US1143106A - Alfalfa-mill. - Google Patents

Description

A. D. DAVIES & L. H. BEMEN.

ALFALFA MILL.

APPLICATION men MAR. 1a, 1913.

Patented June 15, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET1 WITNESSES Akwip. I

ATTORNEY THE NoRials PETERS co.. FHOTO-LITHO, wAsHmcmN, b c.

A. D. DAVIES & L. H. BEMEN. ALFALFA MILL. APPLICATION FILED MAR. I8, I913.

1,143, 166. Patented June 15, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY PHE NORRISPETER5 CO., FHmLITHCL, WASHlNOmhfl-D. K'.

A. D. DAVIES & L. H. BEMEN.

ALFALFA MILL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.18, 1913.

1, 1 43, 1 06.. Patented June 15, 1915.

'3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- WITNESSES ATTORNEY I": NUK KIS PETERS 60., PHOWLITHQ, wAsi-HNGIUN. D. it,

ADRIAN D. DAVIES AND LOUIS I-I. BEMEN,

THIRD TO WILLIAM H. TYLER, 0F PUE DAVIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

0]? PUEBLO, COLORADO, ASSIGNORS OF ONE- BLO, COLORADO, AND TWO-THIRDS TO SAID ALFALFA-MILL.

Patented June 15, 1915.

Application filed March 18, 1913. Serial No. 755,180.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ADRIAN D. DAVIES and LOUIS H. BEMEN, citizens of the United States, and residents of Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Alfalfa-Mills, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is an improvement in chopping or grinding mills and, while many of its features are applicable to such mills generally, the invention is particularly adapted for use in mills for grinding alfalfa into meal and it is in this embodiment that we have elected to show it.

The objects of our invention are: to devise a mill of the class described in which there shall be no necessity for the use of a screen; to so design the machine that the material to be ground may be successively subjected to the action of a cutting and a chopping or grinding cylinder; to provide a mill through which the material to be ground may be drawn by suction without the use of exterior vacuum devices if de-' sired; and to construct the shell of the grinding cylinder of interchangeable and reversible sections.

Further objects and advantages of our invention will later appear in the specification and be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the three sheets of drawings accompanying this application and forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the entire device as viewed from the left hand side, certain of the parts being broken away to more clearly show hidden parts; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device, the two cylinders and the fan being shown in horizontal section; Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of. one of the cutting teeth; Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective of one of the toothed bars which close the rear of the first or cutting cylinder; Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the gearing for driving the feeding mechanism; Fig. 6 shows, on an enlarged scale, a side and edge View of one of the fan or feeding teeth which are placed at intervals on the second or grinding cylinder; and Fig. 7 is a detail showing the manner of attaching the teeth to the shells and drums.

In the preferred form of our invention illustrated in the drawings, the mill is shown as mounted on a truck composed of side channel members 11 and cross channel members 12 mounted on rear wheels 13, 13, and front wheels 11, 14:; but we do not wish to limit ourselves to the particular form of mounting shown as any style of either stationary or portable mounting may be employed without departing from our invention. Adjacent the forward end of the ma= chine there is located a feeder 15 of any desired type, which delivers the material to be ground to the feeding rolls 16, 16 which in turn deliver it to the first or cutting cylinder C. The shell of this cylinder is built up of an upper casing section 17 and a lower casing section 18 between which at the front there is left a mouth 19 where the alfalfa enters and an exit opening at the rear partially closed by a series of vertical bars 20 preferably formed with serrations or teeth 21, substantially as shown in Fig. 4. The lower section 18 is mounted on the frame by means of perforated lugs 22 and bolts 23 and the upper section is joined to the lower by means of bolts 2-1. The ends of this shell are closed by half-circle segments 25, which are largely broken away in Fig. 1 to more clearly show the interior parts. On the interior of the shell there are mounted teeth 26 which are located in spaced relation so as to permit of the passage in close proximity thereto of teeth 27 on the rotating drum 28. The teeth 27 also intermesh with the bars 20 at the rear of the cylinder 0. Fig. 3 shows a tooth T in enlarged detail view and the teeth 26 and 27 are shaped like the tooth T there shown.

Around the opening in the rear of the cylinder 0 there is located a hood 29 communieating with a pipe 30 leading to the grinding or chopping cylinder G. This cylinder has an outer cylindrical shell composed of interchangeable, reversible sections divided on a vertical plane and provided with an interlocking joint 33 at the bottom and with perforated ears 31 at the top receiving clamping bolts 35. The section 31 has an opening 36 leading to the interior of the shell and the section 32 has a correspondmg opening 37. The openings 36 and 3 are located on opposite sides of the axial plane which forms the division line between the sections and symmetrically with respect to one another so as to reverse positions if the sections be reversed. The pipe 30 connects with the opening 36 and a pipe 38 leads from the opening 37. The pipe 38 leads to a suction fan 39 which discharges into a pipe 40 leading to a packer, bin or the llke (not shown). On the interior of the shell sections '31, 32, there are located at spaced intervals teeth 41, also similar in shape to the tooth T shown in Fig. 2, and coiiperating similar teeth 42 on the exterior of a closed drum 43 are in position to pass so closely by the teeth 41 as to finely subdivide any substance caught between them. We prefer toplace at intervals on the drum 43 a series of wider teeth 44 (shown in enlarged view in Fig. 6) and these teeth 44 are placed in inclined position as shown for a purpose later to be described. It will of course be understood that the teeth 41 must be spaced farther apart at suitable places to accommodate the teeth 44.

The main driving belt of the machine is indicated by the numeral 45 and this belt travels in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 2. This belt passes over a pulley 46 on the end of the shaft 47 to which is splined the drum 43. On the opposite end of the shaft 47 there is a pulley 48 over which runs the belt 49. The belt 49 turns the pulley 50 mounted on the shaft 51 to which is splined the drum 28. A gear 52 is mounted on the right hand end of the shaft 51 and this meshes with a gear 53 on a counter-shaft 54 which carries a sprocket wheel 55 for driving the feeding mechanism through the sprocket chain 56. This chain travels in the direction of the arrow on Fig. 5 and passes over a sprocket 57 on the end of roll 16*, over sprocket 58 on the drum 59 which drives the conveyer 15, over sprocket 60 on roll 16 and back to the sprocket 55. The sprocket 58 is larger than the sprockets 57 and 60 (we prefer to make the ratio two to one) and therefore the feed rolls 16, 16, travel faster than the conveyer 15.

The fan 39 is driven from the shaft 47 through the medium of belts 61, 62, and cone pulley or similar devices 63, 64, are provided, by means of which the speed of the fan may be varied at will.

The shape of cutting and grinding teeth which we prefer to employ is shown in Fig. 3. .The teeth are rectangular in section and have concave faces in order to provide a sharper edge and one which may be more easily maintained sharp. These teeth are threaded at their lower endsand are beveled as shown above the threaded portion to provide a rectangular beveled part to fit in a similar rectangular beveled socket in the drum or shell in which they are mounted, substantially as shown in Fig. 7. We prefer to attach the teeth by means of a lock-nut washer '65 and a nut 66 which engages the threaded portion 67of the'tooth T. On account of this mounting it is impossible for Y the teeth to become turned in their sockets and striking and consequent breaking of the teeth is thus avoided. r

The operation of our mill is as follows: The alfalfa or other material to be ground is fed on the conveyer 15. When it reaches the top of the conveyer it is grasped by the feed rolls 16, 16 and forced into the cylinder C. There by engagement between the teeth 26 and the rapidly moving teeth 27 it is broken up into short lengths and at the same time is carried forward in a circumferential direction. When it reaches the bars 20 it passes therebetween if it has been broken sufliciently small; otherwise these bars strip it from the teeth with which it may have become entwined and it is carried around for another revolution, or until it is sufficiently small to pass between the bars. Suction then carries it through the pipe 30 and delivers it at the right hand end of the cylinder G. The drum 43 being closed the partially ground material is driven by centrifugal force to the exterior of the cylinder and it then begins a passage longitudinally of-the cylinder. As it progresses it is repeatedly subjected to the cutting action of the closely impinging teeth (we prefer to space the movable teeth from the stationary ones a distance of from one eighth to one sixteenth of an inch though we do not wish to limit ourselves to these precise dimensions). It will be evident thatit will be impossible for the material acted upon to pass the entire length of the cylinder G without being repeatedly brought between co5perat-' ing knives and reduced'to a very fine conditlon; and it will also be plain that the fineness will be governed by the speed with ciently close and the drum is revolved with suflicient rapidity will be a mixture of meal of moderate fineness with short pieces of crushed stems reduced to fiber. This prod uct, while not as fine or as uniform as that produced by the use of both cylinders as described, is well adapted for feeding to stock and we contemplate making the mill with only one cylinder for certain uses.

The teeth M of the cylinder G also have a fan action which tends to force the material forward and we contemplate in certain instances dispensing entirely with the fan 89 and relying solely on the fan action of the teeth 44. For purposes of permitting adjustment, however, we prefer to use both the fan and the teeth 44. Likewise the teeth 44 may be dispensed with and the fan 39 alone relied upon to furnish the proper suction.

It will be observed that by shaping the shell sections 31 and 32 of the cylinder G as shown and locating the openings 36 and 37 as indicated, the shell sections are made reversible. When reversed, the sides of the teeth 41 opposite to those engaged in the former position will be brought into operative position and thus both pairs of cutting edges may be utilized. The making of the shells in sections as shown also has the advantage that extra sections may always be held in readiness to replace those in which teeth have become dulled or broken, thus avoiding delays while repairs are being made.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, a grinding cylinder comprising a shell, cutting teeth projecting inwardly from the surface of the shell, a closed drum within the shell, cutting teeth projecting outwardly from the drum, fan teeth upon the drum, and means for feeding the material to be ground longitudinally of the cylinder.

2. In a device of the class described, a grinding cylinder comprising a shell composed of two sections, each section having an opening therein disposed at one side of the aXis of the cylinder but symmetrically with respect to the opening in the remaining section, a closed drum in said cylinder, cutting devices between the shell and the drum, and means for feeding the material tobe ground longitudinally of the cylinder.

3. In a device of the class described, a grinding cylinder comprising a shell composed of two sections, each section having an opening therein disposed at one side of the axis of the cylinder but symmetrically with respect to the opening in the remaining section, cutting teeth projecting inwardly from the surface of the shell, a closed drum within the shell, teeth project ing outwardly from the drum and intermeshing with said first mentioned teeth, and means for feeding the material to be ground longitudinally of the cylinder.

4:. In a device of the class described, a grinding cylinder comprising a shell, said shell having feeding and discharge openings in opposite ends thereof, a closed drum within the shell, cooperating cutting devices on the drum and the shell, fan teeth upon the drum, a pipe connected with the discharge opening, a suction fan in said pipe, and means for varying the speed of the fan.

5. In a device of the class described, a cutting cylinder comprising a casing open 011 two sides, a rotating member within the casing, teeth projecting from the casing, teeth on the rotating member in position to cooperate with the teeth on the casing, and bars arranged in the discharge opening of the casing and disposed in a tangential direction with respect to the casing.

6. In a device of the class described, a cutting cylinder comprising a casing having feeding and discharge openings on its sides, a drum within the casing, teeth projecting from the casing, teeth projecting from the drum in position to cooperate with the teeth on the casing, and toothed bars arranged in the discharge opening and disposed in a tangential direction with respect to the casing and the drum.

7. In a device of the class described, a cutting cylinder comprising a casing having feeding and discharge openings on its sides, a drum within the casing, teeth projecting from the casing, teeth projecting from the drum, bars arranged in the discharge opening and disposed in a tangential direction with respect to the casing and the drum, the teeth on the drum being so proportioned and located as to intermesh with the teeth on the casing and with the tangential bars.

8. In a device of the class described, a cutting cylinder comprising a casing having feeding and discharge openings on its sides, a drum within the casing, teeth projecting from the casing, teeth projecting from the drum, toothed bars arranged in the discharge opening and disposed in a tangential direction with respect to the casing and the drum, the parts being so proportioned that the teeth on the drum intermesh with the teeth on the casing and with the tangential bars.

9. In a device of the class described, a horizontal cutting cylinder comprising a casing having feeding and discharge openings in its sides, a drum within the casing, teeth projecting from the casing, cooperating teeth projecting from the drum, and vertical bars disposed within the discharge opening.

10. In a device of the class described, a cutting cylinder comprising a casing having lateral feed and discharge openings, cutting teeth projecting inwardly from said casing, a rotary member within the casing, cutting teeth projecting outwardly from said rotary member, a grinding cylinder comprising a casing having terminal feed and discharge openings, cutting teeth projecting inwardly from said casing, a rotary member Within said casing, cutting teeth our signatures in the presence of two witprojecting outwardly from said last mennesses. tioned rotary member, and a pipe connect- ADRIAN D. DAVIES. ing the discharge opening of the cutting LOUIS H. BEMEN.

5 cylinder with the feed opening of the grind- Witnesses:

CHARLES W. ODONNELL,

ing cylinder.

CHAS. H. WILLIAMS.

In testimony whereof We hereunto aflix Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

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