US2389862A

US2389862A - Extractor

Info

Publication number: US2389862A
Application number: US401320A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mcgihon Leonard
Original assignee: SCHWARZ ENGINEERING Co IN
Current assignee: SCHWARZ ENGINEERING Co IN; SCHWARZ ENGINEERING COMPANY Inc
Priority date: 1941-07-07
Filing date: 1941-07-07
Publication date: 1945-11-27
Anticipated expiration: 1962-11-27

Description

L. MOGIHON Nov.. 27, 1945 EXTRAS TOR 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 7, 1941 :E: 'IE 5 ATTORNEY Nov. 27, 1945*.l McGlHoN l 2,389,862

EXTRAGTOR Filed July 7, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 27, 1945 EXTRACTR Leonard McGihon, San Leandro, Calif., assignor to The Schwarz Engineering Company, Inc., San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Application July 7, 1941, Serial No. 401,320

11 Claims.

This invention relates to extractors cf the type in which juice bearing materials such as fruits and vegetables are subjected to comminuting and centrifugal screening operations while under pressure to extract the juice and a desired proportien of certain solid constituents of the material.

It is an object of the invention to provide'an extractor of the character referred to which is constructed to provide a definite control of the type of extracting operation to be performed.

Another object of the invention is to provide an extractor of the character referred to in which the various stages of comminution can be adjusted separately in accordance with the character of material being processed.

Another object of the invention is to provide an extractor of the character referred to which is constructed to simplify assembly and servicing as well as provide for economical production.

Another object of the invention is to provide Other objects and advantages of the inventionwill be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through an extractor constructed in accordance with the instant invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View taken in a plane indicated by the line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken in a plane indicated by the line 3 3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional View with the two halves of the View taken in two planes, as indicated by the line 4 4 in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentarysectional elevation taken in a plane indicated by the line 5-5 in Figure 4, certain parts being omitted for greater clarity.

Figure 6 is a full-size fragmentary sectional view illustrating the relation of the parts in the comminuting and extracting zones;

Figure 7 is a sectional detail View of a portion of the screen mounting means, the plane of section being indicated by the line 1--7 of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a developed full-size elevational View of a portion of the comminuting and screening parts mounted on the stator or housing of the machine, the View being indicated by the line 8 8 of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the line 3 9 in Figure 8;

Figure l0 is an enlarged View of a portion of the screen;

Figure l1 is an enlarged view of a portion of a modified form of screen;

Figure 12 is a developed full size elevational View of a part of the rotor showing the relation of the breaker and comminuting means, the view being indicated by the line lZ-I 2 of Figure 6;

Figure 13 is a fragmentary plan View of the upper comminuting ring and impeller and is taken in a plane indicated by the line l3-l3 in Figure 12;

Figure 14 is a fragmentary plan View of a comminuting member and an impelling member taken as indicated by the line Ili--Ill in Figure 12;

Figure 15 is a fragmentary plan View of a portion of the bottom ring taken as indicated by the line l5-l5 in Figure 12.

The extractor shown herein is of the general type disclosed in the copending application of Henry G. Schwarz, Ser. No. 54,795, filed December 17, 1935, for Centrifugal extractors and methods of extraction, which issued December 23, 1941, as Patent No. 2,267,048. In this type of extractor, the juice containing material is fed downwardly and outwardly through an annular radially expanding path iormed between a rotor and a stator or housing. Along the path are disposed successive material comminuting zones in which means comprising cooperating elements on the rotor and the housing 1n eaon case serve to break open juice cells and liberateijuice as Well as prov1ding a certain proportion of iinely divided constituents. After each comminuting zone a centrifugal screening zone is provided for *le separation of the liberated juice and the finely divided solid constituents. The separation is effected by peripheral screens past Which the material is carried by impelling blades on the rotor which not only wipe the comminuted material circumferentially and downwardly past the screen but also subject the material to a centrifugal force urging it through the screen. At the discharge or lower end of the annular path an adjustable restriction is provided whereby the rate of flow of material through the machine can be controlled and a pressure zone can Iconnection to the shaft 28.

be established through the screening and comminuting zones.

Referring to Figure 1, the extractor is |provided with a base or stand I upon which the lower flange II of a lower housing member or casing I2 is secured by means of bolts I3 (Figures 3 and 4). The upper flange I4 of the housing member I2 supports a ring I6 on which flange I1 of the upper housing member I8 rests. Bolts I9 secure the flange I4, the ring I6, and the flange I1 together (see Figure 3). Upon its top surface the upper housing member I8 is provided with upstanding pads 2I on which the electric motor 22 is secured by means of cap screws 23.

Within the housing a rotor,indicated generally at 26 (Figure 1), is mounted for rotation by the motor 22 and carries various sets of elements cooperating with parts of the housing to perform the material comminuting and separating steps as later described. The rotor 28 (Figure 1) inlcludes a hub v21 of a generally inverted cupshaped construction which is secured to an annular flange of the rotor shaft 28 by means of cap screws 28. The lower reduced end of the shaft 28 is slidably journaled by a suitable bushing in the recessed upper end of the lower shaft 3l. Shaft 3l has a reduced lower end to which the inner race of a bearing 32 is secured by means of a sleeve 33 and an end plate 34 suitably secured to the lower end of shaft 3I. The outer race of bearing 82 is mounted in upper and lower bearing retainers 36 which are secured to the hub 31 of a bottom bearing bracket 38 by bolts 39. Suitable seals are provided between the .bearing retainers 3B, the shaft 3|, and the sleeve 33 at either side of the bearing 32. Bottom bearing bracket 38 is provided with an adjustable mounting in the housing as later described.

The rotor shaft 28 (Figure 1) is provided with a reduced upper end 4I to which the inner race of a bearing 42 is secured by means of a rotor coupling gear 43 which is secured on the shaft by a suitable end retaining plate. Rotor coupling gear 43 is also provided with a suitable keyed The teeth of the rotor coupling gear 43 mesh slidably with the internal teeth of a motor coupling fitting 44 having a keyed and snug fit on the lower end of motor shaft 46. The outerrace of bearing 42 is secured between bearing sleeve 41 and bearing cap 48 secured thereto by suitable cap screws. A suitable seal is seated in cap 48 to engage the shaft 28. Bearing sleeve 41 has a threaded connection at 49 within a depending supporting collar I having a fiange at its upper end secured to the top wall of the upper housing member I8 by cap screws '52 (Figure 2). `The threaded connection of the bearing sleeve 41 within its supporting collar `5I provides a means of adjustment Ato vbe utilized inthe machine as later described whereby lthe rotor can be adjusted vertically.

With the abovegeneral description of the parts in mind, a detailed description of the various operating Aparts will now be made in sequence as the material flows through the machine.

Material is fed to the machine through hopper GI (Figure 1) which is suitably supported on and communicates with a feed housing 62 having a feed screw 63 suitably mounted therein. Screw 63 is preferably driven from a conventional variable speed drive mechanism (not shown). Feed vhousingiiZ (Figures 1 and 2) communicates with the interior of the upper housing member I8 `and Vis secured thereto by means of cap screws 64. Material fed in through the hopper 6I to the feed screw 63 is discharged into the feed chamber within the upper housing member I8 from which it falls by gravity into a breaker chamber where a preliminary coarse breaking up of the material is performed by cooperating elements carried by the rotor and on the housing.

The breaker chamber is formed within a breaker ring 3 (Figures 1, 3, 6 and 8) having a close sliding t at 61 within an aperture in the lower wall of upper housing member I8, having a threaded connection at 68 with the ring I6 and having a close fitting connection at 69 with an aperture in the upper flange I4 of the lower housing member I2. Breaker ring 66 provides a pilot for accurate alignment of the upper and lower housing members in assembly. As seen most clearly in Figures 3 and 8, the inner face of the breaker ring 68 is provided with a series of upright teeth or ribs, each tooth having an upwardly facing frusto-conical surface 1I connected to a central downwardly facing frustoconical section 12, a lower frusta-conical surface 13 which is joined at its lower end to a short and more deeply yinclined frusto-conical surface 14. As seen most clearly in Figures 8 and 9, the variou-s portions of the cutting edge of each of the breaker teeth, that is the edge facing the direction of circumferential flow of material, lie in a plane, while the trailing edge is provided with an inclined surface 16 which terminates short of the adjacent breaker tooth to provide a feed trough for material which leads downwardly and radially outwardly.

Cooperating with the breaker ring 68 (Figures 1 and 3) is a breaker 11 formed of a vplurality of breaker blades or impellers integrally cast with a hub 18 having a snug fit on a portion of the shaft 28. Thebreaker blades are angled at about 30 from the vertical with theirupper edges leading. At the same time each blade has a compound relation to a radial line to cause the outside edge of the upper portion of the blade to trail in the direction of rotation, while the outside edge of the lower 4blade is in leading 'position, the angle being about 10 at the lower portion. The breaker 11 is provided with a bottom wall 13 which is of an inverted cup shape to conform to the shape of the rotor hub 21. Breaker 11 is secured to the rotor by means of tapped bosses 82 formed at the trailing side of each blade and which receive suitable fastening screws. The bottom wall 19 has its -lower machined edge seated flush on fthe machined upper surface of a T- shaped top ring'. The flush engagement of wall 18 and ring'88 provides a seal so that the material lbeing treated can not contact rotor hub 21. Ring 88 has one flange of its T seated `in the rotor hub 21 and the base of vthe T seated on'a center ring 81 which in .turn seats on a peripheral flange 88 of the rotor -hub 21. Bottom ring 89 is seated against the llower face lof flange 88 and all of the rings are secured in lplace by cap screws or bolts 9| which extend through the bottom ring 83, the flange 88, the center ring 81, and have threaded engagement within the top ring 83. The functions of the

rings

86, 81 and 88 will be referred to hereinafter.

Referring to Figure 3, it will be seen that the three breaker blades provided have their upper edges in leading position and slant rearwardly with respect to the direction of rotation to provide a radially outward and downward flow of material through the breaker chamber while wiping the material past the breaker teeth of the ring SS. breaking up of the material as it is fed into the machine as a preliminary to the first comminuting step. The construction of the breaker chamber with a lower annular portion leading radially outwardly and downwardly from the upper portion insures a full rapid flow of material from the breaker chamber to the rst comminuting zone, and also facilitates the formation of a liquid seal against the entrainment of air with the material.

Vertical adjustment of the breaker ring may be effected by means of the castellated construction of its upper end provided by the teeth therein. Access to the ring may be had by removing the frame cover 92 which closes an opening in the upper housing member i8. Cover 92 (Figure l) carries a locking pin 93 so that the pin is disposed between an adjacent pair of breaker teeth when the cover 92 is in place to thereby lock the breaker ring in its selec ted position.

From the breaker chamber, the material is fed radially downwardly and outwardly between cooperating sets of comminuting teeth formed on the top ring 35 and the lower edge of the breaker ring 60. As seen most clearly in Figure 6, the portion of the breaker teeth formed on the lower frusto-conical surface 'M are opposed to teeth 95 formed in the upper ange of the T-shaped upper ring. As seen in Figures l2 and 13, the teeth 95 are formed by milled grooves in a frusto-ccnical outer face 9? of the top ring 0S. Teeth 96 are cut inclined to form impellers as well as cutters and are preferably cut by a cutter located at an angle of 30 to the vertical. The teeth are cut through the lower edge of the surface Bl to insure a feed channel for material even with :the gap substantially closed. In practice, for example, 24 teeth may be provided on a to-p ring of a diameter of about 131/2 inches.

The spacing apart of these teeth and consequently the degree of comminution is controlled by vertical adjustment of the breaker ring and for ordinary operations the spacing apart between the frusto-conical faces 'ifi and il? will be about .090 inch. The opposed teeth of the top ring 86 and the breaker ring 80 provide a comminuting operation which crushes and breaks open a portion of the juice containing cells of the material and frees a certain proportion of this juice. At the same time the material is being comminuted, it is directed radially outwardly and downwardly by means of the inclined relation of the milled grooves forming the teeth 90.

From the iirst comminuting step performed as described above, the material is fed into a vertical annular juice extracting chamber formed between the rotor and an annular screening means supported in the housing. In/the centrifugal screening chamber, material is carried around the screen while being progressed downwardly by means of a series of impelling blades lill which are preferably formed integrally on a ring |02 held between 'the top ring 06 and the center ring 8l. As seen most clearly in Figure l2, the forward faces of the impelling blades I! are inclined with respect to the vertical and have their lower edges trailing. lIhe angle of inclination is generally from to 10. The forward faces of the impelling blades are also angled at about to a radius line with the outer portion in leading position.

The outer face of the impelling ring |02 substantially continues the outer surface of the top ring 86 and the center ring 8l with only a slight This operation serves to effect a coarse y undercut below the upper flange of the ring 86 to facilitate the impelling action of the blades.

The screening means is preferably in the form of a perforated strip or screen |03 which is disposed in opposite grooves'milled in the upper and center flanges [0 4 and |06 of a screen frame section ll. The screen |03 shown in detail in Figure l0 may be formed of rubber or metal and may be provided with holes ranging in diameter from about .004 of an inch upwardly. The holes are preferably funnel-shaped with the small end facing the rotor. This construction is in effect selfcleaning and avoids plugging of the holes. The screen |03 is provided with a perforated backing strip |08 which is also received in milled EYOOVSS in the respective flanges l and |00. The 10erforations in the backing strip are elongated in a circumferential direction.

The preferred form of screen is shown in Figure 11 at |03a where the holes are elongated in a direction to extend circumferentially of the machine. In this type of screen the width of the hole is controlling as to the particle size which can be passed through the screen. In a typical installation the hole dimensions would be .004 wide by .010 long. With this screen construction the percentage. of extraction is increased and foaming of the material is minimized.

The screen frame |07 is made in two similar semi-circular halves 0r sections (Figures 4, 5, and

7 having end flanges |09 secured together by bolts Ill. The backing strip m3 is supported at spaced intervals by vertical ribs l l2 extending between the flanges |04 and It of the screen frame. As seen most clearly in Figure 7, the end anges I have their adjacent faces recessed along their inner portions to receive a vertically disposed key H6 which is secured to one of the end flanges by a plurality of screws I8. Key H6 is provided with an angled slot lll which receives the end of the screen section which faces into the direction of travel of the material and which is mounted in the frame section bef-ore assembly into the machine. After the assembly the key provides an abutment for the adjacent or trailing end of the other semi-circular section of screen |03 mounted in the other screen frame sections in a similar manner. In this way, the leading ends of the screen sections are not exposed directly to the flow of material circumferentially about the extracting chamber. At the same time an extra length is provided in each screen section to insure a full screen surface throughout the periphery of the chamber.

From the above description, it will be obvious that each screen section can be slid endwise into the associated screen frame section during assembly with one end seated in the milled slot III in the associated key. The backing strip |03 also is slid endwvise into the frame section to abut the key IIB at one end and terminates at the other end of the frame section so as to provide full support for the screen. After assembly the backing strip in effect becomes a part of the screen frame section itself. When assembled as separate units the screen frame sections are identical and may be assembled in the machine at any convenient circumferential position for easy access to the clamping bolts.

From the extracting chamber formed between the screen |03 (Figure 6) and the impelling ring |02, the material is fed downwardly and radially outwardly between a second set of comminutim.r teeth. One set of these teeth is indicated at |2 on the central flange |06 of the screen frame where they are formed by milled vertical slots in a truste-conical surface |22. The opposite teeth |23 (Figures 6, 12 and 14) are formed by milled inclined slots in a frusto-conical surface |24 on the center ring 81 in the same manner as described in connection with teeth 96. There are 24teeth I2I and |23.

From the comminuting teeth |2I and |23, the material is fed radially downwardly and outwardly to a screening or juice extracting chamber of greater diameter than the rst extracting chamber. The second chamber is formed between van -impelling ring |26 (Figures l, 6 and 12) secured between the center ring B1 and the bottom ring `89 and having impelling teeth |21. Ring |26 is formed and mounted similar to the ring |92, ex- .cept that the upper edges of teeth |21 are bevelled for greater clearance. The screening means -for the lower screening chamber is formed of a screen element |29 (

Figurs

1, 6 and 8) and supporting strips |29 mounted in the center flange |06 and the lower flange I3I of the screen frame sections as described in connection with the screen |03 and the strip |08.

The lower flanges ISI (Figures 1 and 6) of the Yscreen Vframe sections seat in an upper flange |33 of a bottom spport ring |32 which is suitably bolted to the lower housing member I2. The up- 'per faces of the screen frame `flanges |04 seat against a machined surfaceof the upper flange (I4 of the lower housing member I2 and overlap the breaker ring 66. The screen frame sections are removably seated with respect to the above `described elements and are held in place when bolted together.

Access to the screening means can be had by means of removable covers |34 (Figures 4 and 5) which are secured by cap screws to the lower housing member I 2. Covers |34 have semi-circular walls extending adjacent the screen 'frame to provide a reduced volume inthe juice chamber. Byremoving the covers |34, the screen -frame sections can be unbolted and removed endvwise from the machine forrepair or replacement of the screen.

The juice and solid materials which pass through the respective vscreens |02 and |29 are received in a juice removal chamber formed within the lower housing member I2 which is provided with four outlet conduits |35 for receiving respective pipes.

The solid material which isprogressed downwardly through the lower extracting chamber by the impelling blades E21 is discharged through a restricted outlet which may also be provided with comminuting means. This bottom outlet is formed by a frusto-conica'l face |31 (Figure 8) 'formed at the inner face of flange I3! of the screen frame and having upright teeth -233 (Figures 6 and 8) and an opposed frusto-conical face |39 provided with teeth |41. These teeth always Vserve as impelling teeth and may be used for comminution if desired. Face |39 isprcvided on famount of back pressure can .be created'through- .out the'screening and comminuting zones.

The

bottom support ring |32 has a threaded connection at |46 with the bottom bearing bracket 38 in which lower shaft 3| is journalled. Thus, by vertical positioning of the bottom bearing bracket 38, the lower shaft 3|, and the bottom plate |43, the spacing between the frusto-conical faces |39 and |31 can be controlled. This spacing is usually at about .020 of an inch or less. To enable adjustment thereof, bearing bracket 38 is provided with a gear flange |41 meshing with a pinion |48 journalled about a pin |50 supported in the lower housing member I2. The pinion |48 is perforated to register with a locking recess |49 in the lower housing member I2 with a locking pin in place the selected amount of restriction provided by the bottom outlet is held constant during operation,

Operation The operation of the machine will be summarized briefly with reference to the extraction of a solids-bearing juice from material such as carrots, celery, beets or apples. With the motor in operation, the material is introduced through the khopper 6I (Figure 1) and the feed housing 62 into the feed chamber within the upper portion of the yhousing I8 above the breaker chamber. The rate of feed by screw 63 is preferably adjustedto keep the top chamber substantially full so that a constant and full flow of material will be had at all times to the breaker chamber and the various comminuting and extracting zones.

The material drops from the feed chamber into the breaker chamber and is carried about and forced outwardly and downwardly by the breaker blades 11 (Figures l and 6) whichsweep the material about the chamber and against the series of breaker teeth carried by the breaker ring 66. This results in a preliminary breaking up of the material, the liberation of some juice and the separation of some line solids, The trail..

`ing relation of the outer edges of blades 11 at their upper portion provides for quick initial outward movement of the material and a quick `break-up. The broken up material flows radially outwardly and downwardly without interruption into the rst comminuting zone provided by the teeth 9.5 and 91 (Figure 6). The trailing relation of the lower ends of blades 11 promotes this even ilow and provides a self-cleaning action in the breaker chamber. At the same time as the mate- `rial progresses downwardly, its centrifugal action is coordinated with 'its downward -flow by the leading relation of the outer edge of the blade '11 at its lower portion. This action occurs principally at alocation opposite to the converging portion of the passageways provided between breaker teeth 65, and isvbelieved to insure a substantially even distribution of the material for .action by the breaker teeth. ,At this place the rst comminution occurs which results in the liberation of a substantial amount of juice and,

further iine solids. The comminuted materialis directed radially outwardly and downwardly to impinge directly against the upper portion of the screen |03. Again, a coordinated and delayed passage of the material across the impelling blades is provided by making the upper edge of the blade leading vertically and the outer edge leading in the direction of rotation. In the first extracting chamber between the screen |03 and the impelling ring |02, the material is carried about the chamber, at an angular velocity dependent upon the speed of tbe rotor and the radius of the blades |09, by the impeller blades lill. For a blade radius of about 13% and an inner screen diameter of 14, a motor speed of 1800 R. P. M. is satisfactory, The material is swept obliquely toward the screen so that the solids tend to, and actually do, form a lter bed against the lower portion of the screen. The upper portion of the screen remains substantially clear of solids because of the direct impingement and washing action of the material discharged directly against the screen from the teeth 96 and As tbe material is progressed downwardly over the screen by the action of the impeller blades and the oncoming material, the free juice and fine solids are carried outwardly by centrifugal force through the screen, the size of opening in the screen being determinative of the size of particle which can pass therethrough. The remaining solids material from which a portion of the juice and certain of the ne solid constituents have been removed then passes downwardly and radially outwardly between the second set of comminuting teeth |2| and |23 whose spacing is generally adjusted to provide a ner comminution than the

teeth

96 and 91,

The final grind at the teeth |2| and |23 is adjusted in its relation to the material being processed to obtain the desired liquid and solid constituents which are to form the juice received from tbe discharge, and this material is progressed peripherally about the second extraction chamber between the screen |28 and the impelling ring |25. being also progressed circumferentially and downwardly by the impelling teeth |21. This results in a further centrifugal extraction of liberated juice and finely divided solid constituents. A nlter bed of the comminuted material also forms on the screen |28 and is progressed downwardly across the screen toward the restricted discharge between the surfaces |31 and |39,

The adjustment of the restriction formed between the surfaces |31 and |39 by vertical movement of the bottom ring |43 provides a back pressure which extends at least through the second extracting and thesecond comminuting zones and may extend up to the first extracting and the first comminuting zone.

The retardation of the ow of material downwardly subjects the material for a longer time to the sweeping action of the impelling blades |21 and retards its passage through the comminuting teeth |2| and |23 so as to obtain the desired extraction in accordance with the particular material being processed. As a result, a substantially juice-free solids cake is extruded at the bottom outlet of the machine, while the juice material is passed into the juice chamber of the housing |2 through the screens |03 and |23. The teeth |38 and |4| act principally as impelling means to aid in progressing material through the bottom outlet.

` .020 apart.

Usually the bottom restriction will be adjusted somewhere within the range of .015 to .030 inch depending upon the characteristics of the material being processed as to proportion of juice to solid constituents, and the character of the solid constituents.

The adjustments provided at the teeth 95 and S1, at the teeth |2| and |23, and the bottom outlet provides a means for regulating the flow of material through the machine and for regulating the percentage of extraction between the two extracting chambers. The

teeth

96 and 91 should be adjusted to perform a desirable amount or" juice liberation for extraction in the rst eX- tracting chamber and to provide a good impelling action on the material.

The teeth |21 and |23 should be adjusted to perform a satisfactory regrind of the material and in addition to provide a mixing up and rearrangement of the material particles to expose fresh surfaces and to facilitate juice liberation. These teeth also must provide a satisfactory downward impelling action to receive the material from the blades lll! and provide a continuous now to the second extraction chamber.

The bottom outlet at |31 and |39 should be so adjusted as to maintain the comminuted material in the second extracting chamber for a time to insure removal of the desired amount of juice and line solids. This adjustment must be coordinated with that of the teeth |2| and |23 as well as the

teeth

96 and 91 so that a desirable rate of flow is maintained, and a desirable back pressure is provided through the extracting and comminuting zones.

As an example of the diiierent adjustments which are required because of the different characteristics of material being processed, the following adjustments are made: For a material such as apples with a considerable proportion of undesired solid constituents such as core and seeds, the teeth and 91 are spaced .090" apart, teeth |21 and |23 are spaced .036" apart, and the bottom outlet surfaces |31 and |50 are spaced With a leafy material such as cabbage where the proportion of undesired solid constituents is small, the teeth 94S and 91 will be spaced .100" apart, teeth l2! and 23 are spaced .020 apart, and the outlet surfaces 31 and 535 are spaced from .005" to .010 apart.

With certain materials, for example boysenberries, the amount of restriction required at the bottom outlet to obtain a desired back pressure and extraction characteristic is small enough so that the seeds will not pass through without grinding. By providing the separate adjustment at the bottom outlet for t -is type of material, the teeth |38 and |i| can be spaced to grind the seeds as they pass out with the discharge, while the two sets of comminuting teeth are adjusted to allow passage of the seeds without grinding. 1n this way, the oil from the seeds is not present in the juice material itself.

It is to be noted that by adjusting the vertical positioning of the rotor, the amount of grind 'in the second comminuting zone can be adjusted while the machine is running. The lamount of adjustment required at the second comminuting zone is sufciently small with respect to the range of adjustment at the rst comminuting zone, so that the desired change in the second comminuting zone will not substantially aiect the adjustment at the rst comminuting zone. 'It is to be noted also that the outlet restriction can be controlled while the machine is running by virtue of` the double; shaft construction without aifecting the other adjustments in the machine.

Referring tothe developedv view shown in Figure 12, it is to be noted that a spirally arranged path of iiow is provided by arrangement of teeth on the rotor. A tooth 95 is disposed immediately adjacent each of the breaker blades to provide a direct path of iiow therefrom, and this tooth discharges behind one of the impelling blades IBI. A tooth |23 cooperates directly with each of the impelling blades lill and discharges behindv an impelling blade |21. A tooth IM leads directly from each impellingV blade l2?. In this way, certain continuous spirally arranged paths of iiow are available to control and coordinate the flow of material through the machine. This arrangement also serves to obviate any possible tendency of material to pile up immediately in front of one of the impelling blades.

I claim;

1. In an extractor for juice-bearing materials, said extractor having a stator and a rotor mounted within the stator and deiining therewith an annular space providing a path of iiow for material,v a plurality of annular comminuting zones along said path for liberating juice constituents of the material, each of said zones being defined by cooperating comminuting means on said stator and said rotor, a plurality of juice extracting means along said path, each juice extracting zone following said comminuting zone and comprising annular screening means o-n said stator and material impelling means on said rotor, said rotor being made up of at least two sections connected for rotation together and for relative axial adjustment.

2. In an extractor for juice-bearing materials, said extractor having a stator and a rotor mounted within the stator and defining therewith an annular space providing a path of flow for material, comminuting means along said path for liberating juice constituents of the material, juice extracting means along said path following said comminuting means, said rotor being made up of at least two sections connected for rotation together and for relative axial adjustment.

3. In an extractor for juice-bearing materials, said extractor having a stator and a roto-r mounted within the stator and deiining therewith an annular space providing a path of iiow for material, a plurality of annular comminuting zones along said path for liberating juice constituents of the material, each of said zones being defined by cooperating comminuting means on said stator and said rotor, a plurality of juice extracting zones along said path, each juice extracting zone following a comminuting zone and comprising annular screening means on said stator and material impelling means on said rotor, said rotor being made up of at least two sections connected for rotation together and for relative axial adjustment, and adjustment means for said sections including at least certain of the supporting bearings for said rotor.

4. In an extractor for juice-bearing materials, said extractor having a stator and a rotor mounted within the stator and deiining therewith an annular space providing a path of flow for material, comminuting means along said path for liberating juice constituents of the material, juice extracting means for the resulting comminuted material, said rotor being made up of at least twosections connected for rotation together and for relative axial adjustment, and adjusting means for said sections including at least certain of the supporting bearingsfor said rotor.

5. In an extractor for juice-bearing materials, a housing comprising a stator, a rotor disposed within said housing and including shaft sections connected for relative axial adjustment, a. supporting bearing for each of said shaft sections, and an adjustable mounting on said housing for each of said bearings to vary the spacing of portions of said rotor from the cooperating portions of said stator.

6. In an extractor for juice-bearing materials, a housing comprising a stator, a rotor disposed within said housing and having a part mounted thereon for axial adjustment relative thereto and relative to a cooperating part on said housing, an operating member on said housing, and an adjusting connection. from said member to said rotor part to enable adjustment thereof while in rotation.

7. In an extractor for juice-bearing materials having a stator and a rotor, cooperating means on said stator and said rotor for comminuting the material, means to provide an outlet for the residual solids after separation of the juice-,therefrom comprising means iixed to said stator and meansl cooperating therewith adjustable axially of said rotor and rotatable with said rotor.

8. In an extractor for juice-bearing materials having a stator and a rotor, a device for dening an annular passage between said stator and said rotor the axial dimension of which can be selectively adjusted to control the process of juice extraction, said device comprising a first part mounted on said stator, a second part cooperating with said first partto form said passage, means for supporting said second. part on said stator adjustable with respect thereto to determine the axial dimension of said passage, and means to rotate said second part from said rotor.

9. An extractor for juice-bearing materials having a housing or stator, a rotor disposed coaxially within said stator and spaced therefrom to form a passage for the material, means for separating juice in two stages, means to provide a comminuting zone preceding each of said stages, said zones and stages being arrangedY along said material passage so that the material iirst passes through the iirst comminuting zone, next through the iirst juice separating stage, then through the second comminuting zone, and finally through the second juice separating stage, means adjustably mounted on said stator to control the passage dimension in the iirst comminuting zone, means for axially adjusting said rotor to control the passage dimension in the secondy comminuting zone, and means adjustably mounted on said stator for controlling the dimension of the discharge outlet of`said passage.

10. An extractor for juice-bearing materials having a housing or stator, a rotor disposed coaxially within said stator and spaced therefrom to form a passage for the material, means for separating juice in two stages, means to provide a comminuting zone preceding each of said stages, said zones and stages being arranged along said material passage so that the material rst passes through the rst comminuting zone, next through the rst juice separating stage, then through the second comminuting zone, and iinally through the second juice separating stage, means adjustably mounted on said stator tov control the passage dimension in the first comminuting zone. means for axially adjusting said4 rotor to control the passage dimension in the second comminuting zone, means adjustably mounted on said stator for controlling the dimension of the discharge outlet of said passage, and means for rotating said last-named means from said rotor.

11. In an extractor for juice-bearing materials, having a stator and a rotor, cooperating means on said stator and said rotor for comminuting the material, means for adjusting the rotor axially to control the dimension of the passage between said comminuting means, means adjustable re1- atiVe to said stator to control the discharge outlet for residual solids, said means having a telescopic connection with said rotor whereby vertical movement of said rotor does not affect the adjustment of the discharge outlet.

LEONARD MCGIHON.