Abstract: A nut shelling apparatus and method for the shelling of nuts such as chinquapins and chestnuts without substantially damaging the meat of the nuts. The nut shelling machine utilizes a combination of the inertia of the nut and a planar rotating cutting disc, such as one with a layer of aluminum oxide abrasive material, to cut the shell of the nut in a series of small cuts. The rotating abrasive disc utilizes the resistive inertia of the nuts to launch the nut in an upward direction and causing the nuts to fall onto the abrasive surface to repeatedly cut the shells. The repeated cutting action results in removal of a substantial amount of the shell in a short period of time while at the same time minimizing damage to the meat of the nut.

Abstract: A pepper seed polishing machine consists of a frame made from welded angle iron bars, a polishing mechanism which is a concave made from iron sieve having holes with diameter of 1.5-2 millimeters, and an agitator set. The agitator set consists of three backward curve vane blades welded onto a rotating shaft and is driven by a two-horsepower electric motor via a two V belt-pulley set. Black pepper seed is loaded into a hopper located on top of the machine. After polishing process, the polished seed is unloaded from the machine, while dust and rubbish can be collected separately. Polishing or rubbing off the outer skin of pepper seed resulted from rubbing action between seed to metal and seed to seed. The revolution of the rotor can be changed by changing pulleys' diameter. This results in changing of time required for each cycle of polishing process and polishing capacity as well. After polishing, the pepper seed has much more favorably odor than those polished by the conventional method.

Abstract: A grain decorticating machine is provided with a distributor rotor and an impact band. The impact band further includes impact surfaces shaped in the form of an annular succession of first plates oblique with respect to the radius of the rotor, and by an annular surface, coaxial with the rotor and situated behind the annular succession of first plates. The annular surface faces the outer radius of the rotor. An opening is defined between each pair of adjacent first plates. The openings thus formed provide tunnels for passage of the air blown from the rotor and also for the decorticated materials. The rotor has a roof and a floor which define an annular crown. The annular crown is subdivided internally by a plurality of radial partitions, with each adjacent pair of radial partitions defining a radial crown segment which faces outward toward the impact band.

Abstract: A device for removing coatings from granular materials such as hull-encased meats of grains. The device includes a housing within which is journaled a rotatably disposed drum. A wall is also mounted within the housing, the wall angling downwardly and being spaced at a distance from an outer surface of the drum to define a processing space therebetween. Typically, the processing space narrows downwardly within the housing. The drum is disposed for rotation so that any material fed into the housing through a hopper mounted on the top thereof will be drawn along the drum surface into the processing space. The processing space narrows sufficiently so that an abrasion is effected upon the material as it is deposited within the processing space because of the relative movement of the outer surface of the drum and the downwardly extending wall.

Abstract: A discoid element (7, 8) for a helical screw or worm arrangement comprising, on each side, identical shallow depressions (20); each depression having an open end (21) adjacent the periphery and a closed end (22) adjacent a central bore (23). The depressions (20) in one side of the discoid element are staggered with respect to those of the other side. The discoid element may also contain radial ribs (24, 25, 26, 27) constituting the sidewalls of the shallow depressions. The discoid elements may suitably be used in apparatus for dehusking grain.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to the structure of a roller for hulling rice. The roller comprises a core including a cylinder, a boss section on the interior of the cylinder, and a rubber layer provided on the outer circumference of the cylinder. The cylinder is corrugated and includes alternating furrows and ridges in the axial direction thereof.

Abstract: A depulping machine comprises a frame, a shaft mounted on the frame and at least one circular disk mounted for rotation on the shaft. The shaft passes perpendicularly through the disk. The disk tapers in a radially outward direction of the shaft and has spirally radiating ribs projecting laterally from opposite faces of the disk. A hopper is supported on the frame above the disks. Adjustable depulping plates are attached to the frame adjacent to, but spaced from the disks, and have cutting edges which cooperate with independently adjustable guide brackets and the disk faces and ribs to force pulp between the disk and the plates and to push beans, pits and the like on the plates along the edges, and out the machine.

Abstract: Shelled nuts, particularly peanuts, are blanched by depositing the nuts in a stream onto the surface of a horizontal, rotating table. Relatively fixed baffles or vanes having abrasive working faces are positioned slightly above the upper surface of the rotating table and extend generally from the periphery of the table to a point offset from the center thereof, whereby nuts deposited near the outer portion of the table will be carried against the abrasive face of each vane and spin inwardly towards the center of the table as they are being blanched. The center of the table is formed with a well opening into which the blanched nuts are dropped and then fed onto a conveyor by an inclined trough for subsequent handling such as roasting, packaging or the like. The vanes may be curved or straight and may be adjustable to control the blanching action as well as the blanching time.

Abstract: A machine for hulling nuts having a rotationally driven horizontal disc provided with an upwardly disposed abrasive surface; a cylindrical casing coaxially related to the disc, closely spaced from its periphery, and provided with a discharge opening; a cover closing the casing above the disc and provided with a supply opening adjacent to the discharge opening; and a plurality of blades spaced around the disc and extending generally radially across it to guide nuts deposited in an unhulled condition on the disc through the supply opening in a path around the disc and alternately centrally and peripherally of the disc toward the discharge opening, the hulls being abraded from the kernals as the nuts traverse the path and being urged centrifugally from the disc to fall between it and the casing while the separated kernels exit through the discharge opening.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the husking and drying of cereal and legume kernels comprising separating the kernels from their husks by means of rotating plate bodies and discharging the husks from the kernels/husks mixture by means of air.

Abstract: A roll type huller including a housing, a pair of hulling rolls parallelly spaced apart within the housing, a main shaft carrying one of the rolls and supported by the housing rotatably about a fixed axis, and a counter shaft carrying the other roll and supported near the free end of an arm mounted at the base by a pivot which is spaced from, and parallel with, the fixed axis, so that the counter shaft can move toward and away from the main shaft while maintaining the parallelism. The pivot is supported by the housing in a relative position opposite to the roll-carrying portion of the counter shaft. The location of the pivot may be inside the housing beneath the counter shaft or outside of the housing above the shaft or elsewhere provided the aforesaid relationship with the shaft is maintained.

Abstract: A milling roll for use in a rice milling machine for removing the bran coating from the exterior surface of the rice kernels, in which the rice kernels are caused to rub or roll against each other rather than between relatively moving surfaces. The milling roll is generally cylindrical in construction with spaced baffles oriented at particular angular positions so that rice kernels will enter the milling roll between certain of the adjacent baffles from the periphery of the rotating roll toward the center thereof where the rice kernels will be caused to rub against each other as they work in and out and are ultimately discharged between adjacent baffles peripherally of the milling roll for discharge from the rice milling machine through the usual rice outlet or discharge spout past the usual pressure plate control mechanism.

Abstract: Apparatus for shelling or husking cereals comprising a horizontally oriented rotatable drum, a perforated cylinder surrounding and spaced from the annular wall of the drum, a radial chamber on the inlet side of the drum, an annular chamber between the surface of the drum and the perforated cylinder, a collection chamber for the shells or husks outside the perforated cylinder, a collection chamber at the other end of the drum for the material that has been shelled or husked and a sealable lip at the downstream end of the perforated cylinder, the seal of which is adjustable to properly control the separation of the shelled material from the shells or husks.