Improvements in Apparatus for Delivering Grain from Vessels and for Measuring and Filling it into Sacks.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Oct., 1890-Accepted, 29th Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Delivering Grain from Vessels and
for Measuring and Filling it into Sacks.
I, WILLIAM LINDSAY, of 23 Queen Anne's Gate, in the City of Westminster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In order to measure grain as it is discharged from a vessel I cause the grain to be
raised from the hold by an endless elevator or by other suitable elevating mechanism
and to be delivered into a hopper carried at a distance outwards from the vessels side
by beams placed across the deck.
At the bottom of the hopper is a horizontal cylindrical casing having an opening
on its upper side through which grain passes into the casing from the hopper. A
borizontal shaft passes through the casing concentrically with it-this shaft has radial
blades extending from it to the inner circumference of the casing and the spaces
etween these blades form measuring compartments which as the shaft is revolved are
in succession filled with grain-the grain is discharged from these compartments
through an opening on the underside of the casing and down a discharge shoot into
a barge. In this way measured quantities of grain are delivered at each revolution
of the shaft and a counter or recording train of wheels is provided by which the
number of revolutions made by the shaft are recorded.
The shaft may be revolved by gearing driven by a crank handle or in other suit-
able way or it may be by the weight of the grain by which the compartiments on one
side of the shaft are filled and by the weight of the grain descending from the
hopper,
To allow of this the inlet for grain into the casing instead of being made vertically
above the shaft is made somewhat to one side of it.
To permit of the capacity of each measuring compartment being adjusted either for
the purpose of adjustment or to adapt it for delivering a uniform weight of different
kinds of grain metallic trays are provided of various sizes any one or other of which
can be fixed in the compartment and prevent the portion of the compartment nearest
to the shaft from being occupied with grain.
Or to effect the same object a flexible plate might be placed across each compart-
ment and along its central line be drawn by bolts inwards towards the shaft so as to
curve it more or less inwards to increase or diminish the capacity of the compartment.
as required or the ends of the compartments might be more or less filled up with
readily removable filling pieces.
When the grain has been so weighed into barges it is usually delivered on to
floors in warehouses and when delivered from the warehouses is again weighed and
filled into sacks.
To deliver a uniform weight of grain into each sack I deliver to each a measured
volume. To do this I provide a télescopic cylindrical vessel set vertically and with
tapered ends. To the upper end grain is supplied from a floor above through a
flexible pipe and from the lower end grain is discharged into a sack the mouth of
which is held open by being hooked to a suitable ring frame. To control the alternate
filling and emptying of the measuring chamber I provide two slides or cut off plates
one at the top and the other at the bottom and these are connected to opposite arms
of a lever so that when one is open the other is of necessity closed. I also provide
a spring by which the lever is normally held in such a position that the top valve is
open so that the measuring chamber may fill with grain. The capacity of the
telescopic chamber can be increased or decreased by drawing the ends towards or
away from one another by screws. The sack and holder may whilst the sack is being
filled be supported on the bed of a weighing machine which is so formed as to

page_text: indicate the weight on a dial so that it can readily be seen whether the correct
weight of grain is being delivered into the sacks.
Dated this h J
WILLIAM LINDSAY.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Delivering Grain from Vessels and
for Measuring and Filling it into Sacks.
I, WILLIAM LINDSAY, of 23 Queen Anne's Gate, in the City of Westminster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be perfornfed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
In order to measure grain as it is discharged from a vessel I cause the grain to be
raised from the hold by an endless elevator or by other suitable elevating mechanism
and to be delivered into a hopper carried at a distance outwards from the vessels side
by beams placed across the deck.
At the bottom of the hopper is a horizontal cylindrical casing having an opening on
its upper side through which grain passes into the casing from the hopper. A hori-
zontal shaft passes through the casing concentrically with it-this shaft has radial
blades extending from it to the inner circumference of the casing and the spaces
between these blades form measuring compartments which as the shaft is revolved are
in succession filled with grain-the grain is discharged from these compartments
through an opening on the under side of the casing and down a discharge shoot into
a barge. In this way measured quantities of grain are delivered at each revolution
of the shaft and a counter or recording train of wheels is provided by which the
number of revolutions made by the shaft are recorded.
Figure 1 of the drawings hereunto annexed is a vertical cross section of a vessel
fitted with apparatus for delivering grain in the above manner.
Figure 2 is a vertical section on a larger scale of the measuring mechanism.
A is an endless chain elevator of any ordinary construction mounted above one of
the hatchways upon beams B placed across the deck of the vessel. These beams pro-
ject outwards from one side of the vessel and upon their overhanging ends is mounted
a frame carrying a hopper D into which the grain is delivered by the elevator.
E is the cylindrical casing below the hopper. F is the horizontal shaft passing
concentrically through the casing and carrying radial blades G which extend from it
to the inner circumference of the casing. His the discharge shoot passing down
from the underside of the casing.
The shaft F may be revolved by gearing driven by a crank handle I or in other
suitable way or it may be by the weight of the grain by which the compartments on
one side of the shaft are filled and by the weight of the grain descending from the
hopper.
To allow of this the inlet for grain into the casing instead of being made vertically
above the shaft is made somewhat to one side of it as shewn at Figure 3.
To permit of the capacity of each measuring compartment being adjusted either
for the purpose of adjustment or to adapt it for delivering a uniform weight of
different kinds of grain metallic trays are provided of various sizes any one or other
of which can be fixed in the compartment and prevent the portion of the compartment
nearest to the shaft from being occupied with grain.
Figure 4 shews one of the measuring compartments having a metallic tray so fixed
within it.
Or to effect the same object a flexible plate K might be placed across each com-
partment as shewn at Figure 2 and along its central line be drawn by bolts L inwards
towards the shaft F so as to curve it more or less inwards to increase or diminish
the capacity of the compartment as required-or the ends of the compartments might
be more or less filled up with readily removeable filling pieces M as shewn at
Figure 5.

page_text: When the grain has been so weighed into barges it is usually delivered onto floors
in warehouses and when delivered from the warehouses is again weighed and filled
into sacks.
To deliver a uniform weight of grain into each sack I deliver to each a measured
volume. To do this I provide a telescopic cylindrical vessel set vertically and with
tapered ends. To the upper end grain is supplied from a floor above through a flexible
pipe and from the lower end grain is discharged into a sack the mouth of which is held
open by being hooked to a suitable ring frame. To control the alternate filling and
emptying of the measuring chamber 1 provide two slides or cut off plates one at the
top and the other at the bottom and these are connected to opposite arms of a lever so
that when one is open the other is of necessity closed. I also provide a spring by
which the lever is normally held in such a position that the top valve is open so that
the measuring chamber may fill with grain. The capacity of the telescopic chamber
can be increased or decreased by drawing the ends towards or away from one another
by screws. A vertical section of a measuring apparatus constructed as above
described is shewn at Figure 6.
A is a vertical metallic cylinder carried by an arm B extending from a wall Cor
other suitable support. D D are cylinders which fit within the ends of the cylinder A.
EE are screws by which the cylinders D can be drawn more or less into the cylinder A
and be retained in any desired position.
The outer ends of the cylinders D are tapered and each is provided with a slide or
cut off plate F. The opposite arms of a lever G pass through the ends of the plates F
and the fulcrum of the lever is carried by an arm H extending outwards from the
cylinder A. I is a spring which normally holds the lever in such a position that the
top valve is open.
To discharge a measured quantity of grain into a sack the lower end of the lever
las to be drawn outwards so as to open the bottom valve and close the top one and is
held in this position until the measuring cylinder is emptied of grain. K is a flexible
pipe through which grain is supplied to the measuring cylinder when the top valve is
open. The sack into which grain is discharged from the measuring cylinder and its
holder may whilst the sack is being filled be supported on the bed L of a weighing
machine which is so formed as to indicate the weight on a dial M so that it can
readily be seen whether the correct weight of grain is being delivered into the sacks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. The combination of the clevator mounted over the hatchway of a vessel and the
hopper and revolving measuring mechanism carried outside the vessel by beams
placed crosswise of the vessels deck and overhanging its side substantially as
described.
2. The construction of the revolving mechanism for measuring grain substantially
as herein before described.
3. The combination of the cylinder having movable telescopic ends-the cut off
slides carried by the movable ends-and the lever connected to both slides in such
manner that when one is open the other is closed.
4. The combination of apparatus substantially as herein before described for
delivering measured quantities of grain into sacks.
Data this 91st day of October 1800
WILLIAM LINDSAY.