IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SIFTING BALLAST
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Neal and George Neal both of Wandsworth
Common in the County of Surrey, Contractors, and Charles Robert Whitmee
of York Road, Battersea in the same County, Machinist, for an Invention of
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SIFTING BALLAST
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Neal, George Neal,
and Charles Robert Whitmeo at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 24th October 1883.
"J
ROBERT NEAL and GEORGE NEAL both of Wandsworth Common in the County
of Surrey, Contractors, and CHARLES ROBERT WHITMEE of York Road, Battersea
in the same County Machinist "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SIFTING BALLAST."
The chief object of this invention is to facilitate the sifting and assortment of
river ballast.
The apparatus employed in carrying out this object consists of an arrangement
of hopper and screens or sieves of different gauges hung from a fixed frame or other
support in such a way as to be capable of receiving an oscillatory movement. For
ordinary purposes two screens are found to be sufficient, we shall therefore describe
our apparatus as having that number.
The hopper hung from the frame by means of a pair of swing bars and
is provided about the middle of its depth with a coarse horizontal grating.
Immediately below the hopper and in loose connection therewith is the first screen
hung horizontally from the frame by two pairs of swing bars, and connected with a
rotary crank or its equivalent for giving oscillatory motion thereto; the second
screen is immediately below the first and is carried by it by means of short links
which provide for a shaking movement additional to the oscillatory movement
received from the first screen.
When the ballast in its rough state is thrown upon the grating of the hopper,
the larger stones are caught and shaken over one side of the hopper (cut down if
necessary to facilitate their passage) into a shute provided for carrying them off;
and the ballast to be sifted falls through onto the bottom of the hopper and from.
thence is delivered to the upper screen, the feed being regulated by incans of a

page_text: "
slide. The ballast as it falls onto this screen is sifted the smaller particles passing
through onto the finer screen below and the coarser particles being delivered onto
a shute which will guide them out of the machine. The lower screen completes
the sifting and assorting operation, the finest sand falling into a cart or into a heap
below the screen and that not so fine being delivered to a suitable receptacle.
In order to ensure the efficiency of the apparatus the length of the pairs of swing
bars carrying the top screen is so proportioned as to tip the screen while swinging.
The lower screen may be tipped in the same manner by regulating the length of
the links which hang it to the upper screen. As screens used for sifting gravel
and sand are always liable to get clogged the lower screen is provided with a
double inclined tappet which striking the upper screen as it swings causes a
bumping movement to take place as the screens oscillate under the action of the
rotary crank. By this means the meshes of the screens are kept perfectly clear.
By the above described apparatus a great saving of time and labour is effected
as large quantities of ballast can be sifted and assorted in a very few minutes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed.
by the said Robert Neal, George Neal, and Charles Robert Whitmee in the
Patent Office on the 23rd April 1884..
ROBERT NEAL and GEORGE NEAL both of Wandsworth Common in the County
of Surrey Contractors and CHARLES ROBERT WHITMEE of York Road Battersea in
the same County Machinist "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SIFTING BALLAST
33
The chief object of this Invention is to facilitate the sifting and assortment of
river ballast.
The apparatus employed in carrying out this object consists of an arrangement
of hopper and screens or sieves of different gauges hung from a fixed frame or
equivalent support in such a way as to be capable of receiving an oscillatory .
movement. Ordinarily two screens are found to be sufficient for sifting and
assorting river ballast and we shall therefore describe our apparatus as having that
number.
;
In the accompanying drawing Fig 1 shews in side elevation partly in section T
and Fig 2 in plan view a double sifting Machine constructed according to our
Invention.
In theso Figures A is a rectangular framework of wood having transverse and -
longitudinal bracing beams for stiffening the uprights and carrying the various !
parts of the mechanism. BB are hoppers supported at the upper part of the
framing and receiving the ballast to be sifted from the skip or bucket of an
elevator.
Each hopper is hung from the frame by means of a pair of link rods 6 having
eyes at their lower ends which take onto a cross bar b¹ attached to the underside
of the hopper near its back part The. hoppers are provided about the middle of
their depth with a coarse horizontal grating 6ª.
The front of the hoppers is open. completely. above the grating but partially
only below the grating from the hopper bottom upwards. This partial opening of
the front below the grating is for the discharge of the ballast which has passed
through the grating onto the screen below. The rate of this discharge is regulated
by means of a slide or shutter 63 which is made adjustable vertically for the
purpose..
Below each hopper and connected rigidly therewith by means of bent coupling
bars 6 b is the first screen D which is supported in front and rear from metal
straps & carried by the frame A and connected with the screen by coupling chains
and link rods which take onto stud pins projecting from the opposite sides of
the screen. Attached rigidly to the front end of the screens D are shutes D*
which are supported by chains d* pendent from the framing A and linked to metal
straps D** underlying the shutes.
E E are the second screens situate immediately below the screens D and
connected thereto by means of link rods e which take onto stud pins projecting
from the sides of the upper and lower screens.
For the purpose of giving vibratory motion to the sifting apparatus a crank
shaft F is provided the cranks f of which connect by means of rods f¹ with the
coupling bars b. This crank shaft is furnished with a fly wheel f" for steadying
its motion and keyed to the shaft is a spur wheel f" which gears into a spur
wheel on the driving shaft H. A pulley on this shaft receives a band from any
prime mover and by its rotation transmits a reciprocating motion to the screens.
The coupling of the screens D and E by means of the link rods e provides for a
shaking movement additional to the oscillatory movement received from the
Screens D,

page_text: When the ballast in its rough state is thrown upon the gratings of the hoppers
the larger stones are held back and discharged at the front of the hoppers onto the
shutes D* attached to the front ends of the screens D whence they are delivered
from the Machino.
The ballast to be sifted falling through the grating is delivered to the upper
screen the feed being regulated as above explained by the slide 6. The ballast as
it falls onto the screen D'is sifted and assorted the smaller particles passing through
onto the finer screen below and the coarser particles being delivered by the
shutes D✶ out of the Machine.
The lower screen E completes the sifting and assorting operation the finest sand
falling into a Cart or forming a heap below the screen and that not so fine being
delivered into a suitable receptacle or onto the ground; a partition I serving to
secure the separation of the two heaps.
In order to ensure the efficiency of the apparatus a tappet action is set 'up
between the screens D'and E.
For this purpose we rebate the underside of the frame of the screen D and give
to the upper side of the frame of the screen E a corresponding projection. Theso
screens we connect together by link rods in such a manner as to cause the screens
as they are moved by the crank rod to strike against each other at the points.
and thereby produce a bumping movement the result of which is to clear the
meshes of the screens.
**.1
To facilitate the operation of sifting we find it convenient to discharge a spray of !
water onto the ballast as it falls upon the upper screens D and for this purpose wo
provide jets KK putting the same in communication with a reservoir or other
means of water supply.
By the above described apparatus a great saving of time and labor is effected as
large quantities of ballast can be sifted and assorted in a few minutes
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improved apparatus for
sifting ballast" 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 reciprocating hopper and screens constructed, arranged and operating in the
manner and for the purpose above described with reference to the drawing.
In witness whereof we the said
Whitmee have hereunto set our
the year of our Lord One thousand
Robert Neal, George Neal and Charles Robert,
hands and seals the twenty first day of April in
eight hundred and eighty, four..
ROBERT NEAL,
GEORGE NEAL
(LS.)
(18)
ค
3