IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DECORTICATING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JONATHAN SMITH, of Langley House in the Island of Jersey, Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
DECORTICATING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES to be as follows:-
In the accompanying diagram, A, B & C are pairs of corrugated rollers for
masticating the roots, stalks, leaves, bark, or other fibre-yielding substance: D is
a pair of scraping rollers for cleaning the fibre from extraneous matters: & E is
a pair of revolving combs for the same purpose. To these may be added, where
necessary, one or more pairs of revolving brushes, similar to the revolving combs E.
There may be any number of masticating rollers, & of scraping, comb, & brush
rollers; The lower rollers, scrapers, &c., are by preference immersed in a water
bath, which may be hot or cold, & may consist either of pure water or a chemical
solution: or, where desirable, the bath may be dispensed with, & the fibrous matters
treated dry.
.
The corrugations in the rollers A, B, C, are not parallel to the axis as is
customary, but pitched form of an Archimedean screw. Similarly, the knives of
the scraping rollers D are also arranged in screw-like form, the scraping action
being thus rendered continuous instead of intermittent, as it would be if they were
set at right angles to the plane of motion. The corrugations of the rollers A, B, C,
are further so arranged that the corrugations of the successive rollers shall fall
upon & crush different portions of the stems, leaves, &c. This is done by so varying
the number of corrugations in the successive rollers that they are prime to each
other (e.g. 91, 103, 119 &c.).
The pressure on the different rollers, &c., is obtained by means of a hand-screw,
bearing on a C spring, which in turn presses on the bearings of each of the upper
rollers.
The speed of the corrugated rollers may be the same: the speed of the scrapers,
combs & brushes must necessarily be greater, otherwise there would be no scraping
or combing action: but the exact relative speed will depend upon, & be determined
by, the requirements of the fibre under treatment.

page_text: Alternative forms: the lower rollers, &c., may be replaced (any or all of them) by
a similarly corrugated (or a plain) bed-plate, where, for example, more prolonged
mastication is necessary: or in any other way founded on the same principle of
masticating & cleaning.
I do not bind myself to the stated number, material, relative position, or arrange-
ment of the series of corrugated rollers, scrapers, combs or brushes.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Decorticating Fibrous Substances.
I, the undersigned JONATHAN SMITH, of Langley House, in the Island of Jersey,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR DECORTICATING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:—
In the accompanying diagram, A, B, & C, are pairs of corrugated rollers for
masticating the roots, stalks, leaves, bark; or other fibre-yielding substance: D is
a pair of scraping rollers for cleaning the fibre from extraneous matters: E is a
pair of revolving combs for the same purpose: to these may be added when
necessary one or more pairs of revolving brushes, similar to the revolving combs E.
There may be any number of masticating rollers, & of scraping, comb, & brush
rollers. The lower rollers, scrapers, &c., are by preference immersed in a water
bath, which may be hot or cold, & may consist either of pure water, or a chemical
solution, or of any other fluid: or, when desirable, the bath may be dispensed with,
& the fibrous matters treated dry.
The corrugations in the rollers A, B, C are pitched in the form of an Archimedean
screw, and are not parallel to the axis of the roller as is customary. Similarly, the
knives of the scraping rollers D are also arranged in screw-like form, the scraping
action thus being rendered continuous, instead of intermittent as it would be if
they were set at right angles to the plane of motion. The corrugations of the
rollers A, B, C, are so arranged that the corrugations of the successive rollers crush
successively fresh portions of the stem, leaf, &c. This is done by varying their
number so that they are prime to each other in each successive pair of rollers (e.g.
91, 103, 119).
The pressure is obtained by means of a hand screw bearing on a C spring, which
in turn presses on the bearings of each of the upper rollers, combs, &c.

page_text: The corrugated rollers may move at the same speed (or otherwise), but the speed
of the scrapers, combs & brushes must necessarily be greater, or there would be no
scraping or combing action. The exact relative speed will depend upon & be
determined by the particular fibre under treatinent.
Alternative forms. I do not bind myself to the number, material, relative
position, or arrangement of the series of corrugated rollers, scrapers, combs, &c.
Again, the lower series of rollers, scrapers, &c., may (any, or all of them) be replaced
by a corrugated (or plain) bed-plate, or in any other way founded on the same
general principle of masticating & cleaning.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
(1.) The machine as a whole in its present form, & such modifications of it as are
herein indicated, for the purposes of decorticating, cleaning, and generally treating
fibres & fibrous substances.
(2.) The use of diagonally-corrugated rollers & diagonally-arranged scrapers as
herein described, for the said purposes.
(3.) The arrangement of the corrugations in a series of rollers in such a way
that each successive corrugation in the whole series shall impinge upon & crush a
different portion of the stem, leaf, &c., thus submitted to them.
Dated this fourth day of June 1886.