US293126A - John t - Google Patents

Description

i lUNrTED STATES PATENT-Dwice;

, fan thereon.

JOHN T. AWALTER, on EnsToN, PENNSYLVANIA.

. e FEED-HOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 293,126, dated Fekruery 5, 1884. Application nien Mnyiaisss. (No modem To all whom, it may concern:

- Be it known that l, JOHN T. WALTER, of Easton, in the county of Northamptonand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFeedHoppers; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference particles removed from the middlings by it are deposited, the fine dust or` fuzz being car- `ried by said current from said chamber to a `dust-room or elsewhere. Its object is to generally improve the construction of that class of separatingfeeders referred to; and it consists in the matters hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

The feeder embodying my invention is, for convenience, illustrated in connection with a portion of the mechanism of a middlings-puriiier invented by me, and for which an application for Letters Patent isn'owpcndinghbut such feeder is equally applicable to any middlings-purifier of the same general constructionas the one mentioned; or it may be used as an independent separator, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a separating-feederembodying my invention, such feeder being shown in connection with a portion of the top of a middlings-purier and with an exhaust- Fig. 3 is a front eleva- Fig. 2' is e a vertical transverse section of the feeder mentioned, taken upon connected to the inlet-opening of an exhaustfan, A3, (shown in Fig.l, )placed upon' the top ofthe machine, and with the compartment in which the said screen A is placed by openings in said compartment, which communicate by suitable passages (not shown) with the said space A2. i

llhe parts of i the middlingspuriiier described are not necessary to the operation of 6o my invention, and the screen A may be any screen upon which it` is desired te feed the *middlings or other material, and the space A2 may represent any passage communicating with the inletopeniug of an exhaust-fan.

B is the hopper of the feeder, which is sup ported above the head ofthe screen A, and C is a feed-roller placed at the exit-opening at the bottom of said hopper, and arranged to deliver the material therefrom in a thin stream to the said screen, and which is constructed and operates in a well-known manner. roller C is supported in suitablebearings upon the casing or housing of the feeder, and is given its rotary movement by means of aspur-wheel, C2, which meshes with a pinion, C, placed upon a suitable driving-shaft',` as shown.

" Beneath the ieed-roller C isv a vertical -pas sage, D, which is placed over the inlet-opening a in the top of the purifier proper, and through which the middlings descends as it is fed from the hopper.

At one side of the passage D, and at the lower end thereof, is formed a narrow horizontal opening, D', and communicating with the said passage at the opposite side thereof is an upwardly-extendingpassage, D2, which is connected to the settling-chamber E, said chamber communicating, by means of a vertical passage, F,and the space A2,. with the exhaust-fan A. rlhe opening D and the passage Dzextend the full width of the passage D, and the current of air` drawn by the ex- `haust-fan through said opening passes diagonally upward through the stream of middlings, falling through the passage D and through the passage D2,'carrying with it a considerable Aportion of the lighter and coarser impurities and dust contained in said middlings. After passing upwardly through the passage D2, such airis drawn through a semicircular passage, d2, at the top of the feeder, and downwardlyr The ICO

into the settling-chamber E, which is provided with a vertical screen, e, constructed to effect a separation of the larger and heavier particles from the dust and fuzz contained in such air. From the chamber E the air-current, carrying with it the fine dust or fuzz, is drawn downwardly through the vertical passage F, and through an aperture, f, in its bottom into the space A2, out of which it is taken by the exhaust-fan.

For the purpose of regulating the exit of the material from the hopper B as it is fed` therefrom, a sliding-valve, I, is placed over the opening b, through which the material escapes from the hopper. rlhe said valve is connected to and is operated by a horizontal disk or plate, G, placed in the interior of the hopper, and so arranged that when the material in the hopper is above the top of said plate it will be carried downwardly by the weight ,of the material thereon, and will move said slide-valve, through the medium Of its connection therewith, so as to keep the .exitaperture open. A spring, t', is preferably arranged to act upon the valve I, which spring tends to keep the said valve closed, so that when the material in the hopper falls below the limit of the downward movement of the plate G its action upon said plate will cease, and the valve will be moved by said spring so as to reduce the exit-aperture until the material rises in the hopper and the plate is again drawn downward thereby. The plate G is attached to the end of a lever, G, which lever passes through the front wall of the hopper and is pivoted thereto. rI he outer arm of the said lever G is connected, by means of a rod, g, with a short arm, 7L, upon a rock-shaft, H, which is mounted in bearings at the sides of the feeder, and is arranged in a position parallel to and a short distance from the slide I. The arm It is placed upon the central portion of the rock-shaft, and upon said shaft, near both ends thereof, are also placed two arms, h, which are connected at their extremities tothe slide I, so that when the inner end of the lever G is ,depressed by the descent of the plate G, and the ends of the arms hand h are drawn upward thereby, the said slide will be raised,V and the width 0f the aperture b increased. The arms 7L and ZL are preferably attached to the rockshaft H by means of short hubs or sleeves 1L, which encircle said shaft, and which are provided with set-screws h, by which the said arms may be set at any desired angle. The relative positions of the plate G and the slide I may thus be adjusted so as to vary the width ofthe exit-opening, as is found necessary or desirable in the operation of the feeder. rIhe ends of the arms h are preferably secured to the slide I by having their ends inserted in apertures in said slide; but any other convenient or preferred device for connecting the said arm to the slide may be used. The ends of the'slide I are supported in suitable guides, as shown. Thespring t', for causing the slide I to remain closed, when the material in the hopper falls below the top of the plate G, is preferably half-elliptical in form, and is secured to the hopper above said slide, with its ends resting upon the upper edge thereof. The said spring is held at its central portion in an eye formed upon the end of an adjustable plate, I. The said plate I is slotted, and is held upon thel front wall of the hopper by means of a thumbnut, i, placed upon a bolt secured in said hopper, and passing through the slot in said plate, whereby the said spring may be adjusted to yact upon the slide with greater or less pressure, as desired. The spring t' is preferably made of steel wire, and the upper edge of the slide I is provided with a longitudinal groove, in which its ends rest, and by which they are held in place. Any desired or preferred kind of spring or springs may be used to force the slide I downward in place of the spring t' de.- scribed; .or the valve may be weighted so as to accomplish the same object.

In order to limit the upward movement of the slide I, an adjustable stop, I2, is placed .upon the front wall of the hopper above the said slide, and secured thereto by means of a thumb-screw, as shown. By adjusting said stop, the amount of vertical play permitted in the said slide and the size of the exit-aperture b may be varied, as desired, so that when there is a continuous discharge to the said hopper, through a spout from a bin or elsewhere, the exit-opening may be regulated to discharge the material as fast as it is received into the hopper. A

In order to effect a more perfect separation of the material passing vinto the chamber E with the air-blast, a vertical screen, e, isplaced in the upper portion .of said chamber, and between the inlet and outlet passages at the top thereof. This screen is made of the requisite fineness, to allow the passage of the fine dust or fuzz contained in the air, but to exclude the coarser particles which it is .desired to sepa.- rate therefrom, which coarser particles, being IOO arrested by the said screen, fall to the bottom of the receptacle.

For the purpose of providing an additional separation of the fine dust from the coarser particles mentioned, ahorizontal slit or opening, E', is formed in the exterior wall of the chamber E, through which opening a current of air is drawn, which current passes upwardly through the material arrested by the screen c, and falls to the bottom of the receptacle. adjustable slide-valve, e', by which the aircurrent may be regulated as is found necessary. The bottom of the receptacle E is pro- The opening Eis provided with an j vided with an inclined bottom, as shown,which bottom Slopes toward an exit-opening, E2, for the escape of the material deposited therein. A depending outwardly-opening flap-valve, e?, vis placed over the aperture E2,whicl1 allows the outward passage of the material accumulated behind it, but prevents any iniow of air. A regulating-valve, f, is arranged to control the opening at the upper end 4of the passage F, which forms the enit-opening for the air l er and beneath the said aperture, which refrom the chamber E. The said valve is attached to a shaft, f2, which extends through `the side of the feeder at one of its ends, and

is provided with a slotted segmental plate, f3, which may be secured so as to hold the valve j" in any desired position by means of a thumbscrew, ft, placed upon a bolt secured in the side of the feeder and extending through the slot in said plate f". By moving the valve f the strength ofthe air-current passing through the feeder may be varied so as to produce the most effective result, and according to conditions in the material operated upon. As an additional means of regulating the air-current, an aperture is formed in the side of the passage F, which aperture is provided with a pivoted valve, F. By opening the valve F' air may enter the passage F and will pass directly through the opening f to the exhaustfan, and thus lessen, to a greater orless eX- tent, the draft through the passages of the feeder.

For the purpose of providing a compact and economicalstructure in the feeder, and in order to locatethe chamber E in position to allow the convenient discharge of material therefrom and the entrance of air thereto, the airpassages D2 and F are placed side by side, and between the said chamber and the hopper B.

' The chamber E and the passage D2 are connected by means of a passage, d2, formed between two semicircular plates, d3 and (1*, which project above the top of the hopper, as shown. The passage d2 opens into the top of the chamber E at one side of the screen e and adjacent to the outside wall of said chamber, the inner semicircular plate, d", being connected at one end to the top of the said screen and at the other end to the top of the partition d', between the passages l)2 and F. The partitionwall e3 between the chamber E and the passage F terminates at its top between the ends of the curved plate dL mentioned,`so that the air drawn from the said chamber passes over the upper edge of said partition and -into said passage. The shaft f2 of the valve f is placed in contact with the said plate d at its central portion, as shown in Fig. 2, and rotates in contact therewith when moved, so as to pre vent the passage of air around said valve and into the passage F uponA its opposite side. The front wall, d, of the passage `D is inclined forward, asV shown, so as to deflect the material passing from the hopper over the roller C into said passage, such construction being necessary on account of the size of the roller and the location of the other parts in the machine, as shown.

In order to prevent any upward passage of air through the aperture a, through which the material from the feeder described passes downwardly to the screen of the middlingspurifier, a narrow transversely-arranged receptacle, a, is preferably placed in the puriceptacle is provided in its bottom with a depending flap-valve, a?, constructed to allow the downward passage of the material falling into said receptacle, but which will close and prevent the upward passage of air toward the feeder.

The separating'feeder described need not necessarily be placed so as to feed directly into a middlings-purier, but may be used separately, it being necessary in-such case to con# neet it to a separate fan. rlhe device described may also be used in the process of gradual reduction, for taking out the light bran from the material between the breaks.

I claim as my invention l. In a feeding-hopper, the combination, with a valve, I, for regulating the exit of material from the hopper, of a plate, G, located within the hopper, a pivoted lever, G, connected with the plate, and a roclcshaft, H, provided with arms hand h', connected, respectively, with said lever and valve, substantially as described.

2. In a feeding-hopper, the combination, with a valve, I, for regulating the exit of material from the hopper, of a plate, G, llocated within the hopper, a pivoted lever, G', connected with the said plate, a roclcshaft, H, and arms h and 7L', adjustably secured to said shaft and connected, respectively, with saidlever and valve, substantially as described.

3.^'Iheco1nbination, with a feed-hopper, B, of a sliding valve, I, a plate, G, located in the hopper, connections joining the plate G and.

the valve, a spring, 1'., constructed to engage the said valve at its ends, a plate, I', adj ustably secured to the hopper and connected with the said spring at the central portion of the latter, yand an adjustable stop, I2, for limiting the upward movement ofthe valve, subst-arr tially as described.

4. The combination,with an exhaust-fan, of a hopper, B, provided with a passage, D, a settling-chamber, Ed located in the same cas ing as the said hopper and adjacent thereto, a screen, c, located in the upper portion of said chamber, and a partition, d', located between the adjacent walls of the hopper and chamber, and joined at its ends to the side walls of the casing, and constructedv to form with said walls of the hopper and chamber passages D2 and F,

connecting the top of the chamber at opposite sides of the screen e with the passage D and with the said exhaust-fan, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN T. WALTER.

lVitnesses: i

Cults. B. HETNEH, M. H. WEBER.

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