GB1075834A - Sorting apparatus, particularly for potato digging machine - Google Patents

Abstract

1,075,834. Potato-harvestens. AMAZONEN-WERKE H. DREYER. May 18, 1965 [May 26, 1964], No. 20914/65. Heading A1F. [Also in Division B2] A sorting device for a potato digging machine comprises a sieve frame 2 having two sieves 18, 22 mounted therein to define screening gaps, at least one of the screens being movable relative to the other to vary the gaps, and a frame 6 in which the sieve frame is resiliently-mounted by springs 3 and torsion blocks 5 for vibration by at least one connecting rod 8 and crankshaft 9, the position of which may be moved relative to the frame to adjust the inclination of the sieves. The upper sieve 18 is composed of parallel bars rigidly connected to the sieve frame 2. The lower sieve 22 is composed of parallel bars which are displaceable in the sieve frame by screwthreaded spindles and crank-handles 23; by operating the handles, the gaps formed by the bars of the two sieves can be adjusted. The crankshaft 9 of the vibrating mechanism is driven by the machine through sprockets 13, 11 and a chain 12 and its angular position may be adjusted by turning a rack 14 by means of a pinion 15 and handle 16. In operation, potatoes freed of most of the earth are fed from a sifting drum 25 on to the vibratory sieves in the sieve frame 2. The large potatoes slide down on to one side of a conveyer belt 26 for delivery to sacks or storage means. Small potatoes drop through the gaps between the bars on to a collecting sieve 27 which is formed of inclined bars 28 extending transversely to the bars of the sieves 18, 22; at the lower end of the bars 28 is mounted a receiving trough (29), Fig. 2 (not shown), which feeds the small potatoes to the other side (31) of a partition (30) on the conveyer belt (26). Potato tubers jammed between the bars of the sieves 18, 22 may be released by altering the position of the crankshaft 9 to cause vertical reciprocation of the connecting rod 8.