US59360A - Improvement in machines for thrashing flax - Google Patents

Description

S. A. CLEMENS.

Hac-kling Machine.

Patented Nov. 6, 1866.

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STILLMAN A. CLEMENS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR THRASHING FLAX.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59, 360, dated November 6, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STILLMAN A. OLEMENs, of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented a new and useful Machine for Removing Seed-Ends from Straight Flax-Straw, and Thrashing and Winnowing Flaxseed; and I do declare the following to be aful-l,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure lis a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a vertical crosssection, and Figs. 3 and 4 are side elevations.

Like letters refer to like parts in all the gures.

My said invention consists in mechanical devices combined in a machine, by which the seed-bolls and seed-ends of straight dax-straw are simultaneously removed from the iiaxstalks, and the seed-boils crushed and the flaxseed winnowed.

In the accompanying drawings, ais theframe of the machine; b is a toothed cylinder, made to revolve at high speed in the direction of its arrow.

c c are a pair of pressure crushing-rollers set in their bearings so that their circumferences shall not quite touch each other, (to avoid crushing iiaxseed passing between them,) and the roller c', having narrow, shallow channels or, grooves cut lengthwise in its surface to give adhesion to the material passing between the rollers.

Motion is given to c in the direction of the arrow by a band. (l, passing over a grooved pulley, e, on the shaft of b, and overa grooved pulley, e', on the shaft of c. l

o and c are geared together by the spurwheels ff', the latter'of which is smaller than the former, giving greater surface-speed to c than to c, for the purpose of producing a drawing and rolling action upon the seed-boils passing between them, and thus aiding in opening them and `freeing the seed as the bolls are crushed.

g g are chute-sides for directing the material thrown from b down upon and between the crushing-rollers c c.

h is a sieve-shoe, with a horizontal or inclined screen or sieve, t', and an inclined screen, k, (the latter ner thanthe former,) which is suspended loosely near one end by a rod, l,

passing through its sides, which is supported at its ends in the frame a. The other end of the sieve-shoe rests on a cross-piece of the frame a, and lis `secured to it loosely by the pin m.

A horizontally vibrating and shaking motion is given to one of the sieve-shoe ends by an arm, n, attached to it, which, by the spring o, is made to bear against a prism, @formed on the end of the shaft of o'.

q is afan-blower for winnowing the iaxsee( attached to one end of the shaft of b. The airblast formed by it is conducted down a trunk,

i", and directed horizont-ally and lengthwise through the sieve-shoe h, passing both above and below the screen t'. f

s is acover to the cylinder b, curved and set to clear the points of its teeth, and resting on and secured to the top of the sides of the machine. Y

The partitions t tare set vertically at right angles to the axis of b, and attached to the cover s, and resting on and secured to the cross-pieces of the frame. They pass over the upper half of the cylinder b and between its teeth, their lower edges clearing the surface ot" the cylinder, thus dividing the upper surface of the cylinder into three sections for the purpose of forming three separate places for feeding the flax to the machine, so that three workmen can feed to the same machine at one and the same time, one on one side and two on the other side. For this purpose, also, there is one open space, u, formed in the cover at one side of the machine, (shown in Fig. 3,) which is an opening to the middle section of the cylinder, formed bythe partitions tt,- and also there are two similar spaces, u u", formed in the cover on the other side of the machine, (shown in Fig. 4,) which are openings to the end sections formed by the partitions t t.

A breast, o, on which the iiax rests while held to the action of the cylinder, is secured to the cover, and extends across and above the feed-space u and breasts o o, for the same' purpose as the breast c, and formed ofthe upper part of a cross-piece ofthe frame a, extend across and below the feed-spaces u' and u, on the opposite side of the machine from fv.

In operating the machine suitable motion is given to the cylinder b by motive power applied to its shaft, which, by the connections before described, drives the crushing-rollers c and c', the fan q, and shakes the sieve-shoe h.

Small bundles of straight flax are taken by their butt-ends in the hands of workmen, and the seed-ends of the bundles are thrust into the feed-spaces u u u, so that the teeth of the cylinder b shall penetrate the ends of the bundles suiciently to reach the seed-bolls and the seed-ends and branches of the dax-stalks. The bundles of flax are held to the action of the cylinder-teeth only long enough for them to whip and beat oli' the seed-bolls and seed-ends, which are thrown down and directed by the chute-sides g g upon and between the crushin g-rollers c c', which last draw the seed-ends and seed-bolls between them, crushing and opening the seed-bolls and freeing the iiaxseed from them g and the material passing from the crushing-rollers falls upon the screen t' of the sieve l1., and the air-blast from the trunk r bears away, through the open rear end of the sieve,

the hulls of the bolls and seed-ends and light refuse material, while the iiaxseed, aided by the shaking and vibrating of the sieveshoe, 'falls down through the holes in the screen t', and is received upon the finer screen 7c, and, by its shaking and vibrating motion and its inclination, the ilaxseed moves down the inclined plane of the screen, and is winnowed by the air-blast from T, and is finally discharged from the lower end of the screens. The refuse seeds and heavy matter mixed with the llaxseed is separated from it by escaping down through the holes in the screen It, which are too small for the tlaxseed to pass through.

Certain modifications of the devices described may be used, viz

First. The cylinder b may be divided by partitions into more or less feed-sections than those represented, and the feed spaces or openings may be either on one or both sides of the machine, and the partitions may be dispensed with when the feed-spaces are only on .one side of the machine.

Second. The crushing-rollers may both bey channeled lengthwise, and both may be run at the same speed.

Third. But one crushing-roller, c', may be used, and in the place of the other roller, c, a series of spring-plates, fw, (represented in Fig. 2 by dotted lines,) may be used, which are fastened at one end to the support x, and which near their other ends bear against the surface of c sufficiently to crush the seedbolls as they are carried between the spring-plates and the roller c. In this case the rollero maybe driven by a cross-band passing over the pulley c on the shaft of b and over a pulley on the shaft of c.

Fourth. The sieve-'shoe h may be shaken either by lateral or longitudinal movement of the entire shoe, or by both movements combined, and it may be supported for these purposes in other ways than as shown.

Fifth.l A concave, y, to cylinder b may be used, (represented in Fig. 2 by red-ink lines,)

which is of the ordinary kind and attached to y the" frame of the machine underneath the cylinder, having below it the chute-sides z z', for conducting the material falling between the concave bars y y to and between the rollers c c. When the concave is used the part of the frame t c is removed to admit of the material carried over the concave being thrown out from the side ofthe machine.

By the described use of the concave the straw removed from the bundles of flax by the teeth of cylinder b will be separated from the seed and seed-bolls, and be thrown out at one side of the machine, while only the seed and seed-bolls and chaff will pass down through the concave bars and through the crushingrollers, thus effecting better action of thecrushing-rollers on the seed-bolls and of the winnowing apparatus in cleaning the seed.

Sixth. The winnowin g attachment in the described combination, or both the winnowing attachment and the concave attachment, may be dispensed with and the remainder of the combination be used only for thrashing' 'the flax.

I claim as new and of myinvention- 1. The combination of the toothed cylinder b with crushing-rollers c and c, or their equivalents, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of cylinder b and orushing-rollers c c with the vibrating sieve-shoe h, fan q, and air-trunk r, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth. 3. The crushing device, consisting of roller c and spring-plates w, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

4. A concave, y, combined with the described machine, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

STILLMAN A. CLEMENS. Attest:

MELVILLE GLEMENs, IsAIAH F. Hov'r.

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