US 4,572,741 AGranted

Apparatus for processing sugar cane

OwnerWilliam Masoninventor

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Abstract

Sugar cane is processed using an apparatus, which includes an input end with a comb back conveyor for controlling the quantity of cane passing to the remainder of the apparatus; an aligning, first cleaning and thin out section, where randomly oriented cane stalks are aligned and foreign bodies, especially stones and ferrous objects are removed from the cane; a billeting or cutting section for cutting the stalks into billets; a second cleaning section in the form of a cleaning tower in which vertically moving air is used to remove leaves, dust and any other trash from the flow of cane; a chute and pivotally mounted swing conveyor for distributing cane billets in an elongated, partitioned distributing hopper; a surge elimination chute; a billet aligner and delivery unit for delivering cane billets to a plurality of separators for separating the epidermis from the cane billets and separating the rind from the core; and a discharge section, including conveyors for discharging the separated material from the apparatus.

An apparatus for processing sugar cane, said apparatus comprising the following units connected in series in the order recited:

(a) an inlet station (1) for receiving randomly oriented cane stalks;
(b) a feed control station (2) for controlling the quantity of cane stalks fed to the remainder of the apparatus;
(c) an aligning station (3) for making a first alignment of said cane stalks;
(d) chopping means (4) for chopping said cane stalks into billets;
(e) cleaning means (5) for cleaning said billets;
(f) hopper means (7) for receiving said billets;
(g) billet aligner and delivery means (9) for aligning said billets by tumbling said billets and delivering said billets for subsequent billet separation processing and including means (88) for damping tumbling of said billets prior to billet separation processing, said billet aligner and delivery means including surge eliminating means for providing an even flow of billets from said billet aligner and delivery means and for preventing surges of billets into the separator means of part (h);
and
(h) separator means (10) for separating the cane billets into epidermis, rind and core components and including a casing (98), a feed drum (106) for gripping cane billets in cooperation with a backing surface, splitter blade means (102) in said casing for receiving cane billets and for splitting each cane billet into two pieces, and a milling drum (104) for milling said pieces;
said milling drum (104) comprising an elongated cylindrical body (135), a plurality of milling blades (109), blade receiving slots (136) formed in and extending longitudinally of said body for receiving said milling blades, additional slots (137) between each adjacent pair of milling blade receiving slots, whereby the sides of said blade slots may be flexed toward and away from each other for releasably securing said milling blades, and screw means (142) for causing said flexing of said sides for forcing the sides of the milling blade receiving slots together for gripping said milling blades.

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Abstract

Claims27