Iм- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SEPARATING THE PULP FROM THE TEXTILE FIBRE OF THE ABACA AND OTHER TREES AND PLANTS IN WHICH THE TEXTILE FIBRE IS SURROUNDED BY A FLESHY PULP
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jean François Pironet, of the Town and County
of the Town of Nottingham, Engineer, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SEPARATING THE PULP FROM THE TEXTILE
FIBRE OF THE ABACA AND OTHER TREES AND PLANTS IN WHICH THE TEXTILE
FIBRE IS SURROUNDED BY A FLESHY PULP."
Sealed the 20th June 1871, and dated the 14th February 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jean François Pironet
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 14th February 1871.
I, JEAN FRANÇOIS PIRONET, of the Town and County of the Town of
Nottingham, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SEPARATING THE PULP FROM THE
TEXTILE FIBRE OF THE ABACA AND OTHER TREES AND PLANTS IN WHICH THE
TEXTILE FIBRE IS SURROUNDED BY A FLESHY PULP," to be as follows:
-
My improvements in machinery for the separation of the fibre of the
abaca and other similar trees and plants from the pulp surrounding it,

page_text: consist in the construction of a cylinder the periphery of which is
provided with a number of transverse or diagonal blades of suitable
form for pressing upon the fibre and squeezing or scraping from it the
pulp in which it is imbedded, yet not so sharp as to cut or injure the
fibre. This cylinder I fix upon a shaft or spindle carried on bearings
at each end in such a way that the shaft and the spindle bearing it are
free to rise and fall. Underneath this cylinder I place a plane surface
(which by preference I make of brass or other metal) and I provide
suitable means of pressing down the cylinder upon the plane surface or
plate with the required degree of force either by means of weights so
arranged as to force down the cylinder or by suitable springs or by
causing the plate or table to rise. I impart a revolving motion to the
cylinder by gearing attached to the shaft carrying it or in any other way,
and I also provide suitable means for drawing the fibre to be cleaned
under the cylinder between the blades and the plate so that as the
blades carried by the cylinder revolve they press upon the fibre and
scrape it, thus forcing out the pulp and cleaning the fibre.
The means above mentioned consists in an endless belt on which the
fibre is to be laid and its motion is retarded by pressure rollers which
pinch or nip the fibre to prevent its entering under the blade at too great
a speed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jean François Pironet in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEAN
FRANÇOIS PIRONET, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Jean François Pironet, Her
special licence that I, the said Jean François Pironet, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jean François
Pironet, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SEPARATING THE PULP FROM THE TEXTILE
FIBRE OF THE ABACA AND OTHER TREES AND PLANTS IN WHICH THE TEXTILE FIBRE
IS SURROUNDED BY A FLESHY PULP," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Jean François Pironet, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, 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 Jean François Pironet, 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 following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
My improvements in machinery for the separation of the fibre of the
abaca, and other similar trees and plants from the pulp surrounding it,
consist in the construction of a cylinder, the periphery of which is
provided with a number of transverse or diagonal blades of suitable
form for pressing upon the fibre, and squeezing or scraping from it
the pulp in which it is imbedded, yet not so sharp as to cut or injure
the fibre. This cylinder I fix upon a shaft or spindle carried on bearings
at each end, in such a way that the cylinder and the spindle bearing
it are free to rise and fall. Underneath this cylinder I place a plane
surface, which by preference I make of brass or other metal), and I
› provide suitable means of pressing down the cylinder upon the plane
surface or plate with the required degree of force, either by means of
weights so arranged as to force down the cylinder, or by suitable springs,
or by causing the plate or table to rise. I impart a revolving motion to
the cylinder by gearing attached to the shaft carrying it,, or in any other
way, and I also provide suitable means for drawing the fibre to be
cleaned under the cylinder between the blades and the plate, so that as
the blades carried by the cylinder revalve they press upon the fibre

page_text: In practice when the plane surface or table underneath the cylinder
is made to rise and thus to press with suitable force against the cylinder,
it is not found necessary to make this latter also to rise and fall.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention I will proceed to
describe the same.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings shews an end elevation ;
and Figure 2 a transverse section of an apparatus constructed according
to my Invention.
A is a revolving cylinder, the periphery of which is provided with a
number of transverse blades. This cylinder is fixed upon the shaft B,
the ends of which are supported in bearings "6" forming a part of the
framework of the machine. C is a plane surface or table which is pressed
up against the blades of the cylinder A, by means of the lever n and
the counterbalance weight O, but which may be lowered when requisite
by pressing down the treadle D. E and F are a pair of friction rollers
intended to grip the material to be operated upon and drag it between
the table C and the blades of the revolving cylinder A. The roller E
is connected by a train of wheels with the revolving cylinder A, and
its periphery usually travels over a space of from 12 to 20 feet for every
hundred revolutions of the cylinder A. I prefer to cover the roller E
with india-rubber or other elastic material, so as to enable it the better to
grip the material to be operated upon.
The roller F works up and
down in sliding bearings in the slotted brackets H, H, attached to the
framework of the machine. By means of the slotted links J, J, the
levers K, K, and the counterbalance weight P, the roller F is pressed
down upon the roller E with the force necessary to produce the friction
required to draw forward the material to be operated upon, while at the
same time as the roller F works in sliding bearings, the degree of
friction does not depend upon the thickness of the material passing
between the two friction rollers. M is a pulley by means of which the
apparatus is driven. For clearness in describing the working of the
apparatus I will speak of it as operating upon a single leaf of the abaca,
though it is clearly to be understood that the apparatus is applicable
to the separation of the pulp from the textile fibre in other plants or

page_text: trees in which textile fibre is surrounded by a fleshy pulp, and also
that it may be made to operate upon more than one leaf at a time. In
working the apparatus the treadle D is first pressed down so as to
draw down the table C, and allow the leaf to be operated upon to be
passed between this table and the blades of the cylinder A and to be
caught between the friction rollers E, F. The treadle is then released
and the counterbalance weights O, O, acting upon the levers n, n¹, at
once cause the table C to rise and to press the leaf with suitable force
against the blades of the cylinder A. The machine is then set in
motion, and the blades of the cylinder A at once begin to scrape away
the pulp of the leaf beneath them, and to separate it from the fibre,
while the friction rollers E and F hold fast the end of the leaf and
draw it gradually forward in a direction opposite to that in which the
periphery of the cylinder A is moving, so that the various portions
of the leaf are successively subjected to the scraping action already
described.
Although I have described the leaf or fibre as being drawn between
the cylinder A and the table C by means of friction rollers, it is clearly
to be understood that the leaf or fibre may, if desired, be drawn between
the cylinder A and the table C by means of a travelling table or in any
other suitable way.
Having thus fully described the nature of my Invention and shown
how the same may be conveniently carried into practice I declare that
I claim,―
Firstly. The construction and employment of a revolving cylinder,
the periphery of which is provided with a number of transverse or
diagonal blades, for the purpose of separating the pulp from the textile
fibre of the abaca and other trees and plants, in which the textile fibre
is surrounded by a fleshy pulp in the manner described and shewn in
0 the Drawings annexed.
Secondly. The combination of the revolving cylinder having its periphery
provided with transverse or diagonal blades, with a plane surface or
table pressed up against these blades with a steady pressure and with
a mechanical means, such as described of drawing the material to be
5 operated upon between them, for the purpose of separating the pulp
from the textile fibre of the abaca and other trees and plants in which

page_text: the textile fibre is surrounded by a fleshy pulp, substantially as described
and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jean François Pironet, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of July One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
JEAN FRANÇOIS PIRONET. (L.S.)