US2543571A - Grape crusher and stemmer - Google Patents

Description

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 8. 1947 Feb. 27, 1951 A. FERRARI 2,543,571

GRAPE CRUSHER AND STEMMER Filed Jan. 8. 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 5114 uantoz Feb. 27, 1951 A. FERRARI GRAPE CRUSHER AND STEMMER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 8, 1947 Feb. 27, 1951 A. FERRARI GRAPE CRUSHER AND STEMMER 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 8, 1947 nome z, flbeZeJ eWafli Feb. 27, 1951 FERRARl 2,543,571

GRAPE CRUSHER AND. STEMMER Filed Jan. 8, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ammo a Patented Feb. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES P OFFICE 32,543,571 GRAPE sausa e AND 's'jiiiiihwn'ii Abele Ferrari, Healdsburg, Calif. I App-insure .lainuar'y 8, 1947, serial No. 'izoizos (c1. mp7s) v 1 Claim;

This invention relates to machines deign'e'd to crush and stem grapes a) as to extract the pulp and juice therefrom.

More specifically, the invention relates tb improvements in machines of this chai'faeter which embody the use of blades or paddles rotating in a drum that crush and stem the grapes.

The primary object of the invention is to pro= vide animprov'ed rotating blade apparatus, embodying the use of different types of blades ro tating in the drum, one 'set of blades being formed so as to be particularly adapted for crushing the grapes, without crushing the stems, and the other 'set being particularly adapted to complete the crushing, to remove the dry stems from the pulp, ahd to eject the stems from the machine.

Another important object or the invention is to provide improved drive means for rotating the blades and the drum at different speeds, and an improved feed and discharge mechanism.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts, herein after more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal Vertical sectional view through a machine constructed in accord-' ance with the invention, in which the blade, drive, feed, and discharge apparatus embodied therein are shown in elevation.

Figure 2 is an end elevational view, showing the outlet end of the drum. t

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line -3-'=3 of-Figure 1.

Figure '4 is a sectional view taken substantially Online i 4 of Figure l. v

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 5'5 of Figure 1. I V 7 Referring to the drawing in detail, the machine embodied in the invention is supported in a suitable frame, including a base, the frame being designated generally by the character reference number 5, and being of substantially rectangular conformation when viewed in side or end elevation.

Supplying power to the machine is an electric motor 6, rotating a mainshaft i by means of belts 8 passing around the pulleys 9 on the mainshaft and the pulleysv It the motor, the maihshaft being journalled in :ballbea'rin'gs II 2 mounted at the ends of the frame 5, and in a ballbearing l2 mounted on a cross bar I3 of the frame. I

A portion of the maihsh'aft 1 extends through a hopper M, in which grapes to be treated by the machine are deposited, and this portion of the mainshaft carries a worm conveyor i5, whereby the grapes are fed into a rotatable perforated drum with which the hopper communicates, and which has been indicated generally by the character reference numeral l6. Spaced rings I8 are peripherally disposed along the outer wall of the drum l6, and strengthen the construction of the drum. v 7

Driven by the mainshaft T is the intermediate shaft ll, that is rotated by means of a chain l8 that passes around the sprocket l9 on the mainshait, and the sprocket 29 on the intermedate shaft. In turn, chain 2| passing around the sprocket 22 on the intermediate shaft, and around sprocket 23 on a pinion shaft 2e transmits rotary movement to the pinion shaft.

Meshing with the pinion 25 carried by the pinion shaft 24 is the ring gear 28 that rotates the drum 1 6, the ring gear being coa'Xially aligned with the drum and fixedly connected thereto by a plurality of rods 21 which also extend through a brace wheel 2% that serves the purpose of bracing the connection under strain whieh might be exerted thereupon.

Spaced brackets ZQ extending inwardly from each side of the frame 5 carry wheels 3!] on which the drum l6 rotates.

By reason of the reduction gearing described, the drum i6 is adapted to rotate comparatively slowly, at a speed of approximately revolutions per minute.

From the inlet end of the drum is to a point approximately intermediate its ends, the peripheral wall of the drum is formed with slot perforations 3| which are disposed in staggered parallel relation. Within this portion of the drum [6, there is mounted on the mainshaft l in equally spaced relation a plurality of spiders or radial arms 32. These spiders 32 are fixedly secured to the mainshaft l, and are preferably each formed with four blades. Each of these four blades is disposed at a right angle to the adjacent blades of the same spider, and is pitched obliquely as is clearly shown by reference to Figures '1 and 3, so that attachments on the ends of the blades, which attachments will be described in detail hereinafter, will move engaged material in a direction away from the inlet end of the drum. 7

Referring individually to each spider 32, there are mounted at the outer ends of opposed blades curved crushing paddles 33, the other opposed blades of each spider 32 being provided with flat carrying paddles 34. The paddles 33 curve in a direction away from the direction of rotation of the drum l6 and spiders 32. Thus the leading faces of the crushing paddles 33 have a wiping action over the drum surface. This is to be distinguished from the action of the carrying paddles 34. The faces of the carrying paddles extend straight inwardly from the drum surface, so that the end edges only of said paddles, rather than portions of their leading faces, wipe over the drum surface. Grapes fed into the drum are crushed between the curved paddles 33 and the wall of the drum 16, but by reason of the construction embodied in the paddles 33, the stems of the grapes are not broken, which is desirable by reason of the fact that the stems contain an acid which is harmful to wine, which may be made from the grapes.

The carrying paddles 34 which follow each crushing paddle 33 on the same spider serve the function of moving the crushed grapes onto the next spider 32 or set of blades, where they are further crushed until they are moved past the spider 32 which is furthest from the inlet end of the drum it.

As may be seen from Figures 1 and 3, the blades of the spiders 32 are'arranged in staggered relationship, which guarantees steady continuity of function, and keeps the grapes evenly distributed in the drum, so that there will be no large masses of grapes accumulated therein which might result in an uneven distribution of strain on the machine. drawing that the paddles 33 and 34 of said spiders 32 are short in length and spaced substantial distances from the paddles of the next adjacent spider, so that there are clear spaces between adjacent spiders into which the grapes move when passed from one spider toward the next one. As a result, during movement through these spaces the grapes are not subjected to any crushing ac tion but the rotation of the drum continues to turn the grapes over so that by the time said grapes reach the next spider, they are again well mixed for further crushing.

During operation of the machine, the blades of the spiders 32 travel at a relatively high speed, which may be stated as approximately 400 revolutions per minute. At the same time, the reduction gearing hereinbefore described, whereby motion is transmitted to the drum it, causes the drum 16 to rotate in the same direction as the blades, that is, counterclockwise when viewed as in Fig. 3, but as previously mentioned, at a reduced speed of about 7 revolutions per minute, and this arrangement between the blades and the drum is specifically adapted to prevent injury to the grape stems, and to keep the perforated drum wall clean. The blades 33 and 34 are of inflexible material.

Within the portion of the drum l6 that extends from the spider 32 most remote from the inlet end, to the other end of the drum, are mounted radial spiders 35, which have obliquely extended blades disposed at a right angle to their adjacent blades. There are preferably two of these spiders 35 and they are arranged in staggered relation, as is clearly shown by Figures 1 and 2.

Extending between the spiders 35 and secured to the blades thereof in spiraled relation, are stemming arms 38, which are adapted to receive the grapes from the crushing apparatus, and to clean the remainder of the juice and pulp there- It is further to be noted from the from, forcing the juice and pulp through round openings 31 disposed in staggered relation in the periphery of the drum [6, and which discharge the dry stems of the grapes from the open outlet end 38 of the drum.

As the pulp and juice are forced through the wall of the drum [6, they are received in a pan 39, which fully encloses the drum I6, in order that all pulp and juice forcibly ejected through the slotted and circular perforations will be retained and will move to the bottom of the pan. A hinged door 40 permits access to the pan and to the drum for cleaning purposes.

On the pinion shaft 24 is carried a sprocket 4| around which passes a chain 42 that also passes around a sprocket 43 on a feed shaft 44, the shaft 44 being rotatable in the pan 39, adjacent the bottom thereof. The portion of the feed shaft 44 within the pan 39 carries a right and left helical feed or worm conveyor 45, which is adapted to move the pulp and juice collecting in the bottom of the pan to the center thereof, where an outlet 46 is provided.

What is claimed is:

In a machine for crushing andstemming grapes, a crushing structure including a rotatable apertured drum; a main shaft extending through the drum; a plurality of spiders rotatable with and spaced longitudinally of the main shaft, said spiders each including radial arms extending toward the wall of the drum, short paddles on some of the arms curved radially of the drum away from the direction of rotation of the drum, the leading faces of said paddles being partially in wiping contact with the drum wall, said paddles and the portions of the drum wall over which they wipe defining between them acute angles to form spaces in which grapes are crushed, and short flat paddles on the remaining arms of each spider disposed radially of the drum, the lastnamed paddles being in wiping contact with the drum wall at their outer edges only and comprising carrying paddles for grapes to be crushed, the curved and fiat paddles being spaced circumferentially of the drum in an alternating arrangement on each spider, there being substantially wide clear spaces between the paddles of adjacent spiders, all of said paddles being pitched spirally of the drum and the several spiders being spirally staggered longitudinally of the drum; and means for rotating the drum and the main shaft in the same direction but at different speeds.

ABELE FERRARI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 52,693 Devines Feb. 20, 1866 136,002 Olds Feb. 18, 1873 654,839 Philpott July 21, 1900 774,350 Castle Nov. 8, 1904 1,068,004 Northrop July 22, 1913 1,312,381 Beekhuis Aug. 5, 1919 1,765,953 Urschel June 24, 1930 1,848,225 Schmidt Mar. 8, 1932 2,101,620 Lewis Dec. 7, 1937 2,172,790 Ferrari et a1 Sept. 12, 1939 2,292,650 Oehler et a1. Aug. 11, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 542,776 France Aug. 21, 1922

Images