GB281756A - Improvements in apparatus for cleaning, trimming, clipping and polishing grain and seeds, and for general sifting or separating purposes - Google Patents

Abstract

281,756. Broadbent, A. Sept. 4, 1926. Pneumatic separating; fixed sieves; rotary sieves.-Grain or the like is fed from a hopper down a shoot 24 into an annular chamber 3 situated above a perforated inverted cone member 2 arranged in a similarly shaped chamber 1. Air is drawn through the central opening 4 of the annular chamber by a fan 6 from an inlet 23, the inlet being arranged tangentially to the annular chamber so that the air is given a whirling movement and the grain is thereby moved round the member 2 and so rubbed and scoured. Beaters 10 mounted on a vertical rotating shaft 9 may be used to increase the rubbing action. Dust &c. removed from the grain passes through the screen 1 and accumulates against one or more one-way flaps 12 in a shoot 11, while the heavy grain passes similar one-way flaps in a shoot 14 leading to the air uptake 15, down which the cleaned grain is delivered, any remaining particles of dust being carried by the air current past a baffle 22 into a chamber 21. In a modification, the chamber 1 is cylindrical in shape, and the shaft 9 is provided with a coned distributor to throw the dust &c. to the shoot or shoots 11. In a further modification, the grain passes from the screen 2 to a central opening and the dust &c. is moved outwards by rotating scrapers. The coned screen may be rotated with the shaft 9.