Improvements in and Relating to the Manufacture of Fibre.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL. SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Relating to the Manufacture of Fibre.
We, CHARLES JAMES DEAR, of 28, Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of
London, and THE INTERNATIONAL FIBRE SYNDICATE, LIMITED, of 16, Dawson Street,
Dublin, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of hemp, ramie, and
other fibres, and has for its object efficient and simple machinery which is not liable
to clog, and whereby the hemp, ramie or other fibrous material, is decorticated for
its entire length, the pith and bark removed without any motion of the machinery
or fibre in a reverse direction and the fibre is finally delivered straight and untangled;
the pith or wood being also collected.
According to our invention we feed the raw fibrous material through a preferably
curved shoot or hopper to a pair of rollers which may be either smooth, grooved,
fluted or furnished with knives, according to the nature of the fibre to be treated.
These rollers bend, break or split up, the fibrous stems or stalks, loosening their
particles and facilitating the after treatment. These rollers are mounted in adjustable
bearings carried by a suitable bed, so that their pressure may be regulated and that
they may be interchanged, as required.
The fibrous material is next passed through a pair of bladed or bottomless rollers
the object of which is to break up the wood, fleshy matter or pellicle of the fibrous
stalks or steins. These rollers are each formed of a number of square edged, or
rounded blades, set round the circumference of a pair of discs mounted on a rotary
spindle; they are also mounted in adjustable bearings on the bed plate and travel
faster than the first mentioned rollers.
The fibrous material is next passed to a pair of adjustable fluted, gripping and
crushing rollers which travel faster than the bladed or bottomless rollers and thereby
draw the fibre through the said bladed rollers, loosening and crushing the already
broken wood or pellicle.
The bladed or bottomless rollers must be so set that they do not retain the fibre
with too great a force to allow it to be drawn through them by the gripping rollers
as explained. We may also employ a spray or douche of water if necessary.
The fibre is next presented over a breaking anvil to a scutching or beating drum,-
for the separation,-scutching out, and removal, of the already broken crushed and
loosened wood or pellicle therefrom.
The breaking anvil is constructed so as to reduce the distance between the
gripping rollers and the scutching drum to a minimum, and may be removed for
trueing up when necessary.
The scutching or beating drum revolves faster than the gripping and crushing
rollers and consists of end discs connected by bars or rods set round their peripheries
so as to form an open drum, which is mounted so as to rotate on a suitable shaft or
spindle. The hars or rods are of any suitable form in cross section and constitute
the cutting or scntching blades or beaters. Pins may be set on or alternately
between the bars in order to form a species of comb. With this drum liability to
clog is reduced, all the particles of bark or other refuse falling clear.
The fibre is next cleansed from the remaining particles of bark and pellicle by

page_text: being passed over an apron, preferably of steel, hinged to the bed plate and
adjustable at will so as to increase or reduce the space between itself and the beaters
of the scutching drum, whereby the action of the drum on the fibre may be regulated.
This apron may be perforated and enclosed in a chamber through which water
is run or forced for the more thorough removal of the particles of bark and pellicle,
or air pressure or a vacuum may be substituted for such water pressure. The
friction caused by the scutching drum and apron upon the fibre which is being held
by the less rapidly revolving gripping and crushing rolls effectively completes the
debarking and separation of refuse.
In order to remove the bark, pellicle, waste leaves and so forth, from the scutching
drum, the latter is partially enclosed in a chamber having three sides closed and the
top partly closed. This chamber is of sufficient size to allow the refuse to fall down
upon a transverse endless travelling band situated below the open bottom of the
chamber enclosing the said drum and carried by two rollers supported in suitable
bearings. By this means the refuse is prevented from again mixing with the fibre
and is delivered in a heap ready for removal.
After the fibre has been carried round between the said drum and the apron, it
passes between two endless carrier bands situated below the said drum and is carried
by suitable adjustably mounted rollers travelling inwardly or toward one another.
The rollers carrying one of the said carrier bands are of different size to those
carrying the other of said carrier bands, so that these bands travel at different rates of
speed. The carrier bands pass clear of the refuse discharging band and deliver
the fibre in a straight untangled and clean condition, ready for degumming or other
treatinent.
The machine is provided with a suitable bed or frame and the various rolls, the
.drum, and the carrier bands are operated by means of suitable gear from a main
driving shaft or shafts.
Improvements in and Relating to the Manufacture of Fibre.
We, CHARLES JAMES DEAR, of 28, Victoria Street, Westminster, in the County of
London, Gentleman, and THE INTERNATIONAL FIBRE Syndicate, LIMITED, of 16, Dawson
Street, Dublin, Ireland, 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 relates to improvements in the manufacture of hemp, ramie, and
other fibres, and has for its object efficient and simple machinery which is not liable
to clog and whereby the hemp, ranie or other fibrous material is decorticated, the
pith and bark are removed without any motion of the machinery or fibre in a reverse
direction, and the fibre is finally delivered straight and untangled from the machine;
the pith, wood and refuse being also collected.
According to our invention we feed the raw fibrous material either through a curved
shoot or hopper, or direct, to a pair of splitting or slicing rollers which may he
either smooth, grooved, fluted or furnished with knives, according to the nature of
the material to be treated.
The fibrous material is next passed through a pair of bladed or skeleton rollers
which rotate more rapidly than the first mentioned rollers.

page_text: The fibrous material is next passed to a pair of adjustable fluted, gripping and
crushing rollers which travel faster than the bladed or skeleton rollers.
A spray or douche of water may be caused to play on the fibrous material while
being passed through the aforesaid rollers.
The fibrous material is next presented over a breaking anvil to a scutching or
beating drum.
The scutching or beating drum revolves faster than the gripping and crushing
rollers and consists of end discs having central openings and connected by bars or
rods so as to form an open drum, which latter is mounted so as to rotate on a suitable
shaft or spindle. Fau blades may be mounted on the axle of the drum for the
purpose of creating a centrifugal draft between the beaters as the drum revolves, or
such fan blades may be omitted. The bars or rods are of any suitable form in cross
section and constitute the cutting or scutching blades or beaters. Pins may be set
on or alternately between the bars in order to form a species of comb. With this
drum liability to clog is reduced, all the particles of bark or other refuse falling clear
of said drum.
The fibrous material passes between this scutching drum and an apron, preferably
of steel, hinged to the bed plate and adjustable at will so as to increase or reduce the
space between itself and the beaters of the scutching drum, whereby the action of
the drum on the fibre may be regulated. This apron is perforated and enclosed in
a chamber. Water is run or forced through the perforatious in this apron, for the
more thorough removal of the particles of bark and pellicle, or air pressure or a vacuum
may be substituted for such water pressure.
This scutching drum is encased in a chamber having three sides thereof closed, the
top partly closed and the bottom open. A transverse endless travelling band for
carrying away refuse, is situated below the open bottom of this chamber.
The fibre is conveyed away from the scutching drum between two endless travelling
bands which move at different rates of speed for the purpose of removing any
adhering particles of bark, by friction.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect
we will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which:
:-
Figure 1 is a part sectional elevation of the apparatus.
Figure 2 is an elevation looking toward the scutching drum end of the apparatus.
Figure 3 is a plan, on an enlarged scale, of the splitting or slicing rollers.
Figure 4 is a plan of a scutching drum provided with teeth forming a comb.
Figure 4 is an end view of the scutching drum showing comb teeth placed
alternately between the beaters.
Figure 5 is a front view, of the perforated apron.
Figure 6 is a cross section on line * - x Figure 5.
a is the curved hopper or shoot. bb are the splitting or slicing rollers, supported
from the machine frame or bed in adjustable spring bearings 61 61. 62 is a screw for
adjusting the bearings 61 61. By means of the screw 6 the pressure between the
rollers bb may be regulated, and the said rollers are enabled to be interchanged if
required. According to the nature of the fibrous material to be treated, the rollers b
may be smooth or grooved or fluted, or (as shown in Figure 3) one of them may be
furnished with knives b³ while the other is provided with knives 6+; the knives on one
roller b engaging with corresponding recesses between the knives on the other
roller b.
cc are the bladed or skeleton rollers composed of a number of transverse blades c¹
carried by end discs. The blades c¹ may have square or rounded edges as
required. The rollers c are supported from the machine frame or bed in adjustable
spring bearings c² c³ ³ is a screw for adjusting the bearings c² c². The rollers c c
are adapted to travel faster than the rollers b b.
dd are the fluted gripping and crushing rollers supported from the machine frame
or bed in adjustable spring bearings dd. d is a screw for adjusting the
bearings d' d. The rollers d d travels faster than the rollers c c.

page_text: e is a nozzle for supplying a spray or douche of water to assist in cleansing the
fibrous material, if required.
f is the anvil removably attached to the machine frame or bed by screws f¹ f¹.
y is the scutching or beating drum which comprises transverse bars or beating
blades attached to end discs mounted on a rotary spindle g³ ³ are faus or
blades mounted on the spindle g² within the drum 9, and are for the purpose of
drawing in air through suitable openings in the ends of the drum g and creating
a centrifugal draught of air through the openings in the periphery of the drum g.
The beating blades g¹ may be faced with wood, leather, felt, rubber, or other
suitable material according to the requirements for the kind of fibre to be treated.
The drum g travels at a higher rate of speed than the rollers d, d. The drum g
may be provided with teeth, such as g4 (Figure 4) when it is required to form
also a species of comb. Or the teeth may be carried by bars arranged between
the blades g', as shown in Figure 4*.
The anvil is arranged to reduce the distance between the rollers d and the
drum g to a minimum, and may be removed for being "trued up," by removing
the screws f¹.
bed of the
h² h² are
h³ is a pipe
his an apron, preferably of steel, which is hinged to the frame or
machine. h is a chamber in the upper end of the apron h, and
perforations extending from the chamber ¹ to the face of the apron.
for conveying water or air under pressure to the chamber h¹, or said pipe may be
connected to a fan or other means for exhausting air from the chamber h¹. h is a
screw which passes through a screw threaded projection or lug h³ on the frame of the
machine, and bears upon the under side of the apron h. By turning the screw h'
the position of the apron with reference to the drum g may be adjusted and the
action of said drum on the fibre thereby regulated.
i is an endless band which may be of canvas or of wire such as is described in the
Specification of Patent No. 3193 of 1899, and is carried by rollers jj. k is an endless
band carried by rollers. Each of the bands i and k travels at a different rate of
speed from the other and these bands are adapted to travel in the direction indicated
by the arrows. is a shield or guard for preventing the fibre wrapping round the
roller at the delivery end of the band k.
m is a chamber which is supported from the machine frame and the bottom of
which is open.
n is an endless transverse travelling band carried by rollers o.
When treating some kinds of fibrous material the rollers may be omitted. The
rollers c may in some cases be corrugated instead of bladed or may also be omitted.
The rollers b, c and d are actuated by band and pulley gear from the spindle g².
The rollers j, land o are operated by tooth genring which is actuated by belt and
pulley gear froin the spindle g². The spindle g² is caused to rotate by suitable means
from a convenient source of power.
The fibrous material is fed through the curved hopper a, where it is bent, to the
rollers b which further bend, break or split up the fibrous stems or stalks so as to
loosen their particles and facilitate the after-treatment. The material then passes
between the rollers c which break up the wood, fleshy matter, and pellicle of the
fibrous stalks or stems. The fibrous inaterial then passes between the rollers & which
draw it between the rollers cand thereby loosen and crush the already broken wood and
pellicle. The rollers c must be so arranged that they do not exert too great a retarding
force upon the fibrous material. The fibrous material is next conducted over the
anvilf to the scutching drum g, and passes between the drum g and apron h. The
friction caused by the drum g and apron upon the fibre which is retarded by the less
rapidly revolving rollers d, completes the debarking and separation of refuse from said
fibre. The water or air passing through the perforations in the apron h, assists in
the cleansing of the fibre. The refuse thrown out from between the beaters of the
drum g by centrifugal force, is collected in the chamber m and carried away by the
endless band n and thereby prevented from again mixing with the fibre or clogging
the apparatus. From the apron h, the fibre passes between the endless travelling

page_text: bands i and k from which it is delivered in a straight and clean condition, ready for
degumming or other treatinent.
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 in apparatus for the manufacture of fibre is :—
1. The curved hopper for bending the fibre as it is fed into the apparatus, substan-
tially as described.
2. An apron which conforms to and is adapted to be adjusted with reference to a
scutching or beating drum, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. The combination with the said apron of either a stream of water or an air blast
or vacuum, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
4. The transverse endless travelling band for conveying away refuse from the
scutching drum, substantially as described.
5. The two endless bands travelling at different rates of speed for carrying away
the fibre from the scutching drum, substantially as described.
6. Apparatus constructed, arranged and operating, substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawings for the purpose specified.
Dated this 23rd day of January 1900.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.