Improvements in Machinery for Breaking and Decorticating Ramie and other Fibrous Vegetable Substances.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application. 6th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 10th May, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Breaking and Decorticating Ramie
and other Fibrous Vegetable Substances.
I, MARIE JOANNY RENAUT of 1 Boulevard St. Denis, Paris, France, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention has reference to breaking and decorticating fibrous vegetable
substances, and more particularly ramie in the green state.
In the cultivation of ramie a production of half a million stalks per acre annually
is not an unusual quantity, this production being divided over four crops or cuttings.
In order to completely separate the filamentous part from the ligneous part of this
enormous quantity of stalks it is indispensable to have machinery of great production,
more particularly as it is necessary to act upon the ramie in a fresh state to obtain a
perfect decortication.
The improved machinery which forms the subject of this invention will decorticate
three million stalks in ten hours.
The machinery is composed of a number of breaking machines to which the stalks
with their leaves are delivered as soon as cut, and of a decorticating machine fed by
these breaking machines and receiving therefrom the broken or crushed stalks
through the intermediation of an endless travelling apron.
The stalks are placed on a travelling apron with their heels or lower ends in front;
this apron is supported by rollers at the ends of its travel and at the further end there
is a board placed perpendicularly above the roller against which board the heels of
the stalks come; the board is lifted at intervals either by means of a pedal or auto-
matically through the action of a cam, and when thus lifted the stalks are carried
between two fluted rollers, the distance between which is capable of regulation. On
leaving these rollers the broken or crushed stalks pass between two rotating brushes
which move in the reverse direction to the rollers and the action of which is to
prevent the stalks winding around the rollers, and to remove by quick rubbing the
greater part of the pellicle which covers the fibre and also the pith which forms the
inside of the stalk. These brushes are partly enclosed by a light sheet metal casing
which allows the stalks to pass; these are taken hold of by the attendant and laid
across an endless apron which as it travels collects the broken stalks from all the
breaking machines and carries them on to the decorticating machine. This endless
apron is kept in front of each breaking machine at a suitable height by means of
rollers carried by the frames of the breaking machines; or they can have independent
supports, more particularly the last machine, the support being then provided with a
stretching roller to give the apron the necessary rigidity. A board can be placed
between the brushes and the apron to receive the broken stalks and make it easier for
the attendant to remove them.
The stalks carried onward by the apron to the decorticating machine are put with
their heels across an endless rope and are kept there by a guide until the moment
when the rest of the stalk falls off the apron. The rope engages in the groove of a
large pulley tightly locking therein the stalks that it carries and it brings them to a
drum fitted with blades and turning opposite a concave wooden block so that the
stalks pass between the drum and the concave block. By the friction of these the
epidermis or pellicle which covers the fibre is removed and the ligneous part which
was disaggregated by the breaking machine expelled. This first drum effects the
complete decortication of three-fourths of the length of the stalks, but the heels held
in the groove of the pulley have not been acted upon by the blades. The rope then
leaves the large pulley, and still carrying the stalks enters the groove of a small pulley
on the same plane as the previous one and after a half turn of the small pulley the

page_text: decorticated part of the stalks which hangs down is seized below by the rope on its
entrance into the groove of a second large pulley placed on a lower plane than the
first, at the moment when the heels on leaving the groove of the small upper pulley
are abandoned by the rope which before entering the groove of the second large
pulley goes round a small pulley placed between the two drums to return to another
small pulley on the same shaft as the first described small pulley but lower and on the
same plane as the lower large pulley. The decorticated part of the stalks held in the
groove of the second large pulley draws to it the heels which are brought in their
turn before a second drum which, like the first, has blades and turns opposite a
concave wooden block. After the passage of the heels between the drum and curved
block the decortication of the stalks is complete. On leaving the second drum the
stalks present themselves across the rope in perfect parallelism and collect on a fork
between the arms or prongs of which the rope passes to return by guide pulleys to the
first large pulley.
According to variations of temperature the rope requires to be more or less
stretched for this purpose at a suitable part of its course a tightening pulley capable
of regulation by Land is placed; this pulley is supported by a spring so as to have a
certain amount of flexibility according to the quantity and thickness of the stalks
passing between the rope and the pulleys.
For greater security and for facility of work the driving mechanism is placed at the
lower part of the machine. The shaft of the drums which receives the movement
transimits it to a horizontal shaft; this drives a vertical shaft carrying the first large
pulley by means of a worm and worm wheel; it also drives the roller carrying the
endless apron by means of a chain and chain wheels. The vertical shafts carrying
the other pullies are fixed, these being loose thereon and drawn by the rope.
1
1000
J. C. MEW BURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
1.
Improvements in Machinery, for Breaking and Decorticating Ramie
and other. Fibrous Vegetable Substances.
I, MARIE JOANNY RENAUT of 1 Boulevard St. Denis, Paris, France, Manufacturer,
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 has reference to breaking and decorticating fibrous vegetable
substances and more particularly ramie in the green state.
In the cultivation of ramie a production of half a million stalks per acre annually is
not an unusual quantity, this production being divided over four crops or cuttings.
In order to completely separate the filamentous part from the ligneous part of
this enormous quantity of stalks it is indispensable to have machinery of great
production, more particularly as it is necessary to act upon the ramie in a fresh state
to obtain a perfect decortication.
The improved machinery which forms the subject of this invention will decorticate
three million stalks in ten hours.
The machinery is composed of a number of or several breaking machines. to which
the stalks with their leaves are delivered as soon as cut, and of a decorticating
machine fed by these breaking machines and receiving therefrom the broken or crushed
stalks through the intermediation of an endless travelling apron.
In the annexed drawings I show at Figures 1 and 2 one of my breaking machines
in end and side elevations, and at Figures 3 and 4 the decorticating machine in
elevation and plan.
The stalks are placed on a travelling apron a with their heels or lower ends in
front; this apron is supported by rollers 6, at the ends of its travel and at the
further end there is a board c placed perpendicularly above the roller against which

page_text: board the heels of the stalks come; the board is lifted at intervals by means of a
pedal d, or this periodical lifting can be effected automatically through the action of a
cain on the shaft of the roller, and when the board is thus lifted the stalks are
carried between the two fluted rollers ff, the distance between which is capable of
regulation. On leaving these rollers the broken or crushed stalks pass between two
rotating brushes g, g' which move in the reverse direction to the rollers and the
action of which is to prevent the stalks winding around the rollers and to remove by
quick rubbing the greater part of the pellicle which covers the fibre and also the pith
which forms the inside of the stalk. These brushes are partly enclosed by a light
sheet metal casing g" which allows the stalks to pass; these are taken hold of by
the attendant and laid across an endless apron which as it travels collects the broken
stalks from all the breaking machines and carries them on to the decorticating
machine. This endless apron is kept in front of each breaking machine at a suitable
height by means of rollers h' carried by the frames of the breaking machines; or
they can have independent supports, more particularly the last machine, the support
being then provided with a stretching roller to give the apron the necessary rigidity.
A board can be placed between the brushes g, and the apron to receive the
broken stalks and make it easier for the attendant to remove thein.
The stalks carried onward by the apron to the decorticating machine are put with
their heels across an endless rope i Figures 3 and 4 and are kept there hy a guide
until the moment when the rest of the stalk falls off the apron. The rope i engages
in the groove of a large pulley tightly locking therein the stalks that it carries, and
it brings them to a drum k fitted with blades and turning opposite a concave wooden
block so that the stalks pass between the drum and the concave block. By the
friction of these the epidermis or pellicle which covers the fibre is removed and the
ligneous part which was disaggregated by the breaking machine expelled. This first
drum effects the complete decortication of three-fourths of the length of the stalks,
but the heels held in the groove of the pulley have not been acted upon by the blades.
The rope then leaves the large pulley and still carrying the stalks enters the groove
of a small pulley m on the same plane as the previous one and after a balf turn of the
small pulley the decorticated part of the stalks which hangs down is seized below by
the rope on its entrance into the groove of a second large pulley j¹ placed on a lower
plane than the pulley j, at the moment when the heels on leaving the groove of the
small upper pulley m are abandoned by the rope which before entering the groove of
n placed between the two
the second large pulley goes round a small pulley
on the same shaft as the small
drums k, k to return to another small pulley m¹
pulley m, but lower and on the same plane as the lower large pulley. The
decorticated part of the stalks held in the groove of the second large pulley j¹ draws
to it the heels which are brought in their turn before the second drum which like
the drunk has blades and turns opposite a concave wooden block . After the
passage of the heels between the drum k¹ and curved block the decortication of the
stalks is complete. On leaving the second drum the stalks present themselves
across the rope in perfect parallelism and collect on a fork o between the arms or
prongs of which the rope passes to return by guide pulleys to the first large
pulley j.
According to variations of temperature the rope i requires to be more or less
stretched; for this purpose at a suitable part of its course a tightening pulley p
capable of regulation by band is placed; this pulley is supported by a spring so as
to have a certain amount of flexibility or give according to the quantity and
thickness of the stalks passing between the rope and the pulley.
"
For greater security and for facility of work the driving nechanism is placed at
The shaft of the drums which receives the movement
the lower part of the machine.
transmits it to a horizontal shaft y; this drives a vertical shaft qi carrying the large
pulley by means of a worm r and worm wheel ; it also drives the roller
carrying the endless apron h by means of a chain and chain wheels
s'. The vertical
shafts carrying the other pulleys j', m and m³ are fixed, the pulleys being loose thereon
and drawn by the rope.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what
I claim in respect of machinery for breaking and decorticating ramie and other fibrous
vegetable substances is :-
--
1. The combination with a decorticating machine of several or a number of
breaking machines which feed the decorticating machine by means of an endless
apron common to all the machines, substantially as hereinbefore described and
represented in the annexed drawings.
2. In a breaking machine a regulating or controlling board such as c for the
purpose set forth.
means
3. In a decorticating machine such as described, the arrangement or
described for tightening the cord while allowing it a sufficient amount of flexibility or
"give" as and for the purpose set forth.
4. The decorticating machine constructed and working substantially as hereinbefore
described and represented in the annexed drawings.
Dated this 30th dor of April 1800
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.