Improvements in Machines for Scutching the Leaves and Stems of Fibrous Plants.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 29th May, 1895--Accepted, 27th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Scutching the Leaves and Stems of
Fibrous Plants.
We JOSEPH FOULKES of Myton Lodge Alderbrook Road, in the County of
London, Engineer, JOHN EDINGTON PARK of Ardaros House, Fraserburgh, in the
County of Aberdeen N.B. Merchant and GEORGE NEWTON PEAKE, of 66 Jefferys
Road, Clapham S.W. Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in scutching machines employed for
separating and removing the pulpy portions from the vegetable fibre of the leaves
and stems of fibrous plants. The principal object of our improvements is to
construct a scutching machine and feeding apparatus in a form to facilitate
transport and removal, while simplifying the construction and effecting economy
therein. We also arrange the feeding mechanism with a continuous notion instead
of an alternate forward and backward movement as usually adopted and we
thereby entirely dispense with the reversal of the feed mechanism the arrangement
being so constructed as to effect the withdrawal of the leaves after they have been
operated upon by the revolving drum at a much increased speed. To attain this
end we employ two endless chains or belts arranged parallel with a stationary
feed table adjoining the front or feed plate of the scutching machine and we pass
these chains around a pair of chain wheels or drums mounted below the table at
each end thereof on horizontal axes. Upon these endless chains and transversely
thereto we secure at intervals suitable slats or clamping bars for carrying forward
the material to be scutched.
In order to more effectually grip the fibrous stems or leaves we arrange an
additional or overlaying series of transverse slats carried upon an independent
chain belt passing over chain wheels mounted upon horizontal axes at the end of
the table remote from the scutcher, and at the other end around the chain wheel
carrying the first described pair of endless chaius. The relative position of the
several chain wheels is such as to cause the two sets of slats in travelling forward
to gradually compress the fibrous stems between them, and the intervals between
the slats on the exterior chains are arranged so that the slats thereupon will come
between those upon the other endless chains thereby firmly gripping the fibrous
material. At the opposite end of the table we arrange a revolving drum upon the
exterior surface of which are secured a number of beaters or knives for operating
upon the stems as they are carried forward by the slats, or we may arrange to
secure brushes upon the face of the drum between these knives so as to ensure a
more effectual cleansing of the fibres. Immediately in front of this drum is a
eighted roller beneath which the leaves or stems are caused to travel during
their passage to the feed plate. This feed plate is so arranged as to present a
yielding surface to the action of the knives and for this purpose is preferably
made of sheet metal the lower end of which is bent back and under so as to form
a spring.
"
We inay also arrange a sparge pipe across the front face of the drum by means
of which jets of water can be driven in an upward direction against the knives
during their descent. Upon the spindle or axle of the drum is secured a pulley
which communicates motion to a second shaft upon which is a drum or wide.pulley;

page_text: motion is then communicated from this drum by means of a belt to a third shaft
upon which are arranged three pulleys and a spur wheel. One of these pulleys is
keyed to this shaft, the centre one rides loosely upon the shaft and the third is
also free to revolve upon the shaft and carries a spur wheel gearing into a pinion
keyed upon a counter shaft: upon the other end of this counter shaft is a second
spur wheel arranged to engage with a pinion secured upon the shaft carrying the
pulleys. The rotation of this third motion shaft is transmitted to a fourth shaft
arranged along the side frame of the machine by means of worm wheel gearing,
whence it is communicated to a cross shaft carrying the driving wheels or drums
for actuating the chains by means of bevil wheels. The whole is so arranged as to
enable the belt which communicates motion from the second to the third shaft
being thrown from one pulley to the other by means of a hand lever actuating a
forked striking gear.
In order to permit of the machine being readily removed we prefer to make
the side frames in two parts and hinge the same together so as to fold the table
onto the drum. We also mount the frame upon suitable rollers or wheels.
When operating upon light fibre the knives upon the drum are made of wood
but when it is desired to operate upon heavy stuff we prefer to make the knives of
gun metal with se rated edges.
Dated this First day of September 1894.
Improvements in Machines for Scutching the Leaves and Stems of
Fibrous Plants.
We, JOSEPH FOULKES of Myton Lodge, Alderbrook Road in the County of
London, Engineer, JOHN EDINGTON PARK of Ardaros House, Fraserburgh in
the County of Aberceen N.B., Merchant, and GEORGE NEWTON PEAKE of
66 Jefferys Road, Clapham S.W., Gentleman, 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 :-
Our invention relates to improvements in scutching machines employed for
separating and removing the pulpy portions from the vegetable fibre of the leaves
and stems of fibrous plants. The principal object of our improvements is to
construct a scutching machine and feeding apparatus in a form to facilitate
transport and removal while simplifying the construction and effecting economy
therein. We also arrange the feeding mechanism with a continuous motion instead
of an alternate forward and backward movement as usually adopted and we thereby
entirely dispense with the reversal of the feed mechanism, the arrangement being
so constructed as to effect the withdrawal of the leaves after they have been
operated upon by the revolving drum at a much increased speed. To attain this
end we employ the construction and arrangement shewn on the accompanying
drawings upon which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a scutching machine and feed apparatus to which
our improvements are applied and shewn as arranged for the use of two endless
chains or belts.
Figure 2 being a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a transverse section on line 1-2.
Figure 4 is a detail of the chain shewing movable gripping slat in position.
Figure 5 is a side view of movable crinning
عمام

page_text: In carrying out our invention we employ one or two pairs of endless chains or
belts A. A and A' A' arranged parallel to a stationary feed table B adjoining the
front or feed plate C of the scutching machine and we pass the chains A A¹ around
the chain wheels or drums D D' mounted below the table B at each end thereof
on horizontal axes E E. Upon the endless chains A A' and transversely thereto
we secure at intervals suitable slats or clamping bits F for carrying forward the
material to be scutched.
In order to more effectually grip the fibrous stems or leaves we arrange as
shewn on Figure 2 an additional or overlaying series of transverse slats F¹ carried
upon the independent chains A2 A3 passing over chain wheels D³ D' mounted
upon a horizontal axis E' at the end of the table B remote from the scutcher, and
at the other end around the chain wheels D D' carrying the first described pair
of endless chains & A¹. The relative positions of the several chain wheels is such
as to cause the two sets of slats F F in travelling forward to gradually compress
the fibrous stems between them, and the intervals between the slats F F on the
exterior chains A' A² are arranged so that the slats thereupon will come between
those upon the other endless chains A A', as shewn in detached part of Figure 1
thereby firmly gripping the fibrous material. At the end of the table B nearest
the feed plate C we arrange a revolving drum G upon the exterior surface of
which are secured a number of beaters or knives H for operating upon the stems
as they are carried forward by the slats F F¹.
Or we may arrange to secure brushes upon the face of the drum G between the
nives H to ensure a more effectual cleansing of the fibres. Immediately in front
of this drum is a weighted roller I beneath which the leaves or stems are caused to
travel during their passage to the feed plate C. The feed plate C is arranged so
as to present a yielding surface to the action of the knives H and for this purpose
is preferably made of sheet metal bent to a curve corresponding approximately to
that of the periphery of the drum G carrying the scutching knives H and leaving
a space between its upper surface and the drum G narrowing gradually downwards
as shewn on Figure 1 so as to compress the material as it is carried downward. As
will be seen on the drawing the metal plate is doubled over for the length
required for the feed, and bent under at its lower end so as to form a spring.
We may also arrange a sparge pipe K within the upper bend of the feed plate C
transversely to the face of the drum G as shewn, with perforations provided
therein whereby jets of water can be delivered upward against the knives H during
their descent.
Upon the spindle or axle L of the drum is secured a pulley M which com-
municates motion to a second shaft N upon which is a wide pulley or drum O;
from this drum O motion is communicated by means of a belt P to a third shaft Q
upon which are arranged three pulleys R S T and spur wheel U and pinion Y.
One of these pulleys R is keyed to the shaft the centre one S rides loosely upon
the shaft Q and the third T is also free to revolve upon the shaft and carries the
spur wheel U gearing with a pinion V keyed upon a counter shaft W. Upon this
counter shaft W is a second spur wheel X arranged to engage with the piniou Y
secured upon the shaft Q. The rotation of this third motion shaft Q is transmitted
to a fourth shaft Z arranged along the side frame of the machine by means of
bevil gearing whence it is communicated to the cross shaft E carrying the driving
wheels or drums D D₁ for actuating the chains. The whole is so arranged as to
allow of the belt P which communicates motion from the second to the third shaft
being thrown from one pulley to the other by means of a hand lever a actuating a
forked striking gear 6 or by means of an automatic arrangement consisting of an
adjustable stop so placed upon the chain belt as to operate a lever and fork at
required intervals for the same purpose.
In lieu of the above described chain belts and slats for carrying forward the
stalks or material we may arrange to employ only a single pair of endless chain
belts passing over chain wheels mounted upon horizontal axes at each end of the
table, and carrying movable gripping slats F' interposed at suitable intervals

page_text: between the ordinary slats F. In this case the movable slats as shewn Figure 5,
are composed of two rods or bars piefèrably hinged together at one end and
arranged to be carried in pockets or recesses provided at desired intervals along
the chain belt, and below the level of the ordinary slats, in such a manner as to be
capable of being raised at their free ends to admit the stalks, and then to be
depressed and held so by a sliding piece c so as to grip and hold the fibrous
material which is to be fed into the machine. These slats can be removed together
with the stalks after they have been operated upon by the scutching machine.
In order to permit of the machine being readily removed we prefer to make the
side frames of metal in two parts and hinge the same together as shewn, so as to
allow the table to be folded on to the drum. For the same purpose also we mount
the frame upon suitable rollers or wheels.
When the material to be operated upon is light fibre the knives carried upon
the drum are made of wood, but when it is desired to operate upon heavy stuff we
prefer to make the knives of gun metal and with serrated edges.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. In scutching machines continuous feed mechanism comprising gripping slats
adapted to grip the fibrous material, hinged or otherwise attached transversely
to an endless chain belt, in combination with transverse bars secured upon said
chain belt arranged and operating as and for the purposes herein described.
2. In scutching machines, the combination with a perforated sparge pipe for
moistening the fibrous material to be operated upon, of an elastic feed plate
presenting a yielding resistance to pressure of the scutching devices as and for the
purposes specified.
3. Continuous feed machines for scutching vegetable fibre, constructed, combined
and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this Twenty-ninth day of Mon 1805