Roessel's (of America) machine is simply an iron drum, with knives and breaking-bars arranged on its surface. The stems are delivered by hand against the drum, which moves at about 100 rev. a minute. The bars break the woody stems into short pieces, which fall out below ; the knives separate the fibre into shreds. The latter operation is effectual, the out-turn is good, and there is no waste of fibre; but the work is done dry, and the fibre is not cleansed from bark. The umpire of the trials at Sallarunpare, in 1872, was of opinion that this machine, if furnished with crushing rollers in place of the breaking-bars, and if driven at less speed, might be supplied with water to remnve the broken wood and bark from the fibre, and thus be made efficient.
Ruland's machine, designed to convert the dried stems into raw fibre, is made in several sizes. The largest, driven by steam power, is shown in plan and longitudinal section in Figs. 641 and 1;42 :—a is a table, on which the stems are placed ; b, feeding-rollers, grooved longitudinally; c, driving-shaft ; d, feeding•cylinders, provided with rings or circular grooves of triangular form, perpendicular to the axis ; these cylinders carry forward the stems, crushing, opening, and dividing them longitudinally, without damaging the fibres ; r, beater placed direct at the back of the bottom cylinder d, consisting of a plate of iron as long as the cylinder, fixed upright, coated with indiarubber or leather, and having the effect of an anvil, on which the woody refuse of the stems is crushed and broken into fragments by means of the beaters ; e, beating-cylinders provided with rakes, bars, or surfaces, arranged in pairs of U form, bolted to the shaft of the beater, and repre senting upright blades ; the edges, being sharp, crush and crumble the refuse on the counter beater, or on the cylinder provided with rings when the counter-beater is dispensed with. These beaters are provided with elastic blades, having the effect of springs, secured between the axis and the rakes or bars. Each blade forms an angle with the pair of rakes or bars under which the blades are fixed. The blades, made of steel, leather, or other elastic material, scrape and cleanse the bark of its epidermis, gum, and fragments of wood produced by the crushing- of the stalks between the beating-cylinders. The beating-cylinders revolve at a greater speed than the feeding cylinders, and, as they revolve, the rakes act against the spring-blades. The cleaning-cylinders f, coated with leather, or other suitable material, cleanse the beaters, and prevent the fibres from winding around them ; g, scraping-cylinders or rollers, of similar construction to the beating cylinders e, but not provided with elastic blades. The axes of the cylinders g are surrounded with
a thick coating of leather, en which are fixed rakes, similar to those of the beaters, but having sharper edges. During the working, these rakes rub in pairs, in such manner that their sharp edges press on the coating of the axis. Clutch-boxes h arc mounted on the axes of the scraping cylinders g, in order to cause the latter to revolve in the direction of the beating-cylinders e or in an opposite direction. This is effected by winding a chain 1 on the toothed pinions i j. The latter are alternately fixed and loose, so that when j is thrown into gear, i runs loose, and the cylinders revolve in the same direction as the beaters ; when i is thrown into gear, j ruus loose, and the cylinders revolve in opposite directions to the beating-cylinders.
The direction of the scrapers is reversed by means of the double-ended lever and hand-wheel m, fixed on the axis of the clutch box h; n o reciprocating friction-cylinders, having rings or circular grooves perpendicular to the axis, or in a spiral line. The cylinder n has a double rotating move ment and a lateral to-and-fro movement. The rotating movement is imparted by a toothed wheel p; and the to-and-fro lateral movement, by a connecting-rod q and an eccentric r; the endless table or apron s, grooved perpendicular to the axes, is composed of plates, joined together by hinges, the whole forming an endless chain, which revolves round the wheels or rollers t; u, friction cylinder, fixed crossways above the endless table a, and having a double rotating movement and a lateral to-aud-fro movement. The rotating movement is imparted by means of a toothed wheel v ; and the lateral to-and-fro movement, by means of a connecting-rod x; z, cross friction-plate, grooved transversely, receiving a lateral to-and-fro movement by means of a connecting-red w and shaft a. The cylinder u and friction-plate z press and rub ou the table s and come into contact with it by means of springs (not shown), which press them according to the thickness of the stems operated upon. The cylinder e' is provided with rings ; its grooves gear with the grooves of the endless table s on which it rests. Having only one movement of rotation, it draws the fibre forward, and brings it under the influence of the fan f', by which it is freed from wood, dirt, and any refuse which may still remain in it. The principal parts of the machine are driven by toothed gearing and endless chains s'. The friction-roller and friction-plate may be replaced by an endless grooved table, as stated above. This table will have a rotating motion and at the same time- a to-and-fro movement. In that case the friction-roller will operate between two grooved endless tables.