Abstract: A process for removing bulk material from a gastight silo. At the silo outlet (10) a container is connected in a gastight arrangement with an input valve and an output valve (12, 13) through which the container is evacuated before the bulk material is removed. In addition, a gastight membrane (20) is fitted in the container (11) in order to seal off the bulk material from the surroundings during the initial stages of the removal operation.

Abstract: A corn harvester has a chassis adapted to travel along the ground and provided on its front with a device for picking ears off cornstalks. A thresher is provided on the chassis for reducing the ears to fragments including pieces of cob, corn kernels, and pieces of husk, and for displacing these fragments backwardly. A floor in the chassis is positioned to receive the fragments from the thresher and has a rear edge provided with a rearwardly extending comb having spaced apart times. The floor and comb are jointly reciprocated to displace the fragments backwardly, during which operation normally the kernels, which are of greater surface density than the other fragments, move to the bottom of the backwardly moving mass. A rotary stripper is provided on the chassis having fingers orbitable between the teeth of the comb. This stripper is rotated at high speed so as to lift most of the husk and cob pieces off the comb and propel them backwardly.

Abstract: A plant for the preparation of fodder comprising a portion of solid foodstock in the form of grains or kernels and a portion of water. The plant includes a silo for the solid foodstock, a device for removing the solid foodstock from the silo, a conveying device for conveying the solid foodstock removed from the silo, a crushing mill which receives and crushes foodstock conveyed by the conveying device, and a mixing vessel for the mixing of the crushed solid foodstock and the water. A siphon is mounted between the conveying device and the crushing mill, the siphon being provided with water supply conduits at the inlet and outlet sides of the siphon.

Abstract: A husk separator for cleaning a mixture of corn ear fragments including pieces of corn cob, corn kernels, and pieces of corn husks includes a first generally planar comb having generally horizontal first tines positioned to support the fragments, and a second rotary comb having a central shaft and a plurality of generally radially extending second tines displaceable on rotation of the shaft between and past the first tines. This second comb is rotated with its tines passing through those of the first comb to separate husk pieces from the cob pieces away from the first comb. The husk pieces are then stripped off the second comb by a plurality of stripper elements located between the tines of the second comb and engageable with the husk pieces on rotation of this second rotary comb.

Abstract: A corn harvester has a chassis adapted to travel along the ground and provided on its front with an intake mechanism for picking ears off the cornstalks and for reducing these ears to fragments including pieces of cob, corn kernels, and pieces of husk. These fragments are displaced backwardly onto a ridged floor having a rear edge spaced by an upstream gap from a riddle having in turn a rear edge spaced upwardly by a downstream gap from a comb. A blower directs a current of air through these gaps to separate out the chaff-like husk pieces, while the smaller and denser fragments can drop through the riddle and be collected. Both the riddle and the floor are oscillated to displace the fragments backwardly. A second comb meshes with the first comb and has a plurality of tines that are continuously displaced through the tines of the first comb to separate out husk pieces from the fragments on the first comb.