US358670A - Bran-cleaning machine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

A, HUNTER.

BEAN CLEANING MACHINE.

No. 358,670. Patented Mar. 1, 188?.

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nv PETERS. Plleio-Lflllogmphnr. Wnshinglnn. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT ANDREW HUNTER, OF MILWAUKEE, WVISOONSIN.

BRAN-CLEANING MACHINE.

Application filed Augustll, 1886.

To all whom, it concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW HUNTER, of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bran- Cleaning Machines; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to bran-cleaning niaehines; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts, as

will be hereinafter described,and subsequently claimed.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a vertical longitudinal section of my machine; Fig. 2, a detail view taken on line y y. Fig. 1, looking toward the tail end of the machine; Fig. 8, a detail view of one of the elastic hoop-see tions arranged at intervals between the extremities of the screen; and Fig. 4, a vertical transverse section of the screen, taken on line w :r, Fig. 1, the heaters being omitted.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A rep resents the main casing of my machine provided with an inlet-chute, a, at its head end and an outlet-spout, b. at its tail end. In the main casing is supported a circular screen composed of a suitable wire-cloth, B, secured to a frame that comprises a series of hoop sections, 0 D, united to longitudinal strips E F, the latter being respectively arranged in pairs at the top and bottom of said screen. The longitudinal strips E at the bottom of the screen are united throughout their length by bolts 0, arranged at suitable intervals, while the top strips, F, throughout their length are held apart for a short distance (say one-quarter of an inch) by means of a rubber tube, G, or other suitable spring or springs interposed between said strips. The hoop-sections G at the ends of the screen-frame are of a width equal to that of the strips E F in a vertical direction, and have their lower halves bolted or otherwise rigidly connected to the adjacent ends'of the casing A, while the upper halves of these hoop-sections are cut in two at d and united by a spring-hinge, that preferably consists of a strip of leather, e, fastened on the inside of the circle, and a strip of rubber, f, secured upon the outside of said circle.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,670, dated March 1, 1887,

Serial No. 7.10.391. (No model.)

The intermediate hoop-sections, D, are made of elastic or bent wood, and have their respective ends suitably secured in corresponding notches in the longitudinal strips E F, so that when said parts are joined their inner faces will be flush. These intermediate hoopsections, D, are much narrower than the ones 0, and are unbroken from end to end.

Upon the inside of the frame, constructed as above described, is secured the wire-cloth B. thus completing the screen. Journaled in bearings g on the frame of the casing A is a shaft,H,that passes through the center of the screen, and to this shaft, at suitable intervals, are secured spiders I, to the ends of which are secured spirally-arranged beaters J. To one end of the shaft is keyed a pulley,K. desi ned to have a belt-connection with a suitable driving-power, and the other endof said shaft carriesapinion, L, that meshes with a gear'wheel, M, j ournaled in a bearing, h, secured to the main frame. The gear-wheel M has its inner face provided with a prismatic lug, i, that at each revolution of said wheel actuates a lever,

N, fulcrumed to the top of the casing A at 70, and the end of this lever that comes in contact with the prismatic lug on said gear-wheel is provided with aroulette, m, to lessen the fric tion between said opposing parts. The end of the lever N farthest from the gear-wheel M is provided. with a hammerhead, O, and a spring, it, serves to cushion the dowustroke of the hammerhead when the prismatic lug t on the gear-wheel M has passed out of contact with the outer end of said lever. The hammerhead strikes against aloose block, P, that rests upon the screen and projects up beyond the top of the casing A, suitable strips of packing.p,being employed at this point to prevent the escape of dust.

In the operation of my invention the bran is fed to the machine through the inlet-chute a, and is thus conveyed into the screen, where the action of the beaters J throws it by centrifugal force against thewire-cloth B, this force causing a thorough separation of the coarse and fine particles. The finer particles pass through the meshes of the wire-cloth in a condition for retreatment by the usual bolting-machines, said particles falling into a chest,

R, that has inclined sides 1* to direct said par-' ticles to a delivery-opening, s, in its bottom. The coarser particles of the bran that do not pass through the Wire-cloth are finally discharged through the outlet-chute b at the tail end of the machine. The lever N being actuated at each revolution of the gear-wheel M, the hammer-head O strikes the loose block 1?, and thus causes a depression of the longitudina'l strips F and the upper ends of the hoopsections 0 D, this depression being somewhat retarded by the elastic cushion or springs interposed between said longitudinal strips and the spring-hinges that unite the divided upper halves of the parts 0. After the blow has been struck the elasticity of the intermediate hoopsections, D, and the spring-hinges uniting the divided upper halves of the'end sections, 0, operate to cause a return of the several parts to their normal positions.

By the construction and operative arrangement of the several parts above described I am enabled by a slight blow to vibrate the screen throughout its entire length, and thus the flour and the fine middlings adhering to the bran are more thoroughly separated than is ordinarily the case in bran-cleaners of the usual construction, thereby enabling me to secure better results with a comparatively simple and inexpensive machine.

A further advantage of my invention lies in the fact that the flour product is jarred from the bran without rubbing the red coloring-matter from the latter, as is the case with machines that employ brushes.

' Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a bran-cleaning machine, a main casing having inlet and outlet openings and a stationary circular screen composed of a series of yielding hoopsections, longitudinal strips secured to the respective ends of the hoop-sections, and a wire-cloth secured inside of said sections and strips, in combination with revolving beaters operative within the screen, and means, substantially as described, for periodically vibrating said screen, as set forth.

2. In a bran-cleaning machine, a main casing having inlet and outlet openings, a circular elastic screen supported within the casing, a shaft carrying boaters that operate inside the screen, and a pinion keyed to one end of said shaft, in combination with a gear-wheel arranged to mesh with the pinion and provided 5 with a prismatic lug, a hammer-headed lever fulcrumed to the top of the casing and arranged to be actuated by the lug on the gearwheel, and a loose block that rests upon the screen to receive the blow of said hammerhead, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a bran-cleaning machine, a main casing having inlet and outlet openings, a circular elastic screen supported in said casing, a shaft carrying boaters that operate inside the screen, and a pinion keyed to one end of said shaft, in combination with a gear-wheel arranged to mesh with the pinion and provided with a prismatic lug, a hammer-headed lever fulcrumed to the top of the casing and arranged to be actuated by the lug on the gearwheel, a spring arranged to cushion the fall of the lever, and aloose block that rests upon the screen to receive the blow of said hammer-head, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a bran-cleaning machine,a main casing having inlet and outletopenings, and a circular screen composed of end hoop-sections having their lower halves bolted to the adjacent ends of the casing and their upper halves divided and held together by spring-hinges, intermediate hoop-sections of elastic. or'bent wood, longitudinal strips arranged in pairs and secured to the respective ends of the hoop-sections, the lower pair of these strips being bolted together and the upper ones held apart bya suitable elastic cushion or cushions, and a wire-cloth secured inside said sections and strips, in combination with revolving beaters operatively arranged Within the screen, and means, substantially as described, for periodically vibrating said screen,substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of WViscousin, in the presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW HUNTER.

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