IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING, PURIFYING, OR SEPARATING FROM DUST AND EXTRANEOUS MATTERS WHEAT, DECORTICATED GRAIN, AND OTHER SEEDS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Higginbottom, Engineer, and Edward Hutchinson,
Rice and Corn Miller, both of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING,
PURIFYING, OR SEPARATING FROM DUST AND EXTRANEOUS MATTERS WHEAT,
DECORTICATED GRAIN, AND OTHER SEEDS."
Sealed the 10th October 1879, and dated the 12th April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Higginbottom and
Edward Hutchinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
12th April 1879.
JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM, Engineer, and EDWARD HUTCHINSON, Rice and Corn
Miller, both of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING, PURIFYING, OR SEPARATING FROM DUST
AND. EXTRANEOUS MATTERS WHEAT, DECORTICATED GRAIN, AND OTHER SEEDS."
This Invention was designed chiefly to purify from dust and bran grain that has
already passed through the decorticator for which we have obtained Letters Patent,
No. 908, 1193, and 1911, of 1875, but is also useful for other purposes.
According to our present Invention the wheat or other grain is allowed to spread
out freely from a full spout onto a rapidly revolving disc, and to. descend from this
onto a series of discs or annular flat ledges revolving rapidly in a casing of wire
cloth or other finely perforated material; the ledges can be all combined in one
casting with the top disc, and rotate on a central shaft round which a current of air
rises from a fan or otherwise, and is free to enter between the various ledges; or in
place of this plan the various ledges can take the form of discs all keyed to the
same central shaft, each disc perforated with large perforations near the centre to
admit air freely, but solid towards the edge or periphery. These discs or annular
ledges do not touch the wire gauze, but on the contrary there is a narrow space left
between them and the gauze down which the grain is free to descend, its only
impediment being the grain already beneath it. There can be any number of these
ledges, all either closed or open toward the centre, as the centrifugal force and the
tendency that granular matters have to stand at a given angle of repose, both tend
to prevent the grain rolling towards the inner edge of the annular ledges.

page_text: Between the discs we fix or cast vanes for the purpose of exhausting or sucking
air from the space round the central shaft, and discharging the same through the
wire gauze. This current of air can be assisted by fans either by pressure or
exhaustion. We prefer to make the bottom disc solid without perforations, and
place a fan below it into which the casing outside the wire gauze opens. The air
enters through perforations in the cover of the machine and passes between the
various discs or central spaces in the annular ledges below, and is sucked through
the grain and wire gauze to the fan, which carries the dust away. Opposite the lip
of the lowest ledge is a sloping spout or exit regulated by a slide. Down this the
purified grain descends to a vertical spout up which a strong current of air is
caused to ascend. This upward current carries off the larger but lighter particles
and light grains too big to go through the meshes of the wire gauze, and deposits
them in a chamber into which the upper portion of the pipe bends or opens; or,
preferably, the vertical spout bends over at the top into a downward spout or
spouts which guides the air current and its contained impurities to the centre space
of the fan below. From this space the action of the fan discharges the impurities
at the exterior of the machine.
The ledges are formed as a rule of cast iron, but other material will do, and in
rare cases we may combine one of the principles of our former Invention with this
by making the ledges of or covering them with emery, other abrasive material,
sheepskin, or leather.
In another form of the machine, in place of forming annular discs with flat ledges
we make the discs with their periphery inclined or bevelled, the bevel sloping
downwards and inwards, such discs either being solid throughout, or having per-
forations at the centre, and we form the discs either with or without vanes upon
the bevelled portion, the object of the bevel being to cause the grain undergoing the
action of cleaning to be continually forced up the incline of the bevel portion and
again returned by sliding down itself to the foot of the bevel on the disc. We
prefer to arrange the machine to work as a full machine, namely, with the discharge
regulated after the grain has passed the discs, but we may fix the regulating slide
to the grain before admitting it to the machine, leaving the discharge free and
open. In certain cases we arrange the machine with the centre shaft inclined
at an angle to the vertical.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Higginbottom and Edward Hutchinson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 10th October 1879.
"
JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM, Engineer, and EDWARD HUTCHINSON, Rice and Corn
Miller, both of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING, PURIFYING, OR SEPARATING FROM DUST
AND EXTRANEOUS MATTERS WHEAT, DECORTICATED GRAIN, AND OTHER SEEDS."
This Invention is best described by aid of the accompanying Drawings, in which
Figs. 1 and 2 are sectional elevations of two slightly varying forms of the same
machine, and Figs. 3 and 4 plans of same on lines W, X, and Y, Z, respectively, and
was designed chiefly to polish and purify from dust and bran grain that has already
passed through the decorticator, for which we have obtained Her Majesty's Letters
Patent, No. 908, 1193, and 1911 of 1875, but is also useful for other purposes.
According to our present Invention the wheat or other grain is allowed to spread
out freely from a full spout A on to a rapidly revolving disc B, and to descend from
this on to a series of discs B¹, B', or annular flat ledges revolving rapidly in a
casing of wire cloth or other finely perforated material Ď. The ledges can be all
combined in one casting with the top disc and rotate on a central shaft E. The
inner space around the central shaft is open to the atmosphere above, and the air is
free to enter between the various ledges as shown in Fig. 2. Or in place of this
plan the various ledges can take the form of discs all keyed to the same central
shaft, each disc perforated with large perforations G near the centre to admit air
freely, but solid towards the edge or periphery. These discs or annular ledges do
not touch the wire gauze D, but on the contrary there is a narrow space left between
them and the gauze down which the grain is free to descend, its only impediment
being the grain already beneath it. There can be any number of these ledges, all
either closed or open towards the centre, as the centrifugal force and the tendency
that granular matters have to stand at a given angle of repose both tend to prevent
the grain rolling towards the inner edge of the annular ledges. Between the discs
we fix or cast vanes H, H, for the purpose of exhausting or sucking air from the
space round the central shaft E and discharging the same through the wire gauze D.
This current of air can be assisted by fans either by pressure or exhaustion.
We prefer to make the bottom disc solid without perforations and place a fan F
below it, into which the casing I outside the wire gauze opens. The air enters through
perforations in the cover C of the machine and passes between the various discs or
central spaces in the annular ledges below and is sucked through the grain and wire
gauze to the fan F which carries the dust away. Opposite the lip of the lowest
ledge is a sloping spout or exit J regulated by a slide K; down this the polished
and purified grain descends to a vertical spout L up which a strong current of air
is caused to ascend. This upward current carries off the larger but lighter particles
and light grains too big to go through the meshes of the wire gauze, and the vertical
spout bends over at the top into a downward spout or spouts N which guide the
air current and its contained impurities to the centre space of the fan below, from
this space the action of the fan discharges the impurities at the exterior of the machine.
The ledges B, B', are formed as a rule of cast iron, but other material will do, and
in rare cases we may combine one of the principles of our former Invention with
this by making the ledges of or covering them with emery or other abrasive
material, sheep skin or leather, or a combination of these.
We have hitherto spoken only of ledges, but frequently prefer in place of forming
annular discs with flat ledges to make the discs with their periphery inclined or
bevelled, as shown, Fig. 1, the bevel sloping downwards and inwards, such discs
either being solid throughout or having perforations G at the centre, and we form
the discs either with or without vanes H upon the bevelled portion, the object of
the bevel being to cause the grain undergoing the action of cleaning to be

page_text: continually forced up the incline of the bevel portion and again returned by sliding
down upon itself to the foot of the bevel on the disc. We prefer to arrange the
machine to work as a full machine, namely, with the discharge regulated after the
grain has passed the discs, but we may fix the regulating slide to the spout A and
regulate the feed, leaving the discharge free and open. In certain cases we arrange
the machine with the centre shaft inclined at an angle to the vertical.
Referring again to the Drawings, O is the driving pulley; P, standard for
carrying upper bearing of shaft E; Q, cover of chamber I which can be taken
down to examine the perforated casing D; K, slide for regulating exit of grain
regulated by thumb screw K¹; R frame of machine; S, lower bearing of shaft E;
T, valve in vertical pipe useful to regulate the strength of air current in the
uptake.
Having now described our Invention, what we claim is,-
1. An apparatus applicable for cleaning or polishing grain consisting of a series of
discs or annular ledges either with or without vanes upon their upper or under
surfaces revolving inside a casing either solid or perforated, and upon which discs
the grain is free to fall and lie till forced off by centrifugal force into the narrow
annular passage between the discs and the casing.
2. The mode of cleaning or of polishing grain and other like substances by giving
them a well regulated descent through a plain casing, either cylindrical or conical,
in which a series of discs or annular ledges, flat, bevelled, or otherwise at their
peripheries, are kept revolving, the sole cleaning or polishing surface being those of
the revolving discs and the plain interior of the casing, the abrasion or polishing
being chiefly obtained from the violent action or attrition of grain against grain.
3. The mode of cleaning or of polishing grain as described by having an
uninterrupted or free feed to a casing containing rapidly revolving horizontal discs
or annular ledges, and a regulated discharge therefrom, the machine being kept as
full as the centrifugal force and inertia of the grain will allow, and the abrasion,
cleaning, or polishing being chiefly accomplished by the grain rubbing against
grain.
4. In apparatus for cleaning, purifying, and freeing from dust wheat, decorticated
grain, and other seeds, the combination of a series of horizontal discs or ledges upon
and round which the grain is kept rotating inside a perforated chamber through
which the dust is blown or sucked by a fan or other mechanism, a valve or slide for
regulating the amount of grain passing through in a given time, and a vertical
aspiration in the exit pipe, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Higginbottom, for and on behalf of
myself and the said Edward Hutchinson, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.
JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM. (L.S.)