US498731A - smith - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

G. Y. SMITH.

GRAIN STEAMER AND DRIER.

' No. 498,731. Patented May 30, 1893.

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G. Y. SMITH. GRAIN STEAMER AND DRIER.

No. 498,731. Patented-May 30, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE Y. SMITH,-OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRED. G. ATKINSON, OF SAME PLACE.

GRAIN STEAMER AND DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,731, dated May 30, 18 93.

Application filed April 27, 1892.

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE Y, SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain Steamers and Driers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an efficient grain steamer and drier; and the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of the parts which will be hereinaftenfully described and be particularly defined in the claims.

My machine is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,like letters referring to like parts throughout, Figure l is a sectional elevation of the machine, some of the parts being shown in full, and other parts being broken away. .Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line X X of Fig. 1.

A is the shell constituting the inclosing case and may be of any suitable form; but is preferably cylindrical.

A is a removable cap section, which whenin position is continuous with the body of the case.

A is ahopper-like discharge section, at the bottom of the case.

B b I) represent a series of chambers for the heat medium. These chambers are all constructed with spaces or passages for the grain, and all parts of the same are angular in cross section with the apex of the angle uppermost. Preferably, they are constructed as shown, wherein the part B represents an annulus and the parts I) b hollow radial arms or extensions from the said annulus, the radial parts I) projecting outward beyond the annulus, and the radial part b projecting inward from the annulus and terminating near to but at a point short of the center of the circle.

To give the greatest possible radiating surface to the heat medium chambers, without narrowing the passage between said chambers, the under sides of the same are made of Serial No. 430,934. (No model.)

reverse form to the top sides, that is, the chambers, in cross section are in the form of a parallelogram positioned with one of its diagonals, in a vertical plane. These chambers are conveniently made up of castings and are placed one above the other in such relative positions, that their radiating surfaces will break joints with each other.

Each chamber or casting is provided with tubular projections 11 which, when theparts are in working position, form! continuous tubes placing the entire series in communication with each other, and also serve as a passage way for stay-rods C, by means of which the entire set are securely clamped together. The weight of the series of castings is taken by an angular flange D located near the bottom of the case A.

The bottom member of the series of castings is in communication witha supply pipe C provided with a hand-valve 0 This pipe is in communication with a source of steam not shown. An air valve O is'tapped through the case A, and into the upper member of the series of heat medium chambers or castings, for the outlet of the air when'admitting steam, to insure the circulation in the usual way. A vertical shaft E is located'at the center of the entire series of castings, being supported by bushings or caps E, resting on the inner arms I) of the said castings, and is provided with a series of radial arms E radiating from common hubs secured to the said shaft in any suitable way, as by set-screws 6. These radial arms are located in the spaces between the castings; and the shaft is provided, at its lower end, with a hand-lever E projecting outward through a peripheral slot in the casing A. This device constitutes a shaker or a scraper for clearing the chambers, or rather, the spaces between the chambers, in case the grain should become clogged. At the upper end of the said shaker-shaft E, is secured a conical spreader F which acts as a deflecting surface for distributing the grain on its entrance at the head of the series of beat medium chambers.

G is a spider secured at thejunction of the upper and lower sections A A of the case; and has cast therewith a hollow vertical ex- Ioo tension G which constitutes a seat for a valve H, which is connected at its upper end with a cone shaped discharge head or gate H which works within the lower end of abell-mouthed inlet spout H Directly under the gate ll and secured to the valve seat G is located a perforated coneshaped distributing head H Directly below the large end of this distributing head is a baffle plate H secured to the valve seat G and slightly spaced apart from the lower margin of the distributing head to give a marginal opening between the two. The valve seat G is in communication by a pipe G with the main steam supply pipe 0 and is provided, outside the case, with a hand valve G The valve H is normally held in its uppermost position by a spring H The cooperation of this spring and the weight of the grain within the inlet spout I1 renders the infeed of the grain automatic.

The Valve H is provided with longitudinal openings so as to permit the steam to pass below the same as well as above the valve, thus rendering the valve balanced. The upper eX- tension of the valve seat is provided with discharge openings H directly into the interior of the distributing head H The effect of this construction of the devices for introducing the steam and supplying the grain is to spread out or distribute the grain into a showerlike sheet over the surface and from the margin of the distributing head H and to cause the steam to be thrown outward from within the said head on the body or shower of the moving grain, through the perforations near the top of the same,and also at the marginal opening between the lower end of the head and the baffle plate l-l. At this latter point, the shower of grain is most widely spread out or distributed and the steam is thrown out against the same in a continuous sheet from the surface of the baffle plate H thus rendering the action more effective.

For the purpose of checking the flow from the inlet spout H the surface of the feed gate H may be corrugated as shown at h; and the lower margin of the same may be extended outward beyond the margin of the spout and be provided with an upturned flange h, over which the grain is delivered. This causes the grain to be thrown outward over a larger surface at the point of its delivery from the said gate; and also gives a more efficient seal when the said gateis in its uppermost or closed position, inasmuch as the cup formed by the outer flange 71, will remain full of grain. The fact that the inlet spout H is bell mouthed prevents the clogging of the grain within the same, insuring the proper feed.

A perforated shell or a body of wire cloth K is located within the cap section A surrounding the grain infeeding and steaming devices, and is slightly spaced apart from the inner surface of the said cap section. This shell K is preferably provided with a hopper sha ed lower section K inclinin inward 7 7 and the space between the lower end of the same and the inner surface of the cap section A of the case is closed by an imperforate inclined plate K At some point this plate K extends outward through the casin g as shown at K the casing being slotted for that purpose. This perforate shell or wire cloth K K constitutes a condensing surface, when taken in connection with the inner surface of the casing; and permits the outward passage of the steam while retaining the grain. Hence the drip from the condensed steam will be gathered on the inclined plate K and be directed off through the outlet spout K I This is a material advantage, as otherwise the water from the condensed steam would be carriedforward with the grain into the drier, and largely increase the work to be done thereby.

The steamer and the drier were designed for cooperative use. Itis obvious, however, from the construction that either is capable of use independent of the other. The steaming devices may, in fact, be entirely removed from the drier; and any other suitable form of infeed devices be substituted to supply the grain to the latter.

The supply pipe G is provided with a screw threaded union G which permits the same to be detached; and the cap section A of the case, together with the spider G which supports the infeeding and steam distributing devices,is detachably connected with the main case A by flange plates and bolts and nuts, or by any other suitable means.-

The general operation of the machine is obvious. Thegrainwillbefedintothecase over the steaming devices in a shower like sheet and will be there subjected to the steaming action. From the steaming device, the grain falls directly onto the spreader F, by which it is deflected over the upper heat medium chamber. By the construction and arrangement of these heat medium chambers, as described, the stream of grain, on its descent over the same, will be successively subdivided and made to pass over a large number of radiating surfaces. The grain in this descent will be successivelythrown to and from the center of the case, in virtue of the arrangement of the annular chambers B and the central caps E, and will also, in vitue of the arrangement of the radial arms or chambers 11 and b, be successively subdivided and thrown to and fro, in a direction transverse to the movements caused by the said annular chambers. Thus it will be seen that the grain will be thoroughly agitated, exposing to the greatest possible extent, each particle of grain, to the heating surfaces. By the time the grain reaches the bottom of the case, it will have been effectually heated or dried out, and be ready for the desired use. The construction and arrangement of these heat medium chambers, as shown and described, gives a very large amount of radiating surface in comparatively small compass.

IIO

It will be understood that instead of the annulus with inner and outer radial portions, the castings forming the heat medium chambers, might be made with hollow central hubs and outside radial portions only, projecting therefrom. That arrangement of the parts,

however, would not be so stable, if the Inachine was large; and would not permit all the parts to be arranged so as to break joints with each other.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. A grain heater, comprising an inclosing case and a series of heat medium chambers, constructed in cross section, in theform of a parallelogram, positioned with one of the diagonals of the parallelogram in a vertical position, the said chambers being so arranged that the adjacent chambers break joints with each other, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A grain drier, comprising an inclosing case and a series of heat medium chambers arranged one above the other, each of which consists of an annulus provided with radial arms, all parts of which annulus and radial arms are of angular form in cross section with the apices of the angles uppermost, the said chambers being so arranged that all the parts of adjacent chambers break joints with each other, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the inclosing case and the' series of heat medium chambers spaced apart from each other, in vertical arrangement, of a shaking or clearing device, provided with horizontal fingers working between the said chambers, for preventing clogging, substantially as described.

4. Thecombination with the inclosing case of the heat medium chambers in vertical arsaid chambers and an operating handle on the said shaft extending outward through a slot in the case, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a suitable case of a cone shaped distributing head on to which the grain is fed, a baffle plate directly below thesaid head and spaced apart therefrom, to

leave a marginal passage between the said thereto a valve located in the discharge sec- I tion of the steam supply pipe, and a perforated distributing head, cone shaped, surrounding the said discharge section of the steam supply pipe with its small end directly under the said gate, and a baffle plate directly below the said distributing head, and spacedapart therefrom with a marginal passage for the steam, the said parts operating substantially as described.

7. In a grain steamer the combination with the inclosing case, the infeed devices for the grain and the steam distributing devices, of a perforate shell or wire cloth, surrounding the said grain feeding and steam distributing devices inside the said case and provided with a drip collecting surface with an outlet ex tending through the case, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE Y. SMITH.

Witnesses:

FRED. G. ATKINSON, JAs. F. WILLIAMSON.

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