Improvements in and Machinery for Cleaning and Polishing Malt and other Grain, and for Grading the same, Applicable also to Thrashing Machines, Finings Making, and other also to Thrashing Machines, Finings Making, and other similar Sieving or Screening Apparatus.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in and Machinery for Cleaning and Polishing
Malt and other Grain, and for Grading the same, Applicable
also to Thrashing Machines, Finings Making, and other
also to Thrashing Machines, Finings Making, and other
similar Sieving or Screening Apparatus.
We JOHN WILLIAMS CLINCH of Lake Brewery, Douglas, Isle of Man, Brewer, and
LINNAEUS GREENING of Bewsey Road Warrington in the County of Lancaster,
Wire Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:—
Our improvements in cleaning and polishing malt and other grain consist in
subjecting the same to a brushing action effected by a spiral brush against the
internal surface of a perforated drum casing and by improved mechanism as herein-
after described.
On the accompanying drawing Fig. 1. represents an end view and Fig. 2. a side
sectional view of our improved machine for the cleaning and polishing of malt and
other grain. Figs 3 and 4 are enlarged end views of the improved drum casing
shewn separately and illustrating how the same can be reduced in diameter as the
revolving screw or spiral brush wears away.
In performing our invention we mount a shaft a in bearings b at either end of
an enclosed wooden or other casing c and upon this shaft we affix a spiral brush a¹
(seen dotted in Fig. 2) the bristles of which may be of fibre wire hair or other
suitable material and which are affixed in a spiral direction around and extending
from end to end of the shaft. This brush is surrounded by a sheet metal drum
casing d (by preference of sheet steel on account of its smoothness) and which is
perforated with slits (preferably in the direction of the circumference) and which
drum is suspended from the top of the outer casing c by means of a series of
rods e e passing through slots in the top casing seen dotted in Figs. 3 & 4 the lower
extremity of each pair of which are rivetted to a metallic strap of which passes
round underneath the drum casing d and so support the same. Each of these pair
of rods are capable of being drawn closer together so as to reduce the circumference
of the drum casing around the brush as it wears away and which is most con-
veniently affected by the application of a right and left handed screw g as seen
more clearly in Figs 3 and 4. Fig. 3 shewing the position of the parts when the
drum is at its largest diameter and Fig. 4 when by revolving the screws g the
drum is reduced in diameter so as to follow up the wearing away of the brush and
to keep up the necessary contact,

page_text: It will be observed that the ends of the perforated sheet forming the drum
casing d are caused to overlap each other more and more as the drum casing is
reduced in diameter and hence facility is afforded for reducing and adjusting the
diameter to the greatest nicety.
-
And in order to utilise the same drum casing for grading or sorting the grain, we
arrange that a portion of its length near the delivery end shall be perforated with
wider slits than the other part so as to permit the smaller grain to pass through
the perforations into box and shoot i beneath whilst the large grains are carried
forward and finally escape from the drum casing through the spout j.
The action of this improved mechanism is as follows:-The malt or other grain
to be cleaned and polished is fed to the interior of the drum casing d through the
hopper k and revolving motion being imparted to the brush by a strap passing
round the driving pulley 1, the grain is rolled around by the revolving action of
the brush against the perforated casing and so becomes effectually cleaned and
polished the dirt falling through the said perforations into the box m beneath.
At the same time the grain by the spiral action of the brush is carried along the
drum casing until it has reached the delivery end of the machine by which time
the smaller grain will have fallen through the wider perforations h and the larger
grains being thus separated therefrom will finally escape through the spout j.
Although we have described a special description of perforated steel drum casing
which we prefer, we wish it to be understood that our improvements are equally
applicable to drum casings consisting of other perforated sheet metal or of wire
cloth or other similar articles.
It will be obvious that the improved adjustable drum casing herein described is
equally applicable to the drum of thrashing machines and for sieving and screening
and other analogous purposes whilst the spiral brush working against a cylindrical
surface of wire cloth constitutes a finings making machine of a simple and effective
construction.
In some cases we mount a plain cylinder at the end of the perforated one,
fitted with a screw blade to lead the grain forward into a series of outlets communi-
cating with the sacks or other receptacles..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1st The improved method of cleaning and polishing malt and other grain
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2nd The combination and arrangement of, mechanism for cleaning and polishing
malt and other grain applicable also in the construction of a finings making
machine and for other analogous purposes substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated on the accompanying drawing.
3rd The use of a spiral brush which at the same time rolls the grain or other
material round the drum casing and carries it forward from one end of the same to
the other substantially as and for the purposes herein before described.
4th The improved construction of adjustable drum casing and means of reducing
the same in diameter as the spiral brush wears away substantially as and for
the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated on the accompanying drawing.
JOHN G. WILSON,
Agent for the Applicants.