IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR DECORTICATING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA- GRASS OR OTHER FIBROUS PLANTS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the firm of Haseltine Lake and
C, Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR DECORTICATING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA-
GRASS OR OTHER FIBROUS PLANTS": communicated to him from abroad by
Taylor Burrows, of Paris, France,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th April 1883.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, " IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR DECORTI-
CATING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA-GRASS OR OTHER FIBROUS PLANTS [A communication
to him from abroad by Taylor Burrows, of Paris, France.]
"
This invention relates to machines for decorticating textile plants, such as flax,
hemp or China-grass.
Heretofore the decortication of the stalks of fibrous plants has been effected by
the action of a series of grooved rollers operating by the pressure of the upper
rollers upon the lower rollers, or else by a kind of combing or scraping analogous
to the combing of flax, The first process has the defect of cutting the fibres and of
wearing the same considerably, without, however, removing the ligneous portions,
thus necessitating the employment afterwards of beaters, which cause many of the
fibres to fall with the ligneous portions. The second process by combing requires
much time and careful manipulation, at the same time causing much wear and tear
of the filaments without giving satisfactory results.
In order to remedy these defects I combine the operation of rolling between
grooved cylinders with the beating, at the same time diminishing the number of
the grooved cylinders. For this purpose I give to the upper cylinders an alternative
movement, that is to say, a movement towards and from the lower cylinders. The
upper cylinders can be thus moved at either one or both extremities. A still better
result can be obtained by employing cylinders. which are raised.at one extremity
concurrently with other cylinders which are raised at both extremities.

page_text: The effect of this double action is that, whilst the rolling between the cylinders
breaks or bruises the wood and the epidermis of the textile plant, the rubbing
which takes place between the sides of the teeth causes the bruised or broken
epidermis to slip or slide and become detached from the fibre without breaking or
impairing the latter. This is the essential characteristic of the improved
decorticating machine.
The particular features of the said machine are hereinafter described.
The stalks of the textile plants are introduced into the machine and pass between
one or more pairs of feeding rollers which may or may not be grooved. The said
stalks may be treated in their green state or after having been dried, and before or
after steeping. The feed rollers partly crush the stalks, which afterwards pass
between the working rollers, of which there may be any suitable number. These
rollers or cylinders have grooves of considerable width, but the grooves of the
upper rollers do not touch those of the lower rollers. The working rollers are
caused to rotate by means of a pinion fixed at one extremity of each of the said
rollers. By reason of this continuous rotation of the superposed working rollers,
the relative position of the grooves in them remains always the same whatever
may be the movement imparted to the upper rollers, that is to say, each groove
comes between two other grooves without touching them.
At the opposite
extremity, of each of the upper rollers, to that carrying the pinion is a ring or
other suitable attachment which connects the roller with an excentric or other
appropriate device.
The other extremity of each of the upper rollers is enclosed in a kind of universal
joint permitting the rotation and movement of the said rollers in any desired
direction. At each revolution of the excentrics the upper working rollers are
raised and lowered by turning upon the said joints; by repeating these movements
with sufficient rapidity a very perfect crushing or breaking of the fibrous plants is
obtained without in any way injuring the same.
The excentrics may all be placed on one side of the machine, or if desired they
may be placed alternately on the right and left hand thereof. At the rear of the
grooved cylinders which are raised at one extremity and in front of the cleaning
rollers I sometimes place other working rollers which are moved simultaneously at
both extremities. These cylinders complete the crushing or bruising action.
The different pairs of grooved working cylinders may be so regulated or adjusted
that they will be raised and lowered either one after another or simultaneously.
The intersection of the first pair draws the material which is in the following pair
and the free material, in the grooves which do not touch each other, is rubbed in
its slipping movement, and thus the woody portions and the epidermis which is
already broken, are removed.
On coming from the working rollers, the material passes between a pair of
cleaning rollers to which a movement of rotation is imparted rather more rapid
than that of the feed rollers, thereby completing the cleaning of the material from
which, by the recoil or return stroke of each of the working rollers, the fibrous
portions are perfectly separated.
A plate is sometimes arranged between the working rollers in order to augment
the effect of the said recoil by a to and fro movement which presses the plate.
against the material between the feed rollers and the cleaning rollers.
A detaching roller is sometimes arranged at the rear of the machine, and levera
with counterweights are provided for causing the pressure upon the feed rollers.
The machine is driven by means of pulleys from a shaft on which is keyed a
conical pinion driving a vertical shaft which imparts movement to the feed rollers
by means of an endless screw. The shaft carrying the pinion has at its opposite
end a fly-wheel.
The form and dimensions of the different devices of the said machine may be
varied and any suitable number of rollers may be employed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th October
1883.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR DECORTI-
CATING FLAX, HEMP, CHINA-GRASS, OR OTHER FIBROUS PLANTS,' A communication
to me from abroad by Taylor Burrows, of Paris, France,
"
This invention relates to machines for decorticating fibrous plants, such as flax,
hemp or china-grass.
Heretofore the decortication of the stalks of fibrous plants has been effected by
the action of a series of grooved rollers operating by the pressure of the upper
rollers upon the lower rollers, or else by a kind of combing or scraping analogous
to the combing of flax. The first of these processes has the defect of cutting the
fibres and of wearing the same considerably without, however, removing the
ligneous portions, thus necessitating the subsequent employment of beaters, which
cause many of the fibres to fall with the ligneous portions. The second of the said
processes, viz, the combing requires much time and careful manipulation, at the
same time causing much wear and tear of the filaments without giving satisfactory
results.
In order to remedy these defects I combine the operation of rolling between
grooved cylinders with the beating, at the same time diminishing the number of
the grooved cylinders. For this purpose, I give to the upper cylinders an
alternative movement, that is to say, a movement towards and from the lower
cylinders.
The upper cylinders can be thus moved at either one or both extremities. A
still better result can be obtained by employing cylinders which are raised at
one extremity concurrently with other cylinders which are raised at both
extremities.
The effect of this double action is that, whilst the rolling between the cylinders
breaks the wood and the epidermis of the fibrous plant, the rubbing which takes
place between the sides of the teeth causes the broken epidermis to slip or slide
and become detached from the fibre without breaking or impairing the latter.
This is the essential characteristic of the improved decorticating machine herein
described.
The peculiar features of the said machine will be readily understood from the
following description by referring to the accompanying drawing in which,
Figure 1 is a front elevation
Figure 2 a plan, and
Figure 3 a side elevation of the said improved machine.
The stalks of the fibrous plants are introduced into the machine and pass between
one or more pairs of feeding rollers A A which may or may not be grooved. The
said stalks may be treated in their green state or after having been dried, and
before or after steeping. The feed rollers A. partly crush the stalks, which after-
wards pass between the working rollers B, B, the number of which may be varied
according to the work which is to be performed. These rollers B have grooves of
considerable width, but the grooves of the upper rollers do not touch those. of the
lower rollers. The working rollers are caused to rotate by means of pinions H
fixed at one extremity of each of the said rollers. By reason of the continuous

page_text: rotation of the superposed working rollers, the relative position of their grooves
remains always the same whatever may be the movement imparted to the upper
rollers, that is to say, each groove comes between two other grooves without
touching them. At the extremity of each of the upper rollers opposite to that
carrying the pinions H is a ring or other suitable device for connecting the roller
with an excentric or similar device E.
The other extremity of each of the upper rollers terminates in a kind of
universal joint G permitting the rotation and movement of the said rollers in any
desired direction. At each revolution of the excentrics E the upper working
rollers are raised and lowered, turning upon the joints G; by repeating these
movements with sufficient rapidity a very perfect crushing or breaking of the plant
is obtained without in any way injuring the fibres of the same. The mode of
raising or lowering the rollers will be understood by referring to Figure 1; the
excentrics are all placed on one side of the machine, but if desired they may be
placed alternately on the right and left hand thereof. At the rear of the grooved
cylinders B B which are raised at one extremity, and in front of the cleaning
rollers C, C, I sometimes place other working rollers not shewn in the drawing
which rollers are moved simultaneously at both extremities. These cylinders
complete the crushing or bruising action.
The different pairs of grooved working cylinders may be so regulated or adjusted
that they will be raised and lowered either one after another or simultaneously.
The intersection of the first pair draws the material which is in the following pair;
and the free material, in the grooves which do not touch each other, is rubbed in
its backward movement and thus the woody portions and the epidermis which is
already broken are removed.
:
On coming from the working rollers, the material passes between a pair of
cleaning rollers C, C, to which a movement of rotation is imparted rather more
rapid than that of the feed rollers, thereby completing the cleaning of the material,
from which, by the recoil or return stroke of (each of the working rollers B, the
fibrous portions are perfectly separated. A plate is sometimes arranged between
the working rollers B in order to augment the effect of the said recoil or return
stroke by a to-and-fro movement which presses the plate against the material
between the feed rollers A and the rollers C, C. A detaching roller is arranged at
the rear of the machine, and levers with counterweighte L are provided for causing
the required pressure upon the feed rollers A. A.
The machine is driven by means of the pulleys P on the shaft O, on which is
keyed a conical pinion F for driving the vertical shaft R which imparts movement
to the feed rollers by means of the worm S. Upon the end of the shaft O is
mounted a fly-wheel V.
The form and dimensions of the different parts of the said machine may be
varied, and any suitable number of rollers may be employed.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
foreign Correspondent and the manner of performing the same I wish it understood
that I Claim:-
The improved machine for decorticating flax, hemp, china-grass or other fibrous
plants, which machine is characterized by the following distinctive features, that is
to say
First. The employment of rotary grooved breaking or bruising cylinders or
rollers, the upper cylinders or rollers being alternately raised and lowered some at
one extremity and others at both extremities, in order to produce the breaking or
bruising and at the same time the rubbing action between the said rollers to
detach the ligneous part or bark of the plant without impairing the fibres
thereof.
Second. The arrangement of the machine for this purpose with grooved breaking
or bruising cylinders or rollers, the upper cylinders or rollers being moved some

page_text: at one extremity and others at both extremities, the said machine being also
provided with feeding rollers, cleaning rollers and a detaching roller, substantially
as described and as shown in the accompanying drawing.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Eighteenth day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three..
WH PORT LAKT Gal