US1604743A

US1604743A - Fiber-removing machine for flax, hemp, ramie, and other textile plants

Info

Publication number: US1604743A
Application number: US73807A
Authority: US
Inventors: Figueroa Julio
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1925-12-07
Filing date: 1925-12-07
Publication date: 1926-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 1943-10-26

Description

Oct. 26,1926" 1,604,743

J. FIGUEROA' v "FIBER, REMOVING MACHINE FOR max, HEMP, RAMIE, AND OTHER TEXTILE PLANTS Filed Dec. 7. 1925 4 SheetsSheet 1 J. Tisuemd 1N VEN TOR.

BY MW' ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 26 1926. J. FIGUEROA FIBER REMOVING MACHINE FOR FLAX, HEMP, RAMIE, AND OTHER TEXTILE PLANTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 7. 1925 INVEN TOR.

J1 'Fygpevoa BY 'Yn A TTORNEYS.

Oct. 26 1926. 1,604 743 J. FIGUEROA FIBER REMOVING MACHINE FQR FLAX, HEMP, RAMIE, AND OTHER TEXTILE PLANTS Filed Dec; 7. 1925 4 heets-Shoe; 5

IN VEN TOR.

By E m.

A TTORNEYS.

Oct. 26 1926. 1,604,743

- J. FIGUEROA FIBER REMOVING MACHINE FOR FLAX, HEMP; RAMIE, AND OTHER TEXTILE PLANTS Filed Dec. '7. 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Y TF1, uer'oa d S INVENTOR.

mwm- ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 26, 1926.

NETD starts JULIO FIGUEROA, OF BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA.

FIBER-REMOVING MACHINE FOR FLAX, HEMP, BAMIE, AND OTHER TEXTILE PLANTS.

Application filed December '7, 1925. Serial No. 73,807.

This invention refers to a fiber removing machine for flax, hemp, ramie and other textile plants, the object of the same being the construction of a machine of improved component parts and with specialties that permit it to give a greater yield and a greater perfection in its work.

The machine forming my invention comprises in its essential parts, crusher cylinders, delivery cylinders to the machine, a fiber removing drum and parts for the evacuation of the fiber and residue. These elements all possess characteristics which give a notable improvement. Briefly, the characteristic of the crushers lies in its helicoid grooving and the mounting of the cylinders between plates to prevent the fibers from getting rolled up in the shafts. Between the crushers and the delivery or regulating cylinders, there is an endless carrier, the rollers of which are movable, thus preventing breakages when the material passes between them and the cylinders. Said carrier has a belt tightener to-keep it stretched. Various lifters collect the material and spread it on the .carri-er. The regulator rollers have an in clination towards the machine. This is provided with exterior discs which prevent the fibers being rolled over the shaft, and the evacuating pipe for the residues has a similar arrangement. These and other charac teristics will be shown during the elaboration of this descriptive schedule, for the greater clearness of which the following. drawings are attached, and which will be used in the description of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the whole machine.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, the fiber conductor being removed.

Fig. 3 is an outline section from the lastcrusher cylinder to the fiber removingdrum.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a portion of the drum in side elevation and in diametrical cross section respectively.

Figs. 6 and 7 show the aspirator in cross section and longitudinal section respectively.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show the carrying pipe for the fibers, in side, front and plan view respectively.

In all these drawings similar numbers refer to similar or corresponding parts.

A framework formed of two parallel sides 1 carries the supports, placed consecutively, of the different rotatory parts of the machine.

Beginning at the end which receives the material, we have the supports 2 of the seven pairs of crusher cylinders 3. The lower bearing is fixed and the upper one runs in a vertical roove I in said support. Upon this bearing rests a spring 4, the tension of which can be regulated. The object of this arrangement is to allow of the vertical displacement of the upper cylinder according to the material that is to be placed beneath it. The lower cylinder is rotated by a pinion 5. These crusher cylinders have helicoid groovings, distant, preferably, 30 millimetres one from another and of the same depth. The direction of these groovings is contrary on the one cylinder to that on the one next adjacent.

Directly after the last pair of crushers comes the conveyor 6, formed'of an endless canvas running over two rollers 7, the bearings of which run horizontally and are concanvas always remains in contact with the last crusher and with the lower regulator cylinder 11. A belt tensioning roller 9, the bearings of which run vertically and are stantly pushed by the springs 8, so that the a a carried at each end by certain suitab 1 springs 10 only one of which is illustrated in the drawing, constantly presses against the lower part of the canvas so that this is always stretched tight. The rollers 7 can be displaced horizontally in order to prevent any breakagesthat might occur were their posit-ion fixed, during the passage of the material between one of them and the adjacent crusher cylinder 3, or the other of them and the regulator cylinder 11 previously mentioned.

There are two of these cylinders styled regulators, their object being to deliver the material to the sphere of action of the fiber removing drum. The lower, which has already been mentioned and is marked 11 runs, on fixed bearings, whilst the upper 12 crushers. Directly after the regulator cylinders comes the fiber removing drum 35, which comprises a horizontal shaft 15, the bearings of which run horizontally, so that the distance between the drum and the reg ulators may be varied. A sufficient number of starred wheels 16 (three are shown in the drawings) are mounted on this shaft, and at the end of the arms of these stars there are the fiber removing knives 17, consisting of steel blades with the edge angles well sharpened. One particularity of these knives is that both their edges can be employed. 'When one of them is sufficiently worn, the knife can be turned in order to use the other edge. Outside the exterior stars, the drum has discs 18 provided with a circular flange 19 that freely engages with a circular opening in the fixed casing of the drum. This arrangement prevents the fibers from rolling round the shaft of the drum. For the same purpose both the crusher and the regulator cylinders have fixed plates at their extremities which keep the material in a straight path. The conveyor has two walls 20, which comes closer together or converge in front of the regulator cylinders, and the purpose of which is to collect together the material spread out by the crushers.

Beneath the drum is the screen 21, archshaped eccentrically in relation to said drum and formed of round bars supported by two hoops. These last oscillate round the shaft 22, the distance between the screen and the drum being regulated by a lever 23. The woody portions, cut from the fiber by the knives, fall across this screen whilst the fibers continue along the upper conductor 24. This conductor forms the upper part of the drum casing: at first it goes upwards, then horizontally above the drum and ends in a lateral escape 25 as shown in Figs. 8, '9 and 10. The lower part of the drum is contained in a casing or box 26, into which the residues fall from the screen and which ends in an escape 27 that forms a continuation of the aspirator 28. This aspirator consists of a bladed fan with a horizontal shaft placed transversely in the casing 26. The air enters by the open ends and is expelled round the circumference by the escape 27, carrying the residues with it. At the extremities the air is directed by several cones 29. concentric to the shaft, and the base of which revolves in an exterior box 30 attached to the casing and having an inlet opening 36. This arrangement facilitates the entry of the air and at the same time prevents the exit of the residues.

The working of the apparatus above described is as follows:

The material is delivered thrbu'gh anelevator to the crusher cylinders 3, in the groovings of which it is broken, thus facilitating the operation of the fiber remover in separating the fibers from the woody parts. The helicoid form of the grooves, their size and their inversion in the successive cylinders are particularities which give the greatest yield possible to this class of machine. The plates arranged at each end of these cylinders prevent the material from getting amongst the bearings, a most important thing for the proper working of the machine.

As the material leaves the last pair of crusher cylinders, it is taken up by the conveyor 6 which carries it to the regulator cylinders 11 and 12. As has before been pointed out, the two rollers of this conveyor are movable, which means that they follow the movements of the material that may jam in the crusher and regulator cylinders, thus preventing breakages. Furthermore, its tensor roller maintains an endless canvas stretched taut, in spite of the displacement of the rollers. The walls or lifters 20 pick up the material which arrives on the canvas very scattered and deliver it to the operator rollers, clear of the extremities of these last. The fibers with their woody parts already partly separated, appear at the exit of the rollers ready for the action of the fiber remover, the knives of which rasp against a counter-knife placed near the lower cylinder. The residue, consisting of the woody part, the stalks and broken fibers, pass through the screen 21, drawn downwards by the suction of the fan 28, whilst the long fibers continue following the circumference of the drum, leaving the machine through the exit opening 25 of the escape2et.

The special form of the aspiratin'g openings of the fan with its cones, is another -im portant particularity of this invention, by means of which the action of the aspirator is improved and the escape of residues is prevented.

It is obvious that the form, proportion and arrangement of the different parts of this machine may be varied to some extent without thereby going beyond the scope of this invention, which is well determined in the clauses embodying the claims that follow this descriptive schedule.

Having thus described my invention and the manner of putting it into practice, I set forth as my claims:

1. A fiber removing machine for fiax, hemp, ramie and other textile plants, which comprises a series of crusher cylinders, and an endless conveyor at the exit from these, and at the other extremity of the conveyor a pair of regulating cylinders, a drum for removing the fiber including knives adapted to operate on the plant as it leaves the regulating cylinder, a screen placed below the drum to separate the fibers from the residues, an upper escape pipe for the fibers, a lower box to collect the residues and which includes an aspirator that evacuates this latter, substantially as has been described and for the purposes specified.

2. A fiber removing machine in accordance with claim 1, in which the crusher cylinders have helicoid grooves, running in contrary directions in adjacent cylinders, said cylinders forming vertical pairs of which the lower cylinder is the motive on fixed bearings, while the bearings of the upper one run vertically along a suitable support, being pushed downwards by a spring of a tension that can be regulated, substantially as has been described and for the purposes specified.

3. A fiber removing machine in accordance with claim 1, in which the conveyor, in continuation from the crushers, is an endless canvas running over two rollers, the bearings of which running horizontally are pushed by springs which tend to keep these rollers in constant contact with the last crusher cylinder and with the lower regulator cylinder, there being a tensor roller below the canvas which, by means of springs, is continually resting against said canvas in order to keep it taut, substantially as has been described and for the purposes specified.

A. A fiber removing machine in accordance with claim 1, in which the conveyor has two edges, which come closer together as they approach the regulator cylinders, as has been substantially described and for the purposes specified.

5. A fiber removing machine in accordance with claim 1, in which there is a pair of smooth regulator cylinders, placed one upon the other, of a size approximately one fourth as large as the crushers, the lower one being on fixed bearings and the upper on movable bearing which are under pressure from springs that can be regulated, with the upper cylinder slightly nearer the fiber repower and is i moving drum than the lower, substantially as has been described and for the purposes specified.

6. A fiber removing machine in accordance with claim 1, in which both the crusher and the regulator cylinders run between plates, substantially as has been described and for the purposes specified.

7. A fiber removing machine in accordance with claim 1, in which the fiber removing drum consists of star-shaped wheels mounted on a horizontal shaft, and provided with knives parallel to the shaft rasping against a counter-knife, the outer of which stars are provided with a disc with acircular flange thatfreely engages in a circular opening in the walls of thedrum casing, as has been substantially described and for the purposes specified.

8. A fiber removing machine in accordance with claim 1, in which the screen below the fiber remover consists of bars 111OL111L- ed on hoops eccentric in relation to the drum, the whole screen being free to oscillate upon one extremity of said hoops, substantially as has been described and for the purposes specified.

9. A fiber removing machine in accordance with claim 1, in which the aspirator is a bladed fan and the air entrances at the extremities comprise a box with an exterior opening, and in which a cone revolves from the fan shaft, substantially as has been de scribed and for the purposes specified.

10. A fiber removing machine in accordance with claim 1, in which the fiber removing drum has knives that can be utilized on both edges, for which purpose they are so mounted that they can easily be turned when one of the edges is worn, substantially as has been described and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature.

JULIO FIGUEROA.