Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows :-
This invention has reference to the breaking and other preliminary treatment of
flax, hemp and other fibres. The breaking is effected by means of rigid blades
metallic or not, plain or toothed, sharp or round, these plates taking into or
engaging with each other, and the fibre passing between them. These devices
may be placed in front of a hackling machine the fibre being contained in holders.
The said breaking devices can be arranged on crescent-shaped jaws having a
special reciprocating vertical and lateral movement or they inay be carried by
endless belts or chains having a reciprocating up and down movement or by
circular plates having a rotary reciprocating motion. The rate of motion of the
breaking devices should in all cases be regulated so as to be equal or approximately
so to that of the fibre; the breaking will therefore be effected without exerting
injurious tension.
After the breaking operation and before the scutching and hackling the boon is
pulverized or reduced and the fibre is at the same time rendered supple by
depriving it of a portion of its gummy matter by friction and bruising effected by
means of one or more pairs of jaws one jaw of each pair being fixed while the
other has a reciprocating transverse motion. This device works as follows:-
When the holder containing the fibre under operation is at the highest point of its
course and during all the time of the descent the fixed jaw or jaws are separated
from the movable jaw or jaws, so as to allow the fibre to descend freely, but as
soon as the holder reaches the lowest point of its course the jaws approach each
...631

page_text: other and they act in this position during the whole rise of the holder, imparting
to the fibre during this time a rapid undulating movement which bruises it,
pulverizes or reduces the boon and renders the fibre supple throughout its length.
Then when the holder has reached the highest point of its course the jaws again
separate while another holder takes the place of the first and so on.
The fibre is afterwards submitted to scutching and hackling operations.
The characteristic features of the invention are, the employment for breaking
flax or other fibres of rigid blades as described; the imparting of a reciprocating
up and down movement as well as a lateral movement to fibre breaking devices,
and the breaking and rendering supple of fibres by friction and bruising combined.
Dated this fourteenth day of November 1885.

page_text: Operating on Flax, Hemp, and other Fibres.
I JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication from abroad by Emile Gavelle, of Lille, France, Flax Spinner,)
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 reference to the breaking and other preliminary treatment
of flax, hemp and other fibres. The breaking is effected by means of rigid
devices, metallic or not, plain or toothed, sharp or round, these devices taking
into or engaging with each other and the fibre passing between them. These
devices may be placed before a hackling machine the fibre being contained in
holders.
The said breaking devices have for the most part a rotary reciprocating motion
regulated so as to be equal or approximately so to that of the fibre; the breaking
will therefore be effected without exerting injurious tension.
After the breaking operation and before the scutching and hackling the boon is
pulverized or reduced and the fibre is at the same time rendered supple by friction
and bruising effected by means of pairs of jaws arranged and acting as hereinafter
described.
The fibre is afterwards submitted to scutching and hackling operations.
I will now proceed to more fully describe the invention with the aid of the
annexed drawings. Figure 7 is a front elevation of a combined machine for
performing the several successive operations while Figure 1 to 6 are views at right
angles to Figure 7 showing the different parts of the machine for performing such
successive operations.
The flax or other fibre is placed in an ordinary holder A (Figure 1) which is
placed in a slide or carriage B having an up and down movement and while held
in the said holder the fibre is submitted to the several successive operations
hereinafter described. When the fibre in its holder is at the first or breaking
portion of the machine and the slide B descends the fibre enters between breaking
devices composed of two sets of rigid metallic rollers a, a, a¹, a¹, solid or hollow,
mounted at the ends of arms radiating from central shafts K, K¹ the rollers being
free to turn on their axes. The two sets of rollers are so placed relatively to each
other as to take between or engage with each other (as seen in Figure 1). The
fibre which is received between the two sets of rollers a, a¹ whose shafts rotate in
the direction of the descent of the carriage B becomes undulated so that the straw
is broken and the fibre rendered supple. At a suitable distance below the two
sets of rollers a, a¹ are shown two cylinders H, H¹ the employment of which is
optional, they are composed of toothed blades and are caused to rotate rapidly in
the direction of the descent of the carriage B; their object is to cleanse the ends
of the stricks of fibre. When the fibre has received a first breaking by its descent
and rise between the breaking rollers a, a¹ the holder A containing it is transferred
by the holder-pusher I (Figure 7) to a position above a pair of breaking
cylinders C, C', Figures 2 and 7, furnished with blades or with teeth. These
cylinders have a rotary movement in the direction of the descent of the fibre.
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page_text: Their surface speed is exactly equal to the rate of movement of the fibre. When
the fibre rises the cylinders turn in the reverse direction and still at a speed equal
to the rate of movement of the fibre. This reciprocating rotary movement of the
cylinders which strictly conforms to the reciprocating or up and down movement
of the fibre is obtained by means of a sector D (Figure 6) actuated by a rod E
fixed to the end F of the lever of the excentric G that controls the up and down
movement. Below the breaking cylinders C, C¹ are shown two cylinders H, H¹
Figure 2, similar to those in Figure 1.
After the second breaking operation the holder A with its fibre is pushed to a
position above the jaws N, N¹ (Figures 3, 6 and 7). While the flax descends
between these jaws they remain open or separated, as seen in Figure 6, but as
soon as the holder, carriage or slide B reaches the bottom of its course the
tappets o, o¹ (Figures 3 and 6) press on the levers P, P¹ which therefore descend
to the position seen in Figure 3. They are held in this position by catches Q, Q'
during the whole time of the ascent of the carriage or slide B and during this
time the fibre in rising is submitted to the action of the jaws N, N¹. The lower
jaws have a rapid reciprocating. or vibrating motion in and out which has the
effect of pulverizing or reducing the boon and of rendering the fibre very supple
while it is being drawn between the jaws during its ascent.
When the carriage
or slide B reaches the top of its course a tappet R (Figure 6) on the rod S comes
against the lever T and causes the hook-shaped pieces v, v to lift the weights V, V₁
that hold the catches Q, Q1 in place. The levers P, P1 are then acted upon by
springs X, X' which return them to the position seen in Figure 6 so as to allow of
the descent of the next holder of fibre and so on. This bruising action of the
jaws N, N¹ is repeated several times on each strick of fibre, and for this purpose
the jaws are made as long as, say, three fibre holders A (see Figure 7).
When the fibre has been acted upon by the jaws N, N¹ its holder is moved into
position above a beater or scutcher Z, Z¹ Figures 4 and 7, by which all straw
detached by the previous operations is separated. The holder is then shifted to a
series of graduated hackling devices y y¹ Figures 5 and 7, similar to those used in
ordinary hackling machines.
"
For fibres which are difficult to work I can employ, after the breaking
devices C, C (Figures 2 and 7), one or more other pairs of breaking devices of
like construction as shown at L, L¹ and M, M¹ Figure 7, or I can employ more
than one set of breaking devices of the kind shown in Figure 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. Constructing machinery as hereinbefore described with reference to the
annexed drawings for breaking and otherwise operating on flax, hemp and other
fibres.
2. Fibre breaking devices constructed and acting substantially as shown in
Figures 1 and 7 and herein before described.
3. Fibre breaking devices constructed and acting substantially as shown in.
Figures 2 and 7 and hereinbefore described.
•
4. Apparatus for pulverizing or reducing the boon-and for rendering the fibre
supple composed of fixed and movable jaws working substantially as described
with reference to Figures 3, 6 and 7, the action of the jaws being interrupted
while the fibre descends between them as set forth.
Dated this
1000