Improvements in Machines for Decorticating and Scutching Flax, Hemp, and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 15th June, 1895-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Decorticating and Scutching Flax,
Hemp, and the like.
I, GUSTAVE EMILE SUBRA of 34, Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
66
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My invention relates to improvements in machines for decorticating and
scutching" hemp, flax and the like and consists in a combination with the
beaters and other constitutive parts of the machine, of scutching cylinders or
rollers, the pressure of which can be varied at will, and corrugated cylinders or
rollers between which the stalks pass after they have left the beaters, the object of
these corrugated rollers or cylinders being, through their combined action with the
beaters, to subject the heels or roots of the stalks to an energetic action so as to
remove from them their woody portions.
In order that my invention may be better understood I will proceed to describe
the drawing hereunto annexed which illustrates a cross sectional elevation of a
machine constructed according to my invention.
C is a table for feeding the machine with stalks to be decorticated or "scutched,"
A, A' are rollers of special form, A' being fixed and A adjustable. These rollers
are provided with flutings or corrugations similar to each other and of greater or
lesser depth according to the stalks to be operated upon. The rollers A can he
adjusted so as to be brought nearer to the rollers A¹ by means of bolts 1 and 2
whilst springs 3 enable them to impart to the stalks an elastic pressure which
elasticity is however limited by screws 4 which prevent the rollers A from
receiving too great an upward movement which would otherwise be the case when
hard stalks were being treated. Liners 5 allow the bearings (and consequently
the rollers A. and A') to be moved further apart when required.
The stalks carried forward and crushed by these rollers A, A', which may be
considered as feed rollers, pass between two similar ones a, a' fitted in the same
way but revolving at a higher velocity.
The result of this arrangement is, that the stalks not being capable of moving
forward at a greater speed than that imparted to them by rollers A, A¹ receive
from the rollers a, at a frictional motion which causes the "scutching" of the
stalks.
On leaving the rollers a a¹ the scutched stalks are carried away and beaten by
rollers B, B. These rollers consist of discs to which the beaters or blades b, b¹
are fitted; the paths of said beaters or blades so cross each other as to deprive
the stalks of their woody constituents, the end of the stalk during this operation
being held fast by rollers a, a¹. This end or heel of the stalk is not completely
deprived of its woody element insomuch as the moment it passes through the
beaters b, b, having left the rollers a, a¹ it is no longer held fast at its end. To
remedy this disadvantage I provide at a point near the place of egress of the
stalks from between rollers or discs B, B', a pair of deeply fluted rollers H, H¹
fitted in the same way as A, A' and a, a' previously described.
Between these rollers H, H' the beaten stalks now pass. The lower roller H' is
mounted in an adjustable bearing which allows of it being brought nearer to or
taken farther away from, the roller B' and consequently increasing or decreasing

page_text: the space between them according to the size of the stalks. When the heels of
the stalks leave the scutching cylinders or rollers a, a' the beaters which have a
greater velocity, throw them against rollers H, H' which revolve at a speed equal
to that of rollers A, A¹. The result of this combined action is to remove the
remainder of the woody element as completely as possible, the fibre being carried
out of the machine by the movable apron D.
In order to prevent the woody matter thus cleared from clogging the machine,
especially the driving shaft F, I arrange below the parts the working of which is
hereinbefore described, a sloping plate L so arranged as to throw off the refuse.
The working of the machine is as follows:
The driving shaft F, which can be driven by suitable machinery or by hand
power, imparts motion to shaft E by means of a chain or belt e, and shaft E in
turn transmits motion to shafts M, N by means of wheels m, n. Shaft M actuates
shafts of rollers A', a' by means of pinion and wheel, M', M" which themselves
drive wheel and pinion m, m", the respective diameters of which are such that
rollers A, A have a lesser velocity than rollers a, a¹. In a similar manner
shaft N drives by means of a suitable pinion and wheel n', n", rollers H, H¹,
pinion and wheel d, d¹ and apron D.
0,0; P, P are stays connecting the standards of the bedplate of the machine;
two of these stays support plate L.
It should be understood that when the machine is to be used to decorticate in
the dry state (as in the case of hemp) the pressure of the scutching rollers a,
a¹
must be decreased.
I do not bind myself to the exact construction of the various parts of the
machine as shown on the drawing as various modifications might, perhaps, be made
with advantage.
Dated this 5th day of December 1894.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
70 & 71, Palace Chambers, Westminster, S. W.,
Agent for the said Applicant.
Improvements in Machines for Decorticating and Scutching Flax,
Hemp, and the like.
I GUSTAVE EMILE SUBRA of 30, Boulevard Richard Lenoir 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 :-
This invention relates to certain improvements in machines for decorticating
and cleaning flax, hemp and the like whether green or dry. The decortication by
the dry process presents particularly the greatest interest in the case of the
treatment of hemp according to this invention which is most perfectly effected.
The machine is characterised by the combination with rotary beaters or other
constituent elements (of which there has ere this been indicated the application in
machines of this class) of an arrangement of depelliculating cylinders or fluted
crushing rollers, whereof the pressure may be varied at will, and of cylinders
having undulated or wavy surfaces between which said cylinders the fibrous stalks
of the plants are to be passed after coming out from the beater-rollers, the said
depelliculating cylinders having for object, by their combined action with the
beaters to submit the tail of the stalks to an energetic action which will completely
clear and dislocate the fibre from its combination with the woody matter of the
plants.

page_text: In order that the following more particular description may be well understood
I have hereunto annexed a drawing illustrative of the invention wherein is shown
a construction of machine according to this invention represented in transverse
sectional elevation.
The stalks to be depelliculated and decorticated are brought into the machine
by means of the table c upon which they are spread out."
A system of rollers A, A¹, of special form serves to draw in and crush the
stalks.
These rollers, whereof the one A¹ is fixed vertically and the other A is
vertically adjustable are furnished with undulations of surface, similar each to
each or not, and with the longitudinal groovings more or less pronounced according
to the stalks to be treated and their surfaces may be brought nearer to or further
from each other by means of the screw bolts 1, 2, which allows of the vertical and
elastic pressure of the upper roller A, through the spring 3 this elasticity of
pressure upon the stalks being nevertheless limited by the screw 4 which acts to
prevent too great a displacement or yielding of the rollers A', which might take
place in the case of treating very hard stalks.
The washers 5, allows of the spacing apart of the rollers A A' at will.
The stalks thus drawn in and crushed by the said rollers, which also serve as
feed rollers, are passed on to a second pair of similarly mounted rollers a, a', but
driven at higher speed than the rollers A, A¹, so giving, by the said rollers a, a',
frictional action upon the stalks and affording a depelliculation or skinning effect
thereupon.
On the stalks passing out from these said rollers they are drawn and beaten by the
beating rollers B, B'. These rollers B, B', or rollers similar thereto have already been
used in machines of this kind (constructed by the present applicant) and are formed of
end plates or discs B, B', between which are mounted the boards or beaters b, b',
which are set to come into action between each other in such wise as to effect a
complete beating out of the woody matter and pellicles of the stalks from the
fibres, whilst the same are still being solidly or firmly held at their extremities by
the rollers a a¹.
This extremity of the stalks will not be completely beaten and separated because
at the moment where it passes between the beater blades b, b¹, it will have left the
rollers a a¹ and consequently is not held by them. To remedy this inconvenience
there is set up at the outer side of the beater rollers B, B1, a pair of rollers H, H³,
very deeply undulated or grooved and mounted similarly to the rollers A, A¹, a, a¹,
and to and between which is passed the beaten fibres.
The lower roller H¹ is mounted in an eccentric or adjustable slide bearing which
allows of its being moved nearer to or further from the beater B₁ and consequently
to increase or diminish the interval existing between them, according to the size of
the stalks under treatment.
When the ends of the stalks come out from the depelliculation rollers the
beaters, driven at a relatively higher surface speed, carries forward the stalks and
projects or presents them to the rollers H, H', which are driven at a speed
analogous to that of the cylinders A, A', and the ends are then beaten by the
reciprocal action of the beater roller B' in conjunction with the cylinder H¹.
By this double action the decortication is as complete as possible and the fibres
is then carried away from the machine by means of the travelling table D. To
prevent the refuse matter and dust from fouling the motion shaft of the machine
there is arranged over the same a sheet or board L, serving to protect and cast off
the dirt.
The operation of the machine is as follows.
F, being the motion shaft, driven mechanically or by hand, drives the axle E,
by band and pully as shown. Shaft E is geared and transmits motion to
shafts M, N by gears m n.
Shaft M is geared with the shafts of the respective
cylinders A¹ a' by the intermediate pinion and wheel M², M² driving wheel and
pinion m², m² the proportions whereof are such that the cylinders A A¹ have a less

page_text: speed than the cylinders a a¹. In like manner the shaft N, drives by suitable
pinion and wheel n¹n the rollers II, HI, and pinion and wheel d d' drives, similarly
the table D.
O, O, P, P are cross supports of the framing of the machine two of these cross
bars serving as supports to the board L.
It should be reinarked that when the machine is used for decortication by dry
process, (which is preferable to the treatment of hemp) the pressure between the
depellicular roller should be diminished.
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 improved decorticating and depelliculating machine for the treatment of
fibres (green or dry) characterised by the combination with the beater
rollers Bb, B 6' of one or more pairs of grooved or undulated surface rollers
arranged at the head of the machine driven at variable speed and mounted with
suitable elastic pressure between each pair, serving the one to draw and crush the
stalks and the other by difference of speed serving to scour or depelliculate
fibres and further at the discharge end of the machine, the grooved or undulated
rollers such as H, H', serving by their action combined with the beater rollers 1.
treat the ends of the fibres on their leaving the set or sets of rollers at the
forward end of the machine constructed and operating substantially as herein
described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated this 15th day of June 1895.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.