Improvements in Machines for Breaking and Decorticating Ramie, Jute, Hemp, or other Fibrous Plants.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Feb., 1891-
Complete Specification Left, 24th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Breaking and Decorticating Ramie,
Jute, Hemp, or other Fibrous Plants.
I, JOSE GARCIA HERNANDEZ Administrator "El Progreso" Ramie Plantation,
Guines, Havana, Cuba, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:--
This invention relates to a decorticating machine for breaking ramic jute hemp
or other similar fibrous plants in such a manner that the fibre is left clean of any
ligneous or woody matter and at the same time the abre is rendered very smooth
the exterior pellicle or film being to a great extent removed. The machine is
characterized by a reciprocating double knife operating in conjunction with a fixed
and a movably-mounted presser bar. The machine frame supports in its rear a
table on which the material to be treated is placed to be fed to the feeding rollers
which are arranged one above the other and at the front of said table. These
rollers are journaled in the sides of the frame and are geared so as to rotate
together.
The driving shaft is carried in bearings at the upper part of the frame. On the
outer end of the lower feed roller there is a ratchet wheel which is engaged by a
spring-pressed pawl pivoted on a slotted lever loosely fulcrumed on the shaft of the
said roller. The driving shaft carries a corresponding arm which is also slotted
and the two arms are connected by a bolt or pin which may be clamped by a nut
at any desired point in the slot of the arm and slides freely in the slot of the lever
so that it constitutes a fulcrum or wrist pin for the latter. When the driving shaft
is rotated, the arm imparts a swinging motion to the lever which in its forward
stroke imparts, by the pawl, motion to the ratchet wheel and consequently to the
lower feed roller which operates the upper feed roller. On the return stroke the .
two feed rollers remain stationary. The throw given by the pawl to the ratchet
wheel can be varied by adjusting the pivot pin in the slot of the arm so that the
feeding of the material may be varied. The main driving shaft has cranks which
are connected by links with a rectangular frame having its ends fitted to slide
vertically in slots in the frame. On the top and bottom bars of this frame are
secured transversely-adjustable knives which have opposite cutting edges, the bevel
of the cutting edge of one knife extending upwards while that of the other extends
downwards. In the rear of the frame and its knives is arranged a transversely-
extending fixed presser bar located in front of the lower roller and having its top
about in line with the top of the table and the roller. Above this fixed presser bar
there is a movable presser bar similar in shape to the fixed bar and provided with
upwardly-extending arms fitted against the inner surfaces of the sides of the frame
and each provided with vertically-arranged slots through which pass bolts screwing
in the sides of the main frame. On the upper end of each arm there is a projection
adapted to be engaged by a cam which may be single or double, the said cam being
secured on the driving shaft. A. coiled spring presses against the under side of
each arm, said spring being confined between the arm and a projection on the frame,
the springs serving to hold the presser bar in its raised position the upward move-
ment of the bar being limited by the arms resting against the peripheries of the
cams. When the main shaft is rotated, the cams acting on the arms press the
latter downwards and consequently impart a vertical sliding motion to the presser
bar being vertically guided by the bolts passing through the slots of the said arms
supporting the said presser bar. There is a transverse inclined board above the
table which serves to prevent the material from passing over the upper roller. The
fixed presser bar serves also as a guide to the lower roller and prevents the material

page_text: from taking any other direction than that conducting directly to the knives. As
the other presser bar is movable its thickness is reduced somewhat so as to provide
for a fixed guide between the same and the rollers, to force the material to take
its way right through the knives.
The operation is as follows:-By the rotation of the driving shaft a reciprocating
motion is imparted to the knives held in the knife frame so that the cutting edges
of the two knives alternately pass the opening made between the presser bars.
The ramie or other material is placed on the table and pushed between the two
rollers which on the forward stroke of the lever are rotated to feed the material
between and past the presser bars into the opening formed between the two knives.
When the lever is on the return stroke, the feeding ceases and then the cams press
the movable presser bar downwards upon the material so as to clamp the latter in
place. Then the knife descends and by its cutting edge passing upon the material
breaks the latter and at the upward stroke the lower knife acts against the under
side of the material and cleans the latter from the woody portion broken by the
knife. When the knife frame again commences to move downward and the presser
bar is in its uppermost position, the lever is on its forward stroke and turns the
rollers so as to feed the material forward again. As soon as the lever commences
its return stroke, the movable presser bar clamps the material again and the knives
operate on the material on the downward and upward stroke, as previously
described.
As the decorticated portion of the material, when passing out of the machine, is
resting on the dull edge of the lower knife whilst the remaining portion of the
material is not yet broken but clamped by the bars and rollers, the ligneous part
that although loosened could perhaps still remain mingled within the decorticated
part of the material is separated by the friction and agitation of the reciprocating
knives in their rapid up and down movement. The feed rollers are smooth and
preferably of rubber so as not to press or break the material, thereby preventing
the woody portion from becoming like leather and less breakable after being
crushed, as is the case with machines as at present constructed. The limit attained
by both the cutting edges of the knives on their upward and downward strokes
respectively, in passing the front faces of the presser bars, should not be less than
the forward movement of the material so that the knives in passing the bars strip
off by friction the pellicle. The knives are transversely adjustable in order to be
enabled to graduate, as needed, the space between the knives and the front faces of
the bars without touching the frame so as to be able to adjust the same in case the
space should be too narrow and in breaking the ligneous part avoid also the fibre
to be chopped off. By removing the transversely-adjustable knives on the frame
they can be exactly graduated so as to break indefectibly the ligneous part
preventing at the same time its interference between the knives and the faces of the
bars. In breaking the material in small fragments this machine not only leaves
the fibre clean of the ligneous parts and to a great extent without the exterior
pellicle, but also works as a cleaning and smoothing machine for the fibres which
when dried are preferably passed through the machine a second time so as to obtain
a first class product. The material may be fed to the rollers with the leaves and
buds on, thus dispensing with the difficult and expensive operation of stripping off'
the leaves previous to passing the material into the machine.
It will be understood that there is no loss of material whatever, as all the stems
of all sizes must infallibly pass between the rollers to the bars and knives, to be
treated as above described. The machine operates, no matter in which direction
the shaft is rotated. By this machine the drying of the fibres is facilitated on
account of the removal of the pellicle as in this way the fibre is more directly
exposed to the influence of the drier.
Dated this 24th day of February 1891
J. G. HERNANDEZ.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Breaking and Decorticating Ramie,
Jute, Hemp, or other Fibrous Plants.
I, JOSÉ GARCIA HERNANDEZ, Administrator "El Progreso "Ramié Plantation,
Guines, Havana, Cuba, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
The object of this invention is to provide a new and improved decorticating
machine which is simple and durable in construction, very effective in operation,
and adapted for breaking ramie, jute, hemp, or other similar fibrous plants, in such a
manner that the fibre is left clean of any ligneous or woody matter and at the same
time the fibre is rendered very smooth the exterior pellicle or film being to a great
extent removed.
The invention consists of a reciprocating double knife operating in conjunction
with a fixed and a movably-mounted presser bar.
The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the
same, as will be described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, in which
Figure 1 is a front view of the improvement, with parts broken out, and
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same, on line a-
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the feeding device.
Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a face view of a modified form of the cam for operating the movable
presser bar.
Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of part of the improvement.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
The improved decorticating machine is provided with a suitably constructed
frame A supporting in its rear a table B on which the material to be treated is
placed to be fed to the feeding rollers C and D which are arranged one above the
other and at the front end of the said table B. The feeding rollers C and D are
journaled in the sides of the main frame A and are connected with each other by
gear wheels E and E' so that when a rotary motion is imparted to one of the rollers
the other rotates with it. On the outer end of the lower roller C is arranged a
ratchet wheel F engaged by a spring-pressed pawl G pivoted on a lever H loosely
fulcrumed on the shaft of the said roller C. The outer end of the lever H has a
lengthwise slot H. An arm J is fixed on one end of a shaft K which has its
bearings in the upper part of the frame A. The arm J is likewise provided with a
slot J and is connected by a bolt or pin I with said lever H, as shewn, that is to
say the bolt 1 is clamped by a nut at any desired point in the slot of the arm J and
slides freely in the slot of the lever H; it is therefore a fulcrum or wrist pin for the
latter. The shaft K has a fast and loose pulley K' and K' respectively connected
in the usual manner with suitable machinery for imparting a rotary motion to the
said driving shaft K. On the latter is also secured a suitable fly wheel K³. When
the shaft is rotated the arm J imparts a swinging motion to the lever H which
in its forward stroke imparts by the pawl G motion to the ratchet wheel F and con-
sequently to the feed roller C which operates the other feed roller D. On the
return stroke of the lever H the two feed rollers remain stationary. The throw
given by the pawl G to the ratchet wheel F can be varied by adjusting the pivot
pin I in the slot J¹ of the arm J so that the material may be fed a greater or less
distance as desired. On the main driving shaft K are also arranged the crank
arms K pivotally connected with links L extending downwardly and pivotally
connected with a rectangular frame N having its ends fitted to slide vertically in
slots A' arranged in the sides of the main frame A. On the top and the bottom
bars of the rectangular frame N are secured the knives O and O' held transversely
adjustable on the side bars by means of screws, as shewn. The knives O and O
have opposite cutting edges," as is. plainly shewn in Figure 2, the bevel of the

page_text: •
cutting edge of the knife O extending upward while that of the other knife O₁
extends downwards, as is plainly shewn in Figure 2. In the rear of the frame N
and its knives O and O' is arranged a transversely-extending fixed presser bar P
located in front of the roller C and having its top about in line with the top of the
table B and the roller C. Above this fixed presser bar P is arranged a movable
presser bar Q similar in shape to the fixed presser bar and provided on its ends
with upwardly extending arms Q' fitted against the inner surfaces of the sides of
the main frame A. and cach provided with vertically arranged slots Q through
which pass bolts Q³ screwing in the sides of the main frame. On the upper end of
cach arm Qis arranged a projection Qadapted to be engaged by a cam R which
may be single, as shewn in Figure 2, or double, as illustrated in Figure 4, the said
cam being secured on the driving shaft K. Against the under side of each arm Q
presses a coiled spring Q coiled around the rod Q extending from the arm Q
downward through a suitable bearing Q7 formed on each of the sides of the main
frame A. The springs Q5 serve to hold the presser bar Qin an upperinost position,
the upward movement being limited by the arins Q resting against the peripheries of
the cams R. When the main shaft K is rotated the said cams R acting on the
arms Qpress the latter downward and consequently impart a vertical sliding
motion to the presser bar Q being vertically guided by the bolts Q³ passing through
the slots Q2 of the said arms Q' supporting the said presser bar. Above the table B
is arranged a transverse board S slightly inclined and serving to prevent the
material from passing over the roller D. The presser bar P serves also as a guide
to the roller C in order to prevent the material from taking any other direction
than that conducting directly to the knives and as the presser bar Q is movable
its thickness will be reduced somewhat so as to have a fixed guide T between the
same and the rollers C and D in order to force the material to take its way right
through the knives.
The operation is as follows:-When the main driving shaft K is set in motion a
reciprocating motion is imparted to the knives O and O held in the knife frame N
so that the cutting edges of the two knives alternately pass the opening made
between the presser bars P and Q. The ramie, jute, hemp, or other analogous
material, is placed by the operator on the table B and pushed between the two
rollers C and D which on the forward stroke of the lever H are rotated to feed
the material between and past the presser bars P and Q into the opening formed
between the two knives O and 04 When the lever I is on the return stroke the
feeding ceases and then the cams R press the presser bar Q downward upon the
material so as to clamp the latter in place. Then the knife O descends and by its
cutting edge passing upon the material breaks the latter and at the upward stroke
the lower knife O₁ acts against the underside of the material and cleans the latter
from the woody portion broken by the knife O. When the knife frame N again
commences to move downward and the presser bar Q is in its uppermost position,
. caused by the action of the springs Q, then the lever H is on its forward
stroke and turns the rollers C and D so as to feed the material forward again.
As soon as the lever H commences its return stroke, the movable presser bar Q
clamps the material again and the knives O and O' operate on the material
..on the downward and upward stroke, as previously described. It will be
seen that as the decorticated portion of the material when passing out. of the
.machine is resting on the dull edge of the lower knife O' whilst the remaining
portion of the material is not yet broken but clamped by the bars P and Q and the
rollers C and D the ligneous part that although loosened could perhaps still remain
.mingled within the decorticated part of the material is separated by the friction and
agitation of the reciprocating knives O and O' in their rapid up and down move-
ment. The feed rollers C and D are made smooth and are preferably of rubber
so as not to press or break the material, thereby preventing the woody portions
from becoming like leather and less breakable after being crushed as is the case
with machines as at present constructed. The limit attained by both the cutting
_edges of the knives and O¹ on their upward and downward strokes respectively

page_text: in passing the front faces of the bars P and Q should not be less than the forward
movement of the material so that the knives in passing the bars strip off by friction
the pellicle. The knives O and O₁ are transversely adjustable, in order to be
enabled to graduate as needed the space between the knives and the front faces of
the bars P and Q without touching the frame N so as to be able to adjust the same
in case the space should be too narrow and, in breaking the ligneous part, avoid
also the fibre to be chopped off. By removing the transversely adjustable knives O
and Oon frame N they can be exactly graduated so as to break indefectibly the
ligneous part, preventing at the same time its interference between the knives (
and O' and the faces of the bars P and Q.
In
It will be seen that this machine is very simple in construction and dispenses with
all grooved rollers and breakers previously employed in machines of this kind.
breaking the material in small fragments this machine not only leaves the fibre
clean of the ligneous parts and, to a great extent, without the exterior pellicle
but also works as a cleaning and smoothing machine for the fibres which when
dried are preferably passed through the machine a second time so as to obtain a
first class product. In this machine the material may be fed to the rollers C and D
with the leaves and buds on, thus dispensing with the difficult and expensive
operation of stripping off the leaves previous to passing the material into the
machine. It will further be understood that there is no loss of material whatever
as all the stems of all sizes must infallibly pass between the rollers C and D to the
bars P and Q and the knives O and O' to be treated as above described. It will
further be seen that the machine operates no matter in which direction the shaft K
is rotated. By this machine the drying of the fibres is facilitated on account of the
removal of the pellicle as in this way the fibre is more directly exposed to the
influence of the drier.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is
1. In a decorticating machine, the combination, with reciprocating double knives,
of a fixed and a movable presser bar arranged in the rear of the said knives and in
line with the same and means for operating the said movable bar, substantially as
shewn and described.
2. In a decorticating machine, the combination, with reciprocating double knives,
of a fixed and a movable presser bar arranged in the rear of the said knives and in
line with the same, means for operating said movable bar and feed rollers having
an intermittent rotary motion and serving to feed the material to the said bars and
knives and means for rotating said rollers, substantially as shewn and described.
3. In a decorticating machine, the combination, with reciprocating double knives,
of a fixed and a movable presser bar arranged in the rear of the said knives and in
line with the same, feed rollers having an intermittent rotary motion and serving to
feed the material to the said bars and knives and means, substantially as described
for rotating said rollers and for imparting motion to the said knives and movable
presser bar, as set forth.
4. In a decorticating machine, the combination, with a knife frame having a
reciprocating motion and knives secured on opposite bars of the said frame, of a fixed
presser bar arranged in the rear of the said frame in line with the said knives, a
movable presser bar arranged above the said fixed presser bar and adapted to clamp
the material on the said fixed presser bar while the knives operate on the material,
and means for operating said movable bar, substantially as shewn and described.
5. In a decorticating machine, the combination, with a knife frame having a
reciprocating motion and knives secured on opposite bars of the said frame, of a
fixed presser bar arranged in the rear of the said frame in line with the said knives,
a movable presser bar arranged above the said fixed presser bar and adapted to
clamp the material on the said fixed presser bar while the knives operate on the
material and means, substantially as described, for imparting a reciprocating motion

page_text: to the said knife frame and a downward motion to the said movable presser bar,
substantially as shewn and described.
6. In a decorticating machine, the combination, with a knife frame having a
reciprocating motion and knives secured on opposite bars of the said frame, of a
fixed presser bar arranged in the rear of the said frame in line with the said knives,
a movable presser bar arranged above the said fixed presser bar and adapted to
clamp the material on the said fixed presser bar while the knives operate on the
material, means, substantially as described, for imparting a reciprocating motion to
the said knife frame and a downward motion to the said movable presser bar and
springs for raising the said movable presser bar, substantially as shewn and
described.
7. In a decorticating machine, the combination, with a fixed presser bar, of a
movable presser bar having arms guided vertically, springs pressing on the said
arms to raise the movable presser bar and cams adapted to press on the said arms
to lower the said movable presser bar, substantially as shewn and described.
Dated this 24th day of November 1891.
J. G. HERNANDEZ.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.