US466751A - Sifting and mixing machine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

W. GARDNER.

SIFTING AND MIXING MACHINE.

No. 466,751. Patented Jan. 5, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM GARDNER, OF GLOUCESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE' ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE HUGHES MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF

HAMILTON, OI-IIO.

SIFTSING AND MIXING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 466,751, dated January 5, 1892.

Application filed July 17, 1891. Serial No. 399,87 l. (No model.) Patented in England September 21, 1889, No. 10,606.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM GARDNER, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Gloucester, county of Gloucester, England, have invented a certain new and useful Sif ting and Mixing Machine, (for which I have obtained a patent in Great Britain, No. 10,606,

bearing (late September 21, 1889,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in sifting and mixing machines of that class adapted to blend together different grades of flour or to sift and mix baking-powders, dry paints, and like substances; and it consists in improvements in both the sifting and in the mixing mechanism of such machines.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide means for enabling the surface of the sieve to be kept clean and at the same time to insure the tailings or parts of the materials to be mixed which are too large to pass through the meshes of the sieve to be automatically discharged at one end of the sieve; second, to facilitate the removal of the sieve at will when required to repair same or to replace it by a sieve having a finer or coarser mesh third, to improve and simplify the mixing mechanism and to enable same to be'more easily examined and cleaned. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the machine; Fig. 2,a transverse section of same; Fig. 3, a transverse section of the brush and sieve; Fig. 4, an end elevation of the rear end of the brush; Fig. 5, a transverse section of the top sieve or casing.

The material or materials to be sifted are supplied to one end of the sifting mechanism, preferably by a hopper A, of, any suitable construction, and provided with a shakingfeed, as shown, and fall onto the sieve B,

which is mounted in a suitable frame 0 and is of semicircular form, a shaft D being mounted in suitable bearings in the frame in the axis of the sieve B and carrying a brush E, of spiral or helical form, which is in contact with the upper surface of the sieve B. At the opposite end of the sieve B to which the feed is supplied a chute or outlet F is arranged. The axis D of the brushEis caused to revolve, and the helical or spiral brush in its rotation causes the material delivered to one end of the sieve B to travel along to the opposite end thereof, whereby the parts of such material which are sufficiently small are in its travel caused to pass through the sieve B, the meshes of which are kept open by the contact of the brush therewith, while the tailings or parts of the material which are too large to pass through the sieve are conveyed to the opposite end thereof and discharged through the outlet or chute F, above mentioned.

The sieve B is mounted on an end piece or section b,which fits into a corresponding opening in the casing or frame 0, so thatit can be slid out from under the brush E, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, at the opposite end to where the power is applied to the brush-spindle when requisite to examine or repair or to replace same by a new sieve or by a sieve having a different mesh.

Part of the sieve-casing is preferably provided with a fiap or lid G for the purpose of inspection, in order to see whether the sifting action and also the cleaning operation of the sieve by the brush is being satisfactorily effected, and also, if desired, to introduce directly into the mixer beneath any substance or substances which do not require to be previously sifted.

In order to provide for the wear and tear of the brush E and the consequent diminution of its diameter, the bearings d of the axis D thereof are made adjustable, so that they may be lowered when requisite, and thus bring the lower surface of the brush E again in contact with the top of the sieve B. lV hen necessary to sift substances which are liable to lump into pieces which a moderate pressure would readily break up, the brush E, instead of being made in the form of a continuous spiral or helix from end to end, may have a portion of its length divided into two or more sections, as shown at E, and such sections filled with lines of bristles, fiber, or other suitable material running lengthwise and having a slight twist in relation to the axis D. The forward edge of each of the lines or sections of bristles, fiber, or other suitable material E in the direction of the rotation of the brush is made of less diameter than the spiral or helical portion of the brush and gradually increases in diameter to its back edge, where it is of the full diameter of the spiral or helical portion. Any lumps in the m.ate-' rial will thus on leaving the spiral or helical portion of the brush E come under the action of the lines or sections of bristles, fiber, or

other suitable material E, and as the brush rotates or revolves such lumps will be first acted upon by the forward edges of the lines or sections and pressed against the sieve B. The increasing diameter of such lines or sections toward their rear edge causes a gradually-increasing pressure to be exerted on such lumps, thereby reducing same and enabling the greater portion thereof to pass through the sieve. The twist of the lines or sections E insures the advance of the material along the sieve as it is crushed. The part of the brush which is form ed into longitudinal twisted sections E is also preferably inclosed on its upper side by a semicirculartop casing B, so that this portion of the brush rotates or revolves in a barrel or cylinder and the crushing action on the lumps will take place all round. WVhen the brush is provided with longitudinaltwisted sections of bristles, fiber, or other suitable material on part of its length, at the extreme rear end of each of such sections a small portion of the bristles, fiber, or other suitable material is again arranged in a spiral or helical form of the full diameter of the brush, as shown at E Figs. 1 and 4, and form a segmental or sectional continuation of the spiral E of the first part of the brush, the object of such end spiral being to insure the prompt delivery of the tailings or parts of the material which will not pass through the sieve through the outlet or chute F as soon as they leave the lines or sections of bristles, fiber, or other suitable material E and arrive at the discharge end of the sieve. The semicircular casing B is also mounted in a frame which can be taken out through the top of the casing of the machine, for which purpose said topis made removable.

Thesiftin g apparatus above described may be arranged above a mixing apparatus consisting of a shaft H, mounted to revolve in suitable bearings 7i in a closed casing I, into which the materials to be mixed fall from the sieve B. Shaft H carries one, two, or

more helical blades K, running in the same direction and parallel to each other along the axis, the bottom of easing I being semicircular to conform to such blades K. Said helical blades K have formed thereon or secured thereto at suitable distances apart flights, bars, or segments of helices L, set in an opposite direction or at an angle opposite to that of blades K in relation to the direction of rotation thereof. Axis H is caused to rotate by any suitable means, and the effect is that whereas the blades K tend to convey the materials to be mixed toward outlet-spout M the said flights L tend to convey said materials in a direction from said outlet-spout. The contin nous surface presented and the larger circle described by said blades K exerts the greater influence on said materials, while the disconn ected surface presented to said materials and the lesser circle described by said flights L only retards the progress of said materials to said outlet-spout M to permit the constituent parts thereof to be continuously displaced and intimately intermingled together by the combined action thereon of said blades K and flights, bars, or segments L. The bottom of the agitator-casing is hinged at I, as shown in Fig. 2, so that it can open downward and thus enable the casing itself and also the blades K and segments L of the agitator to be examined, cleaned, and repaired when desired, and may also serve to enable the materials, when thoroughly mixed, to be discharged from the apparatus; but I prefer to provide an outlet or discharge spout M in the casing I for the latter purpose, such outlet, if desired, being provided with a slide m to regulate the discharge.

As the blades K are continuous and are set so that the rotation of the agitator tends to cause the material to travel toward the outlet M, while the bars L, tending to cause such material to travel away from such outlet, are interrupted or segmental, the material will gradually be advanced by said blades K to the outlet M.

Motion may be imparted to shaft D of brush E of the sifting mechanism and also to shaft H of the agitator or mixer in any suitable manner, and either independently or from one of said shafts to the other by chaingearing, as shown, or by any other suitable transmission.

I am aware that prior to my invention sifting and mixing apparatus combined in one machine have been made. I thereforedo not claim such a combination, broadly; but

\Vhatl do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a sifting and mixing machine, the combination, substantially as specified, of a casing,a removable semicircular sieve therein, a revoluble brush journaled in bearings, said brush havinga portion of its length in the form of a helix and the remaining portion formed of separate sections disposed longitudinally, the surface of said sections being inclined outwardly from the front to the rear edge thereof, respectively, and a removable cap adapted to iuclose the latter portion of said brush.

2. In a sifting and mixing machine, the combination, substantially as specified, of a sifting mechanism, a mixing-chamber depending therefrom, a semicircular bottom to said site to the direction of said blades and parchamber, a shaft axially rotatable in said allel to said bottom.

chamber, two or more parallel helical blades WILLIAM GARDNER. connected by arms to said shaft and extend- Witnesses:

ing near to said bottom, and flights, bars, 01' SAMUEL MEADOWS,

segments of helices centrally attached to the \VILLIAM T. RAWBONE, inner edges of said blades at an angle oppo- Both of Gloucestev', England.

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