Improvements in Machines or Apparatus for Decorticating Treating Fibrous Leaves. Stems, and the like for the purpose of Obtaining the Fibre therefrom.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July. 1892
Complete Specification Left. 20th Apr., 1803-Accepted, 10th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
or
Improvements in Machines or Apparatus for Decorticating
Treating Fibrous Leaves. Stems, and the like for the purpose of
Obtaining the Fibre therefrom.
We, ERNEST NORMAN BURTON DONISTHORPE and HORACE ST. JOHN
KELLY DONISTHORPE both of 12, Oat Lane in the City of London, Merchants,
and TAYLOR BURROWS of 88, Upper Kennington Lane, London in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
follows:-
as
This invention relates to machinery or apparatus for obtaining the fibre from
leaves or stems or the like containing same and our present invention is designed
more particularly for extracting the fibre from the leaves or stems of Agave
Americana, Sisal Hemp, Pita, Pine Apple, Yucca, New Zealand Flax, Musa and
from any other leaves stems or plants for which our apparatus is applicable.
Hitherto such leaves or stems (as above) have been treated usually by hand
scraping and this method of recovering the fibre is still largely in practice while
also a number of machines have been tried for effecting this object-such machines
having usually been constructed with a cylinder carrying a number of metallic
blades which strike and scrape or strip the pulp et cetera from the fibrous part but
on one side only at a time and the fibre obtained is not thoroughly cleaned and
therefore of less value-moreover these old processes are very slow.
Now our present invention is designed to more effectually decorticate scrape off
and clean the pulp or covering et cetera from the fibre in such leaves et cetera in a
more expeditious and economical manner and our said invention is as follows
The leaves et cetera are fed to one or more pressure or squeezing rollers (the
pressure being produced by heavy weights springs or other suitable method) which
press and flatten same and reduce same approximately to an even thickness. The.
pressure rollers feed the leaves et cetera forward and hold same to the action of a
pair (or more) of quickly revolving cogged or fluted rollers the angular or other
suitably shaped longitudinal cogs or raised surfaces on which never touch though
very close.
These rollers are arranged and mounted so that the flutes or projecting surfaces
on the one approach and almost touch the flutes or raised surfaces on the other
roller and to effect this object the ends of each roller of each pair of fluted rollers
has a smooth boss or collar formed or mounted thereon and revolving in contact
with a similar boss or collar on the other roller of the pair or in any other
equivalent or suitable manner so that the pair of fluted rollers are held apart just
sufficiently not to break or injuriously affect the fibre and yet insure scraping off
the pulpy part etc.
The crushed leaves et cetera on being fed to these fluted rollers are drawn in
between same and enter between the cogs or flutes and as the fluted rollers are
revolving or moving quicker than the aforesaid feed pressure rollers the result is
the material cannot pass between the fluted rollers as fast as same are moving
(being firmly held back by the feed pressure rollers) and thus the flutes rub or
scrape said material and strip the pulp et cetera from the fibrous part the result of
such mechanical scraping and rubbing action (on both sides at once) being that the
fibre is obtained ready to be combed or otherwise dealt with as desired.
A short length of the back end of the material being treated is not properly
stripped or scraped clean as directly each such length of material leaves the feed
pressure rollers such remaining portion runs through between the fluted rollers
without the desired rubbing or scraping action taking place thereon and such part

page_text: may be treated separately as for instance by reversing it and putting it through the
machine again or through another machine.
The fibre now is almost cleaned from its surrounding covering impurities or pulpy
matter and is ready to be combed or otherwise treated or dealt with in any desired
manner so as to thoroughly prepare it for the market.
Such rollers or apparatus aforesaid may be made solid or hollow of any suitable
metal or material and arranged or mounted in any suitable framework support or
standard and this machine can be worked either with or without water falling on
the leaves et cetera during the process of scraping.
Dated this 20th day of July 1892.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
or
Improvements in Machines or Apparatus for Decorticating
Treating Fibrous Leaves, Stems, and the like for the purpose of
Obtaining the Fibre therefrom.
We, ERNEST NORMAN BURTON DONISTHORPE and HORACE ST. JOHN
KELLY DONISTHORPE formerly of 12 Oat Lane but now of 46 Queen Victoria
Street in the City of London, Merchants, and TAYLOR BURROWS of SS Upper
Kennington Lane, London, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, 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 relates to machinery or apparatus for obtaining the fibre from
leaves or stems or the like containing same and our present invention is designed
more particularly for extracting the fibre from the leaves or stems of Agave
Americana, Sisal Hemp, Pita, Pine Apple, Yucca, New Zealand Flax, Musa and
from any other leaves stems or plants for which our apparatus is applicable.
Hitherto such leaves or stems (as above) have been treated usually by hand
scraping and this method of recovering the fibre is still largely in practice while
also a number of machines have been tried for effecting this object-such machines
having usually been constructed with a cylinder carrying a number of metallic
blades which strike and scrape or strip the pulp et cetera from the fibrous part but
on one side only at a time and the fibre obtained is not thoroughly cleaned and
therefore of less value-moreover these old processes are very slow.
Now our present invention is designed to more effectually decorticate scrape off
and clean the pulp or covering et cetera from the fibre in such leaves et cetera in a
more expeditious and economical manner and our said invention is as follows :--
The leaves et cetera are fed to one or more pressure or squeezing rollers (the
pressure being produced by heavy weights springs or other suitable method) which
press and flatten same and reduce same approximately to an even thickness. The
pressure rollers feed the leaves et cetera forward and hold same to the action of a
pair (or more) of quickly revolving cogged or fluted rollers the angular or other
suitably shaped longitudinal cogs or raised surfaces on which never touch though
very close.
These rollers are arranged and mounted so that the flutes or projecting surfaces
on the one approach and almost touch the flutes or raised surfaces on the other
roller and to effect this object the ends of each roller of each pair of fluted rollers
has a smooth boss or collar formed er mounted thereon and revolving in contact
with a similar boss or collar on the other roller of the pair or in any other
equivalent or suitable manner so that the pair of fluted rollers are held apart just
sufficiently not to break or injuriously affect the fibre and yet insure scraping off
the pulpy part etc.
The crushed leaves et cetera on being fed to these fluted rollers are drawn in

page_text: between same and enter between the cogs or flutes and as the fluted rollers are
revolving or moving quicker than the aforesaid feed pressure rollers the result is
the material cannot pass between the fluted rollers as fast as same are moving
(being firmly held back by the feed pressure rollers) and thus the flutes rub or
scrape said material and strip the pulp et cetera from the fibrous part the result of
such mechanical scraping and rubbing action (on both sides at once) being that the
fibre is obtained ready to be combed or otherwise dealt with as desired.
A short length of the back end of the material being treated is not properly
stripped or scraped clean as directly each such length of material leaves the feed
pressure rollers such remaining portion runs through between the fluted rollers
without the desired rubbing or scraping action taking place thereon and such part
may be treated separately as for instance by reversing it and putting it through the
machine again or through another machine.
The fibre now is almost cleaned from its surrounding covering impurities or
pulpy matter and is ready to be combed or otherwise treated or dealt with in any
desired manner so as to thoroughly prepare it for the market.
Such rollers or apparatus aforesaid may be made solid or hollow of any suitable
metal or material and arranged or mounted in any suitable framework support or
standard and this machine can be worked either with or without water falling on
the leaves et cetera during the process of scraping.
And in order that this invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into practice we will proceed to further describe same with reference to the drawings
hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view looking in the direction of the
arrow upon the line a-b Fig. 3.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the machine.
Fig. 4 is a "local" view in front elevation (on an enlarged scale) of the stripping
rollers D.
Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section through said rollers D-on same enlarged scale
as Fig. 4.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout.
A is the framework or standard of the machine.
B is the feed table-which may if desired be a travelling endless band or feed
apron as is well understood.
CC are the feed-crushing rollers-which are finely fluted or otherwise suitably
formed on their peripheries and these rollers are mounted in yielding bearings and
firmly pressed together by the adjustable springs c and set screw d or other suitable
means as is well understood.
DD are quickly revolving cogged or fluted rollers-also mounted in yielding
bearings and kept pressed together by adjustable springs e and set screws f as is
well understood or in other suitable manner.
EE are collars or bosses-at each end of each roller D-to bear and run against
one another (see Fig. 4) so as to keep the flutes or blades on rollers D from
touching each other although allowing them to closely intersect as shown in
Fig. 5.
Fis drawing off roller.
The rollers D D are made to revolve much quicker than the feed-crushing
rolls C C and the rollers CD and F respectively are driven by any suitable train
of wheels from a fast and loose pulley or by any other suitable means-provided
the rollers D are made to revolve more quickly than rollers C-and it is not
necessary to further describe such driving mechanism nor do we think it necessary
to illustrate same as any such machine builders or persons skilled in the art could
readily carry our invention into practice with the information contained in this
Specification and the sheet of drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: The operation is as follows :—
The leaves etc. are fed on table B to rollers C C and these latter press and crush
the material and hold and present same to the action of the more quickly revolving
rollers D D.
While thus held and slowly fed forward the material is rubbed scraped and
stripped of its pulpy and non-fibrous matter etc. on both sides at once by the
action of the specially shaped and arranged rollers D D as shown in Figs. 4 and 5
the peculiar form of the intersecting flutes or blades etc. on the rollers D (see Fig. 5)
being an important factor in the operation and successful working of the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
In a machine for decorticating or treating fibrous leaves stems or the like of the
character herein specified the combination of a pair of revolving feed crushing
rollers such as C C acting in conjunction with a more quickly revolving pair of
bladed rollers such as D D, collars such as EE at each end of each such roller D,
flutes or blades upon such rollers D of a form such as indicated in Fig. 5 of the
drawings annexed and means to revolve these rollers D in such manner that
the blades never touch one another though intersecting substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 20th day of April 1893. -
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.