Improvements in Machines for Decorticating Ramie and other Fibrous Plants.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1894-Accepted, 21st July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Decorticating Ramie and other
Fibrous Plants.
I, JEAN ALEXANDRE LACOTE, of 95 Boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris, in the
Republic of France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to a machine for decorticating ramie, and other fibrous
plants.
In my improved machine the treatment of the stems of ramie or the like is
effected in the following manner :-
(1) Passage of the ramie into the machine by the aid of the feed rollers.
(2) Action of a crusher upon the ramie which passes between this crusher
receiving a rotary movement and a fixed table. This operation has for its object
to cut into small pieces the body of the stem without destroying the exterior
fibre.
(3) Passage of the ramie upon two beaters in order to cause the fall of small
pieces of wood which have been produced in the preceding operation and have
remained in contact with the exterior fibre.
(4) Passage of the ramie upon rods in motion which have for their object
to complete the work of the beaters so as to prevent the pieces of wood from
falling between pressing rollers, which receive the ramie after its passage upon the
said rods.
(5) Passage of the ramie between two fluted plates one of which is stationary
while the other receives a rapid to and fro movement in order to transform the
bark into a product adapted to be spun.
The disengagement of heat produced in this latter operation completely
suppresses the chemical treatment heretofore resorted to.
Such are the essential operations effected by my improved machine which I will
now describe in detail both with regard to the arrangement of its working parts
and its driving parts.
The stems of ramie are introduced between wooden rollers and are arranged upon
the work table. In this work of preparing the stems upon the work table the
upper of the first pair of rollers is not in contact with the lower roller so that the
stems may be prepared without fear of being carried away before they are
completely arranged. To prevent the contact of the pair, the upper roller is
raised by means of a lever. This raising movement of the lever has also for its
object to cause certain parts of the machine to move in the opposite direction.
When the stems are arranged upon the work table the upper roller of the first
pair is lowered and the two rollers as they turn carry away the stems of ramie
which then pass between the second pair of rollers to which also a rotary movement
is imparted. On leaving the second pair of rollers the rods of ramie pass between
a fixed table and a wooden bar receiving a rotary movement. Between these two
parts the wood of the stem is divided into small pieces which are separated from the
exterior fibre by two beaters which turn upon their axes. The ramie then passes
upon rods attached to endless chains, these rods causing the pieces of wood which
may still adhere to drop so that when the ramie arrives between another pair
of rollers it will have been entirely disembarrassed from the pieces of wood.
If the machine moved constantly in the same direction, or better if the beaters,

page_text: rods and last-mentioned pair of rollers always turned in the same direction the rear
extremities of the stems of ramie under treatment when arriving upon the tw
beaters would no longer be held; the stems would be wound round the said beaters
and would no longer be stretched between the friction plate which would give rise
to irregularities in the operation of the machine. With a view to remedying this
inconvenience I have devised the following arrangement enabling the above
mentioned parts to move backwards at the moment when the rear extremities of the
ramie arrive upon the beaters.
The shaft upon which the wooden bar is mounted which crushes the stems
of ramie against the table, receives its movement from the driving shaft of the
machine by two toothed wheels. At the other extremity of the shaft of the wooden
bar are two toothed wheels mounted loosely upon this shaft. Between these two
toothed wheels is arranged a sleeve provided with a rib which compels a grooved
pulley to turn with the shaft while enabling this pulley to be displaced along the
sleeve so that this pulley through the intervention of stops, may set in motion now
one and then another of the aforesaid two toothed wheels. As above stated I raise
a lever connected with the upper part of the first pair of rollers when preparing the
stens upon the work table so that their extremities will bear upon the lower
of these rollers. This instant corresponds with that when the extremities of the
stems under treatment in the machine have arrived between the wooden bar and
table at which instant it is necessary to cause the said beaters, rods and rollers to
move backwards. The change of motion is likewise obtained by the upward
movement of the above-mentioned lever. For this purpose the lever has an inclined
guide the edge of which slides in the groove of the said pulley, causing the latter to
be displaced along the sleeve so as to leave one toothed wheel which it operated in
order to actuate the other toothed wheel. I will now describe these various
movements in detail.
1st. Forward movement. When the driving shaft turns in one direction the
grooved pulley is placed against one of the pair of toothed wheels on the shaft of
the wooden bar which it causes to turn, and the latter gears with a toothed wheel
keyed upon the axis of one of the beaters. This beater turns the second beater by
means of two toothed wheels. By another toothed wheel the second beater causes
the turning movement of the shaft which is transmitted to a second shaft by the two
lateral chains united by the above-mentioned rods.
By two toothed wheels the aforesaid second shaft transmits its movement to a
roller which communicates it to another roller through two toothed wheels. In this
manner the beaters, the rods and last-mentioned pair of rollers will be caused
to turn in such a direction as to effect the forward movement of the stems of ramie
towards the discharge rollers.
2nd. Backward movement. When the lever before referred to is raised the
curved guide is displaced in the groove of the pulley and compels it to abandon the
one of the toothed wheels in order to be placed against the other toothed wheel
which it causes to turn while the first toothed wheel remains stationary. The
operation of the beaters is effected by this second toothed wheel which gears with a
toothed wheel keyed upon the shaft of the second beater so that the direction of
rotation is reversed; it is the same with regard to the rotation of the first beater
which is actuated by the second beater by means of two toothed wheels. This is
the opposite direction to that of the transmission for the forward movement, for the
second beater actuates the first beater whilst previously the first beater transmitted
its movement to the second beater.
The rest of the transmission is effected as before, but in the reverse direction,
because the starting point is the toothed wheel keyed upon the shaft of the second
beater which turns in the opposite direction.
Although the beaters and rods turn in the opposite direction they produce their
effect upon the stems of ramie, and the latter are always stretched between plates
so that the action of these plates will always be regular.

page_text: In order that the driving parts of the various moving parts of my machine may
be better understood I will successively describe such parts.
(1) Pressing rollers.
To one of the extremities of the driving shaft is keyed a toothed wheel which
engages with another toothed wheel keyed upon the extremity of the shaft
receiving the upper roller of the second pair to which a rotary movement is thus
imparted.
To the other extremity of this last mentioned shaft is keyed a toothed wheel
which sets in motion the lower rollers of the two pairs by two toothed wheels.
The upper roller of the first pair which as stated is now applied to the lower roller
and then separated therefrom when the stems of ramie are displaced, is carriel
away, on being lowered by the pressure which it exerts upon the lower roller
in motion.
(2) Crusher serving to act upon the ramie in its passage upon the table.
The driving shaft carries a toothed wheel which engages with a second toothed
wheel keyed upon the shaft of the crusher.
(3) I have already described the means for actuating the two beaters, the rods
and the pair of rollers to which the fibres pass from the rods, so that I need not
revert to them I will therefore only describe the arrangement of these parts.
The beaters form stars arranged upon their shafts against the side frames of the
machine; rods connect the various branches of the two stars keyed upon the same
axis, and these axes are placed at such a distance that the rods cross each other
when acting upon the stems of ramie. Round these rods are placed copper tubes
which act upon the stems of ramie.
The rods, which have for their object to remove the pieces of wood which may
have adhered to the fibres are mounted at their extremities upon chains likewise
placed against the side frames. These chains pass over drums keyed upon the axes
upon which are keyed the toothed wheels for driving them.
The rollers, to which the fibres pass on leaving the aforesaid rods, and the
operation of which has been above described, are covered with india-rubber, for
they press only upon the fibre of ramie which is more delicate than the stem treated
by the preceding parts.
(4) Friction plates and actuating parts. These two plates made of bronze are
fluted vertically and one plate is fixed while the other plate receives a very rapid
to and fro movement. If the two plates remained constantly in contact the fibres
pressed by the two plates could not advance; for obviating this inconvenience one
of the plates is separated at regular intervals from the other plate. The separation
of the two plates has moreover for its object to prevent the heat from becoming too
great.
(a) One of these plates, as above stated, must receive a very rapid to and fro
movement. For this purpose it is connected by a bent rod to an eccentric the axis
of which receives its movement by means of a bevel wheel which engages with
another bevel wheel keyed on an axis turning at a great velocity, which is obtained
in the following manner: Upon the said axis is keyed a toothed wheel which gears
with another wheel keyed upon a shaft adapted to receive its movement from
a second shaft by two toothed wheels, while two other toothed wheels transmit the
movement of the driving shaft to the last mentioned shaft. The series of toothed
wheels above described are arranged for amplifying the velocity of the driving
shaft so that the aforesaid axis turns at a much greater velocity than this driving
shaft.
(b) The other plate as above mentioned, must be separated from the first plate
from time to time for allowing the fibre to descend. The result is obtained in the
following mauner: The second plate is made in one piece with a cross-bar
connected at its two extremities with two rods which can slide in guides. These
two rods are united in front by a second cross-bar provided with a guide which
enters an eccentric groove in a wheel keyed upon a shaft. Upon this shaft is also
keyed a toothed wheel which transmits to it the movement of a shaft by the three

page_text: toothed wheels, one of which is keyed upon the said shaft. At the upper part of
this shaft, which is outside one of the side frames, is arranged a bevel wheel
actuated by a wheel keyed upon the axis of the upper of the first pair of pressing
rollers. It will thus be seen that when this roller is lowered, that is to say when it
is in motion it transmits its motion to one of the said shafts and consequently to the
wheel having an eccentric groove through the medium of the aforesaid axis and
three toothed wheels. The wheel having an eccentric groove compels a tappet and
the said cross-bar and the two sliding rods to which it is connected, to be displaced
parallel to the side frames of the machine. The two sliding rods carry away in
their movement the cross-bar and therefore the second friction plate. For enabling
the pressure which the first plate must exert upon the second plate to be easily
regulated the latter is fixed to the said cross-bar by the aid of a screw by which the
respective positions of the two plates may be adjusted. A cushion formed by a
slightly compressible material is interposed between the rod of the second plate and
the pressing screw, which obviates sudden shocks of the plates against each other
under the action of the wheel having an eccentric groove. When the apparatus is
mounted I arrange the eccentric groove so that the work is effected under proper
conditions as regards the separation and approach of the two friction plates.
(5) It remains to describe the operation of the fluted discharge or delivery
rollers which are covered with india-rubber like the two rollers which conduct the
fibre between the friction plates. One of the delivery rollers receives its motion by
a belt or chain which passes round a pulley keyed upon the axis of the lower of the
second pair of pressing rollers. The movement of one delivery roller is transmitted
to the other roller by two toothed wheels.
Such is my improved machine for decorticating ramie and other fibrous plants the
chief advantages of which are :-
1. Suppression of the expansive chemical substances heretofore employed in the
treatment of ramie and the like.
2. Saving of labour.
3. Superior quality of the fibre which preserves all its natural qualities of
strength and tenacity.
4. The hygrometric state of the plants does not intervene in the treatment, hence
suppression of the passage into the stove.
5. Production of 600 kilogrammes of finished fibre per day of 10 working hours.
6. The stems of ramie are decorticated their entire length.
Dated this 29th day of August 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Decorticating Ramie and other
Fibrous Plants.
I, JEAN ALEXANDRE LACÔTE, of 95 Boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to a machine for decorticating ramie and other fibrous
plants.
My said invention is represented by way of example in the accompanying
drawings, in which
Figure 1 shows a general arrangement of my machine.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan thereof.

page_text: Figure 4 is a front view ΟΙ
thereon and
Figure is a front view of the opposite bracket or frame.
pwwww
In my improved machine the treatment of the stems of ramie or the like is
effected in the following manner :-
(1) Passage of the ramie into the machine by the aid of feed rollers, A A B B¹.
(2) Action of a crusher C upon the ramie which passes between the said crusher,
which receives a rotary movement, and a fixed table D. This latter operation has
for its object to cut into small pieces the body of the stem without destroying the
exterior fibre.
(3) Passage of the ramie upon the two beaters E and F in order to cause the
fall of small pieces of wood which have been produced in the preceding operation
and have remained in contact with the exterior fibre.
(4) Passage of the ramie upon rods G in motion which have for their object to
complete the work of the beaters so as to prevent the pieces of wood from falling
between pressing rollers H H' which receive the ramie after its passage upon the
said rods G.
(5) Passage of the ramie between two fluted plates I 1', one of which is
stationary while the other receives a rapid to and fro movement in order to
transform the bark into a product adapted to be spun.
The disengagement of heat produced in this latter operation completely obviates
the chemical treatment heretofore resorted to.
Such are the essential operations effected by my improved machine which I will
now describe in detail both with regard to the arrangement of its working parts
and its driving parts.
The stems of ramie as above stated are introduced between wooden
rollers A A', B B', the said ramie being for this purpose arranged upon the work
table J. In this work of preparing the stems upon the work table J the roller A
is not in contact with the lower roller A' so that the stems may be prepared without
fear of being drawn in between the rollers before they are completely arranged.
To prevent the contact of the rollers A and A' the upper roller A is raised by
means of a lever K. This raising movement of the lever K has also for its object
to cause certain parts of the machine to move in the opposite direction.
When the stems are arranged upon the work table J the upper roller A is
lowered and the two rollers as they turn draw in or feed the stems of ramie which
then pass between the second pair of rollers B and B' to which also a rotary move-
ment is imparted. On leaving the said rollers B and B' the stems of ramie pass
between a fixed table D and a wooden bar or crusher C which receives a rotary
movement. Between these two parts the wood of the stem is divided into small
pieces which are separated from the exterior fibre by two beaters E and F which
turn upon their respective axes. The ramie then passes upon rods G attached to
endless chains, these rods causing the pieces of wood which may still adhere to
drop, so that when the ramie arrives between the rollers H and H' it will have
been entirely freed from the said pieces of wood.
If the machine moved constantly in the same direction or better if the beaters,
rods G and the rollers H H₁ always turned in the same direction the rear
extremities of the stems of ramie under treatment when arriving upon the two
beaters E and F would no longer be held; the stems would be wound round the
said beaters and would no longer be stretched between the friction plates which
would give rise to irregularities in the operation of the machine. With the object
of remedying this inconvenience I have devised the following arrangement enabling
the above mentioned parts to move backwards at the moment when the rear
extremities of the ramie arrive upon the beaters.
The shaft upon which the wooden bar or crusher C is mounted which crushes the
stems of ramie against the table D, receives its movement from the driving shaft 1
by two toothed wheels 2, 17. At the other extremity of the shaft of the wooden
bar or crusher C are two toothed wheels 3, 3' mounted loosely upon this shaft.

page_text: Between these two toothed wheels is arranged a sleeve L provided with a rib
which compels a grooved pulley L' to turn with the shaft while enabling this pulley
to be displaced along the sleeve so that the said pulley, through the intervention of
stops may set in motion now the toothed wheel 3 and now the toothed wheel 3'.
As above stated I raise a lever K connected with the roller A. when preparing the
stems upon the work table J so that their extremities will bear upon the roller A'.
This instant corresponds with that when the extremities of the stems under treat-
ment in the machine have arrived between the wooden bar or crusher C and table D
at which instant it is necessary to cause the said beaters E and F, rods G and
rollers H and H' to move backwards. The change of motion is likewise obtained
by the upward movement of the above-mentioned lever K. For this purpose the
lever has an inclined guide M the edge of which slides in the groove of the said
pulley L causing the latter to be displaced along the sleeve L so as to leave one
toothed wheel which it operated in order to actuate the other toothed wheel.
will now describe these various movements in detail.
I
1st. Forward movement. When the driving shaft and the toothed wheel 2 turns
in the direction indicated by the arrow (Figure 2) and the toothed wheel 17 turns
in the direction indicated by its arrow also shown in Figure 2, the grooved
pulley L' is placed against the toothed wheel 3' which it causes to turn, and the
latter gears with a toothed wheel 4 keyed upon the axis of the beater E which then
turns in the direction of the arrow (Figure 2). This beater E turns the beater F
by the toothed wheels 4 and 5. By another toothed wheel 6 the beater F causes
the shaft N to turn in the direction of the arrow and the movement of this shaft is
transmitted to the shaft N' by the two lateral chains n united by the above-
mentioned rods G; the shaft Ni therefore turns in the direction of the arrow.
By means of the toothed wheels 8 and 9 the aforesaid shaft N₁ transmits its
movement to a roller H¹ which communicates it to another roller H through the
toothed wheels 10 and 11. These two rollers therefore turn in the direction of the
arrows shown (Figure 2).
It will therefore be seen that with the above described driving gear the beaters,
the rods G and the rollers H and H' will be caused to turn in such a direction as
to effect the forward movement of the stems of ramie towards the discharge
rollers O O¹.
2nd. Backward movement. When the lever K is raised the curved guide M is
displaced in the groove of the pulley L' and compels it to abandon the toothed
wheels 31 in order to be placed against the other toothed wheel 3 which it causes
to turn while the first toothed wheel 31 remains stationary. The operation of the
beaters is effected by this second toothed wheel 3 which gears with a toothed
wheel 12 keyed upon the shaft of the second beater F, Figure 2 shows that
the direction of rotation is reversed; it is the same with regard to the rotation of
the first beater E which is actuated by the second beater F by means of the toothed
wheels 4 and 5. This is the opposite direction to that of the transmission for the
forward movement, for the beater F actuates the beater E whilst previously
the beater E transmitted its movement to the beater F.
The rest of the transmission is effected as before, but in the reverse direction,
because the starting point is the toothed wheel 6 keyed upon the shaft of the
beater F which turns in the opposite direction.
The beaters and the rods G turning in opposite directions nevertheless produce
their effect upon the stems of ramie, and the latter are always stretched between
the plates I so that the action of these plates will always be regular.
In order that the driving parts of the various moving parts of my machine may
be better understood I will successively describe such parts.
(1) Pressing rollers A A' B B¹.
To one of the extremities of the driving shaft 1 is keyed the toothed wheel
which engages with another toothed wheel 13 keyed upon the extremity of the shaft
of the roller B to which a rotary movement is thus imparted.
.To the other extremity of this last mentioned shaft B is keyed a toothed

page_text: wheel 14 which sets the two rollers A' and B' in movement by two toothed wheels 15
and 16. The upper roller A which as stated is now applied to the lower roller A
and then separated therefrom when the stems of ramie are displaced, is carrie
away, on being lowered by the pressure which it exerts upon the lower roller A' in.
5 motion.
(2) Crusher C serving to act upon the ramie in its passage upon the table D.
The driving shaft I carries a toothed wheel 2 (Figure 2) which engages with a
second toothed wheel 17 keyed upon the shaft of the crusher C.
(3) I have already described the means for actuating the two beaters E F the
rods G and the pair of rollers H H' to which the fibres pass from the rods, so
that I need not revert to them I will therefore only describe the arrangement of
these parts.
The beaters form stars as shown in Figure 2. They are arranged upon their
shafts against the side frames P P' of the machine; rods ff connect the various
branches of the two stars keyed upon the same axis, and these axes are placed
at such a distance that the rods f cross each other when acting upon the stems of
ramic. Round these rods are placed copper tubes which act upon the stems of
ramie.
The rods H which as above stated have for their object to remove the pieces of
wood which may have adhered to the fibres are mounted at their extremities
upon chains n
n likewise placed against the side. frames P P These chains
pass over drums keyed upon the axes N N' upon which are keyed the toothed
wheels 7 and 8.
The rollers, H and H¹ the operation of which has been above described, are
covered with indiarubber for they press only upon the fibre of ramie which is more.
delicate than the stem treated by the preceding parts.
(4) Friction plates II' and actuating parts.
These two plates made of bronze are fluted vertically and one plate I' is fixel
while the other plate I receives a very rapid to and fro movement in a direction
perpendicular to Figure 2. If the two plates remained constantly in contact the
fibres pressed by the two plates could not advance; for obviating this inconvenience
one of the plates is separated at regular intervals from the other plate I as
indicated in Figure 2. The separation of the two plates has moreover for its object
to prevent the heat from becoming too great.
(a) Plate I. This plate must, as above stated receive a very rapid to and fro
movement. For this purpose it is connected by a rod Q₁ bent at Q (Figure 3) to
an eccentric R the axis of which receives its movement by means of a bevel
wheel which engages with another bevel wheels keyed on an axis S₁ turning at
a great velocity which is obtained in the following manner: Upon the said axis S¹
is keyed a toothed wheel 18 which gears with another wheel 19 keyed upon a
shaft T adapted to receive its movement from a second shaft T¹ by two toothed
wheels, 20 and 21, while two other toothed wheels 22, 23 transmit the movement of
the driving shaft 1 to the shaft T¹. If the series of toothed wheels above described
is considered it will be seen that they are arranged for amplifying the velocity
of the driving shaft 1 so that the aforesaid axis S₁ turns at a much greater velocity
than this driving shaft.
(b) Plate I. This plate as above mentioned, must be separated from the plate I
from time to time for allowing the fibre to descend. The result is obtained in the
following manner: The plate I¹ is united with a cross bar U connected at its two
extremities with two rods V and V1 which can slide in guides and v². These two
rods are united in front by a second cross bar U¹ provided with a guide which enters
an eccentric groove X in a wheel X" keyed upon a shaft Y. Upon this shaft is
also keyed a toothed wheel 24 which transmits to it the movement of a shaft Z by
three toothed wheels, 24, 25 and 26, this latter being keyed upon the said shaft Z.
At the upper part of this shaft, which is outside one of the side frames P¹ is.
arranged a bevel wheel 27 actuated by a wheel 28 keyed upon the axis of the
roller A. It will thus be seen that when this roller A is lowered, that is to say

page_text: when it is in motion it transmits its motion to the said shaft Y and consequently to
the wheel having an eccentric groove through the medium of the aforesaid
axis and toothed wheels 26, 25 and 24. The wheel having an eccentric groove
compels a tappet X and the said cross bar U' and the two sliding rods V and V₁
to which it is connected, to be displaced parallel to the side frames P and P¹. The
two sliding rods V and V₁ carry away in their movement the cross bar U and
therefore the plate I'. For enabling the pressure which the first plate I must
exert upon the second plate I' to be easily regulated the latter is fixed to the said
cross bar U by the aid of a screw Z by which the respective positions of the two
plates I and I' may be adjusted. A cushion formed by a slightly compressible
material is interposed between the rod of the plate I¹ and the pressing screw, which
obviates sudden shocks of the plates against each other under the action of the
wheel having an eccentric groove X'. At the time of the mounting of the apparatus
I arrange the eccentric groove so that the work is effected under proper conditions
as regards the separation and approach of the plates I and I¹.
(5) It remains to describe the operation of the fluted rollers and O' likewise
covered with indiarubber like the two rollers H and H'. The roller O receives its
motion by a belt or chain 30 which passes round a pulley 31 keyed upon the axis
of the roller B¹. The movement of O is transmitted to O¹ by two toothed wheels 32
and 33.
Such is my improved machine for decorticating ramie, and other fibrous plants,
the chief advantages of which are:-
1. Suppression of the expensive chemical substances heretofore employed in the
treatment of ramie and the like.
2. Saving of labour.
3. Superior quality of the fibre which preserves all its natural qualities of strength
and tenacity.
4. The hygrometric state of the plants does not intervene in the treatment, hence
suppression of the passage into the stove.
5. Production of 600 kilogrammes of finished fibre per day of 10 working hours.
6. The stems of ramie are decorticated their entire length.
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
The above described machine designed for decorticating ramie without the
employment of chemical substances, the said machine being especially charac-
terized by:
First. The employment of a piece of wood or crusher of the special form
represented, receiving a rotary movement, which crushes the stems of ramie
against the concave face of a fixed table without destroying the bark of ramie or
the available fibre; the ramie being conveyed between these crushing parts by
guide rollers likewise receiving a rotary movement, which prepare the work by
slightly crushing the ramie.
Second. Beaters formed by tubes mounted upon axes which will, owing to their
rotary movement, successively beat the fibre so as to force the pieces of wood cut
into pieces by the preceding operation to detach themselves from the fibre before
its passage between the plates designed to transform the fibre into a product adapted
to be spun.
Third. The employment of rods mounted upon rollers placed at the extremities
adapted to be displaced by the aid of chains, completing the preceding operation so
as to prevent the least portion of wood from passing between the driving rollers
which precede the friction plates.
Fourth. Fluted friction plates of bronze, one of which receives a very rapid
to-and-fro movement by compressing the fibre against the other immovable plate
during this operation, this latter plate being at certain moments enabled to move

page_text: away from the first so as to allow the fibre, transformed into a product which may
be spun, to descend and to air the plates.
Fifth. The device enabling the beaters, the rods G and the first driving rollers
to be reversed so as to always ensure the tension of the fibre between the friction
plates when the extremities of the stems are no longer held in the crusher, this
device consisting in displacing by means of an inclined guide a grooved pulley
receiving a rotary movement for causing it to actuate now a gear wheel com-
municating to the beaters, and consequently to the parts operated by these latter,
a rotary movement in one direction, and then another gear wheel communicating
to the beaters a rotary movement in the direction opposite to the former.
Sixth. In combination with the inclined guide, the displacement of which causes
the rearward movement of the parts hereinbefore mentioned, a hand lever secured
to one of the first rollers serving for the passage of the stems into the machine so
as to be able to arrange the extremities of these rods upon the lower roller corre-
sponding to that which is raised, this arrangement permitting of the simultaneous
movement of all the stems into the machine by the lowering of the roller which was.
raised.
Seventh. The arrangement of the friction plates and their driving parts as
hereinbefore specified.
Eighth. The combination of the parts hereinbefore described with the object of
obtaining a machine adapted to decorticate ramie.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant..