GB701169A - Improvements in or relating to maize and the like shellers - Google Patents

Abstract

701,169. Thrashing machines; hulling grain, seeds. COLLINS & SON (PTY), Ltd., A. June 8, 1951 [June 15, 1950], No. 13639/51. Class 58 A maize sheller for shelling maize and other crops such as sunflower heads, beans, kaffir; corn, in which the grain or seed is enclosed in a shell or seed-bearing receptacle, comprises a rotatable horizontally disposed sheller drum 3, a co-acting fixed casing 2 containing the drum and having a perforated bottom 2b for discharge of shell grain therethrough, and an exhauster and blower fan 7 associated close to a spent cob and trash discharge end 6 of the sheller casing for direct reception therein of spent cobs and trash from the drum, the fan being arranged so as to effect discharge of the spent cobs, trash and dust by a combined blowing, projecting and slinging action to a dumping position removed from the vicinity of the sheller and to create in addition a draught within and below the sheller casing 2 for evacuation of fine particles and dust by creating a draught through the grain escaping through the perforations 5 of the casing thereby to enable the grain cleaned by the winnowing action provided by the draught to be collected free from dust and fine particles. As shown the casing 2 formed into two horizontally parted portions 2a, 2b surrounds the toothed drum 3 mounted on a shaft 4 on which also is mounted the rotor of the fan 7 comprising radial blades 7a operating in the usual volute of its casing 7 and supported on one side of a rotor disc 7b on the end 4a of the shaft so that the cobs fed from the end 6 of the casing 2 pass directly through apertures 7f which may be valve controlled into the central part of the fan casing and the path of the fan blades for projection from outlet 7c which may connect with a discharge pipe, an aperture 7g which may be valve controlled on the lower part of the fan casing opening into the grain delivery hopper 8 which collects the grain falling from the perforations 5, the generated air current at the same time causing the dust and trash with it to be extracted from the interior of the apparatus and also causes a winnowing draught effect on the falling shelled grain in the hopper 8. Grain leaving the discharge hopper 8 via a spout 8a falls on to an inclined chute 9 and gravitates into the inlet of a further extractor fan 10 for delivery through a conduit 11 for bagging at any convenient point.