286,337. Llorens, M. M., G³ell, S. G³ell, Baron de, and Bastos, F. Nov. 3, 1926. Breaking and scutching apparatus.-In the treatment of leaves such as those of the families of phormium, agaves, furcraeas, sansevarias, yuccas, musas, crotolarias, bromelias, lilies, pineapples. &c. to obtain fibres therefrom the leaves are fed lengthwise between crushing rollers; they are then subjected to a gentle scraping along the leaves by interengaging bars on travelling brattices and are finally squeezed by rollers. During the treatment, from either before or immediately after the first crushing, the material is subjected to a sufficient supply of flowing water to prevent any oxidation of the sap upon the fibre, and to wash away the sap and any debris or waste from the fibres. The material may be treated by a pair of rubber covered travelling brattices before being squeezed and an automatic arrangement may be provided to arrange and spread the fibres ready for transference for drying. The leaves are laid lengthwise on a feed apron 1, Fig. 4, and passed to crushing rollers 5, 6, which flatten the mid-rib and the base and squeeze out some of the sap which may be collected and utilised in the production of manure. The lower roller 6 is carried in sliding bearings 6<a> which can be adjusted by screws 8. The upper roller 5 is carried on fixed bearings 5<a> and is coupled by gears 9, 10 to a fly-wheel 11. A supply of water may be delivered into the nip of the rollers from a flattened nozzle 12<a> fed by a pipe 12<b> from the main water supply pipe 132. The leaves are then passed to a crushing-device comprising a central drum 13 and a series of cylinders 14. The cylinders 14 are controlled by springs 15, Fig. 14, and are mounted in brackets 17 adjustably secured to a bench 18, which also supports the shaft 97 of the drum 13. The number of cylinders used can be varied. Doctor knives 20 carried by compound levers 21 having a parallel motion are provided to prevent lapping of the material round the cylinders 14. Water is supplied through pipes 23<a> and nozzles 12a between the cylinders 14 from a central chamber 23<c> connected to the main supply pipe 132. A final doctor knife 24 of sheet metal directs the crushed leaves on to the brattice 42. A horizontal arrangement of pairs of crushing-rollers may be used for thick strong leaves. If the material is very sticky pairs of geared superposed cylinders are employed. Guide plates, which act as doctors for the lower rollers are placed between the pairs, and sheet metal doctor knives, which are mounted on the upper rollers to move with them, and partly surround the rollers, are supplied for the upper rollers. The upper rollers are carried by a system of weighted levers. Water is sprayed into the nips of the pairs of rollers. If the material is not very sticky a simple arrangement of crushing-rollers may be employed, with spring pressed upper rollers resting in the space between two lower rollers. The rollers are all geared together. The material delivered from the crushing-device is received on a brattice 42, Fig. 6, and carried by it under a second brattice 41. These travelling brattices which move at a greater speed than the crushing-rollers are provided with interlocking bars which scrape the leaves lengthwise. The brattices 41, 42 pass the material to a second pair 43, 44, Fig. 8, which move at a still greater speed and draw the material when it is free from the crushing-device through the brattices 41, 42. The material is then passed to a pair of vertical friction lattices 45, 46, Fig. 30, and finally a pair of rubber squeezing rollers 47, 48, which rotate at an increased speed to draw the material through the brattices 43, 44 and the friction lattices. The brattices, 41, 42, Fig. 22, for coarse work are fitted with U-shaped bars 49 cut with pyramid shaped teeth 50. The brattices 43, 44, Fig. 26, for fine work are fitted with bars 51 provided with grooved conical nails or spikes 52. The bars may be of wood covered with brass strip tq which the nails &c. are riveted or on which they are replaced by embossed projections. The bars may be wholly of brass or of hard indiarubber or ebonite, and may be round and externally grooved spirally in opposite directions from the centre. The bars are formed into a chain by detachable links 54. The bars on one brattice can be adjusted to vary the depth with which they penetrate between the bars of the opposing brattice. The chains forming the lower brattices are supported on fixed angular guide rails, and the chains forming the upper brattices in channel rails supported in a frame 57 mounted so as to be vertically adjustable at each end by hand-operated screws 58d. The frame 57 carries the sprocket wheels 58b for driving the chains, and the adjustment allows the bars of the upper chain to penetrate between the bars of the lower chain to a greater or less degree and also the run of the upper' chain to be set at an incline to that of the lower one. The tension of the chains is secured by adjustable sprocket wheels 61 moved by screws 65. Water troughs 68, 69, filled from the supply pipe 132 by pipes 70, 71 are carried by the frames 57 and are perforated to ensure a dense spray of water on the material as it is being scraped. The squeezing-roller 48, Fig. 30, is mounted in adjustable bearings 116 controlled by a spring 74 and a screw 72. The rubber lattices 45, 46 polish the fibres as they are drawn through .by the rollers 47, 48. The treated fibres are taken by rollers 80, Fig. 32, carried by endless chains 79 and are laid on a series of trucks 78 which move slowly intermittently across the end of the machine. The trucks run on rails 82 and are of a length corresponding to the maximum length of the leaves being treated. The trucks are moved by rollers 84 mounted on endless chains 83 running over sprocket wheels 131. The trucks are provided with projections 85 to be engaged by the rollers 84 as they are being loaded, and the rails 82 are inclined to allow the trucks, when loaded, to run away to the drying ground. The machine is driven from a shaft 88, Fig. 4. A train of gears 91, 92, 94, 95, 96 drives the upper crushing-roller 5. The feed apron roller 2 is driven by a chain 105 from the lower crushing- roller 6. The central drum 13 drives from its shaft 97 the rollers 14 through spur gearing. The brattice 42 is driven from the shaft 88 by a chain 106a passing over a tensioning sprocket 106<b> and a sprocket 107 on the shaft 108 carrying the driving-sprocket of the brattice. The shaft 108 is geared to the shaft 58<a> carrying the driving- sprocket of the brattice 41. The shaft 108 also has mounted on it a sprocket carrying a chain 110<a> driving the shaft 111 of the sprocket operating the brattice 44. The brattice 43 is driven by gearing from the shaft 111, which also drives by a chain the squeezing roller 47. The rubbing brattice 45 is driven by a chain from the shaft of the roller 47 and drives the brattice 46 by gearing 121. The roller shaft also drives through a sprocket-wheel 118 the shaft 123 of the spreading mechanism. The chains 79 of the spreading-device are driven by sprockets on this shaft. The chain 83 for traversing the trucks is driven from the shaft 123 through a worm 124, worm-wheel 125, and gearing including a change gear leading to the shaft 130 carrying the driving sprocket 131. The length of the various brattices may be adjusted to suit the material being treated and any one or more of the operations may be repeated, if desired.