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Distinctive Features
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Milling Machine Room
Construction in the Japanese Occupation Period--
Milling Machine Room
[Bulk rice paddy silo]
Two barns stood side by side with sloped roof s a jointed with
trusses. This is an important area of the silo. There were 8 silos in a row
on each side of the conveyor belt. The rice paddies were transported to the
milling machine room to be processed into refined rice or brown rice then
transported north storage warehouses.
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Bulk rice paddy silo
Silo is 43.54 meter in height and 22.73meter in width.
North of the
architecture were 5 and half windows.
Each window is 160cm high, 38cm wide
and between two widows is a 41cm brick wall which measures 40cm in
thickness.
The roof of the building is covered by cement and titles and beside the
silos were sugarcane trains which allowed easy transport. The silo is
gigantic. One can imagine the amount of rice paddy that can be stored here
must be incredible! |
[Beam Conveyor belt, central conveyor belt]
On the floor of the silo was the central conveyor belt and on the
beams of the roof was also a conveyor belt. The beam conveyor belt worked
with the bucket elevator to pour paddy into the designated paddy storage
houses. On the other hand the central conveyor belt was used to transport
paddy rice into the milling machine room to be processed and send back to
the lower level. Each silo had two discharge openings which allowed the
paddy rice to be transferred onto the conveyor belt.
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Beam conveyer belt |
A glass walkway was built on top of the central conveyor belt |
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Central Conveyor Belt
The central conveyor belt acted as an interlocking mechanism for the silo
and the milling machine room. Its main function was to transport the paddy
rice in the silo to the milling machine room to be processed. Each silo
consisted of two discharge openings located next to the central conveyor
belt and a cover plate was attached to each opening to control the amount of
paddy transferring out. By the theory of gravity when the cover plate is
open the paddy would automatically fall onto the central conveyor belt. The
conveyor belt is a circuit system which used the powering of the motor,
flywheel, bearing, and rollers to transport the paddy in the silo to the
milling machine room. |
[Dormer window]
The dormer window is the most special aspect of the silo and is also
a major element of Fuxing silo. Every two silo shares a dormer window and it
is located on the dividing cob walls of the silos. The front of the dormer
window consisted of cryptomeria blinds and a permanent glass window. It has
good ventilation and lighting. On the cob walls were also two screen doors
which regulate the temperature and humidity of the silo.
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Dormer window from outside |
Dormer window from inside (Photo taken from below) |
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The origin of the name,
Dormer window
Dormer
windows (or roof windows) were windows set on the roof and since the sound
“roof” sounded like the word “tiger” in Shanghainese the people called it
the “tiger window”.
Every two silos shares one dormer window and it functions as a heat
ventilator. There are 8 dormer windows for the 16 silos and an addition of
two dormer windows in the in front which added up to a total of 10 dormer
windows in all. This is also a significant element to the architecture. The
dormer window is 1.9 meter wide and 1.05 meter high with openings on both
sides which consisted of downward blinds fort the purpose of ventilation. |
Bamboo strip tube and the ventilation openings on the floor
For the purpose of ventilation, apart
from the dormer window, each silo also consisted of two bamboo strip tubes
and floor ventilation opening. The bamboo strip tube were made with bamboo
strips and erected on the ventilation opens of the elevated floor. When the
rice paddy were heaped into the silo the bamboo strip tube in the paddy
and the ventilation openings on the floor will create a flow of air which
will help extract the heat and moisture of the paddy and carried it out
through the dormer window. Hence, prevent the sprouting of the rice paddy.
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Bamboo strip tube and
ventilation opening on the floor (Left Photo)
The floor of
the silo is elevated 35cm above ground and its surface is made of metal and
lead. Ventilation openings of 20 cm2
were made on the floor for the purpose of holding the bamboo strip tubes. In
order to control the temperature and humidity of the silo, when the moisture
of the paddy reaches a certain level the paddy in the silo will have to be
mixed to lower temperature. This way sprouting of the paddy can be
prevented. |
[Milling machine room]
The Milling machine room is three storages high 28meter long by 21meter
wide. The first level is 2.5meters high, the second level is 3.9meters high
and the third floor including the roof is 2.1 meters high.
Rice paddy transported through the central conveyer belt is carried
to the third floor with a bucket elevator for husking then transferred to
the first floor through a husking discharge opening. Husks and debris were
left in the second and third floor.
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Rice Milling Machine
(Left Photo)
The power source of the milling system came from the two motors planted on
the ground. By the pulling of the belt to the main shaft and the turning of
the pulleys is a traditional system called the “method” |
[References]
Taken by Grain Head Team.Fuxing Silo website:
http://fu-xing.bocach.gov.tw/
Changhua
County Cultural Affairs Bureau, Guide to Fuxing Silo, 2008.
[Photos]
Taken by Grain Head Team.
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