US1317325A - shely - Google Patents

Description

A. M. SHELY. MACHINE FOR TREATING nsaous MATERIALS.

Patentmi @ept. 30, 191%.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 9 1 9325 APPLICATION FILED AUG,

A. M. SHELY. MACHINE FOR TREATING FIBROUS MATERIALS. I

APPLICATION FILED AUG.II, 19H.

A. M. SHELY,

MACHINE FOR TREATING FIBROUS MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJI, 19H- 1 1 17,,3Q5 Patented Sept. 30, 1919.-

5 SHEETSSHEET 3.

' A. M. SHELY.

MACHINE FOR TREATING FIBROUS MATERIALS APPLICATION FILED AUG.H| 1911.

L fw mfin Patentedfiept. 30, 1919.

5 SHEETSSHEET 4.

I FZ MW V A. M. SHELY. MACHINE FOR IREATING naaous MATERIALS.

I APPLICATION FILED AUG-ll, l9l1- 1 ,3]. 7,325. I Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5- I Jud/M546 ALDA in. sunny, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHIN E FOR TREATING FIBROUS MATERIALS.

Specification of Letters l'atent. -Pa,tented Sept, 30 1919,

Application filed August 11, 1917. Serial No. 185,741

To all who'm'z't may concern:

Be it known that I, ALDA M. SHELY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Treating Fibrous Materials, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for treating fibrous materials, and in particular to apparatus for breaking and scutching, or cleaning, hemp, flax, jute, ramie, and other fiber-bearing plants.

The principal object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus for breaking and scutching the hemp, or the like, in a continuous process, that is, to provide means for breaking the inside pith of the hurds, and removing the same from the fiber or harl without breaking or injuring the latter. A further object is to provide improved means for breaking the hemp in combination with improved apparatus for scutching or cleaning the fiber to remove the cellular or woody particles. A further feature relates to improved means for initially breaking the stalks of material and feeding them to the primary breaking apparatus.

A. further object is to provide improved ap-- paratus for thoroughly breaking the stalks of hemp, or the like, without breaking or stretching the-fiber or harl. A further important feature relates to improved means for heating and cleaning the broken material in combination with improved apparatus for combing the strands of fiber to remove substantially every particle of the cellular or woody matter, commonly known as hurds. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement, as will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention will be understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which two embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the machine, showing the arrangement of the driving mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of'the machine.

Fig. 5 is an-enlarged plan View of a portion of the machine, illustrating the choppers for breaking the pith or hurds and shaking out the loose hurds.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line t r6 of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view through the rear end of the machine, taken on the line 77 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the rear end of the machine, showing the combing apparatus illustratedin Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional view, taken on the line 99 of Fig. -8.

Fig. 10 shows a plan view of the rear end of a machine embodying a modified form of combing apparatus for cleaning .the fibers; and

Fig. 11 is a sectional View, taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 10, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown as comprising a frame 15, formed of longitudinal frame members 16, upwardly extending members 17, and transverse members 18, secured'together in any suitable manner to form a rigid supporting structure for the movable parts of the apparatus. The apparatus carried by this frame includes means for breaking the fibrous material, that is the cellular or woody portion, into relatively small pieces means for feeding the hemp to the breaking device, and various devices for beating or scutching and combing the hemp after it has been broken in order to remove the pieces of cellular material or hurds from thelstrands of fiber, commonly known as bar lfn order to provide effective means for breaking the hemp without stretching or breaking the fibrous part thereof, it is im portant to feed the hemp into the machine so that the stalks will be broken up progressively; and at the same time it is important to prevent the hemp or other fibrous material from winding up on the rotary breakers or other rotary parts of the apparatus, which is liable to occur in some machines, espeoially when the stalks of hemp are fed into the machine longitudinally. To accomplish this result I have provided means for feeding the hemp into the machine with the several stalks lying substantially transverse to their direction of advance, and with the central portion of each stalk in advance of the ends thereof, so that the central parts are engaged first by the breaking device, and the stalks then broken progressively from the central parts outwardly. If desired, the end portions may be caused to advance first. The hemp is fed to the machine over a feed table 20, which is supported by the frame members 21 and. 22 at the forward end of the machine; and at the forward end of this feed table, midway between the sides of the machine, there is provided a preliminary central breaking device 23, comprising two series of breaking disks 23 and 23*, mounted one above the other and spaced apart on shafts 24 and 25, respectively, carried by the frame members 21 and 26. These breaking disks overlap, as shown particularly in Fig. 1, so that as the central portion of the hemp passes through these rollers it will be bent a number of times in a vertical plane and broken so that such central part will be in a somewhat flexible state. It will be understood that when the breaking of the hemp is described throughout this specification I refer to the breaking of the pith or woody portion; the outside fiber is not severed, but is broken longitudinally into a series of strands.

In feeding the hemp to the machine, the butt or lower ends of the stalks are arranged adjacent one end of the machine, and because of the fact that it is desirable to limit the width of the machine, owing to the limited width of freight cars in which the machine is shipped, it frequently happens that some stalks of hemp will be longer than the width of the machine. In order to treat such stalks without interference with the normal operation of the apparatus I have provided an end breaker 27, comprising two series of disks 27, carried by and spaced apart on the shafts 24 and 25 adjacent one side of the machine, so that as the long stalks of hemp are fed to the apparatus they will be broken by this end breaker, and the projecting ends being engaged by a. guide 28 will be caused to bend inwardly and follow the body of the stalk into the machine. Immediately after the hemp has passed through the central breaker 23 and end breaker 27 it strikes against a guiding device 29, comprising two plates 29 lying in substantially vertical planes and pivoted adjacent the center of the machine, on a transverse frame member 18, at the points 30. The lateral ends of these plates are held in position by plugs 31, engaging any desired pairs of the holes 32 which extend downwardly into the upper side frame members 16. By shifting the position of the plates 29 about their central pivots 30, the portions of the hemp on each side of the centrally broken part may be caused to assume any desired inclination with respect to the longitudinal axis of the machine, and may be given an initial inclination either forwardly or rearwardly. The guiding device 29 serves to straighten out all of the stalks of hemp striking against it, so that if the stalks are in irregular order when fed to the machine they will be straightened out, and adjacent parts of the several stalks 33 will lie substantially parallel to each other before the breaking operation begins.

After striking the guiding device 29 the stalks 33 of hemp fall downwardly onto a table 34, over which they are moved forwardly by a series of movable carriers or feeders, which include two central chains 35 extending throughout a greater part of the length of the machine, and two lateral chains 36, which may be termed retarding elements, located adjacent the lateral edges of the machine and adapted to engage the opposite ends of the stalks of hemp on each side of the central portions, these central broken portions being enga ed by the central chains 35. The num er of feeding chains may of course be varied, and the table is provided with slots 34 to receive them. The central carrying chains are mounted adjacent the forward end of the machine on sprocket wheels 37, carried on a shaft 38,- mounted in suitable bearings 39 carried by the central side frame member 16, and toward the rear end of the machine these chains extend around other sprocket wheels 40, fixed upon a shaft 41, journaled in bearings 42, carried by the central side frame member. The retarding chains are mounted at their forward ends on suitable sprocket wheels 42, rotatably mounted on the shaft 38, and held against transverse movement thereon by suitable collars, or the like; and at a suitable distance therefrom the other ends of the chains extend around other sprocket wheels 43, rotatably mounted on another shaft 44, mounted in suitable bearings 44, carried by the central frame member 16. The shaft 44 also has rotatably mounted thereon other sprocket wheels 45, located near opposite ends thereof, and engaged by other carrying chains 46, which extend rearwardly around other sprocket wheels 47 mounted on a shaft 48, journaled in bearings 49 carried by the side frame membeis adjacent the central part of the machine. These various shafts are operated by a mechanism to be described more fully hereinafter in such a manner that the central carriers 35 will have a greater speed of travel than the retarding chains 36, so that as the hemp moves forwardly from a position adjacent the guiding device 29 the central broken portion thereof will be caused to move in advance of the end portions which are supported by the chains 36, whereby the stalks of hemp 33 will assume a substan- 1 30 tially V-shaped arrangement on chains, as shown, for instance in*Fi g.-2 of the draw- 'mounted on a shaft 52, carried in suitable bearings mounted on the frame member 16, and .a lower row of disks mounted on the shaft 44 previously described, and spaced apart by blocks 50". The second series of breaking disks also includes an upper row 51 and a lower row 51 of disks, mounted on two shafts 53 and 54, respectively, journaled in suitable bearings carried by the side frame members. The disks of the second series are spaced apart by cylinders 51. It will be seen that the disks of each upper row overlap those of the complementary lower row, while those of the series 50 project beyond the peripheries of the series 51, and the hemp is prevented from winding up on the disks of either series. The overlapping of the disks of the two upper rows with those of the two lower rows occurs substantially in the plane of the carrying chains 35 and 36, so that as the hemp is moved forwardly by these carriers it will be caused to pass between the upper and lower disks of the two series, and e cause of its Vshaped arrangement on the carriers the stalks of hemp are broken progressively from the central portions outwardly to the ends.

In addition to the second series of breaking disks carried by the shafts 53 and 54 there are provided two relatively narrow fluted rolls 56 and 57, fixed on said shafts, so that the ends of the relatively long stalks of hemp-which have previously been broken by the breaker 27, and which may be extending in a. direction parallel to the side frame of the machine-will pass through these fluted rolls which intermesh with each other, and thus be broken up. The disks 50 and 50 are removed from the end of each row of the series 50 to permit a free passage of the end portions of the hemp to the end breakers 5657.

All of the chain carriers 35, 36, and 46 are provided with [projecting teeth 60 adapted to engage the hemp, so that it is forcibly fed over the table 34 and through the breaking disks or rolls. and in passing through these rolls it will be broken up so that the outside fiber of each stalk will be broken into a series of strands, while the central cellular or woody portion will be broken up into a series of relatively short pieces. it will be understood that after the charged by-the carriers 36 they are picked up and-carried by the'carriers 46, and are supported by these carriers afterbeing dis extending parallel to each other longitudinally of the machine, and terminating beyond the shaft 41. These rods are secured at their forward ends to the table 34, and at other points to the frame members 63 extending transversely of the machine. After passing through the rotary breakers 50 51, the hem is engaged by vertically reciprocating reakers, including an upper breaker 64 and a lower breaker 65, each consisting of frames 64 and 65, respectively having a plurality of Vertically arranged plates 66 secured thereto and extending downwardly and upwardly from the frames 64 and 65', respectively. The upper edges end portions of the stalks of hemp are disof thelower plates 66 are located normally below the rods, while the lower edges of the upper plates are located normally a considerable distance above these rods, thus permitting the hemp to pass along the rods 62 as it is fed by the chalns 35 and 46. The breakers 64 and 65 are reciprocated to engage the hemp intermittently, and for this purpose they are pivotally connected to par allel arms 79 and 80, respectively, which are connected to crank arms 81 and 82, fixed on shafts 83 and 84, journaled in bearings carried by the side frames. As these shafts are rotated, by mechanism hereinafter to be described, the breaking frames 64 and 65 will be moved upwardly and downwardly, and caused to enga e the hemp to effect a more thorough brea ring and beating thereof, so that all parts of the central woody portion are broken, and at the same time loose pieces of said woody material are beaten out of the fiber. The breakers are guided in this reciprocating movement by means of pivoted arms 84 connected to the vertical frame members 85, and the breakers are actuated as hereinafter described, so that they. will move in opposite directions simultaneously. It will be understood that when the lower breaker has moved to a position wherein the lower plates 66 proiect above the rods '62, as illustrated in Fig. 6, the upper breaker will have moved downwardly, so that the lower edges of the upper plates 66 extend below the plane of the upper edges of the lower plates, thereby subjecting the hemp to a breaking action, as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 6.

After passing through the breakers 64 and 65 the hemp is subjected to the action of a third series of breaking rolls 90, consisting of an 11 per series and a lower series 90 of isks, which are spaced apart on shafts 91 and 92, respectively, by cylindrical tat blocks 90, these shafts being journaled in bearings carried by the side frames of the machine. After having been passed through these several breaking devices the hemp will have been thoroughly broken up, and it is then ready for cleaning or scutching apparatus, which in this machine is embodied with the structure heretofore described, so that the hemp is broken up and cleaned in a continuous operation.

Immediately after passing through the third series of breaking rolls 90, and while being moved over the rods 02, the hemp is whipped by a pair of beaters 95. Each beater consists of a series of arms or fingers 95, fixed on a shaft 96, journaled in suitable bearings carried by the .frame member 17 ()ne of the heaters 95 is located above and the other below the rod 62, the fingers 95 being arranged to alternate with the rods, so that as the two heaters are brought together about their pivots the hemp will be whipped at various points between the rods, and loose particles of the woody material will be beaten out, while at the same time the broken hemp will be caused to assume a loose flulfy condition. These heaters are actuated by means of crank arms 97, connected by rods 98 to a pin 99, mounted eccentrically on a disk 100 carried by the driving shaft 101, journaled in bearings adjacent the lower part of the machine.

The carriers 46, adjacent the lateral edges of the machine, terminate at the point where the hemp is treated by the heaters 95, and from this point onward the hemp is moved by means of the central feeders 35 alone.

After being treated by the heaters 95, the

hemp is then subjected to the action of the central cleaning device 102, which is adapted to effect a thorough cleaning of the central portion of the hemp prior to the cleaning of the end portions, so that it will be unnecessary to effect a further cleaning of the central portion during the later stages of the cleaning process while the end portions are being treated. This central cleaning device comprises a roll 103, fixed on a shaft 104, and provided with a plurality of inclined teeth 105, which are arranged in series spaced apart transversely of the machine. The spaces between these teeth on the roll 103 are adapted to receive disks 106, which are fixed on another shaft 107 journaled in suitable bearings carried by the central frame member 16 immediately beneath the shaft 104. As the hemp passes through this central cleaning device 102, which is located between the central carriers 35, the central portion of each stalk of hemp will be thoroughly cleaned and the woody portion removed from the harl. This centrally cleaned portion of the hemp then passes from the the side frames of the machine.

carriers 35, which terminate at this point, onto another central carrying or feeding chain 110, which is mounted at its forward end on a sprocket chain 111, fixed on the shaft 41 and adjacent the rear end of the machine on another sprocket wheel 112 mounted on another shaft 113. Since the ends of the stalks of hemp are not now supported and fed forwardly by carriers, these end portions will tend to trail rearwardly on the rods (32, and thus accentuate the V-shaped arrangement of the various strands of fiber.

After the central portions of the stalks of hemp have been cleaned, the end portions thereof are treated by scutching rolls 115, which are mounted one above the other on shafts 116 carried in bearings mounted on These rolls are provided with a plurality of spaced apart angle plates 115, so arranged that fluted rolls are formed with the projections of one roll intermeshing with those of the other. The plates 115 of each roll are cut away adjacent the center, however, in order to provide a free space through which the carrying chain 110 is adapted to pass. As the hemp passes through the rolls 115 the woody portion will be effectively removed from the end portions of the fiber, and whatever cellular material or foreign matter, such as grass, or the like, remains entangled with the fiber will be removed therefrom by the final combing device by which the hemp is next treated.

This combing device comprises two pairs of shafts 120 and 121, located on opposite sides of the carrying chain 110, and extending longitudinally of the machine. The ends of these shafts are journaled in suitable bearings carried by the frame members 114 of the machine, and are provided adjacent opposite ends with fixed sprocket wheels 123, upon which the chains 124 are mounted. Located downwardly and outwardly from the inner pairs of shafts 120 and 121 are two other pairs of shafts 125. and 126, arranged parallel to the shafts 120121, and spaced apart substantially the same distance. These shafts carry other sprocket wheels 127, arranged in alinement with the wheels 123, and these sprocket wheels 123 and 127 are adapted to be engaged by the chains 128 which form a part of the combing belts 129. These belts comprise the chains 128, located adjacent opposite ends of the shafts and having secured thereto the angle iron bars 130, the flanges of which extend outwardly, as shown, for instance, in Fig. 9. Some of the bars 130 have secured thereto at intervals the combing teeth 131, which extend beyond the flanges of the bars for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

Mounted above the central carrying chain emma 110, and parallel thereto, is another endless carrying or feeding cham .135, mounted on suitable sprocket wheels 136, carried by the shafts 137, whose ends are journaled in the frame of the machine. The lower portion of the chain 135is adapted to travel in the same direction as the upper part of the chain 110, and recesses .in the links of the chain 135 are adapted to receive the projections 110 carried by the chain 110. The central portions of the stalks of hemp are gripped between the chains 110 and 135, and fed forwardly thereby. The rear shaft; 137, carrying the chain 135, is arranged to drive the shafts 120 through bevel gears 117. The shaft 112 drives the shafts 121 through similar bevel gears. The lower chain 110 is sup ported by means of a channel bar 138, and the lower portion of the upper chain 135 is pressed downwardly by a movable sectional channel bar 139. This bar is mounted upon a supporting member 140, being connected thereto by a series of rods 141, which slidably engage the supporting member, and a plurality of coiled springs 142 are seated on the rod 141 between the members 139 and 140, so that the member 139 is pressed downwardly by the springs and causes the chain 135 to exert a yielding pressure upon the hemp. In this way the central part of each strand of fiber is held firmly against transverse movement at the same time that it is fed rearwardlyof the machine by means of the chains 1l0and 1'35. The bar 139 is preferably formed in sections 139*, as shown in Fig. 7, so that the pressure exerted thereby on one part of the chain is independent of the pressure exerted in other places. It will be understood that as the hemp passes from the fluted rolls 114, and is carried rearwardly of the machine between the chains 110l35, the projectingends of the hemp will be engaged by the combing belts 129, which move outwardly from the center of the machine, as shown by the arrows 144 in Fig. 9. The transverse bars 130 and the combing teeth 131 thus engage and comb the strands of fiber, and thoroughly remove therefrom the woody material and grass, or other foreign particles, which are entangled therein, so that when the fiber-reaches the end of its travel between the chains 11013-5 it is thoroughly cleaned, and is ready for use in spinning, or for other treatment.

In order to prevent the hemp from becoming entangled in the moving parts of the machine, and to prevent breakage, the bearings of the shafts 120, 121, 125, and 126 are formed in .blocks 145, which are slidably mounted in brackets 146 carried by supporting members 147. Coiled springs 148 are mounted between the members 147 and blocks 145, so that if undue pressure is exerted on the combing belts, by a large body of hemp passing between them, they will be permitted to move upwardly or downwardly driving pulley 150 is mounted on this shaft and connected by a belt to a suitable source of power, and this shaft has also fixed thereon a sprocket wheel 151 which drives a chain 152 extending around a sprocket wheel 15-3 mounted on the shaft 104 by which the cen tral cleaner roll 103 is carried. The driving pulley 150 is adapted to rotate in a clockwise direction, and the chain 152 is crossed so that the shaft 104 and all other parts connected thereto will be driven in an anti clockwise direction. The directions of rotation of the different parts are illustrated by arrows in the diagrammatic view shown in ig. 3. The upper shaft 104 is connected to the shaft 116 through suitable sprocket wheels and a sprocket chain 154 in order to actuate the upper scutching roll 115. The shaft 104 drives the forward shaft 137 through suitable sprocket wheels and a chain 137. The shaft 104 is also connected through suitable sprocket wheels and a sprocket chain 155 to the shaft 91, which is driven thereby to actuate the upper breaking disks 90 of the series 90. The shaft 91 is in turn connected through smaller sprocket wheels and a sprocket chain 156 to drive one of the shafts 81 of the upper recip rocatory breaker 64. The shaft 91 is also provided with a larger sprocket wheel which is connected through a chain 157 to another sprocket wheel mounted on the shaft 53 carrying the upper breaking disk 51*. This shaft 53 is connected through suitable sprocket wheels and a sprocket chain 158 to drive the forward shaft 81, which actuates the upper reciprocatory breaker 64. The shaft 53 is connected through suitable sprocket wheels and a chain 159 with the shaft 52, by which the upper row of the first series of disks 50 are carried. The shaft 52 is in turn connected through suitable sprocket wheels and a chain 160 to drive the shaft 24' which carries the upper disks of the preliminary central breaking device and of the end breaker-27. All of these up per shafts just referred to are actuated to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction, as previously indicated.

The main driving shaft 101 has fixed thereon another sprocket wheel 162 which is connected through a chain 163 with a sprocket wheel fixed on the shaft 41, by which the carrying chain 110 is driven. After extending around the sprocket, wheels 111 and 112, the chain 110 passes around the lower sprocket wheels 112 which are mounted on shafts carried by brackets 112", 112 adjacent the lower part of the frame. Another sprocket wheel 164 fixed on the shaft 101 is connected through a driving chain 165 to a sprocket Wheel fixed on the lower shaft 91 carrying the disks 90 of the series 90. This lower shaft 91 is connected through sprocket wheels and a sprocket chain 166 to drive the rearward shaft 82 which actuates the lower breaker 65, and the lower shaft 91 is also connected through other sprocket wheels and a chain 167 to the shaft 54 which carries the lower disks of the series 51. This shaft 54 is connected through a chain 168 to drive the forward shaft 81 which actuates the lower breaker 65. The shaft 54 is connected through a chain 169 to the shaft 44 which carries the disks 50 of the first series 50, and this shaft 44 is in turn connected through suitable sprocket wheels and a chain 170 to the shaft 25 which carries the lower disks of the preliminary central breaker and the end breaker at the rear end of the feed table 20. By means of this construction all of the shafts of the lower series are driven in a clockwise direction as indicated by the arrows in Fig.3.

As previously indicated, the sprocket wheels which carry the retarding chains 36 are rotatably mounted upon the shafts 38 and 44 and in order that these chains may be driven at a different speed than the central chains 35, I have provided an auxiliary shaft 172, and the chains 36 are extended around relatively small sprocket wheels 173 fixed on this shaft, and thence around other sprocket wheels 174 rotatably mounted on a shaft 175 adjacent the forward end of the machine. The chains 36 are thus driven through the shaft 172, and this shaft is in turn driven by the chains 46, previously described, which extend around the sprocket wheels 176 fixed on the shaft 172 and around other sprocket wheels 177 mounted on a shaft located beneath the shaft 48. The chains .46 are driven from the shaft 44 upon which the sprocket wheels 45 are fixed, and it will be seen therefore that when the chains 46 move with a given speed, which will be the same as the speed of the central chains 35, the outside retarding chains 36 will be actuated at a slower speedydue to the smaller size of the sprocket wheels 173 by which the latter chains are driven. The central chains 35 are extended around sprocket wheels located on the shaft 175 adjacent the forward end of the machine beneath the shaft 38 and around other sprocket wheels 180 mounted on a suitable shaft near the rear end of the machine. These central chains aredrivenby shaft 41 which is actuated through the chain 163. The shafts 107 and the lower shaft 116 adjacent the rear end of the machine are driven by the shaft 48 through driving chains 181 and 182.

In Figs. 10 and 11 of the drawings 1 have illustrated a modified form of combing device, which is adapted to comb the strands of fiber from their outer ends inwardly toward the center, thus effecting a gradual cleaning, and effectively preventing the snarling of the strands of fiber as they are combed by the belts. In this embodiment of the invention the central feeding chains 110 and 135 are of the same construction as in the preceding form, but the shafts 190 and 191corresponding to the shafts 120-121 and the shafts 192, 193-corresponding to the shafts 125-126are inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the machine and converge rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 10. The combing belts 194 and 195 correspond to the combing belts 129 of the preceding embodiment of theinvention, and they are mounted on suitable sprocket wheels carried by the rearwardly converging ,shafts. The forward ends of these shafts, being spaced apart, are located so that the extreme ends of the fibers are first engaged by the combing belts 194 and 195, and the intermediate portions of the hemp are supported by intermediate inclined tables 196. As the hemp is moved rearwardly over the tables by the chains 110135, the strands of hemp will be successively e11 gaged at points nearer the center until the end of the machine is reached, where the hemp will be combed by the belts-from the center outwardly to the extreme ends. This form of construction is less likely to injure the fiber, and is adapted to produce a more even and uniform movement of the mechanism than is possible where the entire strand of fiber is combed at one time.

Although I have shown and described a particular embodiment of the invention for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that it may be modified in various ways and made to artake of widely different forms without eparting from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim 1. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means for breaking said materials at a point intermediate of their ends, means for moving said materials substantially transversely to their longitudinal axes with parts thereof on opposite sides of said intermediate point rela tively inclined in a horizontal plane, and means extending transversely of said magarment rials thereafter on opposite sldes of said intermediate point.

2. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materlals, of means for breaking said materials at a point intermediate of their ends, means for moving said materials substantially transversely to their longitudinal axes with parts thereof on opposite sides of said intermediate point relatively inclined in a horizontal plane, and break-ing means comprising 'intermeshing rotary elements extending'transversely of said machine, said means for moving said materials extending through said breaking means inwardly from the sides of said machine in the plane in which said rotary elements inter-mesh for positively moving said materials therethrough.

3. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means rendering each stalk of said materials flexible at a point between its end-s, feeding means for moving said materials thereafter with parts thereof on opposite sides of said intermediate point relatively inclined, and meansoperating before said materials en age said feeding means for imparting an inltial relative inclination to the portions thereof on opposite sides of said intermediate point.

4. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of a device for breaking said materials at a point intermediate of their ends, relatively. inclined plates adapted to coact with said materials after operation of said breaking means for imparting a relative inclination to the portions of said materials on opposite 'sides of said intermediate point, and feeding means to receive said materials from said plate and move the same through said machine while maintainin said relative inclination of the portions 0 said materials.

5. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means for initially breaking said materials at a point intermediate their ends, separate breaking mechanism for operating on said materials throughout their length thereafter, feeding means engaging said materials adjacent said intermediate point, and other feeding means operating at a different speed than said firstnalned feeding means for engaging said ma? terials adjacent their opposite ends.

6. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means for rendering said materials flexible at a point intermediate their ends, means engaging said materials after] the treatment thereof by said first-named means for efi'ecting an initial relative arrangement of said materials and feedin mechanism for receiving said materials rom said last-named means and moving the same into said machine.

. 7 The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of a device for rendering said materials flexible at a point intermediate of their ends, breaking mechanism extending transversely of said machine for operating on said materials thereafter, scutehing mechanism extending transversely of said machine for operatin on said mate rials after treatment by said reaking mechanism, and feedingmeans extending continuously through said breaking mechanism and said scutehing mechanism for moving said materials therethrough in a horizontal plane substantially transversely to their longitudinal axes with parts thereof on op 0- site sides of said intermediate point re atively inclined.

8. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means for breaking said materials at a point intermediate their ends, means e agmgsaid materials thereafter for imparting a relative inclination to the parts thereof on each side of I said intermediate point, means for adjusting said last-named means to change the relative inclination of said parts, and separate means for engaging said materials thereafter to move the same forwardly into said machine and maintain said relative inclination.

9. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means for breaking said materials at a point intermediate their ends, means engaging said materials thereafter for imparting a relative inclination to the parts thereof on each side of said intermediate point, means for adjusting said last-named means to change the relative inclination of said parts, feeding means comprising relatively movable parts for advancing said materials from said last-named means into said machine, and means for actuating the relatively movable parts of said feeding means at different speeds to maintain a relative inclination of the parts of said materials on each side of said intermediate point.

10. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means for feeding said materials through said machine transversely to their longitudinal axes, means located adjacent one side of said machine for breaking said materials and guiding the projecting ends thereof into the path of said feeding means, and breaking mechanism for operating upon said mate rials thereafter.

11. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means for feeding said materials through said machine transversely to their longitudinal axes. means located adjacent one side of said machine for breaking said materials and guiding the projecting ends thereof into the path of said feeding means, and breaking mechanism for operating upon said materials thereafter, said breaking mechanism comprising parts for operating upon said projecting ends of said materials.

12. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means for feeding said materials through said machine transversely to their longitudinal axes, means located adjacent one side of said machine for breaking said materials and guiding the projecting ends thereof into the path of said feeding means, breaking mechanism lying in the path of said feeding means and comprising two series of disks having those of one series overlapping those of the other in the plane of said feeding means, means for rotating said disks, and fluted rolls at the ends of said series of disks for operating upon the projecting ends of said materials.

13. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of rotary breaking mechanism for operating upon said materials. and feeding means extending through said breaking mechanism inwardly from the lateral edges of said machine for positively moving said materials therethrough.

14. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of breaking mechanism comprising two parallel series of disks spaced apart and arranged with those of one series projecting into the spaces between those of the other series, feeding means extending through said breaking means in the zone in which said disks overlap for moving said materials through said breaking mechanism, and means for rotating said disks.

15. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of breaking mechanism extending transversely of said ma-- chine for operating upon said materials, and feeding means extending through said breaking mechanism for positively moving said materials therethrough in a direction substantially transverse to their longitudinal axes with parts thereof on each side of an intermediate point relatively inclined.

16. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of breaking mech anism comprising two parallel series of disks spaced apart and arranged with those of one series projecting into the spaces between those of the other series, feeding means extending through said breaking means in the zone in which said disks overlap for moving said materials through said breaking mechanism, said feeding mechanism comprising parts movable with different speeds, and means operating on said materials prior to engagement therewith by said feeding mechanism for rendering said materials flexible at a point between said nemsaa arts of said feeding mechanism having dif- Eerent speeds.

17. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials,.of a device for rendering said materials flexible at a point intermediate of their ends, breaking mechanism extending transversely of said machine for operating on said materials thereafter, scutching mechanism extending transversely of said machine for operating on said materials after treatment by said breaking mechanism, feeding means extending continuously through said breaking mechanism and said scutc-hing mechanism for moving said materials therethrough in a horizontal plane substantially transversely to their longitudinal axes with parts thereof on opposite sides of said intermediate point relatively inclined, and means operating thereafter and movable outwardly from the intermediate parts of said materials for combing the same and removing the loose hurds.

18. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of feeding means for moving said materials through said machine transversely of their longitudinal axes, rotary breaking devices mounted above and below said carrying means for breaking said materials, reciprocatory devices operating on said materials thereafter for breaking the same and removing the loose hurds, means for supporting said materials after being operated upon by said reciprocatory breaking mechanism, and means for whipping said materials while supported on said supporting means.

19. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of feeding means for moving said materials, rotary breaking devices mounted above and below said carrying means for breaking said materials, reciprocatory breaking devices operating on said materials thereafter for breaking the same and removin the loose hurds, means for supporting sai materials after being operated upon by said reciprocatory breaking mechanism, means for whipping said materials while supported on said supporting means, and means operating thereafter for combing said materials and removing the hurds from the fiber.

20. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of breaking mech anism comprising a plurality of parallel intermeshing rotary elements, feeding mechanism extending throu h said rotary elements adjacent thelongitu in-al axis of said machine for moving said materials therethrough transversely totheir longitudinal axes in the plane in which said elements intermesh, and cleaning devices having linear movement outwardly from the center of said mfachine for cleaning said materials therea er.

nearest 21. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of breaking mechanism comprising a plurality of parallel intermeshing rotary elements, feeding mechanism extending through said rotary elements for moving said materials therethrough transversely to their longitudinal axes 1n the plane in which said elements intermesh, and whipping mechanism engaging said materials thereafter for removing theloose woody material from the fiber.

- said beating devices.

23. In a machine for treating fibrous materials, means for supporting said materials comprising a plurality of parallel bars spaced apart and extending longitudinally of the machine, means for moving said materials over said bars while extending transversely thereto, a breaking device comprising a plurahty of longitudinally extending elements arranged alternately with said bars,

and means for operating said breaking device to engage said materials while supported on said bars.

24. In a machine for treating fibrous materials, means for supporting said materials comprising a plurality of parallel bars spaced apart and extending longitudinally of the machine, means for moving said materials over said bars while extending transversely thereto, breaking devices arranged above and below said supporting bars, each breaking device comprising a plurality-of parallel longitudinall extending plates arranged alternately wildi said bars, and means for moving said breaking devices simultaneously toward and away from said bars to engage said materials supported thereon.

25. In a. machine for treating fibrous materials, means for supporting said materials comprising a plurahty of parallel bars spaced apart and extending longitudinally of the machine, means for moving said materials over said bars while extending transversely thereto, breaking devices arranged above and below said supporting bars, each breaking device comprising a plurality of parallel longitudinally extending plates arranged alternately with said bars, and means for moving said breaking devices simultaneously toward and away from said bars to engage said materials supported thereon, the lower breakin device bem mounted below said bars and aving its p ates arranged to extend intermittently above said bars when actuated by said last-named means.

26. In a machine for treating fibrous materials, means for supporting said materials, means for moving said materials transversely to their longitudinal axes, whipping means comprising a plurality of parallel arms spaced apart and extending longitudinally of said machine above said supporting means, and means for imparting an angular movement to said Whipping means to cause said arms to engage said materials intermittently.

27. In a machine for treating fibrous ma terials, means for breaking said materials, means for moving said materials from said breaking means transversely to their longitudinal axes, whipping means mounted above and below said last-named means and comprising a plurality of pivotally mounted arms extending longitudinally of said machine, and means for causing said whipping means to engage said materials and remove the loose hurds therefrom.

28. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of a plurality of supporting members spaced apart and extending longitudinally of said machine, feeding means for moving said materials transversely to their longitudinal axes over said supporting members, means for breaking said materials, pivotally mounted whipping devices above and below said supporting members, each of said whipping devices comprising a plurality of parallel arms extending longitudinally of said machine and arranged alternately with said supporting members, and means for actuating said whipping devices to engage said materials and remove the loose hurds therefrom.

29. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, means for breaking said materials throughout their length,

feeding means for engaging said materials at a point between their ends after operation of said breaking means, and means mounted above said materials and having linear movements outwardly from the central parts thereof for treating the same during the operation of said feeding means.

.30. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means for engaging said materials and moving the same through said machine transversely to their longitudinal axes, and resiliently mounted means movable laterally from said. firstnamed means for combing said materials and cleaning the fibrous part thereof.

31. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means for engaging said materialsand moving the same through said machine transversely to their longitudinal axes, and resiliently mounted means located above and below said materials and having linear movements toward the ends of said materials for combing the same and removing the loose hurds therefrom.

3'53. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of feeding means for engaging said materials at a point between their ends, and means having linear movements outwardly from the central parts of said materials for engaging said materials progressively from their ends inwardly as said materials are fed through said machine by said first-named means, the opposite ends of said materials being engaged simultaneously by said last-named means.

33. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means for breaking said materials throughout their length, cleaning means for operating on an intermediate part of each stalk of said materials and removing the loose hurds therefrom, feeding means for engaging said intermediate part of each stalk after operatlon 0t said last-named means and moving said materials forwardly transversely to their longitudinal axes, and means movable outwardly from opposite sides of said feeding means for cleaning the parts of said materials'on opposite sides of said intermediate part of each stalk. I

34. The combination in a machine for treating fibrous materials, of means for rendering said materials flexible at an intermediate point, means for cleaning said materials adjacent said intermediate point, means for engaging said materials at said intermediate point and feeding the same thI'Ollgh said machine, and means movable in opposite directions from said last-named means for cleaning said materials on opposite sides of said intermediate point.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed ALDA M. SHELY.

my name.

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