US794284A - Flax-breaking machine. - Google Patents

Description

No. 794.284. PATENTED JULY 1l, I905. G. H. ELLIS.

FLAX BREAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DB0. 21. 1904.

@muy

No. 794,284. PATENTED JULY 11, 1905. G. E. ELLIS.

ELAX BREAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 21,*1904y 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

"@eoyeETZ//f UNiTnn STATES Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. ELLIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FLAX-BREAKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,284, dated July 11, 19,05.

Application filed December 21,1904. Serial No. 237,771.

To rif/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. ELLIS, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Flax-Breaking Machines, of which the following' is a complete specification.

This invention relates to rotaryflax-brakes, and may be regarded as an improvement on the machine shown and described in Patent No. 738,893, which issued to me September l5, 1903. Heretofore in the operation of this type of flaxbrakes difliculty has been encountered, owing to the fact that the grooves in the concaves would become clogged with shives, which would thus interfere with the operation of the machine and also impair the efficiency thereof. Further difficulty was met arising from the fact that in the construction heretofore employed that portion of the liber which came within the grip of the chains would not be fully cleaned, because the breaking devices could not operate suliciently and efliciently near the grasping-chain. The ber also manifested an inclination to stick to the chain at the delivery end thereof.

The improvements which I have designed to overcome the above-mentioned difliculties reside chiefly in the special arrangement of the concaves in their relation with respect to the cooperating breaking-rollers, in the doffers at the rear end of the grasping and conveying chain, in the means for preserving a uniform rotation of the breaking-rollers and insuring a proper mesh thereof with the concaves, and in the peculiar construction of the guide rails or slides, which cooperates with thc grasping and conveying chains.

Further subordinate improvements have also been embodied in the general construction of the machine, which will appear in the disclosure of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure A1 represents a plan view of the flax-breaking machine, the feeding device on the feeding end and the receiving mechanism at the delivery end not being shown, as they are not material to the improvements herein set forth. Fig. 2 is a corresponding side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sec- 50 tion of the machine, taken as indicated by the line 3 3 in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinally vertical section taken at the delivery end of the machine as indicated by the line 4E t in Eig. l, the View being designed to 55 show the construction of the dofiers, which disengage the fiber from the grasping-chain; and Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the rear grasping-chain and the adjacent forward chain, the section being taken as indicated by the line 5 5 in Fig. l. This view is designed to illustrate the construction of the shields or guides which deflect the liber properly in passing from one feeding-chain to the other and from a scutcher to a breaker on one side and 5 5 the reverse on the other. This view also illustrates the manner in which the fiber is held firmly grasped in one chain until the succeeding one has securelyT engaged it.

In the drawings, l designates the angleirons forming the longitudinal sills of the main frame, two of these angle-irons being oppositely placed to each other with their opposing legs extending inwardly. Between these angle-irons are secured the cross-sills 2, which consist, preferably, of I-beams having a portion of one of the flanges turned down at the ends, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The legs or supports of the frame are designated by the numeral 3, the lower portion of these legs being cut away.

4 designates a series of arches placed transversely across the top of the main frame. These arches and -beams render the frame very rigid and form bearings for some of the 35 moving parts of the machine.

In the cross-sills 2 are journaled in the bearings 5/ and 6 the breaking-roller shafts 5 and 6, respectively. These shafts extend longitudinally of the frame of the machine, and on the shaft 5 are rigidly mounted the two opposing breaking-rollerheads7. (See Eig.

. These breaking-roller heads are provided with the four evenly-disposed radially-extending slots 7', within which are placed the sliding' 95 boxes 8. These sliding boxes are held outwardly or from the center by means of the coil-springs 9 and in said boxes journal the uted breaking-rollers 10, the said springs holding the rollers outwardly and permitting them to yield inwardly against excessive pressure. For a more detailed description of the members involved in the construction of these breaking-rollers and associated parts reference may be had to the patent above cited. The shaft 5 is located on the righthand side of the machine, and since the said breaking-rollers mounted thereon are situated near the delivery end of the machine the said shaft necessarily extends almost the entire length thereof. To the shaft 6 on the lefthand side of the machine are secured similar breaking-roller heads 7, in which are mounted another set of breaking-rollers 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These shafts 5 and 6 are driven by suitable bevel-gear connection (see Fig. 1) from the main driving-shaft 11, which extends transversely of the machine near the front or feeding end thereof. Power is communicated to this shaft 11 through the belt 12, which is adapted to engage either the fixed pulley 13 or the loose pulley 14 on said shaft. This arrangement' of the sets of revolving breaking-rollers results in having one set on each side of the central longitudinal line of the machine. A fluted concave 21 is placed directly above the shaft 5, this concave lcorresponding in pitch of teeth with the breaking-rollers 10, as does the corresponding element in the patent before mentioned. A similarly constructed and arranged concave 21 also cooperates with the set of breaking-rollers mounted on the shaft 6. The concave 2l is supported by two adjacent arches 4, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

To make the movement of the breakingrollers 10 in relation to their cooperating concave positive, a planetary movement is im-4 parted to said rollers by means of the stationary annular gears 22, which mesh with the pinion 10 on the projecting shaft of the rollers, as can be seen in Figs. 1 and 2. Experience has demonstrated that the slight clearance necessary in gearing is sufficient to cause the breaking-rollers 10 to lag suficiently to cause them to slightly interfere with the fiutes or teeth of the concave when first coming into mesh therewith. To overcome this difficulty, the extension 23 is provided to operate as a continuation of the uted concaves 21 on its outside, while on the inner side the extension 24 amounts to projecting the concave that amount farther down. These said extensions 23 and 24 are comparatively narrow, the width relative to the length of the breaking-roller being shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The pitch of the extension 23 is the same as that'of the pitch of the teeth of the concave, while the pitch of the extension 24 is slightl y less, which will operate to speed up the breaking-rollers sufficiently to prevent any knocking or jarring when they come in contact or into mesh with the said concaves.

Arranged substantially in a central longitudinal position with respect to the frame of the machine is the grasping and conveying chain, which is composed of the feeding-end loop 15 and the delivery-end loop 16. The first loop 15 is supported upon and driven by suitable sprocket-wheels 17, which are rigidly secured to shafts journaled in suitable bearings. The sprocket-wheels 17, carrying the feeding-end loop 15, are mounted upon the shafts 18 and 18', while the sprocket-wheels, supporting and driving the delivery-end loop, are mounted upon the shafts 19 and 19. These shafts 18 and 18 and 19 and 19 journal in suitable bearings mounted on the main frame. The delivery-end loop 16 is driven from the shaft 19, while the loop 15 is driven by the shaft 18', thus pulling directly on the lower or engaging part of the chain. shaft 18' is connected with and driven from the shaft 19 by means of the sprocket-chain 20. Placedv beneath the loops 15 and 16 of the grasping-chain and coperating therewith are the slides 25 and 26, respectively. These slides are provided with a rounded surface on the upper edge thereof, which fits within a corresponding recess on the contacting side of the links of the chain, as shown in detail in' Figs. 3, 4, and 5. The flax-straw in process of breaking is held substantially midway of its length between the chain and slide, and to enable the breaking-rollers and concave to engage the straw at a point immediately adjacent to said chain and slide the guides are deflected away from the breaking-rollers and form, in effect, a continuation of the walls of the concave. The inner concave extension 24 is secured, preferably, to the guide-plate 26, as shown in Fig. 3. Secured to the slide or guideplate 26 is the scutcher-concave 26, comform- `ing in curvature to the path of travel of the outer margins of the scutcher-blades 27 the functions of said concave being to hold the end of the straw or fiber in a position to be operated upon by the said scutcher-blades. A similar scutcher-concave (not shown) is secured to the other slide or guide-plate 25.

The deflection of the lower portion of the` slide not only enables the breaking-rollers to effect a close engagement with the straw, but also aids in supporting the free end thereof.

Placed in opposition to each set of breaking-rollers is a scutcher-drum 27, provided with the scutcher-blades 27. The drum of the scutcher on the delivery end of the machine is mounted upon` the shaft 272, which shaft journals in suitable bearings secured to the twoadjacent arches 4. Movement is imparted to the scutchers through suitable gear connection with the shaft 28, this shaft being Ioo driven by a band-wheel 29, which contacts thev belt 30. The belt 30 engages and is driven from the pulley 31, which is secured to the main driving-shaft '11, the other end of said i belt engaging the pulley 32, journaled on the stub-shaft 33, located near the driving-shaft 19 of the graspingchain. To secure the proper degree of tension in the belt 30, the idler-pulley 51, mounted on the lever 52, is made to bear against the said belt, the lever being held in proper relation with respect to its support 53 by any suitable means. rI`he pinion 33 on said stub-shaft imparts movement at reduced velocity to the shaft 19/ through the gear 34. Motion is imparted to the scutcher-drum 27 at the feeding end of the machine by means of the cross-shaft 35, this cross-shaft being connected by suitable gearing' to the shaft of the said drum. The crossshaft 35 has secured to its outer end a bandwheel 36, about which passes the belt 37, the forward end of this belt engaging and being driven by the pulley 38 on the outer end of the main driving-shaft 11.

The shields 39 are located between the center arches 4 and operate to properly guide the flax-straw upward from the scutcher-drum to the breaking-rollers and cooperating concave on the right-hand side of the machine and downward from the breaking-roller and concave to the scutcher on the left-hand side of the machine. tion in Fig. 5, and from an inspection of Fig. 3 their necessity is apparent, because of the fact that the plane in which the breaking-rollers and concave operate upon the flax-straw is considerably higher than the plane in which the scutcher-blades act upon the free end of the iiaX-straw. In Fig. 1 the shields are shown partly broken away and in Fig. 2 are shown entirely removed, that the mechanism at thispart of the machine may be more clearly disclosed.

In order to remove the flax fiber from the grasping and conveying chain at the delivery end of the machine, the following-described dofling means are employed: vA crank-shaft 40, journaled in suitable bearings on the frame of the machine, is driven by means of the sprocket-chain 41, which connects with the .sprocket-wheel on the driving-shaft 2.8 of the rear scutcher-drum. This kcrank-shaft 40 is provided with cranks arranged on either side of the plane of the grasping-chain and between the upper and lower runs thereof, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The inner end of this crank-shaft is supported in a bearing 40, which in turn is secured to the longitudinally-extending' beam 42 on the frame of the machine. On the front or right-hand side of the chain 16 two oppositely-disposed cranks 402 are formed in said shaft 40, while on the other sideA of the chain only onecrank 4()3 is formed. In the wrists of these cranks are journaled the brackets 43, (see Fig. 4,) the brackets being of suflicient length so as to permit the dofferplates 44 to operate in a plane near the bottom of the grasping-chain. The rear end of `to adhere to the chain.

These shields are shown in sec-v neet with the said plates at their lower end and with the loosely-sleeved collars 46, which vjournal on the shaft 19 at their upper end.

These collars 46 are prevented from endwise movement by means of the fixed collars 47. Teeth consisting of triangular-shaped cleats 44 are secured to the under side of the dofferplates 44. It is manifest that when rotation is given to the crank-shaft 4() these dolfcrplates will be given a combined rotary and reciprocating movement and will be made to move across the path of the fiber as it is being delivered from between the lower run of the chain 16 and the slide 26, thus forcibly removing any of the fiber that shows an inclination lVithout such' provision an attendant would be required to disengage the fiber and prevent it from being tangled up'in the chain. y

To hold the contacting sides of the loops 15 and 16 of the grasping-chain in contact with their respective slides 25 and 26 with a degree of pressure sufficient to prevent the straws being pulled therefrom bythe scutchingblades or breaking-rollers, rollers 48, mounted on yielding bearings 49, are employed to press against the upper side of the chain, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. In Fig. 2 only a small space appears in which the rollers can be seen from the side view, and in the detail shown in Fig. 4 only one set of such rollers is shown, as the others are merely duplicates of this. The general arrangement of these chains and rollers in this machine and also the means by which the proper degree of tension is secured in the grasping-chain, as well as the pressure between the contacting portion of the chain and its cooperating part,

-whether it be another chain or a stationary slide, and other minor details not material to this invention are fully shown in Patent No. 738,783, granted to me September 15, 1903, and also the patent to which reference has already been made.

The flax-straw may be presented to themachine by any suitable feeding device, but preferably by such a mechanism as shown and claimed in application, Serial No. 228,494, filed by me October 15, 1904, and entitled Feeding mechanism for flax-brakes. The numeral 50 in Figs. 1 and 2 designates the feed-wheel of such mechanism.

As there is practically no departure in the method of operating this machine over the machine disclosed in Patent No. 738,893, already mentioned, it is believed that a detailed description thereof is unnecessary. Furthermore, the function and operation of the new features of this invention are apparent from a description of the construction thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*- 1. In a'iiaX-breaking machine, in combination, a set of yieldingly-mounted breaking- IOO IIO

rollers, a concave located above said breaking rollers and coperating therewith, a Scutcher-drum and means for conveying the straw laterally of its length and longitudinally of said breaking-rollers and scutcher, said means consisting' of a grasping and conveying chain operating above and a slide located beneath and coacting with said chain, said slide being deflected away from the breaking-rollers at its lower side, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a flax-breaking machine, in combination, a machine-frame, grasping and conveying chains located centrally and longitudinally thereof, sets of revolving breaking-rollers situated at each end of the machine-frame and on opposite sides of said chains, a concave located above each set and cooperating therewith, scutcher-drums opposed to each set of breaking-rollers and located on the opposite sides of said chains with respect thereto, and shields or guides to direct the liow of straw and liber from the scutcher to the breakingroller and concave on one side of the chains and from the breaking-rollers and concave to the scutcher on the other side of said chains, substantially as and for the purpose specied.

3. In a flax-breaking machine, in combination, a machine-frame, grasping-chains located centrally and longitudinally thereof, sets of revolving breaking-rollers situated at each end of the machine-frame and on opposite sid es of said chains, a concave located above each set and cooperating therewith, scutcherdrums opposed to each set of breaking-rollers and located on the opposite sides of said chains with respect thereto, an upwardly-extending shield or guide for directing the liow of straw and fiber from the scutcher on the right-hand side of the chains to the set of breaking-rollers and coacting concaves on the same side of said chains, and a downward-projecting shield or guide for directing the flow of straw and fiber from the breaking-rollers and coacting concave on the left-hand side of the chains to the.

scutcher on the same side of said chains, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a flax-breaking machine, in combination, a machine-frame, a grasping and conveying chain located centrally and longitudinally thereof, breaking and scutching devices located adjacent to said chain, and reciprocating doifers located at the delivery end of said chain and on either side thereof, substantially as described.

5. In a flax-'breaking machine, in combination, a machine-frame, a grasping and conveying chain located centrally and longitudinally thereof, breaking and scutching devices located adjacent to said chain, and doffers located at the delivery end of said chain and on either side thereof, said doifers consisting of toothed plates, the forward ends of which are supported and driven by suitable crank-motion, while the rear ends are supported by links, substantially as described.

6. In a flax-breaking machine, in combination, a set of yieldingly-mounted toothed breaking-rollers, means for imparting a rotary movement thereto, a concave located above and cooperating with said breaking-rollers, extensions to said concaves secured to the front and rear sides thereof, the said eXtension which is secured to the rear side having teeth of a pitch corresponding with the pitch of the concaves, and the extension on the front side thereof being provided with teeth having a pitch slightly less than the pitch of the teeth of the concaves, and means for conveying the straw laterally of its length and longitudinally of the breaking-rollers and concave and in an operative relation with respect thereto, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE H. Ennis.

Vitnesses:

P. H. SHEA, J. C. WARNES.

Images