Tobacco bulk curing container sections and composite barn construction

Abstract

A tobacco bulk curing barn construction including a furnace section and a plurality of portable barn sections each having imperforate side walls and top wall that form substantially complete exterior walls and roof of an integral transverse section of a composite curing part of the barn construction. Flanges and sealing gaskets are provided along edges of each section to provide sealing engagement of adjacent sections in a series row formation. A screen is secured across one end of the barn section to define with the side walls a full section open curing space for receiving tobacco filled in bulk therein when the section is disposed flat on the screened end. A pair of open frames is mounted between the side walls for movement from open positions after an initial amount of tobacco has been filled into position on top of the leaves to limit the amount of compression which can subsequently be applied to the initial tobacco by virture of the subsequent full loading of leaves into the curing space. A pair of cross frames is pivoted to the side walls at the end opposite the screen for pivoting from open positions during tobacco loading into closed tobacco retaining positions across the end of the section. U-shaped tines each having a pair of legs and a connecting base are inserted into the bulk tobacco and are supported in tobacco supporting position by the tip ends of the tines projecting into the screen and the base ends of the tines being supported on the cross frames. The screen, cross frames, and tines combine to support tobacco in the full section of the full width of the barn and the full height except for air circulation voids at the top and bottom when the section is joined with other sections to form a composite barn.