Improvements in Fibre Oleaning and Preparing Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th May, 1895-Accepted, 15th June, 1895
CODILETE STUITIVATION.
Improvements in Fibre Oleaning and Preparing Machines.
I, JOSEPH COMPTON TODD, Engineer, of 203 Broadway, New York, in the
County of New York, and State of New York, United States of America, 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 in general to machines which are intended for removing
the pulp from the fibres of sisal and other leaves of like character. Machines of
this description are necessarily very heavy and some of the working parts thereof
are subject to great pressure. The machines therefore requie considerable power
to drive them and it is desirable on this account. as well as to prevent the stupping
of gears and the like, to relieve the friction upon the working parts as much as
possible. The leaves are commonly held and caned forward for the action of the
scraping wheels by two endless chains, the adjacent members of which move in the
same ducction and hold the leaves between them. Great pressure upon the chains
is necessary in order to enable them to retain the leaves nud fibies while they are
being acted upon by the scraping wheels and consequently, m machines heretofore
constructed, great function was developed between the chains and their supports,
with a corresponding consumption of power. In addition to this the driving gears
were frequently stripped of their teeth. 1 have sought to overcome this difficulty
and have accomplished the desired result by the means hereinafter described.
Incidentally to the improvement just referred to and with the same object in view
I have improved the means for driving the several working parts of the machine
from the main driving shaft. I have also sought to improve the feeding-in devices
with the object not only of reducing the danger to the attendant but also of
cnabling the feeding to be affected more regularly and more rapidly.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine :
Figure 2 18 a plan view of the same.
Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line -r of Figure 1
Figure 4 is an enlarged detail in transverse section through the adjacent members
of the holding chains and the supporting cloth therefor·
Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view in side elevation of the anti-friction chain :
Figure 6 is a plan view of the same :
Figure 7 is an enlarged detail view in side elevation of a portion of one of the
bolding chains.
The fame 10 of the machine is adapted to receive and support in suitablo
bearings the two cleaning or scraping wheels 11, 12, which are peripherally armed
with suitable blades 13, the edge of cach blade being inclined outwardly from its
forward end nearly to its middle point. The said wheels are offset from each
other with their axes in parallel planes, the peripheries slightly overlapping. The
leaves or fibres to be cleaned are supported for the action thereon of each
wheel 11, 12, by a suitable shoe or concave which is supported by standards 14
which rest upon the base 15 of the machine. The standards 14 and body plate 16
may be cast in one piece and the concave of the body plate is preferably lined with
a plate 17 of brass. The whole shoo or concave is adjustable upon the base 15
toward or from its corresponding wheel in order to take up wear or to regulate the
action of the machine. For the purpose of effecting the adjustment a screw-
threaded shaft 18 18 provided, as represented in Figure 3.
.

page_text: The leaves or fibies to be cleaned are held for the action of the first wheel 11 by
a pair of holding chains 19, 20, which are mounted one over the other upon suitable
carrying wheels 21, 21, said wheels being mounted upon shafts 22 supported in
suitable bearings on the main frame The upper member of the lower chain is
supported and held in place by a grooved bar 23 and the lower member of the
upper chain 18 pressed down upon it by rollers 24. Each rolle is mounted in a
Joke 25 the stem 26 of which is guided in a suitable frame 27, while a stiff spiral
spring 28 forces the roller down and thereby causes the chain 19 to be pressed
firmly against the cham 20. If the upper member of the chain 20 rested directly
upon the bar 23 the friction would be excessive and it therefore becomes necessary
to provide means whereby the fiction at this point may be reduced. Anti-friction
rollers supported in the usual manner in stationary bearings will not meet the
requirements of this particular machine because, under the great pressure not only
is the friction on the bearings considerable but the bearings themselves are soon
cut down, making it necessary to renew the grooved supporting bar and the rollers.
For this reason I bave so arranged the auti-fiction wheels that they may roll upon
the supporting bar and may support the holding chain upon their peripheries. To
this end the anti-fiction wheels 29 are mounted upon short shafts or axles 30 which
are supported in the links 31 of an endless chau which lies in the groove of the
supporting bar and is led from end to end beneath the same, the wheels 29 rolling
upon the bottom of the groove. The links 20% of the holding chain 20 are formed
with a straight rear or under edge so that they may travel smoothly over the
wheels 29 and so that the latter shall be caused to 1oll from end to end of the
supporting bar. The adjacent faces of the two chains 19 and 20 are preferably
formed with interlocking, longitudinal tongues and grooves, as represented in
Figures 4 and 7, so that a firm grasp may be had upon the leaves or fibres to hold
them against the section of the scraping or cleaming wheels 11, 12.
I have confined the description above to that pan of holding chains which
co-operates with the first cleaning whoel, but it will be obvious without further
explanation that the same description applies equally to that pair of holding chains
which co-operates with the second cleaning wheel 12. The two pairs of holding
chains are offset so that the portion of the leaves or fibies which lies between the
chains of the first pair may be exposed to the action of the second wheel 12, the
second pair of holding chains grasping the bibres where they have been cleaned by
the fist wheel 11 In order that the tiles may be transferred properly from the
hrst pair of holding chains to the second pair I have arranged between the two
pairs of chains, with their axes obliquely disposed, two grooved wheels 32, 33, see
Figures 2 and 3. The wheel 32 18 an idler while the second wheel 33 is fixed to a
shaft 4 which is mounted in suitable bearings and to which rotation is imparted
is hereinafter more particularly described. An endless band or belt 35 is carried
by the wheels 32, 33, and is caused to travel in the proper direction to present the
fice ends of the fibres projecting from the first pair of chains to the second pair of
chains in order that they may be grasped thereby.
as
The means for feeding the leaves into the grasp of the first pair of chains have
been improved in such a manner as to remove the possibility of the hands or
clothing of the operator being caught while at the saine time it is easier than in
the former machines to feed the leaves for ward into the grasp of the holding chains
regularly and rapidly. In front of the first pair of chains and on a level with the
bito thereof is hxed a table 36 upon the outer end of which the leaves to be
cleaned may be laid. On each end of the shaft 22 which supports the lower front
'chain-wheel is fixed a pulley 37 and upon each end of a shaft 38 which is Jounnalled
in bearing below the outer end of the table 36 is fixed a pulley 39.
pulleys 37, 39, carry a pair of endless tope-bands 40 and the pulley's are so disposed
or proportioned that the upper members of the bands se from a point below the
level of the upper surface of the table through inclined slots 41 in sand table,
thus bringing more and more of the thickness of the rope above the table. Upon
the shaft 22 which supports the front chain-wheel are secured pulleys 42 which
The

page_text: correspond to the pulleys 37 below and upon a shaft 43 jourualled in the end of an
adjustable aim 44 are fixed pulleys 45. The said pulleys 42 and 45 carry endless
ope-bands 46 and are so disposed or proportioned that the lower members of the
endless bands are inclined downward from a point above the table where they leave
the pulleys 45 into the same plane with the ropes 40 as they pass on to the
pulleys 42. The pulleys 42 and the pulleys are closer together than the pulleys
of the corresponding pairs below them so that the bauds 46 stand between the
bands 40 By this arrangement the leaves to be cleaned may be pushed easily
and rapidly by the hands of the operator from the outer end of the table to a
point where the lower bands 40 rise sufficiently through the table to move the
leaves along At the same time the upper bands 46 approach near enough to the
lower bands to grasp the leaves firmly and so feed them forward and deliver them
to the holding chains. By this arrangement it is possible to spread the leaves much
moie uniformly and to lay them much more rapidly than if toothed feeding chains
are employed.
The driving mechanism in the present machine has been arranged so that the
strains may be more evenly divided than in the old machines and that there may
be in consequence less wear upon certain parts and less danger of breakage. The
driving pulley 47 and its corresponding loose pulley 48, if one be used, are mounted
upon the main shaft 49 which is Journalled in bearings on the top of the frame of
the machine. A second shaft 50 is likewise journalled in bearings on the top of the
frame and is driven from the first by gears 51, 52. The shaft 49 has upon its end
a band wheel 53 from which power is transmitted through an endless band 54 to a
second band wheel 55 ou the shaft of the first cleaning wheel 11, the band tightening
pulley 56 being provided to keep the band 54 taut. The second cleaning wheel 12
is driven by a similar arrangement of band wheels 57 and 58, endless bands 59, and
tightening pulley 60 from the second shaft 50 Through a train of gears 61, 62,
63, 64, power is transmitted from the shaft 49 to a shaft 65 and from the latter
power is transmitted by bevel gears 66 and 67, vertical shaft 68, and hevel
gears 69, 70, to a cross shaft 71. The latter has fixed thereto the upper rear chain
wheel of the first pair of chains and the upper front chain wheel of the second
pair of chains. The lower rear shaft 22 of the first pair of chains drives through
bevel gears 72, 73, the transfer band 35. From the shaft 71 power is also trans-
mitted through the bevel gears 74, 75, inclined shaft 76 and bevel gears 77, 78, to
the lower front shaft 22 of the first pair of holding chains.
As the uncleaned portions of the leaves projecting from the side of the first
pair of holding chains opposite to the cleaning wheel 11 are more or less stiff it is
necessary that they should be heut downward so that they may enter properly
between the second cleaning wheel 12 and its concave. For this purpose a bar 79
19 supported with its forward end above the bite of the chains and with its rear
end so bent down near the wheel 12 aud its concave so that the projecting ends are
guided properly to said wheel 12.
The general operation of machines of this character 18 well understood and
need not be further described herein.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inveu-
tion and in what mauner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim 18.
1. In a fibre preparing machine, the combination with a cleaning wheel and a
pair of holding chains adapted to grasp between them the leaves or fibies, of a
grooved supporting bar, an endless chain of tollers adapted to rest upon the
bottom of the groove and to support the adjacent member of one holding chain
upon their peripheries, means to apply pressure pou the adjacent member of the
other holding chain, and means to impart movement to said holding chains,
substantially as shown and described.
2. In a fibre preparing machine, the combination with a cleaning wheel and a
pair of holding chains adapted to grasp between them the leaves or fibre, of a

page_text: grooved supporting bar, an endless chain laid in the groove of said bar and passing
from end to end outside of the same, studs supported by the links of said chain,
wheels mounted on said studs and adapted to roll on the bottom of the groove and
to support upon their peripheries oue member of one of the chains, means to apply
pressure upon the adjacent member of the other chain, and means to impart
movement to said holding chains, substantially as shown and described.
3. In a fibre preparing machine, the combination with a cleaning wheel and a
pair of holding chains, of a feed table having slots inclined from the under to the
upper side, a pan of endless bands passed through said slots, pulleys to support the
forward ends of said bands with the rear ends of the upper members above
the surface of the table, a second pair of bands, pulleys to support the front ends
of said last named bands above the tablo, and pulleys to support the rear ends of
said bands with the rear ends of the lower members in the same plane with the
rear ends of the upper member of the first named bands, substantially as shown
and described.
..
100K
PACCIO
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for Applicant.