Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Feb., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 15th Apr., 1887
I ETIENNE MAROELIN ARMAND, of 136 Boulevard St. Germain, Paris, France,
Gentleman 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 object improvements in scutching or decorticating machines
for the treatment of textile plants such as flax, hemp, and particularly ramie in a green
or in a dry state.
A machine according to this invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of
drawings, Fig. 1 being a vertical section through the line A B of the plan view,
Fig. 2 In the lower half of the latter Figure the rolls B₁ B and B and the
drum E are omitted for the sake of clearness.
One of the objects sought to be attained in the construction of this machine is that of
preventing rolling or twisting of the stalks around the lower rolls, which inconvenient
occurrence often takes place in machines hitherto employed for a like purpose.
The machine comprises two vertical side frames which support the whole of the
mechanism. The stalks are spread in a bundle upon a table I and are pushed by hand
between the two rolls B and B' these rolls may be smooth for the purpose of
flattening the material operated on, or they may be each provided with a right hand
screw thread, or with a left hand screw thread, the thread having a slight cutting edge,
so as to open the stalks in a longitudinal direction. The distance of the rolls apart is
proportional to the thickness of the stalks which are to be decorticated; a spring c
permits of the regulation of this distance, which may vary in proportion to the
elasticity of such spring. On leaving the rolls B B' the stalks pass into an arrange-
ment consisting of a single serrated lower crushing or breaking roll A of large
diameter, in contact with two or more smaller serrated crushing or breaking
rolls B B which are driven by the roll A. Springs compressed by screws Du Difi
cause the toothed surfaces of the small rolls to mesh or gear more or less closely with
that of the roll A, according to the thickness of the stalks and the degree of crushing
or breaking desired. This arrangement effectually prevents rolling or twisting of the
materials operated on round the lower roll when they are in a green state; rolling or
twisting round the upper rolls can always be prevented by reason of their position
Dains 71

page_text: which allows of ready inspection. Moreover as all the crushing or breaking rolls have
the same speed, the stalks are not subject to irregular drawing due to difference in
speed arising when the crushing or breaking rolls are arranged in pairs. On leaving
the crushing or breaking rolls the stalks pass between two cleaning drums E E¹ provided
with blades and rotating at a greater speed than the crushing rolls, and causing a
scraping or scratching which cleans both sides of the stalks. These blades are rigid
and have bevelled edges which are slightly cutting. The blades of the cylinder E
rotate in close proximity to the cylinder A and would turn back any stalk which
might have a tendency to coil itself around the cylinder A. As shewn the cleaning
drums receive their motion from the shaft e, through the medium of the toothed
wheel d, pinion e and wheels band . The crushing roll A is also driven from the
shaft e by means of the pinions and ', and the wheels Jand J¹. An essential part
of this invention consists in providing means for causing the stalks to return when
their rear ends, which are still held on the feeding side of the machine, are about to
enter between the crushing rolls. With this object the pinions and h¹are, loose on
the shaft e and the latter carries a sliding clutch G provided with teeth corresponding
to teeth on the bosses of the pinions and 7. The change of direction of movement
is effected by causing the clutch G, by means of the lever F, to engage either with the
pinion, or with the pinion 7, which latter, by means of another pinion k, drives a
second wheel J¹ fixed on the shaft of the roll A. As the wheel J¹ is of smaller
diameter than the wheel J the return movement is less quick than the forward
movement.
It will be further noticed that the stalks, in their return movement, are subjected
more thoroughly than the first time to the action of the cleaning drums E, E¹, which
continue to rotate in the same direction after the motion has been reversed.
On the stalks issuing in a semi-finished condition from the machine, their ends are
reversed and they are again fed between the rolls B, B', and allowed to issue finally
from the other side of the machine. When the stalks are in a green state, there is
added to the machine a vessel K filled with hot water, soapy or alkaline, into which
the stalks dip on leaving the cleaning drums E E'; this has the effect of facilitating
the cleaning of the stalks when they are re-passed between these drums, on their
return.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a machine for decorticating or scutching textile plants the combination of the
serrated rolls A B B₁, three or more in number, with a pair of feed rolls B B¹ and
driving mechanism the arrangement being such that the said serrated rolls are caused
to rotate at a slower circumferential velocity than the cleaning or scutching drums E E¹
and can be reversed at will substantially as described and illustrated.
2. The improved decorticating or scutching machine constructed arranged and
operating substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 24th day of February 1887
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham.