Improvements in the Treatment of Flax and like Fibrous Material, and in the Means or Apparatus Employed therein.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 28th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 31st Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Flax and like Fibrous Material,
and in the Means or Apparatus Employed therein.
We ANTONIO EDWARD NEWMAN, RODOLFO ELIAS NEWMAN, and JULIUS
NEWMAN, all of La Tejedora, San Fernando, in the Province of Buenos Aires in
the Argentine Republic, South America at present residing temporarily at
56 Lansdowne Road, Kensington Park, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturers
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
-
These improvements have for their object to extract the fibres of flax from the
flax straw in a cheaper more expeditious and more economical manner than that
generally practiced.
The flax straw we cut from the roots, which roots can be left in the ground and
the seeds of the plants also may be utilized in the usual manner.
The flax straw having been gathered free of roots and seeds is subjected for
about one half of an hour to steam is steeped for about 12 hours in a liquid
composed of a mineral oil and water.
This liquid may be of the proportion of 2 lbs. of oil to a sufficient quantity of
water to steep one ton of flax straw.
This bath is maintained warm say at a temperature of 40° Reaumur. The flax
straw is then removed from the steeping vat and allowed to strain and then dried in
a chamber supplied with air the chamber being heated to a temperature sufficient
to facilitate proper removal of moisture say to 40° Reaumur.
We then pass the flax straw now open and separated into a machine which acts
thereupon and from which the fibres of flax are delivered finished. ready for
hackling.
This machine consists of suitable framing, an axis on which are mounted suitable
fast and loose driving pullies and a first gear wheel which engages with another
gear wheel on one of the axes of three sets or pairs of grooved rollers having
suitable axes and gear wheels to be driven one from another at suitable relative
speeds and directions. The journals of the axes of the rollers are borne so that
the upper ones of each pair are capable of rising and falling to a certain degree
but controlled by strong (preferably coiled) springs adjustable by screw adjustments
actuated by suitable handle wheels so as to afford thereby capability of adjusting
the pressure of the rollers on the fibres passing between them.
The first pair of rollers having corrugations or flutings of a coarser. grade than
the second pair of rollers and the second pair are not so fine in grade as the third
set of rollers.
Between each pair of rollers which successively act upon the fibres is an inter-
mediate or carrying roller covered with felt which rollers serve to aid the passage
of the flax from pair to pair of rollers.
A suitable platform is provided in front of the first pair of rollers to support the
flax straw whilst it is being fed to the machine.
Dated the 6th day of April 1893.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Flax and like Fibrous Material,
and in the Means or Apparatus Employed therein.
We ANTONIO EDWARD NEWMAN, RODOLFO ELIAS NEWMAN, and JULIUS
NEWMAN all of La Tejedora, San Fernando, in the Province of Buenos Aires in
the Argentine Republic, South America, at present residing temporarily at
56 Lansdowne Road, Kensington Park in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturers
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:
These improvements have for their object to extract the fibres of flax from the
flax straw in a cheaper more expeditious and more economical manner than that
generally practised. The flax straw we cut from the roots, which roots can be left
in the ground and the seeds of the plants also may be utilized in the usual manner.
The flax straw having been gathered free of roots and seeds is subjected to a liquid
composed of a mineral oil and water into which steam is forced-the operation
occupying about one half of an hour-more or less. This liquid may be of the
proportion of 2 lbs. of oil to a sufficient quantity of water to steep one ton of flax
straw. This bath is maintained warm say at a temperature of 40° Reaumur. The
flax straw is then removed from the steeping vat and allowed to strain and then
dried by natural means or in a chamber supplied with air, the chamber being
heated to a temperature sufficient to facilitate proper removal of moisture, say to
. 40° Reaumur.
We then pass the flax straw now open and separated into a machine which acts
thereupon and from which the fibres of flax are delivered finished ready for
backling.
This machine consists of suitable framing, an axis on which are mounted suitable
fast and loose driving pulleys and a first gear wheel which engages with another
gear wheel on one of the axes of three sets or pairs of grooved rollers having
suitable axes and gear wheels to be driven one from another at suitable relative
speeds and directions. The journals of the axes of the rollers are borne so that the
upper ones of each pair are capable of rising and falling to a certain degree, but
controlled by strong (preferably coiled) springs adjustable by screw adjustments
actuated by suitable handle wheels so as to afford thereby capability of adjusting
the pressure of the rollers on the fibres passing between them. The first pair of
rollers having corrugations or flutings of a coarser grade than the second pair of
rollers and the second pair are not so fine in grade as the third set of rollers between
each pair of rollers which successively act upon the fibres is an intermediate or
carrying
roller covered with felt which rollers serve to aid the passage of the flax
from pair to pair of rollers.
A suitable platform is provided in front of the first pair of rollers to support the
flax straw whilst it is being fed to the machine.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a side view of the machine, as arranged to carry out our invention.
Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same taken at right angles to Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the same, taken approximately to the line A, A
Fig. 1.

page_text: graded or suitably proportioned flutings to successive pairs of rollers. Thus the
Fentering pair of rollers a, a' may have say 60 grooves or flutings and be of a
diameter of say 5 inches. The next pair of rollers may be of or about the same
construction and the third or last pair may have 70 grooves or flutings on a
diameter corresponding to the other pairs. The grooves or flutings are rounded at
top and bottom.
These gun metal fluted rollers are keyed on to wrought iron, mild steel or
other suitable spindles suitably journaled (see Fig. 2) and having mounted at one
end of each a tooth pinion, the pinion on each lower roller spindle engaging
a corresponding pinion on its own upper roller spindle and these lower roller
spindles are made to rotate in unison by means of two loose gear wheels d, d'
carried on studs bolted on the side of the framing, and engaging each a pair of the
said lower roller spindle pinions. On the middle lower roller spindle b³ is a toothed
wheel 68 which gears with and is driven by a toothed pinion 64 on the main or
driving axis 6 on which are mounted the fast and loose driving pullies 6º, 67. 68 is
the driving band to be driven by some suitable power (not shown). e, e¹ are two
wooden intermediate rollers which serve respectively to convey the fibres from the
first to the second pairs of fluted rollers and from the sécond to the third pairs of
rollers c, c. These intermediate rollers are mounted on spindles which carry at
their outer ends each a cog wheel e which is engaged by a chain e¹ which passes
over another cog wheel on one of the outer lower fluted roller spindles and is driven
thereby in the motion of that spindle and therefrom the wooden intermediate rollers
are rotated. is the feed table and g the delivery board or table here shewn as an
inclined plane. h is the framing.
The space between the spindles may be fitted with wood to keep out dirt. Each
spindle of the three pairs of fluted rollers rests in a half bearing, each pair of
top and bottom bearings is fitted to slide and rest in a slot 1, 2 or 3 formed in the
framing and each upper roller spindle half bearing is borne upon by a coiled
spring, or travelling in a groove formed for it in the framing and compressed
by means of a screw k, l, or m which acts on a cap or shoe on the end of said screw,
said screw engaging in a thread formed in the head of the framing and being
actuated by a handle wheel or other suitable means.
Advantages attendant on the use of our machine are; the plant is not pulled out,
which spoils the soil and makes it unfit to sow flax again in the next year; but by
our process the soil can be cultivated every year; the flax seed is not lost as it is
according to the ordinary retting process; much handling is saved.
The dry flax straw, before being treated, by our machine undergoes a kind of
soaking and after being dried again is ready to go to the machine which works the
stem in a way that the fibres can immediately after coming out of the machine be
combed and spun; the whole process, inclusive of the soaking generally takes
about four and twenty hours; whereas by the old system the retting takes about
three weeks; by means of our machine the stem loses the so called straw, but
fibres are not lost at all. Our machine is economical in construction and use,
works very accurately; needs little steam power and a very limited amount of
hand labor.
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:
In the treatment of flax and like fibrous material in order to separate the fibres
from the other portions of the flax straw or like matter:
1. The method of treating the flax straw or like material in order to prepare it
for the crushing and cleaning machine as set forth.
2. The combination or arrangement and use of pairs of fluted rollers having the
corrugations or flutings of one or more of the successive pairs graded, or graduated
in fineness of toothing and pressed each member of a pair of rollers to the other
of the pair, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: 3. The combination of the herein before described method of preparation of the
material and the means or apparatus for treating the same wherein pairs of fluted
rollers of graduated fineness of flutings successively act upon the straw and separate
the fibrous from the other portions thereof, substantially as set forth.
Dated the 28th day of December 1893.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicants.