US1950403A - Scutching and cleaning machine - Google Patents

Description

March 13, 1934. J R NT LQSQAQB SCUTCHING m) CLEANING MACHINE 1 Original Filed Oct. 11. 1929 7 Shepts-She et l.

V Ejwwwfoz M81611 13, J. A. GRKNT SCUTCHING AND CLEANING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 11,- 1929 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 anoemtoz fine CZ a 351 flHom uu 4 v Max-ah H3, 1%4 J. A. GRANT L5A3 SCUTCHING AND CLEANING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 11, 1929 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 March 13,1934 J. A. GRANT SCUTCHING AND CLEANING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 11. 1929 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 llllllllllllff/ [Ill/l/ll/l/ 4 4 F777 6 4 awuemtoz AL 1m cz arm w flue/m March 13, 1934. J GRANT 1,950,403

SCUTCHI'NG AND CLEANING MACHINE Q Original Filed 001:. 11, 1929 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 vwemtoz 39 40 LIL 75/72 a grant. 4/ 13' 51171504014 March 13, 1934. J. A. GRANT 1,950,403

SCUTGHING AND CLEANING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 11) 1929 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 772 a r n March 13, .1934. I J GRANT 1,950,403

SCUTCHING AND CLEANING MACHINE Original Filed Oct; 11, 1929 7 Sheets-Sheet 1/5/72 @ranii @atentetl ii l reset Lbfihlilt SCU'ECWNG AND) CLEANENG MAC il'Grant, New York, No '32.

Application @ctober llli, 1929, Serial No. 399,051}

' llbenewed May llZi 1933 lb Claims.

invention relates more particularly to plant decorticating apparatus designed and adapted for efficiently and economically acting upon fibre containing plants, such as flax, ramie, hemp, etc, for the purpose of cleaning the fibre, as by ecutehing. I

Because oi the inability of plant decorticating proposed prior to my entrance into the field, to meet the widely varying conditions of thematerials to be scutched, such, for example, as those due to diflerent degrees of moisture content, atmospheric changes and difierences in the structure of the plants or plant stems; the only mechanism in general use to-day for such purposes is the old fashioned scutching wheel which has not been changed materially in the last one hundred years;- lts continued existence is due to the fact that it gives a regular number of beating strokes per minute and the actual amount of beating necessary for the material being scutched is regulated and gauged bya skilled operator who, by varying the time during which it is subjected to the scutching operation, can give it more or less working in accordance with the requirements of the situation. The labor required is very severe, considerable skill is required, and

the output is quite small.

@ne dimculty experienced in the past in raising plants having bast fibres and extracting the fibres therefrom resulted from the fact that the plants had to be pulled by hand thus adding materially to. the expense particularly in localities where labor costs are high.

This difilculty has been obviated largely by the use of devices for mechanically pulling the plants. Furthermore, it has been necessary to rot the flax before scutching it and such retting involves work,

delay and expense. The process of retting is not only expensive but also exceedingly obnoxious and it appears that profitable raising of fiax or hemp is almost impossible without apparatus which will clean the fibre without letting and there-. fore relieve the farmers from the necessity of carrying out this process.

According to the present invention it is proposed to provide apparatus to scutch the material, such as flax and hemp, without previously retting the same. Also the present invention avoids the production of tow by the whipping action which is involved in substantially all other methodsand decreases the yield of straight fibre. For example, according to the present invention the yield -=of fibre in good condition is from 28% to 30% of the weight of the de-seeded straw as compared with a maximum o'f from 12% to 16% of good fibre produced by other forms of apparatus. It is also proposed to provide such apparatus which will be capable. oi. scutching rotted, as well as unretted material andin an improved mariner.

'lhe material can then be scutched and threshed (Cl. lb -23) on the farm in a single operation and the fibre can be shipped to a collection point, preferably centrally located, and there treated as required, for example, by water retting or chemical retting. This practice would relieve the farmer of many dimculties heretofore encountered and would render it possible to raise such bast fibre plants and separate the fibre therefrom in suitable condition lor shipping substantially without any requirements for employment of skilled labor. In fact the handling of fibre plants of the class referred to would be simplified to such an extent asto involve in general no greater difliculties than the haiidling of the ordinary grain crops.

Inasmuch as hast fibre plants, such as flax, can be raised in nearly every state of the United States, it is obviously a matter of very great importance to make it feasible for farmers in this country to raise the plants referred to andto prepare the fibre for shipping.

It is therefore an. important object of the invention to provide improved scutching mechanism which will meet the requirements specified. An-

other important object of the invention is to provide means of the class specified which is inexpensive to manufacture, easy and economical to operate, and adapted for ready transportation and quick installation in readiness for operation.

Dther objects of the invention are to provide novel plant treating means adapted for varying the treatment to correspond with the nature and condition of the plants to be treated; plant decorticating means effective. to clean either retted or unretted material; plant decorticating means adapted to clean butts of plants (jute butts, for example) and recover fibre which was lost heretofore; means for de-seeding and decorticating fibre producing plants in a single operation; and means for decorticating such fibre producing plants rapidly and substantially without waste or destruction gt fibre.

Further objects will be apparent upon consideration of the following description and the drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a left end elevation of a machine embodying one form of the invention, part of the structure being broken away to show details of construction; i

Fig. 2 is a front elevation;

Fig. 3 is. a top plan view with parts omitted;

Fig. 3a is an end-elevation of a modified form of a part of the beater portion of the machine;

Fig. 3b is a diagrammatic view on a larger scale illustrating the described spacing of the blades irom right to left:

Fig. 4/is a section taken along'the line 44 of Fig. ,3; V

Fig.5 is a view in elevation of -apart of the right'end of the machine;

Fig. 6 is a section taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a section taken along the line '7-'7 of Fig. 5; I

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary top plan view illustrating details of feed roll reversing means;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary end view showing the movable blades of the preferred form in substantially their lowest positions with reference to the stationary blades;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to that of Fig. 9 but with the movable blades substantially in midposition;

Fig. 11 is an end view illustrating the machine as equipped with a suction casing forming part of 'means for withdrawing dust and waste, the casing being broken away to show underlying structure;

Fig. 12 is a detail view on a larger scale illus trating means for indicating the setting of the two groups of normally stationary blades with reference to the distances between the inner edges of corresponding blades of the two groups.

Fig. 13 is a view in elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 12 and as viewed from the right in such figure;

Fig. 14 is a detail view illustrating the relation between the fluted surfaces of two cooperating rolls;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary view illustrating driving connections between upper and lower feed rolls, as seen at the left side of the machine; and

Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. 15 but at the opposite side of the machine and showing parts of the driving means for the lower feed rolls.

In carrying out the invention, the material to be decorticated may be inserted between feed rolls and fed thereby to the mechanism by which the principal decorticating action is efiected as by beating the material (as it passes through slots or openings between the blades or blade sections of two groups of stationary blades or blade sections) by means of reciprocating blades also arranged in two groups with corresponding blades of the two groups spaced apart to provide slots or openings through which the material to be decorticated passes. The blades of each group of stationary blades are spaced apart along the direction of feed of the material at distance substantially greater than the thickness of the movable blades, and corresponding blades of the two sets of stationary blades are substantially in the same plane.

The arrangement of the reciprocating blades is similar to that described for the stationary blades; but the reciprocating blades are of substantially less thickness than the width of the spaces between adjacent stationary blades in the same group so that the action on the plant material to be treated tends to be more in the nature of a beating action than of a scraping action and injury to the fibre is avoided, and the width of the openings or slots between the reciprocating blades of the two groups and the length of stroke of these blades are such that the effective edges of these blades are projected only a short distance between the effective edges of the oppositely arranged stationary blades, thereby tending to avoid injury to the fibre.

The material fed to the beating blades is more bulky as it reaches the first set of blades than when it reaches the last set, due to the removal of some of the woody material by each set of blades as the material is fed past the same. It is therefore desirable to arrange the blades so that the space or slot between any two corresponding blades of opposed upper and lower sets is less than the next preceding space between two corresponding blades.

These spaces between blades of successive pairs are also adjusted to adapt the machine for use in cleaning or scutching different kinds of fibrous plants. For example, flax being finer than hemp requires smaller spaces than hemp, and hemp being finer than jute requires smaller spaces than jute. Also to prevent too harsh treatment-of the fibre, the action of the scutching blades maybe cushioned as, for example, by providing spring support for certain of the blades so that they will yield when the pressure becomes too great.

The beating of the plant stalks between the stationary and the reciprocating blades tends to spread or fan out theforward ends of stalks fed thereto by means holding them in position at their rear ends and it is, therefore, sufiicient for all practical purposes to introduce the stalks between the feed rolls in bunches and depend upon such fanning action to give the proper spread thereto as they pass through the stationary and reciprocating blades. The distance of the nearest set of feed rolls from the beating blades affects to some extent this fanning or spreading action and for this and other reasons it is desirable to provide for varying this distance to meet the requirements of the situation. It is also desirable to use fluted feed rolls in which the grooves are wider in proportion than the teeth or ribs, thereby avoiding u'ndue pinching of the fibre between the teeth of one of two cooperating rolls and the side walls of the corresponding grooves at the surface of the companion roll.

It is also desirable to provide means for varying or regulating the proportional relation between the speeds of the reciprocating blades and the feed rolls, means for varying pressure between two cooperating feed rolls, and means for reversing the feed rolls. Such regulation of relative speeds may best be eifected by minutely varying the speed of the feed rolls and consequently varying the speed of movement of the fibre material through the slots between the beater blades or blade sections. As a result of such regulation the beating of the material may be made just enough to remove the woody portion of the material without injury to the fibre. Such regulation is particularly necessary in scutching unretted straw or stalks in that such unretted material is more brittle than the same material after retting. Inasmuch as the reciprocating blades normally reciprocate at the same speed, the slower the fibre material is fed therethrough the greater will be the amount of beating received thereby.

Referring to the drawings, the frame of the machine includes a base 18 and two ends 19, and all of the moving parts of the machine are driven from a shaft 20 journalled at opposite ends in the frame ends 19 and having keyed thereto a double sprocket wheel 21 driven by means of a suitable sprocket chain 22 connected with any suitable source of power. Also fixed on the shaft 20 is a gear 23 from which power is transmitted, by means of two successive double gears 24 and 25 arranged for successive steps of speed reduction, to a gear 26 fixed on a shaft 2'7 by which power is transmitted to a speed changer 28. Power is transmitted from the speed changer by means of a shaft 29 projecting from the speed changer and provided with a gear 30 meshing with an idle gear 31, which in turn meshes with a gear 32 fixed on a shaft 33.

also draw on the shait 33 are outer and inner gears 34 and 35, respectively, the gear 34 being connected with a gear 36 loosely mounted on a shait 3? parallel with the shaft 33, and the gear 35 connected indirectly, by means of an idle gear 35, with a gear 39 loosely mounted on said she t 37, both of the gears 36 and 39 being, however, held against movement along the shaft '37. Obviously the gears 36 and 39 are rotated in opposite directions and the shaft 37 may be driven-in either direction oi rotation by coupling it to either of said gears loosely mounted thereon. To this end there is provided a clutch member 40 slidabie along the shaft 37 but held thereto to turn therewith, and this clutch member is provided at opposite sides thereof with teeth to cooperate with corresponding teeth at the inner sides of thegears 36 and 39. Control of the clutch member 40 may be effected by means of a shifter member 40a extending into an annular groove 41 extending around the periphery of the clutch member, a shifter member or bar 42 slidable longitudinally in a direction parallel to the axis of the shaft 37 and attached to said shifter member 40a to control the eiiective position thereof, and a controlling shaft 43 having fixed thereon a pinion 4i meshing with a rack 45 preferably formed as a part of the member 42. This controlling shaft extends to any convenient position at the front of the machine and, preferably, is provided with a handle 46 for turning the same.

Fixed on the shaft 37 is a sprocket wheel 47 which is connected by means of a suitable chain 43 with a sprocket wheel 49 fixed on a shaft 50 projecting axially from one end of a lower feed roller 51 which cooperates with an upper feed roller 52 in advancing the material to the scutching zone. At the opposite end of the feed roller 51 there is a corresponding shaft 50 and these shafts or shaft sections, which may be parts of the same shaft or may be stub shafts secured to the cylinder at the ends from which they project, are iournalled in bearing blocks 53 resting on the upper surfaces of parts of the frame ends 19 at the front of the machine. The upper roll 52 is provided with shafts 54 extending'from opposite ends thereof and journalled in bearing blocks 55 posiiioned ediately above the corresponding blocks 53 and constructed so that they can move into and out of recesses in said blocks 53. The feed rolls are fluted and arranged to mesh with each other.

When the upper and lower rolls of a pair are suitably pressed together, the upper roll will be driven by the lower roll even when the plants to be decorticated are being fed therethrough. As here shown, however, the upper roll is positively driven with the lower roll by means of intermeshing'gears 56 on the shafts 56 and 54 at the left side of the machine. Although the feeding of the material may be efi'ected by the single pair of rolls referred to, it is preferred to use two or more pairs, the lower roller of the second pair being driven from the lower roller of the first pair by any suitable means such as a sprocket chain 57 passing around sprocket wheels 58 on the shafts 56 at the right side of the machine. Due to the positive driving connection between the upper and lower rolls oi each pair of feed rolls, the teeth and the notches therebetween may be shaped so as to avoid crushing of the seed and fibre. In is, there are illustrated on a larger scale preferred ferns oi cooperating fluted reed rolls,

5i and 52, in which the rolls are substantially the same in cross section and the ribs or teeth 51a and 52a are made smaller than the grooves (51b and 52b) and to such extent as to avoid crushing of the seeds and injury to the fibre in the fibrous material passing therethrough to the scutching mechanism.

In order to control the fanning or spreading of the bunches of plant stalks passing from the feed rolls to the scutching devices proper. it is desirable to have the feed rolls adjustable as a group to and from the scutching devices. Such adjustability and also control of the pressure between the upper and lower rolls of each pair may be obtained in the following manner. The parts of the frame on which the bearing blocks 53 of the lower rolls 51 rest are provided at their upper surface with slots 59 each having a cross section in the form of an inverted T, the upright portion of the T being of suitable width to receive the shank of a bolt 60 and the undercut portion of the slot at the cross piece of the T being of suitable size to receive the head of the bolt. There is a bolt 60 for each pair of blocks 53 and 55 and the main portion of the shank passes upwardly through a bore at the forward side of the block 53. Near the top of the block 53 the bore has an enlarged or countersunk portion 61 adapted to receive a nut 62 cooperating with a screw thread on the shank at this point. Obviously the block 53 may be clamped in any position along the corresponding slot 59 by tightening the nut 62. The main'portion of the shank of the bolt 60 terminates below the level of the upper surface of the block 53 but a reduced portion 63 of the shank extends upwardly through a. corresponding bore in the corresponding upper block 55 and above the top thereof. Each pair of bearing blocks 53 and 55 is secured in position along the corresponding slot or in the same manner.

Preferably the two pairs of blocks at each side of the machine are kept close together irrespective of their position along the corresponding slot. As here disclosed, the two sets of blocks are kept together by means of a.ba.r 64 having, at the proper distance apart, holes through which pass the threaded upper ends of the reduced portions 63 of the bolts, and this bar which is limited as to upward movement by nuts 65 screwed on the upper ends of said reduced portionsis also uti- 25 lized in connection with the exertion of yielding pressure on the adjacent ends of the two upper rolls 52 to produce the desired pressure between the upper and lower feed rolls. Such pressure. is imparted by means of suitable helical springs 66, of which the lower ends are seated in suitable sockets 67 in the tops of the bearing blocks 55 and the upper ends are in engagement with spring caps 68 mounted upon and held against upward movement by screws 69 having screw threaded 35 engagement with the bars 64. The upper ends of the springs 66 may be held in engagement with the spring caps 68 in any suitable manner.

As will be brought out more clearly hereinafter it is desirable to provide a fine adjustment of the speed of the feed rolls, for example, by means of a speed changer 28 which may be set for a consitlerable number of different speeds. As here illustrated, this speed changer is of a standard commercial type and is capable of being set for twenty-four difi'erent speeds, three different settings being made by shifting the upper handle 28a and eight diiferent connections being made by shifting the lower handle 28b while the upper handle is retained in any one of its three positions. 150

The plants to be decorticated are presented to the feed rolls over a substantially horizontal feeding platform or shelf '70 which may be provided with upright walls at its side edges, and under a pivoted flap 71 adjacent to the forward pair of feed rolls; and pass from the rearward feed rolls through openings or slots between upper and lower blades '72 which are normally stationary and are spaced apart in the direction of movement of the material being scutched, to receive therebetween vertically reciprocable blades '73 which are also arranged in upper and lower sets providing therebetween openings or slots through which passes the material to be scutched or cleaned. The blades '72 of the lower set are arranged on edge-with their ends resting on the tops of members '74 extending transversely of the blades and slidably mounted at their rear ends on strong posts or guides '75 which extend vertically from the main frame. As will be described hereinafter, means for guiding and controlling the forward ends of the members '74 may also be provided.

These members or supports '74 for the blades '72 of the lower set are provided with vertical projections '76 at their forward ends and with bolts 7'7 extending rearwardly therefrom through openings in the blades and adjacent to their lower edges; through openings in suitable spacers '78 which serve to maintain the blades at proper distances apart; and through blocks '79 slidably mounted in undercut groove in the members '74. When these blades and spacers are properly assembled they are clamped rigidly in position by nuts screwed on the ends of the bolts '77 at the rear of said blocks '79. The blades '72 of the upper set are assembled in like manner with members '74 corresponding with the supporting members for the lower, but with the assemblage in inverted position with respect to the assemblage containing the lower blades, the corresponding blades of the upper and lower sets being in vertical alignment with respect to each other.

The members '74 are provided with vertical slots extending from their rear ends to the bores through which the posts pass, and at the rear end of each of said members there is provided a suitable clamping device such as a screw 81 passing loosely through an opening in the branch at one side of the corresponding slot and screw threaded into the branch at the other side of the slot, thus enabling each member '74 to be clamped firmly in any position to which it is adjusted. Under many conditions, however, it may be desired to avoid too harsh action on the fibre material being treated, and this may be effected by releasing the clamps controlled by the screws 81 and supporting the normally stationary blades by springs in a manner to be described hereinafter. The blades of the upper and lower sets should be maintained in positions with the lower edges of the blades of the upper set and the upper edges of the blades of the lower set at substantially the same distances on opposite sides of the generally horizontal plane of travel of the material through the feed rolls and the beating or scutching means, and at the same time thetwo sets of blades should be adjustable to vary the widths of ,the slots between corresponding blades of the two sets.

As here disclosed, the two requirements just referred to are met by providing at opposite sides of the machine vertical shafts 82, each provided p at suitable positions therealong with two oppositely arranged screw threads (right and left threads) cooperating respectively with internal screw threads associated with the members or brackets '74; holding these shafts against vertical movement; and providing a connection between the two shafts 82 so that the slots between the blades of the two sets will be varied in the same way at both ends thereof.

The holding of each shaft 82 against vertical movement may be effected by providing it with a reduced lower end 83 extending downwardly through a portion of the frame, the shoulder at the upper end of the reduced lower end resting on the top of the frame; and by providing it with a reduced upper end 84 passing upwardly through a suitable bore in a horizontal block or member 85, the shoulder at the lower end of said reduced upper end of the shaft engaging a washer which in turn engages the lower side of said bar. Although such shoulders on the shafts 82 may be in direct engagement with the members with which they cooperate, it is desirable in many cases to insert wear resisting washers in such positions. The upper members 85 at opposite sides of the machine are'preferably connected by suitable means including a tie rod 87. Each block or member 85 is provided at its rear end with another bore to receive the reduced upper end of the corresponding post '75 and is held against the upward thrust of the shaft 82, associated therewith, by means of a nut 86 screwed on said reduced end of the post.

Connection between the two shafts 82 at opposite sides of the machine may be effected by means of bevel gears 91 on the reduced lower ends of the shafts, and a cross shaft 92 provided with bevel gears 93 in mesh with the bevel gears 91. To facilitate the turning of the shaft 92, a disk 93a with a suitable eccentrically positioned handle 94 is fixed thereon, and the Widths of the slots between the correspondingblades of the upper and lower sets may be indicated by the positions, with reference to a fixed index or pointer 95, of graduations on a disk 96 fixed on "adjustment of the members '74, the sleeve 97 must be held against turning in said members and this may be done by any suitable means such as set screws 97a. Each of the sleeves 9'7 has at one end an annular flange 98, the sleeve 9'7 in each lower member '74 being arranged with its flange at the upper side of such lower member and the sleeve 9'7 in each upper member '74 being arranged with its flange 98 at the lower side of such members '74.

The hereinbefore mentioned guiding and controlling means for the forward ends of the members '74 will now be described. As shown in Fig. 4, each lower member '74 is provided with a downwardly extending guiding pin 99 attached at its upper end to such lower member 74 and slidable below such lower member 74 preferably in a Wear resisting bushing 100 mounted ina fixed part 01' the machine and enclosing this guiding pin is a helical spring 101 interposed between such fixed part of the machine and such lower member to urge the same upwardly. Each upper member '74 is in like manner provided with an upwardly extending guiding pin 99 slidable preferably in a bushing 100 mounted in the forward end of the corresponding block or member 85.

Preferably the upper and lower guiding pins 99 on the same side of the machine are in alignment. The springs 101 tend to hold the members 74 against the fiange 98 so that, when the clamping or set screws 81 and 97a are in loosened condition, the lower blades 72 can yield downwardly when the moving blades '73 approach the lower limit of their movement and the upper blades '72 can yield upwardly when the blades 73 approach the upper limit of their movement.

As hereinbefore intimated one great difficulty heretofore encountered in using slotted blades was that, in order to obtain a suitable cleaning efiect with certain materials, treatment with rigidly mounted blades was Jiable to cause consid erable damage to the fibre during the scutching operation. Such injurious action may be avoided in the machine of the present invention by operating the machine with the screws 81 and 97a in loosened condition (as stated above).

The reciprocable blades '73 are also arranged in upper and lower sets with openings or slots between corresponding upper and lower blades and these openings are of almost the same width as the openings between corresponding stationary blades. Preferably, as indicated in Figs. 9 and 10, the slots between corresponding reciprocating blades 73 are somewhat wider than those between corresponding stationary blades '72, the reciprocating blades '73 are of less thickness than the spaces between adjacent blades '72 of the upper set or of the lower set and the distance between the upper and lower edges of these blades is such that they may have a sufiicient range of action without striking the spacers 78 at the outer edges of the stationary blades.

In order to permit reciprocation of the blades '73 without interference between the same and the stationary blades '72, the blades are of sufiioient length to extend beyond the ends of the stationary blades and their ends are secured in yokes forks 102 by suitable means including bolts or studs 103 extending through the sides of the yokes 102 and held in position by engagement of their heads with the outer surface of one side of the yoke and engagement of the outer surface of the other side of the yoke by nuts 103a screwed on the other ends of the bolts.

Inasmuch as the blades '73 are supported entirely by the bolts 103, these bolts would be subjected to a great deal of wear if the blades were mounted directly thereon. Such wear may be avoided by use of wear resisting sleeves 104 fitting over the bolts and passing through suitable openings in the blades and in spacers 104a placed therebetween. The sleeves 104 are of suitable length to fit between the arms or sides of the yokes and each sleeve is provided at one end with an annular flange 105 and at the other end with an external screw thread to cooperate with a nut 105:]. by means of which the blades '73 and the spacers 104a are clamped in position.

The yokes are fastened on reciprocatory rods or members 106 slidably mounted at the ends of the frame and these rods are connected by means of links 107 pivoted at their upper ends to the vertically reciprocable rods 106 and at their lower ends to eccentric pins 108 mounted on the shaft 20 at the outer ends thereof, preferably on fiy wheels 109 each provided with a suitable counterbalance weight 110.

Preferably there is a suction hood 111 over the operating parts to draw off the shives and convey them to any desired location, for example, to a standard winnowing machine.

In Fig. 3a, there is shown. a modified form of beater blade assembly, in which normally sta-- tionary blades 112 with slots 113 therein are mounted at their ends and at their upper and lower edges on rods 114 extending transversely with respect thereto and secured at their opposite ends in fixed members 115 parallel to the blades 112. The connection between the rods 114 and the members 115 may be effected in any suitable manner as by means of nuts 116 screwed on the threaded ends of the rods. The blades 112 are limited as to their movement toward each other by spacers 117 mounted on said rods between the blades, and are pressed towards each other by springs 118 on the rods 114 with their inner ends engaging washers 119 on the rods and engaging the outer sides of the blades 112, and with their outer ends in engagement with nuts 120 screw-threaded on the rods and serving as means for adjusting the pressure of the springs 118 on the blades 112. There is also a reciprocable blade 121 positioned between the blades 112 and this blade 121 is provided with a slot 122 corresponding in general to the slots 113 in the blades 112. Obviously a single blade with a slot therein is the equivalent of two separate blades held in fixed relation with respect to each other with a slot or opening between the adjacent edges tain more or less permanent adjustments must be made. For example, the pairs of feed rolls, each pair including a lower feed roll 51 and an upper feed roll 52 are adjusted, with reference to their distances toward and from the breaker blades '72 and '73, so as to obtain the proper amount of farming or spreading of a bundle of plant stalks to be decorticated; the stationary blades '72 are spaced at suitable distances apart by suitable spacers 78 and assembled in pairs of members or holders '74; and the reciprocable blades 73 of the upper and lower sets, are spaced at suitable distances apart by suitable spacers 104 and are secured in yokes 102. If desired, the spacers between successive blades may be of selected thickness so, for example, as to meet the requirements for the materials to be scutched. When fed to the beating blades, the material is relatively bulky as it reaches the first set of blades, less bulky as it reaches the second set of blades, and still less bulky as it reaches the third set of blades. This condition results from the removal by each set of blades of some of the woody portion of the straw; and, in view of this condition, a wide space may be left between the first and second blades of each set, a lesser space between the second and third blades of each set, and still less space between the third and fourth blades of each set. Different adjustments may be made for different fibrous materials, flax being finer than hemp and requiring smaller spaces between the blades, and hemp being finer than jute and requiring finer spaces between the blades than jute.

After such substantially permanent adjustments have been made, they will be retained and changes in conditions may be met by other adjustments which will now be discussed in connection with certain conditions which require them.

With damp straw and in damp weather it is particularly difficult to obtain the desired degree of cleanness of the fibre. Satisfactory results can be obtained by varying the speed of the feeding rolls to obtain the proper reduction below normal speed and thereby subjecting the plants to the beating action for a longer period. This results, however, in cutting down production.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, increased beating can, in many cases, be obtained without decreasing production by varying the width of the slots between certain opposed blades of the same kind, preferably stationary blades '72 as here shown. When the screws 81 for clamping the holders '74 for the stationary blades to the post are loose, the widths of the slots may be varied by turning the shaft 92. By this adjustment the degree of beating may, by narrowing the slots, be increased without decreasing production.

For instance, if the reciprocating blades 73 have a slot of one inch width, the slots or openings between corresponding stationary blades 72 are of three quarter inch width, and the reciprocating blades have a one inch movement, the edges of the slots in the movable blades will in each stroke pass the effective edges of the stationary blades one eighth of an inch; but.upon decreasing the width of the slots between corresponding effective edges of the stationary blades more bending and consequently more breaking of the straw will be effected. When the straw is dry and the woody matter breaks easily the widths of the openings or slots may be substantially the same for both sets of blades.

The normahoperation of a machine constituting the preferred embodiment of the invention has been brought out in the foregoing description; but in recapitulation it may' be said that upon feeding straw in bunches overthe shelf '70 to the feed rolls 51 and 52, the straw will be advanced to the breaking blades and during its passage between the rolls not only will the straw be broken to a certain extent but the seed bolls will be broken open thus allowing the seed to fall out. In order to avoid crushing of the seed and damage to the fibre, the rolls or rollers 51 and 52 are so mounted and the fluted rolls are so shaped that the projection of one of two cooperating fluted rolls will not engage the bottoms of the corresponding depressions in the other roll, and therefore will not crush the seed.

From the feed rolls, the straw or like material passes through the slots or openings of the fixed and reciprocating blades and the scutching action is completed, the cleaned fibre passing completely through and being discharged from sa d rolls at the rear thereof. It will be evident that, if, for any reason, it is found desirable to draw back the straw, for a freshstart or otherwise, such withdrawal may be effected by proper manipulation of the handle 46 or the ,shaft or rod 43 to reverse the feed rolls.

Under certain conditions (due to characteristics of the available laborers, to the material to be scutched, or to both), it has been found desirable to replace the feed rollers extending from side to side of the machine by two groups of feed rolls extending inwardly from opposite sides of the machine; the rolls at the right of the ma-.

chine (as viewed in Fig. 2) being driven as already described and the rolls at the other side of the machine being driven from shaft 20 by separate connections of the same general nature including the gears 32, 36 and 38 (Fig. 1). In this arrangement there are separate controlling members 42 at opposite sides of the machine and they are operated by separated shafts 43 and handles 46. According to the arrangement just described the machine can be operated substantially as two machines of half the width but in much more compact form than two separate machines.

It should be understood that various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts and that various parts may be used without others without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:-

1. In a decorticating machine, the combination of a member including two blades with their effective edges spaced apart to provide a slot, a second member including two blades with their effective edges spaced apart to provide a slot, means to effect relative movement between said members to effect cleaning of fibre in fibrous material fed through both of said slots, and

means for adjusting the width of the slot in one of said members by shifting both of the corresponding blades simultaneously.

'2. In a decorticating machine, the combination of a member including a set of blades arranged in pairs with the effective edges of the blades in each pair facing each other but spaced apart to provide a slot for the passage of the fibrous material to be decorticated, a second set of blades arranged in pairs in like manner but with such pairs arranged alternately with the pairs of the first set, and means for effecting relative movement between the two sets of blades, and blade adjusting means whereby the blades of a pair are moved toward and from each other simultaneously, the spaces between successive pairs of blades in each set decreasing in the direction of movement of the fibrous material to correspond with the decrease in bulk of the fibrous material as the waste material is gradually removed from the fibre.

3. In a decorticating machine, the combination of a set of substantially parallel blades ar-- ranged with the successive spaces therebetween decreasing in the direction of movement of the fibrous material to be cleaned, a second set of blades similarly arranged but positioned opposite to the spaces between the blades of the first set, means for effecting relative reciprocation between such sets of blades, and means for effecting yieldable support for the blades of at least one of said sets and thereby moderating the severity of the cleaning action.

4. In a decorticating machine, the combination of a set of blades arranged in pairs with the effective edges of the blades in each pair facing each other but-,,s paced apart to provide a 5. In a decorticating machine, the combine.-

tion of a set of blades arranged in pairs with the effective edges of the blades in each pair spaced apart to provide a slot for the passage of fibrous material to be cleaned, a second set of blades arranged in pairs in like manner but with such nee -ace pairs arranged alternately with the pairs of the first set, means for effecting relative reciprocation between the two sets of blades, and feed rolls adjustable toward and from said sets of blades to vary the spreading in said slots of fibrous material fed in bunches between said feed rolls to be advanced thereby into the slots.

6. In a decorticating machine, the'combination of a set of blades arranged in pairs with the efiective edges of the blades in each pair spaced apart to provide a slotfor the passage of fibrous material to be cleaned, a second set of blades arranged in pairs in like manner but with such pairs arranged alternately with the pairs of blades of the first set, means for effecting relative reciprocation between the two sets of blades, feed rolls adjustable toward and from said sets of blades to vary the spreading in said slots of fibrous material introduced between said feed rolls, and means for varying the relative speeds of reciprocation between the two sets of blades and of rotation of said feed rolls.

7. In a decorticating machine, the combination of a set of blades arranged in pairs with the efiective edges of the blades in each pair spaced apart to provide a slot for the passage of fibrous material to be cleaned, a second set of blades arranged in pairs in like manner but with such pairs arranged alternately with the pairs of the first set, means for effecting relative reciprocation between the 'two sets of blades, springs acting on the blades of one of said sets to urge the blades of each pair of blades in such set in a direction to close the slot therebetween, means for limiting the inward movement of such blades, and means for varying such limiting means to vary the minimum widths of such slots.

8. In a decorticating machine, the combination of a set of stationary blades arranged in pairs with the effective edges of the blades in each pair spaced apart to provide a slot for the passage of fibrous material to be cleaned,'a set of reciprocable blades arranged in like manner but with such pairs arranged alternately with the pairs of the first set, means for yieldably sup porting said stationary blades against movement due to the striking action of the reciprocable blades, means for adjusting the width of the slots between the stationary blades, and means for reciprocating said movable blades a distance slightly greater than the width of the slots between the stationary blades.

9. In a plant decorticating machine, the combination of two cooperating sets of breaker blades with the blades thereof arranged alternately, each set including pairs of substantially parallel blades spaced part along the line of travel of the material to be acted upon and the blades of each pair lying in the same plane with their opposed edges spaced apart to provide a slot for the passage of the material therethrough, means to efiect relative reciprocation of the two sets of blades, and means for varying the widths of the slots between the opposed blades of one of said sets by moving the opposed blades towards and from each other simultaneously.

10. In a'plant decorticating machine, the combination of two cooperating sets of breaker blades with the blades thereof arranged alternately, each set including pairs of substantially parallel blades spaced apart along the line of travel of the material to be acted upon and the blades of each pair lying in the same plane with their opposed edges spaced apart to provide a slot for the passage of the material therethrough, means to effect relative reciprocation of the two sets of blades, and means acting simultaneously at opposite ends of the blades of one of said sets for varying the width of the slots between blades of each pair in such set.

11. In a plant decorticating machine, the combination of two cooperating sets of breaker blades with the blades thereof arranged alternately, each set'including pairs of substantially parallel blades spaced apart along the line of travel of the mate'- rial to be acted upon and the blades of each pair lying in the same plane with their opposed edges spaced apart to provide a slot for the passage of the material therethrough, means to effect relative reciprocation of the two sets of blades, separate means at opposite ends of the blades of one of said sets for varying the width or the slots between the blades of such pairs of such set, and connections between the slot varying means at such oppostie ends to cause them to work in unison.

12. In a decorticating machine, the combina= tion of a pair of substantial parallel blades, a blade positioned in the space between the blades of said pair, means for efiecting a relative movement between the pair of blades and the other blade to clean fibre passed therebetween, and means for yieldingly supporting the blades of said pair against spreading movement.

13. In a decorticating machine, the combination of a set of blades arranged in pairs with the effective edges of the blades in each pair facing each other but spaced apart to provide a slot for the passage of the fibrous material to be decorticated, a second set of blades including a pair of blades spaced to provide a slot therebetween and positioned between two pairs of blades of the other set, means to enect relative movement between the two 8%5 of blades, means to vary the width of slot, in one set of blades by moving corresponding blades in opposite direction, and means for yieldably supporting the blades of one of said sets.

14. In a decorticating machine, the combination of a set of blades arranged in pairs with the efiective edges of the blades in each pair facing each other but spaced apart to provide a slot for the passage of the fibrous material to be decorticated, a second set of blades including a pair of blades spaced to provide a slot therebetween and positioned between two pairs of blades of the other set, means w efiect relative movement between the two sets of blades, means to vary the width of slot, in one set of bladw by moving corresponding blades in opposite direction, and feed rolls adjustable toward and from said sets of blades to vary the spreading of ma= terial fed to the slots.

15. In a decorticating machine, the combination of a set of blades arranged in pairs with the eifective edges of the blades in each pair facing each other but spaced apart to provide a slot forthe passage of the fibrous material to be decorticated, a second set of blades including a pair of blades spaced to provide a slot therebetween and positioned between two pairs of blades of the other set, means for efiecting relative movement between the two sets of blades, means for varying the width of slot in one set of blades by moving corresponding blades in opposite directions, and feeding meansadjust able to vary the spreading of material fed therefrom to the slots.

JIM A. GRANT.

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