Machine or Apparatus for Separating Vegetable Fibres from the Pulpy Matters.
Year: 1888

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Machine or Apparatus for Separating Vegetable Fibres from the
Pulpy Matters.
I, FRANK DARKIN of Brooklyn in the County of Kings and State of New York,
United States of America, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my inven-
tion for "MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING VEGETABLE FIBRES FROM THE
PULPY MATTERS" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention comprises various improvements in automatic apparatus for regularly
and rapidly feeding the fibre bearing leaves or stalks along over, and subject to the
action of toothed pickers or strippers in great numbers rapidly thrusting into the
leaves between the fibres and carrying away the pulp in fine particles, whilst the fibres
are alike automatically retained, recovered from the pickers and transferred along a
drying field or house and to the place of delivery. It also comprises certain adjuncts
for the recovery of a small percentage of short fibre, heretofore allowed to go to
waste with the pulp, and also certain devices for facilitating the removal of the pulp
or bagasse all as follows referring to the drawing in which,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine, in general view, representing the
essential parts.
Fig. 2 is a similar plan view.
Fig. 3 is an end elevation, as seen looking from the left hand of figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the parts on line xx fig. 1 as seen looking from the
right band of fig. 1.
Fig. 5. is an end view as seen from the right hand of fig. 1.
Fig. 6, 7, and 8 represent in three detached parts a side elevation of the machine
on an enlarged scale, with the toothed pickers, and some of the ways for the feed chains
in longitudinal section.
Fig. 9 is a plan view, fig. 10 a longitudinal section, and
Fig. 11 is a front elevation of an automatic tender, receiving the leaves in irregular
order as piles and bundles, and delivering them in regular succession to the feed
apron of the machine.
Fig. 12 represents a modified form of tender in plan view

page_text: a small diameter and gradually increasing to the full diameter or parallel portion. The
object of this is to compel the leaf or stalk to come in contact with the stripper first at
or near the point of the leaf and to be acted upon gradually further and further up or
back along the leaf until it reaches the parallel or cleaning portion of said
stripper. The action previous to this being confined to splitting the leaf into flexible
strings or ribbons and leading it on to the parallel portion of the stripper in a
favourable position for cleaning thereon.
The dressed portion of the fibres passing from the cylindrical end of picker c, move
along over the smooth metallic terminal ring j fig. 7 under the influence of the butt
ends still carried by the grip chains d, e, and fall on the lower chain-of another pair of
transfer grip chains l, m, running in a plane parallel to that of chains d, e, but
sufficiently distant to grip the fibre at such length from the unpicked portions as that
they, escaping from chains d, e, will be similarly dragged over the similar though
smaller and reversely rotating picker n, to be similarly relieved of the pulpy
matters remaining, along which picker the chains 1, m, now conduct the leaves or
so much of them as is left, the said chains moving along the way h similar to h, but
reversed so as to hold the fibres against the pull of the picker in the opposite direc-
Chain, is carried on chain wheels s, and m¹, and chain m, on chain wheels st
and m. Although I prefer to grip the leaves first by the butt ends as before stated-
they may be first gripped by the point or upper ends with good results.
tion.
The fibres from the first picker hanging loose on the slack side of the chain, that is
opposite to the butt ends now subject to the pull of the picker, are drawn along
the chanel o, of chain way ¹, same as that represented in chain way h, fig. 20, but on
the opposite side, to be carried above picker n, out of contact with its teeth.
The fibres now wholly cleaned from end to end pass on with the chains l, m, and
are automatically delivered by them on the endless carrying rope P, running over a
grooved pulley 9, close along side, and turning on, the same axis with the chain
carrying wheels, on which chain runs so that the fibres hang thereon by the middle
or thereabout suitable for being carried slowly, and so suspended for exposure to the
sunshine or other drying agent a suitable length of time for effectually drying the
fibres ready for packing in bales when taken from the rope.
Thus it will be seen, is provided a plant of automatic apparatus to which, the leaves
being properly supplied, it only remains to take away the completely dressed and dried
fibres, from the carrying rope and bale. them at once for the market. The con-
trivances of the pickers, grip chains, and operative parts for working them may
be arranged in various ways, but in this machine 1 have embodied numerous devices of
special advantages in these particular parts, and have combined with it the afore-
said automatic delivery and drying attachment for the cleaned fibres in a practicable
and successful development, also the tender above referred to for automatic and
more regular and rapid distribution of the bundles or piles of leaves upon the feed
apron, than may be done by hand, which dryer and tender are alike useful with
cleaning machines of various other forms of construction, and I do not limit myself
so far as these devices are concerned to any particular form or construction of the
picking, stripping, or cleaning mechanisın.
The pickers are located at a suitable height above the ground floor t, for the
discharge of the bagasse from them upon inclined chutes u, which discharge into
trucks, on the track to, for taking it away without handling and this elevation of
the pickers also enables the arrangement of the lower grips e, l, to hang free of
carrier rollers that would otherwise be necessary, which is not only simpler but the
chains work better. The pickers are driven independently of and preferably reverse
to each other by belts y, z, from the main shaft, the latter being crossed, but the
apparatus may be contrived for running the pickers both in the same direction
The grip chains are driven from the counter shaft a¹ by the crossed belt b', running
on the fast and loose pulleys c¹ geared by the bevel pinion and wheel d³, with the
shaft e on which is pinion gearing with the wheel g* on the shaft of chain
wheels, which carries chain 1, and shaft of wheels, gears with and drives the
shaft of the corresponding wheel st of chain m.
Shaft e also carries a chain wheel /*

page_text: on which the driving chain runs to the shaft which gears by pinion A¹ with the
wheel on the shaft of the chain wheel ¹ between the two pickers and over which
the chain e, runs; and the shaft of chain wheel f¹ gears with and drives the shaft
of the corresponding wheel g¹ of chain d.
It is to be noticed that chain 1, runs within the open large end of picker c, over the
small chain wheel m' located therein for the best means of transferring the fibres over
the carrier wheel of the chain thereat and on to the chain, and where the fibres pass
from the end of picker n, there is a guard n' in the form of an arch made of a thin
plate, and located over the pulley of carrying the driving beltz, which actuates said
picker to carry the fibres over said pulley without obstruction, and further along the
chain way there are guard plates pl hanging from said way one each side and
overlapping the sides of chain wheels and rope wheel 9, to guide the hanging fibres
past the edge of said wheels without obstruction by them.
With each picker there is also a curved guide plate 7' along the taper and part of
the rest of the picker along which the leaves pass to confine them in proper contact
with the teeth of the picker, said guards being suitably flared at the front ends s¹
to facilitate the entry of the leaves in the space between them and the pickers.
vl
The
The chain e is composed of the links having a grooved face figs. 25, 26, 27, 29, 30,
and chain d, of links having correspondingly ribbed faces as in figs. 28, 31, 32
which working together as represented in fig. 20 are adapted to crush and grip the
leaves as they run between the wheels f, g, and along the chain way and hold them
effectually against the pull of the pickers whilst passing the leaves along them. The
chain, is composed of links having a wide channel as in figs. 33, 35, 36, 37, and
chain m, of links as figs. 29 and 30 which run together as represented in fig. 38
with a soft rubber belt t¹, arranged between them for a flexible cashion on which the
fibres cleaned by the first picker may be gripped by the metallic links more effectually
than they can be by the links directly, both for the holding of the fibres and for
their protection from cutting and crushing. The belt may be plain on both sides as
in fig. 39 or it may have ribs on one side to run in the grooves of the grooved links
as represented in fig. 38. The chains are made to retain their grip after passing the
chain wheels by the presser bars i suitably arranged over the ways, and 7 in
vertical ways u³, of the girders having spring sockets at intervals along them,
each containing a spring y fig. 20 seated on the back of the presser bar, and a lifting
rod connected with the presser and extending through the spring for a guide,
and up through the top of the girder to be raised by a nut screwed on the upper end
when it may be required to raise the presser temporarily for any purpose.
upper chains return in guide way a supported above the girders the rubber belt
running along with and above its chain, but being of elastic material it is liable to
stretch and crawl or loop over the sides of the way and get out of place, to avoid
which I provide a take up device for the slack consisting of the rollers (see fig. 40)
in the frame pivoted hy trunions in the standards e rising up each side of the
way a and having clamping bearings " to grip or pinch the trunions and secure the
frame of the take-up by friction of the trunions in any more or less oblique position
in which it may be set from time to time as the slack of the rubber belt varies.
Besides the take-up, edge guide rollers g² are also provided which together with the
take-up are located near where the belt ruus on to the pulley around which it goes to
the feed way, that being the locality where the trouble froin the slack belt occurs.
The leaves brought for treatment are delivered in piles or bundles on the table /² from
which they are carried by the barrel elevator up to, and deposited on, the side
table at the level of the feed apron a, on to which they may be placed by the
attendant, side by side for being carried into the grip chains d, e, as before described,
in case of a slowly working machine, but for more certain and reliable action and
especially for the more rapid supply that a machine of the character herein described
is capable of taking and which an attendant is incapable of giving in the order that
is necessary, an automatic tender capable of receiving the leaves in piles or bundles
and of giving them out in succession and due order of arrangement is an essential
adjunct, enabling a larger output of the product in proportion as it increases the feed

page_text: The
above that of which an attendant is capable, up to the limit of the capacity of the
machine itself. For this purpose I provide a shaking hopper, in advance of and
descending toward the feed apron a, and having a transversely ribbed bottom k
which by shaking towards and from apron a, causes the leaves thrown on the upper end of
the bottom in large piles or bundles from the arms of attendants to shift one upon
another and come to rest side by side in regular order in the hollow between and
parallel with the ribs of the bottom more rapidly than they can be placed so by hand,
and be thrust forward over the ribs and down the incline in rapid succession.
operation is facilitated by a rising and falling motion of the upper part with one or
more stationary lifters m set in slits or partings of the bottom so that the shaker
which descends in the backward motion falls a little lower than said lifters and the
leaves on it are thrust on the lifters from the bottom, which rising on the forward
motion shifts them downward over the ribs and toward the apron.
In this arrange-
ment the inclination of the shaker towards the apron need not be as great as when
And a further
said lifters are not employed, as I propose to use it in some cases.
contrivance consisting of the yielding gate may be used to retard the forward
movement of the uppermost leaves by holding them back; whilst allowing the lower
ones on the bottom to pass. Said gate being especially useful in obstructing the
more forward portions of such leaves as may happen to lie diagonally or more or less
Said gate
cross-wise of the others, and causing them to turn parallel with the rest.
consists of a board suspended from any approved support above and provided with
one or more springs allowing it to yield and prevent clogging and returning it to its
normal position when free. The shaker is in this instance mounted at the lower end
of the oscillating supports n² and at the upper end on the rotating eccentrics o²-
carried by the shaft p³ giving motion to them, for working the shaker, but various
other contrivances may be employed with like results.
Besides descending toward the apron a, the shaker also inclines downward sidewise
as represented in fig. 11, in order that the leaves will shift towards and be guaged
at the butt ends by the guide q2 for regulating them to enter the grip chains d, e, to
be gripped a like distance from the ends. The feed apron a, may also serve as the
shaker attachment in lieu of a separate one, if desired, though not quite as desirable or
satisfactory, by making it longer and imparting a vertical motion to the front and so
far away from the chain wheels as that the vibrations will not interfere with the
entry of the leaves between them properly, and giving it the lateral pitch to shift the
leaves to the butt guide. The lifters will not be required in this arrangement
because the apron moves the leaves along. And a like automatic tender service. may
be practicably afforded by a rotating drum ² having arms or prongs v³ projecting
from its periphery at suitable intervals to pick up one or more leaves by each set of
arms passing upward from the hopper w2 on which the piles or bundles are thrown by
the attendant, and carry them over and let them fall on the chute discharging upon
the apron a, or they may be let fall directly on to the apron, and the chute may have
inclined sides that will guage the butt ends falling down from the attendant and
from the wheel. The rope p, for taking away the cleaned fibres from the machine
and conveying them along the drying range, runs around grooved pulley 7, in close
proximity to chain wheel s, to receive the hanging fibres from chains l, m, as before
stated and thence along the grooved carrier pulleys a³ of the drying range either in
the open air and sunshine or in an enclosed drying chamber to the place of delivery
of the fibres as at where the fibres may be pulled off by hand for packing, and
therefrom the rope which is endless, returns around pulley q, and the drying range
continuously carrying the suspended fibres at a suitable height from the ground for
the purpose and for convenience of the attendant who removes them, to the plane
level of which height the rope is guided from the higher position where the fibres are
received by passing under the parallel vertical guide pulleys c³ both in going out and
returning which is a guide-way arrangement along which the outgoing rope laden
with the fibres may pass without detrimental interference with the fibres as in passing
over a guide pulley. The carriers a³ are also contrived for the passing of the fibre
laden rope in a horizontal plane.without hindrance of the fibres by being.set-obliquely
or

page_text: to the horizontal plane with the lower side in the direction of the coming and going
rope and the high side being that around which the rope runs giving the pulleys a,
dip," in the direction of the "dip" of the sag of the rope between the pulleys
enabling said pulleys in practicably a horizontal position to carry the rope successfully
with the fibres hanging on it so that they only touch the pulleys where they double
on the rope and are not obstructed by then. Together with the dip-of the carriers a³
they are located for the successive forward and backward arrangement of the rope
in a zig zag course for the like advantage of the dip of the rope both in going on and
off the pulleys, and also to concentrate the drier in the matter of space.
The grip
chains of the machine have preferably much higher rate of travel, than is desirable
for the drier which, going only so fast as enables it to make room for the successive
bunches corresponding to the individual leaves as they are delivered from the chains
is carried on the pulley, running loosely on its shaft, and is driven by the wheel d³
around which said rope returns and which is geared for the slower speed required, by
the chaine running on a small pulley on the shaft of wheel s, and a larger pulley
ou its shaft, a shorter rope and also a shorter range are thus available for the amount
of work that would demand greater length of both if the rope were driven directly
from the pulley q, keyed fast to the shaft of wheel s, as it might be, dispensing with
the driver d as I may prefer to work it in some cases. For a long rope of this kind
a variable tension device is required to take up and give out slack as the 'load varies
and as the length is affected by atmospheric changes, and I employ a weight f³
suspended by a pulley y in a loop of the rope, between two carriers ³ which I also
utilize by placing the carriers in different planes as in fig. 2 for shifting the returning
part of the rope into the plane of the outgoing part and of the carrier q, from a
different plane in which the return from the drying range is necessary to prevent
interference with the fibres hanging from the outgoing part. I do not limit myself
to the forward and backward, or zig zag arrangement of the dryer nor to the horizontal
arrangement of the carriers a³ for it may, of course, be run out and back in a direct
course and over vertical carriers with suitable guides to pass the hanging fibres along
the pivots of the carriers.
L
Under each picker or stripper I arrange an endless rack of bars or rods on pulleyj
designed for the lodgement of short detached fibres not held by the grip chains whilst
the pulp or bagasse falls through the racks to the chutes u, below, said racks being
movable for shifting along by hand from time to time to bring the collections out of
range of the pickers and the falling pulp, where they can be conveniently removed by
hand.
In practice I will employ blowers for projecting blasts of air upward or in such
direction upon the point where the short fibres fall on the racks as will facilitate their
separation from the pulp and retention on the racks. The feed apron a, is driven by
a chain belt from a wheel on the shaft of chain wheel, and the shaft p² from the
feed apron shaft but these parts may be worked by any other approved means.
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. The combination of leaf or stalk carrying grip chains and toothed rotating
pickers or strippers in the arrangement by which the said leaves or stalks are dragged
along over and upon the pickers or strippers to beat, pick and strip away the pulp
substantially as described.
2. The combination of the leaf or stalk carrying grip chains and toothed rotating
pickers or strippers having a preparatory conical portion first roughly splitting the
leaves or stalks into flexible string or ribbon like division from the points backward,
and a successive cylindrical or parallel portion completely separating the fibres and
cleaning away the pulp and other matter substantially as described.
3. The combination with the first rotating picker or stripper of the grip chains and
their carrying wheels arranged for together crushing the leaves or stalks preparatory
for the action of the grip chains substantially as described.

page_text: 4. The combination of the grip chains, chain guide way and toothed rotating picker
or stripper, of the adjustable guide for deflecting the leaves or stalks upon the picker
teeth substantially as described.
5. The combination with, the toothed rotating picker or stripper and grip chains, of
the curved and flared guide plate for confining the dragging leaves, or stalks on the
picker or stripper teeth substantially as described.
6. The combination with the grip chain presser bar, of the supporting girder and
presser springs, said girder having spring sockets containing the springs, and slide
ways embracing the bar, and the bar carrying spring holding seats within the spring
sockets of the bar substantially as described.
7. The combination with the grip chain presser bar, supporting girder, and presser
springs, of the lifting rods for raising the presser against the springs substantially as
described.
8: The combination with the open or hollow end of the picker or stripper from
which the leaves or stalks pass away, of the transfer grip chains one of which is
extended within said hollow or open end to receive the leaves stalks or fibres sub-
stantially as described.
9. The combination with the transfer grip chains, chain way, and the finishing
picker or stripper, of the guard arch extended over the driving pulley of the picker
substantially as described.
10. The combination with the transfer grip chains, chain way and the chain wheel
over which the dressed fibres are discharged, of the guards attached to the chain way
and overlapping said chain wheel to conduct the hanging fibres along it substantially
as described.
11. The combination with the rotating fibre cleaner of the short fibre collecting
rack located in the course or path of the matters thrown down from the cleaner
substantially as described.
12. The combination with the rotating fibre cleaner of the endless movable short
fibre collecting rack located in the course or path of the matters thrown down from
the cleaner substantially as described.
13. The combination with the rotating fibre cleaner of the endless movable short
fibre collecting rack, and the bagasse receiving and discharging chute located in
the course of the matters thrown down from the cleaner substantially as described.
14. The combination in a fibre cleaning machine of a rotating fibre cleaner, bagasse
receiving and discharging chute located under the cleaner, and a bagasse receiving
truck located under the chute substantially as described.
15. The combination with the transfer grip chains of the belt of flexible material
running between said chains substantially as described.
16. The combination with the flexible belt and grip chain with which it is used, of
the take-up device for the slack of the flexible belt substantially as described.
17. The combination with the flexible belt and grip chain with which it is used, of
the take up device for the slack of the flexible belt, and the edge guide substantially as
described.
18. The combination in a fibre cleaning machine of feed mechanism conducting the
leaves or stalks along the cleaning apparatus, and the automatic shaking, selecting
and arranging tender, receiving the leaves in irregular piles or quantities and trans-
ferring them in regular succession and in due order of arrangement to said feed
mechanism.
19. The combination in a fibre cleaning machine of feed mechanism conducting the
leaves or stalks along the cleaning apparatus, and the automatic shaking tender, pro-
vided with the stationary lifters, for receiving the leaves or stalks in irregular piles or
quantities and transferring them in regular succession and in due order of arrangement
to said feed mechanism substantially as described.
20. The combination in a fibre cleaning machine of feed mechanism conducting the
leaves or stalks along the cleaning apparatus, and the automatic shaking tender
delivering the leaves to the picker and having lateral descending pitch shifting the
leaves to the butt guide substantially as described.

page_text: 21. The combination in a fibre cleaning machine of feed mechanism conducting the
leaves or stalks along the cleaning apparatus and the automatic shaking tender provided
with the stationary lifters, and having lateral descending pitch shifting the leaves to
the butt guide, said tender receiving the leaves or stalks in irregular piles or quantities
and transferring them in regular succession and due order of arrangement to said feed
mechanism substantially as described.
22. The combination in a fibre cleaning machine, of an endless rope carrier with the
fibre discharging apparatus automatically receiving the dressed fibres therefrom and
transferring them to the place of delivery substantially as described.
23. The combination in a fibre cleaning machine of an endless carrier with the
fibre discharging apparatus, automatically receiving the dressed fibres therefrom and
transferring them along a drying range and to the place of delivery substantially. as
described.
24. The combination with the transfer chains delivering the cleaned fibres from the
cleaning apparatus, of the endless rope carrier traversing a carrying wheel arranged
in the relation to the delivery chain wheel whereby the rope and the delivery chains
overlap each other and automatically transfer the suspended fibres from the chain to
the rope substantially as described.
25. The endless fibre carrying rope and driving mechanism therefor combined with
the fibre discharging apparatus of the cleaning machine automatically transferring said
fibres to the rope, and graduated or speeded slower than the speed of the fibre dis-
charging apparatus substantially as described.
26. The combination with the fibre delivering chains of the endless fibre carrying
rope, loose carrying wheel therefor in the axis of the lower delivery chain wheel, the
outgoing and returning range of carrying pulleys for the rope driving wheel in the
return range of the rope, and the wheel driving gear actuating it substantially as
described.
27. The combination with the fibre delivery chains of the endless fibre carrying
rope, automatically receiving the fibres from the said chains and the outgoing and
returning range of carrying pulleys for the rope in a lower plane than that of the
reception of the fibres by the rope, and the rope depressing guide pulleys in the level
of said carrying pulleys and between them and the said place of reception of the fibres,
substantially as described.
28. The combination with the fibre delivery chains of the endless fibre carrying
rope and the forward and backward or zig zag range of horizontal carrier pulleys
having dip or inclination in the direction of the sag of the rope substantially as
described.
29. The combination with the endless fibre carrying rope arranged in different
outgoing and returning planes, of the variable tension device comprising carrier
pulleys and the weighted pulley between them arranged to transfer the returning
rope from its plane to the driving pulley in the plane of the outgoing rope substantially
as described.
30. The combination of the yielding gate with the shaking tender substantially as
described.
71
11
1000
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Associate Agent.