Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Oct., 1886.
Complete Left, 4th Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 7th Oct., 1887.
I EDWARD BRASIER of Bastable House New Cross in the County of Surrey
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machines for decorticating
breaking and separating fibrous materials known as "Bauhinia" and "Rhea" fibres
and other similar fibrous materials and this machine will be found specially
advantageous and suitable for treating the said Bauhinia fibre.
According to my present improvements these machines are constructed as
follows:-
One or more pair of feed rollers are mounted in a suitable frame or standard,
immediately behind these are mounted two series of revolving plates crushers or
rubbers each consisting of a series of metal plates or strips arranged on an endless
revolving band or chains revolved by spur wheels (or otherwise) mounted on rotating
shafts or axes which again are driven from the main shaft of the machine by a
suitable train of cog wheels or worm wheels or other suitable gearing.
The fibrous material is passed between the two series of revolving plates or strips
of metal which have a lateral motion imparted to them as hereinafter described and
the obtaining this lateral motion is the most important part of my present
improvements.
The motion of these revolving plates is approximately parallel to one another and
the bearings of the rotating shafts over which the revolving plates pass are made
adjustable so that the one series of plates or crushers can be set at any required
distance apart from the other while an adjustable bar or stay mounted with springs
is placed in the centre or thereabouts of the upper series of revolving plates just over
a corresponding fixed bar or support mounted in the centre or thereabouts of the
lower series of revolving plates-these two bars serving to keep the revolving plates
from sagging.
The plates or strips of metal are chequered or roughened in any suitable manner
on their rubbing surface so as to give a sufficient grip on the fibre.

page_text: The lateral motion of the revolving plates or strips of metal is imparted by the
following arrangement. Rotary motion is imparted to a shaft mounted in the lower
part of the frame by bevel cog wheels or other suitable gearing in connection with
the main driving shaft of the machine, on this shaft an eccentric is mounted which
by its rod imparts a to and fro motion to a rocking lever having its bearing about
equidistant between the axes or shafts of the revolving plates to the ends of each
of which it is connected by cross heads mounted above and below the bearing
respectively and thereby imparting when the eccentric shaft is revolved a contrary
lateral reciprocatory motion to the revolving plates.
For some purposes it may be desirable to have rollers also with this contrary lateral
motion arranged on the machine behind these revolving plates and in that case the
cross heads on the rocking lever are of sufficient length to connect to and impart the
requisite motion to the said rollers and if necessary two or more eccentrics may
be arranged to give motion to two or more rocking levers connected to and operating
the cross heads as before described.
The eccentric connecting rod is made to give greater or less movement to the
rocking lever by adjusting it, higher or lower by means of a slot or holes formed for
that purpose in the lower part of the rocking lever and thus the amount of lateral
movement can be regulated as required.
For the purpose of dealing with fibres of a very thick nature the feed rollers may
be made with V shaped rings thereon for the purpose of splitting such large fibre as
it first enters the machine and thereby somewhat reduce it in size and render it more
fit for decorticating.
The feeding board or table may have division pieces or partitions thereon and also
be covered in if necessary so as to form a series of funnels or channels in which
to guide fibre of a long and tortuous character (such as the "Pauhinia" fibre)
straight into the machine.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Breaking and Decorticating Fibrous
Materials.
I EDWARD BRASIER of Bastable House New Cross 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 has for its object improvements in machines for decorticating
breaking and separating fibrous materials known as "Bauhinia" and "Rhea" fibres
and other similar fibrous materials and this machine will be found specially
advantageous and suitable for treating the said "Bauhinia" fibre.
According to my present improvements the machine is constructed as follows:-
One or more pair of feed rollers are mounted in a suitable frame or standard,
immediately behind these are mounted two series of revolving plates crushers or
rubbers each consisting of a series of metal plates or strips arranged on or as endless
revolving bands or chains revolved by spur wheels (or otherwise) mounted on
rotating shafts or axes which again are driven from the main shaft of the machine by
a suitable train of cog wheels or worm wheels or other suitable gearing.
The fibrous material is passed between the two series of revolving plates or strips
of metal which have a lateral motion imparted to them as hereinafter described
and the obtaining this lateral motion is the most important part of my present
improvements.
The motion of these revolving plates is approximately parallel to one another where
the fibre is passed between them and the bearings of the rotating shafts over which
the revolving plates pass are made adjustable so that the one series of plates or
crushers can be set at any required distance apart from the other. An adjustable bar
or stay mounted with springs is placed in the centre or thereabouts of the upper
series of revolving plates just over a corresponding fixed bar or support mounted in
the centre or thereabouts of the lower series of revolving plates these two bars
serving to keep the revolving plates from sagging.
The plates or strips of metal are chequered or roughened in any suitable manner on
their rubbing surface so as to give a sufficient grip on the fibre.
The lateral motion of the revolving plates or strips of metal is imparted by the
following arrangement. Rotary motion is imparted to a shaft mounted in the lower
part of the frame by bevel cog wheels or other suitable gearing in connection with
the main driving shaft of the machine, on this shaft an eccentric is mounted which
by its rod imparts a to and fro motion to a rocking lever having its bearing about
equidistant between the axes or shafts of the revolving plates to the ends of each
of which it is connected by cross heads mounted above and below the bearing
respectively and thereby imparting (when the eccentric shaft is revolved) a contrary
lateral reciprocatory motion to the revolving plates.

page_text: The bearings of the upper feed roller b and of the axes g and g¹ are made adjustable
with springs s (Figure 1) so as to break and decorticate fibres of different sizes.
The crusher plates or strips may be made as in Figure 4 each strip or plate being
hinged to its next one and the series carried round by spur wheels fas in Figure 3
or the plates may be mounted on links as in Figure 5 and the chain formed by such
links carried round by a suitable spur wheel, and the surface may be plain as
in Figure 4 or chequered or roughened as in Figure 5.
The feed rollers a. a* also may with advantage in dealing with large and tough
fibres be made with inverted V shaped rings thereon so as to split up such fibre
on its way to the crushing plates.
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. The improved arrangement and construction of machines for breaking and
decorticating "Bauhinia and "Rhea" fibres and other similar fibrous materials
substantially as herein before described and represented in the drawings hereto
annexed.
2. The use and application of the revolving series of plates or strips of metal-
as shown and described for breaking and decorticating fibrous materials such revolving
series of plates or strips having contrary lateral reciprocatory motion imparted
thereto.
3. The improved construction of feeding boards with guiding passages or tunnels
formed thereon substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein before
described and represented in the drawings annexed.
4. The improved arrangement and combination of the various parts substantially
as and for the purposes herein described and represented in the drawings annexed.
Dated this 4th day of January 1887