US416769A - Malting-machine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. WIGGIN. MALTING MACHINE No. 416,769. Patented Deo. 1o, 1889.

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A, WIGGDI. .MALTING MACHINE.

No. 416,769.v Patented Deo. lOA,188 9.

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nPatented Dec. 10, 1889.

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MALTING MACHINE.

No. 416,769. Patented Dec. 10, 1889.

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UNITED STATES.-

PATENT OFFICE ANDREW WIGGIN, OE BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AsSIGNOR OE ONE-HALE To MICHAEL A. BARBER, OF NORWICH, CONNECTICUT.

MALTlNlG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,769, dated December 10, 1889.

Application filed February 25, 1889. Serial No. 301,131. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known th at I, ANDREW WIIGGIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVIalting-Machines,which improvements are fully set forth and described in the following specification, reference being had to the annexed four sheets of drawings.

This invention has'particular relation to machines for automatically handling barley or other grain during the process of germina-4 tion or while said grain is drying, the immefdiate obj ect being to provide a form of stirrer' nshould be frequently distributed 'and broken up and the individual particles of grain separated. The agitating` device, which forms an essential feature of this invention, is conf structed with particular reference to this de-` sirable result. Y

In the annexed drawings, Figure lisa side elevation, partly in sect-ion, of a malting-machine embodying the major portion of my improvements. Fig. 2 is an elevation of portions of the agitator as viewed from the lefthand end of Fig. l, and is intended 'to illustrate the manner. of supporting and rotating said agitator. Fig. 3 is an enlarged crosssection of said agitator, showing its driving mechanisms, and also illustrates a convenient form of trap-door and conveyer for removing the grain from the malting-floor. Fig. 4 is a top view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a ,crosssection of one side of the malting-chamber,

showing more clearly my preferred construe? tion of agitator-frame, and also shows said conveyer. Fig. 6 is an end `view of an agitator in which the several buckets or scoops are geared together and thus caused to reverse in unison; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of one of said scoops and the shaft on which it is supported. Fig.- 8 is a 55 detail View showing the scraper in its operative position in the malting-chamber. My several improvements may be used within a closed chamber or may be adapted for use on theopenfloor of an ordinary room, 6o

as illustrated in Fig. l of the annexed drawings.

I prefer to use for drying-machines aclosed chamber with a perforated floor, through which currents of tempered air may be passed, and for germinating-machines either an open or closed chamber and a solid cementfloor.

Referring to said drawings, the letters AB indicate the ioors of a building, and C I) uprights connecting said floorsV and located at 7o each end `of the malting-chamber proper.

Similar uprights are provided at each corner of Said machine and are connectedby girders or stringers E, that form ways on which the agitating device is supported and travels forward and backward while g in use. `Castmetal frames F are provided, at each end of said agitating device, having journal-bearings a b c formed therein, and having later- L y ally-projecting arms d carrying machine-8'6"` screws f, that are vertically adjustable.

ends of said arms d e are formed with rightangular extensions or plates CZ e', and on the outer face of said plates are clamped corresponding plates formed as parts of frames cl2 8.5 e2, which latter frames have pivoted therein rollers d3 e3, that may rest Adirectly on the girders E, or, if preferred, may run on a track of half-round iron g, as illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The confronting 9o plates on frames d e and on frames d2 c2 are drilled to receive a clamping-bolt h, the bolthole in one of said parts being elongated, so that a considerable vertical adjustment is possible, it being only necessary to loosen the 9 5 nut or bolt h and raise or lower the screws f to control such adjustment. This action correspondingly raises or lowers the entire agitating device.

J ournaled in the central bearings b of Ioo frames F at each end of the agitator are short shafts G, that bear on their outer ends The ""f small spur-gears H, that engage racks J, secured to upper side of guides E and parallel with the half-round-iron track g. On the inner end of each shaft G is a gear K, somewhat larger than the spur-gears Il above m entioned.

Hung in the lower bearings c of frames F is a shaft M, on which the agitator proper is supported. At each end of this shaft M is a gear L, that meshes with the gears K, already described. At one end of shaft M (the left hand of Fig. 2) is also a somewhat larger gear N, that meshes with a gear O, carried by a shaft P, that rotates in thebearings a of frames F. On this shaft l) is also a score-pulley R, adapted to receive one or more coils of a driving-cable 7o, saidcable being suitably guided on each side of score-pulley R by small score-pulleys m, revolving in a horizontal plane and supported on pillars n, proj ecting upward from frames F.

The cable 7c is carried by drums or pulleys S S', located at the ends of the malting-chamber and supported, preferably, in journalbearings m', secured to the uprights C D, said journal-bearings at one end of the chamber being made adjustable, so that the slack of said cable may be easily taken up. On the shaft T, that carries the pulleys S', is also a pulley V, which is connected by belt or cable n with a pulley V on a counter-shaft located either beneath the iioor A, as here shown, or overhead, as is most convenient. This counter-shaft W is driven by straight and crossed belts o o', operating with suitable pulleys on said counter-shaft, said belts being controlled by a shipper p. The arrangement of counter-shaft, connecting-belts, and shipper We make no special claim to, and therefore have not deemed it necessary to show detailed drawings of the same. Shipperrod p is controlled and caused to reverse the movement of the agitating mechanism at stated times by a system of cords, levers, and pulleys, which I willfproceed to explain. At each end of the malting-ehamber a lever-arm q is pivoted, the ends of said lever-arm being connected by cords or chains fr extending from end to end of said chamber. The lever q nearest the counter-shaft NV has also attached thereto a cross bar or arm q', whose ends have cords or chains s s leading downward around a system of pulleys t t and connecting with said counter-shaft at its opposite ends in such a manner that when the cross-bar q is tilted or rocked on its pivot said cords or chains s s cause the 'shipper-rod to move longitudinally, and thus move the belts 0 o. To effect this transfer of the belts at the proper time, the lever-arms q are of such length and so located relative to the frames d2 c2, above described, that said frames engage one end of said leverarms as the agitator has nearly reached the end of ythe chamber. This rocks the leverarm q and its connected parts, and thus reverses the direction of rotation of the drivingcable la, and consequently reverses the movej,

ment of the agitating device before it reaches either end of the malting-ehamber.

l am aware that agitating devices drawn and rotated by cable mechanisms and adapted to reciprocate in a malting-chamber are old and commonly known in this class; but the particular arrangement` of cable, shafts, gears, and racks here shown, by means of which bot-h the reciprocating and rotary movements of the agitator are attained, are believed to be novel.

ltshould be noted that the cable k does not serve directly to either rotate the agitator or cause it to advance and recede in the malting-chamber, but simply'acts to rotate the shaft P, which is j ournaled in the main frames of the agitator. The rotary motion of this shaft P is then transmitted through the train of gearing already described and utilized to rotate the agitator, and also to rotate the gears that mesh with rack J, and thus cause said agitator to travel forward and backward, as desired. The distribution of power and motion thus provided is more satisfactory in practice than when the agitatoris drawn forward by cables located at each end of said agitator and connected directly therewith. Vhen so connected, a slight variation of the tension or length of such cables causes one end of the agitator to move slightly in advance of the other end,`and as a result the supporting-carriages of the agitatorbind in their bearings. This difficulty is positively avoided by the mechanism herein described and a steady movement of the agitator attained.

The agitator proper consists of a novel arrangement of buckets particularly suited to this class of machines.

l have already referred to the agitator-shaf t M, supported in bearings c in frames F. This shaft has secured to it circular plates 2, which are drilled at stated distances from the central shaft to provide bearings for a series of shafts 3, on which the buckets of my agitator are hung. These buckets consist of curved plates 4, forming scoops that are approximately semicireular in cross-section and supported on the shafts 3 by wings or plates 5. The location, size, and shape of the buckets are such that when ther7 are rocked on shafts 3 one edge of Asaid buckets abuts the central shaft M, while the other edge projects out- Ward to the perimeter of the plates 2 and nearly reaches the floorr as the agitator rotates. It will be thus seen that the buckets so constructed and supported may be rocked on their shafts 3 to bring either edge into operative relation to the mass of grain, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, and are thus made to serve as scoops while traveling in either direction. To effect the reversal of said buckets, I provide on each a rib 6, that projects radially from the perimeter of said bucket. Vhen the direction of movement of the entire agitator is reversed at the end of said chamber, these ribs 6 plow into the grain :which accumulates on said ribs and tends to IOO IIO

hold them in check While the agitator advances. This reverses the buckets, and they immediately begin to scoop up the grain and deposit it in the rear of the agitator. This form of buckets allows the grain to drop freely from the rear side and overcomes some of the objections heretofore existing in agitators provided with rigid buckets adapted to scoop up the grainpwhen moving `in either direction-for example, as in Patent No. 240,624.

In order to cause the simultaneous reversal of all the buckets of the series, instead of Waiting for each to be acted on by the grain, I provide on one end of each shaft 3 a spurgear 7, Which spur-gears mesh with gear S, loosely located on the central shaft M. When either of the buckets is reversed, this system of gears (plainly shown in Figs. 2 and 6) immediately reverses all the companion buckets, and thus brings them into position for immediate use.

In Figs. 3 and 5 I haveillustrated a convenient form of conveyerfor removing the iinished malt from the drying-chamber and conveying it to other parts of the malt-house. A trap-door 8 is' hinged to floor A at about the middle of the drying-chamber, said trapdoor being raised or 'lowered by means of a rack 9, attached to said trap, and a' piniongear 10, journaled in proper relation to said rack and operated by a crank or wrench. (Not shown in the drawings.)

8 opens into a box or trough 11, that is transverse to the length of the drying-chamber and of any desired length.` In the bottom of kthis box 11 are Scrapers 12, that are connected opening thus provided and falls on and be-l tween the Scrapers 12 and by them is conveyed to the point Where the chain or belt passes around the sprocket-wheels, when itis either deposited in a bin or falls into a chute and is carried by gravity to another part of the building'.

To facilitate the emptying of the dryingchamber, I have also provided a scraper within said chamber, consisting of arms 14, that are journaled on the agitator-shaft M at The trap-door each end of said shaft and bear at their free ends a plate 15, that may rest on the maltingfloor and be drawn or forced along on said Hoor. A scraper of this construction may be provided on each side of the agitator, or a -single one may be provided, as shown in Fig.

Having described my inventioml claim- 1. In combination with an agitator-*shaft and mechanism, as set forth, `for driving the same, a series of reversi-ble buckets-journaled 1 concentric with said shaft and geared together, as described, said buckets being provided' with ri gid reversin g-ribs, substantially as and for the purpose specified. v

2. A reciprocating agitator for malting-machines, provided with a central shaft and mechanism, substantially as described, for

rotating the same, and having a series of reversible approximately semicylindrical buckets journaled concentric with said shaft and adapted, when in either position, to bear atl one edge against theshaft, said buckets being provided with rigid longitudinalribs to engage in the grain to reverse the buckets, substantially as specilied.

3. Ina matting-machine, the combination,` with parallel Ways, of journal-frames F, hav-l ing at each end laterally-projecting slotted plates d e', parallel shafts P M, journaled in said frames, geared together, and bearing, Are' spectively, a scored pulley and an agitatingA device consisting of a series of reversible buckets journaled concentric with said latter shaft, frames d2 e2, bearing rollers d es, and having plates that confront and engage the plates d e', above referred to, clamping-bolts h, passing through said confronting plates, and adjusting-screws f, tapped into the ends of frames F and abutting the roller-frames li ed.

ANDREW VIGGIN.

` Witnesses:

ALLEN lj-ENNY, FRANK I-I. ALLEN,

. .105 d2 e2, all being as and for the purpose speci-

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