Improvements in Fibre Decorticating Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 16th June, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fibre Decorticating Machines.
I, HENRY BIRKBECK of 34 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London,
W.C. Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention (a communication to me from abroad by Samuel W. Skinner,
Civil Engineer, Richard Bahmann, Merchant, both of Court Street, Cincinnati,
Ohio, and Ricardo Struller, Merchant, of 40 Stone Street, New York City, all in
the United States of America) 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 improvements in that class of machines that are used
for separating the vegetable fibre in the stalks and leaves of the ramie, hennequin,
sisal and like plants from the epidermis and pulp in such a manner that the said
fibres can be used in the arts for various purposes.
The object of my invention is to provide a new or improved machine of this kind
which is simple in construction, thoroughly separates the fibre from the epidermis
and pulp, and by means of which a very large quantity of stalks or leaves can be
treated in a given time.
The invention consists in the combination with two decorticating mechanisms of a
conveyor located between them and mounted to move toward either inechanism.
The invention further consists in the combination with the decorticating
mechanisms and the conveyor of means for operating the conveyor from one of said
decorticating mechanisms and means for reversing the direction of movement of the
conveyor and at the same time reversing the direction of rotation of the feed-rollers
of the said decorticating mechanisms.
The invention further consists in the construction and combination of parts and
details as will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the
claims.
In the accompanying drawings:
:-
Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved decorticating machine-parts being
omitted.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the same-parts being shown in vertical section.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail side view of the feed-rollers and gearings-parts
being shown in section.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail elevation showing the gearing for driving the feed-
roller and the conveyor belt.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout.
An endless conveyor belt A passes over the rollers A' and the top part of said
belt rests on a series of supporting rollers A' mounted to turn in a frame A' which
also supports the end rollers A'. The bottom part of the belt rests on a tension
roller B supported by screws B' passing through nuts B' on brackets B* of the
frame A so that by turning said nuts the tension roller B can be raised or lowered
according to the desired tension for the endless belt. Adjacent to each end
roller A a decorticating mechanism is arranged in a suitable frame C. In said
frame C a beating drum or scutcher D is mounted to rotate and is provided on its
periphery with a series of scutching blades D'. On the shaft D2 of said drum a
loose pulley D and a fixed pulley D' are mounted for a driving belt which belt
rotates said drum D in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 2.
Below and slightly to one side of said drum a curved metal plate E is arranged
the curvature of which is the same as that of the drum said plate having a foot E¹
resting on a bracket C of the frame C. Bolts C pass through said bracket C³
and through the foot E¹ of the curved plate the bracket having slots so as to

page_text: permit of adjusting the said plate in horizontal direction toward or from the
periphery of the drum according to the thickness of the fibre of the leaves or stalks
to be treated. An inclined chute E' serves for carrying off the pulp and pieces of
the epidermis from the lower end of the plate E.
At the upper end of the curved plate E a throat-piece is arranged which has an
opening F through which the leaves or stalks can pass the bottom edge of said
opening being curved. That side of the throat piece facing the drum D has the
same curvature as the plate E and forms a continuation of the same. The throat-
piece is mounted to slide horizontally toward or from the drum and can be shifted
by means of screws E' Fig. 4 passing through angle-pieces F³ on the frame C of the
machine and engaging the ends of the throat-piece.
At that side of the throat-piece opposite the one facing the drum two feed
wheels G and G' are mounted parallel and one above the other said feed wheels
being provided with longitudinal flutings grooves or ridges in their peripheral
surface. The lower roller G¹ is mounted in fixed bearings and the upper one G in
movable bearings H arranged to slide vertically between two standards H' said
movable bearing H being connected by a link H with a lever J pivoted to one of
the standards and carrying an adjustable weight J' so as to admit of adjusting the
pressure exerted on said upper roller according to the nature of the plant or leaf
under treatment.
The shafts of the rollers G and G' carry the cog-wheels K and K' the teeth of
which are of such length as to remain in engagement at all times whether the feed-
rollers are close together or separated a greater or less distance. The shaft of the
lower feed-roller G on one of the decorticating mechanisms in this case the one at
the right carries a cog-wheel L engaging an idle cog-wheel L' on the frame of the
machine which cog-wheel L' in turn engages the cog-wheel L' fixed on the shaft of
one of the end rollers A' of the endless conveyor belt A so that said endless belt is
driven from the shaft of said feed roller.
The shaft of the lower feed roller G' of each decorticating mechanism carries
two loose belt pulleys M and M' which are rotated by the belts N and N' in
opposite directions. Between said two pulleys M and M' a sliding clutch O is
mounted on the shaft of the lower feed-roller G¹ which clutch is fixed on a feather
or otherwise suitably mounted so as to rotate with the shaft and can slide longi-
tudinally on the same so as to be engaged with either belt pulley M or M'. The
corresponding clutches 0 are grooved circumferentially and into said grooves
respectively enter the forked ends of two angle-levers P and P' which are
pivotted to laterally-projecting brackets Q and Q₁ of the frame A³ supporting the
endless belt.
One shank of the angle-lever P extends entirely across the frame A³ its end P*
serving as a handle for simultaneously manipulating both said levers. The levers P
and P¹ being connected by a connecting rod R in the manner shown. The drums D
are each covered by a removable semi-circular hood S which in Figures 1 and 2 is
only shown upon the frame C at the left hand ends of said figures.
The operation is as follows:-
The drums Dare rotated at a suitable speed for instance about 600 revolutions
per minute and the pulleys on the shafts of the feed-rollers G' are rotated at such
speed that the endless belt A travels at the speed about equal to two thirds of the
peripheral speed of the said drums D. When the handle end P' of the angle-
lever P is in the central notch a in the top of the frame A as shown in Fig. 1 the
clutches O and O' are at mid-gear i.e. are disengaged from both the pulleys M
and M' and the endless belt A is at rest.
A number of leaves or stalks are placed longitudinally side by side on the
endless belt A so that their larger or butt ends are adjacent to the feed-rollers G
and G of the right hand decorticating mechanism. The handle P³ is then moved
in the direction of the arrow ' Fig. 1 and passed into the notch a whereby the
clutches and O' are engaged with the pulleys M and thereby the feed-rollers G
and G¹of the right-hand mechanism are rotated so as to draw the leaves in between

page_text: them, and at the same time the top of the conveyor belt A is moved in the inverse
direction of the arrow ¹. The epidermis of the leaves is crushed and broken by
passing the feed-rollers and as the leaves pass down the curved plate E the
epidermis is torn and scraped from the same and the pulp removed from between
the fibres by the blades D₁ of the rapidly rotating scutcher drum D.
When the points of the leaves or stalks are within a short distance from the
feed-rollers G and G' of the right hand mechanism the lever P' is moved in the-
inverse direction of the arrow r¹ and passed into the notch a¹ whereby the clutches O
and O' are disengaged from the belt pulleys M and engaged with the pulleys M
and thereby the direction of rotation of the feed-rollers G G¹ is reversed and the-
top of the conveyor belt is now moved in the direction of the arrow a¹.
The stalks or leaves are now drawn up through the opening F of the throat--
piece on the right-hand decorticating mechanism contrary to the direction of
rotation of the scutcher drum D and conveyed back upon the conveyor belt and are
carried by said conveyor belt to the left and in between the feed-rollers of the left-
hand decorticating mechanism passed through the mouth-piece of the left-hand
decorticating mechanism and are acted upon by the scutcher drum D of said left--
hand mechanism.
After the leaves have been drawn into said left-hand mechanism almost their
entire length the machine is again reversed and the leaves or stalks are again con-
veyed by the feed-rollers of the left-hand mechanism upon the endless conveyor
belt A and by the same in the inverse direction of the arrow a¹. Attendants then.
remove the fibre (remaining from the stalks or leaves) from the endless belt and
the fibre is then dried and treated in the usual manner by suitable appliances.
Fresh leaves or stalks are placed on the belt and passed into the two decorticating
mechanisms in the manner described.
In my improved machine the stalks or leaves are decorticated throughout the
greater part of their length by one decorticating mechanism are then conveyed to.
the other decorticating mechanism for the purpose of having that part decorticated.
that was not acted upon by the first decorticating mechanism. Furthermore part.
of the stalk or leaf is first acted upon by scutchers or scrapers that move in the
same direction with the stalk or leaf and then are acted upon by the same scutchers.
or scrapers while traversing in the inverse direction on the return motion. By this.
action of the scutchers or scrapers on the stalks or leaves the particles of the
epidermis and pulp between the fibres is removed without crushing or breaking-
the fibres or injuring the latter and the fibres are at all times held in line and are
never doubled up or twisted. The result is that the fibres obtained on my machine
can be hackled and spun very easily and do not require much combing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with two decorticating mechanisms of a conveyor located
between them and mounted to travel toward either mechanism substantially as set-
forth.
2. The combination with two decorticating mechanisms of a conveyor located
between them and mounted to travel toward either mechanism and of means for
reversing the direction of movement of said conveyor substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with two decorticating mechanisms of a conveyor located
between them and means for operating said conveyor from one of the decorticating
mechanisms substantially as set forth.
4. The combination with two decorticating mechanisms of a frame between them
the ends of which frame are adjacent to the said mechanisms, rollers on the ends.
of said frame, an endless belt on said rollers and means for operating one of the
rollers from one of the decorticating mechanisms substantially as set forth.
5. The combination with two decorticating mechanisms, each having a pair of
feed-rollers, of a conveyor belt between said mechanisms, which conveyor is driven.

page_text: from the feed-roller of one of the decorticating mechanisms and means for reversing
the direction of rotation of the feed-rollers of both decorticating mechanisms and
at the same time reversing the direction of movement of the conveyor substantially
as set forth.
6. The combination with two sets of separate feed-rollers of a conveyor between
the two sets of feed-rollers, means of operating the conveyor from one set of feed-
rollers, means for reversing the direction of the rotation of both sets of feed-rollers
at the same time, a scutcher or scraper adjacent to each pair of feed-rollers and a
support for the leaves that are being acted upon by the said scutcher or scraper
substantially as set forth.
7. The combination with two sets of separate feed-rollers a rotary scutcher or
scraper adjacent to each set of feed-rollers and a plate adjacent to each scutcher
for supporting the leaves being acted upon by said scutcher of a conveyor between
the two sets of feed-rollers, means for operating the conveyor from one set of feed-
rollers, two loose belt-pulleys on the shaft of one feed-roller of each set, a clutch
mounted on each of said shafts between said two pulleys to slide on the shaft and
turn with the same, and pivotted forked levers for shifting the clutches which
levers are connected with each other substantially as set forth.
8. In a decorticating machine the combination with a rotating scutcher or scraper
of a curved plate mounted adjacent to the same for supporting the leaves on which
the scutcher acts a throat-piece at the upper end of said plate and having an
aperture through which the leaves can pass to the scutcher and a pair of feed-
rollers adjacent to the throat-piece substantially as set forth.
9. In a decorticating machine the combination with a rotary scutcher or scraper
of a curved plate adjacent to the same for supporting the leaves being acted upon
by said scutcher a mouth-piece at the upper end of said plate and having an
aperture through which the leaves can be passed to the scutcher and upon said
plate a pair of feed-rollera adjacent to the mouth-piece and means for adjusting the
curved plate and mouth-piece toward and from the rotary scutcher substantially as
set forth.
10. The combination with feed-rollers of a rotary scutcher, driven independently
of the feed-rollers, means for reversing the feed-rollers, and a conveyor adjacent to
the feed-rollers and means for reversing the conveyor at the same time with the
feed-rollers substantially as set forth.
Dated this 14th day of April 1894
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.