Improvements in Machinery for Extracting or Obtaining Fibre from the Leaves and Stems of Fibre Bearing Plants.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 25th June, 1896-Accepted, 25th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Extracting or Obtaining Fibre from
the Leaves and Stems of Fibre Bearing Plants.
We, THOMAS CRITCHLEY BARRACLOUGH of 20 Bucklersbury in the City of
London, Engineer, and THOMAS TANNETT HEATON of 59 Athenlay Road,
Nunhead in the County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to machinery constructed for the purpose of extracting
the fibre from the leaves and stems of fibre bearing plants, our object being so to
improve the construction of such machines as will render them more efficient and
capable of producing more fibre in a given time.
According to our invention the material to be treated is gripped and carried
forward by an endless chain to the first scutching apparatus. Just before the
material enters the scutching apparatus pressure is applied to the feed chains for
effectually gripping the material which pressure we preferably apply by means of
adjustable rollers, which may be either weighted or forced down by springs.
The curved guard or trough of the scutching apparatus is capable of vertical
adjustment from the top and of horizontal adjustment at the bottom, as the
material to be treated is often of irregular shape and larger at one end than in
the middle.
The material after treatment in the first scutching apparatus is carried forward
by means of a second set of travelling chains. After the first set of feed chains
release their grip the second set of feed chains convey the material through the
second scutching apparatus which may revolve in the opposite direction from the
first. The position of the second set of feed chains and the second scutching
apparatus is such that the remainder of the nou-fibrous portion of the material is
removed leaving only fibre.
In carrying out our invention the leaves (or other material to be treated) are
placed by the attendant upon one or more endless travelling bands which obtain
their motion from the driving mechanism of the machine, and which may be made
of any suitable material. An arrangement is provided for automatically keeping
the upper portion of this endless travelling band tight and level.
By this travelling band the leaf is carried to a pair of endless travelling feed
chains so arranged that the leaf is gripped between them and carried through the
first scutching apparatus, where the fibre is extracted from a portion of the leaf.
Before the chains release the leaf the already extracted fibre is gripped by a second
pair of endless travelling feed chains by which it is carried through the second
scutching apparatus which extracts the fibre from the remainder of the leaf. The
fibre is afterwards delivered at the back of the machine.
:
All the chains are driven by suitable gearing actuated by the driving mechanism
of the machine; the said gearing is so arranged that the speed of the chains may
be varied.
With each scutching apparatus there is a device for putting pressure on the
feed chains at the point where the scutching action tends to pull the leaf or the
fibre from the grip of the chains. The pressure is applied by springs or by balance
weights, and is adjustable, so that it may be accommodated to the leaves or fibre,

page_text: in order that while there can be no sup the nore may not be damaged by ubuds
pressure.
The feed chains may be of any suitable material, but are preferably of brass.
They are of special form suitable for the purpose; the lower chain of the second
pair having projecting pins, preferably curved, to assist in carrying forward the
fibre.
The scutching is performed as follows:-As soon as it is gripped by the first
feed chains the leaf is carried towards the first scutching apparatus, being led into
it by guides suitably arranged.
The scutching apparatus consists of a rapidly revolving drum with suitable
beaters, scrapers and brushes affixed to it. These strip and remove the non-fibrous
portion of the leaf by their action on it resting upon a trough having a surface of
hard wood or other suitable material.
The said trough according to our invention is supported by being hung on a
vertical screw, called the supporting screw, capable of vertical adjustment by
means of a revolving nut on which is a hand wheel or lever; the junction between
the screw and the trough forming a hinge to enable the trough to be set at an
angle, without affecting the distance from the centre line of the drum at which
the scutching action begins. For setting the trough at an angle with the surface
of the scutching drum another screw, called the regulating screw is provided.
This regulating screw is attached to the lower part of the back of the trough with
a hinged joint. Its nut for actuating this screw and moving the trough nearer to
or away from the drum is carried in a swivelling bearing suitably supported so
that the movement up or down of the supporting screw can take place with
freedom.
Water may be applied to the scutching apparatus for the purpose of cleansing
and washing the fibre during the scutching operation. The leaf is fed into the
machine in such a way that in passing through the first scutching apparatus rather
more than one-half of it is stripped of its flesh, and the fibre remains.
After leaving the first scutching apparatus this fibre passes from the scutching
drum on to the lower of the second pair of feed chains, which is inclined downwards
and passes under the rim of the first scutching drum, over a chain pulley supported
in a suitable manner so that the fibre must rest upon the said chain, by which it is
carried up the incline, being assisted by the first pair of feed chains, which have
not yet released the leaf.
Then when the fibre has been properly gripped by the second pair of feed chains,
the remainder of the leaf to which it is attached is carried through the second
scutching apparatus, in which it is scutched in the same manner as the first portion,
as described earlier in this specification.
The drums of the two scutching apparatus are on parallel axes, but are not in
the same vertical plane.
Another method of passing the fibre from the first to the second feed chains is
by means of a conical revolving drum, upon which the fibre falls on leaving the
first scutching apparatus. The small end of the said conical drum is towards the
first scutching apparatus and, as the natural tendency of the fibre is to ascend
the incline of the conical drum, it is delivered by it to the second feed chains.
This conical drum may be composed of a wire framework or otherwise, and may
have spiral or other projections or grooves to assist the fibre in its movement up
and along the incline of the conical drum.
Dated this 26th day of September 1895.

page_text: mprovements in Machinery for Extracting or Obtaining Fibre from
the Leaves and Stems of Fibre Bearing Plants.
We, THOMAS CRITCHLEY BARRACLOUGH of 20 Bucklersbury in the City of
London, Engineer, and TнOMAS TANNETT HEATON of 59 Athcnlay Road,
Nunhead in the County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
nvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
lescribed and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to extracting or obtaining fibre from the leaves or stems of
ibre bearing plants by machinery of the kind in which the leaves or stems are fed by
feed chains to a first scutching apparatus where one half approximately of the
ength of the leaves or stems is scutched and they are then fed by other feed
chains to a second scutching apparatus where the remainder of the length of the
leaves or stems is scutched. The object of the invention is to so improve the
construction of such machinery as to render it more efficient and capable of
producing more fibre in a given time.
The invention consists in the combination with two sets of scutching apparatus
the axes of the drums of which are not in the same vertical plane of two pairs of
feed chains one pair of which feeds the leaves or stems to and through the first
scutching apparatus and the other pair of which carries the partly scutched leaves
or stems from the first scutching apparatus to and through the second, the lower
chain of the second pair being inclined downwards and passing over a pulley inside
the drum of the first scntching apparatus. A characteristic feature of this
combination is the downward inclination of the said lower chain and its position
at one end of its travel inside the drum of the first scutching apparatus, because
the fibre which has been scutched in this apparatus must with this arrangement
fall upon this part of the chain and be carried by it up the incline until it is
gripped between this chain and the upper chain of the second pair, the chains of
the first, pair retaining their hold of the unscutched portion of the stems or leaves
until the second pair have got the fibre between them. In a modification of the
above arrangement a revolving horizontal cone takes the place of the inclined
portion of the lower chain the apex of the cone being like the said portion of the
chain, inside the scutching drum. The scutched fibre falls upon the cone and as
this revolves the fibre ascends the incline of the cone and is thus carried upwards
until gripped by the second pair of feed chains.
The invention further consists in providing the lower chain of the second pair
with projections at one side to assist in carrying the fibre forward.
The invention also consists in the combination with each scutching drum of a
curved shield or concave trough to support the stems or leaves under the action of
the scutchers or beaters on the druin, the said curved shield covering a portion of
the drum and being suspended at its upper part on a hinge and capable of being
regulated so that it can be set at an angle with the surface of the drum and at a
greater or less distance therefrom as required.
The construction and operation of our improved machinery will be fully
understood by the accompanying illustrative drawings and the following
description of same.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machinery; Figure 2 a plan, Figure 3 an
elevation of the feed end and Figure 4 an elevation of the delivery end.
Figure 5 is a transverse section on a larger scale of the first scutching apparatus
but with the drum itself removed; its outline and the path of the beaters being
shown by dotted lines;
Figures 6, 7 and 8 are respectively an end view, a side view and a plan on a
still larger scale of a portion of the second pair of feed chains.

page_text: Figure 9 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating the modification in which a
revolving cone takes the place of the downwardly inclined portion of the lower
chain of the second pair of feed chains.
a is an endless travelling feed band upon which the leaves or stems to be treated
are fed by an attendant, the said leaves or stems being laid on the band trans-
versely of the machine; provision is made by means of a weighted roller a' for
keeping the feed band tight and level on the top. bb are lower and upper endless
travelling feed chains forming a pair to which the leaves or stems are carried by
the band a.
These chains grip the leaves at an intermediate part of their length
and carry them to the first scutching drum c by which the fibre is extracted from
that portion of the leaves which is at the right hand side of the chains 6 b', the set
of guide rods d d serving to conduct this half of the leaves to the drum. The
scutched fibre hangs downwards on leaving the drum c and rests upon the lower
chain e of a second pair of upper and lower endless travelling feed chains e e¹, the
lower chain e of this pair being inclined downwards as shown so as to pass under
the rim of the drum c and over a pulley f. While the chain e travels upwards
from the pulley fit carries with it the fibre that rests upon it and this is assisted
by the first pair of chains bb' which have not yet released the leaves. Before the
chains bb' do release the leaves the fibre is in the grip of the chains e e¹ which
then carry forward the partly scutched leaves to the second drum c¹ where the
. 'unscutched' purtion is scutched; the guide rods dd serve to conduct the
second portion of the leaves to the drum. On leaving the drum c¹ the fibre is
carried on by the feed chains e el and delivered by them over the end of the
machine. The chains are provided with the means of adjustment shown in the
drawings for keeping them sufficiently tight; these means of adjustment will be
readily understood from the figures.
It will be observed that the shafts g g' of the two drums c c¹ are parallel but are
not in the same vertical plane.
The preferred, construction of the second pair of feed chains e e¹ is shown in
Figures 6, 7 and 8 and will be understood without further explanation. It may be
stated however that the lower chain e has projecting pins to assist in supporting
and carrying forward the fibre (i Figure 6). These pins may be either straight as
shown or be curved upwards at the outer end. The first pair of feed chains bb'
may be of the same construction as the second pair as shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8
except that the pins j'are not required.
The scutching drums c c are provided with suitable beating devices; those
shown are what we consider best for ordinary use and consist of beaters and brushes
arranged alternately on the periphery and helically or otherwise.
Above each drum is a concave trough or curved shield k the inner surface of
which is preferably of hard wood lined with sheet metal and its curve is struck
from the same centre as the drum. The leaves bear against this surface while
being acted upon by the beaters and brushes.
As the leaves or stems to be acted upon are often of irregular shape and larger
or smaller at one end than in the middle, we make the concave trough k capable of
vertical adjustment from the top aud of horizontal adjustment at the bottom and
we hang or suspend it from its upper part. With this object we hang it to the
vertical supporting screw which is capable of vertical adjustment by means of a
nut m with hand wheel or lever n for turning it, the connection between the concave
trough and the screw 1 forming a hinge which allows the concave trough to be
set at an angle without appreciably affecting the distance from the centre line of
the drum at which the scutching action begins. For the horizontal adjustment in
order to set the concave trough at an angle with the surface of the drum a screw p
is hinged to the back of the concave trough at the lower part and on this screw is
a nutq with band wheel r for turning it, the nut being carried in a swivelling
bearing s so that the supporting screw can be freely moved up and down.
..:
Figure 5 represents a pipe by means of which water can be supplied to the
scutching apparatus in order to cleanse and wash the fibre during the scutching

page_text: operation. Provision should be made in the bed of the machine for carrying away
the refuse and waste water.
Above each scutching drum is a device for putting pressure on the feed chains
at the point where the scutching action tends to pull the leaves or fibre from the
grip of the chains. This device consists of a series of rollers u u Figures 1 and 5
upon which forks v bear; these forks are forced down by springs a the pressure of
which is capable of regulation as required.
We will now proceed to describe the mechanism to which the various parts of
the machine are driven.
A is the driving shaft. Ba bevel wheel thereon gearing with another wheel C
on the longitudinal shaft 9 on which the first drum c is mounted. From the shaft g
rotary motion is transmitted by spur wheels D D to the shaft g' on which the
second drum c is mounted. At one end of the shaft A is a bevel pinion E' gearing
with another bevel pinion E' on a shaft which carries a spur wheel E³ which gears
with a spur wheel F on the shaft of a worm G; this worm gears with a worm
wheel H on the shaft J which carries one of the rollers K of the feed band a and
also one of the pulleys of the lower feed chain b; from the wheel H motion is
transmitted by the pinions M M to a wheel N on the shaft P which carries one of
the pulleys of the upper chain 6. The feed chains bb' at the other end of their
course drive the shafts R S. From the shaft R the motion is transmitted by
intermediate toothed gearing V V V as clearly shown in the figures to the shaft T
which carries one of the pulleys of the feed chain e. From the shaft S the motion
is transmitted by intermediate toothed, gearing W W W to the shaft U which
carries one of the pulleys of the feed chain e'. The feed chains e and e' are thus
driven. The gearing in connection with the shafts P U S is so arranged that the
said shafts are capable of automatically rising to suit the thickness of the material
gripped by the feed chains; the shaft R can also rise for the same purpose.
Referring now to the modification shown in Figure 9, X is the cone with its
apex inside the scutching drum c; it is carried by a shaft Y driven from the
toothed wheel V (which is the same as one of the wheels V shown in Figure 1)
through the intermediation of a. pinion Z on the shaft of a skew wheel Z which
gears with a skew wheel Z on the cone shaft Y. The cone is shown as having a
smooth surface it may however have spiral projections to assist the ascending
movement of the fibre; these projections may conveniently be formed by wire
brazed spirally upon the surface of the cone or alternatively the cone may be
provided with a spiral groove.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In machinery of the kind herein referred to the combination with two sets of
scutching apparatus the axes of the drums of which are not in the same vertical
plane, of two sets of feed chains one pair of which feeds the leaves or stems to and
through the first scutching apparatus and the other carries the partly scutchied
leaves or stems from the first scutching apparatus to and through the second
scutching apparatus the lower chain of the second pair being inclined downwards
and extending into the interior of the drum of the first scutching apparatus whereby
the fibre after being scutched by this drum falls upon this chain and is carried
upwards by it until it is gripped between this chain, and the upper chains of the
second pair, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In machinery having two sets of scutching apparatus and two pairs of feed
chains arranged as described in Claim 1 the provision of projections at one edge
of the lower chain of the second pair to assist in carrying the fibre forward,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. In machinery of the kind herein referred to the combination with two sets of
scutching apparatus the axes of the drums of which are not in the same vertical
plane, of two sets of feed chains one pair of which feeds the leaves or stems to and

page_text: through the first scutching apparatus and the other carries the partly scutched
leaves or stems from the first scutching apparatus to and through the second
scutching apparatus, and a revolving cone the apex of which is inside the drum of
the first scutching apparatus whereby the fibre after being scutched by this drum
falls upon the cone and is carried upwards by it until it is gripped by the second
pair of feed chains, substantially as herein before described.
4. In machinery of the kind herein referred to the combination with the scutching
drums, of concave troughs or curved shields to support the leaves or stems under
the action of the scutchers or beaters, the said concave troughs being suspended at
the upper part and capable of adjustment to any desired angle relatively to the
surface of the drums, and at any desired distance therefrom, substantially as and
for the purpose hereinbefore described.
5. The general combination and arrangement of parts herein before described and
represented in the accompanying drawings, constituting an improved machine for
extracting or obtaining fibre from the leaves or stems of fibre bearing plants.
Dated this 23rd day of June 1896.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.