US2601924A - Corn cleaner and separator - Google Patents

Description

July 1, 1952 T. W. GONDER CORN CLEANER AND SEPARATOR 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Nov. 17, 1950 INVENTOR. B THOMAS W Go/vose, 3 BY w wuaa 5W w 19m A 7'7'0/9/VEYJ' Jul 1, 1952 QND R 2,601,924

CORN CLEANER AND SEPARATOR Filed NOV- 17, 1950 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 F/G. a

INVENTOR. THO/V46 M. GOA 051e,

Patented July 1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CORN CLEANER AND SEPARATOR Thomas W. Gender, Viola, Tenn. Application November 17, 1950, Serial No. 196,210 2 Claims. (Cl. 209-284) This invention appertains to improvements in rotatable separators for separating and classifying various types of granular material and particularly relates to novel and useful improvements in grain separators. v

The primary object of this invention is to provide a compact and durable apparatus for cleaning shelled corn, whereby the coarse material, such as shucks and cobs, is collected and commonly discharged, with the knub grains and dirt being commonly discharged and the desired kernels being accumulated and discharged into a suitable receiver.

Another-object of this invention is to provide a separator, which includes three unitarily rotatable frusto-conical drums, which are arranged in concentric spaced relation on a rotating drive shaft, on which a hopper enclosed feed screw conveyor is circumposed for delivering material into the minor end of the inner drum, whereby rotation of the drums will sort the material with the coarse material being expelled from the major end of the inner perforate drum, the desired corn kernels being discharged from the major end of the perforate intermediate drum into a stationary transverse receiver and the dirt and other matter, such as knubgrains, be- 7 ing discharged from the major end of the outer drum into a stationary transverse receiver.

These and ancillary objects and structural features of merit are attained by this invention, the preferred embodiment of which is set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the improved separator;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view thereof;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2, and,

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-5 of Figure 3.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the centrifugal separator ll] includes a rectangular open base frame 12, on the opposing ends of which upright triangular supporting frames l4 and I5 are mounted. Rigidifying and stabilizing bars it support the upright frames i4 and IS in a perpendicular plane to the base frame l2.

Bearing members 2i; and 22 are formed at the apices of the upright frames l4 and I6 and a drive shaft 24 is rotatably journaled therein, the shaft being driven by a pulley 24 circumposed on the projecting end thereof. Obviously, a belt operatively connected to the pulley 24 and encompasses the inner end of the screw conveyor 2%. 1

A plurality of frusto-conical shaped concentrically arranged drums 38 are secured to the shaft 24, intermedidate the upright frames, the drums being interconnected for unitary rotation. The outer drum 40 is imperforate and is formed at its minor end with a transverse wall 42, the wall being provided with a central opening and a hub 44 being formed'on the end wall in alignment with the center opening, the hub 44 enclosing the free end of the delivery extension 36 of the hopper.

A mounting member 45 is circumposed on the shaft and supports the hub 44 by means of radial spokes 48, the hub 44 and the spokes d8 mounting the minor ends of the drums on the shaft. An annular baflie plate Ell is formed on the hub l and projects inwardly at right angles therefrom, the baffle being provided with a center opening 52, whereby the baffle is spaced out of engagement with the mounting member 46 and the inner end of the screw conveyor 26.

The intermediate drum 54 and the inner drum 5% are provided with frusto-conical shaped frames, each being provided at its major end with rigid annular bands 53 and having spaced bars 59 extending therefrom to the wall d2. Foraminous screens 63] and Bl are secured on the frames so that, the intermedidate and inner drums constitute frusto-conical shaped drum screens, which are perforate and which permit the centrifugal separation of the material'delivered to the open end 34 of the hopper. The major ends of the inner and intermediate drums protrude outwardly from the major end of the outer drum, so that the major ends of the drums are arranged in staggered series, with the major end of the inner drum being disposed in adjacency to the upright support [4 and being provided with an annular band 63 so that the exthe outer ends of the connecting bars being fastened to the band 58 and the drums being connected in spaced fashion adjacent their major ends by radial connectors 65.

Stationary receivers'BS and 68 are provided and underlie the major or delivery ends of the outer and intermediate drums. The receivers are disposed in side by side relation and are transversely arranged with respect to the major ends of the drums. The receiver 66 is formed with an enlarged arcuate upper portion [9 arranged concentric to the lower portion of the outer drum 6!), the arcuate portion being U- shaped and being open at its upper end for the reception of the material expelled from the outer drum. The receiver is tapered inwardly from the upper portion to form a projecting reduced discharge duct 12. The receiver 68 is similarly constructed and is afiixed at its upper portion to the upper portion of the receiver 66, with supporting bars M and 16 attaching the receiver 68 to the upright support M.

In use, corn or similar material is delivered to the hopper 28 by a suitable conveyor and the corn is advanced by the screw conveyor 26, un-

der rotation of the shaft 24, to the minor end of the inner drum 56. The bafiie 52 prevents the corn from working back out of the inner drum screen and is carried by the hub 44 which revolves with the rotating drums, the drums rotating as a unit. As the drums rotate, the shucks, cobs and coarser material are retained within the inner drum 55 and expelled from the major end thereof into a suitable receptacle (not shown). Under the centrifugal action, the kernels, knub grains and dirt are cast outwardly into the intermediate drum screen 54, which retains the kernels, and discharges them from its major end or discharge end into the receiver 68. The dirt and knub grains are retained by the outer imperforate drum 40 and expelled into the receiver 66.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A separator comprising a pair of opposed upright supports, a shaft rotatably journaled in the supports and disposed horizontally therebetween, drive means for said shaft, a screw conveyor circumposed on the shaft adjacent one of the journaled ends thereof, a hopper encompassing the screw conveyor, means mounting the hopper on one of the supports, a plurality of concentrically arranged frusto-conical drums circumposed on the shaft with their minor ends contiguous with the screw conveyor, means radially connecting the drums for unitary rotation and spacing them apart, said drums including perforate inner and intermediate drum screens and an outer imperforate drum, said outer drum having a transverse end wall formed on its minor end and engaging the minor ends of the intermediate and inner drum screens, said transverse end wall being centrally apertured, a hub formed on said end in alignment with the aperture and arranged concentric to the shaft within the minor end of the inner drum screen, a cylindrical delivery extension on the hopper disposed within the hub and in concentric arrangement therewith, a lateral baffle arranged interiorly of said hub and disposed at right angles to the hopper extension adjacent the end thereof and having a center opening smaller than the interior diameter of said hopper extension and spaced out of engagement with respect to the shaft, radial spokes connecting the hub to the shaft, radial connectors secured to the major end of the inner drum screen and the hub, and stationary receivers mounted below and in communication with the major ends of the outer and intermediate drums, said receivers having discharge ends extending in opposite directions and at right angles to the drums.

2. A separator comprising a pair of opposed upright supports, a shaft rotatably journaled in the supports and disposed horizontally therebetween, drive means for said shaft, a screw conveyor circumposed on the shaft adjacent one of the journaled ends thereof, a hopper encompassing the screw conveyor, means mounting the hopper on one of the supports, a plurality of concentrically arranged frusto-conical drums circumposed on the shaft with their minor ends contiguous with the screw conveyor, means radially connecting the drums for unitary rotation and spacing them apart, said drums including perforate irmer and intermediate drum screens and an outer imperforate drum, said outer drum having a transverse end wall formed on its minor end and engaging the minor ends of the intermediate and inner drum screens, said transverse end wall being centrally apertured, a hub formed on said end in alignment with the aperture and arranged concentric to the shaft within the minor end of the inner drum screen, a cylindrical delivery extension on the hopper disposed within the hub and in concentric arrangement therewith, a lateral baiile arranged interiorly of said hub and disposed at right angles to the hopper extension adjacent the end thereof and having a center opening smaller than the interior diameter of said hopper extension and spaced-out of engagement with respect to the shaft, radial spokes connecting the hub to the shaft, radial connectors secured to the major end of the inner drum screen and the hub, and stationary receivers mounted below and in communication with the major ends of the outer and intermediate drums, said receivers having discharge ends extending in opposite directions and at right angles to the drums, said receivers being supported by the opposing support and having arcuate enlarged upper ends disposed concentric to the lower portions of the major ends of the outer and intermediate drums and tapering discharge ducts.

THOMAS W. GONDER.

REFERENSES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 81,567 Wiseheart Aug. 25, 1868 92,327 Loefiel July 6, 1869 387,204 Beeman Aug. 7, 1888 433,096 Sadravezt July 29, 1890 842,614 Blass Jan. 29, 1907 1,305,223 Kinread May 27, 1919 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,649 Denmark Dec. 19, 1908

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