Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Apr., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 20th May, 1887.
[Communicated from abroad by BURCHARD THOENS, of New Orleans, Parish of
Orleans, State of Louisiana, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer.]
I, OLIVER IMRAY of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 for its object to provide for rapidly and effectually separating the
wood, bark and similar substances from the fibres of stalks or stems such as those of
flax, hemp, jute and other plants, and for subdividing the stalks or stems into narrow
strips, breaking these transversely into short pieces, flattening them and removing the
loosened or broken particles of wood, bark and the like from the fibres. I will describe
apparatus for this purpose referring to the accompanying drawings.
Figs. 1 and 2 taken together represent diagrammatically a vertical section of so
much of the apparatus as is necessary to illustrate its action, and Fig.
a part side
view of one of the stalk cutting and crushing rollers. 1 is a pair of rollers each
having sharp circular ridges, as shewn in Fig. 3, for crushing and cutting into narrow
strips the stalks that are fed by the continuously travelling apron or conveyor 2. A
similar conveyor 3 carries the subdivided stalks to a pair of rollers 4 and 5, the upper
one 4 longitudinally fluted and the lower one 5 smooth, by which the strips are broken
transversely into short pieces. A brush 6 revolving against the roller 4 frees it from
adhering particles. A conveyor 7 carries the short pieces from the breaking rollers to
two smooth rollers 8 which flatten the material passing between them. The flattened
material is carried by a conveyor 9 between a pair of small rollers 10 and 11 whence
it is directed upward by a curved guide plate 14 to pass over a roller 12 and down
between it and another roller 13. During the passage of the fibres over the roller 12
they are held tightly by the rollers 11 and 13, while the loosened or broken particles
of wood, bark and such like substances are swept off by a rapidly revolving brush 15

page_text: The brush may have bristles 15ª or instead of these, elastic blades or wings. The
loosened or broken particles removed by the brush are deposited in a hollow 17 at the
bottom of a casing 16 which encloses the brush, and are caused to escape through a
passage 18 by means of a jet of water introduced through a jet pipe 18. The
material operated on may be softened by moisture at different stages, jet pipes 30 for
that
purpose being provided above the conveyors 2, 3, 7 and 9. From the roller 13,
which is kept clean by a scraper 31, the fibres are carried by a conveyor 19 to another
set of holding rollers 20, 21, 22 and 23 and subjected to the action of a softer brush 24
placed in a casing 25 which has a hollow 28, a passage 27, and a jet pipe 26 as above
described. The fibres, thus freed from wood bark and other substances, are delivered
by a conveyor 29 which may lead them to other sets of brushing apparatus, if required.
The several rollers have journals 32 working in suitable bearings in a frame work,
not shewn, with appropriate gear for driving the working parts. The transverse
breaking of the subdivided stalks may be repeated by introducing several sets of
breaking rollers such as 4 and 5, and the brushing can be repeated by introducing
several sets of brushes such as 15 or 24 with their holding rollers such as 10, 11, 12
and 13 or 20, 21, 22 and 23.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :—
1. In a decorticating machine," the combination of a pair of rollers having sharp
circular ridges for crushing and cutting stalks or stems into strips, a pair of rollers,
one of them fluted, for breaking the strips transversely, a pair of smooth rollers for
flattening the transversely broken strips, a set of holding rollers and a rotating brush
for removing loosened or broken particles, substantially as described.
2. Constructing the casing for the rotating brush, referred to in the preceding
claim, with a hollow, an outlet and a water jet, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
3. In combination with the cutting and crushing rollers, the breaking rollers, the
flattening rollers, the holding and feeding rollers and the rotating brushes, the con-
veyors 3, 7 and 9, substantially as described.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.