AN IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR SCUTCHING FIBROUS STEMS, LEAVES AND THE LIKE
Year: 1885

page_text: Leaves, and the like.
I, WILLIAM EPHRAIM DEATH of No 259 Cold Harbour Lane, Brixton in the
County of Surrey, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR SCUTCHING FIBROUS STEMS, LEAVES AND
THE LIKE" to be as follows:-
For the purpose of scutching fibrous stems, leaves and the like so as to clear the
fibres from the pulpy, gummy and ligneous portions, it has been usual to expose
the material to the action of a scutching wheel with a jet or other supply of water.
Now according to my invention I place such a scutching wheel over a trough of
water in which it is partly immersed and in the upper part of this trough I fix
within a short distance of the scutching blades and concentric with them a curved
shield or guard immersed in the water. When the stems or leaves to be treated'
are introduced along the feeding table so as to be caught by the revolving
scutching blades they are drawn along this curved guard and being held for a
short time they are there exposed to the scutching action being kept up to the
blades by the water and by the drag upon them, while the water thoroughly
washes them. They are then drawn out and turned end for end to be again
operated on. This has the effect of clearing the fibres from the pulpy, gummy and
ligneous matters with which they are associated in the plant, and these matters
collect in the trough below from which they are from time to time withdrawn.
:
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.
J.3

page_text: I, WILLIAM EPHRAIM DEATH, of N° 259 Cold Harbour Lane, Brixton in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, 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: -
For the purpose of scutching fibrous stems, leaves, and the like, so as to clear the
fibres from the pulpy, gummy and ligneous portions, it has been usual to expose
the material to the action of a scutching wheel having blades or beaters which
successively strike the stems while, in some cases, jets of water are made to play
upon them. The action of these blades or beaters being however limited to the
small portion of the material which for the time is held up against them by the
edge of the table on which it is fed, the operation is tedious and imperfect.
According to my invention, I remedy this defect by placing within a short distance
of the scutching blades or beaters and concentric with the circle in which they
revolve, & curved shield or guard along which a current of water is made to flow,
so that the fibrous stems which extend along this shield, being buoyed up by the
water current, are kept within range of the scutching blades or beaters and are
effectually and rapidly operated on by them, while the matter that is disengaged
from the fibres is washed away. Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a
longitudinal section and Fig. 2 is an end view of a scutching apparatus with my
improvement applied thereto. On a suitable framing A is mounted a rapidly
revolving drum B having fixed on its periphery a number of beaters C. Under
this drum I fix the curved guard or shield. D along which flows a stream of
water from a tank E which is kept supplied so as to overflow. The stems or
materials F to be operated on, are held by hand upon a table G, so as to bend over
its edge and extend down along the shield D in the water stream, which buoys
them up, keeping them within range of the beaters C. When the parts of the
material F that extend along the shield are sufficiently acted on, the material is
withdrawn and turned end for end, so as to expose the rest of it to the action of
the beaters. The scutching drum is cased over by a bent cover H. The table G
is adjustable by screws so that it can be set more or less closely up towards the
beaters C, and it has over it a bent guard bar K to act as a fence for the hands of
the operator. The tank.E and shield D are held by bolts passing through slotted
holes so that they can be fixed more or less closely up towards the circle of the
beaters C. The matter cleared from the fibres is washed down the incline L by
the stream that flows along it.
**

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner, the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
In combination with the drum, beaters and feed table of a machine for scutching
and cleansing fibrous stems, leaves and the like, a curved shield supplied with a
stream of water, arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose herein
set forth.