Combination scalper cleaner

Claim 1

A grain cleaning apparatus providing a grain flow path in sequence comprising, a vertically extending duct flexibly connected to an opening in a hopper, said hopper being connected to the inlet of a first separating means, the first separating means serving to separate grain and fines from larger sizes of impurities, an inlet manifold means for (a) conducting the grain and fines from the outlet of the first separating means to the inlet of a second separating means and (b) providing equal flows of grain to each of a plurality of superposed screening decks within said second separating means, said second separating means serving to separate the grain from the fines, and outlet manifold means connected to the outlet end of said second separating means for (A) collecting and channeling the grain into vertically extending chutes and (B) collecting and channeling the fines into other vertically extending chutes, the hopper and both separating means and manifolds all being reciprocated as a unit by a vibrator, the duct being of smaller cross-sectional area than the hopper opening and being positioned to drop grain vertically onto the bottom of said hopper, the bottom of said hopper serving to change the direction of flow of vertically falling grain and being inclined at an angle to the vertical, wherein the included angle between a vertical line and the hopper bottom is 120* or less, a screen within said first separating means positioned above a pan and inclined downwardly from the hopper at an angle to the horizontal in the range 16*-20*, the screen having apertures therethrough of a size not larger than the largest desirable grain size, thereby allowing grain and fines to fall through the screen onto the pan while larger sized impurities remain above the screen and are discharged from the outlet end of the first separating means as refuse, a flexible shroud hanging loosely from the inside top of the first separating means to within about an inch of the screen to retard the flow of grain, said shroud extending transversely across the path of the grain about 2/3 the length of the screen from the hopper to the inlet manifold, grain and fines from the pan being dispensed from the first separating means into said inlet mainfold means, said inlet manifold means including structural means for dividing the dispensed grain and fines into equal portions for each of a plurality of screening decks within the second separating means, the screening decks each comprising a screen above a non-porous pan, the fines passing through the screens while the grain is retained on the screens, the screening decks being inclined downwardly from the inlet manifold at an angle to the horizontal in the range 15*-20*, the screens in the first and second separating means being inclined downwardly in opposite directions, the separated fines and grain being dispensed from said second separating means into an outlet manifold means which includes structural means for channeling the fines and grain into separate vertically extending chutes, the chutes being vertically aligned with the duct.