Improvements in Machinery for Breaking, Scutching, and Softening Flax and other Textile Materials.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 31st Aug., 1893-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SIMUIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Breaking, Scutching, and Softening
Flax and other Textile Materials.
A communication from abroad by JULES CARDON, of Lille, France, Mechanical
Engineer.
•
I, JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to machinery of the type described in the
Specification of a prior Patent No. 17803 of 1890. In the machinery shown in
the drawings forming part of the said Specification the breaking devices and
the scutching devices were placed alternately.
According to the present invention the plates which constitute the breaking
devices extend the whole length of the machine, and so do the scutching devices or
beaters.
The stricks or bundles of flax or other material to be operated on are secured as
usual in holders or clamps which have a down and up movement and also a
movement longitudinally of the machine these movements being produced by
mechanism of the ordinary description.
Thus at
The breaking plates are made in one piece and as already stated extend the
whole length of the machine. But the distance between the fixed and the movable
or the outer and inner plates varies at different parts so that their operation upon
the flax is progressive. For example the distance apart at the first part of their
length where the strick of flax is first operated on is say about th of an inch; the
distance apart at the second part is say about th of an inch while the distance for
the remainder of their length is nil, as the plates touch or practically so.
the first breaking operation the greater part of the boon or woody portion is
removed, at the second operation the remainder of the boon, while at the subsequent
operations the breaking and suppling of the fibre are completed. The number of
the operations will be regulated according to the nature of the fibre to be treated
and the degree of suppleness desired. The to and fro motion of the movable
plate is preferably given from the main shaft by means of a crank pin, connecting
rods and lever.
The fixed plates, that is to say those between which the movable plate works can
be made in any of several ways. They may be of half round steel or iron, or of
flat steel or iron bevelled at the working parts, or for increased strength or rigidity
they may be formed with longitudinal ribs; or again they may be of flat or half
round plates with boards or plates of different thicknesses fixed to them so as to
produce the progressive degrees of separation herein before described.
mode of construction has the additional advantage that boards or plates of a
material most suited for any particular work in hand can be employed while such
boards, can readily be renewed when worn.
This last
The scutching devices or beaters as has already been stated extend the whole
length of the machine. They are situated below the breaking devices so as to
disengage the boon or woody portion as the fibre passes out of the breaking devices.
On leaving the machine the fibre is ready for hackling.
The scutching devices are formed of undulated blades carried by frames or cross
bars which fit upon square shafts. The length of the undulations is progressive
and they are arranged quincuncially. The two scutcher shafts are geared together
and preferably receive their motion by means of a belt from the main shaft. The
scutching devices in removing the boon or woody part also remove a certain amount

page_text: of fibre or tow which becomes detached. As it is important not to allow this fibre
to mix with the boon, a grating is placed below the scutching devices and as near
to them as practicable; the boon passes through the grating while the detached
fibre or tow is carried up by the scutching devices to a sort of comb or stripper.
Dated this 17th dow of Danamba. 1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Breaking, Scutching, and Softening
Flax and other Textile Materials.
A communication from abroad by JULES CARDON, of Lille, France, Mechanical
Engineer.
I, JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 has reference to machinery of the type described in the
Specification of a prior Patent No. 17803 of 1890. In the machinery shown in
the drawings forming part of the said Specification the breaking devices and the
scutching devices were placed alternately.
According to the present invention the plates which constitute the breaking
devices extend the whole length of the machine, and so do the scutching devices or
beaters.
In the accompanying drawings
Figures 1 and 2 are elevations respectively of the two ends of a machine
constructed according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal elevation and Figure 5 a plan.
Figure 3 is a fractional view in section of the breaking plates.
The stricks or bundles of flax or other material to be operated on are secured as
usual in holders or clamps C C which have a down and up movement and also a
movement longitudinally of the machine in the direction of the arrow f, Figure 4,
these movements being produced by mechanism of the ordinary description.
FF are the breaking plates, the top and bottom ones being fixed and the middle
one being movable; they are each made in one piece and as already stated extend
the whole length of the machine. But the distance between the fixed and the
movable or the outer and inner plates varies at different parts so that their
operation upon the flax is progressive. For example, the distance apart at the first
part of their length where the strick of flax is first operated on is say about th of
an inch; the distance apart at the second part is say about th of an inch, while
the distance for the remainder of their length is nil, as the plates touch or
practically so. Thus at the first breaking operation the greater part of the boon
or woody portion is removed, at the second operation the remainder of the boon,
while at the subsequent operations the breaking and suppling of the fibre are
completed. The number of the operations will be regulated. according to the
nature of the fibre to be treated and the degree of suppleness desired.
The to and
fro motion of the movable or middle plate is preferably given from the main shaft
by means of a crank pin on the plate K, connecting rod M, levers N N and
connecting rods B B, the latter being jointed to the middle plate at T¹.
. The fixed plates, that is to say those between which the movable plate works,
can be made in any of several ways. They may be of half round steel or iron, or
of flat steel or iron bevelled at the working parts, or for increased strength or
rigidity they may be formed with longitudinal ribs; or again they may be of flat
or half round plates with boards or plates of different thicknesses fixed to them so
as to produce the progressive degrees of separation herein before described. This
last mode of construction has the additional advantage that boards or plates of a

page_text: material most suited for any particular work in hand can be employed while such
boards can readily be renewed when worn.
The scutching devices or beaters G Gas has already been stated extend the
whole length of the machine. They are situated below the breaking devices F so
as to disengage the boon or woody portion as the fibre passes out of the breaking
devices. On leaving the machine the fibre is ready for hackling.
The scutching devices G G are formed of undulated blades L carried by frames
or cross bars which fit upon square shafts. The length of the undulations is
progressive and they are arranged quincuncially. The two scutcher shafts are
geared together by the wheels R R and preferably receive their motion as shown
by means of a belt O passing over a pulley on the main shaft and over the pulley P
on the shaft of the wheel R. The scutching devices in removing the boon or
woody part also remove a certain amount of fibre or tow which becomes detached.
As it is important not to allow this fibre to mix with the boon, a grating S is placed
below the scutching devices and as near to them as practicable; the boon passes
through the grating while the detached fibre or tow is carried up by the scutching
devices to a sort of comb or stripper T.
The improved machinery above described is economical in construction, its
working parts are simple, there are no intermediate frames seeing that the working
parts are continuous from the entry to the delivery end of the machine, it can
readily be connected or combined with existing hackling machines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me and in what manner the same is to be performed,
I declare that what I claim in respect of machinery for breaking, scutching and
softening flax and other textile materials is :—
1. The employment of breaking plates or devices which extend the whole length
of the machine, the distance between them varying at different parts of their
length so that their action upon the fibre is progressive, substantially as herein-
before described.
2. The combination with breaking plates or devices constructed or arranged as
referred to in Claim 1, of scutching devices or beaters which extend the whole
length of the machine, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The grating below the scutching devices in combination with a comb or
stripper such as T, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
4. The improved machinery herein before described and represented in the
accompanying drawings for breaking, scutching and softening flax and other textile
materials.
C
1000
J. C. MEWBURN.