Improvements in Machines for Breaking Hemp, Ramie, and other Textile Plants.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1888
Complete Specification. Left, 21st Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 4th May, 1889
Improvements in Machines for Breaking Hemp, Ramie, and other
Textile Plants.
I, LORENTZ ALBERT GROTH of No. 3 Tokenhouse Buildings in the City of London,
Civil Engineer (as communicated to me from abroad by Henri Adolphe Céran, place
de la Croix in the City of Paris, Gentleman) do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention refers to an improved machine for breaking hemp ramic & other
textile plants. It consists of an endless feed cloth serving as a feeding table between
two successive paires of flattening & crushing cylinders rotating by means of cog
wheels. The first pair of these cylinders consists of smooth drums throughout their
whole length except at their extremities when they are furnished with indentations
to carry away stalks. The second pair of cylinders placed parallel to the first is
formed of cylindrical drums with helicoidal plates. The upper cylinder & the lower
cylinder have screws with opposite turns. These helicoidal channels crush the woodl
of the stalks & partially detach the awn. On leaving this second pair of cylinders the
stalks are cast by their rotation on one of the extremities of these cylinders & they
are carried off by an endless cord passing over a revolving board placed in the centre
of the frame of the inachine. One of the ends of the stalks thus carried along is
seized between the said revolving table & the cord, the stalks thus full vertically
suspended by their ends. These stalks continuing their movement round the endless
table are presented before two beaters with necks placed one below the other, arranged
so that the crushed stalk is beaten throughout its whole length. When the endless
cord leaves the table the stalk being no longer held by its upper end, falls into a
imachine mounted at the extremity of a rake oscillating around a vertical axis. A
workman pulls this rake, & the strap it carries, to him; changes the end, places it
upon another rake with similar machine to submit it to the action of a third beater,
placed outside the machine. Each stalk is thus submitted by each of its ends to
the action of the beater so as to leave the machine entirely free from its woody
portion.

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Breaking Hemp, Ramie, and other
Textile Plants.
I LORENTZ ALBERT GROTH of No. 3 Tokenhouse Buildings in the City of London,
Civil 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 a machine for breaking hemp ramie and other textile
plants without spoiling the stalks of these textiles. This machine is essentially
characterized by a distribrution of the stalks by an endless feed cloth with working
parts; flattening cylinders, and bruising cylinders in such a manner that the stalks
are presented to these parts at an angle of about 30 degrees to the axis of the
cylinders. The design herewith represents my machine and the method of working
of its various parts. In this design in which the same letters indicate the same
parts in the two figures; Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the machine, and Fig. 2
represents a plan of this machine seen from above, the upper working cylinders, e¹
and d being supposed to be removed.
This machine consists of a frame formed of two parallel sides a. connected with
each other by means of bars, carrying the working parts. The sides a are extended
forward by parallel rods b, which carry at their ends the cylinder b¹.
The stalks of the textiles to be discorticated and broken are cut in such a way
as to be about 1 metre 30 centimetres long, then they are spread upon the endless
feed cloth c in the position represented in y fig. 2, in such a way, that their thick
ends are directed to the flattening cylinders dd, so that they may make with the
axis of these cylinders an angle of about 30 degrees.
The stalks thus inclined and spread out on the feed cloth c. are taken in the
hacked part of the smooth flattening cylinder d; above this cylinder is placed
another smooth cylinder d', which can be fixed more or less close to the cylinder d,
by adjusting screws F.
The stalks after having been thus flattened pass between the cylinders e e¹, provided
with spiral grooves, these grooves have been arranged reversely on each cylinder.
The grooves of these cylinders, which I can fix more or less closely by means of
screws crush the stalks without tearing them. The stalks, flattened and then
crushed, are supported during this operation and during the beating following, by
an endless cord c' which passes over pulleys and over a pulley h, with necks
having a vertical axis. The stalks on leaving the grooved cylinders
along by the cord c' and squeezed between the cord and pulley h. The thin ends of
e, el are carried
the stalks released from the pulley h and cord c¹ drop on account of their gravity,
and the crushed but entire stalks are placed vertically, being only supported by the
thick end against the necks of the pully h. They are carried by the cord c' against
the thrashing drums k & k¹ which are placed-one above the other. The surface of

page_text: these drums are covered with a series of small blades, metallic or inflexible material
which are represented by each of the strokes of the drums. They are put in motion
by the belts, and pullies m' s and s¹s. These drums having nothing special, are
only claimed in combination with the other parts of the machine.
h
The stalks suspended to the pulley are maintained in contact with the drums k.
&k during the process of thrashing by means of a horizontal rod o, which can slide
at will on a vertical rod n. On the top of the rod n is fixed an arm o¹, the end of
which is provided with a hook, which receives the beaten stalks at the moment when
they leave the pulley h, near the hook o³, and being solicited to fall, they remain
suspended by their thick end on this hook from which they can be taken by hand,
so that the workman, placed at X can seize and place them, with the left hand on the
arm o mounted on a vertical rod n', and conduct them with the right hand against
the exterior thrashing drums k". To give the movement to the working of the
machine I fix on the shaft of the cylinder e and on the exterior of the frame, a
driving pulley m³, a pulley m and I fix on the shaft a loose pulley m. On the other
side of the frame I fix on the same shaft a toothed wheel which works on a chain g
which gives the movements to the cylinders d d'. A pulley fixed on the extremity
of the cylinder e and on which works a belt, gives movement to a pulley i placed
parallel but above the frame a. This pulley i, is fixed on a horizonal shaft q on which
is place a toothed wheel i¹ which works in another toothed wheel at right angles h¹
placed horizontally and fixed on the shaft carrying the pully h. Pulley m² imparts
motion with the aid of a belt 1 to another pulley s fixed on the shaft of the thrashing
drum k. On the shaft of the pulley is keyed another pulleys on which another
belt which imparts movement to the lower thrashers k¹ & k".
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 :-
-
1st. In a machine for breaking textiles comprising in combination an end less feed
cloth a pair of smooth flattening cylinders, a pair of spirally grooved crushing
cylinders, and thrashing drums placed one over the other; the disposition of the
stalks to be broken on the feed table following asangle of about thirty degrees for
their flattening & crushing following this angle in consequence of their being
gripped when in contact with the hacked part d" of the smooth cylinder d this
gripping maintaining the stalks and presenting the said stalks with the aid of the
endless cord c to the breaking parts, and to the guiding rods, which facilitate the
thrashing, as described and represented.
2nd. In a machine for breaking textiles the combination of the smooth cylinders
having a hacked extremity d" with spirally grooved cylinders and of thrashing drums
placed one above the other, with a plate with a neck h receiving an endless cord c,
serving as a moveable clasp to take away and present the stalks to the thrashers and
with rods o o' o guiding and supporting the stalks during the thrashing as described
and represented.
3rd. The disposition of the various working parts of this machine for breaking
textiles as has been in principle above described & represented & with the object
specified.
Dated this 91st day of Fahru 1880