Improvements in Machines for Breaking and Scutching Flax and the like.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Breaking and Scutching Flax and
the like.
We, HUGO WOLFF, Engineer, of Nieder Gorge, Naumburg on Lober and
HERMANN DEDE, Gentleman of Bergedorf Hamburg, both in the Empire of
Germany 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 for improvements in machines for breaking and scutching flax
and the like has for its object the production of a combined beating and dressing
machine for flax and the like in which the fibrous material is held between the
edges of interlocking endless chains and bands, and mechanically presented to all
the working parts of the machine, in order to deliver at the end the cleaned
spinning fibre; and to produce a higher percentage of the spinning fibre by means
of special adaptation and working of the parts of the machine which effect the
swingling of the stalks.
In the accompanying two sheets of illustrative drawings
-
Figure 1 is a side view of a machine for breaking and scutching flax and the like
constructed according to this invention.
Figure 2 is a top view.
Figure 3 is a vertical section of the dressing portion of the machine on the
line A-B.
Figure 4 is a section of the spindle arrangement of the machine for the breaking
up of the stalks.
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 show details of the machine.
The fibrous material is fed for treatment into the breaking machine at a and is
seized at the middle of the stalks between the upper carrying chaint and the centre
chain k as they are fed in crossways and is carried between the edges of the
chains & and the edges of the slowly rotating discs arranged one behind the other
so that the stalks are crushed and torn and the outer skin loosened. The parallel
endless bands & driven from the spindles III & IV then take the so prepared material
and deliver one half of its length to the first of the swingling or scraping machines S
for treatment after which a second pair of endless bands t' carry the material freed
at one end from the skin, to the second scraping machine S' which cleans the other
half. The chains & and t (see Figs. 5-10) run on toothed wheels r firmly fixed to
their spindles and the teeth of which engage in openings in each of the links of the
chains. Figures 8, 9 and 10 are vertical sections on the line C-D and top and
bottom views of the chains. The contiguous surfaces of the links are of circular
form so that even in passing over the toothed-wheels there are practically no
openings. The spindles to to carrying the toothed wheels r rotate in bearings (1
at each end of the table d. The upper part of the chains slide on the flat table
surface. The depressions between the outward conical stays or ribs of the links
are partly filled with a soft material such as india rubber.
The discs are fixed on spindles to rotating in bearings and on the periphery
conical circular grooves are formed with a slightly larger section than the teeth of
the links in the chain so that they may work in the latter. The arrangement of
these discs on each side of the carrying chain enables each disc to work with a
chain. In order to give the discs vertical play the bearings of the spindles to are
retained in the boxes by the springs f so that an elastic resistance from above
is obtained.
The whole machine and in particular the breaking machine is driven from the
belt pulley m on the shaft I (Figure 4). At the other end of this are three belt

page_text: pulleys m² m² m². The pulleys,m² m* transmit their motion respectively to the
pulley m on the shaft II and to the pulley m' on the shaft III on which is fixed
the pulley m' for the lower of the carrying bands (Figure 1) and the toothed
wheel for the centre chain k. On the opposite end of the shaft II is fixed the
pulley m connected by a crossed belt to the pulley m on the shaft IV the
pulleys m m m all being of the same diameter. On the shaft IV is also fixed
the toothed wheel for the upper carrying chain t, the pulley m10 for the upper of
the transport or carrying bands t' and the rope pulleys o for working the spindle n
provided with similar pulleys. A similar direction of rotation is given to the chains
and breaking discs working together and also to the carrying bands.
The swingling or scraping machine S of which there are two consists essentially
of the scraping or dressing drum T mounted on the shaft n and carrying the, in
section, half round fixed scrapers i and endless movable free scrapers. The ends
of the equidistant arms b fixed to the shafts n and n² are connected by half round
iron scrapers the outer edges of which are indented or serrated. These fixed
scrapers work together with the similar movable scrapers 2 (Figures 11 & 12)
which are fixed parallel to the first on a pair of endless bands running on rollers
on spindles C mounted in bearings L. The sides of the endless bands t turned towards
the drum T slide on fixed guides g connecting the bearings L and bent to a radius equal
to that of the drum. The connection between the scrapers and the endless
bands can be effected in various ways. It must always be kept in view however
that the scrapers must always hang freely with their end pins in the connecting
piece so that by the law of gravity they may in each part of the rotation take the
position shown in Figure 11. The connection preferred herein is shown in
Figure 12 the end pins of the scrapers i² work in bearings e each of which is partly
enclosed by the band to and partly by metal clips v fixed on the outside of same.
Two rollers u on the bearing e prevent the friction of the connecting piece on the
guides and the wearing of the band at the point of contact. The drums T are
driven from the shaft I one by means of the conical spur gearing and
the other through the crossed belt and pulleys m³ and m₁l by the conical spur
gearing ³.
The endless carrying bands between the shafts III IV and V VI and
between the shafts V VI and VII VIII are of leather or other suitable material to
which by the rivetting of strips or by weaving or otherwise adding more material,
the section shown in Figure 11 or a similar one is given. The raised parts of these
bands fit into each other and clamp the fibrous material firmly so that it is not
drawn out in working through the swingling or dressing.apparatus. The table P
the edges of which are shown by shaded lines Fig. 2 serves as a fixed sliding
surface for the two bands or belts working together; whilst to prevent the upper
belt giving way upwards there are provided spring loaded sheet iron guides h
which extend the whole length of the dressing machine and are fitted with vertical
guide pins which pass freely through the fixed bearings of the bearing box L.
In order to prevent contact between the lower carrying belt and the rotating arms
or fixed scrapers of the dressing machine the belt is kept close to the underside of
the table by the rollers y which revolve in bearings fixed to the table. The
distance between two of the fixed scrapers i' in the drum is equal to that between
the loose scrapers so that a fixed scraper moving in the direction of the arrow
(Figure 3) always meets at the highest point one of the loose scrapers on the
endless belt t¹.
The stripping of the stalks takes place between the interclutching serrated
working edges of the scrapers as these edges grasp the fibrous material on two
sides the scrapers of the drum moving in a circular direction and working
positively whilst the loose scrapers of the endless bands are actuated by the
scrapers . By this means the material is scraped by the working edges. The
peculiar brusing (see Figure 11) which the material undergoes by reason of a
certain resistance produced by the friction of the endless bands greatly favours
the scraping process. The portion of the fibrous material between the bearings L

page_text: that is on the fixed guides 9 and on the carrying belt of the first scraping machine
which cannot be treated by the scrapers is treated in the second scraping machine S³
which for this purpose as also the second carrying belt is set so much
farther back that its scrapers embrace the untreated portion of the stalks. The
transfer of the stalks from the breaking or crushing machine to the first scraping
machine and from this to the second scraping machine is effected over suitable
curved sheet iron plates which are omitted in the drawing in order to make the
principal mechanism of the combined machine clearer.
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 ;-
1. In a machine for the separation of spinning fibre from plant stalks, effecting
the crushing and bruising of the stalks between endless edged link chains k and
edged discs s working in connection therewith substantially as described.
2. In a machine for the separation of spinning fibre from plant stalks effecting
the swingling or dressing of the fibrous material by means of hollow scrapers,
on the rotating drum T with serrated working edges, working in conjunction with
hollow movable scrapers, with similar edges and fixed to an endless band t', to
which the material is presented and is by the circular movement of both the
scrapers stripped at two operations substantially as described.
3. In a machine for the separation of spinning fibre from plant presenting the
fibrous material by means of interclutching endless link chains and carrying belts
in equal layers to all the working parts of the machine and delivering it at the end
thereof completely separated substantially as described.
Dated this 9th day of November 1892.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.