GB1130232A - Apparatus for stripping brussels sprouts from their stalks - Google Patents

Abstract

1,130,232. Separating Brussels sprouts from their stalks. P. J. EDMONDS Ltd. 16 June, 1967 [12 April, 1966], No. 16010/66. Heading A4C. A machine for stripping brussels sprouts from the stalks of a parent plant comprises two circular apertures 13 of different diameters which permit the passage of the stalks but not of the sprouts, concentrically surrounded by a short frusto-conical sleeve 14, capable of limited movement in the plane of the plate 6 to allow for the stripping of bent stalks, two pairs of spring loaded rollers 25 and 26, the outer peripheral surfaces of each pair defining between them a nip 44 adapted to grip and pull the stalk through the said apertures, with at least one of them in the general form of a paddle. The said paddles consist of a central disc 39, made longitudinally and rotationally fast with its axle by means of a pair of coaxial frusto-conical hubs (40 Figs. 4 and 5 not shown) disposed back to back with the wider ends clamping the disc and the narrow ends secured to the axle, rings 41 positioned at each side of said disc and being of larger diameter than the disc 1 and corrugated blades 42 extending between circumferentially spaced positions on the disc and each of the rings so arranged that the blades on one side of the disc are staggered with respect to the blades extending from the disc to the ring at the other side thereof, and the outer gripping edge of the inner end of each blade is radially proud of the disc. This method of constructing the paddles allows only material removed from the stalk after it has passed through one of the apertures to fall between the blades of the lower roller where it is deflected by the inclined surface of the hub through the outside rings to a position where it cannot impair the gripping and pulling operation. Small leaves and undersized sprouts are trimmed off by means of two cylindrical saws 8 of different diameters projecting from the front face of a housing (7 Fig. 1 not shown) drawn by means of an arrangement of gears from the main motor 17. After stripping the stalks are chopped into pieces by cutters 51 mounted at the end of a three bladed rotor 50 which cross the rear of both pipes 45 into which the stripped stalks are fed by the rollers, the pieces being directed downwards by the casing 64. Reference has been directed by the Comptroller to Specification 956,028: