High capacity length grading machine
AssigneeCarter Day International, Inc.
InventorMatthew J. Ernst
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A liftings trough for mounting in an interior space of a rotatable member of a length grading machine is defined by walls that are contoured to provide a maximum clearance between the mounted trough and an inlet opening through which grain flows into the interior space of the rotatable member, while maintaining a maximum capacity of the trough to receive granules in a particular size range, which are lifted by pockets located along an interior surface of the rotatable member, when the grain flows into the interior space of the member and the member rotates about the trough.
Claims20
A length grading machine comprising:
- a rotatable member extending about and along a longitudinal axis, the rotatable member including an interior surface, an interior space surrounded by the interior surface, and a plurality of lifting pockets located along the interior surface and extending over an axial length of the rotatable member, the lifting pockets for lifting granules in a particular size range from a lower position to a higher position within the interior space of the rotatable member, when the rotatable member rotates;
- an inlet passageway opening into the interior space of the rotatable member, the inlet passageway for delivering a stream of granules into the interior space;
- and
- a trough mounted within the interior space of the rotatable member, the trough comprising:
- a first end wall located in proximity to the inlet passageway, a second end wall opposing the first end wall, a first longitudinal wall extending between the first and second end walls, a second longitudinal wall opposing the first longitudinal wall and extending between the first and second end walls, and a bottom wall extending from the first end wall to the second end wall and from the first longitudinal wall to the second longitudinal wall;
- and
- an upper opening to receive the lifted granules in the particular size range, the upper opening bounded by an upper edge of each of the first and second end walls, and by an upper edge of each of the first and second longitudinal walls;
- wherein the upper edge of the first end wall of the trough is located at a first distance, along the longitudinal axis, from the inlet opening;
- and
- an intersection of the bottom wall with the first end wall of the trough is located a second distance, along the longitudinal axis, from the inlet opening;
- and
- the second distance is greater than the first distance.
A liftings trough for mounting in an interior space of a rotatable member of a length grading machine, the rotatable member including an interior surface, surrounding the interior space, and a plurality of lifting pockets located along the interior surface and extending over an axial length of the rotatable member, the lifting pockets for lifting granules in a particular size range from a lower position to a higher position within the interior space of the rotatable member, when the rotatable member rotates;
- the liftings trough comprising:
- a first end wall, a second end wall opposing the first end wall, a first longitudinal wall extending between the first and second end walls, a second longitudinal wall opposing the first longitudinal wall and extending between the first and second end walls, and a bottom wall extending from the first end wall to the second end wall and from the first longitudinal wall to the second longitudinal wall;
- and
- an upper opening to receive the lifted granules in the particular size range, when the trough is mounted within the rotatable member of the length grading machine, the opening bounded by an upper edge of the each of the first and second end walls, and by an upper edge of each of the first and second longitudinal walls;
- wherein a maximum length from the upper edge of the first end wall to the upper edge of the second end wall is greater than a maximum length of the bottom wall extending from the first end wall to the second end wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.