GB696877A - Machine for cleaning and sorting bed feathers - Google Patents

Abstract

696,877. Pneumatic separating. LORCH AKT.-GES., L. H. June 23, 1952 [June 29, 1951], No 15806/52. Class 117 In a feather cleaning and sorting machine in which the material is sorted by an air stream passing through two or more chambers, the speed and amount of air is regulable in at least the last chamber but one. In one embodiment, the fan 1 draws air into the raw material inlet 2 and through the chambers I...–V. The raw material is agitated in chamber I by stirrer 3 and long feathers remain therein to be removed by opening the hinged sieve 4. The lighter material passes through channels 6, 7 into chamber II which has a stirrer 8, and the cross-section of its outlet channel 10 is adjustable by the movable wall 11. Pillow feathers remain in chamber 'II, and the remainder of the material descends into chamber III- through channel 12. This chamber has a stirrer 17 a movable wall 19 and an air bypass channel 14 controlled by throttle 15 and leading directly to the fan 1. The channel 14 which controls the volume of air passing through chamber III has its inlet, in channel 12, covered by a sieve 13. The sieve passages are' inclined downwardly towards the main airstream so that the sieve is self-cleaning. A symmetrically-arranged sieve may be arranged opposite sieve 13, in the wall 24, to reduce the air pressure on sieve 13, Fig. 2 (not shown). The half-down collects in chamber III, the down being carried ub channel 18 to descend through channel 20 into chamber IV for collection. ' The air and dust are drawn through a sieve 21 and ejected at the fan outlet 23. In a modification, Fig. 3 (not shown), independent fans are provided for the main airstream and the by-pass channel. The by-pass arrangement may be applied to more than one of the sorting chambers.