US749366A - Grain cleaner and separator - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JAN 12, 1904.

EIR; ERAVER. GRAIN CLEANER AND sEEARAToR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

To .Bz/sr lourcnn PATENTED JAN. 12, 1904.

E. R. BEAVER. GRAIN CLEANER-AND sEPARAToR.

NO MODEL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented January 12, 1904.

EMIL R. DRVER, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA.

. GFiAlN CLEANER AND `s.IEPARATQla.

` SllECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent 1`\T0. 749,366, dated January 12, 1 9074.

`Application filed June 25, 1903. Serial No.162,97'7. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: f

Be it known that I, EMIL R. DRAvEE, a citizen of the United States, resid ing at Richmond, in the county of lNayne and State of Indiana, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Grain Cleaners and Separatore; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled'inithe artto which it -appertains to make and use the same. My invention relates to whatI term a combined grainA cleaner and separator, and has nying drawings, wherein like characters indicatelike `parts throughout the several views. Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through a complete machine embodying rmylinvention on the line m a" of FighQ. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the irregular line m2 wg of Fig. 1. Fig.` 3 is a side elevation-looking atv the machine from the left toward the right with respect to Fig. l, and Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken-on the line mi mi of g In practice I have found that screenings and broken grain can be removed from :the pure grain `with facility in an endless air-trunk sep.-

arator of comparativelysmall size-.considerL r mg its capacity, provided, however, that all of the; light .dust,.fuzz, and dirt be removed from thegrain beforeit enters the endless airtrunk separator, in which the final separation takes place.y ,A rapid movementofthe air in such an endless air-trunk separator is required 1n order to separate the screenings and broken grain from .the pure grain, and such a rapid movement of Ythe airwould not allow dust and light materialsto settle in case they awere inendless air-trunk separator, itis necessary that the same be scoured in order to loosen up these fuzzy particles. In my presentmachine I overcome all these diiliculties.

The `machine illustrated may be treated as made up of primary and secondary sections and of which the primary section of the machine involves a scourer and afan for coperation therewith to remove theifuzz and light particles from the grain or stock, as above indicated. The best form of the scourer is a perforate cylinder and coperating internal beater or rotary brush.

The so-called secondary section of the machine involves an endlessair-trunk and a fan for producing a continuous belt or circulation of air therethrough and whichv fan is independent of the fan of the so-called primary section of themachine in that it does not act upon the same blast or belt of air. y Y

Directing attention first to the so-called primarysection of the machine, the `numeral vl indicates a rectangular skeleton frame shown as formed ofl timbers. The numeral 2 indicates a case which is rididly secured to the frame 1 .and within which is rigidly supported a horizontally disposed perforate scouringdrum 3. `Working within the drum 3 is a rotary brush Lof reel-like form, the shaft 5 of which projects at both ends and is 4journaled in suitable bearings 6 on the frame l. Se cured at .one end" of the case 2 is a fan-case 7, in which works a'- fan-head 8, lrigidlysecured on the shaft 5.. i The grain is -delivered into thefreceiving. end ofthe drum 3 through a spout 9, and from the delivery end of said drumlthe grain passes through a dischargespout :10, in one side of which, as shown, is an air-inlet-passage 11.y VIn that end of the case 2 which forms an end tothe drum 3 is an axial airfinlet passage l2,and in that end of said case which Iforms one side of the fan-case -7 is a large air-passage or eye 13. The bottom of the case 2 is of hopper-like form and hasV a discharge-openingwhich is normally closed by a spring-held hinged door 14. `Atits righthand end, with respect toFigl. Lathe shaft is shown as provided with "a 'pulleyl l5, over which runs a power-driven belt, (not sho-wm) wliicl'will serve to' impart rotary moti'ii'to IOO the shaft 5 and the parts carried thereby. In the passage which leads directly to the fan-eye 13 is a valve 13a for regulating the amount of air which will be drawn by the fan 8.

The so-called secondary section of the machine in the present instance involves a fanhead 16, secured on the extreme left-hand end of the shaft 5. This fan-head 16 works within a fan-case 17, which fan-case forms a part of an endless air trunk or passage and which air-trunk further involves as follows: rIhe fancase 7 at its peripheral portion opens into a depending leg or trunk section 18, which at its lower extremity is curved laterally and then extended vertically upward to a hopperlike chamber 19, for the sake of clearness herein termed the expansion chamber. The air in passing from the upturned portion of the leg or trunk 18 is caused to abruptly change its course, first, by a deflecting-partition 20, and then by a depending deflectingpartition4 21. This abrupt change in the course of the air-blast causes the precipitation within the chamber 19 of'such materials or particles as are carried thereinto by the airblast. The passage between the upper edge of the partition 20 and the overlying wall of the air-trunk is adapted to be opened and closed, more or less, by means of a pivoted cut-off valve 22, the shaft of which, as shown, projects atA one end and is provided with a hand-piece 23, by means of which it may be adjusted and set in different positions. In the bottom of the chamber 19 is a dischargeopening which is normally closed by a springpressed hinged door 24. The upper portion of the chamber 19 opens into a laterally-oifset trunk-section 25, which in turn opens into the fan-case 17 through an axially-disposed eye 26, as best shown in Fig. 1. The grain from the primary section of the machine is by the discharge-spout 10 thereof delivered into a hopper-like pocket 27, formed at one side of the upturned portion of the trunk-section 18 and opening thereinto, as best shown in Fig. 2. r)The grain introduced -into the air-trunk from the pocket 27 drops into a hopper-like depression 28, formed at the lower portion of the trunk-section 18 andprovided with a discharge-opening, which is normally closed by a spring-pressed hinged door 29. The opening from the pocket 27 into the trunk-section 18 may be varied by a pivoted cut-off valve 30, 4

trunk of the separator or secondary section of the machine, as already stated. While passing through the spout 10, the wheat is subjected to a light suction-draft, which passes into the said spout through the opening 11 and is drawn to the fan 8. By this draft of air all particles of light dust, chaff, scourings, vand other light stuff not removed from the wheat while it was in the scouring-drum 3 will be taken up by the air-draft and drawn to the fan 8 and together with other particles drawn to the said fan will be blown into a dust-collector (not shown) in which air will be filtered through the collecting-cloth and the dust and other particles caught and held by the said cloth. Of course in some instances the fan 8 may be permitted to discharge the dust-laden air into open space. In any event the-lightand fine particles, which should be separated from the screenings as well as from pure grain, are taken up and carried from the from by opening the spring-pressed door 14.

The wheat, cleared of dust` and other light stuff, as already described, but containing, for instance, screenings and broken grain upon passing from the pocket 27 into the return section of the trunk-leg 18 falls through a strong upwardly-moving blast of air from the fan 16 and drops into the depending hopper 28, from whence the pure wheat flows outward in a continuous stream through the opening which is normally closed by the springpressed door 29. This upwardly-moving blast of air will take up the screenings and broken particles of grain and carry the same over the deiiecting-partition 20 and then under the deiiecting-partition 21 and into the so-called expansion-chamber 19. As the air makes abrupt changes in its course in passing between the delecting-partitions 20 21, it causes the screenings and broken grain to be precipitated into the bottom of the expansion-chamber 19, from which it will be drawn off .when the spring-pressed door 24 is opened. rIhe purified air is then drawn off back into the fancase 17 and is again started on its course through the endless air-trunk and isl thus made IOO IIO

to perform over and over the separating acall forced through separating-cloth.

acter than would be required to drive a machine of the same capacity wherein the aliii is urthermore, the separation is more complete.

The machine is especially adapted for use in cleaning and separating grain, but is capable of general use wherever separations of the character above described are required to be effected. It is of course evident that the grain orl a body of any other material to be cleaned may be passed successively through several of the so-called air-belt or air-trunk separators. description and statements made that the socalled primary sections of the machine may take a great many different forms. The in vention is also capable of modifications not lherein necessary to designate, but which will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. W hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. The combination with the endless airbelt separator equipped with a fan maintaininga continuous circulation of the same body of air therethrough, and which separator is provided with a series of defiecting-surfaces and an eX- pansion-chamber intermediate the stock-inlet and the eye of the fan, of a grain-scourer deylivering the scoured grain to said separator and itself equipped with a suction-fan, for eliminating the scourings and the fine dust from the stock before said stock reaches said separator, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the endless air-belt separator equipped with a fan maintaining a continuous circulation of the same body of air therethrough and which separator is provided with a series of deiiecting-surfaces and anexpansion-chamber intermediate the grain-inlet It is also evident from the foregoing and the eye of the fan, of a grain-scourer delivering the scoured grain to said separator and itself equipped with a suction-fan and an expansion-chamber for eliminating the scourings and fine dust from the grain before reaching Vsaid separator, the scourer being incased and subject to the suction-fan, all for coperation, substantially as described.

3. In a graincleaner, the combination with a suitable casing, of a perforated scouringshell in said casing, a scouring-beater mounted to rotate within said shell, for coperation therewith, an open-blast fan for drawing oif the scourings and dust through said scouringshell, an endless air-trunk and a fan inclosed therein, for producing a continuous belt of air, and means for passing the grain through the belt of air in said endless air-trunk afterrproducinga belt of air therethrough, a settling-chamber in the path of the air-belt, and means for passing the grain through the belt of air in said trunk for further separation after it has been scoured, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.`

EMIL R. DRAVER.

Witnesses:

FRED S. BUTLER, G. LEDMAN SMITH.

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