CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SEPARATING THE FIBRE FROM THE FLESH OF PLANTS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SEPARATING THE
FIBRE FROM THE FLESH OF PLANTS."-A communication from abroad by
Eduardo Juanes y Patrullo, of New York City, United States of
America.
Sealed the 16th October 1863, and dated the 26th May 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th May 1863.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SEPARATING THE
FIBRE FROM THE FLESH OF PLANTS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the operation of separating the
fibre from the flesh of plants, and to prepare said fibres to be used similar to
hemp, and the machines which form the subject matter of this description are
particularly intended for treating the leaves of "Agave Americana," or other
similar tropical plants.
The Invention consists essentially in the employment or use of a series of
beaters or combs arranged at intervals on the circumference of a rotary drum
[Price 8d.1

page_text: in combination with feed rollers, whereby the leaves or other parts of plants
are exposed to the successive action of the combs or beaters, so that by this
action the flesh will be separated from the fibres.
The Invention consists also in the arrangement of an endless slatted apron,
which runs on the drum that carries the combs and on a secondary drum, and
which has the slats arranged in such relation to the combs that they act as
scrapers, and remove from the combs those parts which are liable to adhere to
their edges and impede their effective action.
The Invention consists, finally, in making the apron which surrounds the
drum with the combs adjustable by a hand lever or treadle, so that the leaves
or other parts of plants can be pressed up against the edges or points of the
combs or beaters, and the separation of the flesh from the fibre effected with
ease and facility.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 26th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,an Invention
for CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SEPARATING THE FIBRE FROM THE
FLESH OF PLANTS," being a communication from abroad, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the operation of separating the
fibre from the flesh of plants, and to prepare such fibres to be used inasimilar
way to hemp. The machines which form the subject matter of this description
are particularly intended for treating the leaves of Agave Americana, or other
similar tropical plants.
The Invention consists essentially in the employment or use of a series of
beaters or combs arranged at certain intervals on the circumference of a rotary
drum in combination with suitable feed rollers, whereby the leaves or other
parts of plants are exposed to the successive action of the combs or beaters, so
that by this action the flesh will be separated from the fibres.
The Invention consists also in the arrangement of an endless slatted apron,
which runs on the drum that carries the combs and on a secondary drum, and
which has the slats arranged in such relation to the combs that they will
act as scrapers, and thereby remove from the combs those parts which are
liable to adhere to their edges and impede their effective action.
The Invention consists, finally, in making the apron which surrounds the
drum with the combs adjustable by a hand lever or treadle, so that the leaves
or other parts of plants can be pressed up against the edges or points of the
combs or beaters, and the separation of the flesh from the fibre may be effected
with ease and facility.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal vertical
section of the machine in its simplest form; Fig. 2 is a section of one of the
combs; Fig. 3 is a partial side view of the same, these two last Figures being
represented on a larger scale than Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the whole
machine complete and in working order; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical
section of the machine with the slatted apron; Fig.6 is a horizontal section of
the same; Fig. 7 is a detached sectional view of the drum, with combs and
hinged adjustable apron.
A represents a drum mounted on the shaft a, and provided with a pulley
or other means for the application of power, by which it is rotated rapidly.
This drum is made about thirty inches in diameter, and it has a series
of combs B¹, B2, B3, fixed on its periphery; in Fig. 1, eight combs are

page_text: represented. C is a closely fitting casing mounted on the framing of the
machine. The motion of the drum A is in 'the direction of the arrow marked
upon it in Fig. 1. The machine has been found to operate successfully if the
drum A and its attachments perform about three hundred and sixty revolutions
per minute.
E and F are deeply fluted feeding rollers. The feeding is
effected by a slow rotation of the lower roll E, the upper roll F having its
bearings in levers, which are connected with a treadle G¹,so that the roll F can
be lowered to or raised from the roll E. When the upper roll rests upon the
lower one the two will control the motion of the material introduced between
them. When it is desired to reverse the material, or to stop the feed motion,
the upper roll F is lifted out of contact with the lower roll E. The leaves of
Agave or other plants may be introduced and withdrawn by hand, treating
first one end and then the other, the flesh being removed from the fibre by the
combs and immediately thrown off from the latter by gravity and centrifugal
force. The leaves or other parts of plants may be in their natural state, or may
be crushed, boiled, or otherwise prepared beforehand. In treating the leaves
of Agave Americana.it is preferable to pass them through plain cylindrical rolls
before introducing them into the machine.
The operation of this machine will be readily understood by the following
description of its operation in treating a leaf of the Agave Americana. The
leaf M is inserted endwise between the rolls E, F, and is seized thereby and
urged slowly forward. The combs B strike it and bend it upwards, drawing
it between the combs and the interior of the cap or case C, with which the
combs are in close contact. As the operation proceeds the material extends
further around and allows two or more of the combs B to be acting at once
upon the same leaf. The draught or pull induced by the action of the fore-
most comb B¹ conspires with the gravity of the leaf to draw the latter down
upon and into the succeeding comb, and the draught of both these draws the
material still more forcibly into the next surrounding comb. The teeth
B, B1, B2, of the combs are short and strong, and the bottom of each space
between two adjoining teeth is filed or otherwise finished so as to present a
sharp angle b¹, as represented in Fig. 3. The width of the combs below the
roots of the teeth, or, in other words, the distance of the angles from the
periphery of the drum A, is so great, that although the distance of the combs
each from its predecessor is one-eighth of the entire circumference, the fibre
does not touch the surface m of the drum between the combs, but may be
.drawn across in straight lines from the roots of the teeth of one comb to the
roots of the teeth of the succeeding comb, making an angle of forty-five degrees
from a straight line at each comb, and the fibre is thus scraped with great

page_text: '
force by the sharp surface thus presented.
It will be observed that the
material, so long as it remains held by the feed rolls E, F, does not partake of
the centrifugal force due to the rapid rotation of the drum A, and that the
close proximity or actual contact of the case C with the points of the combs B
prevents the material from rising out of contact with the combs under any
condition, or for any period, however brief. The result is, first, a thorough
cleaning of the fibres from the extreme ends to a point near to the feed rolls
E, F, by reason of the combing they receive from the widely separated combs,
conditioned and operated as previously stated; second, a constantly clean
condition of the interior of the case C by reason of the action of the combs
thereon; third, a constantly clean condition of the combs by reason of the
throwing off of the fleshy parts by the aid of the centrifugal force due to the
high velocity with which the drum rotates. Such a velocity is allowable with
this machine on account of the small number and simple relation of the parts.
If desired, however, the cleaning of the teeth may be effected by the direct
action of scrapers, which may be attached to an endless apron, such as repre-
sented in Figures 5 and 6. The drum A, with the combs B, cap or case C.
and the feed rollers E, F, are the same as those described in the previous
Figures. The drum A, however, is made somewhat wider than the combs, so
as to leave room for two belts G, which are stretched from the drum over the
secondary drum H, which is secured to a shaft h, that has its bearings in the
lower part of the framing of the machine. The two belts Gare connected by
metallic slats g, arranged in pairs in such a position that when the drum A
rotates each pair of slats catches over the sides of one of the combs, and the
slats act as scrapers, ,which remove from the combs such portions of the leaves
as are liable to adhere to their edges and impede their action. The drum A
is intended to rotate in the direction of the arrow marked upon it in Fig. 5
and the leaves are fed to it one after the other by the action of the feed rollers
E, F. The impurities scraped off by the slats or scrapers g are thrown off
through an aperture close before the trough J, which is intended to catch the
said impurities. This trough may be made moveable, so that it can be easily.
cleaned, and the scrapings of some plants may be used for the manufacture of
paper pulp. For some plants it may be desirable to use an adjustable apron K,
such as is represented in Fig. 7. This apron may either be underneath the
drum, or the case or cap C may be made adjustable, so that it can be moved
closer to or further from the points of the combs.
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in Machines for
Separating the Fibre from the Flesh of Plants," and having explained the

page_text: manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to
me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,―
First, the employment or use of a series of combs formed with teeth and
scraping surfaces, and arranged on the periphery of a drum within a closely
fitted stationary case in combination with feed rollers E, F, adapted to allow
the presentation and removal of the leaves or other parts of plants in the
manner and for the purpose substantially as herein shown and described.
Second, the arrangement of the endless slatted apron G, g, in combination
with the combs on the periphery of the drum for the purpose specified.
Third, the adjustable apron K, or its equivalent, arranged in relation to the
drum A and combs B as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
...J. W. Morfatt,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)