Improvements in Apparatus for Decorticating Ramie and other Fibrous Plants.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Sept., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 24th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by CLÉMENT PHILIBERT, EMILE PERREAU, and
ANDRE LABORDE, all of 42, Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, Paris, in the Republic
of France.
Improvements in Apparatus for Decorticating Ramie and other
Fibrous Plants.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agente, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for decorticating ramie and other fibrous
plants.
The improved apparatus comprises a double cast iron frame, the two parts of
which are connected by stay bolts, the said frame carrying at its upper parts fluted
cylinders which serve for carrying away the stems of ramie placed upon the feed
table.
Behind these cylinders is provided a breaker composed of two parts having
undulations of corresponding form. One of these parts serves as an anvil and is
fixed upon the frame of the apparatus whilst the other part is movable and
represents the striking weight. This second part is united at its extremities to two
vertical rods connected by a cross-piece the ends of which extend into vertical
guides formed in the frame.
1 pierce the extremities of the aforesaid cross-piece with holes for enabling the
same to slide vertically upon two rods and to bear at the same time upon helical
springs with which the lower ends of the said rods are provided.
The same cross-piece has moreover two connecting rods articulated upon the
shaft having two cranks and set in motion by the crank handle through the medium
of the principal shaft, a toothed wheel and pinion.
Behind the breaker are two rollers which, by reason of their starlike form with
the vanes of one extending into the intermediate space of the other, have for their
object to detach from the fibres the pieces of wood previously broken up by the
breaker.
My machine possesses two receiver cylinders of india-rubber or any other
suitable material, which receive the fibre free from its wood, and convey it to an
endless apron actuated by a belt.
Motion is imparted to the apparatus either by a crank handle with a fly wheel or
by a belt pulley when motive power is at disposal. The principal shaft carries a
toothed wheel which actuates the crank shaft, as hereinbefore set forth, and also a
pinion keyed upon one extremity of a shaft which carries at its other extremity
a second pinion which is always in gear with one or the other of the pinions
appertaining to the above-mentioned two rollers according to the direction given to
the movement of the said rollers, which direction is determined by means of the
lever actuating, by a rocking lever, sleeves engaging alternately with the two
rollers.
Besides the toothed wheel hereinbefore referred to the driving shaft carries a
pinion receiving an endless chain which transmits the movement of the said cylinders
and to the india-rubber receiver cylinders.
This improved apparatus operates as follows:
The stems of ramie or other fibrous plants are placed upon the feed table and
caused to pass between the feed cylinders, one of these cylinders being mounted
upon springs for permitting the introduction of a greater or smaller quantity of
material these stems arrive upon the aforesaid anvil the upper surface of which is

page_text: undulated, and their wood is broken up by the second part which is undulated
below and receives from the crank shaft a rapid and continuous upward and
downward movement.
As the fibres accompanied by their broken wood pass between the two rollers
the vanes of the latter detach the small broken pieces and cause them to drop
below the machine, so that the fibre alone arrives at the receiver cylinders between
which they pass.
When the end of the fibres has passed between the receiver cylinders the
direction of the movement of the two rollers is reversed by means of a lever practice
having shown that this second direction is preferable for obviating the breakage of
the fibres at the point of the modes, and offers moreover the advantage of enabling
the stems to be treated up to their points.
The direction of the movement which takes place at the moment of the
introduction of the stems is only designed to permit the extremities at the
commencement of the said stems to pass as far as the receiver cylinders and to
engage with them.
After the fibres have been completely freed from their wood they reach the endless
apron as hereinbefore explained.
It may be observed that the springs with which the extremities of the above-
mentioned two rods are provided and upon which the cross-piece rests, have for
their object to render the blow of the striking weight of the breaker uniform, what-
ever may be the number of ramie stems introduced.
Dated this 13th day of September 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Decorticating Ramie and other
Fibrous Plants.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
My invention relates to apparatus for decorticating ramie and other fibrous
plants.
My said invention is represented in the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a front view of the improved apparatus.
Figure 2 is a side view of the same.
Figure 3 is a side view showing the opposite side to that shown in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on the line a b of Figure 1.
The improved apparatus comprises a double cast iron frame, A the two parts of
which are connected by stay bolts, the said frame carrying at its upper part fluted
cylinders CC which serve for feeding in the stems of ramic placed upon the feed
table, B.
Behind these cylinders is provided a breaker composed of two parts D D' having
undulations of corresponding form. One of these parts D' serves as an anvil and is
fixed upon the frame A of the apparatus whilst the other part D is movable and
represents the striking weight. This second part D is united at its extremities to
two vertical rods d d connected by a cross-piece E the ends of which extend into
vertical guides formed in the frame.
I pierce the extremities of the aforesaid cross-piece E with holes for enabling the
same to slide vertically upon two rods d d' and to bear at the same time upon
helical springs b with which the lower ends of the said rods d d' are provided.
The said cross-piece E has moreover two connecting rods F F¹ connected

page_text: to the crank shaft G having two cranks and set in motion by the crank handle M
through the medium of the main shaft, a toothed wheel h and pinion g.
Behind the breaker D D' are two rollers I I¹ which by reason of their starlike
form, with the vanes or spikes of one extending into the intermediate space of the
other, have for their object to detach from the fibres the pieces of wood previously
broken up by the breaker D D'.
My machine is provided with two delivery rollers JJ' of india-rubber or any
other suitable material, which receive the fibre freed from its wood, and convey
it to an endless apron K actuated by a belt k.
11
Motion is imparted to the apparatus either by a crank handle M with a fly
wheel or by a belt pulley when motive power is at disposal. The main shaft H
carries a toothed wheel which actuates the crank shaft, G as hereinbefore set
forth and also a pinion keyed upon one extremity of a shaft L which carries at its
other extremity a second pinion Figure 2 which is always in gear with one or the
other of the pinions i appertaining to the above-mentioned two rollers I I¹
according to the direction of movement of the said rollers, which direction is
determined by means of the lever, N, actuating, by a rocking lever S sleeves
engaging alternately with the two rollers.
Besides the toothed wheel h hereinbefore referred to the driving shaft H carries
a pinion for receiving an endless chain O which transmits the movement to the said
cylinders C C and to the india-rubber delivery rollers J J'.
The improved apparatus operates as follows:
The stems of ramie or other fibrous plants are placed upon the feed table and
caused to pass between the feed rollers, C C' one of these rollers C₁ being mounted
upon springs for permitting the introduction of a greater or smaller quantity of
material, these stems pass upon the aforesaid anvil D₁ the upper surface of which is
undulated, and the wood is broken up by the second part D which is undulated
below and receives from the crank shaft G a rapid and continuous upward and
downward movement.
As the fibres accompanied by their broken wood pass between the two rollers I I'
which at this moment turn in the direction indicated by the arrows Figure 4, the
vanes of the latter detach the small broken pieces and cause them to drop below
the machine, so that the fibre alone arrives at the delivery rollers J J' between
which they pass.
When the end of the fibres has passed between the delivery rollers J J' the
direction of the movement of the two rollers I I¹ is reversed by means of a lever, N,
practice having shown that this second direction is preferable for obviating the
breakage of the fibres at the point of the nodes, and offers moreover the advantage
of enabling the stems to be treated up to their points.
The direction of the movement indicated by the arrows Figure 4 which takes
place at the moment of the introduction of the stems is only designed to permit the
extremities at the commencement of the said stems to pass as far as the delivery
rollers J J and to engage with them.
After the fibres have been completely freed from their wood they reach the
endless apron K as herein before explained.
It may be observed that the springs Figure 1 with which the extremities of
the above mentioned two rods d d' are provided and upon which the cross-piece E
rests, have for their object to render the blow of the striking weight D of the
breaker uniform, whatever may be the number of ramie stems introduced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The improved apparatus for decorticating ramie and other fibrous plants
composed of a fixed part D' undulated at its upper part, upon which a breaker D is
adapted to strike rapidly and continuously, the under side of the said breaker
being likewise undulated, for breaking the wood of the stems into small pieces.

page_text: 2. In the apparatus above described the rollers I I' having a star-shaped section
and the vanes of which intermesh with each other, these rollers having for their
object by their rapid rotation to detach the small pieces of wood from the fibres
which pass between them.
3. The herein described means for changing the direction of motion of the
rollers II by which the stems may be engaged by the lower end the direction of
the movement being changed directly after the end of the fibres has arrived at the
delivery rollers, in order to detach without fear of breakage the fibres at the
points of the nodes and also to act upon these stems up to their extreme ends.
Dated this 24th day of December 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.