IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND PREPARING FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL, AND FOR REDUCING THE SAME TO Tow
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Rowan, of the Firm of John Rowan and
Sons, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Engineers, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND PREPARING FLAX,
HEMP, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL, AND FOR REDUCING THE SAME TO Tow."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Rowan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
December 1866.
I, WILLIAM ROWAN, of the Firm of John Rowan and Sons, of Belfast,, in
the County of Antrim, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND PREPARING
FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL, AND FOR REDUCING THE SAME TO
Tow," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing machinery of a series of rollers.
which are mounted on a cast-iron frame and geared to move at different
velocities; these rollers are placed at certain distances and parallel to each
other, and may be increased to any number that may be found effective in.
softening and cleaning the fibre. The machine is fed by a platform in front
when the material enters a pair of fluted rollers, say two inches in diameter

page_text: and about two feet in breadth, and next to these rollers there is another pair
of cleaning rollers, say, seven inches in diameter; each of these rollers has
sixteen open bars or ribs which gear into each other like two spur wheels, and
they are adjustable to any required depth. Immediately in the rear of these
rollers is another pair of fluted rollers (which for distinction I will call
holding rollers) similar to the first pair, and then follows a second pair of
cleaning rollers, and in this pair every alternate bar or rib is armed with
teeth like heckle pins, and set at such an angle as will free them from the
fibre operated upon, and prevent it from being carried round the cleaning
rollers; the fibre is then delivered to the third pair of holding rollers, and
so on throughout the whole term of four, six, or any number of rollers.
When the material has passed through this machine it becomes much
softened and freed from the boon or woody parts while the fibre retains its
full length. When the flax or other material leaves the last pair of holding
rollers it travels (if it is to be converted into tow) to a second portion of the
machine which is placed in line with the first; this part of the machine is
also mounted on a cast-iron frame with a revolving cylinder, say three feet in
diameter by two feet broad, and in front of this cylinder are placed two fluted
rollers which the flax or hemp passes through (from the preceding portion of
the machine) the cylinder which moves at a high velocity has, say, six combs
fastened by screws equidistant around it, the pins of which are fixed at such
an angle that the tow may be thrown off their points by the centrifugal action,
and at the same time the length of fibre is preserved. This machine has also
a rack secured by screws to the sides and acting like a quadrant round a
portion of the cylinder, which has the effect of separating the tow from the
dust and woody particles, the tow being delivered below the machine and the
boon behind it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Rowan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROWAN, of the Firm of John Rowan and Sons, of Belfast, in the County of
Antrim, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Rowan, Her special licence that I, the said William
Rowan, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Rowan, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND PREPARING FLAX, HEMP, AND
OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL, AND FOR REDUCING THE SAME TO Tow," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Rowan, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Rowan, do hereby declare.
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists in constructing machinery of a series of rollers mounted
on a cast-iron frame and placed at certain distances parallel to each other;
these rollers may be increased to any number which may be found sufficient in
softening and cleaning the fibre. The machine is fed by a platform in front,
and the material enters a pair of fluted rollers of small dimensions, which I
term feed or holding rollers, and is conveyed by them to another pair of rollers
of larger dimensions and revolving, at a high velocity; these larger rollers
I term cleaning and softening rollers, each of them has sixteen or other
convenient number of bars or ribs, four of which have serrated teeth and are
armed with teeth like heckle pins (this number may be altered as found
most practicable). The teeth are set. at such an angle as will free them
from the fibre operated upon and prevent it being carried round the roller;
those rollers take into each other similar to spur wheels, and they are adjustable
to any required depth. Immediately in the rear of these cleaning rollers is
a second pair of rollers similar to the first pair, and which may be called
holding rollers, by which the material is passed to a second pair of cleaning
rollers, and so on through a train of four or six pairs of rollers, or any

page_text: number of rollers as may be found sufficient. The small fluted rollers are
furnished with levers and weights to hold the flax or hemp while being
operated upon by the cleaning or softening rollers. When the material has
passed through the train of rollers it is much softened and freed from the
boon or woody parts, while the fibre retains its full length. When the flax
or other material leaves the last pair of holding rollers it passes (if it is to be
converted into tow) to a second portion of the machine placed in line, this
portion consists of a cast-iron frame with a revolving cylinder about three
feet diameter, by two feet broad, and which moves at a high velocity, this
cylinder is provided with, say, six combs the teeth of which are set at such an
angle that the tow may be thrown off their points by centrifugal action and
at-the-same time-the-length-of-fibre-is-preserved. In order-to-regulate the
transit of the flax or hemp and to hold the fibre while being acted upon by
the revolving cylinder, two pair of fluted rollers are placed in front of it and
driven by gearing, the pair of rollers nearer the cylinder travelling at a some-
what higher velocity than the other pair to prevent the fibre becoming entangled.
The accompanying Drawings represent a machine constructed according to
my Invention.
Figures 1 and 2 are elevations respectively of the two sides of the machine;
Figure 3 is a plan of the same, and Figure 4 is a vertical section showing
the holding rollers and the cleaning rollers. The flax or material to be acted
upon is fed by a platform R at the front, and enters between a pair of fluted
rollers B, B¹, which convey it to a larger pair of rollers A, A, revolving at
high velocity; these rollers are the cleaning and softening rollers, and as
before stated each of them has 16 bars, four of which have serrated teeth, and
have teeth like heckle pins. The pair of rollers A, A, take into each other
like spur wheels, and are adjustable to any required depth by set screws
taking into blocks P in which the axes of the upper roller turn. Immediately
behind the cleaning rollers A, A, is a second pair of holding fluted rollers B',
B', by which the material is passed to a second pair of cleaning and softening
rollers A, A, and so on through the train of four pair of cleaning and
softening rollers, shewn in the Drawings, or through any number of rollers
which may be employed; Q, Q, are weighted levers applied to the upper
roller of each pair B', B¹, to enable these rollers to hold the material while
being operated upon by the rollers A, A, the weights are adjustable as shown
so as to regulate the grip. When the material leaves the last pair of fluted
rollers B', B, (which with the number of rollers shown in the Drawings is
the fifth pair) it passes to the second machine or portion of the machine,
where it is received by a pair of fluted rollers B, B, and carried by a second

page_text: pair of similar rollers driven at a higher speed to a revolving cylinder or
drum S for converting the material into tow; this cylinder S is as before
stated provided with combs, the teeth of which are set at such an angle that
the tow may be thrown off their points by centrifugal action, the length of
fibre being preserved, one of the combs is shewn at T. The whole of the
parts herein-before described are mounted on a cast-iron frame V, and the
various rollers and the drum are driven as follows:-E, E, are pulleys round
which a driving belt is passed from any convenient prime mover; these
pulleys are on the shaft of an intermediate spur wheel D in gear with two
wheels C, C, on the shafts of two of the cleaning rollers A,.A, the motion is
then transmitted by other wheels C and D to all the other cleaning rollers,
as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 3; F is a pinion keyed on one end of the
shaft of one of the rollers A, and giving motion to a spur wheel G on the
stud of which is a pinion (not shown) giving motion to a wheel H keyed on
the end of the axle I of one of the fluted rollers B¹; on this axle I is a
pinion M giving motion through the train of pinions N on one side of the
machine, and the pinions O on the other to the fluted rollers B'. On the
axle I there is also a grooved pulley J from which a strap is passed to a
pulley L, the motion thus given to the pulley L is transmitted by gearing K
to the fluted rollers B in front of the drum S. The drum S is itself driven
by straps carried from the prime mover round pulleys U, U.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First, constructing machinery for cleaning and preparing flax, hemp, and
other fibrous material of a series of fluted rollers and other rollers having bars
or ribs, all combined, arranged, and acting substantially as herein-before
described and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the combination with such machinery when the flax or other
material is to be converted into tow of a revolving cylinder or drum provided
with combs substantially as herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Rowan, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of June, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven.
WILL. ROWAN. (L.S.)