US1998868A - Cotton handling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

A ril 23 1935. T, s. GRIMES 1,998,868

COTTON HANDLING APPARATUS Filed May 22, 1929 5 SheetsS'ne et 1 T. S. GRIMES A ril 23, 1935.

COTTON HANDLING A PPARATUS Filed May 22, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 23, 1935. T. s. GRIMES COTTON HANDLING APPARATUS Filed May' 22, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 23, 1935 :1

UNITED STATES COTTON HANDLING APPARATUS Thaddeus S. Grimes, Columbus, Ga., assignor to The Lummus Cotton Gin Company, Columbus, Ga, a corporation of Georgia Application May 2 2 1929, Serial No. 365,194.

s'claims. (Cl.19-37)" My invention relates to cotton handling apparatus and particularly to ahull separator and cleaner for the treatment of dirty bolly cotton preparatory to the introduction thereof into the 5 gin,although the invention in its broadest aspects' is not limited to the specific dual functions stated. r n

By way of introduction, it may be stated that a certain amount of cleaning of the cotton ahead of the hull separation is desirable. However, such cleaning treatment should be just sufficient to take out the bulk of loose dirt and leaf trash, as too much cleaning at this stage encourages the hazard of shale from the burr in the lint. However, after the hull has beenremoved the cleaning is greatly simplified and a vigorous treatment of the cotton over ample cleaning surface is very desirable. v

It is, therefore, the primary object of my invention to provide a combined hull separator and cotton cleaner, which canbe readily installed arate the hulls from the seed cottonand then subject the latter to a thorough cleaning treat.- ment.

Another object of the invention is to provide;

a hull separator and cleaner wherein the seed 1 cotton is delivered from the separator to the cleaner in a thin bat whereby the cleaning process may be carried out very much moreefficiently than in prior apparatus wherein the hulled seed cotton is delivered in a heavy irregular mass or wad to the cleaning apparatus from a conveyor or the like, --instead of from the hull separator direct, as herein. a

Another object of the invention residesin the provision of novel bypass valve means associated with the'inlet of the machine and whereby the cotton may be directed thereinto or passed directly to the gins-by way, for instance,-of the belt or other distributor for feeding the seed cotton to the gins. V

A further object of the invention resides in the privision of novel andimproved means formaintaining a very efiicient separation of hulls and trash from the cotton upon the introduction of the latter into the machine; and for positively subjecting the hulls to a maximum of lintreinoving action for a comparatively long period of time to assure the removal of all lint from the hulls before the same are discharged. 7

The invention further contemplatesthe com .bination with a hullstripperroll incorporated in the machine, of a novel peripherial surface for:- mation thereof which effectivelyprevents passage of the hulls beyond said stripper roll, but at the same time avoiding the stripping back of the seed cotton.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision of a combined hulling and clean---' ing machine, as characterized, wherein the hulldischarge spout or passageway .is'located in the path of the seed cotton as it approaches its outlet and wherein moving elements of the seed cotton cleaning apparatus have means for removing the seed cotton from the line of said trash discharge spout while conveying such seed cotton toward its outlet. V 'The invention also resides in certain novel features of construction, combination and 'arrangen'ient of the various parts and in certain modes and methods of operation,all of which'will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon reference to the following detailed descriptive matter in connection with the accompanying drawings disclosing what now appears to be a preferred embodiment of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is capable of other mechanical expressions within the spirit and scope of the subject matter claimed hereinafter.

In the drawings,

Figure I is a perspective view illustrating the front portion of a cotton handling machine incorporating myinvention; v

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view thereof Figure 3 is a central cross-sectional view through the machine;

Figure 4 is a View in front elevation of the machine with. certain parts removed and other of the stripper roll saw cylinder and brushroll,. the same being shown in fragmentary form with the saw cylinder and brush roll in cross section and the stripper roll in elevation, and

Figure 7 is a group view illustrating medial fragmentary portions of certain "of the cleaning rolls.

Referring specifically to the drawings wherein.

the same reference characters have been used to designate the sameparts in all views, the machine comprehends a frame including spaced longitudinal sill members A, A, which are adapted to be supported, if desired, by a floor joist B. It is to be understood that in the usual installation the hull separator and cleaner, which is the subject of this specification, will be located considerably above the level of the gins and ordinarily in the upper or second floor of the gin house,

Connecting the sills A, A, at each end and extending laterally beyond the same are the beams or cross members C from which rise the corner posts D, which are tied together at their upper ends by cross members E and longitudinal members G and K. The longitudinal frame member G is at the rear of the machine and between the same and the base member C are two other longitudinal frame members H, J, which are secured at their ends to the corner posts D, as best shown in Figure 3. 7

At the front of the machine there are provided,

in addition to the upper longitudinal beam or frame member K, the longitudinal frame members or beams L, L and M, the latter of which rests, as shown, upon the base or sill member A.

Figure 3 also shows that there is an intermediate longitudinal frame beam or member N extending between the upper cross pieces or beams E,this member N serving to support the inner portion of the removable top closures O, which extend the, full length of the machine. Removable panels, such as P, may be employed for sealing the rear side of the machine or casing.

Suitably secured beneath the sill members A, A is a frame which extends the full length of the machine, such frame comprising longitudinal members Q connected at their ends by cross members R. This frame supports the elongated hopper-like bottom S to the lower end of'which is secured the trough T carrying the rotary screw conveyor U,it being observed that the trough T is preferably reinforced at its ends by vertical brace members V, which are suitably secured to the lower cross members C of the main frame or to the cross members Q of the sub-frame.

Suitable posts F carried by one or the other or both of the main frame cross members D, E, serve to carry suitable bearings for the projecting ends of the shafts of the rotary elements which will be referred to hereinafter.

At the rear of the machine above the longitudinal frame member H and held inwardly by the bracket W is the panel W'whose upper end is carried by the upper, rear longitudinal frame member G, as shown in Figure 3.

At the front of the frame and terminating short of the ends thereof is the enclosure Y, which is open at its top and bottom so as to permit the cotton to be discharged thereinto from the feeder or other conveyor I when the by-pass valve 3 is in the dotted line position of Figure 3 to close the inlet opening 2 at the front of the frame. When the by-pass valve or plate 3 is in the dotted line position the cotton will be discharged directly onto the gin feeding belt or conveyor, the top flight of which works in the trough or guideway Z, as shown. Of course, normally the cotton would be fed into the separator and cleaner through the inlet opening 2, but in the case of very clean non-bolly cotton satisfactory results could be obtained by feeding the same directly to the gins, thus by-passing the hull separator and cleaner.

The cotton passing into the machine sliding upon the bypass valve or plate 3, passes on to the adjustable slide plate 6, which is preferably pivoted as at 4 to the plate 5 which also pivotally carries the bypass valve or plate 3. Adjustment of the plate 6 is had by means of the adjusting device I, I which is pivoted to the end of the plate 6, as shown. The object of the adjustable slide or plate 6 is to enable same to be brought just the proper distance from the spaced circumferential series of saw-teeth B on the saw cylinder 8 journalled upon shaft 8, which is carried in bearings 8 at either end of the frame. By careful adjustment of the plate 6 it is possible to permit fine trash and dirt to fall downwardly and at the same time impinge the cotton so that the teeth of the saws 8 can get a good hold therein.

The cotton is carried by the saws 8 in an upward direction (the saw cylinder 8 rotating in the direction of thearrow a, Figure 3), the circumferential series of V-shaped ribs Ill on the periphery of the roll I0 which rotates in a clockwise direction, as per arrow 0, throwing the burrs or hulls and trash together with such cotton as remains intermixed therewith backwardly onto the conveyor roll 9 having its spikes 9 arranged in opposite spirals so as to conduct the dirt and trash toward each end of the machine, at the same time, of course, throwing the burrs, hulls and trash against the saws repeatedly so as to assure the removal of the major portion of the lint therefrom before'the same drops through the openings 9 at the ends of the trough 9 which is disposed beneath the roll 9. It is to be observed that the trough 9 is arranged so as to direct the hulls substantially toward the points of the teeth of the saws 8, so as to assure the engagement by the teeth of such lint as may remain in the bolls or hulls.

The trough 9 is secured as shown to the longitudinal board or frame member X located just above the inlet opening 2.

' The hulls or bolls, discharged through the openings 9 at the ends of the trough 9, fall upon the roll H on shaft I l whose peripherial pins I'l are arranged in opposed spirals so as to conduct the bolls and trash toward the center of the machine, while at the same time throwing them repeatedly ag'ainstthe saws 8 to make certain of the removal of every iota of lint from the bolls before they are discharged through the central opening in the subjacent trough I8 and into the spout IQ for discharge into the dirt chamber 20 above the screw conveyor U.

The seed cotton engaged by the saws I3 will be carried past the longitudinally V'-ribbed periphery II] of the roll ID to-be brushed off by the brushes I I of the brush roll I I of shaft I l which rotates in the direction of the arrow d, as shown in Figure 3. The seed cotton thus removed from the saw cylinder or roll 8 is directed upon'the picker roll I2, having the picker teeth 12 and As shown, there is a' being rigid on shaft I2 series of picker rolls or cleaner rolls, the roll I2 being the first and rolls I3, I4 the succeeding picker rolls which have, respectively, picker teeth I3 I I and are carried by shafts I3 I4 respectively. Suitably mounted beneath the picker roll I2 is the screen I2 carried by the rear frame member H and an intermediate longitudinal bar I5, which also supports the rear edge of the screen member I3 beneath the roller I3. This screens forward edge is supported by longitudinal bar IE. I4 designates the screen beneath the roller I l and this is carried by the bar I6 and the front longitudinal frame member M, as clearly shown in Figure 3.

The formation of the longitudinal V-shaped ribs I0 of roll Hi is very important, since the sides" time to effectually throw backthe h'ull's or bolls.

when the same reaches the spout '19. It is pref erable" also that the spikes i2 of the roll 12 be" similarly arranged "at the indicated at la V v l H As is apparent, there will-necessarily have to be some clearance between the spout l9 and the edges of the hole in the trough M through which the spout extends. Consequently, the teeth, I 4 of-the roll it within the spout are preferably spirally arranged so as to throw the trash and dirt toward the center of the spout so that none will mix with the seed-cotton passing by the spout on either side thereof.

Needless to say, all of the rolls herein referred to are keyed upon their shafts, the endsof which" extend through the ends" of the frame and'are journalled in suitable bearings carried by corner posts D and intermediate vertical posts F. The pulleys, 8 9, I0 ll, I2, 13, M are availed of to drive the respective shafts of the elements designated by corresponding numerals minus the letter suiilx.-

' The cleaning roll l4 discharges the cotton in a thin bat into the troughZ and upon the belt conveyor 2! working therein, which carries the cotton to the gins, or more accurately to the v l and thrown back upon the hull conveyor roll feeders which in turn discharge into the gins.

A buffer 22 disposed forwardly of and above the lower hull conveyor Ilserves to intercept the hulls and trash to prevent the same from being thrown or carried upwardly along withsuch cot-V ton as may be stripped from the hulls at this point. The buffer 22 is carried by brackets'in secured to'the frontwall portion L by. means of bolts or the like 24. Obviously, the bracket 23 can be adjusted toward or from, the saws 8% by the interposition or removal of packing '23 -.be;-

tween the inner end of the bracketiand the inner face of the carrying member L. i

The trough l8 beneath the lower hull conveyor roller H, is supported by the frame mermber L at the front of the machine and its rear edge by means of a. bracket member 25, having an extension 25 extending in the direction of the saws to prevent seed cotton from falling intothe trough, such bracket having a portion extending toward the cleaner roll ii to make sure of the deflectionof the cotton upon the upper portion of the roll. !2, sothat the same will be carriedv around the roll in a clockwise direction to form or produce a substantially flat and thin bat of cotton,

center of the rollsfas screen 12 the inner edge of such plate projecting in the direction of the brush roll ll to provelnt co'tton from being carried past the cleaning r0112. 7

It is also to be observed that a channeled shaped bar or member 30, extending the full length of the machine is secured by brackets '31 to the inner faces of the ei id Walls of the casing adjacent the front thereof and at the top by means of bolts 32- extending through elongated slots .33. This construction enables the projecting edge 38 of said bar to be brought-very close to the V- shaped ribs w of the stripper roll H! so as to prevent the bolls and trash from being carried around by roll it. It will be understood that'the projecting portion 3!! of bracket 30-is relatively flexible and tends to deflect" the hulls and trash in a counter clockwise direction and upon the upper conveyor roll.

It isvery important to observe that the inlet 2 of the hull separator andcle'aner is located below the upper'hull conveyor roll 9 and between the same and the lower hull conveyor roll ii. The result is that loose dirt and trash coming in through the inlet Z'is enabledto drop off the end of the adjustable slide plate '6.- and into the trough I8 beneath the lower hull conveyor roll I 1.. Thus, initially, there is a considerable separation of dirt and foreign matter from the cotton. Besides this,the hulls which are stripped from'the saws by the stripper roll It, are thrown back upon the conveyor 9 above trough 9 so as to be segregated to "all intents and purposes from the incoming cotton for presentatiohto the saw roll 8 while being conveyed toward each end of the trough 9. Of course, the hulls will be thrown up on the top of the cotton passing upwardly on the saws, but being upon the top of the same will be readily stripped or thrown on? 9. It will be obvious that continual repetition of this action will remove the lint from the; hulls -'so that there will be 'very little left when they finally drop through the openings 9 at the outer ends of the trough 9 will be removed'by the saws during-the conveyance of the hulls toward the opening of the trough l8, which discharges the. material into spout 19.

Attention is further invited to the extreme simplicity and compactness of the construction, made possible by the arrangement of the clean ing rolls l2, l3, l4, beneath the hulling apparatus. I J

The'ca'sing Y is, in effect, an auxiliary casing or chute through which the cotton coming into.

the machine may be directed immediately to the conveyor 2i when plate or valve 3 is closed against inlet opening .2. The auxiliary casing or portion Y also serves as the outlet:for the seed-cotton from the final cleaner roll It. In-

asmuc'h, as'the inlet and outlet? from the hull separator and cleaner apparatus is at the same side of the machine and communicates with casing Y, it provides an outlet for the material whether passed through the hull separator or conveyed direct from the feeder I to the dis- Obviously, the shafts of the various rotatable elements may be adjusted by moving their bearings in the end walls of the casing so as to suit requirements and produce the best results. Adjustment of shafts is a common expedient and therefore no necessity for illustrating same here is seen.

What lint isleft in the hulls As illustrated in the detail view, Figure 7, the

intermediate portions of the rolls l2, l3 have spikes H l3 arranged in opposed spiral series for conducting the seed-cotton laterally to Having thus described my invention, what I,

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of a hullseparator and cleaner for cotton' comprising a casing having an inlet, a drivensaw cylinder against which,

said inlet discharges, means for stripping the hulls from the saw cylinder, a picker roll above said inlet and receiving the hulls from said stripping means, said picker rollhaving means for conveying the hulls toward each end of. the

casing in contact with the saw cylinder and maintaining the separated hulls above the incoming cotton, a second picker roll in said casing below said inlet and receiving the hulls from said upper picker roll, said lower picker roll having means forconveying the hulls in contact with the saws toward the center of the cas-,

ing, a trough beneath said second picker roll and having a discharge opening intermediate its ends,

a discharge spout leading from said trough opening, and cotton cleaningmeans in said casing to which the seed-cotton is delivered from said saw cylinder.

2. The combination of a hull separator and cleaner for cotton comprising a casing having an inlet, a driven saw cylinder against which said inlet discharges, means for stripping the hulls from the saw cylinder, a picker roll above said inlet and receiving the hulls'from said stripping means, said picker roll having means for conveying the hulls toward each end of the casing in contact with the saw cylinder, a second picker roll in said casing below said inlet and receiving the hulls from said upper picker roll,

said lower picker roll having means for oonveying the hulls in contact with the saws toward the center of the casing, a trough beneath said second picker roll and having a discharge opening intermediate its ends, a discharge spout leading from said trough opening, cotton cleaning means in. said casing to which the seed-cottonis delivered from said saw cylinder, and said cotton cleaning means having means for discharging the cleaned cotton at either side of said spout.

3. The combination of a hull separator and cleaner for cotton comprising a casing having an inlet, a driven saw cylinder against which said inlet discharges, means for stripping the hulls from the saw cylinder, a picker roll above said inlet and receiving the hulls from said stripping means, said picker roll having means for conveying the hulls toward each end of the casing in contact with the saw cylinder and above and in substantial separation from the incoming cotton, a second picker'roll in said casing below said inlet and receiving the hulls from said upper picker roll, said lower picker roll having means for conveying the hulls in contact with the saws toward the center of the casing, a trough beneath said second picker roll and having a discharge opening intermediate its ends, a discharge spout leadingcfrom said trough opening, cotton cleaning means in said casing extending beneath said saw cylinder and to which the seedcotton is delivered from said saw cylinder.

4. The combination of a hull separator and cleaner for cotton comprising a casing having an inlet, a driven saw cylinder against which said inlet discharges, means for stripping the hulls from the saw cylinder, a picker roll above said inlet and receiving the hulls from said stripping means, said picker roll having means for conveying the hulls toward each end of the casing in contact with the saw cylinder aboveand in substantial separation from the incoming cotton, a second picker roll in said casing below saidinlet and receiving the hulls from said upper picker roll, said lower picker roll having means for conveying the hulls in contact with the saws toward the center of the casing, a trough beneath said second picker roll and having a discharge opening intermediate its ends, a discharge spout leading from said trough opening, cotton cleaning means in said casing extending beneath said saw cylinder andv to which the seed-cotton is delivered from said saw cylinder, said casing having a seed cotton outlet beneath said inlet and extending to either side of said spout, and said cleaningmeans having discharge means for diverting the adjacent said inlet, seed cotton cleaning means 7 including driven cleaner rolls disposed beneath said hull separating means, a hull discharge spout extending across the path of the outgoing seed cotton, means on certain of said cleaning rolls for diverting theoutgoing seed cotton past said spout.

6. In a hull separating and cleaning machine for cotton, having a cotton inlet and separate hull and seed cotton outlets, hull separating means adjacent said inlet, seed cottonv cleaning means including driven rolls disposed beneath said hull separating means, a hull discharge spout extending across the path of the outgoing seed'cotton, means on certain of said cleaning rolls for diverting the outgoing seed cotton past said spout, one of said cleaning rolls extending transversely through said spout, and means on such roll for conveying the hulls centrally of said spout.

7 In a hull separator and cleaner for cotton, hull and seed cotton separating means, a hull discharge spout, and cleaning means including a driven roll extending transversely through the spout and said roll having means for conveying the seed cotton past the sides of said spout.

8. In a hull separator and cleaner for cotton, hull and seed cotton separating means, a hull discharge spout, cleaning means including a driven roll extending transversely through the spout and said roll having means for conveying the seed cotton past the sides of said spout, and conveyor means on said roll within said spout for actuating the hulls away from the spout sides.

THADDEUS S. GRIMES.

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