Improved Apparatus or Method or System for Preparing China Grass or Rhea Fibre or Hemp or similar Fibres for Combing or Spinning.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of 'Application, "24th Apr., 1894
.Complete Specification Left, 24th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 24th Apr., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus or Method or System for Preparing China
Grass or Rhea Fibre or Hemp or similar Fibres for Combing
or Spinning.
DICK EDWARDS RADCLYFFE commonly known as and called DICK RADCLYFFE
56 Gloucester Crescent Regent's Park London N.W. Horticultural Decorator and
TAYLOR BURROWS of 88, Upper Kennington Lane, London, S.E. Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
By all present methods the fibres of china grass or rhea or hemp when
un-gummed either by retting or by chemical action which softens & more or less
eliminates the gummy matter, which causes the fibres to adhere together and
retains them in a length not suited to the preparing machinery for spinning, are
violently broken by teethed apparatus or cut into short lengths. These two
methods are the cause of serious waste and entanglement of the fibres. I propose
to remedy these evils by the following description of machine which prepares the
material and reduces it to the length required without disturbing the parallel
position of the fibres and delivering them clean and not broken in their ultimate
length. I treat the material wet that is if china grass on leaving the finishing bath
after ungumming-or bleaching & while still wet, I place it on a feed sheet end ways,
it is carried forward to a pair of rollers which advance it and deliver it to a second
pair of rollers which if of same diameter revolve quicker than the first or holding
pair of rollers. The top roller pressing heavily on the bottom roller this draws it
out and separates the fibres which is then laid on an endless sheet or drum and so
formed into an endless lap or it may be delivered into a can as a sliver. I may
have a third or more. pairs of drawing rollers each succeeding pair revolving quicker
than the preceeding pair and set at a suitable distance from each other to give a
length of fibre suitable to the requirements of the machinery. The laps or slivers
must be dried and after softening by rollers or otherwise are ready for the combing
process if to spin to fine numbers or may be spun at once if for twine or coarse
numbers.
A0441004
DICK EDWARDS RADCLYFFE
(DICK RADCLYFFE).
Improved Apparatus or Method or System for Preparing China
Grass or Rhea Fibre or Hemp or similar Fibres for Combing
or Spinning,
We, DICK EDWARDS RADCLYFFE, of 56, Gloucester Crescent, Regent's Park,
London, N.W. Horticultural Decorator and TAYLOR BURROWS of 88, Upper
Kennington Lane, Londou, S.E. Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of our sait
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Heretofore the fibre of china grass rhea (ramie) hemp or the like fibres when in
the decorticated state and ungummed (either by any suitable retting process

page_text: cbemical action or otherwise) are in a form or condition which render it difficult
to prepare same for combing spinning etc.. by the methods and means heretofore in
use and from this and other causes such fibres in this state (known as the "filasse ")
offer many drawbacks in thus preparing same and it is these drawbacks which this
present invention is designed (inter alia) to remedy besides affording other advan-
tages in results obtained an especial object being to avoid the waste and entanglement
of the fibres such as has usually been the case with other methods and means
heretofore employed a further object being not to break or injure the fibres and not
to disturb the parallel positions of said fibres.
According to this invention the said fibre after same has been decorticated and
ungummed (filasse) is passed in a wet state between "drawing" rollers to draw out
and prepare said fibre for combing spinning etc. etc. i.e. the fibre may be taken
direct from the bath after ungumming or bleaching and drawn out while in this wet
state as hereinafter described or if said fibre has been dried or partially dried it
may according to this invention be again wetted either before being placed on the
machine or while in or on said machine for which purpose a suitable spray or flow
of water or other means of wetting the fibre may be used or the machine itself
may be wholly immersed in water or partially so for instance the feed end only or
the bottom roller of each pair of "drawing" rollers may be immersed in water.
Water alone may be used or instead thereof any suitable liquid equivalent or
any admixture thereof that may be found suitable or desirable.
And in order that this invention may be easily understood and readily carried
into practice we will now further describe same with reference to the drawings
hereunto annexed in which is illustrated in longitudinal sectional elevation one
form of machinery or apparatus suitable for use in carrying out this said
invention
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
a is the feed sheet or feed apron of any suitable material advantageously of a
character suitable for use in or in conjunction with water for instance rubber,
rubber composition, or vulcanised rubber cloth. This feed sheet a is carried around
in the direction shown by the arrow thereon by the rollers and b' one (or both)
of which is a driven (i.e. power) roller as desired.
e is top pressure roller-the bearing in which this roller c is carried being forced
down so as to force said roller towards or against the lower roller in any suitable
manner for instance by the spring d' which draws down the arm & fulcrumed
at d².
These rollers and c may be plain or furrowed or fluted more or less or formed
in any suitable manner as desired the object being to establish a firm grip on the
fibre as same is fed between said rollers and c.
e is second feed sheet carried round by the rollers and f¹ one or both of which
latter is driven in any suitable manner.
g is the top pressure roller pressed down against the lower roller fin any suitable
manner as desired for instance in a similar manner to the roller c viz.: by a
spring and lever h.
These rollers and 9 may be plain or fluted or furrowed either to intersect or
otherwise as desired and either of the same or different form to the first-named
pair of rollers and c and revolving at a much quicker rate of speed than the
latter for instance the peripheral speed of the rollers and
may be about three
or four times the peripheral speed of the rollers b and c or other suitable proportion
according to the nature of the fibre to be treated.
i is a further feed sheet which passes round the roller in the direction shown by
the arrow thereon and carries the fibre from the rollers and y to the last pair of
rollers kand and then after passing over roller k and under roller / passes on
under the large lapping drum m and over rollers and back to the roller j.
The roller is kept pressed towards or against the roller k in any suitable manner
as desired for instance by the spring n' and lever n and this pair of rollers k 1 (which

page_text: may be plain or fluted or furrowed or otherwise suitably formed either so as to
intersect or otherwise) have a peripheral speed imparted to them by any suitable
train of wheels or equivalent about three or four times greater than the peripheral
speed of the preceding pair of rollers fg.
Or if desired only two pairs of rollers may be used instead of three pairs as
shown in the drawings or on the other hand more than three pairs may be used as
desired.
Or instead of the feeding sheets a e or i passing as shown between the respective
pair of rollers be and fg and kl these (feed aprons) may be arranged in any other
suitable manner so as to carry the fibre forward first up to the rollers b c then from
the latter to the rollers fg, then from the latter to the rollers and finally from
the latter to the lapping drum m or any other equivalent drawing off device.or
sliver can or as the case may be.
For instance instead of the apron e passing around the roller as shown it may
pass round another roller independent off so that this apron e will not pass between
and g but simply carry forward the fibre from the pair of rollers b and c to the
next pair of more quickly revolving rollers fg.
Or instead of this last-described arrangement the periphery of a large drun or
of several drums or rollers may be used to support the fibre and carry same along
between the rollers be and the rollers fg and similarly between the rollers fg and
the rollers kl and so on.
The operation is as follows:
The fibre (filasse) is placed in the wet state on the apron a lengthways in
the direction of the arrow on said feed sheet a or may be placed in the dry state
on this feed sheet a which latter may be immersed in liquid of any suitable
character or instead thereof a flow of water may be arranged over this sheet
or the rollers b c or both or this flow of water as well as the immersion may be
used together if desired--the object being to ensure a thorough wetting and
wetness of the fibre as it passes between the rollers band and subsequently.
A flow of water inay be arranged also over or near the pair of rollers ƒ and g
and similarly with regard to rollers & and 7.
33.
In this thoroughly wet state the fibre is carried along by the means hereinbefore
described and presented to the 2nd pair of rollers f g and by reason of their revolving
more quickly than the first pair of rollers c which still hold the fibre back thereby
the fibre is drawn out and by reason of its wet state this separation and "drawing
of the fibres is very evenly readily and thoroughly effected and similarly this
"drawing" operation is repeated through the next pair of rollers k and / or any
further number of similar "drawing" rollers as desired.
From the last pair of drawing rollers the fibre which is now thoroughly drawn
out and reduced to any required degree comes out in the form of an even sliver
and can be led by means of a belt such as i on to a drum or cylinder such as in
upon which it is wound or "lapped" and thence it can be removed as desired; or
instead thereof may be run as a sliver into a sliver can or other suitable receptacle
or may be collected and disposed of as same comes from the machine or from the
last pair of "drawing" rolls in any suitable or desired manner.
The winding drum m may be made to act as a drying cylinder (where the.
machine is not immersed in water as herein before described) to dry the lap thereon
if desired for instance heated by steam or in any other suitable manner or the wet
sliver as same comes from the machine may be dried or treated in any other suitable
manner as desired.
Instead of the aforesaid "drawing" being effected in a horizontal direction as
described and illustrated in the drawings annexed same may be effected in any
other suitable direction for instance vertically in which case suitable means should
be provided when required to prevent the fibre from falling in a heap from one
pair of rollers to the next pair for instance endless aprons extending from one pair
of rollers to the next and pressing against each side of the fibre will support same.
and gradually feed it forward so that it is evenly "drawn as before.
د"

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained- the nature of this said inven-
tion- and in what, manner the same is to.. be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. Preparing fibres such as china grass rhea ramie hemp or the like for combing
spinning etc. by passing the said fibre after decortication and ungumming or in
the condition known as "filasse "while in a wet state through any suitable
"drawing" mechanism.
2. The improved method of preparing decorticated and de-gummed fibre or
"filasse" of china grass rhea ramie or the like for combing spinning etc. by passing
same in a wet state through suitable "drawing" rollers.
3. The improved method of preparing decorticated and de-gummed.fibre or
"filasse" of china grass rhea or the like by passing same in a wet state through
suitable "drawing" rollers substantially in the manner and for the purposes
bereinbefore described.
4. "The improved method of preparing decorticated and de-gummed fibre or
"filasse" of the character described substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein before described.
°
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.