USRE7500E - Improvement in fruit-driers - Google Patents

Description

J. WILLIAMS. FRUIT-DRIER.

Reissued Feb. 6, 1877'.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOEiN,:WILLIAMS 0w SOUTH HAVEN, MICHIGAN.

r IMPROVEMENT IN FRUlT-DRIERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent-No. 143,949, dated October 21, 1873; greipmeNo. 7,500, fluted F mora -i6, 187";- appliontion tiled January 26, 1874. 7

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, Joan WILLIAMS, of South Haven, in the county of Van Enron and State of Michigan, have invented a new and l m proved Apparatus for Evaporating and Drying Fruit and other Articles; andI do declare that the following is a true and accurate description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, and'being a part of this specification, in whichv Figure 1 is a perspective view of. my, drier. Fig. '2 is a v rtical section taken 0 tfi" line or win Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross,-'se ion of'a flue on y y in Fig. 2, showing in ele ation the inner "face of the end wall thereof. Fig. 4 is apersoectiye "iewof one of the frames which;

The nature of this invention relates to an. improved apparatus for evaporating and dry ing out the moisture contained in animal and vegetable substances.

The invention consists in a vertical shaft or trunk, communicating at its base with a chamher, in which air passing through it into the trunk is heated, which trunk is partially divided by a vertical partition into two rectangular flues. their shaft journaled in the trunk-walls, parallel with and above the partition, and a second pair of chain-wheels, in like manner, have their shaft journaled below the said partition. Over these wheels run two endless chains, which gives them the motion of an oblong reel. The chain-links have projecting pins at intervals, upon which to suspend frames, upon which are placed perforated trays containing the substances to be dried, which trays, in the rotation of the chainwheels, are-carried around the partition before removal at the completion of the process, the trunk being provided with openings at the bottom for regulating the admission of cold air to either side, and similar openings at the top: for regula ing the emission of the escaping air at the top of the drier, all being A pair of chain-wheels have set forth. I

In the drawing A represents arecta'ngular trunk, partiallydivided by a partition, B,='in to'- two flue's. Below and iu front' of the can: I

piece a heating-chamber, (J, commnpiohting equals the breadth of one of the fluesy'which doors are, movedby the rods b{ I), to closethe.

opening, which is in'the front wall of "the trunk at the base. of the flues. By these doors I can direct the entire volume of heated air into either flue, or I can shut it ofl from-one due, or partially from both. At the base of the trunk cold-air inlets are provided, which may be closed or their area of opening adjusted by slides 0. These openings are made in the side walls of the trunk, just above the top of the partition, and also carries apair of chain-wheels. The diameter of the chainwheels is such that the'periphery of each extends midway across the flue at each side of the partition. F F are two endless chains, moving with and around the chain-wheels, the lower shaft being rotated by a crank on its rear end, which shaft extends through the wall of the flue to receive said crank, and is provided with a ratchet and pawl. The ratchet and pawl serve to hold the chains at whatever position they may be left in. At intervals in the length of each chain pins 01 d, pivot the links together, which are elongated, as in Fig. 5, to receive the bail e of a light frame, G, at each end thereof, which frames are thereby suspended from the chains.

Each frame receives one or more trays of netting having numerous perforations, the trays being introduced and placed on the frames through an opening, f, in the side wall of one flue, and removed through an opening, f, opposite thereto in the side wall of the other flue, or it may be put in at one opening, carried under the partition, up one flue, down the arranged to operate as more fully hereinafter ithin the chamber lowered, to close or openit more or less, by a I ated by the attendant below, so that the heat distances apart equal to the space from one other, and-removed at the same, or pass to the other opening, both openings having doors to close them. 'In the top of the four walls of the'trnnk, directly under the projecting roof,

openings are provided for the escape of warm currents of air laden withmoisture absorbed from the drying substances in contactjvvith whichthey have passed. Each opening is provided with a door sliding in grooves in the corner-posts, which door may be raised or cord, h, passing overa 1 bracket pulley opermaybe retarded in its passage through the flues, or be permitted to escape freely, as circumstances may require. On the front and back walls ofeach due I place deflectors k, at

frame on the chains to the next, for the purpose of directing the heated ascending cur rents from the ends of one tray toward the middle of the'next one; or they may alternate in position toobst-ructthe currents of air thatpass up the side walls of the fines, and cause it topass through the trays containing the articles to be dried. The intensity of the heat being the greatest, however, at the commencement and close of the process, the trays con- 'taining the substances to be dried are first carried around under the partition,over the greatest heat, for the purposeof checking decomposition, to preserve it unchanged as near as possible, (except removing the moisture.)- It is then carried up one flue, over and around the top of the partitiomdown the second fine, where'it is subjected to a dryatmosphere for the purpose of thoroughly drying it. I am aware that other machines have been invented for maturing, snpermaturing and dehydrating on close-fitting tra'ys having a rising or falling motion. Such I do not claim;

On the contrary, I preserve my fruitand other articles on loose-fitting trays having a rising each independently ventilated by means of -dampers at top and bottom, and ;combined-. with a heating-chamber, O, for dryin'gfruit' and the like, substantially as described.

2. The div'idedand ventilated air-chamber A, provided with the endlesstray carriers F, in combination with the heating-chamber 0, arranged at the lower end of the said airchamber, and communicating directly there with,in the manner described, whereby the substance being dried receivesthe maximum intensity of heat at its insertion in the airchaniber, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

3. A i'r-uitdrying chamber provided with deflectors k k, in combination with the rotated trays, substantially asand for the purpose described.

4. The'combination, in a fruit-drier, of the slides or dampers c c withtheheating-chamber and the divided air-chamber, whereby the admission of heat to the fines of said air- 5,. The sliding covers a, in combination with the sliding doors b b and slides c, substan- ,tially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The air-trunk A, having partition B, and adjustable openings in its upper part, shafts D D, chain-wheels and endless chain F, frames G,and dampers b b, as described.

. Witnesses; JOHN WILLIAMS.

HENRY'E. BmwELL, HERBERT A. BURCH.

Images