IMPROVEMENTS IN COTTON SEED HULLERS OF DECORTICATING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Pierre Paul Joseph Martin, of No. 77, Rue du
Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, in the Empire of France, Merchant,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COTTON SEED HULLERS OF
DECORTICATING MACHINES."
Sealed the 12th March 1867, and dated the 29th September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Pierre Paul Joseph Martin
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th September 1866.
I, PIERRE PAUL JOSEPH MARTIN, of No. 77, Rue du Faubourg St.
Martin, Paris, in the Empire of France, Merchant, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COTTON SEED HULLERS OR
DECORTICATING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This cotton seed huller is composed of a steady cast-iron hollow cylinder
and of a moveable one running within the first one; the whole periphery of
the latter is furnished with steel cutting edges or blades fitted in suitable
longitudinal grooves, and part of the concave periphery of the hollow cylinder
is furnished with similar cutting edges or blades. The cotton seeds as
delivered from the cotton gin being placed in a hopper are caused to fall

page_text: between the running cylinder and the concave, where the hulls or shells are
cut by the action of the steel blades of the operating cylinder. The kernels
fall down into a suitable box, whilst the bruised shells and fibrous particles are
blown off by suitable meaus.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Pierre Paul Joseph Martin in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PIERRE
PAUL JOSEPH MARTIN, of No. 77, Rue du Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, in
the Empire of France, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Pierre Paul Joseph Martin, Her special licence that I, the said Pierre
Paul Joseph Martin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Pierre Paul Joseph Martin, 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 COTTON SEED HULLERS OR DECORTICATING MACHINES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Pierre Paul Joseph Martin,
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 Pierre Paul Joseph Martin, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in by the following
statement:-
The object of my Invention is to remove the bark and fibrous particles of
the cotton seeds such as they are left by the cotton gin, and to clean the kernel
for the purpose of making oil with it. The hulling is effected by the passage

page_text: of the seed between the surfaces of a central running cylinder and a concave
surrounding one, both provided with steel blades or cutters, which can be
removed at pleasure for the purpose of renewing their edges or for supplying.
fresh ones when dull or worn out.
The cotton seed huller of my Invention is represented on the annexed Sheet'
of Drawing forming part of this my Specification.
Figure 1 represents vertical cross section in which my improveinent in
securing the teeth, blades, or cutters into the runner and concave shell are
clearly shewn; Figure 2 is a front view of the entire machine shewing the
runner or hulling cylinder with the teeth inserted in its periphery. Similar
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both Figures. To enable
the persons skilled in the art to fully understand my Invention I will proceed
to describe its construction and operation.
:
i
The machines of this sort are usually constructed with a solid cast-iron
cylinder and a concave one, the teeth or cutting edges of which form a part
of the castings. With such machines the cutting edges soon become dull, and
they are rendered useless; further the said cutting edges cannot very well be
hardened nor repaired when once dull, therefore to obviate this defect I'
employ steel cutters or blades c of a prismoidal shape, as represented by their
sections, Figure 1, and full size, Figure 3. These cutters, dovetail shaped, are'
inserted in suitable grooves cut across the surfaces of both hulling cylinder A
and concave cylinder B, as shewn by the Drawing. Between the dovetail
grooves the surface of the running cylinder and also the surface of the
concave is scored or furrowed, so that the knives or cutters will have a cutting
action on the seeds as the cylinder rotates.
Instead of dovetail grooves any
other suitable shape may be employed, with knives or cutters of a correspond-
ing shape, but the dovetail grooves will be found preferable for retaining
the knives in place. The knives or cutters c should have their surfaces and
edges parallel, so that they may readily be driven out of the grooves and
turned right to left when occasion requires; as their sharp edges wear out and
also their outer or top surface wear down, a provision is made for setting up
the concave B, and when they are entirely worn out new pieces can be readily
made to supply their places. In this way the machine may be kept in perfect
order, and as one edge of the knives gets worn down they can be reversed
and a new edge presented to the work. The machine should be constructed
in such a way as to admit of the change of cutters being made expeditiously.
The grooves or furrows between each cutter c are well adapted to give the
seeds a rolling motion and to bring them up to the cutters. The concave B is
made up of f segments for the purpose of more readily adjusting it to the cylinder A.

page_text: I will now proceed to describe how this machine works.
The motion is
given by stout belts running on large pulleys E, E, keyed at each end of the
shaft of the cylinder A, which must rotate about 350 times in a minute; at
such speed the machine can decorticate 20 tons of cotton seed in 24 hours.
The seed is brought up by means either of an endless cloth or bucket chain
and falls before the mouth of a fan, which blows it forward upon another end-
less cloth, and the latter brings it over above the cylinder A. The effect of
this is to separate the seed from all heterogeneous hard and heavy substances
which might be mixed with it and spoil the machine, such substances fall
down betwixt both endless cloths and cannot be brought to the action of the
cylinder. The quick rotating motion of the runner A carries along the seed
and brings it to the action of the teeth or cutters c of both cylinders, which
take and cut it to the required degree of thickness. The setting screws D are
for the purpose of bringing the segments composing the concave cylinder
closer to the runner, and a means of regulating the work is thus ensured.
The axles of the runner A rest on sliding brasses F held by adjusting screws,
which also regulate the position of this cylinder to suit the seeds to be
decorticated. After having been carried along through the space between the
working surfaces of the cylinders the seed is thrown off by the effect of
centrifugal force, and falls upon an endless cloth, which carries it into a bolting
room, where it is sifted out and made fit to be carried to the oil press.
Having thus described my Invention, what I claim and desire to secure by
Letters Patent is, the employment of reversible prismoidal steel knives or
cutters in combination with a scored or furrowed hulling cylinder running at
a great speed within a scored concave one. The mobility of the cutters
facilitates repairs and produces a great saving in the work; further, the
runner and concave may be reversed to present the sharp edges of the cutters
when the opposite edges are worn out.
In witness whereof, I, the said Pierre Paul Joseph Martin, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Signed and sealed in the
presence of
D'AUBREVILLE, C.E.
P. J. MARTIN. (L.S.)