IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAFF CUTTING MACHINES to be as follows :-
Year: 1884

page_text: We GEORGE HARDING INNES of Hitchin in the county of Herts Agricultural
Engineer and JOSEPH WILLIAM LEE of Avenue.Works Cambridge in the county
of Cambridge, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for-
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAFF CUTTING MACHINES to be as follows :-
"
This invention relates to improvements in chaff cutting machines for cutting.up
straw, hay, grass and other material into chaff.
Ordinary chaff cutters are generally fitted with two rollers through which the
material to be cut passes to the knives; another roller is fitted near the bottom
feed roller on a level with the bottom of the trough in which the material is
placed for cutting the same; over this roller an endless chain usually made of iron
and wood slats is made to work this chain works along the bottom of the trough
from one end to the other and passes over another roller at the back of the
machine and assists the feeding of the material to be cut. A fourth roller has
been sometimes employed working on a centre so that the roller could be raised or
lowered by the material, and could be lifted out of working position. Even with
the advantage of the chain however a considerable amount of labour is required
in feeding when rough material has to be cut and there is also a certain amount
of danger from the risk of the hands of the operator being drawn into the rollers.
To lessen the labour in feeding and to prevent such accidents is the object of
this invention.
.
In carrying out our invention in addition to the ordinary feed rollers we employ
a number of rollers say five or six more. or less which rollers work inside the
trough of the machine. The first of this series of rollers is fixed immediately
above one of the ordinary rollers that carry the chain along the bottom of the
trough and is placed about an inch or an inch and a quarter from the said first
roller and the other rollers of the series are placed close together with only
sufficient space between them to allow them to pass each other in revolving; the
rollers are placed in an inclined position from the front towards the back of the
machine the back roller being placed a little above the outside of the trough which
is about twelve inches deep the ends of these rollers work in suitable bearings and
receive their motion from intermediate wheels operated, from any suitable part of
the machine. Or the rollers can be driven by pitch chain wheels and pitch chains
or otherwise.

page_text: The roller which works immediately above the bottom chain roller is capable of
rising and falling to suit the varying thickness of the material by means of a.
spiral spring or weighted lever or other suitable means. This roller being depressed
by the said spring or lever presses on the material as it passes under it and the
material. is thereby not only compressed but drawn forward at the same time and.
this arrangement of the rollers forms the most important feature in this inven-
tion as it renders it quite unnecessary for the operator to use any force to
pass the material to the knife rollers. It is only necessary for him to place the
material in the trough and the chain and inclined rollers will carry it forward and
compress it.
•
.
.
We sometimes dispense with some of the rollers of the series and employ only
the front and back rollers thereof in which case we pass over the said rollers an
endless band of leather or other suitable material having strips or projections of
iron, wood or other material at suitable distances apart for the purpose of causing
the material to be cut to be drawn forward to the knives of the machine.

page_text: We GEORGE HARDING INNES of Hitchin in the county of Herts Agricultural
Engineer and JOSEPH WILLIAM LEE of Avenue Works Cambridge in the county
of Cambridge, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAFF CUTTING MACHINES and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in 'and by the
following statement :-
"
This invention relates to improvements in chaff cutting machines for cutting up
straw, hay, grass and other material into chaff.
Ordinary chaff cutters are generally fitted with two rollers through which the
material to be cut passes to the knives; another roller is fitted near the bottom
feed roller on a level with the bottom of the trough in which the material is placed
for cutting the same; over this roller an endless chain usually made of iron and
wood slats is made to work; this chain works along the bottom of the trough .
from one end to the other and passes over another roller at the back of the machine
A fourth roller has been some-
and assists the feeding of the material to be cut.
times employed working on a centre so that the roller could be raised or lowered
by the material, and could be lifted out of working position. Even with the
advantage of the chain however a considerable amount of labour is required in
feeding when rough material has to be cut and there is also a certain amount of
danger from the risk of the hands of the operator being drawn into the rollers.
In the specification' of former Letters Patent granted to Samuel Burlingham
and ourselves No 6,188 of 1884 an endless travelling web or chain is described
placed at an incline above the ordinary bottom revolving web or chain which
works along the bottom of the trough.
According to the present improvements in addition to the ordinary feed rollers
we employ a number of rollers which rollers work inside the trough of the machine.
The first of this series of rollers is placed immediately above one of the ordinary
rollers that carry the chain along the bottom of the trough and is placed about an
inch or an inch and a quarter from the top front feed roller and the other rollers of
the series. are placed close together with only sufficient space between them to
allow them to pass each other in revolving; the rollers are placed in an inclined
position from the front towards the back of the machine the back roller being
placed a little above the outside of the trough which is about 12 inches deep the
ends of these rollers work in suitable, bearings and receive their motion from
intermediate wheels operated from any suitable part of the machine or the rollers
can be driven by pitch chain wheels and pitch chains or otherwise.
The roller which works immediately above the bottom chain roller is capable of
rising and falling to suit the varying thickness of the material by means of a
spiral spring or weighted lever or other suitable means.
In order to enable our invention to be fully understood we will proceed to
describe the same by reference to the accompanying drawing which represents a
longitudinal section of part of a chaff cutting machine with our improvements
applied thereto.
a and a represent the feed rollers through which the material to be cut passes
to the knives of the machine; b shews one of the rollers over which the chain or

page_text: .
web o passes for assisting the feeding of the material forward to the feed rollers a
and a all the said parts being of ordinary construction; d e f and g are the
rollers which we employ in addition to the said ordinary feed rollers; the rollers de
and work inside the trough A of the machine and have their bearings in a
plate on each side of the machine which plate moves on the axis é of the top
roller g, working in a suitable bearing j, on the top of the trough A; the roller d
is placed immediately over the roller b; the rollers d e f and g are placed close
together as shewn with only sufficient space between them to allow them to pass
each other in revolving; the rollers de fand g, are arranged in an upwardly
inclined position from the front towards the back of the machine as shown in the
drawing; and m shown in dotted lines the intermediate toothed wheels which
by means of toothed wheels n o p and q, also shown in dotted lines and fixed on the
axes i of the rollers d, e f and g communicate the motion of the roller d' to the
next roller e, and so on; the wheels k, land m, have their bearings in and are
carried by the plate h; the roller d which acts as a pressure roller receives its.
motion from suitable gearing such as that described in the specification of Letters
Patent granted to Samuel Burlingham, George Harding Innes and Joseph William
Lee dated the 9th April 1884 N° 6188: is the weighted lever connected to a
moveable cheek or plate s by means of a link t, on each side of the trough A in a
similar manner to that described in the specification of the said former Letters
Patent whereby the rollers a: dc and fare capable of rising and falling to suit
the varying thickness of the material, suitable slots being provided in the sides of
the trough A to allow of the necessary movement of the axes i of the rollers e an f
therein.
By our improvements the pressure roller d being depressed by the lever ?, will
press on the material to be cut as it passes under it and the material is thereby
not only compressed' but drawn forward at the same time. The arrangement of
the rollers d. ef and g renders it quite unnecessary for the operator to use any
force to pass the material to the knife rollers a and al-It is only necessary for
him to place the material in the trough A-and the rollers d, e f and g will carry it
forward and compress it.
It will be obvious that other suitable means than those herein before, described
such as pitch chain wheels and pitch chains can be. employed for driving the
rollers de fand g; further although four of the said rollers are shewn in the
drawing this number can be increased or diminished according to requirement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
I
1. In a chaff cutting machine the use of a series of rollers arranged as described.
at an incline above and rotated and operating in combination with the ordinary
chain or web working along the bottom of the box or trough, the said rollers as
they revolve gathering and compressing the material to be cut and' then forcing. it
through the ordinary front or feed rollers on to the knives of the machine
substantially as herein before described.
2. The improved chaff cutting machine herein before described and represented
in the accompanying drawing.