US796453A - Decorticating-machine. - Google Patents

Description

No. 796,453. PATENTED AUG. 8 1905. G. H. ROEDER, DECD.

0. K. BOB-DEE, ADMINISTEATRIX.

DEGORTIGATING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIOI LIILED MAB. 3, 1903. RENEWED DEG. 17,1904.

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lf/VE'SSES AUOR/VEYS No. 796,453. PATBNTED AUG. 8, 1905.

G.H.'ROEDER, DBCD. 0. x. 302mm, ADMIHISTBATRIK. DBOORTIOATING MACHINE. Arrmoumx nun mm. 3. 190a. nnwnn nno. 17.1904.

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PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

G. H. ROEDER, DEGD. o. x. nonnnn, Anxmm'rnnmxf. DEGORTIGATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION Hum In. 3, 190a. nnnwnn DEG, 17.1904.

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B W l INVENTOI? W M ITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV HERMANN ROEDER, OE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA; CHRIS- TIANA K. ROEDER', ADMINISTRATRIX OF SAID GUSTAV HERMANN ROEDER, DECEASED, SAID ADMINISTRATRIX ASSIGNOR TO ERNEST F. GREEFF AND ALBERT TILT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND CHARLES C. ROSSIRE, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK. I

DECORTlCATlNG-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed March 3, 1903. Renewed December 17, 1904. Serial No. 237,294-

DER, a citizen of the Republic of Brazil, re-

siding in Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Decorticating-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to a machine for decorticating the stalks of the rhea and similar fibrous plants.

Many attempts have heretofore been made to decorticate and prepare the rhea fiber, which is used considerably in the textile industry in imitation of silk fabrics In China the fiber is obtained by handwork throughout, and the rhea fiber in the market is mainly supplied from China. The principal reason why the rhea fiber has not been produced heretofore in the required quantities was because it was attempted to treat the stalks in their dry condition. From the dried stalks thefiber could not be produced in proper quality as regards flexibility and glossy appearance. 1 have found that by decorticating the stalks in green condition the bark and woody coverings of the fibers can be removed with greater facility and the fiber delivered in better condition for the subsequent mechanical and chemical treatment to which the same has to be subjected. 1 This invention relates more especially to a machine for decorticating the rhea stalks, and comprises, essentially, an endless movable feed-belt on which the stalks are placed, feedrolls that take up the stalks from said belt and hold the same so as to subject them step by step to the action of a rapidly-rotating beater-frame having transverse beaters until the entire stalksare fed through. Between the feed-rolls and the beaters of the beaterframe is arranged a transverse guide-rail, by means of which the stalks are beaten,the woody parts thereof broken, and the fibers of the stalks dropped onto an endless guide-rope and conducted off for further treatment. In combination with the feed-rolls and their operating mechanism is arranged a treadle-operated parts which will be fully described herein-- after and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved machine for decorticating rhea fibers. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section online 2 2, Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of my improved machine for decorticating rhea fibers.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the frame of my improved decorticating-machine, which frame is supported by upright side standards A. On the frame A are supported,

the journal-bearings m for driving the shaft S, to which motion is transmitted by suitable belt-and-pulley transmission, of which pulleys P only are shown. On the driving-shaft S is supported a rapidly-rotating beater-frame B,

provided with guide-pieces If", in which are arranged transverse beaters b of rectangular cross-section, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, and which are detachable by simply loosening screws 6 and moving the beaters laterally outward of the guide-pieces b Heretofore a large number of beaters were used. I have found, however, that the employment of such a large number of beaters did not give satis-.

factory results, inasmuch as the action of the same was similar to a rolling action. For this reason I arrange only a small number of beaters on the frame. I

To one end of the frame A are connected upright side walls w, which are provided at their lower ends with brackets w for carrying the guide-rolls d of the two endless feedbelts D, which are separated by a vertlcal partition 1), said partition forming with the belts D and side wallsw independent hoppers or compartments to which the stalks are fed fromthe opposite sides of the machine by the attendants, the side walls wserving as guides for the stalks that are deposited on the feedbelts D. The endless feed-belts pass at the other side over guide-rolls d which are driven by means of an intermediate gear a meshing With a gear a on the shaft of the rolls (1 and with a gear n on the shaft S of the lower feed-roll E.

D and the rapidly-rotating frame B are-interposedtwo feed-rolls E E. The ends of the lower feed-roll E are supported in bearings m of the frame A, while the bearings of the upper feed-roll E are arranged in the upper end of the slotted bars y, through the slots of which the ends of the lower feedroll pass, which ends serve to guide the slotted bars. These bars extend below the frame A and are connected with a fulcrumed and weighted lever l, so that the upper roll E is pressed with adjustable pressure on the lower feed-roll E. In the front ofthe lower feedroll is arranged a stationary transverse guidebar F of triangular cross-section or of angular section with one side arc-shaped for supporting or guiding the stalks as they are fed forward by the feed-rolls, so as to subject them step by step to the action of the beaters b for breaking up the woody parts and covering of the stalks. The journal-bearings m are movable on the frame of the machine and adjustable by screws m by means of which the beater-frame may bemoved in proximity to or from the angular bar. The stalks are continuously fed over the stationary triangular bar F and acted upon by the heaters I) of the rotating beater-frame. The broken-up and decorticated fibers are then dropped onto an endless traveling rope G, that is arranged at the lower part of the supporting-frame A, said rope being guided along grooved disks, one of which, n, is adjustably supported on the shaft S of the lower part of the supporting-frame A, while the other disk is supported at some distance from the machine, where the fibers are deposited. It has been found in practice that in beating the stalks the front ends of the same fall to the ground almost vertically below the angular bar. On the final beat of the beater-frame on the rear end of the stalks the .rear end is thrown in the direction of the front part of the machinethat is, carried along in the direction of the rotary movement of the beater-bar on the beater frame. Thereby the rear end of the beaten stalks is thrown to the opposite side of the rope from where the front end fell, so as to cause a straddling on the rope, whereby the fibers are conveyed off for further treatment.

The lower shaft S is supported in suitable bearings m at the lower part of the frame A and receives motion by means of grooved disks OZ d and belt or rope g from an intermediate shaft S which in turn receives its motion from the driving-shaft S by a wormgear transmission W, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The shaft S is connected by a ball-andsocket joint 6 with a shaft S which carries at its inner end a bevel gear-wheel f and at the opposite enda second bevel gear-wheel f. A fork-shaped frame 1 is attached to the hubs of the bevel gear-wheelsf and f, as shown in F ig. 1, and'is connected by a fulcrumed elbow-lever h and'connecting-rod it with a treadle t, pivoted to the lower part of the supporting-frame A, so that by depressing the treadle the fork-shaped frame 0 with its bevel gear-wheels can be shifted from the left to the right. The bevel gear-wheels f and f mesh with a corresponding bevel gear-wheel f on the shaft S of the lower feed-roll E and impart thereby rotary motion in one or the other direction to the feed-roll E, according as the right or left hand bevel gear-Wheel is placed in mesh with the bevel gear-wheel f on the shaft of the feed-roll by the action of the treadle. Normally the right-hand bevel gear-wheel f is in mesh with the bevel gearwheel f so that the lower feed -roll E is moved in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2 when feeding the stalks forwardly to the rolls and beater-frame. Whenever an obstruction is encountered, such as choking of the stalks, the attendant depresses the treadle 2. and shifts the left-hand bevel gear-wheel f into mesh with the bevel gear wheel f thereby reversing the motion of the latter, so that the regular feed-motion of the stalks is controlled and any unequal breaking up of the stalks by the heaters or obstruction in the regular feeding of the stalks prevented. Rotary motion is transmitted from the lower feed-roll E by intermediate gear-wheels n n and shafts held by links Z Z to the upper feedroll E, provided with gear 92*, the transmitting-shafts with links Z Z and gear-wheels n if, adapting themselves to the varying positions of the upper feed-roll in the well-known manner.

In the drawings the heaters are shown as arranged on the drum. I do not wish to limit myself to the drum as shown, as 1 distinctly described a beater-frame consisting, essentially, of two disks, to the circumference of which the beaters are detachably fastened.

When the machine is operated and the green stalks fed into the hopper formed by the side boards w and the feed-aprons D, the stalks are slowly moved between the feed-rolls. As they are successively fed to the feed-rolls the new parts are continually acted upon by the rapidly-rotating beaters, so that they are bent in downward direction on the stationary supporting-bar F, wherefrom the decorticated fibers of the stalks hang down until the entire stalk is beaten down and decorticated. Finally the decorticated fibers are dropped on the endless conveying-rope G below the feedrolls and bar F and conducted ofi' for further treatment.

My improved machine for decorticating rhea stalks is comparatively simple in construction, having only four operating parts namely, the feed-belts, feed-rolls, stationary bar, and the rotating beaters-which are not liable to get out of order and which can readily resist the heavy wear to which they are subjected. As the beater-frame is rotated at a speed of one hundred and eighty rotations per minute,'seven hundred and twenty blows are imparted per minute to the portion of the stalk then on the supporting-bar, so that thereby all the woody parts of the stalks are broken up and removed and the fibers placed in condition for final treatment.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and d esire to secure'by Letters Patent- 1. In a decorticating-machine, the combination with endless feed-aprons, of slotted bars, rotary feed-rolls, one of which is journaled in the frame of the machine while the other is journaled in the upper ends of the slotted bars guided by the shaft of the first roll, a fulcrumed and weighted lever connected with said slotted bars, a stationary transverse bar in front of said feed-rolls, a rotating beater-frame, and a plurality of beaters supported by the same, substantially as set forth.

2. In a decorticating-machine, the combination with endless feed-aprons, of rotary feed-rolls, a rotary beater-frame, transverse bars supported by said beater-frame, a shaft journaled in the lower part of the frame of the machine, pulleys, one of which is adjustably mounted thereon, while the other is located some distance away from the machine, and an endless conducting belt or rope passing over said pulleys for receiving the decorticated fibers after they have been dropped from the feed-rolls, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAV HERMANN ROEDER.

Witnesses:

PAUL GoEPnL, C. P. GOEPEL.

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