US2130352A - Method of and apparatus for threshing and decorticating plant stalks - Google Patents

Description

' Sept. 20, 1938. 'A wRY 2,130,352

, METHODOF AND APPARATUS FOR THRESHING AND DEGORTICATEI?.-PLANT"STfiLK" Filed Aug. sc les 1 SShets-Sheet 1 immimimmm A; ATTORNEY Sept. 20, 1938,

' G. A. LOWRY 2,130,352

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR THRESHING AND DECORTICATING PLANT STALKS Filed Aug. so, 1934 6 Sheets- Shset"? f INVENTOR Sept. 20,1938; (5. A. LOWRY 2,130,352

METHQD OF AND APPARATUS FOR THRESHING AND DECORTICATII IG PLANT STALKS,

Y Filed Aug. 50, 1954- v 3 Sheets-Sheet} INVE- ,QATTQiQNEY Patented Sept. 20, 1938 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR THRESH- ING AND DECORTICATING PLANT STALKS George Lowry, New-York, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Martin Hill Ittner, Jersey City, N. J., and one-half to Bertha McNally Lowry,

New York, N. Y.

Application August 30,

26 Claims.

This invention relates to the treatment of fibre stalks, or straw, to separate the fibre from the other material, such as shives and seed, and more particularly to a machine adapted to thresh and 1934, Serial No. 742,039

and the same operation, or the decorticating only, with his own labor at times when it is impracticable to work outdoors, and the unretted shives, containing about 7% of protein decorticate the straw in one operation to obtain and 3% of fat, may be used on the farm for the; seed and the long fibre, and also to decortifodder and fertilizer. The crude fibre obtained cate straw which has been subjected to preby scutching unretted straw is only a fraction liminary treatment, such as threshing or retting. of the weight of the straw from which it was Although the present invention applies to the obtained and can be shipped at relatively low 10 treatment of all fibre plants, such as flax, hemp, expense to a suitably located processing plant 19 jute, ramie, etc., its most important field appears where further cleaning of the fibre can be efto be in the treatment of flax straw and the folfected readily as by chemical retting, and at low lowing description will therefore be directed expense due to the small amount of waste matemore particularly to this field. rial to be removed from the fibre. All linen pro- Heretofore, it has been customary for the duced in the ordinary ways is customarily chemi- 15 farmer cally treated, either in the yarn or in thepiece, to

1. To thresh the flax straw to remove the seed, render it salable. It will be evident that chem- 2. To ret or rot the straw, that is, subject it to ical treatment on the loose fibre will tend to be fermentation in water or in the presence of moismore uniform and may be very much less drastic 20 ture until the bacterial action on the gums bind and much less expensive. than on fibre twisted 20 ing the shives to the fibre has partly released the into yarn or thread or made into fabric,'in order shives, to produce as good, or better results.

3. To spread the retted straw out to dry, and Other objects, features and advantages will 4. To take the dried retted straw to a scutchappear upon consideration of the following deing mill where waste material is removed from scription and of the drawings, in'which the fibre which latter is then returned to the Fig. lis a front elevation of the discharge side farmer and may be sold by him or retained for of a machine embodying a preferred.v form of his own use. the present invention;

The waste material known as shivesis left at Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine shown the mill where it may be used as fuel inasmuch in Fig. 1; 30 as, after retting, it is unfit for fodder. The ret- Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line ting requires skilled labor, and the scutching as 3-3 of Fig. 1; now practiced also requires skilled labor and in- Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line volves substantial expense and appreciable loss 4-4 of Fig. 1;

of fibre as tow. The cost of hauling adds a sub- Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation showing the 35 stantial amount to the cost of preparing the fibre positions of various parts when one set of movin view of the fact that out of a considerable able blades is in its uppermost position and the amount of bulky straw hauled to the mill only a other set is in the lowermost position, parts being relatively small weight of partly finished fibre broken away to show the slidable connection be- 40 is obtained. tween the cranks at one end of the machine and 40 An important object of the present invention the corresponding ends of the movable blades; is to provide an improved and advantageous de- Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation showing the corticating machine, preferably a portable one, cranks turned through degrees from their whereby stalks or straw of the character de- Fig. 5 positions; j

45 scribed may be cleaned effectively and thor- Fig. 'l is a view similar to Fig. 6 but with the 45 oughly without a preliminary retting operation. cranks turned through 90 degrees from their Fig. Further objects of the invention relate to the 5 Positions; provision of a machine of relatively small size Fig. 8 is a section taken along the line 8-8 and cost and of great capacity. Other objects of Fig. 5; and i so relate to methods involved in obtaining the Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view illustrating a cleaned fibre in the most advantageous manner. modified form of connection between the mov- The machine of the presentinvention makes it able blades and the cranks. feasible to effect many economies. For example, Referring to the drawings, reference character the farmer by use of this machine may do the ID designates a base or support adapted to carry threshing and scutching or decorticating in one 55 all of operating parts of the machine. Straw in suitable amounts may be introduced by' feed chute into slots formed between successive pairs of blades |2, l3, l4, |5, |6, |'|,'-'|8, I9, 20, 2|, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 21, and 28, of which alternate pairs of blades l2, l4, l6, I8, 20, 22, 24, 2S and 28 may be stationary and the remaining blades movable to cooperate with the stationary blades in treating the straw. In this connection it should be understood that the important matter is to get the proper relative movement between certain pairs of blades and that this result may be obtained by imparting suitable movements to all of the blades.

The blades l2 to 28 inclusive may be considered as divided into two groups by the blades l8 which actually are common to the two groups and the movable blades I3, l5 and H of the first group are preferably moved upwardly while the movable blades of the second group are moved downwardly and vice versa. This action tends to produce slack in the material passing from one group of blades to the other and to assist in feeding the material. Inasmuch as the blades l8 are common to both groups and it is desirable to provide substantial spacing between the groups of blades, said blades may be made thicker than the other fixed blades.

In addition to the upward and downward movement of the movable blades which forces the straw or fibre against the stationary or fixed blades with a rubbing action, the present invention involves the feature of also moving the movable blades longitudinally with respect to the stationary blades to effect a transverse rubbing action on the straw and fibre. This result is preferably attained by providing at opposite ends of the movable blades crank shafts 29 and 30, each of which preferably includes two cranks arranged degrees apart, and connecting the cranks with the movable blades in a suitable manner. At their ends the movable blades of each group may be mounted in recesses in blocks or members 3|, with suitable spacing members 32 therebetween, secured in position by suitable means such as bolts 33. At one end of the machine the blocks 3| may be connected directly to the cranks which may lie in half bearings in the blocks and may be held therein by bearing members 34 secured to the blocks by'suitable devices 35. While the machine is in use, the movable blades are likely to be heated so as to expand to a substantial extent. To provide against distortion of the blades from such expansion the blocks at one or both ends of the movable blades may have a slidable connection with the corresponding cranks. As illustrated, such sliding connection between a block 3| and the corresponding crank may be obtained by providing the block 3| with parallel slide members or arms 38 which slide in grooves at opposite sides of a bearing block 31 mounted on the crank. Preferably each bearing block 31 is split for convenience .in putting it on or taking it off the corresponding crank, and the arms 38 are held together at their outer ends by means of a member or plate 38 and fastening devices 39.

Sliding connections between at least one end of the movable blades and the corresponding crankshafts are desirable not only to prevent distortion in said blades from expansion or contraction due to heat changes, but also to prevent strains or distortion in said blades from any cause whatsoever, such as might be brought about by a deviation from parallelism between the crankshafts at either end of the movable blades, or by a variation in the radius-of motion of the cranks of the said crankshafts, or by a deviation from the synchronous revolution of said crankshafts as might be caused by the stretching of a chain or slippage on a sprocket used to impart motion from .one of said crankshafts to another. The sliding support for at least one end of the movable blades may be advantageously provided with fairly heavy coil springs 31a (Fig. 9), or rubber cushions, not shown, which bear against either end of said sliding support to provide a cushion effect in such a way as to relieve sudden shocks, or strains, particularly in the direction of the lengths of the movable blades that might otherwise be felt due to the rapid reversal of the direction of motion of the movable blades with the revolution of the crankshafts to which said blades are connected.

The crankshafts 29 and 30 and the fixed blades may be supported by brackets 40 and 4| in the general form of parallel plates projecting upwardly from the main body of the support and preferably integral therewith. As illustrated the crankshafts are journalled directly in the'brack-.

et 40 and indirectly in the bracket 4|, being journalle'd in members 42 secured in openings in the bracket 4| large enough to admit the cranks when the crankshafts are inserted. Just outside of the brackets 40 and 4| the crankshafts 29 and 30 may be provided with sprocket wheels 43 and 44 of equal size and with an equal number of teeth fixed thereon and connected by a sprocket chain 45, whereby the crankshafts are caused to revolve in unison. The slidable connection provided at one end of the movable blades not only compensates for expansionof the blades as they become heated but also compensates for stretch or sag in the sprocket chain. Actuation of the crankshafts may be effected by means of a driving pulley 46 connected to the shaft 29 to rotate therewith and connected by means of a belt 41 with any suitable source of power. The shaft 30 may also be provided with a pulley 46a simi-- lar to driving pulley 46 and each of these pulleys may advantageously have the function of a flywheel.

To facilitate the adjustment of the slots between the pairs of fixed blades both as to position and width of the slots, the upper blades of the pairs of fixed or stationary blades may be connected by members or rods 48 passing through all of them and the corresponding lower blades may be fastened together in the same manner. For the purpose of supporting the upper stationary blades and at the same time permitting adjustment thereof, use may be made of screwthreaded rods 49 passing through oversize openings 50 in the blades and suitable openings in the brackets 40 and 4|, the screw-threaded rods being secured in position with reference to the brackets 40 and 4| by nuts 5| threaded on the rods and screwed against the inner surfaces of the brackets and nuts 52 at the outer surfaces of the brackets and cooperating with the nuts 5| to clamp the rods to the brackets. Accidental unscrewing of the nuts 52 may be avoided by use of lock washers 53 between these nuts and the brackets or other suitable means. To secure the blades in position on the screw-threaded rods 49, use may be made of spacers or washers 54 between the fixed blades and nuts 55 engaging the outer surfaces of the stationary blades l2 and 28 and serving to hold the stationary blades in adjusted positions, thus determining the widths of the slots between pairs of fixed blades and the-vertical position of the slots. It has been found advantageous to use the adjustments provided for changing the spacings between stationary and movable blades to meet changing conditions, as on shifting the use of the machine from flax straw to heavier stalks, for instance hemp or ramie stalks.

In view of the fact that the initial beating or breaking action encounters the greatest resistance from the straw, the stationary blades l2 at the entrance side of the machine may be made heavier and stronger than the blades I4 and iii of the next two pairs, and the blades 13 of the first pair of movable blades may advantageously be made heavier and stronger than the following pair of blades. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the spacing between successive pairs of blades from. the entrance up to the blades I8 is greater than that between the pairs of blades of the second group. Furthermore, in view of the fact that the blades 28 are subjected to stresses at one side only, such blades are made somewhat thicker and heavier than blades 20, 22, 24, and 26. To avoid damage to thefibre, the blade edges at opposite sides of the slots may be blunted or rounded.

Particularly in view of the fact that most of the shives or woody matter is removed from the fibre by the blades of the first group, that is before passing the blades I8, the successive pairs of blades of the second group may be placed much closer together than those of the first group to assure substantially complete loosening and removal of the remaining foreign matter from the fibre. Preferably also, the number of pairs of blades in the second group is greater than the number of pairs in the first. It is advantageous to adjust the combined weight of movable blades in one group so that it will be substantially equal to the combined weight of the other group of movable blades in order that their weights will compensate one another and facilitate smoother motion. The changes in the spacing in the two groups of movable blades and the greater number of blades in the second are of value in connection with the feeding of the straw and fibre through the machine. The cleaned fibre passing through the slot between the blades is deposited in a chute 56 which extends from the blades 28 through a suitableopening 51 in the bracket 4! and discharges the fibre from the outlet side of the machine. The material removed from the fibre by cooperative action of the stationary and movable blades is carried downwardly by the action of gravity and may be discharged through an opening 58 provided for that purpose.

The particular arrangement of stationary and movable blades shown is a preferred one that may be used to great advantage but it is to be understood that I have found that other arrangements, as for instance in the number of fixed and of movable blades, may also be used without departing from the spirit of my invention. I prefer to use crankshafts for carrying movable blades which have cranks located degrees from one another and, where more than one set of movable blades is used, to balance the blades in such a way with respect to position and weight, that the motion of said blades will be uniform and smooth and free from jerkiness.

The feed or intake chute ll may pass through a suitable opening 59 in the bracket 40 and, although this chute may be of any suitable form, it is preferably formed adjacent to the first pair of blades with a portion having inwardly convergent side walls to limit the spreading of the straw as it enters the machine proper, and having a top 60 inclined with respect to the bottom of the chute so that the outlet at the discharge end of the chute is in the general form of a slot that is narrower than the slot between the blades l2. It has also been found desirable to have the floor of the chute substantially at the level of the upper edge of the lower blade I 2, thus positioning the top 60 of the chute substantially below the lower edge of the upper blade l2 and causing the straw to be drawn across the edge of the top 60 when the movable blades of the first group move upwardly, whereby slack may be provided at this point, when these movable blades descend, and the feeding of the straw facilitated.

As will be evident from Figs. 3 and 4, when the lower movable blades at the entrance of the machine are rubbing the material in one direction the upper movable blades at the outlet of the machine are rubbing the material in the opposite direction. These rubbing actions being in opposite directions tend to compensate for each other as to maintaining the material in its general path of movement, and also tend alternately to tension the fibre and straw and relieve the tension, thereby facilitating the feeding of the fibre toward the outlet of the machine. An instant later the upper movable blades at the entrance side of the machine act on the material from above in a direction exactly opposite to that of the preceding action of the corresponding lower blades when acting on the material from below, and there is a corresponding change at the outlet side of the machine. This cycle of operations is repeated as long as the machine is kept running. It should also be noted that the successive working movements in opposite directions of the upper and lower blades of each set of movable blades tend to counteract each other as far as change in path of feed is concerned.

Preferably the slots in the sets of fixed blades are narrower than the slots in the sets of movable blades so that the slots in the fixed blades are entirely clear for an instant when the movable blades are substantially at their midway positions, thus facilitating the feed of the straw and fibre, and, although not necessarily the case, the radii of the cranks may advantageously be greater than the widths of the slots in the sets of stationary blades-thus causing the material passing at substantially right angles to the blades to be bent over the stationary blades to a corresponding extent. Also, as illustrated, the slots between the fixed blades of the two groups may be substantially the same and the slots between the movable blades at the discharge side of the machine may be somewhat narrower than the slots between the movable blades at the receiving side of the machine and therefore engage the fibre a trifle sooner than the other movable blades engage the straw so as to draw the straw forwardly through the open slots at the entrance side of the machine and automatically feed the straw toward the discharge or outlet side of the machine.

The crank-carried or movable blades operate not only to bend the straw and fibre over the fixed blades but also to produce a rubbing and abrasive action longitudinally of the fixed blades and therefore transversely of the path of the straw and fibre, thus rubbing from the fibre,

- shives cracked and broken by the repeated bendings. Due to the operation of the movable blades by the cranks each point on the movable blades is given a circular or rotary movement and the movable blades may be said to produce a rotary breaking and rubbing action on the straw and fibre within planes substantially perpendicular to the line of feed of the material, difierent points revolving in circles having different axes. It will be seen that corresponding lines in different movable blades will be at all times parallel to a given fixed line in space. It should also be noted that the upward and downward motion of the movable blades is harmonic and the same is true with respect to the longitudinal movement of the movable blades. The movement of the movable blades in bending the straw over the fixed blades at the end of a stroke is relatively slow and the same is true of the longitudinal movement of the blades in the rubbing action except that when the velocities of the upward and downward movements are substantially at zero the velocities of the longitudinal movements are substantially at a maximum. Every point in the movable blades while in motion is in harmonic motion with respect to two lines perpendicular to each other, which lines are in a plane substantially perpendicular to the general direction of straw passing through the machine. Such harmonic motion of the movable blades tends to reduce vibration and undue stresses on various parts to substantially a minimum-thus lengthening the life of the machine and giving rise to other advantages, such as reduction in the power required to drive the machine.

One great advantage, in having the movable blades and the blade-supporting structures at their ends mounted and actuated so that all points thereof, while in motion, revolve in circles in planes substantially perpendicular to the path of movement of the straw through the machine, is that the momentum of such moving parts and their inertia tend to continue their motion smoothly as distinguished from machines in which the corresponding parts are actuated so that all points thereof are reciprocated in straight lines, which necessitates a sudden stopping and a sudden starting of comparatively heavy parts and a consequent loss of power and a need for frequent repairs and replacements due to the heavy stresses to which the machine is subjected.

In Fig. 9, there is illustrated a modification of part of the machine wherein the movable blades of one group of blades (for example the second group) are slidably mounted at both ends in the same general manner that one end is shown as mounted in Figs. 2, 5, 6 and 7, but, due to the sliding connections at both ends, the slidable bearing blocks 31 at both ends of the blades.

are yieldably held in position by suitable resilientdevices, such as compression coil springs interposed at one side of a bearing block 31 between the same and the corresponding member 38 and at the opposite sides of the block between the same and the corresponding blade-holding block 3|. It should be understood that, where the'movable blades are substantially rigidly connected with a crank at one side of the machine (Figs. 1 to 8), the use of springs or the like at the sliding connection is unnecessary although desirable and that in the form shown in Fig. 9

' the springs at one end of the machine may be omitted.

Heretofore it has in general been considered necessary to run the straw through fluted rollers to break or crack the shives preparatory to their removal by other means. Also in other types of machines it has been considered necessary to give careful attention to the feeding of the straw evenly into the machine to assure even or uniform scutching or decortication. However, in the machine of the present invention the rotary beating and rubbing action of the movable blades serves to roll the straw out more evenly than can be done by hand-a handful of straw fed centrally into the machine being rapidly spread out to the sides. It has also been considered necessary in prior types of machines to provide distinct means, such as feed rolls or belts, to carry or force the straw through the machine. In the present machine nothing of this sort may be necessary in that, as soon as the leading end of a bunch of straw enters the second group of blades, a very positive feed is set up. This feeding action enables the elimination of much mechanism previously considered necessary and in some of which the relative speeds of the scutching and feeding parts varied as much as 100 revo lutions to 1 revolution-thus necessitating speed reducing gears and devices.

With the present machine, the repeated bending and rubbing of the straw by the blades of the first group acts to remove substantially all of the seed that may be thereon when the straw is fed to the machine, the pairs of blades of this group being set far enough apart to avoid injury to theseed, and also serves to break and loosen the shives, the work which in other machines is usually done by fluid rollers. However, though the construction of the present machine is such as to make the use of fluted rollers unnecessary in scutching or threshing flax straw, it will be understood that these may be advantageously used in conjunction therewith, especially for the treatment of heavy very woody fibre-bearing plant stalks.

In using the machine to produce crude fibre from thestraw, a bunch of straw is placed in the entrance or supply chute l i and pressed longitudinally of the straw into the slots of the first group of blades where any seeds on the straw are removed and the shives are broken and loosened. It should be noted that in the upward movement of the movable blades of the first group the straw is drawn upwardly around the not only act to spread out the straw but to rub I it so as to further loosen the shives.

As soon as the leading ends of a bunch of straw enter the slots between the corresponding blades of the last group, a very strong feeding action through the machine is set up due largely to the fact that the moving blades of the second group tend to eifect gripping of the leading ends of the straw or fibre between such blades and the corresponding fixed blades before the straw is gripp y the movable blades of the first group and the corresponding fixed blades and the moving blades of the two sets move in opposite directions. Furthermore a contributory cause for the strong feeding action of the straw through the machine lies in the fact that at the instant that the movable blades are either at the bottom or at the top of their generally circular movement they are forcing the partly scutched straw with the greatest bending moment between and against the stationary blades and at the same time the movable blades, having their maximum longitudinal motion, are rubbing the partly scutched straw with a strong deshiving action against and along the stationary blades so that the partly scutched straw is bent into its most sinuous position. As the further motion of the two sets of movable blades releases the partly scutched straw from its compressed condition against the stationary blades, the forced momentary sinuousity of the partly scutched straw being suddenly removed, the elasticity of the partly scutched straw tends to straighten the crude fibre from its sinuous condition along its general'path of movement. As the unscutched portion of the straw at the feeding end is comparatively stiff and nonresistant the crude fibre is thus forced to relieve itself by movement toward the discharge end of the machine by the release therefrom of the crude fibre. In passing through the second group of blades, the fibre is very thoroughly scraped and rubbed between the moving and fixed blades, the

relatively close spacing of the pairs of blades along the path of travel of the straw and fibre serving to make such action very thorough. As soon as one bunch of straw has advanced far enough into the machine to clear the way, another bunch may be inserted for treatment and these steps may be repeated until the desired amount of straw has been treated.

Although I have described a particular arrangement of fixed and movable blades and have presented drawings of one ofthe machines which I have built and used, it is to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to a machine with the exact number of fixed and movable blades as shown, or to the moving cranks, or to the exact manner of adjusting said fixed and movable blades, or to the exact manner of supporting the movable blades on the moving cranks, or to the exact manner of actuating such moving cranks in unison or to the exact manner of providing a sliding support for at least one end of the movable blades, but is understood to comprise a machine with any number of movable blades moving in close proximity to fixed blades in such a manner as to beat plant stalks or fibres against said fixed blades or between said movable and fixed blades with a bending action and at the same time to impart a rubbing action to said stalks or fibres along a portion of the length of said fixed blades for the purpose of freeing vegetable fibres at least partially from shives or non-fibrous material,

While I have disclosed a sliding connection for one or both ends of the movable blades to the blade-actuating means of my machine, and resilient means for holding such blades in place, it is to be understood that I am not to be limited to any particular arrangement for accomplishing this desired result but seek rather to cover the use of such sliding connection and resilient means for holding said blades so as to assure the smooth running of the machine and broadly to cover any suitable type of flexible or resilient connection for such blades that will prevent distortion of the blades through heat changes or other causes and that will hold the blades in place and protect them from shock from any cause which might tend to distort the blades. Also, while I have disclosed movable blades acting to force the material against fixed blades, it is to be understood that my invention is of such scope as to cover arrangements wherein both sets of blades are movable to act against each other, and that, while I have disclosed an arrangement in which the blades move in substantially vertical planes, these blades may, within the scope of the invention, be actuated in horizontal planes or in planes inclined with respect to said horizontal and vertical planes.

My invention, while especially suitable for scutching fiax straw for obtaining crude fibre largely freed from non-fibrous material, is also suitable for obtaining crude fibre from numerous other kinds of plant stalks and plant materials, and where hereinafter in the claims I use the term straw it is to be understood as including numerous plant stalks and plant materials, in addition to fiax straw, from which crude fibre can be similarly obtained.

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

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a decorticating machine, means for bending back and forth straw passed in a. generally endwise manner through the machine, and means for substantially simultaneously rubbing said straw in a multitude of varying directions within planes substantially perpendicular to the general direction of the straw while passing through said machine, said means for said bending and for such rubbing comprising sets of blades within substantially parallel planes having relative motion one set to another, said motion being both crosswise and lengthwise of said blades.

2 In a decorticating machine, means for bending back and forth straw passed through the machine, such bending means including straw-engaging members moving with substantially harmonic motion, and means for rubbing the straw back and forth transversely of its general direction of movement concomitantly with such bending, said general direction of movement being substantially at right angles to said straw engaging members.

3. In a decorticating machine, means for bending back and forth straw passed through the machine, and means for rolling the straw back and forth transversely of its general direction of movement, such rolling means including strawenga'ging members moving with "substantially harmonic movement, said straw engaging members being at all times substantially at right angles to said general direction of movement of straw in passing through the machine.

4. In a decorticating machine, means for bending back and forth over stationary members, straw passed through the machine,'such bending means including straw-engaging members moving with substantially .harmonic motion, and means for rolling the straw back and forth transversely of its general path of movement, along said stationary members, such rolling means including said straw-engaging members, and means for moving said straw-engaging members in planes substantially at right angles to the general path of movement of said straw while passing through the machine.

5. In a scutching machine for obtaining crude fibre from plant stalks, two crankshafts each substantially parallel to the general direction of said plant stalks while passing through said machine, each carrying two cranks, the two cranks in each of said crankshafts being spaced substantially 180 from each other and revolving about the axes of said crankshafts, sets of substantially parallel movable blades and of substantially parallel intervening stationary blades, 9. device carried by each of said cranks for holding the ends of several sets of said movable blades, the opposite ends of said blades being held by a device attached to the opposite crankshaft, said movable blades being at all times substantially parallel to each other and to a set of substantially parallel intervening stationary blades, said movable blades being so arranged that every point on said blades will revolve in circles, which circles will have a plurality of axes, said movable blades when near said stationary blades having motion both partly along and partly across said stationary blades whereby fibrous cellulose is rubbed against said stationary blades and is at least partly freed from non-fibrous material.

6. In a machine for scutching straw, one or more sets of movable blades so arranged that all blades in such sets of blades and all such sets of blades are substantially parallel to each other, and means for actuating said sets of movable blades, all points in said blades moving with a circular motion in parallel planes, so that certain right lines located longitudinally in said movable blades will be at all times substantially parallel to each other and to a given fixed line in space, said right lines and said movable blades while in motion generating planes substantially at right angles to the path of 'said straw through said machine.

7. In a machine for scutching straw, one or more sets of movable blades with all blades in such sets of blades and all such sets of blades substantially parallel to each other, stationary blades parallel to each other and to said movable blades, and actuating means for said movable blades, said movable blades moving in planes near to and substantially parallel to one or more sets of stationary blades in such a manner that any point in said movable blades will describe a circular motion and so that certain lines in said movable blades will be at all times substantially parellel to each other, to said stationary blades, and to a certain fixed line in space, said movable blades and said stationary blades being at all times in positions substantially transverse to the general direction of movement of said straw in passing through said machine.

8. In a machine for scutching straw, one or more sets of substantially parallel movable blades, stationary blades to cooperate with said movable blades, and substantially parallel therewith, bearings connected to opposite ends of said movable blades, substantially parallel cranks on which said bearings are mounted, shafts about which said cranks revolve, said shafts being at all times substantially parallel to each other, and to said cranks, said cranks and said shafts at all times being substantially equidistant from each other and substantially perpendicular to the planes described by said movable blades when in motion, said movable blades being so arranged that part of such blades engage said straw against said stationary blades during their upward movement at the same time that part of said blades engage said straw against said stationary blades during their downward movement, and vice versa, and means for actuating said movable blades, all parts of said movable blades, while in motion, generating circles in planes perpendicular to the direction of said straw in passing through said machine.

9. In a scutching machine, one or more movable blades, movable self adjusting bearings attachedto opposite ends of said movable blade or blades for relieving said blade or blades from longitudinal strains, substantially parallel cranks on which said bearings work, shafts about which said cranks revolve, said shafts being at all times substantially parallel to each other and to said cranks, the distance between said cranks being at all times substantially equal to the distance between said shafts, said cranks and said shafts being at all times substantially perpendicular to planes described by said movable blade or blades when in motion, stationary blades substantially parallel to said movable blade or blades and arranged in such a manner that plant stalks can be passed transversely between said parallel stationary blades, and means for actuating said movable blade or blades whereby said plant stalks will be engaged at frequent intervals by said movable blade or blades and be rapidly beaten by said movable blade or blades against and along said stationary blades and the fibrous cellulose of said plant stalks will be at least partly freed from nonfibrous material, without substantial injury to the crude fibre thus obtained.

10. In a scutching machine, paired stationary blades held substantially parallel to one another, the blades in each pair being so spaced from one another as to provide room for the passage of plant stalks or fibrous material transversely therethrough, said spacings between the blades of the several pairs being arranged substantially parallel and in juxtaposition to one another so as to provide a passage for fibrous material therethrough, and movable blades substantially parallel to said stationary blades and arranged to pass between the stationary blades in planes substantially parallel to each other and to the planes of said stationary blades so as to engage plant stalks or fibrous material being passed transversely through said stationary blades in such a way that said stalks or said material shall be beaten by said movable blades against said stationary blades with a. bending motion across and at the same time with a rubbing motion along a portion of said stationary blades, the direction of such stalks or fibrous material and the direction of movement of such stalks or fibrous material being substantially perpendicular to said blades, whereby said plant stalks or said fibrous material will be at least partly freed from nonfibrous material without substantial injury to the crude fibre thus obtained.

11. In a decorticating machine, a plurality of pairs of blades with a single long slot between the blades of each pair providing for the passage of fibre-containing plant stalks substantially endwise therethrough, and means for eifecting a relative movement between a pair of blades and the pairs of blades on either side thereof to bend the plant stalks back and forth and for simultaneously effecting a relative longitudinal movement between such pairs of blades whereby the plant stalks are rubbed in a mulitude of different directions substantially transversely of their general direction of movement.

12. In a decorticating machine, a plurality of pairs of fixed blades with a single long slot between the blades of each pair and all of said slots in alignment to provide for the passage of fibrecontaining plant stalks substantially endwisc therethrough, a pair of movable blades between adjacent pairs of fixed blades, such pair or movable blades being provided with a single long slot for the passage of fibre-bearing plant stalks passing through the slots between the fixed blades, and means for reciprocating the movable blades in harmonic motion to bend the plant stalks back and forth across the blade edges at opposite sides of the slots and simultaneously to reciprocate the movable blades longitudinally to rub the plant stalks in all directions within planes located substantially transversely of their general direction of passage through the machine.

13. In a decorticating machine, a, plurality of pairs of blades with a single long slot between the blades of each pair providing for the passage of fibre-bearing plant stalks transversely therethrough, said blades having straw-engaging edges at opposite sides of said slots, and means for effecting a relative reciprocating movement between a pair of blades and the pairs of blades on either side thereof, and comparatively close thereto, to bend the straw back and forth over said edges and for also efiecting a relative longitudinal movement between such pairs of blades perpendicular to the general direction of movement of said straw in passing through said machine whereby the straw passed through such blades with a general motion substantially perpendicular thereto will also be simultaneously rubbed by said relative longitudinal movement.

14. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding fibre-containing straw in a generally lengthwise direction through the machine and during such feeding, bending and rubbing the straw to break up the woody material, said means including groups of blades spaced apart along and extending across the path of movement of the straw, each of said groups including a set of fixed blades arranged in pairs with slots therebetweento provide for the passage of the straw and a set of movable blades arranged in pairs between the pairs of fixed blades and having slots for the passage of the straw, and means for actuating the sets of movable blades so that all parts in said movable blades will produce circular motion, one set of said movable blades bending and rubbing the straw against and along the lower edges of the slots between said fixed blades adjoining. while another set of movable blades will simul-- taneously bend and rub the straw against and along the upper edges of the slots between said fixed blades adjoining, and vice versa.

15. In a machine for treating fibre-bearing material, one or more movable blades, two substantially parallel crankshafts connected to said blades to actuate the same, and means to provide for the free linear expansion or contraction of such blades due to heat changes, said means including a sliding connection between at least one end of each of said blades and the corresponding crank shaft.

16. In a machine for treating fibre-bearing material, one or more movable blades, substantially parallel crankshafts for actuating said blades and means to provide against strain in said blades due to any lack of parallelism in said crankshafts, said means'including a sliding connection between at least one end of each of each of said blades and the corresponding crankshaft.

17. In a machine for treating fibre-bearing material, one or more movable blades, two substantially parallel cranks actuating said movable blades, and means to provide against strain in said blades due to any variation in the radius of motion of said cranks, said means including a slidable connection between at least one end of each of said blades and the correspondingcrank.

18. In a machine for treating flbre-bearing-material, one or more movable blades, two substanparallel crankshafts actuating said movable blades, sprockets and a chain connecting 'said crankshafts and a sliding support for at least one end of said blades to provide against strain in said blades not compensated for by said sprockets and chain.

19. In a machine for treating fibre-bearing material one or more movable blades, two substantially parallel cranks actuating said blades, and means to provide against strain in said blades due to such causes as temperature changes, variation of said cranks from parallelism and variation in the radius of motion of said cranks, said means including a yielding connection between at least one end of each of said blades and the corresponding crank.

20. The method of decorticating flax) straw which comprises'advancing the straw so that the individual straws advance in a generally endwise manner while rubbing and bending the straw with substantially circular motion in planes substantially perpendicular to the general direction of said advance, said rubbing and bending being performed simultaneously in a plurality of such planes.

21. In a machine of the class described, a set of stationary blades arranged in pairs of upper and lower blades with slots therebetween through which fibre-containing plant stalks may be advanced substantially endwise, a set of movable blades arranged in pairs between the pairs of stationary blades and with a slot between the blades of each pair, a second set of stationary blades corresponding in general arrangement to that of the first set of stationary blades, and having aligned slots to receive material from the first set, a second set of movable blades arranged in pairs between the pairs of stationary blades of the second set, and means for giving the movable blades of the first set a generally circular movement in planes substantially perpendicular to the direction of said plant stalks while passing through the machine to bend the plant stalks back and forth over the edges of the stationary blades and concomitantly roll and rub the plant stalks first in one direction and then in the other longitudinally of the stationary blades and to actuate the movable blades of the second set in a similar manner but always so as to act on the stalks in the opposite direction and to force the stalks against the stationary blades of the second set slightly before they are forced against the stationary blades of the first set so as to exert a feeding action on the stalks to advance them through the machine.

22. In a machine of class described, a set of parallel stationary blades arranged in at least two pairs with a slot between the blades of each pair and with the slots in alignment for the passage of plant stalks therethrough, a pair of movable blades between said two pairs of stationary blades and spaced apart to provide a slot for the passage of stalks passing through the slots between the stationary blades, said movable blades being capable of moving with generally circular motion in planes substantially perpendicular to the direction of the stalks in passing through the said upper edges of the slots in one direction longitudinally of the stationary blades and then along the lower edges of said slots in the opposite direction, said blade-operating means including two-parallel shafts substantially perpendicular to the plane of movement of the movable blades, means for operating said shafts substantially in synchronism, and operating connections between said shafts and said movable blades, each of said operating connections including a crank on the corresponding shaft and a pivotal connection with the movable blades and at least one of said connections being yieldable.

23. In a machine of the class described, a set of parallel stationary blades arranged in at least two pairs with a slot between the blades of each pair and with the slots in alignment for the passage of plant stalks therethrough, a pair of movable blades between the two pairs of stationary blades and spaced apart to provide a slot forthe passage therethrough of stalks passing through the slots between the stationary blades, and means for moving said movable blades with generally circular motion in planes substantially perpendicular to the direction of the passage of plant stalks through the machine to bend said stalks back and forth across the edges of the slots between the stationary blades and also rub the stalks along said edges in directions longitudinal with respect thereto.

24. In a machine for treating fibre-bearing material, one or more movable blades each having substantially straight edges for acting upon said material, means for actuating said blades, 8. sliding support for at least one end of said movable blades, the direction of the slides of such sliding support being substantially parallel to the acting edges of said blades, and means to cushion said movable blades and sliding supports against shocks or strains occurring in said movable blades in directions substantially parallel to said acting edges.

25. A method for producing crude fibre which comprises advancing plant stalks in a generally lengthwise direction while rubbing and bending said plant stalks by forces transmitted thereto with generally circular motion within planes substantially perpendicular to the general direction of movement of said plant stalks in advancing, for loosening shives from the crude fibre.

26. A method for threshing flax straw to obtain the seed therefrom and also for decorticating the same to produce crude fibre therefrom, which comprises advancing the straw substantially endwise while bending and rubbing said straw by forces transmitted thereto with generally circular motion within planes substantially perpendicular to the general direction of movement of said flax straw while advancing.

GEORGE A. LOWRY.

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