USRE1545E - Improvement in grain-separators - Google Patents

Description

.7 '2 Shets-Shet 1. B. T. TRIMMER.

Grain Separator- No. 1,545. Reissued Sept. 29, 1863.

WIT 5154's 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. T. TRIMMER.

in Separator.

Gfa

Reissued Sent. 29, 1863.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

"IMPROVEMENT n GRAlN-SEPARATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 21,036, dated July 27, 1858 'Rcissuc No. 1,545, dated September 29,1863.

- To all whom it may cancers Be it known that I, BENJAMIN T. TRIMMER, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, did invent certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cleaning Grain, for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted me on the 27th day of July, 1858; and I do hereby declar'e that the following is afull and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine ;v Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section of the same; Fig. 3, views of the device for communicating motion to the screen Figs.

4 and 5, views of parts detached.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding partsin all the figures.

A suitable frame, A, is provided,in which is mounted a blast or suction fan, B, driven by a band from a pulley, C, or in any equivalent manner. The blast or draft produced by the fanis conducted through three tnbes,D,E, and

F, which unite in one discharge at the opening G. The tubes are arranged substantially as represented, D being provided with a valve, f, by which the intensity of the current of air is regulated, and a similar valve, It, being provided at the lower junction of E and F, by which the intensity of the current is regulated in either, or by which, being set in an angular position, it is deflected into and consequently increased in either.

The grain is introduced to the machine through a hopper or spout, H, falling through the first blast or draft, D, into aspout, I,whence it is discharged and caught by some suitable device, that represented in the-drawings being a coarse screen, a, of a shaker, J. This screen is sufficiently coarse to allow the perfeet grain to pass through it, but retains any coarse matter-- such as sticks, oats,&c.--which are carried down by its inclination into an in-- clined spout, K, by which they are discharged.

A finer reverse-screen, b, beneath returns the grain, but passes, chess and other small, seeds, which drop on a board, 0, inclining with screen a, and which also discharges into spout K. The screen another fine screen,'d, also inclining with a, and

I beneath this is another reverse-board, e, which I) discharges the perfect grain on.

discharges the fine refuse it receives into a discharge-spout, L. The grainfrom the screen d now falls into a spout, M, and thence through the second blast or draft, E, into a spout, N, and thence through the third blast or draft F, down which it passes, and finally escapes at and purified. A greater number of screens may be used, if desired, arranged in the same way.

of the tube 1) is made a receptacle or pocket,

ing from the under side of the tube, as clearly represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, which latter is a view at right angles to-the former. The

provided at its lower end with a centrally-pivoted double spout, 'g, which, when inclined in one direction (as in dotted lineslthrows the substance collecting in the receptacle onto the screen, but when inclined in the opposite direction (as in black lines) throws it to one side away from the screen, so as to be separate y discharged.

My machine is intended for cleaning large quantities of grain and with greatrapidity. 1n cleaning'at the rate of three or four hundred bushels per hour, it is necessary that the draft or blast through D should be very intense, otherwise the grain falling through it in a heavy and, compact stream will not be thus intensified, the weight of the grain itself is not increased, so that there is a greater tendency of the grain to be carried upward where the blast is proportioned to the amount where t; ,y are not only separated firom the wheat, but also from all'foul seeds,-

and de p e y fectly cleaned. I am aware that pockets used the final discharge, 0, thoroughly cleansed At a suitable position in the upper portion P, of considerable extent and capacity, open-- position of this receptacle is such that it is over the screen 0., already described, and it is well cleansed; but while the current of air is with the current than in usual hand-machines,

of grain falling through it--in other words,

while the lighter Oats that may be mixed with the wheat-also fall into the receptacle and on the screens,

themselves in the' spout K, perin connection with an upward or vertical blast-tube have before been used for catching K blighted grains and foreign seeds that pass upward with the blast, but since, in such ject'it to further action by screening, and this is done automatically and .without removing it by hand. This advantage is so apparent as not to require'further explanation. By the means described I save all that is valuable and cleanse the grain perfectly.

caught and discharged down the tube D into the fan-case The passage of the grain from the spout H to Us such as to cross the blast nearly-at right.

angles, so as to receive its. greatest benefit, and the position of the spouts is such-the lower one flaring inward th'at the grain is without anyv escape This proper discharge is also assisted by the blast, which has a tendency to blow the grain forward into the spout I.

Thestrong blast-through some portion of the grain that enters .there. By a sudden curve in the direction of the tube at 1' a considerable portion of this is deflected from its course, falling into a retum-spout,Q. Here provision is made for passing it again over the screens or rejecting it with the refuse, it its quality is worthless. This consists in a sliding deflector, R, which sits upon the top offthe shakingbox J,.and is constructed to 'slide upon guides or ways, attached to its side.

In the position represented in Fig. 2 it receives the grain returned by spout Q, and, be-

. inginclined' like the upper screen, deflects it into the side spout K. It moved back in the position indicated by dotted lines, the spout I Q discharges directly upon the screens, and the imperfect gtain is again submitted to the ordeal of screen and blast.

The separation of various kinds of grain-as oats, rye, &c,,f from wheat, and the removal of chess, 'cockle, and shrunken wheat-depends materially upon subjecting them toblasts of I varied intensity, such as are obtained bythe triple arrangement of tubes which I employ,

g and by which I obtain a most perfect separation. The process'isnot complete. until the grain has been passed through the blast-tube" F. Here the heaviest grain descends to the v .main outlet 0, but as perfect separationof the lighter from'the heavier grain is desirable, it;

is elfieI-gted through this tube in connection "Wit 'Its blast is regulated in part by valve h, but morefully by a jointed diaphragm S,'which separates tube F-from the enlarged spacev of theblast-head, in which the, three which modifies the blast, so

tubes terminate; It is hinged at j, and adinsted as requiredbythe rod It. By moving itoutward, itv forms, with therecess at the deflect-ion of E, a largely-expanded area, as to allow the E will also elevate.

. verticalv shafts o.

return of all but the lightest grain that may be drawn up it. It also receives that portion which the force of 'the current in E has carried up, so as to emerge at t. By so moving-thediaphra'grn as to contract tube F to a narrow space at] the blast is strengthened,

and the lighter grain fromboth E and F may.

be discharged above the diaphragm and de-. sccnd through the throat T, where it is discharged in a separate place. The dust and slight impurities are all discharged at G, the 'main outlet of the blast-head. By. turning valve h in the position shown in Fig. 2, nearly all the blast is driven up tube E, and with a force suflicient, if required, to carry a greater part of the grain up E, and this may be'returned throughthe screeuingbox or shaker again and again, or blown over atl and returned through tube F, where itis subjected to a lighter blast. This concentrating the blast through E increases that of D, but this may be regulated, as found necessary, by the valve f. Increasing and {diminishing the space between 1 and the diaphragm Salso exerts an influence on the blast-of D, for,"as that space is contracted, the blast D is weakened by the expansion of the head, and'will drop its heav ier particles through T. The arrangement of the several blast tubes, the movable -diaphragm, and the valves is designed to give the operator perfect control over his machine, enabling him to increase or modify the force of the'blast-in either or all the tubes, while acting on the grain in its sevtral passages through the blasts, thereby adapting it to the variations in the gravity of the grain, as well as to the cleaning and separating of different kinds of grain. ".The shaker or screen-box J is operated with a vertical vibratory motion and horizontal sweeping motion 'at the same time. It is suspended by four coiled springs, m, one placed at each corner. Directly above it two disks orwheels, n, are 4 d-isksla rod, P, is attached to pins, which form cranks. The pins are placed at opposite relative positions to the. shafts of the wheels, so that when rotated inopposite directions the ends-ofthe rod P are made to revolve also in opposite directions, giving a'compound circular or gyrator y movement, as represented by the dotted lines a: a: in Fig. 3, which is an invertedplanviewofthis'arrangement. Bevelgeama I employed to'ldrive these cranksinthcir opposite directions; The "rod p is attached to the top of the. screen-box J,

hungat the ends of To the lower face of .these or other equivalent arrangements, arecausing it to P 18 throughthe} same evolutions. Fig. 3

shows'the 'screen box as attached at q, and F 1 ep e e ts I the part in elevation. To vary this sweepingmo'tion the crank-pins. are attached to dovetailedlfslides r, .by' which the crank may be'made longer} or shorter. 'To' give the vibratingmotion, a .wedgeshaped wheel so as to pass the ma 1) at each revolucam, a, is attached to the face of. each crank-' tion. Play is given the rod on the two crankpins t, Fig. 3, and the springs m hold it against the face of the wheels untilit is raised by the point of the cams. As the cam passes the rod the springs throw it back to its former screens is very thorough, the motions being a close imitation of the natural operation of the human hands in screening. By means of this the horizontal motion of the screening-surface is varied so as to give the greatest range of motion to the edges or exterior parts, while the center is comparatively quiet. This tends to overcome the centrifugal tendency of the grain, whereby it is apt toclog all the borders of the screens and reduce their superficial area.

On some grains the use of the cams 8 may be dispensed with, as they do not require such vigorous shaking.

1 do not claim, broadly, areceptacle or pocket in connection with an upward-blast tube for receiving the foul seed, as I am aware that such has before been known, but I am not aware that a receptacle or pocket opening from the bottom of such tube has ever before been used in combination with a screen or screens beneath for separating the sound grain that is drawn upward by the blast; therefore What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the blast or draft tube 1), pocket P, and screens a b d, or equivalents, arranged in such a manner that the grain that is carried into the pocket is discharged onto the screens to be separated with the main portion of .grain fed directly thereon, substantially as herein described.

2. In combination with the blast or draft tube D, pocket P, and screens a b d, or equivalents, the pivoted double spout g, arranged in such a manner as'to discharge the contents of the receptacle either upon or aside from the screens, to accommodate different kinds and conditions of grain, substantially as herein specified.

3. The arrangement of the triple blast-or draft tubes D E F, connected with the fan-case and uniting in a common dischargehead, G, the tube D, being provided with the valvef, at their junction, by which arrangement the current of air may be intensified or modified in either or all the tubes, substantially as herein set forth.

4. The adjustable diaphragm S, situated in the discharge-area at the outlet junction of the triple blast or draft tubes, in combination with said tubes D E F, by which means the current of air in either is modified, substantially as described.

5. The combination and arrangement of the blastgenerator B, triple blast-tubes D, E, and

F, and their valves f h, movable diaphragm S, with the screen-box J and return-spouts P and Q, operating conjointly for separating, screening, and returning the grain, and for increasing, diminishing, and modifying the blasts for the various purposes required, sub

stantially in the manner set forth.

6. The adjustable deflector R, in combination with the screen-box J, for returning the lighter grain through the screens and resubjecting it to the blast, or discharging it as refuse, as described. g

7 Givingthe screens an unequal, reversible, gyratory motion, for the purpose of neutralizing the centrifugal force of the grain and retainin g it in the center thereof, in combination with the vertical vibratory motion by means of the double reverse-acting cranks n at, arms 8, and springs m, or their equivalents, ar-

ranged and operating substantially in the manner and "for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have her'unto set my hand this 19th day of May, 1863.

B. 'r. TRIMMER.

Witnesses:

Units. H. CHERRY, R. F. ()seoon."

and the tubes E F, having avalve, h,

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