US2073792A - Feed mechanism - Google Patents

Description

c. c. GRAY T' A1.

Mach 16, 193.7.

FEED MECHANIvSM original Filed may 24, 1930 Patented Mar. 16, 1937 FEED MECHANISM Carl C. Gray, Minneapolis, and Harry L. Johnson,

St. Paul, Minn.

Original application May- 24, 1930, Serial No. 455,233. Divided and this application October 24, 1932, Serial No. 639,284

Claims. (Cl. E53-44) This invention relates to grain feeding and distributing mechanism for scalping, cleaning,

` separating or other grain treating machines, and the primary object is to provide such a mecha- 5 nism that is particularly adapted for the purpose of effecting an even distribution of grain from one source of supply, such as a primary treating unit to two or more other units which are to individually effect secondary treatment at spaced locations.

A further object is to provide means in conjunction with said distributing mechanism for imparting a mixing action to the grain prior to distribution thereof, to completely offset or destroy any partial separation that may have taken place in the grain body as it approaches the point of distribution, thus insuring the provision of identical classes of grain materials to the secondary treating mechanisms. These and other more vdetailed and specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specication, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a grain treating machine showing our improved feed and distributor mechanism applied thereto, fractional portions of the machine being broken away to economize on space.

Fig. 2

is an enlarged detail elevation ofour improved unit, removed from the machine and with the front cover plate taken off.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line 3--3 in Fig. 2.

This application is a division of our co-pending application Ser. No. 455,233, filed May 24th, 5 1930, now Patent Number 1,966,443, issued July 17, 1934 for `Grain scalping and aspirating machine, and it may here be noted that the present Fig. 1, corresponds generally to the structure shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings in the parent B, C, D,

and E, indicated by dotted lines, and

these may be of any suitable design or character, although they are preferably identical as to size and structural features with a result that it is highly desirable that they be simultaneously provided that will with supplies of material to be treated be similar as to volume and nature so that they may function with similar effects and results.

'Ihe units B-E are supplied by pipes .or tubes 4 which communicate, respectively, with spouts 5 ofV a housing 6.

This housing 6 has a front cover plate l, and at its rear, is provided with a tubular section 8 that supportably connects it to a larger housing or casing F which encloses the primary treating mechanisms, and a full disclosure of which is presented in the aforementioned parent .application Ser. No. 455,233. It is sufficient here to note that the primary treating mechanism incorporates a trough 9 which receives the initially treated grain, and a feed screw I0, mounted on a shaft II, for impelling or feeding the grain in the trough therefrom and out through the tubular member 8 and into the receiving chamber I2 dened by the `upper part of the housing E. The feed screw IIl preferably extends through the member 8, and at its outer end the shaft II is provided with propeller-like mixing paddles I3.

Short partitions` Ill are disposed between the 1 spouts 5 in the lower end of the housing 6, and these are arranged to equally divide the heusing, transversely (as in Fig. 2), into receiving openings for the respective spouts 5. Above these partitions, but below the agitator I3, is an inclined gate or retarder plate I5 mounted upon a shaft I5 which is journaled in the housing 6 vand projects at one end therethrough to support a lever arm I'I, normally extending in a horizontal direction.

The arm I1 is provided with a weight I8, tending to press the lower edge of the gate I5 against the inner wall of the housing, to thereby resist 4the downward flow of grain in the chamber I2,

and the weight is preferably adjustable on the arm so that the resistance referred to may be increased or decreased as occasion may require.

The operation of the device may be briefly described as follows:

As the grain delivered from the primary treating mechanism accumulates in the trough 9 it is gradually delivered therefrom by the action of the feed screw Ill which impels it through the tubular section 8 and into the chamber I2 of the housing 6. As the grain is thus conveyed to the chamber I2 it accumulates therein upon the gate I5 until such time as the pressure upon the gate causes it to open against the resistance of the weight I8; and as the gate opens the grain will of course drop down in a curtain-like formation or stream to the spouts 5. Before the gate I5 will open, however, there will be a substantial accumulation of grain in the chamber I2, and this grain is constantly agitated and mixed up by the action of the mixing or agitating" inembers I3.

These members I3 thus not only tend to thoroughly mix the grain in the chamber I2 so as to counteract any tendency of partial separation under the action of gravity or otherwise, but will also serve to keep the grain body spread over the entire length of the gate I5 so that when the latter does open there will be a uniform ow of grain past the entire length of its delivery edge, and as a result there will be an equal supply of material fed to each of the spouts 5 and delivery tubes Il.

In addition to the functions and advantages above referred to it may also be noted that the described construction also serves to immediately cut off the supply of grain to the secondary treating unit B-E as soon as the primary treating mechanism should for any reason be stopped. In other words, the shaft I I is preferably connected with other parts of the primary treating mechanism so as to be operated therewith, and immediately such primary ltreating mechanism is for any reason stopped then the screw I0 and agitator I3 will also be stopped and the grain remaining in the chamber I2 will be held until the upper machine is again set in motion.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described our invention, what we claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A mechanism of the character described comprising a receiving trough of a primary grain treating mechanism, a chamber arranged at one end of and communicating with the trough, a conveyor screw in the trough, an agitator in the chamber, a series of outlets at the lower end of the chamber for supplying grain to a series of secondary treating mechanisms, a yieldably closed retarder plate disposed under the agitator and having a swingable edge cooperating in constant parallelism with an adjacent chamber part to provide an elongated grain distributing opening above said outlets.

2. A mechanism of the character described comprising a receiving trough of a primary grain treating mechanism, a chamber arranged at one end of and communicating with the trough, a conveyor screw in the trough, an agitator in the chamber, a series of outlets at the lower end of the chamber for supplying grain to a series of secondary treating mechanisms, a yieldably closed retarder plate disposed under the agitator and having a swingable edge cooperating in constant parallelism with an adjacent chamber part to provide an elongated grain distributing opening above said outlets, the lower ends of said chamber having partitions dividing it into equal spaces communicating with the respective outlets.

3. In a grain treating machine the combination with a primary grain treating mechanism and a plurality of secondary treating mechanisms, of a chamber having a plurality of outlets for providing separated supplies of grain to the respective secondary treating mechanisms, means conveying a continuous supply of grain from the primary treating mechanism into the chamber, means in said chamber for affecting an even distribution of grain therein to each of said outlets, said means including an agitator movable in the grain to prevent a partial separation of grain in the chamber, and a tiltable plate disposed transversely in the chamber above the outlets to support a body of the received grain above itself and having a swinging edge cooperating to form a variable closure with an adjacent fixed portion of the chamber and movable downwardly to effect a grain discharge opening under the action of weight pressure by the grain body.

4. A distributor unit for receiving grain from a primary treating mechanism and delivering it to a series of secondary treating mechanisms, comprising a housing, a tiltable gate disposed transversely within the housing for yieldably supporting a body of grain above and upon itself, an inlet opening above the gate, a feed screw for conveying grain through the opening to supply said grain body, a series of discharge openings below the gate and communicating separately with the respective secondary treating mechanisms, and an agitator for operation in said grain body above the gate.

5. A distributor unit for receiving grain from a primary treating mechanism and delivering it to a series of secondary treating mechanisms, comprising a housing, a horizontally extending tiltable gate in the housing for yieldably supporting a body of grain therein and upon the plate, an inlet opening above the gate, a series of discharge openings below the gate and communicating separately with the respective secondary treating mechanisms, a feed member operating in said inlet opening, and an agitator for operation in said grain body above the gate, said agitator being an element separate from the feed member but operated simultaneously therewith.

CARL C. GRAY. HARRY L. JOHNSON.

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