IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DECORTICATION OF THE STALKS OF THE CHINESE NETTLE, CHINA-GRASS OR RHEA, AND IN THE CLEANSING AND SEPARATION OF THE FIBROUS PORTIONS THEREOF, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS THEREFOR A
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co Patont Agents, Southampton Buildings London, for an invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DECORTICATION OF THE STALKS OF THE CHINESE
NETTLE, CHINA-GRASS OR RHEA, AND IN THE CLEANSING AND SEPARATION
OF THE FIBROUS PORTIONS THEREOF, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
THEREFOR A communication from abroad by Pierre Augusto Favier, of
Villefranche, France.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th April 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DECORTICATION OF
THE STALKS OF THE CHINESE NETTLE, CHINA-GRASS, OR RHEA, AND IN THE
CLEANSING AND SEPARATION OF THE FIBROUS PORTIONS THEREOF AND IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS THEREFOR" [A communication from abroad by
Pierre Auguste Favier, of Villefranche, France.]
This invention relates to the decortication of the stalks of the Chinese nettles,
rhea, grass and similar plants, and to apparatus therefor.
The object of the said invention is the mechanical separation of the fibrous or
outer portion from the woody or inner portion of the stalk and the subsequent
mechanical treatment of the said fibrous or outer portion. Hitherto all inventions
made with this object have been based upon the principle of decortication by a
direct crushing or bruising action upon the entire stalk and not by the division of
the mechanical operations into two distinct parts.
In order to obtain a complete result I make use of two novel machines which
may be combined and thus form practically one machine which will perform the
work uninterruptedly, or they may be employed separately according to whether
the stalks are to be treated in a green or in a dry state. This method also allows
the material to be entirely treated when in a dry state on the spot where it was
produced by establishing factories there, or the decortication may first of all be

page_text: effected by the farmer himself on the field, so that only bales of the fibrous
portion or bark will require to be forwarded to the factories established elsewhere,
the weight of which bales, in proportion to that of the stalks, would be reduced by
from fifty five to sixty per cent; and the volume or bulk by seventy five per cent.
The said Invention comprises two machines the first of which I shall call the
decorticator and the second the rubbing machine capable of being worked together
or separately, but both designed to effect as a final result the decortication of the
stalks of the Chinese nettle or like plant.
The decortication is effected as hereinafter set forth, that is to say, by first
making a longitudinal incision at the upper part of the stalk which is introduced
into a mouth or nozzle in which a knife is placed vertically. This knife may have
a circular shape. Behind this knife is a part of suitable shape preferably of a
shape similar to that of the prow or stem of a ship to the upper part of the mouth
or nozzle and forming a cutter which forces the stem open as it passes through a
channel formed by the said cutter or divider. As it comes out of the said channel
the stalk, opened and flattened, is seized by a series of solid cylinders or rollers of
suitable number and diameter which press it strongly and effect a more complete
flattening of the stalk and breaking of the resin contained in it. After passing
between the said cylinders or rollers the stalk is delivered upon a triangular bar
-upon-which-it-receives_the_blows of a beater moving at great speed, which entirely
breaks the wood and separates it into fragments.
After the bark is entirely deprived of its wood, and is in the shape of shreds; it
is directed towards the outlet by means of solid cylinders or rollers which precede a
series of rollers placed one above another. As it comes out, the bark is received by
an attendant, if the two operations are to be performed separately, or it enters the
second machine if the work-is-to be performed without interruption, and the two
machines are then connected.
In the second part of the treatment, the bark is either supplied to the rubbing
-machine_by_an attendant, or, as it comes from the first machine, and enters the
second, it is caught by two solid cylinders which bring it against-a-drum-provided_
with grooves parallel to its axis, and the lower half of whose circumference is
surrounded by small cylinders, also provided with grooves.
The bark passes
between the said drum and the small cylinders.
Beyond this first drum is a fan or ventilator, the object of which is to counteract
the effect of centrifugal force, and prevent the bark from deviating from the path it
has to follow to arrive at a second drum also provided with grooves. The space
between the two drums is occupied by a cylinder of a diameter a little larger than
that of the aforesaid small cylinders; it may also be occupied by two cylinders of
diameter equal to that of the said small cylinders.
The bark passes between this second drum and other small cylinders and after
emerging from this second drum passes through between a third drum and small
cylinders, the space beyond each drum being occupied by a fan and a cylinder as
in the space beyond the first drum.
The motion of the intermediary cylinders is effected by the drums whose
groovings are identical. Thus between the first and second drums, the first inter-
mediary cylinder gears on the right and left with the said drums; the second
intermediary cylinder gears only on the left with the second drum.
The number of drums may be increased or diminished according to their
diameter. If the diameter be large, few will be required, if small a greater number
will be required. The number may be reduced to a single drum, making all the
groovings alike.
On emerging from the last drum, the bark, entirely free of the brown pellicle
which covered it, is washed to partially extract the gum, the fibres being separated
from each other and made suitable for combing.
The use of graduated groovings from drum to drum is not obligatory, and I may
uso similar groovings on all the drums, and according to the greater or less number
of the drums I may employ groovings varying in size.

page_text: According to whether it is necessary to obtain a greater separation of the fibres
and a more effectual extraction of the gum, I provide one or several drums with a
crushing or bruising action by means of a hollow tube, with a helical spring which
fits upon bearings round the axis of the drum on the opposite side to the driving
shaft, or by other suitable means.
Upon the driving shaft on the opposite side of the axis of the drum to that which
carries the hollow tube, I place an excentric which, in its rotation, pushes away
the axis of the drum when it comes in contact with the projecting parts of the
excentric whilst the helical spring placed on the other side pushes it back when the
hollow parts are facing the axis.
The pinion of the drum whose axis undergoes the forward and backward motion
above described is not keyed upon that axis, the end of the said axis is enlarged
and slides on the pinion but prevents the rotation of the axis in it. This pinion,
whose neck is grooved is kept geared by a fixed fork which keeps it in place and
prevents it following the forward and backward motion of the drum.
The two rows of hollow cylinders placed one above another and connecting the
two machines may be heated by means of steam, and the drums of the rubbing
machine may also be made hollow and heated with steam.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th October 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DECORTICATION OF
THE STALKS OF THE CHINESE NETTLE, CHINA GRASS, OR RHEA, AND IN THE
CLEANSING AND SEPARATION OF THE FIBROUS PORTIONS THEREOF, AND IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS THEREFOR," A communication from abroad by Pierre
Auguste Favier, of Villefranche, France.
This invention has for its objects the mechanical séparation of the fibrous or
outer portion from the woody or inner portion of the stalk, and the subsequent
mechanical treatment of the said fibrous or outer portion.
Heretofore all inventions designed to effect these objects have been based upon
the principle of decortication-by-a-direct-crushing or bruising action upon the
entire stalk and not by the division of the mechanical operations into two distinct
parts.
In order to obtain a complete result, I make use of two novel machines, which
may be combined and thus constitute practically one machine which will perform
-the-work uninterruptedly, or they may be employed separately according to
convenience.
By these means the material can be entirely treated, when in a dry state, at the
place where it was produced, by establishing factories there, or the preliminary
decortication may first of all-be-effected_by_the_farmer himself at the place of
production, so that only bules of the fibrous portion or bark will require to be
forwarded to the factories established elsewhere, the weight of which bales, as
compared with that of the stalks, would be reduced by from fifty five to sixty per
cent; and the volume or bulk by seventy five per cont.
In the accompanying drawing are represented two machines combined, but they
may, if desired, be disconnected and worked separately.
The said invention comprises these two machines, the first of which I shall call
the "decorticator" and the second the "rubbing machine," which machines are
designed to effect, as a final result, the decortication of the stalks of the Chinese
nettle, China-grass or rhea.
The decortication is effected as hereinafter set forth, that is to say, by first
making a longitudinal incision at the upper part of the stalk, which is introduced
into a mouth or nozzle A in which a knife B placed vertically. This knife can,
if desirable, be of a circular shape. Behind this knife, a part C (preferably of a
shape similar to that of the prow or stem of a ship) is fixed to the upper part of
the mouth or nozzle and forms a cutter or divider which forces the stem to open
out as it passes through a channel D formed by the said cutter or divider. Figures 1
and 2 represent two sections of the mouth or nozzle A, showing the exact position
of the knife and divider. Figures 3, 4, and 5 represent six sections in different
planes, showing the form of the divider and consequently the exact conformation
of the channel D. As it comes out of the channel D, the stalk, opened out and
flattened, is seized by a series of laminating cylinders or rollers E, the number and
diameter of which may be increased or diminished as desired and which press the
stalk strongly and effect an almost complete flattening of the stalk and breaking
or bruising of the resin contained in it.
This lumination is also a novel means which I employ for separating the fibrous
or outer portions from the woody or inuer portions of the stalk

page_text: After passing between the cylinders or rollers E the stalk, thus laminated, is
delivered upon a triangular bar F where it receives upon the ligneous portion, tho
blows of a beater G moving at a high speed, which entirely breaks the wood and
separates it into small fragments; After this operation the fibrous portion or bark,
entirely deprived of its wood, and in the form of shreds, is directed towards the
outlet by means of solid cylinders or rollers H, which precede a series of rollers H'
placed one above another and having grooves of different dimensions, the object of
which is to entirely free the bark from any fragments of wood that may still
adhere thereto. As it comes from these rollers, the bark is received by an attendant
if the two operations are to be performed separately, or it enters the second
machine if the work is to be performed without interruption and the two inachinos
are connected.
The accompanying drawing represents the first machine or decorticator and the
principal moving parts of the same, the arrangement of which may be varied, for
example as follows, that is to say:-The mouth or nozzle may be in two parts, in
which case the lower part is fixed and the upper part movable, the latter having a
circular knife, which, by reason of its rotary motion, occasions less draught for
the opening of the stalk. By constructing the mouth or nozzlo in this manner all
sizes of stalks can be passed through it, its upper part being movable. The bar F,
the beater G, and the cylinders or rollers H can be dispensed with by placing the
series of cylinders or rollers H¹ behind the laminating cylinders in the same
horizontal line. In this arrangement the cylinders H' produce the same effect as
the beater G, breaking the woody portions into fragments and freeing the same
from the bark. This arrangement necessitates a change in the position of the
laminated shreds which in this case must present their woody portion on the
underside so that it will fall easily under the machine, whilst with the beater it
must be presented on the upper side to receive the blows. This change of position
is obtained by reversing the mouth or nozzle so that the knife being placed below
effects the incision at the lower part of the stalk, instead of at the upper part
thereof
For the second part of the treatment, the bark is either supplied to the rubbing
machine by an attendant, or, if the operations are to be carried on uninterruptedly,
the bark, as it comes from the first machine and enters the second, is caught by
two cylinders K, either solid or grooved, which bring it against a drum L provided
with grooves of about three millimetres wide parallel to its axis, and the lower half
of whose circumference is surrounded by small cylinders or rollers M also provided
with grooves of about three millimetres wide. The bark passes between the
drum Land the small cylinders M. Beyond this first drum is a fan or ventilator N,
the object of which is to counteract the effect of centrifugal force, and prevent the
bark from deviating from the path it has to follow to arrive at a second drum L'
also provided with grooves of the same dimensions as those on the drum L. The
space between the two drums is occupied by a cylinder O of a diameter slightly
larger than that of the small cylinders M; it may, if desired, be occupied by two
cylinders of diameters equal to that of K.
The bark passes between this second drum L¹ and the small cylinders M', and
after emerging from this second drum, passes between a third drum L" and sinall
cylinders, the space beyond each drum being occupied by a fan and a cylinder as
in the case of the first drum.
The motion of these intermediary cylinders 0, 0¹, is effected by the drum whose
grooves correspond; thus between the drums L and L', the intermediary cylinder O
with grooves of three millimetres wide gears on the right and left with the drums L
and L; between L' and L" the second intermediary cylinder gears only on the left
with the drum L'.
The number of drums may be increased or diminished, according to their
diameter. If the diameter is larger a smaller number will be required; if smaller
a greater number will be required. The number may be reduced to a single drum,
at the same time making all the grooves alike.

page_text: The arrangement shown in the drawing comprises three drums of sixteen
centimetres in diameter, with five small cylinders of five centimetres in diameter
for each drum, besides an intermediary cylinder of eight centimetres in diameter
for each two drums.
On emerging from the last drum, the bark, entirely free from the brown pelliclo
which covered it, is washed to partially extract the gum, the fibres being separated
from each other into parallel filaments ready for combing.
The drums only are set in motion by the driving gear; the small cylinders
being set in motion by the material drawn through by the drums, without the aid
of gearing.
By these means, in the passage of the bark between the drums and the small
cylinders, the separation of the external brown pellicle is obtained by a slight
friction the effect of which is produced by the resistance of the small cylinders,
and also by a peculiar effect due to the inflection of the bark into the curves which
it is obliged to follow.
As above stated, the cylinder O may be replaced by two pairs of cylinders of the
same diameter as K and with grooves corresponding to each drum, the lower one
gearing with the drum and the upper one gearing with the lower one. In this
case the bark passes_between_these cylinders thus geared, and is directed without
the aid of the fans, which can then be dispensed. with.
The use of graduated grooves from one drum to another is not absolutely
necessary and I may use similar grooves on all the drums, and, according to the
greater or less number of the drums, I may employ grooves varying in size from
one to three millimetres or more.
According to whether it is necessary to obtain a greater or-less-separation-of the
fibres and, a more or less effectual extraction of the gum, I provide one or more
drums with a crushing or bruising action, by means of a tube furnished with a
-helical-spring-which-fits-upon bearings.around the axis of the drum on the opposite
side to the driving shaft, or by other suitable means.
Upon the driving shaft on the opposite side of the axis of the drum to that
which carries the tube, 1 place an excentric which, in its rotation, pushes away
the axis of the drum when it comes in contact with the projecting parts of the
excentric, whilst the helical spring placed on the other side pushes it back when
the hollow parts of the excentric are facing the axis. This movement is limited to
a stroke of about five millimetres.
The bevel pinion of the drum to whose axis the to-and-fro motion above
described is imparted is not keyed upon that axis; the end of the said axis is
enlarged and slides in the pinion but prevents the rotation of the axis therein.
This pinion, whose neck is grooved, is held in gear by a fixed fork which retains it
in place and prevents its following the to-and-fro motion of the drum.
This peculiar arrangement thus allows a movement of translation, at the same
time as a movement of rotation, to be given to one or more drums.
The two machines above described may, as above explained, work separately;
but, when the stalks are to be treated in a green state, the decorticator and the
rubbing machine should not be separated, and the following modification should be
introduced, that is to say :-
The series of laminating cylinders H¹, which in this case should be hollow, are
heated by steam, and the drums of the rubbing machine are also made hollow and
heated by steam.
In some cases, I make the upper cylinders of the decorticator in sections in the
arrangement in which the beaters are dispensed with, cach section being provided
with an independent mouth or nozzle. The advantage of this arrangement is
that stalks of different diameters can be simultaneously passed through the same
machine, and the work is more regular and a larger amount of work is obtained,
and I thus obviate the inconvenience resulting from the simultaneous passage of
stalks of different diameters under cylinders which are not divided into sections.

page_text: It will be understood that the rollers of the two machines may be made of
copper, iron, bronzo, leather or other suitable material
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
Foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim.
First. The division of the mechanical operations into two parts namely, first, the
decortication to deprive the stalk of its internal woody portion and then tho
crushing or bruising of the bark or outer portion to free it from the external
pellicle, which covers it.
Second. The method of opening out the stalk by means of a longitudinal incision
which permits of exposing the internal woody portion so as to facilitate the
extraction of the same and avoid its entanglement with the fibrous portion, as
above set forth.
Third. The employment for this purpose, of a knife or sharp plate or tongue of
any suitable form, and placed in any suitable position relatively to the rollers as
above set forth
Fourth. The mouth or nozzle A. the knife B and the divider C, in the first
machine or decorticator constructed and arranged as above described for effecting
the decortication as set forth.
Fifth. The employment of rollers which, by breaking the resin contained
between the woody portion and the bark, facilitate their separation as above
described,
Sixth. In the second or rubbing machine, the arrangement of the drums for
producing an inflection and rubbing of the bark and effecting the separation of
the external brown pellicle therefrom as above set forth.
Seventh. The construction and arrangement of the mouth or nozzle so that stalks
of different dimensions, may enter the same without the position of the knife, or
the divider being changed as above set forth.
Eighth. The upper cylinders of the decorticator divided into sections each of
which is provided with an independent mouth or nozzle so that stalks of different
dimensions may be passed simultaneously through the same machine, as above
set forth
Ninth. The modified construction of the first machine or decorticator in which
the triangular bar F, the beater G, and the cylinders H are replaced by the series
of cylinders H¹ provided with grooves and placed one above another in the same
horizontal line as the cylinders E, as above set forth.
Tenth. The modified construction of the second machine, in which the cylinders O
and fans N are replaced by two pairs of cylinders arranged one above the other
the lower one gearing with the drum, and the upper one gearing with the lower
one and having for their object to guide the material from one drum to the other
as above set forth.
Eleventh. The method of heating the cylinders by steam as abovo set forth.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Twentysixth day of October in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two