Iм- PROVED APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND TREATING THE LEAVES AND STALKS הסחה המסBr מת תזוזתכם DANT
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Guild, of Horbury Gardens, Notting
Hill, in the County of Middlesex, Merchant, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVED APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND TREATING THE LEAVES AND STALKS
הסחה המסBr מת
תזוזתכם
DANT
"
Sealed the 24th February 1863, and dated the 30th October 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Guild at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
October 1862.
I, ALEXANDER GUILD, of Horbury Gardens, Notting Hill, in the County of
Middlesex, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR PREPARING AND TREATING THE LEAVES AND STALKS
OP FIBRE-YIELDING PLANTS, AND FOR CLEANING AND DRESSING THE SAME," to be as
follows:-
My first improvement relates to a mode of preparing for the subsequent
processes of cleaning or dressing such leaves or stalks as are too large or tough
to be advantageously operated upon in the dressing or cleaning machine
without some previous preparation. The object of this part of the Invention
is so to prepare the leaves and stalks that they can be more readily acted upon.
by any machine for extracting the useful fibres. The machine whereby this
object is effected consists of one or more pairs of rollers, between or under

page_text: which the stalks or leaves are to be fed and brought under the operation of
an adjustable bar armed with wedges or knives, whereby the leaves or stalks
are split or disintegrated lengthways, the bar being capable of being pressed
more or less on the leaves or stalks by the foot or hand of the operator. By
this arrangement of parts the operation of the knives or wedges may be
modified or stopped at the will of the operator.
Another form of apparatus consists of one or more rollers with wedge-
shaped grooves or corrugations at right angles to their axes, so that by causing
these wedge-shaped corrugations to press on the leaves or stalks, which are
placed upon a table or travelling apron, the fibres may be separated or forced
asunder, thereby splitting up and disintegrating the leaves or stalks as above
mentioned into strips of fibres which may be afterwards cleaned in the machine
which forms the second part of the Invention.
My next improvement relates to machinery for dressing or cleaning the
fibres from the pulpy part or boon of the plant. In this machine there is a
cylinder and endless belt armed with toothed bars, scrapers, or other analogous
instruments for operating upon the fibres. The cylinder and belt run at the
same speed so as to enable the scraping instruments to operate on both sides
of the leaf, stalk, or fibre simultaneously. Spaces or openings are made
between the toothed bars or scraping instruments, or their equivalents, on the
cylinder, and also on the endless belt, so as to permit the refuse matter or
other substance which it is desired to separate from the useful fibres to pass
freely away. The endless belt carrying the toothed bars and scrapers, or either,
is made in separate pieces or strips with openings between, or if in one piece
it is made with spaces through it so as to permit the extraneous matter, tow,
or other substance which it is desired to remove to pass freely away. I
sometimes propose to make the endless belt of steel, or of steel in combination
or in connection with other materials so as to make it strong and prevent it
from stretching, and hot or cold water, either with or without a chemical
solution or solvent, is also to be used for more thoroughly cleansing the fibres
from the gums and pulpy or other extraneous matters desired to be got rid of.
These liquids will also, when necessary, assist in bleaching the fibres. Steam,
either with or without a chemical solution or solvent, may also be employed for
more thoroughly cleansing the fibres from the gums and pulpy or other
extraneous matter desired to be got rid of. The interior working parts of the
machine must be enclosed in a box or casing so as to be steam-tight. This
casing must however be so arranged and constructed that the extraneous
matter may be discharged from the machine while the delivery of the cleaned
or dressed fibre is taking place. All the working and other parts of the

page_text: machine, interior and exterior, are' to be galvanized, japanned, or otherwise
protected from the corroding action of the acids and destructive chemical com-
pounds contained in fibre-yielding plants in the green state, and from the
chemical substances used in any of the processes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Guild in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th April 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
GUILD, of Horbury Gardens, Notting Hill, in the County of Middlesex,
Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alexander Guild, Her special license that I, the said Alexander Guild, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander
Guild, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR PRE-
PARING AND TREATING THE LEAVES AND STALKS OF FIBRE-YIELDING PLANTS, AND FOR
CLEANING AND DRESSING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I; the said Alexander Guild, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Guild, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My first improvement relates to a mode of preparing for the subsequent
processes of cleaning or dressing such leaves or stalks as are too large or tough
to be advantageously operated upon in the dressing or cleaning machine.

page_text: without some previous preparation. The object of this part of the Invention
is so to prepare the leaves and stalks that they can be more readily acted upon
by any machine for extracting the useful fibres. The machine whereby this
objected is effected consists of one or more pairs of rollers, between or under
which the stalks or leaves are to be fed and brought under the operation of an
adjustable bar armed with wedges or knives, whereby the leaves or stalks are split
or disintegrated lengthways. This bar, which I call the splitter, is capable of
being pressed more or less on the leaves or stalks by the foot or hand of the
operator. By this arrangement of parts the operation of the knives or wedges
may be modified or stopped at the will of the operator, as immediately pressure
is taken off the treadle, whereby the splitter is depressed, the latter will be lifted
up by the force of a spring or by a counterbalance weight.
Another form of apparatus, and which is, perhaps, the more preferable
form, consists of one or more rollers with wedge-shaped grooves or corru-
gations at right angles to their axis, so that by causing the salient edges of
these wedge-shaped corrugations to press on the leaves or stalks, which are
placed upon a table or travelling apron, the fibres may be separated or forced
asunder, thereby splitting up and disintegrating the leaves or stalks, as above
mentioned, into strips of fibres, which may be afterwards cleaned in the
machine which forms the second part of the Invention.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a sectional Diagram
representing the principal working parts of the first form of apparatus above
mentioned. a, a, are a pair of feeding rollers for carrying or feeding forward
the leaves to be operated upon by the splinter bar b, armed on its under side
with wedge-shaped cutting instruments, as shewn in the detached front view,
Fig. 2, of this bar, which forms an important feature of this part of the
Invention. The ends of this bar 6 or splitter work in vertical guides, and
when not in use it is kept elevated by means of springs or by a counter-
balance weight. The bar or splitter is depressed by means of a treadle lever c,
which is connected thereto by links d, d, and the leaves are drawn forward
under the bar or splitter 6 by means of the rollers e, e.
As a modification of the above, I have shewn, in Fig. 3, a longitudinal
section of a machine in which a roller is employed in place of the bar b, and
acts as a splitter, and is provided with similar wedge-shaped cutting edges, as
shewn in the elevation of this roller detached at Fig. 4. The leaves are
placed on a feeding table a¹, and are drawn forward under the cutting edges
of the bar or roller 6 by the nipping rollers e, e, Fig. 3, on the axles of which
are mounted toothed wheels e¹, e¹, by which they are driven, as shewn in the
side elevation, Fig. 5. The roller 6 is also worked up and down in vertical

page_text: guides for the purpose of bringing it into or throwing it out of action like the
bar 6 in Fig. 1. In this instance a counterbalance weight c¹ is placed on
the end of the treadle lever c for the purpose of keeping the roller 6 lifted up
from the table when out of work. The wedge-shaped cutting edges shewn in
Figs. 2 and 4 are intended more particularly to operate upon thick fleshy
leaves, but for thinner leaves disc-shaped cutting instruments, such as those
shewn in the front elevation, Fig. 6, of the machine, may be employed. In
Fig. 3, 5, and 6 the roller 6 is allowed to turn freely on its axis by the
friction of the leaves passing thereunder, but, if desired, a direct and constant
rotary motion may be communicated to this roller by suitable mechanism.
An arrangement to effect this object is shewn in the partial sectional view,
Fig. 7, in which it will be seen that the splitter or roller bis mounted in
bearings in a triangular frame f, which turns on the axle of one of the
rollers e, e, and carries at one angle the splitter or roller b, and at another an
intermediate wheel, which transmits motion from the wheel e¹ to the wheel b¹
on the axle of the roller b. It will of course be evident that the relative
speeds of the rollers e and the splitter may be considerably modified by
altering the proportions of the wheels e¹ and b'.
'
My next improvement relates to machinery for dressing or cleaning the
fibres from the pulpy part or boon of the plant; part of a machine, constructed
according to this head of the Invention, is shewn in front elevation at Fig. 8,
and in longitudinal section at Fig. 9.
Fig. 11, Sheet II., is a side elevation of the machine complete; Fig. 12
is a back elevation of the same, partly in section. In this machine there is a
cylinder made of two cast-iron ends g, g, to which are secured the wedged
form bars m, m, as shewn in the detached views, Figs. 15 and 16, Sheet II.,
and also in the sectional view, Fig. 9. The endless belt h, Fig. 9, is also
armed with toothed bars, scrapers, or other analogous instruments i, i, i, for
operating upon the fibres. The cylinder and belt run at the same speed so as
to enable the scraping instruments to operate on both sides of the leaf, stalk,
or fibre simultaneously while the leaf or plant is held back by the feeding
rollers. Spaces or openings are made between the toothed bars or scraping
instruments m, m, or their equivalents, on the cylinder g, and also on the
endless belt h, so as to permit the refuse matter or other substance which it
is desired to separate from the useful fibres to pass freely away. The endless
belt h, which carries the toothed bars and scrapers i, i, i, or either, is made in
separate pieces or strips with openings between, or if constructed in one
piece it is made with spaces through it so as to permit the extraneous matter,
tow, or other substance which it is. desired to remove to pass freely away.. -

page_text: The endless belt h, Fig. 8, is made of steel or of steel in combination with
leather, gutta percha, or other materials, as shewn at N in the enlarged
detached views, Figs. 15, 16, and 17, Sheet II., so as to make it strong, and
prevent it from stretching. In these Figures the parts are drawn full size,
the belts (of which there are three) carry the scraper bars, and each belt runs
over its own pullies o, o, as seen in Figs. 12 and 17, Sheet II., and Fig. 8,
Sheet I. The belt is made of steel backed with gutta percha. Hot or cold
water, either with or without a chemical solution or solvent, is also to be used
for more thoroughly cleansing the fibres from the gums and pulpy or other
extraneous matters desired to be got rid of; these liquids will also, when
necessary, assist in bleaching the fibres. Steam, either with or without a
chemical solution or solvent, may also be employed for more thoroughly
cleansing the fibres from the gums and pulpy or other extraneous matter
desired to be got rid of.
The interior working parts of the machine must be enclosed in a box or
casing so as to be steam-tight, as shewn in the sectional view, Fig. 18,
Sheet III. In this Figure the internal working parts are omitted; I have
only represented the feed rollers r, s, t, in order to shew the manner in which
the casing is kept steam and water tight. v is the orifice where the steam
or water is admitted to the inside of the machine; the centre roll r is
fluted, and the upper and lower ones s and t are iron spindles covered with
vulcanized india-rubber, as shewn in the detached view; Fig. 19, of these
rollers, which are drawn full size. In order to render the space between
these rollers and the casing steam and water tight, it is necessary that the
rollers should have brass pieces u running along their whole length, which
can be tightened up to the face of the two india-rubber rollers, thereby
ensuring the inside of the machine to be steam-tight. This steam-tight casing
must be so arranged and constructed that the extraneous matter may be
discharged from the machine while the delivery of the cleaned or dressed fibre
is taking place.
When the motion of the fibre machine is reversed (which is done for the
purpose of returning the worked fibre back through the feed rolls to the hands
of the operator) it is desireable that the door A of the casing should be opened
simultaneously to allow the steam or water (which has been used for softening
the fibre) to escape, and as the operator at the machine is occupied with the s
worked fibres which are being delivered back through the rolls it is found
necessary to employ means from the front of the machine to open the door A
at the back.
The arrangement for effecting this object is shewn in Figs. 11 and 12,

page_text: Sheet II. A is the door for discharging the steam, hot water, and refuse.
This door is operated by the rods E, E, which are worked from the front of
the machine. The first operation for reversing the action of the machine is
best seen in Fig. 12. By moving the handles B, B, in the direction of the
arrow the reversing gear is put in operation by withdrawing a clutch key from
the pinion of one set of gear and inserting it in the first wheel of the reversing
train. The lever C, which is attached to the bar D, is moved in the direction
of the arrow, consequently the lower part of the lever in rising lifts the rods
E', E, E³, which leaves the door A free to open, as the lugs F on the side
rods E2, E2, in Fig. 11, will not then bear against the guides G, as they will
have been lifted so as to clear and pass through the guides on either side of
the machine. On the operator pressing his foot against the rod E³ he pushes
the door A open, as indicated by dots in Fig. 11.
In order to shut the door when the feed motion is put in gear, this of course
may be simply done by moving the handles B, B, on the bar D in the reverse
direction of the arrow, which will move the lever C and drop the rods E¹, E³,
E³. Prior to this however the operator must have withdrawn his foot from
the rod Es, and the door A will close; the rods will at the same time come
towards him, and when reversed, the side rods E, E, will keep the door
from opening by means of the lugs F pressing against the lower part of the
guides g. In Figs. 13 and 14 I have shewn, full size, some of the parts for
opening the door A. The bar D has a pin I rivetted into it; this pin on motion
being given to the bar D moves the lever C either to the right or left. As
the pin is fixed, the eye of the lever works in a slotted hole. The stud pin R
is screwed into the framing and carries the lever C, thereby acting as the
fulerum. The rod E¹ has the eye (which is attached to the lever C) formed,
as shewn, so as to enable it to slip on the pin of the lever C, thereby always
keeping a perpendicular position. All the working and other parts of the
machine, interior and exterior, are to be galvanized, japanned, or otherwise
protected from the corroding action of the acids and destructive chemical
compounds contained in fibre-yielding plants in the green state, and from the
chemical substances used in any of the processes.
Having now described my Invention of improved apparatus for preparing
and treating the leaves and stalks of fibre-yielding plants, and for cleaning and
dressing the same, and having explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid,
First, the means herein set forth of preparing and treating the leaves and
stalks of fibre-yielding plants.

page_text: Second, I claim the mode herein set forth and described of constructing
the several novel parts of the machine for dressing and cleaning the fibres; I
also claim enclosing the internal working parts of the machine in a steam and
water tight case, so that the fibres may be operated upon by steam and
chemical solvents while passing through the machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Guild, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the said
Alexander Guild, in presence of
DAVID M. AFEE.
ALEXR. GUILD. (L.S.)