US923932A - Machine for separating cockle from wheat. - Google Patents

Description

, c, P. BALLARD.

MACHINE FOB SEPARATING OOOKLB FROM WHEAT.

APPLICATION FILE-D APR. 8, 1908.

Patented June 8, 1909.

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CULLUM PRESTON BALLARD, OF HUNTERS SPRINGS, WEST VIRGINIA.

MACHINE FOR SEPABATING COOKLE FROM WHEAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1909.

Application filed April 8, 1908. Serial No. 425,839.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CULLUM PRESTON BALLARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hunters S rings, in the county of Monroe and State 0 West Virginia, have in vented a new and useful Machine for Separating Cockle from Wheat, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to machines for separating cookle from wheat and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of its arts as hereinafter shown and described.

y reason of the fact that the diameter of cockle is substantially the same as that of the minor diameter of wheat grains it has been a difficult problem to provide mechanical means for separating the different kinds of seed without entailing much loss of grain which is separated with the cookle. In view of the fact that the major diameter of wheat is considerably greater than the diameter of cookle and furthermore that cookle is substantially globular while wheat is elliptical in longitudinal section I seek to take advantage of this difference in dimensions between the diflerent kinds of seed to effect the separation thereof without undue loss or waste of the wheat.

The object of the present invention is to provide mechanical means for so arranging the different kinds of seed that they may be positively operated u on to effect the separation and with this object in view a'table is provided upon which is mounted a plate having perforations of suchtransverse diameter as to permit the cookle to pass freely therethrough, but which will not receive the wheat grains as they pass over the plate with their longer diameters horizontal or transversely disposed with relation to the said perforations. Means is provided for rolling the seed along the plate and said means is also so mounted as'to prevent the wheat grains fromrmoving end over end as they pass along the plate; forif such movement were permitted the wheat grains at times would enter the perforation by an endwise movement and should this occur the grains of wheat would pass through the perforations and become waste.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of a portion of the perforated plate, and Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a modified form of the machine.

The machine consists of the frame or table 1 upon which is mounted in horizontal position a perforated plate 2. The perforations are conical as indicated at 3 in Fig. 3 with their smaller ends uppermost. The diameter of the perforations in the plate 2 at their upper ends are sufficient to permit cookle seed to readily pass therethrough but is not suflicient to permit wheat grains to pass therethrough when the longer axes of the grains are transversely disposed with relation to the perforations. The shaft 4 is journaled for rotation at one end of the table 1 and the sprocket wheels 5 are mounted upon the said shaft. The shaft 6 is journaled for rotation at the op osite end portion of the table 1 and the whee s 7 are mounted upon the shaft 6. The belt 8 passes around the wheels 5 and 7 and may be of flexible material, such as rubber, canvas, etc. The cross slats 9 are mounted upon the inner sides of the belt 8 and are provided with the recesses 10 adapted to receive the sprocket teeth of the wheels 5. Any suitable means may be provided for rotating the shaft 4.

The guide strips 11 are adj ustably mounted at the sides of the frame 1 and lie over the ends of the slats 9 at the lower side of the belt 8. Thus the said slats at the lower side of the said belt and the said belt is maintained at a determined relation with the plate 2, the space between the said plate 2 and the belt 8 bein just sufiicient to permit the cookle to be rolled along the plate 2 and also to permit the wheat grains to be rolled upon their sides along the plate 2 but the space between the said plates and the lower side of the belt 8 is not sufiicient to permit the wheat grains to roll endover end.

It will be noted by referring to Fig. 1 that the ends of the guides 11 are oppositely beveled in order to project under-the wheels 5 and 7, thus to permit the belt to be pressed downward toward the plate throughout the entire operative length of the latter, andthereby secure a higher efficiency of operation than would result if the guides were of considerably less length than the plate.

The hopper 12 is mounted at one end of the frame 1 and is provided with a chute 13 which communicates with the basin 14 located at the end of the plate 2. The said plate 2 is elevated with relation to the bottom of the basin 14. The discharge outlet of the chute 13 is provided with a valve 15 whereby the passage of seed from the hopper 12 through the chute 13 into the basin 14 may be regulated.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The mixed seed is placed in the hopper 12 and the belt 8 is caused to move in an orbit in response to the shaft 4 which is in a state of rotation. As the seed passes down the chute 13 into the basin 14 bits of iron and gravel contained therein become lodged upon the bottom of the said basin while the seed comes in contact with the belt 8 at the lower side of the wheels 7 and is drawn in between the said belt and the top of the plate 2. Thus the seed is rolled along the plate 2 in i the manner above indicated. The cockle is quickly separated from the wheat and passes into the chute 1.6 while the wheat is carried along and may be graded by varying the relative sizes of the perforations in the plate 2 toward the rear end thereof so that wheat i grains of inferior size may be passed into the chute 17 and the best quality grains pass 0H t of the plate 2 at the delivery end thereof into i the chute 18. The guides 11 together with the slats 9 prevent the lower portion of the belt from bowing upwardly or concaving away from the plate 2 and the belt 8 is of such material as to impart sufficient frictional contact to the layer of seed to keep the same moving along the plate 2 and at the same time possesses sufficient resiliency to prevent crushing or bruising the wheat grains.

In the form of the invention as illustrated in Fig. 4 the flat plate 2 is substituted by a concaved plate 16 and the roller 19 takes the 2 place of the belt 8. The plate 16 is spaced from the periphery ofv the roller 19 in order to receive the seed from the hopper 12 in the 1 same manner as has been heretofore described. As the said roller 19 rotates it carries the grain across the plate 16 in a layer and in the same manner as heretofore described and in the passage of the seed across i the plate 16 the cockle falls through the per i 1 frame,

forations in the said plate into the chute 1c and the wheat grains are carried to the delivery end of the said plate from whence they fall into the chute 18.

It will be observed from an inspection of the drawings that the strips 1 l are ad j ustably disposed upon the upper surface of the lower stretch of the belt and that they are held against upward movement from such position by the engagement of the retaining elements of the machine which are engaged through the slots in the brackets which are disposed one pair at each side of the said belt, these brackets being indicated by the 3 numeral 11 and the retaining elements by the numeral '12.

Having described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters l Pa ten t is A machine of the class described compris ing a frame, a tiat plate disposed upon the and having perforations, wheels mounted for rotation at each end of the plate, an endless belt, slats secured upon the inner surface of the belt and extendingtransversely thereof with their edges in mutual contact. the lower stretch of the belt being positioned to travel directly above the upper surface of the plate in slightly spaced relation with respect thereto, slotted brackets carried by the. frame at each side of the belt and projecting above the plane of the lower stretch thereof strips loosely disposed upon the upper side of the lower stretch of the belt one at each side thereof, and means adjustably engaged through the slots in the brackets and bearing upon the upper sides of the strips whereby to hold the belt against up ard yield.

In testimony that 1 claim the folegoing as my own, I have hereto afliXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CULLUM PRESTON Bill ,1 1A R l Witnesses:

ll. H. AnNo'r'r, C. ll. Anxo'r'r.

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