US2011077A

US2011077A - Process of decortication

Info

Publication number: US2011077A
Application number: US750358A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ratliff Albert Taylor
Original assignee: PINE FELT CORP OF MISSISSIPPI
Current assignee: PINE FELT CORP OF MISSISSIPPI; PINE-FELT Corp OF MISSISSIPPI
Priority date: 1934-10-27
Filing date: 1934-10-27
Publication date: 1935-08-13
Anticipated expiration: 1952-08-13

Description

g- 1935. A. T. RATLIFF 77 PROCESS OF DECORTICATION Filed on. 27, 1954 Inventor 1/4591? ZJ'Zaiil'ij gmwm A ttomey Patented Aug. 13, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS OF DECORTICATION Refiled for abandoned application Serial No. 393,289, September 17, 1928. This application October 27, 1934, Serial No. 750,358

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a process of decorti cation and more particularly to a process of this nature which has for its object the expeditious removal of the outer coating or hard surface from pine needles for the purpose of recovering the inner fiber thereof, but it is to be understood that this process maybe utilized for any purpose for which it is found adapted.

The nature of the process will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein there is disclosed an embodiment of an apparatus for carrying out the successive steps of the process, but it is to be understood that any suitable mechanism may be employed for this purpose.

In said drawing,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a receptacle into which the needles are placed for the purpose of carrying out the first step of the process.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus for carrying out the second step of the process.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a device for performing the third step of the decortication process.

The process constituting this invention is as follows:

The pine needles, or pine straw as the same are sometimes called, are placed, in a green or dry state, in a cooking vat I having a burner 2 thereunder and which vat contains a solution of water and caustic soda. After a suflicient lapse of time, the solution in the vat I softens or dissolves the hard outer coating or cortex and saponifies the hydro-carbons or wood tars which are present in this outer coating.

The needles are then placed in a hopper 3 and passed downwardly therefrom between a pair of opposed crushing rolls 4 having interfitting corrugations on their working faces for crushing and breaking up the needles as the same pass therebetween. The crushed needles are then placed between a pair of oppositely rotating coaxial discs in the presence of water and the scrubbing action resulting therefrom removes the outer orhard covering from said needles and the inner fiber thereof may be reclaimed in a clean commercial condition.

For carrying out this third and last step of this process, an endless conveyor may be positioned beneath the crushing rollers 4 for the purpose of receiving the needles as they are discharged therefrom and said conveyor is designated by the reference character 5 and has its discharge end disposed over a downwardly inclined chute 6 having a pivotally mounted gate 1 at its lower end. Disposed beneath the discharge end of the chute 6 are a pair of opposed discs 8 and 9 which are disposed within a tank or receptacle I!) which is adapted to contain water. The disc 9 is fixed on a shaft which is journaled through the bottom ll of the tank I!) and said shaft has fixed on its lower end portion a pulley l2 for connection with a suitable source of power. The disc 8 is mounted for rotary and vertical movement in the free end of a horizontally swingable bracket 13 through the medium of a'threaded vertical shaft M which is disposed for longitudinal movement through a sleeve [5 rotatably mounted in the free end of the bracket l3 and having a drive pulley l6 thereon. A hand actuated wheel I! is threaded on the upper end portion of the shaft l4 and engages with the upper end of the sleeve l5 for raising the disc 8 vertically. The bracket I3 is pivotally connected to a suitable support as at [8. As before stated, the discs 8 and 9 are rotated in opposite directions through the medium of the pulleys l2 and l6'which are connected to a suitable source of power. In the use of the apparatus described above, the hand wheel I! is actuated in a manner to lift the disc 8 off of the disc 9 and said disc Bis then swung horizontally away from the lower disc on the bracket I 3. The gate 1 is then opened and a suitable quantity of needles are precipitated on the lower disc 9 from the chute 6 after which the gate is closed and the disc 8 is swung back over the disc 9 and lowered into engagement with the needles between the discs.

Having thus described my process of decortication, what I claim is:-

A process of decortication for pine needles comprising cooking the needles in a bath solution of Water and caustic soda until the cortex of wood tars in the cortex are saponified, then removing the needles from the bath and crushing and breaking same between corrugated pressure rolls, then placing the needles between opposed, oppositely rotating discs and subjecting said needles to a scrubbing action in the presence of water until the dissolved cortex is removed, and then recovering the inner fiber of the needles from the water bath.

ALBERT TAYLOR RATLIF'F.