J. agric. Engng Res.

(1967) 12 (3) 229-232

NOTES

A Rasp-drum Laboratory Thresher and Cleaner

D. w. GARVIE*; P. J. W ELBA NKt

1. Introduction
The machine (Fig. J) was designed to thresh and clean cereal samples containing up to about
2 kg of dry grain , corresponding to plot areas of up to 4 m 2, to give estimates of grain yield. It can
be used for very small samples, but for fewer than about 50 ears a single ear thresher similar to
that described by Barclay' is more suitable.
A thresher for this kind of work must completely thresh the whole sample and recover all
the grain. It must not hold up grain from one sample to another in the mechanism or in crevices.
To facilitate clearing after each sample, all parts of the machine must be easily cleaned out and as
much as possible should be open to inspection. For laboratory convenience it should be small
enough to be easily moved. The thresher described here meets these requirements.

Fig. I. Threshing machine with belt guards removed

Small-sample machines previously described , e.g. by James", have mostly been of the peg
drum type and sometimes quite large. Peg drums often do not draw straws through the machine
readily ; usually the straws are arranged by hand and the heads only are fed into the machine,
the stalks being withdrawn after threshing. This is slow compared with the rasp drum , which
takes in whole straws and threshes them completely in a quick passage through the machine.
Chalmers and Billington" described a small-sample thresher using a rasp drum but it is too large
to be readily moved, and does not clean the grain, this needs a separate machine. However,
several features of their thresher are adopted in the one described here.
• R . G . Garvie & Sons . 2 Can al Road , Abe rdee n
t Rothamsted Experimental Station . Harpenden, Hert s.
229
230 A RASP-DRUM LABORATORY THRESHER AND CLEANER

F ~I

4ft

. . . . ; 2in-_.1 ~~~~
Fig. 2. Side view of thresher, straw collector detached

r 1
lOin

M
,r

I I--Ift 3in--j
l---2ft 4in -I
Fig. 3. End view of thresher
D. W. GARVIE; P. J. WELBANK 231

2. Description
2.1. General
The machine (Figs 2 and 3) was developed from a commercial plant head thresher, using
basically the same grain cleaning mechanism, but with the peg drum replaced by a rasp drum, and
an extended feed table and a straw collector fitted. Separate electric motors, with separate starters,
drive the drum, and the sieves and blower, so that the cleaning mechanism can be used without
running the drum. All belt drives are guarded. Cleaning and inspection are easy because the
main (top) sieve is uncovered at its lower end and accessible through the hopper at its upper end,
and because there are removable covers over the drum and opposite the sieve-carrier grain exit.
The threshing and cleaning part of the machine has wheels which are raised during work.

2.2. Feed table

The horizontal outer part of the feed table (A) tapers towards the drum and is large enough for
a sheaf to be opened out ready for threshing without tending to slide into the drum prematurely.
The short sloping part feeding into the drum is made nearly tangential to the path of the rasp
bars and is covered by a metal plate (B) to prevent the operator's hand entering the drum.

2.3. Threshing mechanism

The cylinder (C) is 10 in wide and 12 in in diameter over the rasp bars. It is driven by a 1 hp
motor (D) through a V-belt with multiple or variable-speed pulleys to give speeds from lloo to
1750 rev/min (equivalent to peripheral rasp speeds from 3500 to 5500 ft/min). It is of 'filled-in'
construction so that no grain can be held behind the bars, with three rasps mounted on steel
bolsters. The cylinder can be adjusted vertically to vary the clearance between drum and concave.
The concave (E) is of open wire and bar construction, with bars chamfered on the feed-in side
to deflect straws tending to pass through the concave.

2.4. Straw collector

The straw and any loose grain that is knocked through the straw outlet by the drum fall into
the straw collector (F). A baffle curtain (G) prevents all the straw and grain being flung against
the end curtain (H), where much may fall to the ground through the opening for emptying the
straw. The sides of the collector are of stout transparent p.v.c. and its floor consists of a wire
screen (I) in a removable frame. As the straw is removed from the collector (by hand) it is shaken
so that all loose grain falls through this screen into the removable tray (J). When each sample is
threshed the tray is emptied into the cleaning mechanism.
The straw collector can be detached from the thresher for removing and storage. When the
machine is used for threshing ears only, the straw catcher is not needed and the straw outlet can
be closed off with a screen of strong wire gauze or finely perforated metal sheet.
It was considered impracticable to fit straw walkers to such a small machine, as they would
increase its weight and size and might need a separate motor, but they might be developed in
future threshers. With the existing layout it would also be difficult to feed the loose grain back
into the cleaning mechanism automatically.
The existing collector might be improved by being made wider to give more room for the straw,
and with an opening at the side instead of at the end so that straw could be removed during
threshing. The screen (I) could be made as the floor of a deep-sided tray sliding on runners in the
straw collector so that it could be shaken bodily to help dislodge loose grain.

2.5. Cleaning mechanism

Two sieves are fitted in a reciprocating sieve-carrier (K) mounted on wooden-lath hangers
which oscillates through a stroke of t in at 450 c/min driven by the crankshaft (L) through the
connecting rod (M). The top sieve (N), which receives the material coming through the concave
232 A RASP-DRUM LABORATORY THRESHER AND CLEANER

and separates grain and chaff from cavings, is a Graepel screen with 9 mm holes and has a
slope of 10°. The upper part is blanked off by a smooth metal plate which prevents straws from
the concave being forced through ("spearing") the sieve holes. There is a curtain (0) of flexible
rubber sheet over the outlet of this sieve to prevent grain bouncing off. A hopper (P) at the upper
end of the top sieve, with a removable lid, enables loose grain from the straw collector to be
emptied on to the top sieve for cleaning, and the sieves and blower to be used independently of
the threshing mechanism to clean grain threshed elsewhere.
Sheet materials other than a Graepel screen were unsatisfactory for the top sieve because it
must force the large bulk of chaff and cavings along smoothly so that there is no blockage under
the concave. The blank portion of the sieve assists this by orienting straws parallel to the sieve.
A sieve of the frog-mouth type might be a satisfactory alternative.
The lower sieve (Q), of perforated steel sheet with round holes -}z in dia, 45/in 2, separates some
dust and small particles from the grain and discharges them at the side of the machine.
Grain leaving the sieve-carrier is winnowed by a controlled upward draught of air to remove
chaff and remaining dust and falls into the collecting tray (R). The blower (S) is of conventional
wooden paddle construction with shutters at either end regulating the air flow.
At hp motor (T) drives both sieve-carrier and blower through pulleys and V-belts.

3. Performance
The machine has threshed wheat and barley satisfactorily, but the persistent awns of some
barley varieties prevent the cleaning riddles working properly (a modified concave with a rasp
bar at the entry and a filled-in first section could be used to improve de-awning). It has been used
for oats with a stepped sieve of 8 mm round-hole perforated steel instead of the Graepel sieve;
oats are cleaned less well than wheat or barley.
It will thresh and clean samples containing up to 2 kg of grain in less than 5 min, but very careful
work may take longer. Losses are small; the amount of grain recovered when straw and chaff
from a sample are re-threshed is about I %. The final sample is clean; the weight of any small
pieces of straw and chaff that are left is negligible for estimating dry-weight yields.

Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank R. E. Arnold, of the N.LA.E., for suggestions and M. R. Batty
of Rothamsted Experimental Station, who prepared the drawings.

REFERENCES
1 Barclay, C. A self cleaning miniaturethresher. Empire J. expo Agric., 1953,21, 190
2 James, E. An improvednurserythresher. Agron. J., 1959,51 (11) 694
3 Chalmers, G. R.; Billington, W. P. A thresher for small samples. J. agric. Engng Res., 1961,6 (2) 145