Year: 1886

page_text: I JOHN HENRY VAVASSEUR of Cowley near Uxbridge in the County of Middlesex
Cocoa Nut Fibre Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :—
This invention has for its object improvements in machinery for the treatment
of cocoa nut fibre.
In dressing cocoa nut fibre I employ as heretofore rotating drums armed with
teeth and to these the cocoa nut husk is presented; it is first dressed on a drum with
comparatively coarse and strong teeth and afterwards is presented progressively to
drums with finer and finer teeth.
It is to the holding devices which present' the husk to the drums that my inven-
tion especially applies:-These consist of arms mounted upon an axis and provided
with nipping jaws.
The nipping jaws are operated by a cam concentric with the axis, and this causes
them to open at one part of the revolution for the attendant to insert the husk
between them and then to close and hold it firmly. As the axis revolves it carries
the busk so held up to the teeth of the dressing drum and afterwards round again
to the starting point, where the jaw opens, delivers the husk to the attendant and
receives another.
Each nipper is provided with a brush which supports the fibre whilst under the
action of the dressing teeth in such manner as to allow the teeth to penetrate the
fibre throughout the entire thickness of the husk.
4
The number of nippers provided upon the axis to operate with each drum may
vary, four however is a convenient number.
The dressing drums are driven at a high velocity but the movement of the
nippers in front of the drum is comparatively slow.
Dated this 16th day of February 1886.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Machinery for the Treatment of Cocoa
Nut Fibre.
I JOHN HENRY VAVASSEUR of Cowley near Uxbridge in the County of Middlesex
Cocoa Nut Fibre Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for the treatment
of cocoa nut fibre.
In dressing cocoa nut fibre I employ as heretofore rotating drums armed with
teeth and to these the cocoa nut husk is presented; it is first dressed on a drum
with comparatively coarse and strong teeth and afterwards is presented progres-
sively to drums with finer and finer teeth.
It is to the holding devices which present the husk to the drums that my inven-
tion especially applies:-These consist of arms mounted upon an axis and provided
with nipping jaws.
The nipping jaws are operated by a cam concentric with the axis, and this causes
them to open at one part of the revolution for the attendant to insert the husk
between them and then to close and hold it firmly. As the axis revolves it carries
the husk so held up to the teeth of the dressing drum and afterwards round again
to the starting point, where the jaw opens, delivers the husk to the attendant and
receives another.
Each nipper is provided with a brush or other support for the fibre whilst under
the action of the dressing teeth in such manner as to allow the teeth to penetrate
the fibre throughout the entire thickness of the husk.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and
Figure 2 is a plan of apparatus constructed in accordance with my inve
A. A. is a frame carrying an axis B; this axis has upon it belt pulleys by
which it is driven at a convenient speed. I have found eight revolutions per
minute to be suitable. On the axis B a disc D is firmly fixed. Another disc D¹
is carried and able to turn upon a tubular support fixed on the frame A. The
axis B passes through the tubular support, these discs carry a series of nipping
jaws E. E. E which are fixed to the discs. Pivotted to the fixed jaws there are
levers F, F, and these carry movable jaws G, G. To'one end of each lever F the
moveable jaw is jointed and the other end carries a roller which, as the discs D
revolve, runs over the surface of the stationary cam H: This cam is fixed upon
the tubular axial support.
The discs with the nipping jaws turn in the direction indicated by the arrow
marked upon the drawing. As each pair of nipping jaws comes round to the
position marked I the jaws open and the attendant or attendants place between
T

page_text: the open jaws the cocoa nut husk which is to be dressed. At the position
marked K the busks meet the teeth of the ordinary dressing drum. The dressing
drum revolves at high velocity, say about 450 revolutions per minute; and its
diameter is about the same as that of the holding apparatus say three feet.
On each of the fixed jaws a support L is provided. The support may consist of
a brush but as brushes wear rapidly I more usually employ supports of thin sheet
iron. The nipping jaws pass in close proximity to the extremities of the teeth,
and the supports serve to prevent any portion of the husk escaping from the
dressing action of the teeth. The outer shell of the husk to a thickness of about
a quarter of an inch it is desirable to leave unbroken, and therefore about this
amount of clearance is left between the ends of the teeth and the surfaces of the
supports.
The number of nippers employed may be varied, the drawing, as will be seen,
represents eight but for smaller machines four nippers or two nippers may conve
niently be employed.
.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The use in machinery for treating or dressing cocoa-nut fibre of nippers
automatically opened at a distance from the dressing teeth to receive the husk
then automatically closed and afterwards carrying the husk to the dressing teeth
and bringing it from the teeth to the point of delivery as herein described.
2. The use in machinery for treating or dressing cocoa-nut fibre of automatic
nipping jaws mounted upon an axis which carries them round to and from the
dressing teeth, such jaws opening to receive the husk when at a distance from
the dressing teeth then closing and conveying the husk to and from the dressing
teeth substantially as described.
"
3. My improvements in machinery for the treatment of cocoa-nut fibre substan-
tially as described and illustrated by the annexed drawings.