Improved Process and Apparatus for the Preparation of Rhea or other Vegetable Fibres for Textile Purposes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 17th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 18th Nov., 1887
Improved Process and Apparatus for the Preparation of Rhea or
other Vegetable Fibres for Textile Purposes.
I ROBERT HANHAM COLLYER of 102 Canal Street, New Orleans State of Louisiana
United States of America, Doctor of Medicine and Inventor, do hereby declare the
nature of my said invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the preparation of vegetable fibres obtained from the Rhea
or other plants yielding fibre-it consists in first subjecting the steins in the fresh or
green state to the action of oscillating rollers in combination with water after which
the decorticated stems are submitted to a saponaceous boiling in a cage furnished with
wire trays which is introduced into a suitable receptacle as hereafter described. By
means of my invention I am enabled to clean fresh Rhea or Ramie stems from the
cortex, woody pith and gummo-resinous and other extraneous matters more efficiently
than has been heretofore effected.
I employ longitudinally corrugated rollers or a revolving drum and upper rollers,
the drum is on the axis on which is pivoted a frame carrying other similar rollers of
smaller diameter, these rollers bear with an elastic, yielding pressure on the periphery
of the drum. In proximity to the delivery end of the drum I place a pair of grip
rubber rollers, these squeeze out the gummy matters set free by the action of the
oscillating rollers and water-below these grip rollers there are fluted rollers. Rotary
motion is imparted to the drum and other rollers, the relative speeds being carefully
calculated according to the results to be produced. The frame carrying the upper
corrugated rollers is caused to oscillate on the axis of the drum by means of a pitman
or connecting rod and a crank on the driving shaft of the machine ai such a rate of
speed as to cause a concussive momentum.
1 have found that with a differential revolution of once of the drum to 40 oscilla-
tions of the upper rollers-that with 4 to 5 revolutions of the drum or 160 to 200
oscillations of the upper rollers-that with water a sufficient concussive momentum was
produced to decorticate the ramie stems when from 4 to 5 feet high. The speed of the
oscillations must depend in a great measure on the condition of the ramie stems, their
age, freshness etc. The stems are introduced on the feed end of the drum and by the

page_text: momentum of the upper rollers are crushed and decorticated. The rotary motion of
the drum carries the stems onward, when at the delivery end of the drum the crushed
stems fall perpendicularly on the grip or rubber rollers. I employ a perforated pipe
above the oscillating rollers for the water supply. When the crushed stems have been
squeezed by the rubber rollers employ blankets or their equivalents to catch the
gummy matters and keep clean the grip and fluted rollers-these blankets can be changed
as often as required, the fluted rollers detach the broken woody pith from the fibre when
it is received on the endless revolving apron.
The decorticated fibre is then placed on wire trays which are put into a cage-this
cage is introduced into a suitable receptacle and boiled in a non resinous soap solution.
The cage has a slow shaking or jigging motion imparted to it so as to facilitate the
disintegration of all foreign matters from the fibre. The boiling operation may
continue from one to two hours according to the condition of the fibre.
Dated this 6th day af 1007

page_text: improved Frocess and Apparatus for the Freparation от клеa or
other Vegetable Fibres for Textile Purposes.
1 ROBERT HANHAM COLLYER of New Orleans State of Louisiana United States
of America Doctor of Medicine and Inventor 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 the proparation of vegetable fibres obtained from the Rhea
or other similar plants yielding fibre suitable for textile purposes and it consists in
first subjecting the stems of the plants to the combined action of corrugated or plain
rollers which acting in conjunction with a stream of water break or crush and decor-
ticate the stems and loosen and set free the gummy resinous matters and remove the
internal woody matter; after which the broken or crushed stems are caused to pass
between pressing or grip rollers which squeeze out the gummy matters set free by the
action of the breaking oscillating rollers and water and forward the stems to a pair of
fluted or ratchet toothed or fluted rollers or combing rollers combined with ratchet
toothed rollers which take off the detached outer bark or rind and comb out or remove
any fragments of woody matter that may still be adhering to the fibre. The decor-
ticated stems are then submitted to a boiling process after being placed in a cage or
frame furnished with wire trays and then introduced into a suitable receptacle containing
a saponaceous solution or liquid as hereinafter described.
By means of my Invention I am enabled to clean fresh Rhea or ramic stems from
the cortex woody pith and the gummo resinous and other extractive matters far more
efficiently and economically than by the processes heretofore employed.
Figure of the accompanying drawings represents a section of an apparatus
constructed according to my Invention for cleaning the stems by the action of rollers
and water in combination. Figure 2 shows the machine in end elevation.
This apparatus is provided with a fluted plain or corrugated roller A having a slow
rotary motion imparted to it by suitably proportioned gearing A' A2 A3 A4 from a
driving shaft G and receiving the stems from a feed board or table B. On the axis A*
of this roller are pivotted two frames C carrying smaller rollers D D correspondingly
grooved or fluted (or plain) and meshing with the large roller A.
The axes D of the small or planetary rollers D work in bearings so arranged
(figure 1) as to cause the Rollers D to bear with an elastic yielding pressure on the
periphery of the main drum or roller A and the frames are connected at their
lower extremities to a pitman E operated by a crank F which imparts a rapid
oscillatory or reciprocating motion to the said frames. Counterweights Care
connected to the lower part of the frame C to balance the weight of the rollers D
The crank F is rotated by the driving shaft G which is provided with a suitable
flywheel (not shewn in the drawing) and the necessary fast and loose pulleys.
In the apparatus illustrated which I have found to yield good results in practice

page_text: although I do not limit myself to the precise proportions and dimensions given as the
same may evidently be modified according to the nature of the materials under
treatment and other circumstances, the main roller A is of say about 12" diameter
and the frames C make about forty revolutions to one revolution of the said roller.
The small or planetary rollers D thus have a reciprocating motion imparted to them
and roll back and forth on the periphery of the roller A. It will be seen that the
motions or relative speeds of the roller A and frames are so proportioned as to
produce a percussive momentum or rubbing beetling action between the corrugations
of the roller A and the rollers D.
Figure 3 shews the corrugations on the rollers A and D drawn to a larger scale.
These teeth are made with straight inclined sides and are rounded at the apex
and at the base and present a relatively large area of flat rubbing surface on both
sides.
The pitch of these teeth is about 1 inches to 14 inches and the height or distance
in a radial direction from the base to the apex is about an inch to about gths. This
form gives a large acting surface and enables the teeth or flutes to exert a most
effective rubbing beetling percussive action.
A perforated pipe L is arranged above the oscillating rollers in a suitable position
for delivering a stream of water on the stems as they pass between these rollers and
the roller A.
The squeezing elastic or gripping rollers H H placed in proximity to the large
fluted roller A in a convenient position for receiving the stems from this roller serve to
forward the stems to a pair of rollers I having teeth which scrape or comb off the
detached bark or cortex from the stems. These teeth are shewn drawn to a larger
scale in figure 4 and the rollers II are driven at a higher peripheral speed (about 3
to 2) than the rubber rollers H H so that the teeth may exert the required combing
action on the stems. These rollers finish the decortication of the stems and deliver
them onto an endless band or apron K working on rollers K' K' at the delivery end of
the machine.
The action of this machine is as follows:-
The stems of Rhea which may be in the fresh or green condition in which they are
gathered are fed into the machine over the feed board B whence they pass over the
roller A and under the rollers D which roll rapidly back and forth upon the stems
lying upon the roller A. The roller A having a continuous and relatively slow rotary
motion imparted to it by the gearing as hereinbefore described whilst the rollers D
are caused to oscillate rapidly to and fro; the teeth on the rollers being formed as
indicated in figure 3 a peculiar percussive or beetling action is exerted on the stems
which in conjunction with the action of the stream of water proceeding from the
perforated pipe L decorticates breaks up and detaches the woody pith in the interior
of the stems and setting free most of the gummy matter reduces the stems to a soft
and limp condition in which they are well fitted to be acted upon by the pair of rubber
rollers H H which squeeze out most of the gummy matter. The stems are forwarded
to the combing rollers 11 and at the same time held back by the rubber rollers H H
so that the said rollers II are enabled to exert a better combing action.
With some fibrous plants it may be necessary to use a plain revolving drum or
large roller with plain planetary oscillating rollers in combination with a stream of
water when I use plain rollers in lieu of corrugated a crushing roller is employed
at the feed end of the machine.
In place of the fluted or scraping rollers II provided with inclined or ratchet shaped
teeth as indicated in figures 1 and 4 combing rollers provided with small rounded
teeth or pins or projections as illustrated in figure 5 may be employed and in this
case the peripheral speed of these rollers must be double that of the grip or rubber
rollers. According to another arrangement the two kinds of rollers (fluted and
combing rollers) may be combined in one machine in which case the combing rollers
with the pins or rounded teeth must travel at a peripheral speed equal to at least
one and a half times that of the ratchet toothed or fluted rollers. These combing rollers
serve to remove the fragments of woody pith that may still adhere to the fibres.

page_text: The grip rubber rollers receiving the stems from the breaking rollers squeeze out
the major portion of the gummy matter set free by the drum and upper rollers
and water which is collected in blankets which are readily removeable and are replaced
by others as often as required:
To obtain the best results with this Machine the main drum or breaking roller A
should revolve at the rate of about 4 to 5 revolutions per minute the frame C making
from about 160 to about 200 oscillations. When treating ordinary green or fresh
stems these speeds may be varied; being regulated according to the condition of the
stems to be treated.
This machine delivers the fibres in a condition in which they are perfectly cleaned
or separated from the woody internal pith and outer skin or cortex but are still
combined with a certain portion of the Gum and Green fleshy matter. To remove
these the fibres are subsequently subjected to the saponaceous boiling process herein-
before referred to. With this object I employ the apparatus illustrated in figure 6.
This apparatus consists of an open or other boiler or receptacle O in which is suspended
a frame P containing a series of wire trays Q. A slow jigging or shaking motion is
imparted to this frame by a cranked shaft R from which the cage is suspended. The
receptacle O being filled with a non resinous saponaceous solution heated by steam
or in any other convenient manner the fibres which have been treated in the machine
herein before described are placed on the wire trays and these wire trays being placed
in the cage P slow rotary motion is imparted to the crank shaft R the fibres are
thereby washed agitated or shaken in the heated Saponaceous liquid contained in the
receptacle O. This has the effect of completely eliminating all the fleshy and other
extractive matters adhering to the fibres. The perfectly clean fibres are then removed
from the wire trays and simply require to be passed between a pair of suitable rollers
to wring out or express the superfluous moisture.
This process and apparatus enables the fibres to be obtained with a minimum of waste.
The gummo missilaginous matter is completely separated as well as the internal woody
pith and the outer bark or cortex. This method of treatment and machinery are
specially designed with a view to operating on a large scale with green or fresh stems
of Ramie or Rhea.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
First. The improved process or method or treatment and the apparatus for applying
the same for treating Rhea and other fibre yielding plants with the object of separating
the valuable fibre from the matter with which it is combined in the natural state
substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Second. The continuously revolving corrugated roller in combination with a
planetary roller or rollers reciprocating on the periphery thereof the teeth or
corrugations on the said continuously revolving roller and the planetary roller or rollers
being made with straight inclined sides presenting a large area of acting or rubbing
surface substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 3 of
the accompanying drawings.
a
Third. The continuously revolving corrugated or plain roller acting in combination
with a planetary roller or rollers rolling back and forth thereon and a stream of water
as hereinbefore explained the said continuously revolving roller having positive
motion imparted to it in such a manner as to cause it to describe from about 4 to 5
revolutions to from about 160 to 200 oscillations of the said planetary rollers sub-
stantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. In a machine provided with continuously revolving and planetary
percussive rollers acting in conjunction with water as hereinbefore set forth, the
combination of rubber or wringing rollers which express or squeeze out the extractive
matter set free by the combined action of the water and of the said rollers substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Fifth. In combination with rubber or wringing rollers arranged and operating as
hereinbefore set forth the use of blankets or their equivalents for the purpose of

page_text: catching the gummy matter expressed from the fibre by the said rollers substantially
as hereinbefore described.
Sixth. In combination with continuously revolving and planetary corrugated or
plain breaking rollers arranged and operating as hereinbefore set forth the employment
of combing rollers provided with pins or rounded projections substantially as and for
the purpose hereinbefore described with reference to figure 5 of the accompanying
drawings.
Seventh. The use of wire trays arranged in a frame or cage for holding the fibres
when boiling the same in a Saponaceous solution as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described with reference to figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Eighth. In clearing the fibres of Rhea or other like yielding plants from which the
inner woody matter and the outer Cortex have been removed by the action of
machinery arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated I claim imparting to the trays or receptacle containing the fibre delivered
from the said machinery a slow jigging or slow shaking motion while boiling in a
Saponaceous solution for the purpose of washing or cleansing the said fibre from all
remaining extraneous or extractive matters substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 17th day of October 1887.
W. S. DIMES,
Agent for R. H. Collyer.