Patent GB-412269-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines for cleaning or scutching flax, hemp, jute, ramie and like fibre-bearing stalks
IPC: D01B1/30
Filed: 1932-12-23
Abstract: 412,269. Scutching or cleaning flax, hemp, jute, ramie, &c. GARDNER, F. P., 120, East 39th Street, New York, U.S.A. Dec. 23, 1932, No. 36507. [Class 120 (i).] In a machine for cleaning or scutching flax, hemp, jute, ramie, and like fibre-bearing stalks a number of sets of scutching or beating rolls associated with breaker bars are provided for cleaning the stalks continuously from end to end over their whole length on alternately opposite sides, the breaker bars being rotatably and slidably adjustable to vary their setting in relation to the beater rolls. The stalks are fed through two pairs of feed belts 11, 12 and 24, 25, Figs. 1 and 1<a>, to feed rollers 30, 31 and thence successively to the scutching unit 34, 44, the oppositely-disposed scutching unit 44<1>, 60 and the cleaning conveyers 72, 84, 92. The feed belts 11, 12 are supported on rollers 13 .. 16, the rollers 14, 16 being spring- supported and consisting respectively of fibrous composition and rubber to obtain a cushioning or resilient action. The rollers 26 .. 29 and the feed rollers 30, 31, Fig. 2, are of a similar nature. The belts 11, 12 and 24, 25 serve to deseed the stalks which are supported during beating by a travelling breaker bar comprising slats 34, Fig. 3, of various heights carried on chains 35 which are mounted on sprockets 36, 37, 38 the latter being adjustable by means of the rack and pinion 41, 42 to vary the effective arc of the beating drum 44. The supporting frame 40 is pressed towards the drum 44 by the spring 49<1> and is adjustable through the hand-wheel 46. The beating drum 44, Fig. 7, comprises blades 45 mounted in seats 50 having cover-pieces 53, the distance between the blades 45 and the exposed length of blade varying to provide an irregular scutching action. The material is carried by conveyers 56, 57 having slats 58 to the second scutching unit 44<1> which operates on the opposite side of the stalks. The beating drum 44<1> co-operates with a fixed-blade breaking bar 59, 60, Fig. 6. The blades 59 are supported in a frame 60 pivotally mounted at 61 in a support 65 which is spring-pressed at 68 towards the drum 44<1> and is adjustable by a .hand-wheel 67. The frame 60 is adjustable through a hand-wheel 62, pinion 63 and rackbar 64 to vary the scutching arc. The conveyers 72, 84, 92 are arranged to provide downwardly and upwardly sloping sections, the holding conveyers 72, 92 being driven at the same speed while the polishing conveyer 84 is driven faster. The distance between the conveyers 72, 84 may be varied. The plane on which the material is fed to the scutching drums may be on the axis a-b of the drum Fig. 11, above that line when the angle of attack on the stalks, d, e, f, will exceed 90‹, or below when the angle will be less than 90‹. A sprocket 93 may be introduced inside or outside the vertical bight of the chains 35 to vary the path. In a form of the machine giving continuous travel in substantially the same plane, Figs. 5 and 5<a>, the stalks are fed from a hopper 100 to a beater drum 101 having a travelling breaker bar 102 adjustable at 111 to vary the scutching arc, thence to a second unit 115, 116 acting on the opposite side of the stalks and thence out of the machine, or, if desired, to an additional cleaning unit 121, 122.