Improvements in Machines for Breaking, Stripping, and Decorticating China Grass, Flax, Hemp, and other Fibrous Material.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 1st May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 28th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 8th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Breaking, Stripping, and Decorticating
China Grass, Flax, Hemp, and other Fibrous Material.
A communication from FÉLIOIEN MICHOTTE, of 15, Rue de Richelieu, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Engineer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
--
The present invention relates to a machine for breaking stripping and decortica-
ting china-grass, flax, hemp and other fibrous material and it comprises an endless
band for feeding the material and a combination of helicoidal breaking cylinders
with a beating drum in two pieces, having frictional beating blades and an elastic
counter beater.
The breaking cylinders which prepare the material for the stripping and decorti-
cating, are arranged so that each stem of the material is broken in its longitudinal
direction and that its outside is broken in parallel lines and that the whole so to
say represents a bundle of fibres. To this end the breaking cylinders are formed
with grooves in their periphery of about the same width as the stems to be treated.
These grooves are of small depth and are arranged in helices of about 45° inclination
The beating drum is provided with movable frictional blades which strip and rub
the outer part of the fibre. To facilitate this operation the stems to be treated are
held during this stripping between the drum and an elastic counter beater which
supports the fibres.
Dated this 1st day of May 1889.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Breaking, Stripping and Decorticating
China Grass, Flax, Hemp, and other Fibrous Material.
A communication from FÉLICIEN MICHOTTE, of 15, Rue de Richelieu, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Engineer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., 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 a machine for breaking, stripping and decorticating
China grass and other fibrous materials and the main features of the same are an
endless feed band, and a combination of spirally grooved breaking or crushing
cylinders or rollers with beating drums provided with a number of rubbing or
beating blades and one flexible counter-beater.
The crushing cylinders whereby the fibres are worked preparatory to being stripped
and decorticated are arranged in such a manner that each stalk is broken open
longitudinally and a number of parallel cuts are made in the external shell of such
stalk, corresponding to a number of fibres. The crushing rollers are, for this purpose,
provided with grooves on their circumferences, which grooves practically correspond
in width to the thickness of the stalks the said rollers are to act upon. These grooves
are of small depth and are formed spirally at an angle of from 30 to 45 degrees to the
axes of the rollers.
The heating drum is fitted with rubbing blades which by the friction exercised upon

page_text: the external surface of the fibre, effect the stripping. To facilitate such friction, the
stalks, during the stripping operation are compressed between the wall of the drum
and the flexible counter-beater which thus forms a support for the fibres.
In order to enable this invention to be clearly understood I have illustrated the
arrangement and combination of its divers parts in the accompanying drawings, in
which the same letters of reference inilicate like parts in all figures, and in which
Fig. 1 is a left side elevation of the machine showing the arrangement of the feed
table.
Fig 2 is a right side elevation.
Fig. 3 is a plan looking downward
Fig 4 is an enlarged view of the crushing cylinders or rollers, the drum and
the flexible counter-beater, and
Fig 5 is a detail view of the grooves or flutings of a crushing roller
upon
The various parts of the machine are supported in a metal framing a consisting
of two parallel frames connected by cross bars. In front of the machine the feed
table is arranged whereon the stalks are spread so as to submit them to the
action of the crushing cylinders or rollers and provided with spiral grooves,
as aforesaid and arranged in pairs, parallel and one roller above another. The
rollers and cut the stalks lengthwise, forming a series of parallel' cuts owing
to the incline of the spiral grooves in relation of the axes of the said rollers, and
also owing to the width of such grooves being practically equal to that of the stalks
Upon issuing from between the crushing rollers and ¹ the stalks slip down
an inclined plate ql towards a revolving drum m (figs 1, 2, 3 and 4) consisting
of two circular end plates carrying between them a set of rods u¹
which
are loosely mounted a number of rocking beaters 9 capable of pivotting indepen-
dently of each other on the rods u¹ owing to eyes n These movable beaters q
when the machine is In motion by centrifugal action are caused to project
beyond the circumference of plates m, which enables them to beat the stalks, as
the latter leave rollers and and causes the same to bear against the elastic
counter-beater consisting of a series of slightly flexible angle irons v
This beating
action exercised on the stalks while they are supported by the said counter-beater
results in a frictional effect on the external surface of such stalks and completes the
decortication thereof. The strips thus freed from any bark or wood, then drop
between rolls and (fig. 1) and thence down upon an endless band or apron h¹
situated in below the working mechanism between the two cheeks of the frame; and
this apron carries the decorticated strips underneath the feed table b and delivers
them on to platform "
Motion may be imparted to this machine either by hand or by any appropriate
driving mechanism by means of the loose and fast pulleys p and p², and is transmitted
to the working devices through the medium of a main shaft o whereon a pinion dis
mounted, said pinion being in gear with a toothed wheel d on a secondary shaft e.
This shaft e also carries a pinion el gearing in its turn with the toothed wheels d
secured upon the shafts c and c¹ of the lower crushing cylinders or rollers and r'.
These latter toothed wheels again engage another pair of similar wheels d" mounted
upon the respective shafts of the upper crushing rollers and 71. The pressure of
tliese upper rollers and upon the lower rollers may be adjusted by operating screw
bolts adapted to compress springs q¹ more or less as the case may be.
To impart motion to the beating drum m I provide shaft o with a pulley fand the
shaft u of the said drum with a smaller pulley k passing a strap lover both.
h
To impart motion to the endless band or apron h' I mount a pulley / upon the shaft
of the upper of the two rollers on which works the said band ', while another pulley g
is secured onto shaft o The pulley his set in motion by means of a strap passed
over it and the pulley g and is driven from the main shaft o
And, lastly, to cause the strips of decorticated grass as they descend from drum m
to be driven towards the apron h¹ a toothed wheel s¹ (fig 2) is secured upon the shaft
of the upper of the two apron rollers which wheel gears with another toothed
wheels mounted upon the shaft of roll (figs. 1 and 2)

page_text: After having once undergone the crushing, stripping and decorticating operations,
through the action of the several devices herein before described, the grass or fibres
may, if required be collected on the delivery table or platform " and again placed
into the machine so as to be once more submitted to the same operations.
The angle irons ¹ of the counter-beater may be inclined at a greater or less angle
to the perpendicular, according as they are desired to act with more or less force upon
the grass and fibres and to effect a more or less thorough decortication
The beaters q may have smooth rounded or serrated working edges according to the
nature of the material to be treated
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is ;-
1. A machine for breaking stripping and decorticating China grass and other fibrous
materials, consisting of the combination with a pair of cylinders or rollers fluted or
grooved spirally and so that each groove is of a width about equal to that of the stalks
to be operated upon, and inclined at an angle of from 30 to 45 degrees to the axes of
the cylinders or rollers, of á beating drum fitted with a number of beating and
rubbing blades and a flexible counter-beater substantially as described and illustrated
in the drawings.
2. In a machine for breaking stripping and decorticating China grass and other
fibrous plants the application of a beating dium with blades, exercising a combined
beating and rubbing action owing to centrifugal force in combination with a flexible
counter-beater in close proximity to which the blades pass substantially as described
and shown.
D
11
DOLL
Ր T. 1900
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.