US1235427A - Cotton-seed conveyer and cleaner. - Google Patents

Description

W. F. BRIDEWELL & J. w. WINFREY.

COTTON SEED CONVYER AND CLEANER v APPLIQATION FILED SEPT.8.1915.

1,235,427. Patented July 31, 1917.

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WILLIAM F. BRIDEWELL AND JAMES W. MVINFREY, 0F HOPE, ARKANSAS.

COTTON-SEED CONVEYER AND CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Application filed September 8, 1915. Serial No. 49,607.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM F. BRIDE- wn-LL and JAMES W. VVINFREY, citizens of the United States, residing at Hope, in the county of Hempstead and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Seed Conveyers and Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in conveyers for transporting cottonseed to its place of storage and removing therefrom sand, dirt, and the like, during its travel.

In cottonseed oil factories, it is customary to conduct cottonseed in bulk to its place of storage, such as a bin, by feeding the same through a perforated conduit or trough, by means of a conveyer, such as a spiral conveyer. The trough is perforated in order that the sand, dirt, and the like, contained in the seed, may be agitated therefrom and pass through the perforations in the conduit.

It is well known, that the ordinary spiral conveyor operating in the perforated trough does not satisfactorily remove the sand, dirt and the like from the seed. Attempts have heretofore been made to improve the spiral conveyer with a view of rendering it more efficient in separating the sand from the cottonseed, such as by cutting openings in the spiral flange or flight of the conveyer. However, such attempts have generally proven imsatisfactory, inasmuch as the spiral flange or flight, when thus constructed, cuts or bruises the seed.

I have discovered, that if a spiral conveyer operating in the perforated conduit, and embodying a continuous spiral flange or flight, is equipped with projections or fingers extending generally in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the conveyer, and spaced a suitable distance from the edge or periphery of the spiral flange or flight, such projections will agitate the cottonseed during its travel in a highly efficient manner, whereby the sand is properly separated from the seed and passes through the openings in the perforated conduit, without cutting or injuring the cottonseed.

The invention aims to provide a conveyer of the above mentioned character, which will thoroughly clean the sand, dirt or the like, from the cottonseed, will convey considerably more material in a given time, and has increased strength.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

1n the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same, I

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a spiral conveyer embodying the invention, showing the same operating in a perforated conduit, and, 4

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the same.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a perforated conduit or trough, ar- I ranged to discharge cottonseed to its place of storage. Mounted to rotate within the conduit 5 is a spiral conveyer, designated as a whole by the numeral 6. This spiral conveyer embodies a rotatable shaft 7 carrying a spiral flange or flight 8, which is continuous. The flange 8 operates in close proximity to the perforated bottom of the conduit 5 for preventing the seed from passing be tween the flange and the conduit, whereby itv will not be cut or injured.

The numeral 9 designates agitating flngers, or strips, which are substantially L- shaped and rigidly secured to the flange 8 by means of rivets 10, as shown. Particular attention is called to the fact that the agitating fingers or strips 9 are arranged near and spaced a slight distance from the edge or periphery of the flange 8, providing ample space between them and the bottom of the conduit for the passage of the seed, whereby they do not crush or cut the cottonseed when passing through the bottom of the conduit. The agitating fingers or strips 9 have their outer ends arranged at substantiallv a right angle to the adjacent portions of the flange 8. The fingers 9 are circumferentially equidistantly spaced with respect to the flange 8, and are preferably arranged in three longitudinal rows, whereby the spiral conveyer is balanced.

In operation, the shaft 7 is rotated by any suitable means and the cottonseed containing jury thereto. The sand or dirt is thus shaken from the cottonseed and gravitates through the perforated portion or the corn duit 5.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claini.

Having thus described the invention, we claim:

Apparatus for cleaning and conveying cotton seed without grinding or breaking the same, comprising; a conduit formed curved in cross-section and having its lower portion apertured to permit of the escape of dirt or the like from the cotton seed while preventing the escape of the cotton seed; a spiral conveyer embodying a continuous flange having substantially the same diameter as the interior of the conveyor and fitting snugly therein and substantially contacting therewith to propel the cotton seed without permitting of; the passage of the cotton seed between the flange and the interior of the conveyor; and relatively Wide agitating strips secured to the flange at points arranged near and spaced a substantial'distance from its periphery so that a space is provided between each strip and the bottom of the conduit for the passage of the cotton seed to prevent the same from being broken or crushed, said agitating strips being arranged at substantially a right angle to the flange.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAlli F. BRIDEWELL. JAMES WV. WINFREY.

Witnesses W. E. Morrison, 7 F. 0. OOLLMAN.

fiopies of this patent may he ebtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, 33. E.

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