1
the new-york exhibition illustrated.
FLAX AND HEMP BREAKING AND CLEANING MACHINERY.
ANE great obstacle which has always been encountered in the preparation andU manufacture of hemp and flax, has been the want of suitable and effectivemachinery for cleaning out, or separating the fibres from the oon, or woo y ption of the stalk. The labor of gathering, or pulling flax, and of dressing anbreaking both flax and hemp by the old and established metio s, iasgreat, and attended with so much waste and trouble, as to discouiage ® 1farmer and the manufacturer. The number of machines and devices orand preparing flax, which have been brought forward in Gieat 11 am aContinent since the commencement of the present century, has een anumerable. One can hardly open a number of the old and once amoson’s Journal, or in later days, the London Mechanics’ Magazine, or eof Inventions, without meeting one or more extended descriptions o ^
chines. In the United States, on the contrary, owing to the neglec ^
and hemp manufacture, comparatively little attention has been giveject until within a recent period. of dollarg) al _
We import linen goods each year to the value of ten nation and
though we have more productive territory unemployed than anyo . e ’ ,
produce a vast amount of flax for the seed only. Public attention 18 ^ conse-
to this great branch of agricultural and manufacturing industry, an broue },t
quence of it, a large number of new flax-breaking machines aveforward from almost every quarter of the United States.
One of the best which we have yet examined, is now on ex 11 ^
Crystal Palace, and is faithfully represented in its general aspect y and
engraving. It is the invention of Lewis S. Chichester, of Broo yU) ■ ’ ^
is ingenious and simple in the mechanical combination and movemen ^ ^
and at the same time, thorough and rapid in its action on t e ma_
broken. The mechanical arrangements of this machine are as 0 owe 1.
It is furnished with a feed-table, over which the material is spread o ,veyed between a pair of iron calender rollers, which flatten an. sp 1lengthwise, as they are carried through a pair of iron fluted 10 ers in 0 ,. ,
pair of large breaking cylinders. These form the body of the mac me, ^the material is delivered upon a receiving apron, in a mass or shee 0 ^ ^ a
two breaking cylinders are each formed by securing near the °PP°® ,. , are
shaft, a pair of iron heads or flanges, perforated with radial slots, m
inserted breaking plates, or ribs of iron (wrought to a smooth edge on top), whichare free to move in and out, towards or from the centre of the cylinder heads, asthey are guided by springs and cams; these last are arranged in such a manner,that the ends of every other plate or rib in oach cylinder project through the radialslots in the cylinder heads, and rest upon stationary cams, placed outside of the heads,while all the intermediate plates or ribs rest upon spiral springs, supported by cir-cular flanges, keyed on the shafts just inside and close to the cylinder heads. Theseflanges are perforated with holes forming sockets on their periphery, to receiveand support the spiral springs, and to admit the iron pins which pass throughand sustain the springs, which are fastened, or locked to the under edge of thepressure [dates or ribs.
As the cylinders revolve together (one being placed over the other), the camplates, or ribs of the lower cylinder are guided upwards, and meet and carryback the spring or pressure plates of the upper cylinder; at the same time thecam-plates or ribs of the upper cjdinder, are, in the same manner, guided down-wards, and meet and carry back the pressure plates of the lower cylinder. Theends of the plates are loft thick and rounded off, so ns to form circular bearingsfor the opposing plates or ribs in meeting and turning out; the edges of the plates,on the contrary, are left quite sharp and very smooth.
The cylinders of this machine, in their operation and action upon tho matorial,were designed to copy the movement of the hands in breaking out a stalk offlax between the thumb and fingers. The action in this instance is that of slowlymoving the hands backwards and forwards in opposite directions, allowing thoflax at the same time to slip through the thumbs and fingers under pressure. Inthis way the stalk is most perfectly broken, and the woody portion separatedfrom tho fibres of the plant, each line of fibre being preserved perfect throughoutits entire length, and delivered ready for the process of dressing or swingling.
The power required to operate this machine is said to be small (one horse-power, according to the inventor, being sufficient). The movements are all veryslow, but continuous in their action—the working parts being distributed over thesurface of the large cylinders, which make but three or four revolutions per minute.This rate of speed is sufficient to break a ton of flax straw in a day. The slowmotion of the cylinders obviates an objection which has been raised against somemachines for cleaning flax, viz., that they do their work with rapid motions at onepoint, consuming power, and subjecting the mill to danger of fire from frictionand heating of the parts.
and fl 1 a<Witio ” to tbe above described machine, Mr. Chichester exhibits a new hemp» c nax-dregsing machine represented in the engraving, which also merits attention.
and flax-dressing machine represented in the engraves,. revolve towards
It consists of two conical cylinders, formed on para e s a i ^ out3 [ 0 f theeach other, and are driven by a pair of gear-wheels as e .1 bj a fi e s of wood,These cylinders are each formed of four large, coruM and
to flanges of iron; these are keyed to opposite ends
frame.
secured
placed over one another, revolving with equal motions in contrary directions. Inthis way the blades of the one cone are always opposite to the spaces betweenthe blades of the other. The cones are covered in front and behind with a woodor sheet-iron casing. A slot is cut through the front cosing, along the bite ofthe cones, and a suitable trough formed in the casing opposite (on the back of themachine), with an opening to carry oft the^ wood and other impurities dressed