US137207A - Improvement in middlings-purifiers - Google Patents

Description

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Middlings Puriers.

Patented March 25,1373.

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Middiings Pur-mers;

Patented Ma'rch25,1873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

IMPROVEMENT |N Albumes-Primarias..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 137,207, dated March 25, 1873.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, ANDREW HUNTER and CHARLES EDWARD WHITMORE, of Quincy, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in Middlings and Flour Purifiers, of which the following is a specification, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations. Fig. 3 is a front elevation. Fig. 4 is a top view of the machine. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of feedtrough. Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the cam-shaft and one of its cams and springs for regulating the throw of the screen or bolt and the force of the blow, and Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical section through the machine, showing the interior arrangement with the screensupporting links, the direction of the currents of air, &c. 4

The first part of `our invention consists in making the screen or bolt of wire-cloth and bolting.- cloth combined, the one arranged above the other, the Wire serving to properly support the bolting-cloth and communicate to it the vibratory movement of the boltingframe throughout its entire surface or extent. The second part of our invention consists in a novel arrangement of the devices for supporting and vibrating the screen or bolt,

whereby a short, sharp, vibratory, and risingand-falling movement is imparted to the screen, as hereinafter set forth. The third part of our invention consists in the combination, with the reciprocating bolt or screen, of a feed-trough adapted to spread the flour and middlings evenly over and across the re- .ceiving end of the bolt or screen. The fourth part of our invention consists in the employment, in combination with the bolt or screen, of counter blasts or currents of air, which, may be regulated to meet at any desired point in advance of their joint action on the bolt or screen, in such manner as to increase the effect of the current of air passing through the bolt, as hereinafter explained.

A is the frame of the machine, which should be constructed in a substantial manner. t is the main drivin g-shaft, arranged with drivingpulley c that communicates motion to the operating parts as follows: From main shaft ct, by pulleys and belt f, to shaft t; from main shaft a, by pulleys and belt d, to shaft l; from fan-sha-ft i, by pulleys and belt c, to .shaft t; from fan-shaft c', by pulleys and belt g, to shaft r. On the end of the shaft r is a faceplate and wrist-pin for operating through a connecting-rod the feed-trough K. B is a bolt or screen of any required length or width, suspended in a horizontal or nearly horizontal position by inclined parallel straps or hangers, C, four or more on each side. The straps or hangers C are pivoted to the sides of main frame, and also to bolt or screen B, and by their arrangement, as described, not only serve to give a rising-and-falling movement to the screen, their vibrations being upon one side only of a vertical line, but also, by the use of four or more on each side, to support the bolt or screen throughout its entire length, thereby enabling us to materially diminish the weight of the bolt without endangering its sagging, and consequently reducing the amount of power required for giving the vibratory and percussion movement describeda movement which it has been found impracticable to impart to the heavier bolts in ordinary use. E are levers arranged with friction-rollers F for the cam-wheels to revolve or strike against. The levers E are pivoted in straps E attached to frame A. These levers communicate motion to the bolt or screen B from cams D. The end of the lever is pivoted to bolt or screen B, and assists in suspending the same. D are cam or ratchet wheels fastened on the main shaft a for imparting motion to the screen B through levers E. `Springs O are used for keeping the levers E in contact with cams D, and for regulating the force of the blow that produces the percussion movement. B are setscrews used for the purpose of regulating the throw of nscreen B. The levers E are provided with a projection, which strikes against the head of the set-screws R, when the rollers F fastened to levers E are released from the action of cams D. The hangers C are pivoted to frame A, and also to bolt or screen B, for suspending the screen, and are placed in an inclined position, as shown, in such manner that a rising-and-falling movement is given to the bolt in its vibrations. I and J are fans for producing blasts or currents of air meeting underneath the screen and passing up through the same. K is a feed-trough constructed with a longitudinal slit or aperture on its side. Said trough is placed over or near the end of bolt or screen B, and receives a lateral motion from the crank-wrist or plate P and connecting-rod S. The conveyer N is placed lengthwise in the center and near the bottom of the machine, and the sides above for a short space are hoppered for passing the middlings into the conveyer N. A partition-board, T, may be placed across and under bolt or screen B for regulating the force of the blasts or currents of air passing up through the screen, and allowing a heavier blast, if required, to pass through one'end of the screen than the other. This partition may be set at any desired point in the length of the chamber for the purpose named, or it may be entirely removed and the force of either or both of the currents of air regulated for the same purpose, as hereinafter described.

The operation of our improved machine may be described as follows: The machine being set in motion, the middlings to be purified are fed into trough K, thence to the bolt or screen B, which is placed in a horizontal position, or nearly so. That portion of the end of screen B which is outside of the machine is covered with fine cloth or other suitable material, for the purpose of permitting the light brown particles to rise on top, and the pure middlings to settle on the bottom during their passage over said portion of the bolt or screen. The middlings, as they enter the machine, sift through rapidly, while the bran and brown speclrs are prevented from passing through the screen by the action of the blasts from the fan passing up through the cloth. The bran moves 0E over the end of the screen. The dust and light particles are carried up by the wind and deposited in dust-chamber L. The fans I and J, being set in mot-ion, send a blast of air up through the covering of the bolt or screen B, the wind passing in the direction of the arrows. The pure middlings fall into box x, and are conveyed to opening w by conveyer N. The partition T serves to regulate the force of the blast up through the bolt or screen in front of the fans. The fans I and J are arranged with graduating slide boards for regulating the force of the blast, either or both; and, by the adjustment of the relative forces of the two blasts coming from opposite directions, the point where they shall meet and be turned upward through thr cloth or screen may thus be regulated at w1 This action of the counter-currents is found to be particularly important and valuable in its effects, for the reason that the eddyin g currents of air produced by the meeting blasts is such as to produce the desired agitation of the materials or middlings on the bolt and effect their separation, and the removal of the lighter particles and specks with a much li ght er current of air than would otherwise be required; and, consequently, there is less of the valuable portion of the middlings carried ofi' with it and wasted.

The bolt or screen B is covered with wire and bolting cloth, one arran ged over the other, the wire supporting and communicating the vibrations of the bolt to the boltingcloth throughout its entire surface or extent.

' For grading middlings different numbers of bolting-cloths are used.

By the use of cam-wheels D and levers E a lateral'motion is given to bolt or screen B, the degree of vibration being regulated by set-screws lt. The degree of percussion is regulated by springs O. The cam-wheels revolve or strike against friction-rollers F at tached to levers E, communicating, in combination with the other devices, a peculiar vibratory and lifting motion to bolt or screen B sufficient to move the middlings rapidly on a level surface, or even up an inclination of ten degrees, by the percussion movement given by the cams D, and imparted by levers E to the bolt or screen B, in combination with the pivoted hangers C placed in an inclined or angular position. The feed-trough K is suspended by hangers W, and receives a lateral motion from shaft r. The motion given to the feed-trough is sufiicient to level the middlin gs therein 5 and, as they accumulate in the trough, they pass out evenly through the opening in the side or over thelower side of the trough onto bolt or screen B, and are spread evenly over the end of the same. The dust chamber L is ar ranged with partitions near each end of the frame, extendingupfrom the bottom of box L, leaving sufficient spacefor the wind to pass between the partition and top covering ofthe ma chine. The object of havingpartitions arranged thusis to form a vacuum for the lightparticles of bran and dust to fall into. The wind from the fans passes out of the machine at an opening, Z. Friction-rollers F are used for preventing the cams from cutting levers E, and the friction-rollers Y for preventing bolt or screen B from rubbing against frame A.

Having now described our improvements in middlingspuriiiers, we wish to state that we do not claim the cams, levers, and springs for actuating a bolt or screen, broadly, and irre spective of their adaptation to and use in middlings-purifiers, for these are shown and dcscribed in Letters Patent granted to Andrew Hunter on the 29th day of October, 1872, for improvements in grain-separators; but

What we do claim as new, and desire to sa cure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A bolt or screen, B, composed of wire and bolting cloth, arranged one above the oth er, 4substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the bolt or screen B of a middlingspurier, of the cams D, vibratingilevers E, and springs O, for imparting a vibratory and percussion movement to said bolt or screen, as described.

3. The combination, with rthe bolt or screen discharged therefrom, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the feed-trough with the bolt or screen B for spreading the middlings evenly across the receiving` end of the bolt orscreen, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the bolt or screen B, of the two fans for producing counter currents of air, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. l

ANDREW HUNTER. CHARLES EDWARD WHITMOBE.

Witnesses: H. R. WHITMORE, A. G. WHEAT.

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