AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR OBTAINING FIBRES FROM THE STALKS OR LEAVES OF FIBRE-YIELDING PLANTS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for. Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR
OBTAINING FIBRES FROM THE STALKS OR LEAVES OF FIBRE-YIELDING PLANTS."
-A communication from abroad by James Mallory and Gelston Sanford,
of New York, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 19th September 1861, and dated the 17th July 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th July 1861.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR OBTAINING FIBRES FROM THE STALKS OR LEAVES OF FIBRE-YIELDING
PLANTS," to be as follows:-
The object of the first part of this Invention is to obtain from stalks or
leaves of fibre-yielding plants the fibres in the white state and of full
strength. The fibres are to be separated from the extraneous matter of the
stalks or leaves which have been cut from the plants before the sap has ceased
to flow through such stalks or leaves, and while they are yet in the green
state, by breaking, beating, scraping or combing, or by other like mechanical

page_text: operation, the extraneous matter being removed from the fibres whilst
immersed in or saturated with water or other equivalent fluid, which will
prevent the coloring matter of the plant from impregnating the fibres; the
fibre-yielding stalks or leaves are cut so soon as it is ascertained that the
plant has done growing, but before the sap begins to set, and subjected while
in or protected by water to the required mechanical action, such as scraping
and combing, to remove the extraneous matter from the fibres. When this
has been effected the fibres are dried, and they will be found to be of full
strength and soft and white.
The second part of the Invention is mainly intended for working the process
constituting the first part of the Invention, and consists in an arrangement
of mechanism for presenting the stalks or leaves by means of a griping
mechanism which holds them firmly to the action of rapidly moving combs
and scrapers, which break through, loosen, and scrape off the extraneous
substances from the fibres. The portion so acted upon is now withdrawn by
a reverse motion of the feeding mechanism and the other ends of the stalks
or leaves are presented in like manner to the action of the combs and scrapers.
The machine is provided with feeding and holding rollers, the upper one of
which is covered with vulcanized india-rubber, the lower one being of metal
and fluted. On the shaft of the lower roller are two loose pulleys, either of which
is capable of being secured means of a sliding clutch, which enables the
motion of the roller to be reversed at pleasure. The pulleys are driven by
belts from pulleys on the main cylinder. The periphery of the main cylinder
is covered with vulcanized india-rubber, and over this are secured three series
of bars parallel with each other and with the shaft, and placed at equal
distances apart; one series of bars is provided with radial comb teeth, another
is formed with the edge waved, and the third formed with a straightedge.
An endless band or belt made of strong india-rubber cloth or leather passes
under the main cylinder and around two rollers, one in front under the feed
table and the other behind the main cylinder, and this band or belt in the
lower part of its circuit passes under a tightening roller. The outer surface
of this belt is fitted with three series of bars, like the periphery of the main
cylinder, and in the same order. The ends of the bars on the cylinder and on
the belt are in the form of cogs, and the spaces between them are so pro-
portioned that those on the cylinder fit into the spaces between those on the
belt, and vice versâ, and in this way the belt is moved by the cylinder passing
around the lower half of its circumference, and is drawn tight against it in
proportion. Immediately above the space between the feed rollers and the
main cylinder should be placed a spout leading from a reservoir to discharge a

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th January 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "AN IMPROVED PROCESS AND IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR OBTAINING
FIBRES FROM THE STALKS OR LEAVES OF FIBRE-YIELDING PLANTS," being a commu-
nication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The process heretofore generally adopted for separating the fibres from fibre-
yielding plants, such as flax, hemp, jute, the bromelia sylvestris or wild pine.
apple, the musa or plantain, and other plants and grasses, is to take stalks or.
leaves which have been cut from the plant after it has ripened and become

page_text: dry, and the pulpy substance of the stalks or leaves enveloping the fibres has
become woody and brittle, and to expose them to what is termed the rotting
process, that is, to decomposition or to chemical agents, and afterwards to
subject them to mechanical action, but such processes are attended with
serious expense, and have to some extent an injurious effect on the fibres.
It has also been proposed to obtain fibres from the leaves of the pine apple
plant by cutting them from the plant at any period from the time of full
growth till the ripening of the fruit, for the reason as stated by the author of
that process, that if that leaf be permitted to remain upon the plant after the
ripening of the fruit the fibre becomes harsh and it is more difficult to remove
the extraneous matter. The leaves in that condition are beaten and crushed
by a wooden mallet on a block to disengage the fibres from the pulpy or
extraneous matter composing the leaves, which extraneous matter is then
washed out by rinsing or washing in water, and the water is then immediately
squeezed out. And for obtaining a better product it is suggested that the
fibres should then be boiled in a solution of soap in soft water and then dried,
and if the fibre is required to be white it must then be bleached. All these
processes and others not necessary to name have failed to produce the desired
result, which is to obtain the fibres from the stalks or leaves of fibre-yielding
plants at little cost of labor, and so that they shall be of full strength and
white without the necessity of bleaching.
Now, my correspondents have ascertained, by experiment with various
plants which yield available fibres either in the stalks or the leaves, that the
fibres attain their full strength before the sap ceases to circulate through that
part of the plant from which the fibres are to be obtained, and that the fibres
in that stage of the plant are white, but that they become colored and harsh,
so as to require to be softened and bleached for use in many branches of the
arts, if permitted to remain in the stalk or leaf until dessication takes place,
or if they be exposed to the action of the coloring agents contained in the
extraneous matter connecting and enveloping them, which agents become
active when the stalks or leaves are crushed and exposed to the atmosphere.
The object of the first part of this Invention is to obtain directly from stalks
or leaves of fibre-yielding plants the fibres in the white state, and of full strength.
To this end the fibres are separated from the extraneous matter of the stalks
or leaves (which have been cut from the plants before the sap has ceased to
flow through such stalks or leaves, and while they are yet in the green state)
by breaking, beating, scraping, or combing, or by other like mechanical
operation, the extraneous matter being removed from the fibres, whilst the
fibres are protected from the action of the coloring agents by the presence of

page_text: water or other equivalent fluid, which will prevent the extraneous coloring
matter of the plant from impregnating the fibres.
The fibre-yielding stalks or leaves are cut so soon as it is ascertained that
the plant has done growing, but before the sap begins to set. In that state,
and while the extraneous matter between and around the fibres is in a pulpy
state, the fibres are subjected while in or protected by water to the required
mechanical action, such as scraping and combing, to remove the extraneous
matter therefrom. When this has been effected, the fibres are dried, and they
will be found to be of full strength, and soft, and white.
The presence of water during the entire operation of removing the extraneous
substances of the plant from the fibres prevents the setting up of the chemical
action, which discolors the fibres, and in that way the pure fibres are obtained,
and in a condition so white that bleaching may become unnecessary.
The second part of the Invention is mainly intended for working the process
constituting the first part of the Invention, but it may also be used for.
separating fibres from the stalks or leaves of fibre-yielding plants after
desiccation.
This second part of the Invention consists in an arrangement of mechanism
whereby the stalks or leaves are held firmly, and introduced slowly to the
action of rapidly moving combs and scrapers, which break through, loosen,
and scrape off the extraneous substances from the fibres. When this is
effected, then the motion of the feeding mechanism is reversed. The portion
so acted upon is by this reverse motion withdrawn, and the other ends of the
stalks or leaves are presented in like manner to the action of the combs and
scrapers.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a plan, and Fig. 2 is a side
elevation, of the machinery employed in carrying out the said process. The
same letters indicate like parts in all the Figures.
a represents the main framing of the machine; & is a table for receiving
the stalks or leaves from which fibres are to be obtained to facilitate the
introduction of them into the bite of the feeding and holding rollers c and d.
The lower one c of these rollers is by preference made of metal and fluted, and
it is mounted in suitable bearings in two standards e, e, of the frame. On the
shaft of this roller, outside the frame, there are two loose pulleys f, f¹, and a
sliding clutch g, and clutch lever h, so that by shifting the clutch by the lever
both pulleys may be unclutched to turn on the shaft, or either of them may be
clutched that the operator may stop or cause the fluted roller to turn in
either direction to feed in or draw out the stalks or leaves for a purpose to be
presently described. These two pulleys are driven, by belts i, i, from pulleys

page_text: jj, on the shaft k of the main cylinder, the pulley ¹ being the larger, to
quicken the motion for drawing out the stalks or leaves. Equivalent means
for stopping and turning this feed roller in either direction at the will of the
operator, may be substituted for this arrangement.
The upper roller d is covered with what is known as the soft compound of
vulcanized india-rubber, or with other equivalent elastic substance. It is
mounted in adjustable bearings in the standards e, e, so that by set screws or
their equivalent, the elastic roller d may be adjusted relatively to the fluted
roller c. Behind the feeding and griping rollers is the main cylinder l, mounted
on the shaft k. The periphery of this cylinder is covered with vulcanized india-
rubber or equivalent elastic substance, and over this are secured three series
of bars m, n, o, parallel with each other and with the shaft, and placed at equal
distances apart; but instead the bars may be attached directly to the periphery
of the cylinder and the elastic covering put on in strips between the bars.
The bars m are provided with radial comb teeth; the bars n are formed with
the edge waved, and the bars o formed with a straightedge. An endless band
or belt P, made of strong india-rubber cloth, leather, or other suitable material,
passes under the main cylinder and around two rollers q, q, one in front under
the feed table b, and the other behind the main cylinder; and this band or
belt, in the lower part of its circuit, passes under a tightening roller r, hung in
arms s, s, which may be drawn down by springs or weights, as is usual with
tightening rollers. The outer surface of this belt or band is armed with three
series of bars m, n, o, just like the periphery of the main cylinder, and in the
same order. The ends of the bars on the cylinder and on the belt are in the
form of cogs, and the spaces between them are so proportioned that those on
the cylinder fit into the spaces between those on the belt, and vice versa, and
in this way the belt is moved by the cylinder, and as the axis of the two rollers
7, 9, around which the belt passes, are on a level, or nearly so, with the axis
of the main cylinder, it follows that the belt passes around the lower half of
the circumference of the cylinder, and is drawn tight against it in proportion
to the force applied to the tightening drum, so that the edges of the bars of
the belt are thereby forced towards the surface of the cylinder, whilst the
surface of the belt between its bars is forced against the edges of the bars on
the cylinder. The belt should be in width equal to the length of the cylinder,
and should be made to fit between the end flanches of the rollers q, q, and r.
Immediately above the space between the feed rollers and the main cylinder
should be placed a spout t, leading from some suitable reservoir of water, for
<lischarging a stream of water into that space so as to fall on to the stalks or
leaves, to be treated as they are being acted upon in the machine. The stalks

page_text: or leaves of fibre-yielding plants in the green state, and in suitable quantity,
are laid and spread on the feeding table 6, and one end of them is presented
to the bite of the feeding and gripping rollers c, d, and by them firmly gripped
and slowly fed into the spaces between the main cylinder and belt just under.
the spout t, and there acted upon, and on opposite sides, by the bars m, n, o;
on the main cylinder and on the belt, and between them and the surfaces of
the cylinder and belt by which they are crushed; and as the bars on the
cylinder and belt move much faster than the feed motion of the rollers, the
pulpy and other extraneous matter of the stalks or leaves crushed by the gripe
of the bars is combed and scraped away from the fibres, while a stream of
water all the time flows in between the cylinder and belt to wash off the
extraneous matter of the plants. After about one half of the length of the
stalks or leaves has been thus acted upon they are drawn out by reversing
the motion of the feed rollers; the combs and scrapers and stream of water
continuing their combing, scraping, and cleansing operation, so that when
drawn out one half of the length of the fibres will be found completely sepa-
rated from all extraneous matter. The other end of the stalks or leaves are
then presented to the bite of the feed rollers and operated upon in like manner,
taking care to feed them in so far as to insure full action on such parts of the
length of the fibres as have not been thoroughly separated and cleansed during
the first operation. The rollers c and d must not only gripe the stalks or leaves
to feed them in, but with sufficient force to hold them when under the crushing,
scraping, and combing action of the bars on the cylinder and belt; and it is to
insure the requisite bite on all the stalks or leaves, as also on all the fibres,
during the second operation, that the elastic pressure or gripe roller dis
important, its elastic property enabling it to yield and adapt itself to any
variation in the thickness of the material fed in.
From the above description it will be obvious that this improved machine
may be applied to the separation of fibres from stalks or leaves in the green
state without the application of water, provided it be not important to obtain
the fibres in the white state, for unless water be supplied, or the machine
be worked in water during the operation, the fibres will be colored more or
less by the action of the extraneous substances and the atmosphere. And it
will be equally obvious that this part of this Invention is applicable to the
separation of fibres from the stalks or leaves of fibre-producing plants after
they have been desicated or after they have been rotted or retted, as it is
sometimes termed.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "An Improved Process
and Improved Machinery for Obtaining Fibres from the Stalks or Leaves of

page_text: Fibre-yielding Plants," as communicated to me from abroad, I would remark
that I do not claim broadly the treatment of fibre-yielding plants in the green
state, nor the use of water in the separating process for the purpose of washing
out the extraneous substance, but what I do claim under the above in part
recited Letters Patent as constituting the first part of this Invention is sub-
jecting such stalks or leaves while in the green state to the mechanical opera-
tions requisite for separating the extraneous matter from the fibres whilst
saturated with or immersed in water, for the purpose above set forth.
Under the second head of the Invention I claim the improved arrangement
of machinery above described for acting upon fibre-yielding plants for the
obtaining of fibre therefrom.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Seventeenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)