Improvements in or relating to Fibre Cleaning Machines for Operating upon Fibrous Leaves or Stems in a Green State.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 19th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 13th Jan., 1900
Improvements in or relating to Fibre Cleaning Machines for Operating
upon Fibrous Leaves or Stems in a Green State.
I, ALFRED HENRY DEATHI, of Joseph Street, Leicester, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of improvements in or relating to fibre cleaning
machines for operating upon fibrous leaves or stems in a green state.
Before the leaves are placed in my improved machine they may be crushed in
any suitable way, such as by rollers or the like.
My improved machine consists of a table or bed supported in any desired way、
from the standards or framing of the machine.
a
The inner end of the said table or bed being so fixed in relation to a revolving
feed drum that the leaves or stems to be operated upon are pushed along the
face of the said table or bed into an opening formed in the periphery of the
said drum. In close proximity to the said opening there is fixed a bar having
serrated or grooved bottom edge, forming part of a clip or holder, the bar forming
the lower half of the said clip or holder is, however, arranged to slide
up
grip the leaves or stems, by means of approximately shaped bell-crank levers
whose inner ends are provided with rollers which ride on the periphery of a cam
having a depression in which the said rollers rest, at times, to open the said
clips.
and
As soon as a leaf or leaves, after being placed in the opening in the feed drum
is held by the clips before mentioned, the said drum is caused to revolve by
means of a suitable lever and other means acting upon a clutch, on the feed drum
shaft.
As the drum revolves the levers are thrown by means of a suitable bar and
quadrant towards the beater drum, which is fitted with beaters in the well known
way.
By the continuous motion of the feed drum the leaves are drawn from con-
tact with the beater drum and at a desired moment automatically released.
Additional drums and beaters to ensure all parts of the leaves being operated
upon, may be provided if desired. The quadrant and bar before mentioned may
be brought into operation by means of an internally toothed wheel gearing with
a pinion mounted on a shaft carrying a spur wheel gearing with the said
quadrant.
By providing the fed drums with two or more holders or clips, leaves of smaller
size may be operated upon and time economized.
As the feed drum revolves at a slow speed and the beater drum is required to
revolve at a high rate of speed, the former may be geared down from the beater
drum shaft by a worm and wheel, and as the speed of the beater drum should

page_text: vary slightly according to the leaves or stems being treated, suitable change gear
may be mounted and utilized for the purpose in the well-known way.
Dated this 18th day of January 1899.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Fibre Cleaning Machines for Operating
upon Fibrous Leaves or Stems in a Green State.
I, ALFRED HENRY DEATH, of Joseph Street, Leicester, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention consists of improvements in or relating to fibre cleaning
machines for operating upon fibrous leaves or stems in a green state.
The leaves may be crushed in any convenient way by rollers or the like before
being operated upon in this machine. The machine comprises a table, fixed in
such relation to a revolving feed drum that the leaves or stems may be pushed
along the face of the said table and through an opening in the periphery of the
said drum and gripped by mechanism hereinafter described.
As soon as the leaf is gripped, the feed drum meanwhile revolving slowly, the
free end of the leaf is thrown by suitable means over the feed drum towards
the beater drum. As the feed drum continues to revolve the leaf is drawn from
contact with the beater drum and, at a desired time released.
The invention will be understood by referring to the drawings accompanying
this specification, the same letters of reference indicating like parts throughout
the several figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 a plan of one form of a fibre cleaning
machine constructed in accordance with this invention, and adapted more
especially for operating upon the smaller leaves whereby each end of the leaf
or stem is brought under operation and Figures 3 and 4 are side elevation and
plan respectively of a machine for operating upon larger leaves.
Figure 5 is an elevation looking at the opposite side of the machine to that
shown in Figure 3.
It will be understood that the machines are alike in all respects, except that
Figures 1 and 2 show the additional mechanism for operating upon the ends of
the leaves a second time, but in Figures 3, 4 and 5 drawn to a slightly larger
scale than Figures 1 and 2 certain details are inserted, which are common to
both machines.
Referring to the drawings the leaves or stems to be operated upon are pushed
along the table A (which is supported by any suitable means) through an open-
ing in the feed drum B into the jaws of an automatic clip (see Figure 3). The
said clip consists of a double lever C having mounted therein a roller C which
rides on the periphery of a fixed cam (not shown in the drawings) to open the clip
as shown in Figure 3, the ends of said lever C being connected to the bell-crank
levers C2, by rods C³ the said levers C being pivotted at C to the sides of the feed
drum B.
As soon as the roller C leaves the cam the clip will be closed by reason of the
spring C interposed between the lug C and the lever C.
The bell-crank levers C² carry links C in which are supported the serrated or
roughened bars C6 forming the jaws to grip the leaves or stems.

page_text: As soon as the leaves or stems are gripped, as mentioned, their free ends are
immediately thrown over the feed drum B, the said free end of the leaf or stem
being delivered intermediate of the adjustable beater plate D¹ and the beaters D,
where the pulp or woody matter is removed.
The apparatus for throwing the free ends of the leaves over the feed drum
consists of a crank or equivalent E which is fixed on the feed drum shaft B¹ the
said crank being provided with two studs E1 E2. The stud E¹ projects inwards
and as the said crank E revolves in the direction of the arrow (see Figures 1 and 3)
it will engage the upper end of an arm 1 of the lever F fulcrumed at F2. As
the stud E carries backward the upper part of said lever F the latter by means
of its connection to the lower end of the quadrant G causes the upper part of the
latter to be moved in the direction of the arrow and thereby partially revolves
the spur wheel G₁ which is attached to one of the plates H.
The levers are again brought to their normal positions by the stud E² coming
into contact with the arm F1 of the lever F.
The plates H H are loosely mounted on the feed drum shaft B¹. The said
plates are provided with projections H H' to receive therein the ends of the
rods H³, the latter being connected to the cross piece H³.
The driving shaft J (carrying the beater drum) is provided with fast and loose
pulleys J Ji
Mounted on the said shaft J is a pinion K gearing with a spur wheel K¹ carried
on a stud or equivalent.
A cross belt L passes from the boss K³ of said spur wheel K¹ to a pulley L¹
fixed on the spindle L².
A pinion M on the said spindle L2 engages a similar pinion M' and the latter
gears with the spur wheel 2 on the stud M³.
It will be seen that the forked arm M which is fulcrumed at L² to the bracket M6
is spring controlled at its further end, by which means the friction wheels will
more readily engage.
Mounted on the stud M³ carrying the spur wheel M² are two friction wheels N N¹
respectively the larger wheel N frictionally engaging the wheel n and the smaller
wheel N engaging the friction quadrant
.
It will be readily seen therefore that when the stems or leaves are being
delivered to the jaws of the clip device as before mentioned and the smaller friction
wheel N engages the friction quadrant the feed drum B will travel at a
decreased speed, the larger friction wheel N being then entirely disengaged from
the friction wheel because of the part removed therefrom.
I do not confine myself to the mechanism just described for giving a variable
motion to the feed drum B as a variable motion may be imparted in several ways
to the said drum.
The beaters D are made in the well-known way and carried on the beater drum
fixed on the shaft J the latter being provided with fast and loose pulleys as before
stated. As the feed drum B continues to revolve the leaf or stem is withdrawn
from between the beater plate D and beaters D¹ leaving the fibre in same cleared
of the pulp.
Levers fixed on each side of the feed drum B and connected by a rod or
equivalent means are caused by a pin O' on the framing to automatically throw
out the leaf or stem, and the apparatus is then ready for a further supply of
leaves or stems to be operated upon in a similar manner.
It will be understood that a plurality of automatic clips may be fixed upon the
feed drum.
In machines operating upon smaller leaves (see Figures 1 and 2) in which it is
desirable that the whole of the leaf or stem should come under the beating opera-
tion, it is necessary that the said leaves or stems should be operated upon a second
time so that the part gripped in the automatic clip in the first operation should be
treated in the second.

page_text: For this purpose means are provided as hereinafter mentioned to receive the
leaf or stem as it falls from the beater drum the front end of said leaf or stem
being automatically released from the clip as previously mentioned.
To perform this supplementary beating operation the horizontal table P
(Figure 1) which receives the leaves or stems as they fall from the beater drum, is
given a reciprocating movement by means of a quadrant P¹ mounted on the
shaft P2, the teeth of said quadrant P1 gearing with the teeth on the underside of
the said table P. The quadrant 1 is formed with an arm P3 to which is con-
nected the forked end Q of the rod Q which is connected to the crank R on the
shaft R¹.
By this arrangement of the crank R rod Q and arm P3, there is a certain amount
of dwell given to the movement of the said table P at such time as it is in its
inward position (see Figure 1) and this allows of the end of the leaf or stem (which
is lying on the table) being gripped between the serrated jaws S S¹ which are
brought together to form a clip.
The jaw S of the said clip is formed on the bell-crank lever S, pivotted at S³
to the extension S on the said table P, and as the latter travels in the direction
of the arrow a roller a on the lower arm of said lever $2 mounts the incline S
formed on the frame and causes the jaw S to grip the leaf or stem against the
serrated or roughened end S of the table P and will continue to grip the leaf
or stem during the forward and backward movement of said table P. During
such movement of the table P the leaf or stem thereon comes into contact with
the beaters on the beater drum B* the latter being mounted on the shaft B²
carrying the spur wheel T gearing with a spur wheel T on the shaft T2.
The said shaft T2 has mounted thereon fast and loose pulleys for driving in
the usual way.
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. In fibre cleaning machines the combination of a revolving feed drum
provided with clips to automatically grip or release the leaf or stem under opera-
tion, an arm or arms actuated to throw the free end of the said leaf or stem on
to the feed drum, and a revolving beater drum constructed, arranged and operat-
ing substantially in the manner described and illustrated in the drawings.
2. In fibre cleaning machines the arrangement of parts whereby a leaf or stem
is delivered after one operation on to a reciprocating table and again operated
upon to ensure the whole of the leaf or stem being treated in the manner sub-
afantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, of the accompanying
drawings.
3. A fibre cleaning machine consisting of the parts constructed, arranged and
operating substantially in the manner described with reference to Figures 1
and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
4. A fibre cleaning machine consisting of the parts constructed arranged and
operating substantially in the manner described with reference to Figures 3, 4
and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Tal
1011
ד
1000
ALFRED HENRY DEATH.
W. P. Thompson & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.