Improvements in Machinery for Extracting the Fibre from Leaves, Stems, or Plants.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan., 1895
"ontplete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 15th Jan., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Extracting the Fibre from Leaves,
Stems, or Plants.
We, TAYLOR BURROWS of 88, Upper Kennington Lane, London, S.E.
Engineer, and HORACE ST. JOHN KELLY DONISTHORPE of 73, West Cromwell
Road, London, W. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to machinery or apparatus for treating fibrous leaves stems
or plants and is more especially designed for cleaning the pulpy and non-fibrous
matter from leaves such as the banana, agave, pine-apple etc. so as to extract the
fibre therefrom in a rapid and effective manner by simple and comparatively
economical means and without injury to or waste of the fibre thus extracted.
One of the essential features of this invention is improved means for safely
holding and feeding the leaves to the ordinary or any suitable scraping cylinder or
other scutching or cleaning device-an especial object being to obviate the present
practice of feeding the leaves which is often dangerous to the attendant-many
hundreds having been injured in Mexico and other countries where the industry of
extracting the fibres from plants and leaves exists to a considerable extent.
For this purpose the machinery or apparatus according to this invention is
constructed and arranged to act as follows:-
The feeding apron consists of an endless metallic sheet (or other suitable non-
stretching water-resisting material) of sufficient length to permit a leaf or leaves etc.
to be laid upon it so that one end thereof may be placed in a clip or holder (herein-
after described) carried on said feed apron and as the sheet or endless band travels
round the other or free end of the leaf etc. is brought against the quickly revolving
blades etc. of the scraping cylinder or the like the leaf is then gradually fed
forward and the pulpy vegetable matter removed and the non-fibrous part is
detached and scraped away.
This endless sheet or feed apron is made to work over two or more pulleys or
cylinders (placed as near as possible to the scraping cylinder or the like) and one
or more of these rollers have pins or projections at suitable distances apart round
the circumference.
The endless sheet has hules at corresponding distances to the said pins or
projections on the roller or rollers which latter engage in these holes so that the
sheet or feed apron is thereby positively driven and no slip can possibly occur.
The other pulley serves as a tension roller to keep the said feed sheet taut or
may also act to drive the said sheet.
On the said feed apron we arrange and mount a clip or device somewhat after
the manner of the well-known spring letter clip.
This clip or device has a flap or a plate pivotted or hinged therein or thereto
with a spring or springs or other suitable means to normally keep said flap or
plate closed tightly against another part of said device or against the feed apron
itself.
A suitable fixing or appliance in the machine causes the side flap or plate to open
as it comes round the outer roller at the outer end of the machine and gradually
to close as it begins to approach the scraping cylinder so that as it comes round

page_text: .
this outer end roller the attendant places in it the end of the leaf or leaves etc.
and the nipping plate or clip closes on it and advances the leaf towards the
scraping cylinder-the end of the leaf being held firmly by the clip is carried
with the feed apron round the inner end roller and as the sheet continues on its
way the scraped leaf being still held in the clip is withdrawn from the scraping
blades etc. and so the fibre is very thoroughly cleaned from all vegetable matter etc.
The attendant on this part of the work takes hold of the fibre as the clip or
device opens at the outer end and it is taken away to wash or as is done at present
the few inches of the tip end of the leaf may first be stripped off by a small
scraper on the end of the main cylinder or by other suitable means or instead
thereof may be cut away or beaten off.
Around or partly around the scraping cylinder etc. we may have a metallic
cushion set as near as possible to the scraping cylinder or the beating blades
thereon and the leaf is made to pass between the cushion and the beaters and so
is held up to the action of the scrapers in their rotations.
A drip of water may be arranged over the said scraping cylinder etc. at the
point where the scraping takes place if desired to assist in obtaining a good clean
fibre.
Two or more clips may be arranged on one feed apron if desired or two or
more feed aprons may be used with one or more such clips on each said apron.
The scraping cylinder or beating arms or device or devices used for operating
on the said fibrous material to clean same of the pulpy matter etc. and extract
the fibre therefrom may be of any well-known or suitable character to suit the
requirements of the different fibrous materials adapted to be treated according to
the present invention.
Tin 15th dow of Tan1905
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
uthampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Machinery for Extracting the Fibre from Leaves,
Stems, or Plants.
We, TAYLOR BURROWS of 88, Upper Kennington Lane, London, England,
Engineer, and HORACE ST. JOHN KELLY DONISTHORPE of 73, West Cromwell
Road, London, England, Gentleman, 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 relates to machinery or apparatus for removing the fleshy or
pulpy or nou-fibrous material from leaves stems or plants (such as the banana,
agave, pine-apple, etc.) so as to extract the fibre therefrom in a rapid and effective
manner by simple and comparatively economical means and with a minimum of
waste of the fibre and which fibre moreover is very thoroughly scraped and cleaned
and delivered in a parallel form from our said machine.
The essential feature of this invention is our improved means for automatically
mechanically and securely gripping and holding the leaves while feeding them to
the ordinary or any suitable scraping cylinder or other scutching or cleaning
devices an especial object being to obviate the present practice of feeding the
leaves which is often dangerous to the attendant-many hundreds of persons having
been injured in Mexico and other countries where the industry of extracting the
fibres from plants and leaves exists to a considerable extent.
For this purpose we have invented a machine with a mechanical grip or gripping

page_text: while same is being scraped and thereafter automatically open and drop the
extracted fibre and then again automatically close upon and grip the next leaf etc.
to be treated and so on.
And in order that our present invention may be fully understood and readily.
carried into practice we will now proceed to fully-describe same with reference
to the drawings hereunto annexed:-
Fig. 1 is a plan of our machine.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on line 1-1 Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan on an enlarged scale of our special gripping device removed from
the machine.
Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on line 3-3 Fig. 3-looking in the direction of
the arrow z.
Fig. 5 is an edge view of part of the gripping device i.e. looking in the direction
of the arrow y Figs. 3 and 4.
Fig. 6 is also cross sectional view on line 3-3 Fig. 3 showing the fibrous
material gripped and held in said device.
Fig. 7 is front view and Fig. 8 is end view (on an enlarged scale) of the
board or metallic cushion against which the fibre is scraped as hereinafter
explained.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout.
A is the standard or main frame of the machine."
B is the main driving shaft having fast and loose pulleys CC¹ thereon driven by
a belt from any suitable source of power or this main driving axle B may be
driven in any other suitable manner advantageously at a very high rate of speed.
DD are the blades or beaters fixed to the end discs or radial arms D' carried on
said main axle B (like the floats of a paddle wheel for steam-ships as is well
understood) or this beating or scraping wheel or drum may be arranged and
constructed in any other convenient manner suitable for the purpose of scraping
leaves or the like fleshy or pulpy stems or plants.
E is any suitable cover or guard surrounding said scraping device D and
having an opening therein at E where the leaf etc. is fed in to be scraped and also
an opening at E³ or at other convenient point or points to permit the escape of the
pulpy or other matter scraped off from said leaves etc.
Fis the board or support (shown-on an enlarged scale-removed from the
machine in Figs. 7 and 8) having curved upper edge F₁ as shown over which the
leaf is guided and is scraped between the scrapers D and the vertical inside
face of said board or support F which may be of steel plate or other suitable
material and which may or may not be mounted with very strong springs (not
shown) so as to hold the leaves etc. up to the quickly revolving beaters D so as
to "give" a little in the event of extra thick leaves or extra tough material being
fed into the machine.
On the main driving shaft B the worm G is mounted which gears with the worm
wheel G¹ fixed on the shaft H (journalled in a bearing H carried on the main
frame A-for instance pivoted at H* see Fig. 2) whereby said shaft H is revolved
at a greatly reduced speed. This shaft H has worm H2 thereon which gears with
and revolves the worm wheel I fixed to the shaft J which latter carries the
sprocket wheels K (or equivalent studded roller or rollers or drum) whereby the
latter are slowly revolved and thus carry round the endless feeding apron which
may be of any suitable character or construction for instance and advantageously
a metallic linked chain formed by a series of crossbars L each one connected to
the next at each end by short metal links L' whereby a flexible endless chain apron
or device is produced of a very suitable character for our purposes.
In this endless chain or device is mounted and carried the aforesaid gripping
device for firmly and securely holding each leaf etc. while same is presented to and
operated upon by the scraping drum or scrapers D as follows:-
To the links I in said endless chain or feeding apron two special cross pins L³

page_text: and are pivoted and these said cross pins and carry thereon the gripping
device as follows:-
On the cross pin L² is rigidly formed or mounted a block or bearing surface M
against the inside face M' of which the gripping arm N acts said block M having
arms or extension pieces M2 M² thereon through which the cross pin L³ is passed see
Fig. 3. Thus this cross pin L3 is held rigidly in said extensions M² at a certain
distance from the fixed block M.
On this axis L³ is journalled at N1 N2 the clip or flap N a spiral spring O being
fixed at one end O' to the said axis L' and at the other end said spring O is fixed
to the extension or part N2 of said clip N and thus (inasmuch as said pin L³ is fixed
in the extensions M and cannot rotate) therefore when the clip N is rotated
inwards on its axis L'i.e. when it is moved from the position shown in full lines to
the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 thereby said spring is wound up and
has a strong tendency to force the flap N back again against the surface M' of the
support M.
A lever or arm N³ having thereon a laterally projecting circular or other stud or
projection N is cast formed or rigidly mounted at each extremity respectively of
the flap N and at about right angles thereto as shown in Fig. 4 that is these lever
arms N project inwardly and the lateral extensions N thereon are adapted to ride
against fixed stops or ledges P fixed to the inside of the casing or support in or on
which the endless travelling apron L L' operates-such stops or ledges P being in
the path of travel of the extremities N of said lever N thereby the latter are
forced (as they travel along) from the position shown in full lines to the position
shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 and thereby open the clip N to the position shown
in dotted lines in said Fig. 4 and notwithstanding the pressure of the aforesaid
spring said clip N is held open from the time when said clip arrives at the
point P¹ Fig. 1 until said clip is passed round the end roller Q and arrives at the
point whereupon said levers N³ on passing clear of said ledges P thereby release
the clip N which instantly clips firmly against the fixed block M and thus firmly
grips the leaf etc. placed in said clip before it thus closes.
Any number of such clips may be arranged in the endless travelling feed apron
as desired according to the length thereof and also according to the length of the
leaves etc. to be treated for instance in the case illustrated we have shown three
such clips in the travelling endless chain but as before stated a greater or less
number than three of these clips may be used in one endless chain as desired.
R is a bracket or crossbar arranged diagonally beneath said feeding device so
that when the scraped fibre is released from the clip when the latter opens at the
point P¹ (see Fig. 1) as before explained same will lie across said bar R and thus
be deposited in a parallel and convenient form for removal an upwardly curved bar
or bars R¹ (see Fig. 2) being arranged alongside said bar R to facilitate the
collecting of said scraped fibre in a parallel form or bunch ready for removal.
SS are a number of blades of flexible sheet metal such as sheet brass carried on
and revolved by the shaft S₁ (which latter is driven by a toothed wheel S³ gearing
with a larger toothed wheel J' fixed on the aforesaid shaft J) these flexible
blades S being thereby revolved and serving to stroke and hold down the leaf etc.
as same is being fed in to the beaters or scrapers D.
T is the starting lever to throw in and out any suitable clutch or starting and
stopping device for instance the lever T at its lower end is connected to the
bearing H see Fig. 2 in which bearings H the other end of the shaft H is
mounted and can revolve so that when the lever T is rocked in one direction it will
lower said bearing H* and the end of shaft H therein (said pivot H* permitting
this) whereby the worm H2 is moved out of gear with the worin wheel I.
The operation is as follows:-
As the gripping device passes under P' the gripping arm N is opened as before
explained and comes round the roller Q while still open and the end of the leaf
stem or plant to be scraped is inserted in said open clip and then when the latter
has passed the point P2 and the clip N is released the latter thereby firmly grips

page_text: such leaf etc. between it and the fixed block M while the leaf stem or plant is laid
(on the cross bars L) with the free end thereof nearest to the beaters D i.e.
pointing in the direction of the arrow a Figs. 1 and 2-the support of said leaf etc.
as well as the clip holding the end thereof all travelling equally together in the
direction of the arrow a thus the leaf is advanced and the free end thereof passes
under the aforesaid flexible blades S and thus passes in between the cushion or
support F and the quickly revolving beaters or blades D. The tendency of the
latter is now to pull said leaf etc. off the feeding apron but the greater the strain or
pull on said leaf the more tightly it is gripped and held in the aforesaid gripping
device and this will be the more readily understood on reference to the drawings
(especially Fig. 6) by which it will be seen that the greater the pull or strain that
is put on the fibre or leaf in the direction of the arrow a thereby the more tightly
the arm or clip N wedges and holds said leaf between it and the fixed block M.
The gripping device therefore continues to steadily advance the leaf etc. to the
action of the scrapers D until said gripping device passes around the sprocket
wheels or rollers etc. K whereupon the said gripping device will now pull back the
scraped fibre over the edge F1 of the support F and thus finally drag said fibre
clear of the beaters and upon the arrival of said clip at the point P (Fig. 1) it will
thereupon be opened as shown in Fig. 1 and thus release its hold on such fibre
which will be deposited on the cross-bar R as before described (or the scraped fibre
may be deposited removed or collected when released from the said gripping
device in any other suitable manner as desired) while said gripping device now
passes on empty round the end Q and on coming to the top has a fresh leaf etc.
fed into same as before and so on.
Where more than one said gripping appliance is used similar operation takes
place with each one in succession so that immediately one leaf etc. is scraped and with-
drawn clear of the beaters another one is presented thereto by the next gripping
device and so on.
It will thus be seen that this machine may be worked without risk of injury to
the operators in any way, at the same time a very rapid and secure feed is obtained
so that the maximum quantity of leaves stems or plants can be treated in this
machine.
We would remark that other forms or arrangements or modifications of
automatic gripping device may be used for the purposes described on an endless
feed apron chain or belt without departing from the nature of our present invention
-as it will be obvious that if any other automatic gripping devices be thus used it
would be mechanically equivalent to that described.
If desired a drip of water (or any suitable supply of water-as desired) may be
provided in any convenient manner over the beaters or scrapers D at or about the
point where the scraping takes place (or at any other point or points in the machine)
to assist in obtaining a good clean fibre.
The scraping cylinder or beating arms or device or devices used for operating on
the said fibrous material to clean same of the pulpy matter etc. and extract the fibre
therefrom may be of any well known or suitable character to suit the requirements
of the different fibrous materials adapted to be treated according to the present
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be perforined we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a machine for extracting the fibre from leaves stems or plants-the com-
bination with an endless travelling feeding apron band or chain of a self-acting
gripping device or devices arranged and mounted therein or thereon and adapted
to automatically open and grip and hold one end of the leaf etc. and present same
to suitable scrapers and thereafter withdraw the scraped fibre clear of the scrapers
and then automatically open and drop said fibre.
2. A machine for extracting the fibre from leaves stems or plants of the

page_text: character described—baving an endless travelling feeding apron chain or band to
feed said leaves etc. to the scrapers and means provided on said travelling feeding
apron chain or band to automatically grip and hold one end of each said leaf etc.
and gradually feed in same while it is being scraped and then withdraw it clear of
said scrapers and thereafter open and drop same substantially in the manner and
for the purposes hereinbefore described.
3. An automatically acting mechanical gripping device for the purposes
described consisting of a fixed block or support mounted in or on an endless
travelling feeding chain apron or band and adapted to travel round therewith a pin
or axis rigidly fixed and carried in extensions of or on said block a presser bar or
flap pivoted ou said pin or axis combined with a spring which normally forces said
flap against said block lever arms rigidly extending from the extremities of said flap
and at about right angles thereto and means interposed in part of the path of
travel of said lever arms whereby the latter are caused to turn on their pivot or
axis and thereby open said spring controlled flap and thereafter released and the
latter is automatically closed substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore described.
4. An automatically acting mechanical gripping device for the purposes
described consisting of a fixed block or support such as M mounted in or on an
endless travelling feeding chain or device such as L L' and adapted to travel
round therewith rigid arms such as M² extending from said block Ma pin or axis
such as L rigidly fixed in said extensions M² a presser bar flap or clip such as N
journalled or pivoted at N' to said pin or axis L³ a spring such as O fixed at one
end O¹ to said pin L' and at the other end to said flap or clip N to normally force
the latter against said block N lever arms such as N³ rigidly extending at about
right angles from the extremities of said flap N combined arranged and acting in
conjunction with means such as P interposed in part of the path of travel of said
lever arms N3 substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
5. A machine for removing the fleshy or pulpy or non-fibrous material from
leaves stems or plants to extract the fibre therefrom arranged constructed com-
bined and acting substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
¡described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 15th dox of Novembar 1805
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.