IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING SEED AND GRAIN
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Anderson of N°. 16 Philpot Lane in the City of
London for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING
SEED AND GRAIN" communicated to him from abroad by Messrs Lyall, Gray
and Company of Calcutta
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Anderson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th December 1883.
"
JOHN ANDERSON of N° 16 Philpot Lane in the City of London "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING SEED AND GRAIN [communicated to him from
abroad by Messrs Lyall, Gray and Company of Calcutta]
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for cleaning seed
and grain.
Indian seeds and grain as they come from the grower usually contain a very
large admixture of foreign substances, consisting of grain other than the bulk, such
as grain and kalai, in the case of linseed and rapeseed; and barley in the case of
wheat, lumps of hard but friable mud, dust, chaff &. Hitherto after the seed has
passed into the dealer's hands it has been cleaned, in the districts, chiefly by hand
labour, which is frequently very scarce, although not as a rule expensive; but it is
very tedious involves the possession of extensive premises and the employment of
many hands. The present machine is adapted to deal expeditiously and economi-
cally with large quantities of grain, to clean to a much finer standard than
customary and to involve the expenditure of little power either steam or manual.
The machine consists of a strong timber framing at the lower part of which is a
hopper into which the seed or grain is thrown by the labourers as they bring it in;
it falls on to a coarse sieve to which a jogging motion is imparted by cams.
seed or grain passes through the sieve into a bin whilst large lumps are discharged at
the end of the sieve into a separate receiver. The seed or grain is raised from the
bin by an elevator which discharges it on to an inclined board. Upon the board flat
rubbers are placed and they receive a reciprocating movement from rapidly
revolving cranks. The rubbers are so formed that the seed or grain in descending
-
The

page_text: the incline has to pass beneath them, and in its progress it is rubbed in such manner
as to disintegrate any earth adhering to the seed or grain or present as pellets
intermixed with it.
The incline delivers the seed or grain on to a sieve through which the dust
passes whilst the seed or grain is delivered at the end. It here falls on to another
sieve through which the seed or grain passes whilst any rubbish or matter which
the sieve separates is delivered at the end. The seed or grain falling from this
sieve meets a blast of air driven by a fan. The air carries away the dust whilst
the seed or grain falls into a shoot and is led to a delivery spout. The dust and
the larger impurities are delivered into separate bins.
The mud crushers or rubbers are made of wood or other material of weights
varying according to the nature of the seed or grain being cleaned and admixture
contained in it. In the case of rape seed very light rubbers must be used to avoid
injury to the seed.
The sieves rest upon bars the ends of which pass through guide slots inclined
forwards. The bottoms of these slots are fitted with india rubber cushions. The
jogging cams each have four teeth and these as they pass throw the sieves sharply
upward until they are stopped by elastic cushions or stoppers from which they
rebound. The seed or grain is thus kept in a state of violent agitation. The
amount of play can be adjusted. The same cams impart movement to both the
sieves which receive the seed or grain from the elevator.
The sieves being upon an incline, and the guides also inclined forward throw the
seed onward at each stroke. Thus the seed is forced to pass rapidly through or
over the sieves. Its passage is facilitated and the process of cleaning greatly
assisted by solid tops and bottoms attached to the sieves and best made of mill board
on account of its lightness and toughness. These covers almost entirely enclose
the top and bottom of each sieve. The bottom of the dust sieve is arched and
closed by an angular end to direct the dust into the dust ports which lead to the
dust shoot and thence to the dust bins.

page_text: er
tops complete in g¹ as when working partially removed in g² and wholly removed
in g³; v. v. v. v. v. v. v. cams "for agitating the sieves shewing the connecting rods
required to insure regularity of motion; a. a. elevator bevelled gearing; r driving
pulley 8 pulley for driving the " cams;" k¹. k. k³. the grain sieves; y. y. pulley
for driving mud crushers.
Figure V is a middle cross connection-k³. k². k³. grain sieves with mill board
tops; exhibits the mill board top complete as when working; k². k³. show the
tops partially removed, v. v. v. v. v. v. v. v. "cams" for agitating the sieves; z. z. z.
z. 2. 2. stopper bars cushioned with india rubber on the underside; r driving
pulley; 8. 8. pulley for driving "cams;" w. w. fanner pulleys; x. x. elevator
bevelled gearing.
Figure VI ground plan showing the flooring the position of the dust and hatka
bins and also the receiving bins with their respective troughs in which the
elevators d. d. d³. are working.
Figure VII. The drawing of the upper dust sieves showing the position of the
various parts in relation to each other also the arched bottom the dust ports and
the manner in which the frame of the sieve is strengthened to stand the constant
vibration.
Figure VIII Drawing of the grain or lower sieve showing the arrangement of
each part and the position of the cross bars upon which the "cams" operate.
These bars are made of light angle iron with steel blocks fitted in the ends so as
to receive the strokes from the teeth of the "cams."
Apart from the combination as a whole, forming this machine, which in itself is
novel the special parts and processes which it is desired to protect are those parts
performing the mud crushing and sifting operations and their manner of doing so.
The mud crushers simply consist of a number of longitudinal rubbers made of
wood, of weights varying according to the nature of the seed or grain being cleaned
and the admixture contained in it. In the case of rapeseed very light rubbers
must be used to avoid injury to the seed. The rubbers are attached to the cranks
of a crank shaft B. B. B. Figure IV by connecting rods which revolving at a high
speed imparts a rapid rubbing action to the rubbers which work upon the inclined
sole D Figure III leading to the top of the dust sieves g¹. g. gs. Figure IV. This
style of crusher has been adopted as being while effective, easy of repair and
admitting of the ready exchange of one size or weight for another when required.
The peculiar action of the sieves has been found most effective, the grain passes
very rapidly over or through the mesh as may be desired and without any
clogging of the mesh. The sieve after the dirtiest grain has passed through it
remains perfectly clean and clear from all choking of the mesh.
»
"
The sieves, see Figures VII and VIII rest upon bars the ends of which pass
through slots or guides (see Figure III E. E. E. E.) inclined forward. The lower
parts of these guides are fitted with India rubber cushions of requisite thickness
and the ends of the bars of the sieves rest upon these, when not in contact with
the "cams V. V. These "cams" are of a peculiar design being fitted with four
teeth so made that during the eighth part of its revolution no part of the cam
is in contact with the ends of the bars of the sieve which meantime rest upon the
india rubber cushions at the lower parts of the guides or slots. The result is that
when the "cams "make a complete revolution, the bars of the sieves receive four
distinct blows which throw the sieves sharply upward clear of the teeth of the
cams" until it is stopped by the elastic cushioned stoppers z. z. z. z. from which
it rebounds. The grain is thus kept in a state of violent agitation during the
revolution of the cams, that agitation being regulated by the amount of play given
to the sieve by the upper and lower stoppers and the depth of that part of the
tooth of the cam which gives the upward stroke. The upper or dust sieve is
worked by the same " camis
as the lower by means of the side levers F. F. and
their connecting rods G. G. This arrangement eases the strain upon the bearing of
the cams. The sieves being upon an incline and the guides also inclined forward
throwing the seed onward at each stroke the seed is forced to pass rapidly over the
"

page_text: sieves, but its passage is facilitated and the process of cleaning greatly assisted by
the solid tops and bottoms attached made in this case of mill board on account of
its toughness and which almost entirely cover the top and bottom of each sieve. It
will be noted that the bottom of the dust sieve is arched and closed by an angular
end to direct the dust into the dust ports which lead to the dust shoot and thence
to the dust bins.
To economise power and reduce tear and wear the greater part of the weight of
each sieve will be carried by spiral springs supported by set screws at each corner
of the sieves.
The method of working is as follows:-The seed or grain being brought to the
cleaning premises as usual in bags either on carts or bullocks' backs is emptied bag
by bag as it arrives into the receiver "a" shown in Figure III where it is first
subjected to a preliminary cleaning merely sufficient to free the grain from lumps
of mud stones or other large admixture before passing into the body of the
receivers. From these receivers the grain passes into the troughs of the elevators
and is carried upward and discharged into the hopper e passing thence under the
crushers f¹. ff. Figure IV the rapid movement of which effectually reduces the
small friable lumps of mud admixture to dust. From the crushers the grain passes
over the dust sieve g¹. g². g³. which separates the dust from the grain, the former
passing through the dust ports h. h. into the various dust shoots leading to the
dust bins j. j. and the latter (the grain) passing over the mesh of the dust sieve
into the grain sieve k¹. k. k³. The mesh of this sieve being of a size just a little
larger than the seed being cleaned the grain passes through it and is thus separated
from any hard foreign admixture larger than the grain in process and also small
sticks and large chaff. This large admixture passes over the top of the mesh and
finds its way into the shoots 1. l. leading to the bin m provided for such refuse and
called the "hatka and chooney bin." The grain having passed through the mesh
falls in front of the fanners n. n. in well dispersed order the blast from the fanners
carrying the remaining dust chaff and other light admixture to the discharge port
at o. o. while the cleaned grain descends the shoot p. p. into the shipping bags
which when filled are removed, weighed, sewn and marked so as to be ready for
shipment.
The machine represented by the present drawings will be made in two divisions
of three sets each. There will thus be three receivers in each division into which
grain containing various degrees of admixture can be discharged but the whole
will be delivered at the one port and of equal shipping quality.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of
performing the same I would have have it understood that I claim: —
First My improved machinery for cleaning seed and grain substantially as
described.
Second-The rubbers or mud crushers by which earth adhering to or mixed with
the seed is pulverised substantially as described.
Third- The method of arranging and imparting movement to the sieves
substantially as described.
In witness whereof I the said John Anderson have hereunto set my hand and seal
this eleventh day of June in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and eighty four,