibres from the parallel strips of clotch, I employ a cam acting upon
rollers on the lower end of the collector for imparting a jarring motion to the same.
The dust collector above described may be advantageously employed for separating
dust and other impurities from air in machines other than puritiers, such, for
instance, as millstones, or the screens or wheat scouring or smut machines.
My improved brush is provided with friction rollers, as above described, at each
end for taking the weight of the brush, suitable set screws being provided for
raising or lowering the said rollers to bring the brush in contact with the cloth
with a greater or less pressure. Suitable belts are provided for carrying the brush
around, and pulleys upon which the belt revolves. The said brush travels with
the middlings and removes the adhesive particles and pieces of middlings that jam
in the meshes of the cloth. To permit the lacing of the bolting cloth upon the
frame, the said cloth is provided with canvas sewed around it; near the edge of
this canvas eyelets are inserted and hooks,-studs,-or-pins-are-fastened-to-the-frame.
A cord passes through these eyelets, and up around pins or studs; and is drawn
tight, thereby stretching the cloth on the frame and holding it tighter than by any
other mode of fastening heretofore employed. If the cloth at any time should
become loose on the frame it can be easily tightened by drawing or tightening the
said cord.
According to another part of my Invention, I produce a middlings purifier
which will remove the fibre and light impurities by the action of currents of air
passing through the middlings as they descend from the top to the bottom of the
machine through a spout. For this purpose I employ a spout placed at the proper
inclination so that the middlings will run freely. The bottom or lower side of this
spout is provided with transverse openings for the wind to enter, and is also
provided with projections placed transversely for causing the middlings to fall
from one projection to the other; whilst the middlings are dropping the wind
permeates them and carries off the fibre and fuzz. The bottom of the said spout is
also provided with slide valves operated by a rod which regulates the area of the
openings between the projections and the quantity of air that enters the aforesaid
spout. In connection with the said spout is a hopper for receiving. the middlings to
be purified. The middlings after passing through the spout are discharged through
suitable openings and are free from light impurities. In front of, or over the spout

page_text: through which the middlings fall I arrange another wind spout, trunk, or chamber,
which is also provided with transverse openings for the air to enter, and in
combination with the said trunk I employ valves for regulating the air openings
into the said wind trunk. These valves are operated by a rod provided with a nut
for raising or lowering, and thereby increasing or diminishing, the openings in the
bottom of the wind trunk. An exhaust fan draws the air through the bottom of
the spout through which the middlings fall, and the wind trunk thereby removes
the fibre from the middlings as they drop from one projection to the other. The
wind and dust are discharged through an opening extending from the fan case or
chamber. In connection with this fan I arrange side tubes to allow the air to enter
freely into the said fan.
Another part of my Invention relates to improvements in flour purifiers, in which
the flour is fed onto an endless belt composed of fine cloth. This belt travels over
and around rollers; the roller which propels the cloth is provided with pins which
enter holes in the flexible border of the cloth and thereby secure the regular or even
travel of the same around the rollers. In this improved form of purifier the flour
does not sift through the said cloth but lays on its surface, and I employ a current
of air passing up through the flour as it travels with the cloth from the head to the
tail of the machine to carry with it the fibre and coloring matter which is composed
principally of fine pulverized bran. The texture of the said cloth is of such a
degree of fineness that it will not permit any flour to pass through, but only
sufficient air for removing the impurities. In carrying this part of my Invention into
practice I employ a frame of wood or other suitable material, and an endless belt of
cloth made with a border of flexible material. In the border of this cloth holes are
arranged at a regular distance from each other for pins in the roller to enter as
above described, and as the roller revolves it carries with it the said endless cloth or
belt, rollers being provided for supporting and carrying the said belt. Alongside
of and laying parallel with the machine are air chambers provided with suitable
openings on the inside through which the air is discharged into the_compartment
under the cloth, the only exit for the air being through such cloth. In connection
with these chambers I arrange fans for blowing air into the same.
The openings
for the escape of air from these wind chambers are not opposite to each other, but
are arranged alternately, that is to say, the openings on one side are opposite the
spaces between those on the other side. A hopper is provided for the purified flour
to drop into, and also a revolving brush for removing the flour from the cloth and
keeping the meshes of the said cloth open. A feed trough is provided for
distributing the flour evenly on the cloth at the head of the machine. It is
however difficult to obtain a good distributor of flour on account of its adhesiveness,
and a roller feed has often been used but has proved insufficient. According to my
Invention, I produce the required vibratory percussion movement by a cam and
springs, and rubber buffers, and produce a perfect distribution upon the entire
width of the cloth. This cam when in motion forces the feed trough back; this
trough is instantly returned by springs, by which it is supported, against suitable
buffers, thereby producing a vibratory percussion movement. A slotted frame
composed of a series of strips of wood and alternate spaces or openings (the strips
being placed transversely under the endless belt), distributes the wind evenly
through the cloth. The fan shaft is operated from a driving shaft and also the
rollers and brush. The endless belt as it travels round the rollers carries with it
the flour fed at the head and discharges it over the tail in a purified condition; as
the belt travels it comes in contact with the revolving brush which removes the
flour from off the cloth and leaves the meshes open. The cloth travels over an air
tight box and the air is compelled to escape through the meshes.
By employing this purifier I separate the impurities by reason of their specific
gravity, they being of less gravity than particles of flour.

page_text: castings in which the levers K are pivoted; R, R, are inclined hangers for
suspending the screen frame J; S represents cams for lifting the hammers K; T is
the discharge opening for the returns; V is the cam that lifts the dust collector O;
W is the handle for operating the valve which regulates the returns; X is an
opening where the purified middlings are discharged; Y is the feed trough.
When the machine is set in motion the middlings are fed into the feed trough Y,
and the vibration distributes them.evenly on the screen. A cam, having the shape
of an equilateral triangle, moves the screen in one direction, and a spring forces the
said screen in the other direction against the cross bar M, thereby producing a
percussive movement. This cam and the inclined hangers R give an up and down
as well as a reciprocating movement to the screen, thereby causing the middlings
to travel rapidly on the same. When it is set perfectly level, the percussive
movement serves to precipitate the heavy matter to the bottom, and the fibrous
matter to the top, the latter being removed by the air from the fans; the heavy
matter is carried over the tail end of the screen. The middlings as they travel over
the cloth are sifted through free from all impurities. The fans E, E, supply the air
trunks lying parallel to the conveyors with air, which enters the machine below the
screen through the openings G and H. These fans, being placed at the tail end of
the machine, force the air to the head of the same, where it escapes with great force,
thereby producing very considerable pressure under the cloth. When this cloth is
fine and heavily loaded with middlings, the air, as it becomes compressed under the
cloth, seeks an outlet where the cloth is coarse. This pressure of air under the
cloth prevents the fibre from passing through; therefore it is not the amount of
air that passes through the cloth, but the amount of pressure under it that produces
a perfect separation. The air that passes through the cloth has not sufficient force
to carry off the finest middlings into the dust room. The purified middlings and
returns are carried to the head by the conveyors Z, Z. Graduated cloth is used on
the sectional screens, the cloth at the head being fine and becoming coarser toward
the tail end of the machine. The sectional screens rest on india rubber springs,
which allow them to vibrate as they receive the blow from the hammers K. The
cross bar M is held in position by long bolts fastened in the main frame, and
supplied with a nut on each side of the bar. The throw of the screen frame and
also the extent of the travelling of the middlings on the screen are effected by
moving the bar M in or out. The aforesaid springs hold the screen frame against
the cam, and are adjustable by set screws to change their tension. The dust
collector is placed over and at the tail end of the machine, as shewn in Figures 1
and 2.
This dust collector, which is shewn detached in Figures 4, 5, and 6, consists of a
frame provided with a series of posts or bars a, to the corner one of which the cloth or
muslin a¹ is fastened. From this post the cloth is then drawn around from one post
to the other, thereby leaving alternate openings for the wind to enter at one side
and escape at the other. The said frame is so constructed that the cloth when
drawn around the posts constitutes a series of parallel strips. a³, a², represent cross
pieces for holding the posts a in position; they are provided with a bolt or
tightener as for keeping the cloth properly stretched on the frame. The arrange-
ment of the cloth or muslin, as above described, in parallel strips or lines within the
dust collector, prevents the wind or air when drawn through it from forcibly
impinging against its surface, and also prevents the consequent forcing of the fibre
into the meshes of the cloth, whilst it permits the wind to be drawn through by the
fan C and the fibre to drop into the hopper V*. For removing the fibres from the
parallel strips of cloth I employ the cam V, as shewn in Figure 1; this cam acts
upon a roller or rollers V₁ on the lower end of the frame, and imparts a jarring
motion to the latter. Or instead of a cam I may employ the devices shewn in
Figure 2, in which b represents a rocking shaft which is provided with a knocker
or striker b' for jarring the cloth to prevent the fibre and fuzz sticking to it. Or in
some cases I clean the cloth in the said dust collector by passing a shaft through
the centre of the cloth and also through a series of pieces of wood, one of which is

page_text: · placed between each two parallel lines of cloth. This shaft projects at both ends of
the frame or collector, and is surrounded at one end by a spiral spring, which
constantly tends to force the shaft in one direction. The other end of the shaft is
arranged in combination with a pulley provided with a series of cam projections or
teeth, which, as the said pulley revolves, come successively into contact with the end
of the shaft, and impart an endwise movement to the same, and also to the central
portions of the parallel strips of cloth, which are then immediately thrown or forced
back by the spring, so that a perfect jar is obtained. The current of air as it passes
up through the bolting cloth covering the screen frame passes through the cloth or
muslin in the dust collector O, the strength or rapidity of the current being
increased by the suction fan C, which draws the air away from the fans E, and
prevents such air from becoming compressed to such, an extent as to create back
pressure. The fuzz and fibre removed by the fans E is prevented from entering the
suction fan C by coming in contact with the parallel strips of cloth a, from which it
falls into the hopper V*, as above described, and escapes with the tailings from the
screen. The dust collector above described may be advantageously employed for
separating dust or impurities from air in machines other than purifiers, such, for
instance, as millstones or the screens of wheat scouring or smut machines.
In Figures 2 and 3 I have shewn an improved brush c arranged to travel over
the top of the cloth on the screen frame in such a manner that the cloth is relieved
of the weight, which in the purifiers as heretofore constructed has caused consider-
able wear of the cloth, and has rendered a brush travelling on the top of the cloth
impracticable. The said brush c is provided with a friction roller d at each end for
taking the weight of the brush; these friction rollers rest on the edge of the screen
frame. d, d, represent screws for raising or lowering the said rollers to bring the
brush in contact with the cloth with a greater or less pressure; e represents an
endless belt for carrying the brush around; and e, e', are pulleys upon which the said
belt revolves. The brush travels with the middlings and removes the adhesive
particles of middlings that clog or jam in the meshes of the cloth.
Figure 7 shews my improved method of fastening the cloth to the screen frame
by lacing instead of by tacks as usual. For this purpose the bolting cloth is
provided with canvas sewn around it; near the edge of this canvas eyelets are
inserted, as shewn at f, and hooks, studs, or pins are fastened to the frame, as
shewn at g. A cord h passes through these eyelets and up around the pins g and
is drawn tight, thereby stretching the cloth on the frame and holding it tighter
than by any other method of fastening heretofore employed. If the cloth at any
time should become loose on the frame, it can be easily tightened-by-drawing up or
tightening tlie cord h. By this means-I-am enabled to readily change the cloth on
the screen-frame to suit the different grades of middlings, a result hitherto
frequently unattainable when the cloth is secured to the screen frame by tacking,
owing to the fact that in mills there is seldom sufficient room to enable the screen
frames to be taken out of or removed from the machine.
According to another part of my Invention I produce a middlings purifier, which
will remove the fibre and light impurities by the action of currents of air passing
through the middlings as they descend from the top to the bottom of the machine
through a spout. This part of my Invention is illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 of
the Drawings, in which i represents a spout placed at a proper inclination so that
the middlings will run sreely. The bottom or lower side of this spout is
provided with transverse openings 2 for the wind to enter in the direction of the
arrows, and is also provided with projections is placed transversely for causing the
middlings to fall from one projection to the other; whilst the middlings are
dropping the wind permeates them and carries off the fibre and fuzz. The bottom
of the spout is also provided with valves j operated by the rod j¹, which regulates
the area of the openings between the projections and the quantity of air that enters
the spout i; i* is a hopper for receiving the middlings to be purified. The
middlings after passing through the spout are discharged through suitable openings
at is, and are free from light impurities; k is a wind trunk or spout placed in front

page_text: of or over the spout i. The bottom of this wind trunk k is also provided with
transverse openings for the air to enter the wind chamber k; and in combination
with the said trunk I employ valves for regulating the air openings into the said
wind trunk k. These valves are operated by a rod provided with a nut for
raising or lowering it, and thereby increasing or diminishing the openings in the
bottom of the wind trunk %. An exhaust fan m draws the air through the bottom
of the spout i and the wind trunk k, thereby removing the fibre from the middlings
as they drop from one projection to the other. The wind and dust are discharged
at m². The rod l' is used for opening or closing the valves which regulate the
supply of air to the fan m; n*, n*, are side tubes constructed for the purpose of
allowing the air to enter the said fan.
The operation of this purifier is as follows, that is to say:-The middlings.are
fed into the hopper i*, and in descending fall from one projection to the other, the
wind that supplies the fan m entering the openings 2 and carrying off the fuzz
and fibre with it. The middlings are discharged at the openings at is free from
dust and fibre.
This machine will also serve as a bran separator for removing the light from the
heavy particles. It is chiefly designed to be used as a preparatory machine for
removing the soft fibrous matter which would otherwise clog the cloth.
Another part of my Invention relates to improvements in flour purifiers in
which the flour is fed to an endless belt composed of fine cloth. This belt travels
over and around rollers; the roller which propels the cloth is provided with pins
which enter holes in the flexible border of the cloth, and thereby secure the regular
or even travel of the same around the rollers. In this improved form of purifier
the flour does not sift through the said cloth but lies on its surface, and I employ a
current of air passing up through the flour as it travels with the cloth from the
head to the tail end of the machine to carry with it the fibre and colouring matter,
which is composed principally of fine pulverized bran. The texture of the said.
cloth is of such a degree of fineness that it will not permit any flour to pass
through, but only sufficient air for removing the impurities. This part of the said
Invention is illustrated in Figures 10 to 13, in which n is a frame of wood or other
suitable material, and o an endless belt of cloth made with a border of. flexible
material. In the border of this cloth holes are arranged at a regular distance from
cach other for pins in the roller p' to enter, and as the roller revolves it carries
with it the endless belt; p, p, are the rollers for supporting and carrying the
endless belt composed of fine cloth; q, q, are air chambers placed alongside and
lying parallel with the machine, and provided with openings on the inside through
which the air is discharged into the compartment under the cloth, the only place
for such air to escape being through such cloth o; r, r, are fans for blowing air
into the chambers 7, 9; 8, 8, are openings for the escape of air from the wind
chamber on one side, and 81, 8', represent the position of openings for the escape of
air from the wind chamber on the other side; t is a hopper for the purified flour to
drop into, and t¹ is a revolving brush for removing the flour from the cloth and
keeping the meshes of the said cloth open; u is a feed trough for distributing the
flour evenly on the cloth at the head of the machine. It is however difficult to
obtain a good distribution of flour on account of its adhesiveness, and a roller feed
has often been used but has proved insufficient. According to my Invention I
produce the required vibratory percussive movement by a cam and springs and
india rubber buffers, and produce a perfect distribution upon the entire width of
the cloth. This cam, which is shewn at u¹, when in motion forces the feed
trough back, and the latter is instantly returned by springs u² by which it is
supported against buffers u³, thereby producing a vibratory percussive movement.;
v is a slotted frame composed of a series of strips of wood, and having alternate
spaces or openings, the strips being placed transversely under the endless belt ;
this frame distributes the wind evenly beneath the cloth; w is the driving
shaft, from which the fan shaft is operated, and also the rollers and brush. The
- endless belt as it travels around the rollers carries with it the flour fed at. the

page_text: head of the machine, and discharges it over the tail end in a purified condition.
As the belt travels it comes in contact with the revolving brush, which removes
the flour from off the cloth and leaves the meshes open. The cloth travels over an
air tight box, and the air is compelled to escape through the meshes. The texture
of the cloth is so fine that the flour lying thereon whilst the belt is travelling does
not sift through, but the wind escapes through the minute openings in the same
and through the flour. In some cases I use stationary brushes placed over the
cloth for agitating the flour on the belt, and the machine is provided with a suction
fan for removing the fibres and impurities. There is therefore no clogging of the
cloth, no pasting of the meshes, nor waste of flour. The operation of purifying the
flour is first to remove the fine white flour with bolts, and next to feed the granular
flour into the feed trough, whence it passes onto the endless belt of cloth; it then
travels from the head to the tail end of the machine, and in its travel is subjected
to a pressure of air underneath and to currents or jets of air passing through the
openings in the cloth, which jets remove all impurities of less. gravity than the
particles of flour. By employing this purifier I separate the impurities by reason
of their specific gravity, they being of less gravity than particles of flour.
I will now proceed to describe the aspirator shewn in Figure 14. This aspirator
is provided with three spouts and an air trunk x. This air trunk is placed several
inches above a spout x¹ to permit the air to escape through the sides, which are
covered with cloth at y. A fan y¹ is placed at the bottom of the trunk x. The
bottom of this trunk is provided with lateral openings and a sliding, regulating, or
graduating valve. In operating with this aspirator the middlings are fed into the
hopper and run down through the spout x¹, which is provided with transverse
projections that cause the middlings to roll over. As they descend the currents of
air enter the flour and lift the fine fuzz, and carry it into the side spouts; the air
escapes through the cloth y. The middlings as they reach the bottom are free from
fuzz, and are in a fit condition for being finished in the purifier.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,-
First. In a middlings purifier the combination of the blast and suction fans
with the dust collector, cousisting of a series of parallel strips or lines of cloth or
muslin with sufficient space between them for the escape of the wind or current of
air, substantially as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Second. A dust collector or frame provided with a series of posts, around which
the cloth is passed in such a manner as_to_constitute.a.series-of-parallel-strips-or
lines, as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Third. In a middlings purifier a brush provided with friction-rollers for removing
the weight of the brush from the cloth, as above set forth and for the purpose
specified.
Fourth. The combination of a brush travelling upon the cloth with a vibrating
screen, through which currents of air pass, as above set forth and for the purpose
specified.
Fifth. In a middlings purifier a screen frame provided with cloth having eyelets
inserted near its edge, as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Sixth. In a middlings purifier the screen frame provided with hooks or studs,
so that the cloth may be fastened to it by lacing with a cord, as above set forth
and for the purpose specified.
Seventh. In a middlings purifier a spout provided with transverse openings in
its bottom, and transverse projections in combination with valves operated by a
rod for increasing or diminishing the said openings, as above described.
Eighth. In a middlings purifier a wind trunk provided with transverse openings
.in its bottom, and slide valves operated by a rod for changing the area of the
said openings in combination with a fan for producing a current of air, as above
set forth.
Ninth. In a middlings purifier a spout provided with projections on its bottom

page_text: in combination with a wind trunk placed over it, and having transverse openings
for the air to enter, as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Tenth. In a flour purifier an endless belt of fine cloth provided with a border of
flexible material for supporting it in combination with rollers for causing the
cloth and flour to travel from one end of the machine to the other end thereof, as
above set forth.
Eleventh. In a flour purifier the wind compartments parallel with the sides of
the machine (through which compartments the air is conducted from a fan, and
from which it is discharged into the machine through a series of lateral openings)
in combination with an endless belt of fine cloth, and of such a texture as to
permit the escape of enough air only for carrying off the fibres and colouring
matter without any flour, as above set forth.
Twelfth. In a flour purifier a travelling endless belt, through which the air passes
in an upward direction, in combination with a brusb, as above set forth and for the
purpose specified.
Thirteenth. A feed trough suspended by springs and operated by a cam in
combination with buffers, as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Fourteenth. In a flour purifier the combination of a vibrating feed trough and
an endless belt, as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Fifteenth. In a flour purifier a slotted frame for equalizing the pressure of air in
combination with an endless belt, as above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said, William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.