Improvements. in Machines for Breaking or Treating Flax and similar Textile Materials.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 25th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 15th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements. in Machines for Breaking or Treating Flax and
similar Textile Materials.
I, ARTHUR. SPIEGELBERG, of Royal Exchange, Dundee, in the County of Forfar,
North Britain, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object to substitute for the ordinary scutching
process, as applied to flax and similar textile materials; the action of improved
imachinery which will operate in a superior manner, more expeditiously, and with less
waste of fibre.
the
.
In carrying out my Invention I provide on a suitable framing a number of holder's
or pairs of nipping rollers placed transversely and which operate on the flax and
move it through the machine. The flax stalks which lie longitudinally or at right
angles to the rollers are nipped or securely held by the several pairs of rollers, and
pairs of rollers are made to reciprocate horizontally and vertically so as to act
on the flax in a manner closely imitating the action which one applies by hand to
small portions of flax at a time to bend the stalks and thereby break and detach the
shove without crushing or injuring the fibre. A pair of rollers at the entering end
of the machine is stationary and the next or second pair moves from and to the first
pair a certain distance; whilst the third pair moves twice the distance moved
through by the second the fourth pair three times that distance, and so on with as
many pairs as are found necessary so that the relative motion between any two
adjacent pairs is the same for all. Each pair of rollers is held by two vertical bars
fitted to slide vertically each in one or more blocks fitted to slide horizontally in or
on guides formed in or fixed to the side frames of the machine. The horizontal
reciprocating motions are imparted to the blocks by connecting rods jointed to studs
fixed at graduated distances on levers fixed on one or more rocking shafts made to
rock by means of rotating cranks or in any other convenient way. The vertical bars
which carry the pairs of rollers rest by means of antifriction rollers on curved cam
guides shaped to give the desired vertical reciprocating motions to the pairs of
rollers such vertical motions being caused by the vertical bars moving over the cam
guides in consequence of the horizontal reciprocating motions, or by the cam guides
being moved horizontally, or by a combination of both actions. When the several
pairs of rollers approach each other or at any other convenient period of their
movements, the rollers are turned to a small extent to feed the flax onwards, this
feeding motion being effected by means of a ratchet or toothed wheel on one of each
pair of rollers, stationary pawls being arranged to be encountered by the wheels
when moving horizontally; or at the proper times bars with projections to act on
the several wheels simultaneously may be arranged to move up or in any suitable
direction. The cam guides are by preference arranged so as to make the alternate.
pairs of rollers or holders move in opposite vertical directions so as to bend the flax
between them alternately in opposite directions.
Before being operated on in the machine hereinbefore described the flax is by
preference passed between rollers to which considerable pressure is applied for thes
purpose of crushing the tubular stalks of the flax, such crushing action facilitating
the subsequent treatment without injuring the fibre. The crashing rollers may be
arranged to pass the flax directly in between the stationary pair of rollers at the
entering end of the machine; or the flax may be entered into the machine off a feed
table or endless feed apron.
Whilst the flax is being operated on in the machine a sufficiently strong blast of

page_text: air may be made to act on it to remove a large portion of the broken and detached
shoves, thereby facilitating subsequent cleaning operations. The air blast may be
produced by fanners or propellers fitted directly to the machine, or it may be led
thereto by a pipe or pipes from a separate blowing machine.
Dated this Twenty-sixth day of April 1889.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Breaking or Treating Flax and
similar Textile Materials.
I, ARTHUR SPIEGELBERG, of Royal Exchange, Dundee, in the County of Forfar,
North Britain, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object to substitute for the ordinary scutching
process, as applied to flax, and similar textile materials, the action of improved
machinery which will operate in a superior mauner, more expeditiously, and with
less waste of fibre.
In carrying out my Invention I provide on a suitable framing a number of holders
or pairs of nipping rollers placed transversely, and which operate on the flax and
move it through the machine. The flax stalks which lie longitudinally or at right
angles to the rollers are nipped or securely held by the several pairs of rollers, and
the pairs of rollers are made to reciprocate horizontally and vertically so as to act on
the flax in a manner closely imitating the action which one applies by hand to small
portions of flax at a time to bend the stalks and thereby break and detach the shove
without crushing or injuring the fibre. A pair of the nipping rollers at or near the
entering end of the machine is stationary, and the next or second pair moves from
and to the first pair a certain distance; whilst the third pair moves twice the
distance moved through by the second, the fourth pair three times that distance, and
so on with as many pairs as are found necessary, so that the relative motion between
any two adjacent pairs is the same for all.
Before being operated on by the reciprocating nipping rollers, the flax is passed
between rollers to which considerable pressure is applied for the purpose of crushing
the tubular stalks of the flax, such crushing action facilitating the subsequent
treatment without injuring the fibre.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same may
be properly understood I hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings to be
hereinafter referred to and representing my improved machinery.
Figure, 1, of the drawings is a plan, and figure, 2, is a longitudinal vertical section
of the machine. Figure, 3, is a transverse sectional elevation of a detail,
and figure, 4, and 5, show other details. In these drawings the same reference
letters and numerals are used to mark the same or like parts wherever they are
repeated.
The working parts of the machine, as represented, are carried by a strong wooden
framing, A, at the upper entering end of which there is a metal framing, A 1, holding
three pairs of preparatory pressing rollers, B, which are by preference of a well known
fluted kind as shown. Beyond the pressing rollers, B, there is a feed table, C, carried
on brackets, A 2, and having passing over it an endless feed apron, C1, distended and
moved on rollers, C2. The flax is laid on the feed apron, C1, with its stalks placed
longitudinally and is by the apron carried in between the pressing rollers, B, after
passing which rollers it proceeds between a pair of small nipping rollers, B 1, held in
the same frame, A 1. The flax next passes successively between eight pairs of
breaking rollers, D1, to DS, which have horizontal and vertical reciprocating
movements imparted to them. Each pair of these breaking rollers, D, is carried by a

page_text: transverse horizontal bar, E, formed with vertical ends, E 1, which latter are made
with bearings for the end journals of the rollers, and are provided with springs for
pressing the rollers together. Each transverse bar, E, has fixed to it two vertical
rods, E 2, and the vertical rods are fitted to move vertically through eyes in upper
and lower transverse horizontal bars, E 3, E 4, which are fitted to slide longitudinally
in horizontal guide slots, F, F 1, in iron guide pieces, A 3, A4, fixed to the sides of
the main frame, A. The transverse bars, E3, E 4, extend beyond the sides of the
frame, A, to different extents, and are connected by links, G, to upper and lower
levers, G 1, upon vertical rocking shafts, G 2, carried in bearings at the sides of the
frame, A. The vertical shafts, G 2, have also fixed on them other levers, G3, to
which are connected by ball joints, connecting rods, G 4, jointed at their other ends to
crank pins, H, on disks, H 1, on the ends of a first-motion shaft, H 2, provided with
fast and loose pulleys, H 3, for a driving belt. The rotating crank pins, H, impart
angular reciprocating motions to the vertical rocking shafts, G 2, and their levers, G 1,
and these lovers owing to the links, G, being jointed to them at regularly varying
distances from the axes of the shafts, G 2, cause similarly varying longitudinal
reciprocating movements to be imparted to the transverse bars, E 3, E 4, and by these,
through the vertical rods, E 2, and bars, E, to the pairs of breaking rollers, D. When
the levers, G 1, are at the left hand ends of their strokes, all the pairs of rollers, D,
will be nearly close together; and when the levers are at the other ends of their strokes
the pairs of rollers, D, will be at their greatest distances apart, but at all times
the intervals between all the pairs of rollers will be equal as measured
horizontally.
At the same time that the breaking rollers, D, reciprocate longitudinally they are
also made to reciprocate vertically by means of curved cam slots, J 1, to J8, in
longitudinal plates, J, fixed in the lower part of the machine, the vertical rods, E 2,
being fitted with antifriction rollers, E5, to move in the slots, J 1, to JS, (see
figure, 3). There are six of the slot plates, J, three being on one side and three (pairs
thereof) on the other side. Some of the cam slots, J 1, to J S, are shown in figure, 2,
and the others are shown in figures, 4, and 5.
Whilst the flax is being subjected to successive longitudinal and vertical reciproca-
tions as herein before described it is gradually moved onwards through or between the
rollers, B, B1, D1, to 18; and this progressive movement is effected by means of
sprocket wheels, K, each being on a spindle extending out from one of each pair of
rollers, and half of them being, for convenience on one side of the machine and the
other half on the other side. The sprocket wheels, K, are acted on by two endless
pitch chains, K1, which are long enough to accomodate the reciprocations of the
breaking rollers, D 1, to DS, and which are actuated by sprocket wheels, K 2, on a
transverse shaft, K 3, having also on it a ratchet wheel, K4, actuated by a pawl
lever, K5, adjustably connected by a rod, K 6, to a lever, K 7, on a reciprocating
shaft, K 8, which has at its other end a lever, K 9, acted on by a cam, H4, on the
first-motion shaft, HI. The pressing rollers, B, are similarly driven by means of
sprocket wheels, N, on the spindles of one of each pair, and acted on by an endless
pitch chain, N 1, driven by a sprocket wheel, N 2, on the shaft, K 3.
The small breaking rollers, D 1, to D8, are by preference fluted, although shown
plain in the drawing for convenience; and the general contour of their cross section
may be round or approximately square or polygonal. As the flax leaves the last, D8,
of the breaking rollers it is led away by an endless apron, not shown in the
drawing to machinery which separates the broken and loosened shove from the flax
fibres.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of parts constituting my improved machine for breaking or
treating flax and similar textile materials substantially as hereinbefore described and
as shown in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 2. For breaking or treating flax and similar textile materials, combining a number
of pairs of nipping rollers, through which the materials are moved progressivly with
mechanism imparting to such pairs of rollers longitudinal and vertical reciprocations
substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
Dated this Twenty-third day of January 1890.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.