Improvements relating to the Disentangling of Cut Tobacco, and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 10th Apr., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Disentangling of Cut Tobacco, and
to Apparatus therefor.
We, OSCAR WILLIAM ALLISON, Mechanical Engineer, and CAROLINE
ALLISON, both of No. 18 Avenue A, Vick Park, Rochester, in the County of
Monroe, in the 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 to a method of and apparatus for heating, drying and
disentangling cut tobacco.
In preparing cut smoking tobacco, the tobacco leaves are moistened and then
cut up and dried. When such cut tobacco is cold and dry it is brittle and in this
condition the operation of opening or disentangling the aggregations or bunches of
fibres results in breaking up or comminuting a considerable portion of the fibres,
which is objectionable because it produces short fragments of tobacco.
The object of our invention is to effect a separation of the aggregations of fibres
and to loosen the fibres uniformly without danger of shortening the same by
breaking or cutting. We attain this object by subjecting the cut tobacco to the
disentangling or combing operation while hot in which condition the fibres are
tough and pliable and can be handled much more freely and without danger of
breakage than when they are cold and dry.
In the accompanying drawing an apparatus is shown adapted for carrying our
invention into practice.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of such apparatus.
Figures 2, 3 and 4 are transverse sections thereof, on the lines 2-2, 3-3.
and 4-4, Figure 1, respectively.
Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.
A is the heating drum or drier in which the first operation of heating and
disentangling the fibres is performed. As shown in the drawings this drier is
slightly inclined rearwardly and rotatably supported by rollers a a mounted on the
main frame A' and engaging with annular flanges a' on the drum. The drum may
be rotated in the direction of the arrow, Figure 2, by any suitable means, preferably
by a gear wheel c secured to one of the roller shafts and meshing with a gear rim c
on the drum. D represents several sets of steam coils arranged lengthwise and
radially in the heating drum and secured thereto by brackets d so as to turn
therewith. Steam may be admitted into these coils and the water of condensation.
may be withdrawn therefrom in any suitable way for instance, by the devices.
shown which consists of an axial pipe d' rigidly connected at one end with the inlet.
ends of the steam coils and movably connected at its other end with a stationary
steam supply pipe d2. d³ is a rotary outlet chamber or sleeve connected with the
outlet ends of the several coils and journalled in a hollow bearing d. The sleeve :
is provided with outlet openings do within the hollow bearing and the latter is
provided with a drain pipe de for the escape of the water of condensation.
Upon turning the drum, the tobacco is picked up by the steam coils as the latter
pass upwardly on one side of the drum and drops from the coils as they reach the
upper portion of the drum, thereby exposing all portions of the tobacco to the heat.
of the coils and heating and drying the same.
:
1

page_text: In order to disentangle the tobacco at the same time that it is being heated and
dried the inner side of the drum is preferably provided in any suitable manner with
combing or separating teeth e which are adapted to engage with the tobacco, as it
is tumbled around in the drum and separate or disentangle the bunches of fibres,
shreds, or strands. A row of these teeth is preferably arranged in connection with
each set of steam coils near the inner edge of each coil, so that the tobacco, after
having heen lifted, falls upon and between these teeth and is operated upon by the
same. Each row of teeth is preferably secured to a bar e' which is secured to the
brackets d on the advancing side of the coil.
The cut and moistened tobacco is introduced into this drum through an opening e²
in the front head of the drum and is heated and disentangled while being tumbled
about in the drum and is finally discharged from the open rear end of the drum and
delivered to a disentangling or combing machine which operates on the tobacco
while the same is still heated. This machine is preferably constructed
follows:-
as
F represents the frame of the machine which is arranged in rear of the heating
drum aud G is a feed apron arranged underneath the tail end of the drum and
passing around rollers g g¹ journalled in the frame F. . H H¹ represent two picker
or retarding rollers which are journalled transversely in the frame F and between
which the tobacco is delivered by the feed apron G. The picker rollers are
separated a suitable distance and each roller is provided on its periphery with pins
or teeth h which pass freely between the teeth of the opposing picker roller. The
picker rollers are preferably so geared that their opposing sides move forwardly
and at the same speed. I represents a combing roller which is journalled
transversely in the frame F in rear of the picker rollers and which is provided on
its periphery with teeth which pass freely between the teeth of both picker
rollers. The combing roller rotates faster than the picker rollers whereby the
more rapidly moving teeth of the combing roller comb out, separate and loosen
the aggregations of fibres or strands of tobacco.
J represents a delivery apron which is arranged underneath the 'feed apron, the
picker rollers and the combing rollers and which receives the tobacco from the latter
together with any tobacco which may fall from the feed apron and the picker
rollers and between the latter and the combing rollers.
In order to prevent cooling of the tobacco as it passes from the drier through
this combing machine the latter is enclosed by a housing K which is provided on
its front side with an opening K' through which the delivery end of the drier
projects and on its rear side with an opening K through which the delivery apron
of the combing machine delivers the tobacco. By enclosing the combing machine
and the rear end of the drier the space around the same is kept hot by the drier
and the tobacco is maintained in the proper.pliable condition while being operated
upon by the combing'machine.
For the purpose of permitting free access to all parts of the combing machine
for cleaning the same the machine is preferably supported by wheels L attached
to the frame of this machine 'and mounted on rails which extend outside of the
housing. The side wall of the housing is provided above the rails with an
opening m through which the machine is moved and which is closed by'a sliding
door m¹.
O represents a secondary heating drum or drier which is constructed like the
primary heating drum and into which the tobacco is delivered from the combing
machine. This drum dries any portion of the tobacco which is still' moist after
having passed through the primary heating drum and the combing machine and its
combing teeth serve to further loosen or disentangle the fibres of tobacco 'as the
latter passes through the same. The tobacco after passing through the secondary
heating drum may be delivered to a secondary combing machine-P. The latter is
constructed like the primary combing machine and completes the loosening of the
fibres while the tobacco is still in a heated state as it escapes from the secondary
drier.

page_text: Cut tobacco prepared in this manner is composed of long fibres which are
uniformly loosened and free from knots, lumps or aggregations of fibres.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
I
1. The herein described method of loosening the fibres of cut tobacco which.
consists in heating the fibres and carding, combing or disentangling the fibres while
in a heated condition, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with a heating drum having an inlet and a discharge for
the cut tobacco, of a combing machine which receives the beated tobacco from said
drum, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with a heating drum having an inlet and a discharge for the
cut tobacco, of a combing machine which receives the heated tobacco from said.
drum, and a housing which encloses the delivery end of said heating drum and said
combing machine, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination with a heating drum having an inlet and a discharge for the
cut tobacco, of a combing machine which receives the heated tobacco from said
drum and a secondary heating drum which receives the tobacco from said combing-
machine, substantially as set forth.
5. The combination with a heating drum having an inlet and a discharge for the
cut tobacco, of a combing machine which receives the heated tobacco from said
drum, a secondary heating drum which receives the tobacco from said combing
machine and a housing connecting said drums and enclosing said combing machine,.
substantially as set forth.
L
1007
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.