IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TREATING FLAX AND OTHER VEGETABLE .FIBRES AND Tow
Year: 1864

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 TREATING FLAX AND OTHER VEGETABLE
.FIBRES AND Tow."
Sealed the 15th November 1864, and dated the 17th May 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Rowan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th May 1864.
:
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 TREATING FLAX AND OTHER
VEGETABLE FIBRES AND Tow," to be as follows:
My improvements in machinery for treating flax and other vegetable fibres
in the straw consist in arranging two or more pairs of rollers, through which
the straw passes in succession, each pair of which is separately weighted, and
is driven at gradually increasing speed, as hereafter more fully described. For
treating tow I erect, my improved machinery in front of a scutching machine,
and by preference in front of the scutching machine for which Letters Patent
for Great Britain were granted to me the 27th November 1861, No. 2995.'
I arrange, say, eight pairs of rollers in front of the scutching machine, and
in front of them I place an endless web, upon which the tow. is spread; the
web carries the tow forward to the first pair of rollers, through which it passes

page_text: to the second pair, and throughout the entire eight pairs of rollers; the last
pair delivers the tow to the beaters or combs of the scutching machine, which
separates the boon or wood from the fibrous parts, and the boon falls through
a rack underneath the machine. It is a great desideratum to have the tow
and other fibrous material delivered to the beaters or combs as straight as
possible in the fibre, for the material is not only cleaned more effectually, but
the staple of the tow is maintained; and to accomplish this object I use four
pairs of plain rollers and four pairs of rollers with flutes or serrated, the first
pair of rollers with plain flutes, the next pair with serrated teeth, and so on,
each pair alternately, or the eight pairs may have all serrated teeth, or which-
ever way may be found in practice the best. The first pair of rollers moves
at the required velocity for feeding the second pair at one-sixth or one-eighth
higher in speed, the third pair at the same increase of speed over the second
pair, and the speed to continue in the same ratio throughout the eight pairs
of rollers; for by the increase in speed of each pair of rollers the fibres
operated upon are made regular, straight, and free from entanglement before
entering the scutebing machine.
For rolling or breaking flax, straw, and other like material before being
scutched I have used six pairs of rollers; arranged to revolve at an increase of
speed in each succeeding pair.
Rollers have been in use for breaking flax straw; the difference, however,
between those rollers and my arrangement is this:-The existing rollers have
one lever and weight on each side of the machine applied to them, with
compound levers acting upon each pair of rollers to ensure the requisite
pressure to break the straw. In my machinery each pair of rollers is acted
upon by two separate levers and weights, therefore irregular feeding does not
neutralize the action of the machine by unequal pressure on each pair of .
rollers. In existing rollers the first pair revolves quicker than the second
pair, the second pair quicker than the third pair, and so on throughout thé
entire series of "pairs of rollers. The effect of this arrangement is that the
flax passing through the first pair of rollers is broken in the fibre, or doubled
and crumpled up between the first and second pairs of rollers, and so on
throughout each pair in proportion to the reduction of speed. In: my
machinery the first pair of rollers moves slower than the second pair, the
second pair slower than the third, and so on throughout the entire series. The
advantages derivable from this arrangement are that the flax passing the first
pair of rollers becomes broken, the second pair moving quicker than the first
pair, the flax straw being held by the first pair of rollers. When it enters the
second pair it is drawn through the flutes, and a stripping action is produced

page_text: throughout the train of rollers; the stripping action is in proportion to the
difference in velocity between each pair of rollers. Now, the effect of this
stripping action is to break up the boon thoroughly, and to separate it from
the fibres without wasting or injuring the fibres.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Rowan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th November 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROWAN, of the Firm of John Rowan & 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 Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her 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
thereafter 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 "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TREATING FLAX AND OTHER VEGETABLE FIBRES AND
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, per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say
.
1
My improvements in machinery for treating flax and other vegetable fibres
in the straw consist in arranging pairs of rollers through which the straw

page_text: passes in succession; each pair of upper rollers is separately weighted, and
each pair of top and bottom rollers is driven at gradually increasing speed, as
hereafter more fully described. For treating tow, I erect my improved
machinery in front of a scutching machine, and, by preference, in front of the
scutching machine for which Letters Patent for Great Britain were granted to
me the 27th November 1861, No. 2995.
I arrange, say, eight pairs of rollers in front of the scutching machine, and
in front of them I place an endless web upon which the tow is spread; the
web carries the tow forward to the first pair of rollers, through which it
passes to the second pair and throughout the entire eight pairs of rollers. The
last pair delivers the tow to the beaters or combs of the scutching machine,
which separates the boon or wood from the fibrous parts, and the boon falls
through a rack underneath the machine. It is a great desideratum to have
the tow and other fibrous material delivered to the beaters or combs as straight
as possible in the fibre, for the material is not only cleaned more effectually,
but the staple of the tow is maintained; and to accomplish this object I use
four pairs of plain rollers and four pairs of rollers with flutes or serrated, the
first pair of rollers with plain flutes, the next pair with serrated teeth, and so
'on each pair alternately, or the eight pairs may have all serrated teeth, or
whichever way may be found in practice the best. The first pair of rollers
moves at the required velocity for feeding; the second pair at one-sixth or
one-eighth higher in speed; the third pair at the same increase of speed over
the second pair, and the speed to continue in the same ratio throughout the
eight pairs of rollers; for by the increase of speed of each pair of rollers the
fibres operated upon are made regular, straight, and free from entanglement
before entering the scutching machine. For rolling, breaking, and cleaning
flax straw, and other like material before being scutched, I prefer to use six
pairs of rollers arranged to revolve at an increase of speed in each succeeding
pair.
Rollers have been in use for breaking flax straw; the difference, however,
between those rollers and my arrangement is this; the existing rollers have
one lever and weight on each side of the machine applied to them, with com-
pound levers acting upon each pair of rollers, to ensure the requisite pressure
to break the straw. In my machinery each pair of rollers is acted upon by two
separate levers and weights, therefore irregular feeding does not neutralize the
action of the machine by unequal pressure on each pair of rollers. In existing
rollers the first pair revolves quicker than the second pair, the second pair
quicker than the third pair, and so on throughout the entire series of pairs of
rollers. The effect of this arrangement is, that the flax passing through the

page_text: first pair of rollers is broken in the fibre or doubled and crumpled up between
the first and second pairs of rollers, and so on throughout each pair in pro-
portion to the reduction of speed. In my machinery the first pair of rollers
moves slower than the second pair, the second pair slower than the 'third,
and so on throughout the entire series. The advantages derivable from this
arrangement are that the flax passing the first pair of rollers becomes broken,
the second pair moving quicker than the first pair, the flax straw being held
by the first pair of rollers. When it enters the second. pair it is drawn through
the flutes, and a stripping action is produced throughout the train of rollers;
the stripping action is in proportion to the difference in velocity between each
pair of rollers. Now the effect of this stripping action is to break up the boon
thoroughly, and to separate it from the fibres without wasting or injuring the
fibres.
The accompanying Drawings represent a machine for rolling or breaking
and cleaning flax, straw, and other like material arranged according to my
Invention.
Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 a side elevation, and Figure 3 a section
through the line a, b, of Figure 2.
A, B, C, D, E, F, are six pairs of fluted rollers, of which the pair B is
driven at a greater speed than the pair A, the pair C at a greater speed than
the pair B, and so on, each succeeding pair being driven at a greater speed
than the pair immediately preceding, as before explained. The differences in
speed are determined by the varying diameters of the toothed wheels G, G, G,
which receive their motion from the wheel H and intermediate wheels II' ;
the wheel H is in gear with a wheel I carried by a shaft J, on which the
driving pulleys K are mounted. The wheels G, G, G, drive the lower fluted
rollers, which carry at their other ends toothed wheels G¹, G', in gear with
other toothed wheels G³ on the upper fluted rollers, which thereby receive
motion. Each pair of upper fluted rollers, that is to say, the pairs A and B,
C and D, and E and F, is separately weighted by weights L, L, suspended
from bars M, M, to which vertical rods N, N, are connected. The rods N, N,
are hung or suspended from cross heads O, O, which bear upon the journals
of the upper fluted rollers. The lower fluted rollers are not weighted. P is
the table, to which the flax, straw, or other material for feeding the fluted
rollers is supplied.
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 treating flax and other vegetable fibres
and tow with rollers, through which the fibre or tow passes in succession,

page_text: each pair of upper rollers being separately weighted, substantially in manner
and for the purpose herein-before described.
Second, constructing machinery for treating flax and other vegetable fibres
and tow with rollers, through which the fibre or tow passes, each pair of top
and bottom rollers being driven at a greater speed than the pair immediately
preceding it, substantially in manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Rowan, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of November, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.
WILL. ROWAN. (L.B.)