Improvements in Middlings Purifiers.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 9th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 24th May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Middlings Purifiers.
I, ROBERT LUND,, of the Firm of Hind and. Lund,, Limited, Preston, in the
County of Lancaster, Flour Mill Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention; to be as follows
This invention relates to improvements in middlings purifiers or machines-of
the vibrating sieve type-for separating middlings semolina and like materials and
has for its object to provide an improved method of separating or depositing the
finer particles of the material, under treatment, and, also to provide. increased
facilities for inspecting the upper surface. of the silks, or sieves, of such machines.
The main feature of the said improvements is the employment of a slowly moving
creeper or endless chain of buckets of peculiar construction-hereinafter described
-arranged immediately, over the silk or sieve but so as not to touch. the same..
The said endless chain is carried upon end rollers or bearings one of which
is driven. or rotated by gearing at the outside of the machine and these end, bearings
along with the chain of buckets are so arranged as, by means of-preferably-chain
gearing pulley and lever mechanism. to be capable of being simultaneously, raised
from, over the surface of the silk thereby rendering the same visible for the
purpose of inspection. At the, driving end of the travelling chain is provided a
sliding worm, upon a. vertically arranged side shaft for the purpose of keeping the
driving mechanism, in, gear whilst the said end bearing is raised or lowered, and
each end bearing, has in addition screw-adjusting: mechanism for regulating, the
distance between the travelling buckets and the silk below. The buckets, consist
of sheet metal troughs the curved bottom portions of which stand at a short distance
above the silk: Over the upper edges of each adjoining, pair of the buckets-
between which there is a suitable space or interval-is a bar or strip. (preferably
of wood) having a curved or concave face on its lower side that is to say on that
side which faces the, edges of the sheet metal buckets: over which the said strip
stands at a distance of about three, eighths, of an inch therefrom. The outer
ends of the strips are extended beyond the ends of the buckets so as to rest upon
suitable runners or slide rails running lengthwise of the machine and the said
strips may be connected, to. each other by a link, chain, or chains.. The buckets are
suspended from the wood strips in suitable hangers, or holders.,,,
"
The action of the above described apparatus is as follows.-The ordinary air
current or suction through the silk or vibrating sieve causes the; finer particles, of
the material under treatinent to be gently drawn upwards through the spaces
between the edges of the buckets travelling on the bottom side and the curved
undersides of the strips a portion of the said finer particles being deposited and
lodging within the buckets and being ultimately discharged, by being emptied out
of the buckets at the tail end, of the machine.... When the, buckets-get, to the top
they open downwardly, but the concave or hollow, surfaces, of the, wood, strips.face
upwardly and receive within said hollow,, surfaces other of the finer particles
which, they in due course, convey, towards and discharge at the, head, or opposite, ejd
of the machine.
do b
111
The coarser particles, of the material find their way, down the inclined surface of

page_text: the vibrating sieve and are discharged at the tail end of the machine in the ordinary
manner
Dated this 17th day of July 1894.
:
**
Improvements in Middlings Purifiers.
I, ROBERT LUND of the Firm of Hind & Lund Limited; Preston, in the County
of Lancaster, Flour Mill Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same isi to be performed; to be particularly, described
and ascertained in and: by: the following statement:..
This invention relates to improvements in middlings purifiers or machines-of
the vibrating sieve type-for separating middlings semolina and other like
materials in the manufacture of flour and has for its object an improved method of
separating or depositing the finer particles of the material under treatment and also
to provide greater facilities for inspecting the upper surface of the silks or sieves
of such machines. A principal feature of the said improvements is the employment
of a slowly moving creeper of peculiar construction-hereinafter described-arranged
'immediately over the silk or sieve..
The said creeper or endless chain is carried upon end rollers or bearings
mounted at each end of a horizontal, frame one of the rollers being driven or
rotated by gearing at the outside of the machine and the frame carrying the
end bearings and the creeper being so arranged as by means of (preferably)
chain gearing pulley and lever mechanism to be capable of being raised or lifted
from over the surface of the silk or sieve thereby rendering the latter visible for
the purpose of inspection. At the driving end of the creeper is provided a sliding
worm upon a vertically arranged side shaft for the purpose of keeping the driving
mechanism in gear whilst the 'end bearing is raised or lowered: The creeper
carries a series of buckets consisting of sheet metal troughs whose curved under-
sides stand at a short distance above the silk. Above the upper edges of each
adjoining pair of the buckets-between which there is a space or interval-is a
bar or strip (preferably of wood) having a curved or concave face on its lower side
that is to say on that side which faces the buckets over which the said strip stands
at a distance therefrom of about three eighths of an inch. The outer ends of
the bars or strips are extended beyond the ends of the buckets and rest upon a pair
of slide rails running lengthwise of the machine and the said strips may conveniently
be connected to each other by a link chain or chains. The buckets are suspended
from the strips in 'suitable hangers or holders attached at their upper ends to the
said strips..
!
".
The action of the above described apparatus is as follows:-The ordinary air
current or suction draught. through the silks or vibrating sieve causes the finer
particles of the material under treatment to be rapidly drawn upwards through the
spaces or apertures between the buckets (travelling on the lower side) and against
the curved underside of the strips-which thus act as intercepting deflectorsa
portion of the said finer particles being deposited and lodging within the buckets
and being ultimately discharged by being emptied out of the buckets as they
overturn at the tail end of the machine. When the buckets have travelled roun
to the top they open' downwardly but the concave or hollow surfaces of the strips

page_text: face upwardly and receive within said hollow. surfaces other of the finer particles.
which they in due course convey towards and discharge at the head or opposite end
of the machine and the said finer particles being conveyed away as hereinafter
described.
The coarser particles of the material find their way down the inclined surface of
the vibrating sieve and are discharged at the tail end of the machine in the ordinary
manner.
In order that our said invention may be better understood reference is had to the
accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of an ordinary form of middlings
purifier of the vibrating sieve type having our improvements applied thereto.
Fig. 2 shews the creeper or bucket chain and the frame in which it, is carried
detached and also an ordinary arrangement of mechanism for adjusting the longi-
tudinal tension upon the said chain.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail view of the creeper or bucket chain.
Fig. 4 illustrates an arrangement of chain gearing pulley and lever mechanism
for raising and lowering, the creeper or bucket chain.
Fig. 5 is a sectional end view and
Fig. 6 a side view of the sliding worm and side shaft for keeping the driving
mechanism in gear during the raising and lowering of the creeper.
Fig. 7 is a plan view of the creeper and
Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of the head end of the vibrating sieve and
adjoining side trays to illustrate the mode of conveying away the material discharged
from the strips.
A represents the bucket chain or creeper carried upon the end rollers B B₁ the
latter (B¹) being driven or rotated by means of the worm wheel a and the sliding
worm b on the vertically arranged side shaft b' rotated through the medium of the
bevel wheels cc (see Figs. 5 and 6). At Fig. 3 is shewn enlarged a portion of the
endless chain A of which d d are the buckets ee the strips and ff the hangers or
holders carrying the buckets d d. gg are links of a chain each alternate link g¹
having side wings h through which screws are passed to fasten the strips e e to the
chain links g gl. The two extremities of the strips ee (see Fig. 7) are extended
beyond the ends of the buckets d d and rest upon the slides hh below and on other
slides above (see Figs. 2 and 8). ii are ordinary division or compartment
boards but in order to allow them to be moved sideways out of the way when the
creeper or bucket chain is lifted they are hinged at ; and jointed to a bar v.
A raised part or plate w on the chain frame carries an anti-friction roller y and
the division boards ii being set at an angle are capable of being simultaneously
moved out of the way. k is a sheet metal plate (see Figs. 1, 4, and 8) sloping
downwardly towards the two side trays I down whose inclined surface the finer
particles discharged or deposited from the strips ee at the head end of the machine
are gradually conveyed by the vibration of the sieve m to a sloping spout n at the
tail end of the machine (see Figs. 2 and 8). The coarser particles of the
material find their way down the inclined surface of the vibrating sieve and under
the sheet metal plate o to be discharged into the outlet opening p in the ordinary
manner. At Figs. 5 and 6 9 is a metal block forming a journal or bearing for
the shafts the said block hanging from the chain and fitting within the slot t so
as to be capable of sliding up and down freely therein-a pair of similarly
arranged journals or bearings being provided for each of the end rollers B B¹ as
will be readily understood.
T
By the above described arrangement the air current after having passed
upwardly through the apertures between the buckets d d and under the deflecting
strips at the lower side of the creeper is at liberty to "expand" or spend
itself through the open sides C of the creeper and thus to facilitate the deposition
of the finer particles or dust within the troughs or buckets d d and upon the side
trays II.

page_text: Having now particularly described 'and 'ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
—
•
1. In a middlings purifier the, employment of a creeper consisting of troughs or
buckets such as d d in combination with. deflecting bars or strips such, as ee and
chain links such as g g or their equivalents the said parts being arranged and
operated substantially as described and shewn in the drawings.
2. In a middlings purifier the combination with a creeper. of the kind. described
in Claim 1. of mechanism for the purpose of raising and lowering, the said creeper
arranged substantially as shewn in the drawings.
3. In a middlings purifier.the combination with a creeper constructed and operated
as hereinabove described of side trays such as ll arranged substantially as shown in
the drawings
Dated this 9th day of April 1895.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered. Patent Agent.