Improvements in Machinery for Breaking Fibrous Plants and Separating out the Fibres.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Machinery for Breaking Fibrous Plants and
Separating out the Fibres.
We, MAX RAABE, of Leipsic Kingdom of Saxony, and FRIEDRICH HEINRICH
ZIMMERMANN of Halle on the Saale, Kingdom of Prussia, do hereby declare the
nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR BREAKING
FIBROUS PLANTS AND SEPARATING OUT THE FIBRES," to be as follows:-
-
Our invention relates to the mechanical treatment of fibrous plants in view of
separating out therefrom the fibres, and the improvements consist in the means
employed for gently compressing the stalks of the plants at the ouset, for sub-
jecting them to repeated breaking and beating operations, by which the ligneous
portions of the stalks are gradually reduced and removed, and for finally detaching
the bark and resinous parts, and separating the fibres from each other.
The machine by which we carry out these operations, comprises a series of pairs
of superposed rotating rolls of different nature in combination with rotating
beaters. The first pair of rolls has preferably an oven surface, and the rolls are so
arranged that they will but slightly compress the stalke, whereby they are rendered
more adapted for the following operations. The rolls of the second pair are made
of two disks keyed on an axle, and to the periphery of which round bars are fixed
at a suitable distance from each other, the bars of one roll meshing with those of
the other. The rolls of the third pair are of like construction, but the bars are
thinner and placed nearer together. On the fourth pair there are bars presenting
edges on the outside. The second, third and fourth pair of rolls mainly serve to
break into fragments and to detach the ligneous portions of the stalks. The fifth
and all following pairs of rolls consist of cylinders having comparatively small
corrugations, and they operate to reduce and detach from the fibres such parts of
the stalks as still remain adhering to them, and to separate the fibres from each
other as well as to render them softer.
Between the rolls of the different pairs are placed shafts rotated at a suitable
speed and carrying longitudinal ribs, which convey the material from one pair of
rolls to the other, and at the same time beat out therefrom the ligneous and other
parts having become loose by the action of the rolls.

page_text: The bearings of the upper rolls are movable and provided with springs and
adjusting screws for regulating the pressure with which they act on the material.
Instead of constructing the rolls of the second, third and fourth pairs as herein-
before described, rolls consisting in suitably corrugated cylinders, may also be used,
but we consider them less advantageous. Besides it may be mentioned that the 5
number of pairs of rolls serving to reduce the ligneous portions of the stalks, may
be varied.
Separating out the Fibres.
We MAX RAABE of Leipzic, Kingdom of Saxony, and FRIEDRICH HEINRICH 1
ZIMMERMANN of Halle on the Saale, Kingdom of Prussia, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be carried out in
practice, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
specification :-
Our invention relates to the mechanical treatment of fibrous plants in view of
separating out therefrom the fibres, and the improvements consist in the means
employed for gently compressing the stalks of the plants at the onset, for subjecting
them to repeated breaking and beating operations by which the ligneous portions
of the stalks are gradually reduced and removed, and for finally detaching the
bark and resinous parts, and separating the fibres from each other.
We carry out these operations by means of a machine comprising a series of
pairs of superposed coacting rolls of different nature in combination with rotating
beaters, and which is represented on the annexed sheet of drawings, Fig. 1 being a
longitudinal section, Fig. 2 a plan, and Figs. 3 and 4 transverse sections on the
lines A B and C D respectively.
t
The material to be treated is spread out and conducted to the first pair of rolls b
on a table a. The said rolls have a smooth surface and they are so adjusted in
respect to each other that they will slightly compress the stalks, but without
crushing them. From the rolls b the material is conducted to the second pair of
rolls d by a table c. These rolls and the rolls of the following pairs, & and f, consist

page_text: of bars fixed to the periphery of disks keyed on an axle, the said bars presenting
to the material to be treated a round face which, in each succeeding pair of rolls
is narrower than in the preceding one. Thus the rolls d are made with round bars
of a diameter of or of an inch. The following pair, e, may also have round
bars; but these are thinner than those of the rolls d. The bars of the third pair, f
which require to have still narrower operating faces, are preferably made of
elliptical section, and they are fixed edgewise to the disks. The bars of the upper
rolls of each of the pairs d, e and f mesh with those of the corresponding lower
rolls, but so that a small space is left between the cooperating bars for the passage
of the material..
The lower rolls are mounted in fixed bearings, whereas the upper rolls rotate in
bearings movable between vertical guides, and which are suspended by adjusting
screws to springs g, in order to prevent the upper rolls from meshing too closely
with the lower rolls and from crushing the material to an injurious extent.
The rolls are driven by a pulley a which may be keyed on the axle of the lower
roll b, motion being conveyed froin this axle to the lower rolls d, e, f by a series of
spur-wheels, while other spur-wheels gearing accurately with each other, connect
the lower rolls with the respective upper ones.
Between the rolls d and e, e and f, and also between f and the following rolls, k,
which will be described hereafter, are placed beaters h, consisting of a shaft with
ribs or ledges, and which rotate with suitable speed in the same sense as the rolls
with which they cooperate. These beaters serve to convey the material from one
pair of rolls to the other, to shake the same during its passage and to beat out
therefrom the ligneous particles having become loose by the action of the rolls. In
the drawing such beaters are shown as being arranged between the upper rolls as
well as between the lower ones; but the upper beaters may be left away, as with
the lower ones alone the desired effect may also be attained. The said beaters may
be driven by chains and sprocket-wheels.
The operation of the described pairs of rolls is as follows:
The first rolls, b, slightly flatten the stalks and crack them lengthwise. The
second rolls, d, break the ligneous portions of the stalks transversely, but not so
much as to injure the fibres. By the third rolls, e, the reduction of the said
portions is carried farther, and by the fourth rolls, f, it is substantially completed.
The chaff produced by these successive operations is partly separated out from the
fibres by the rolls themselves, partly it is removed by the beaters h.
By the rolls f the treatment of the material is, however, not finished, as portions
of bark and hard resinous substances still adhere to the fibres. For reducing and
detaching these, and for separating the fibres from each other and rendering them
softer, the material is passed between several pairs of rolls k, l, m, &c., having
comparatively narrow longitudinal corrugations or grooves, which in the cooperating
rolls mesh with each other. The said rolls k, l, m, &c., may have beaters r combined
with them in like manner as beaters h are combined with the rolls b, d, e, f; but
the rolls k, l, m, &c., will also work without beaters, provided they be placed
sufficiently close together as that the material may pass directly from one pair of
rolls to the other.
The upper ones of the rolls k, l, m, &c., are mounted in movable bearings that
are pressed down by springs g, the tension whereof is adjustable by means of
screws.
From the last pair of rolls t the finished material falls on a travelling delivery-
cloth 8.
Of the grooved rolls k, l, m &c., only the lower ones require to be driven by
wheel-work. If preferred, the portion of the machine containing the said rolls k,
1, m &c., may be detached from the portion in which the rolls b, d, e, f are mounted;
the number of rolls of either portion may be varied, and instead of constructing
all the pairs of rolls d, e, f with bars of different width of face, there may be two
or more pairs d or e, or f, having bars of like description.

page_text: 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 a machine for treating fibrous plants in view of separating out the fibres,
the combination with each other of a pair of smooth rolls b and a varying number
of pairs of rolls, such as d, e, f, whose periphery is constructed of bars having
round faces and meshing with the bars of the cooperating rolls, the said faces in
any succeeding pair or pairs of rolls being narrower than in the preceding pair or
pairs, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. The combination, with the smooth rolls b and a number of pairs of rolls such
as d, e, f, constructed with bars having round faces, of a plurality of pairs of
grooved rolls k, l, m, &c., meshing with each other, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
3. The combination, with the smooth rolls b, the rolls d, e, f, constructed with
bars, and the grooved rolls k, l, m &c., or with any of the said rolls, of rotating
beaters, such as h and r, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.