1 158 FARM EXGIXEERIXG 



898 - Portable " Vasino " Cereal Drier. — T.\rchetti a., in IlGwrnale di RisicoUura, 



VI th Year, Xo. 7, pp. 11. 1-124. - lig- Vercelli, April 15, igio. 



This drier, mounted on wheels, and designed by ^Messrs. Vasino 

 Brothers, at Ponzana (pro\"ince of Xovara, Italy), is on the tipping plane 

 system, (like the t>-pes Cattaxeo Gemixardi & Guidetti Albertixi) 

 BoLTRi, etc.). The appended figure shows the arrangement of its essential 

 parts. 



The case shaped like a parallelopiped, is divided into superposed com- 

 partments b3" a series of horizontal aprons {9) made up of strips of metal 

 gauze or pert'orated tin plate, each of which turns on its horizontal axis, 

 tipping and thus empt^nng the grain to be dried on the apron immediately 

 beneath. Each shaft has an end which is prolonged outside the case and is 

 fitted with a fork lever through which an endless metal cable passes ; this 

 cable can run horizontally in a parallel direction to each of the successive 

 aprons, while rising rigzag from one floor to the other, owing to 2 opposite 

 sets of grooved pulleys which are fitted alternately at one end of each floor; 

 it is fitted with an excentric cam which is unable to pass through the fork 

 and therefore compels each lever in succession to shift and to tip the corre- 

 sponding strip of the apron ; then, as soon as the fork is released from the 

 the excentric, it is returned to its position by a spring or counterweight fitted 

 to each lever. 



Of course the tipping movement of the strips making up the 

 apron, produced in this way b}" the cable movement, is intermittent. It is 

 made to recur at lesser or greater inter\-als (generally from 10 to 20 minutes) 

 according to the degree of dr3Tiess required in the grain. The stopping 

 and starting of the cable are controlled by a special de\-ice placed in front 

 of the machine at and E. 



The hot air used for drying is supplied b}' the stove B placed behind 

 the car ; it is drawn up from below by the aid of 2 large fans C fitted to the 

 side walls of the stove, and is injected into the case through a set of nozzles 

 m - m' - m" - m"\ the flow being regulated by the dampers s - s - s" - s'". 



This injection of hot air does not take place into each compartment but 

 only in one out of two, so that between each pair of compartments thus venti- 

 lated there is one which the hot air is compelled to enter after passing through 

 the layers of grain on the upper and lower aprons, afterwards emerging from 

 the case through the front apertures n - n' - n" - n'" or the side apertures 

 p - p'- p"- p'", pro\nded in the walls. 



Two suction arrangements D accelerate the air current at will. On the 

 other hand the pipe x, fitted with a damper, brings the lower compartment 

 into commimication with the air inlet from the stove. By operating the 

 damper x and the dampers t - t' - 1" provided in the pipe of the suction de- 

 \4ces, therefore, the hot air more or less saturated with moisture emerging 

 from the case can be utilised wholly or in part. 



The grain to be dried is inserted in the apparatus ever\- 10 or 20 minu- 

 tes, and spread in a uniform layer of 3 to 4 ^j^ inches thickness on the up- 

 per apron, from which it descends, passing successively through the others 

 to the lower apron, and on reaching the latter is deprived of its moisture. 



