US516704A - Grain-drier - Google Patents

Description

(No MOdel.) '3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. GREGORY.

GRAIN DRIER. v v

Patented Mar. 20, 1,894.

Iilum 'llfl 1W truss as. In'ven tar (No Modeli) 'J. GREGORY. GRAIN DRIER No. 516,704. Patented-Mar. 20, 1894.

UNITED STATES ATENT OF ICE.

JOHN GREGORY, OF MARION, OHIO.

GRAIN- DRIER.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 516,704, dated March 20, 1894.

Application filed March 9, 1888.

To alt whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN GREGORY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marion, 1n the county of Marion and State of Ohio, have lnvented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Driers, of which the followlng is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1, is a side elevation, partly in section. Fig.2 is an end elevation of the head end or receiving end of the machine. Fig. 3, is an elevation of the opposite end. Fig. 4, 1s a. transverse vertical section on lineww Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1. Fig. 5, is a detached view of one of the worms. Referring particularly to Figs. 3 and 4, A 1s an end plate, preferably of cast metal, and havlng a series of circular holes arranged preferably in zigzag lines.

. B C, representa series of chambers or shell secured to the outer face of one of the end plates by means of bolts or set screws; as, for instance, at ant. Each of these chambers consists substantially of two parti-cylindrical portions which are open upon their inner faces, abutted against the outer face of the end plate, under such an arrangement that the inner walls of these shells register sub-v stantia-lly with two adjacent holes which are seen in Fig. 4.. Each of these shells is by preference provided with a hand hole 0, for convenience in getting access to the chambers. Each of these shells is further provided with an opening as at b, for a purpose which will be hereinafter explained. Each of these shells is also provided with a bearing or boxing D, which may be formed in two parts as 1s customary with bearings and has asupport- I ing web or bracket cl. At the opposite end there is a similar end plate A, with two shells 1 3 C, and these end plates are united by a jacket or casing E, preferably of light boiler iron which isat its ends riveted to outward projecting flanges e e, which are formed inte gral with their respective end plates A A. I propose to make these end plates of cast iron, but they may be made of wrought iron or other suitable metal if preferred.

F, is a feed hopper attached to the end plate at thejreceiving end of the machine and provided with a bearing D. I j 1 G, is a discharge spout or hood at the bottom Serial No. 26 6,711. (No model.)

of the same end of the machine, andby preference, the feed hopper and discharge spout are semi-cylindrical and are arranged to register with the upper and lower openings respectively, of that end plate.

H, is a conveyer shaft, the journals of which are'mounted in the bearings D, D, the length of the worm I, of the conveyer being such as to enter near to the outer vertical walls of the above mentioned chambers C, D, F, G.

of which, the horizontal arm or plate 0, is

secured to the upper face or wall of the shell E, the vertical arm or plate 0 being attached to one of the vertical walls of the shell.

P P, are horizontal pipe sections connected with the eye ofthe fan, the ends of these pipes being connected by pipe sections Q Q, to the thimbles or collars q q, of the openings 6 b, which have been referred to. In practice, I propose to use one of these collars or thimbles for each of the openings b, b, the collars being provided with ears through which pass setscrews or bolts into the shells or chambers B O,atboth ends of the machine.

R R, are a series of tubes or cylinders secured at their ends in the openings of the end pieces in such manner by screw threads or by riveting as will insure steam tight joints. Thus, there is formed within the end plates and the shell or jacket E, a steam tight chamof the conveyers.

In am aware that grain driers have been made with a series of practically horizontal tubes mounted at their ends in the vertical walls of a steam, chamber, with detachable shells orrcaps attached to the outer faces of the steam chamber ends (one for each'conveyer tube) and provided with bearings for the conveyor shafts; such caps or: shellsbeing cylindrical in cross section, the conveyor ICO- shafts being hollow and provided with bent pipes connecting the vouter ends of two adjacent shafts; whereby a continuous air current could pass through the entire series of conveyer shafts. I am also aware that driers have been made with the conveyor tubes themselves projecting beyond both ends of the steam chamber, with caps surrounding the projecting ends of two adjacent tubes and supported thereby with bearings for the conveyer shafts. In this last referred to construction there is a fan for producing an air current continuously through the entire series of conveyor tubes. But in my invention the shells B (J are expanded laterally between the conveyor tubes and combined with a ser1es of air pipes connected with a fan common to them .all, whereby asingle fan with a number of short pipe sections equal to the number of conveyor tubes may be made toj draw air currents from both ends of each and every one of the conveyer tubes except the updrawings the air pipes do not project beyond the line of theconveyer shafts at either end of the machine; so that these shafts and their bearings, as well as the gearing which drives the conveyers, practically protect these air pipes from injuryor being-disturbed byany thing coming in contact with them Myplan of connecting the fan with each of the conveyor tubes by means of the interposed shells B C, is also advantageous :because of convenience in making all of the pipes being located wholly outside of the steam chamber, thus greatly facilitating the manufacture of the machine while at thesame time it secures the benefit arising from withdrawing from each conveyer tube suchvapors as are given oif from the material to be dried. This construction is also preferable to those which employ open ended conveyor tubes because the rarefaction of the air by means of the exhaust fan facilitates the giving off of such vapors. So also myconstruction of driving devices, to wit, the chain and sprocket wheels is preferable to a series of cogged gears; because I am thereby enabled to locate the hand holes practically between the conveyers, so as to afiord convenient access to the ends of two adjacent conveyer tubes and 1 0 both ends of the shell through a single. opening in each shell.

S, is a steam inlet pipe, and T, is a steam outlet pipe.

U U, are base pieces, each inclosing .or fitting closely to the bottom of the chamber at one end, and V V, are angle irons, the upright arms or shanks of which are riveted to pipe, which, together with the steam outlet pipe are provided with suitable stop cooks, the temperature within the shell or acket 1s raisedtotherequired point. The grain, meal, or other material to be treated is fed 1nto the hopper E from an elevator or other supply and, the worms of the conveyors being driven in the direction indicated by arrows,

'Fig. 3, such material is movedal lng WWs'h the upper tube of the series J J and delivered thence through the upper shell or chamber B, O at the opposite .end of the mach ne to the next tube below. The screw of 1 18 conveyer has a pitch the reverse of the one above it so that the material is moved n an opposite direction, and is by the uppermost of the shells B G at thehead OI'IEQOQIVLIIg BQG. delivered to the third tube from theitopcf the machine. The conveyor of th s third tube moves the material to the lopposite end of the machine, where it is transferred to {the next lower tube and so .on through the remainder of the series until it is finally (11S- charged at G; as will be readily understood without further explanation. Dur ng this r e he a ria i is e ha c er tq a rolling and tumbling action in contact with not oniy the heated metalof theconveyersaor wormsand the tubes, butalso of the heated stant {circulation of this heated air through the tubes fromthe outletand, underordiuary circumstances, from the hopper F, iseifecfled by the suction fans whereby the operationof drying the material israpi y andthor ug y effected. y

Of course the joints between the shells B O, F, G, and the end plates may be packed when desired to prevent leakage although under ordinary circumstances they can be made sufficiently tight by theordinary methods of manufacture; and the same is true eoncerning (the thimbles or collars q, g, at the openings 1) b. Or the collars inlay be east or .otherwise made integral with the shells or they may be omitted and the pipe sections Q, Q, provided with short laterally projecting pipes or T-pieces which may be inserted in the openings 1) b.

While I have described the best construction now known to me for carrying out my invention, yet I do not wish to be limited to the details herein shown; because many modifications will readily suggest themselves to a skilled mechanic without departing from'the spirit of my invention.

IIO

What I claim isi 1. In a grain drier, the combination of the heating chamber provided with a' series of conveyer tubes, the conveyerworrns within the tubes, and the shells attached to the ends of the heating chamber and provided with bearlngs for the conveyer and with openings for the air pipes, the air pipes connected with the she11s, and means for exhausting the air substantially as set forth. i

2. In a grain drier, the combination of the f heating chamber provided with a series of conveyer tubes, the conveyer worms within.

the tubes, the shells attached to the ends of the heating chamber, and provided with bear- 1 5 ings for the conveyers and with openings for the air tubes, the fan, and a series, of air pipes connecting the fan with the shells, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in 2c presence of two witnesses.

, .ToHN GREGORY.

Witnesses: I

J. E. DAVIDS, OSCAR TRAVIS.

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