LT3254B - Smoking material of tobacco leaves, method for preparing of tobacco leaves (variants), method for manufacturing of smoking material for production of cigarettes - Google Patents

Abstract

The smoking substance made of tobacco leaves, consisting of the compound of parts of thin small tobacco leave sheets and the parts of tobacco leave stems is characterised by the fact that the tilt angle of the parts of small sheets, separated from the thin stems, is not bigger than 45 degrees C. Furthermore, 60% of non-dusty parts of thin sheets have a shape coefficient which is estimated by the proportion 4 p X area / perimeter2 and made not less than 0.5.

Description

The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a material consisting of tobacco leaves in the manufacture of tobacco products.

The leaves of the types of tobacco used in the manufacture of cigarettes or other tobacco products consist of a thin leaf blade, a longitudinal main stem (stem) and leaf veins grown from the main stem. In the following description, the main stem, the coarse filaments, will be treated as the stem. The stem has essentially different physical characteristics as compared to the leaf, and therefore, as has been the case in many years of practice, the stem is separated from the thin tobacco leaf at an early stage in the preparation of the tobacco leaves. After that, the stems and thin sheets of leaves are prepared independently using different technologies.

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As a rule, material consisting of stems is separated from material consisting of thin sheets of tobacco leaves in complex and cumbersome threshing units with several successive interconnected threshing units (e.g., up to eight units), with spaced blocks arranged between them.

As is known, appropriate preparation of the separated stem material, or a portion thereof, reduces the size of the stems and is often added again to the thin sheets of tobacco leaves for further preparation. Stem material is often necessary in a tobacco blend to improve the filler quality of the tobacco product.

Typically, in tobacco crushing practices, the dimensions of the tobacco stems are reduced by increasing the moisture content of the stems to a relatively high level of about 30-50%, while the material consisting of thin sheets of tobacco leaves is reduced by maintaining humidity within the range of 18%. up to 24%. The exact values given depend, to a large extent, on the type of tobacco, its preparation and the conditions for its grinding.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of preparing a material consisting of tobacco leaves in order to obtain a product suitable for tobacco products, more particularly cigarettes and cigars.

In addition, the focus was on finding ways to improve the whole tobacco preparation process, from leaf to tobacco.

To our surprise, we have discovered that it is possible to use a shredder (mill) to process both the tobacco stems and the thin sheets of tobacco leaves simultaneously and to obtain a product suitable for use in tobacco products. We are aware that there have been corresponding improvements in the use of a disk mill to reduce the particle size of the stem material, but we are not aware of any studies using the same mill to grind both thin tobacco leaves and tobacco stems together to obtain an appropriate mixture of fine tobacco leaves. sheets and tobacco stems suitable for use in tobacco products, without necessarily undergoing any further substantial crushing.

There are many suggestions for ways to prepare tobacco leaves to get fillings for cigarettes or any other tobacco product. Examples of such proposals may include the following descriptions of inventions:

Germany

954,136

New Zealand

139,007

Great Britain

1855/2134, 413,486, 2,078,085, 2,118,817, 2

119,220 and 2,131,671

United States of America

55 173, 68 597, 207: 140, 210 191, 250 731, 358 549, 360 797, 535 134, 2 184,567, 3,026 878 , 3,128 775, 3,204 641, 3 690 328, 3,845 774 , 4,195 646, 4 210 157, 4 248,253, 4,323 083 , 4,392 501, 4,582 070, 4,696,312 and 4,706 691

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of preparing a material comprising tobacco leaves, wherein the thin tobacco leaf sheets and tobacco leaf stems are passed through a leaf shredding apparatus, further comprising a hardware device and processing conditions such that is a blend of specified fine tobacco leaf sheets * 20 fibers and tobacco stems.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a smokable material from a mixture of fine tobacco leaf particles and leaf stem particles, furthermore, said material is a product formed by passing simultaneously through a leaf shredder and a thin tobacco leaf stem and tobacco leaf stems.

The above thin sheets of tobacco leaves and the stems of tobacco leaves, which are fed into the tobacco leaf shredding apparatus, form a so-called whole leaf. This concept will be explained in more detail later. In addition, the thin sheets of tobacco leaves falling into the shredding apparatus, only separated from the corresponding stems earlier. Similarly, tobacco leaf stalks or some of their parts which enter the shredding apparatus are also tobacco leaf stems, only to be separated from the corresponding thin tobacco leaf stalks.

The term whole leaf means whole or practically whole leaves, as well as leaves the size of which has been reduced during the chopping process, such as chopping or cutting. This concept excludes any distinction between coarse fine tobacco leaves or parts of stems of tobacco leaves. The sheets or parts thereof are, as a rule, submitted to heat treatment, as well as to some other, more or less common, processing procedure.

According to another aspect of the present invention, to provide a filler material for tobacco products, there is provided a method of producing a material comprising tobacco leaves, wherein the entire tobacco leaf (the concept explained above) passes through a section formed between the first and second leaf shredding apparatus. such as the filler material formed at the exit of the said segment is a mixture of fine tobacco leaf particle particles and tobacco leaf stem particles. Preferably, when the output of the specified segment is at the edge of the parts having the same duration.

Ideally, when feeding material consisting of tobacco leaves, a feeding system was used at the entrance of the chopping leaf apparatus, which is triggered by gravity.

In some cases, it may also be best to apply low pressure steam to the entrance of the shredding sheet installation, such as a single bar.

Maintaining a lower level of air pressure at the outlet of the apparatus may also result in material consisting of tobacco leaves entering the leaf shredding apparatus. The stated purpose can also be achieved by maintaining a higher air pressure at the Inlet of the leaf shredding apparatus.

The result is better when the material consisting of tobacco leaves is fed continuously to the chopping sheets. It is also better to have a constant feed rate.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the subject matter of the invention is a filler for tobacco products, furthermore, said material consisting of fine tobacco leaf particle particles and tobacco leaf stem particles is bulk. In such a mixture, the form factor is 0.5 or more with 60% particles and more (except dust).

The term form factor will be described later.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a cigarette, wherein the material in the form of tobacco packets is crushed to form a single sheet (which has already been explained), and said sheets are fed to a grinding mill. consisting of a mixture of fine tobacco leaf strips and a plurality of stems of these tobacco leaf stems, the mixture being then fed to a machine for producing cigarette rods.

We have discovered that the method according to the present invention can be applied by preparing all the leaves having a very low moisture content compared to the amount of moisture generally accepted in the art by crushing the tobacco leaf stalks. In addition, the moisture content may be, for example, 2 times lower than is generally accepted in tobacco leaf stalking practice.

Of course, such a conclusion is somewhat unexpected, as it is generally accepted that, if tobacco leaf stems are relatively dry, additional energy is needed to convert tobacco leaf stalks to fibrous mass / shredding, and such conditions may also be present here. thin tobacco leaf sheets present in unacceptable, excessive shredding. At the same time, it has been clarified that the degree of shredding of fine tobacco leaf sheets can be controlled within acceptable limits. It has also been unexpected that at low humidity, such as about 20% moisture, the stems of tobacco leaves are not broken to such an extent that they turn into unsuitable material.

Thus, the size and size distribution of the fine tobacco leaf particle particles as well as the tobacco leaf stem particles are such that their mixture according to the invention appears to be perfectly acceptable when fed to industrial equipment for the production of cigarette cores, e.g. Molins Ma9.

In existing processes for the preparation of tobacco leaf material, in the process of making cigarette filler, in the form of fine tobacco leaf fines, in the final line, in the processing of tobacco leaf leaves, and in cut and shredded tobacco leaf stalks, in the final line, in the processing of tobacco leaf stems, the product is mixed with each other. To achieve an acceptable degree of filler integrity in all cigarettes, tests are carried out by basically blending the mixture from the products indicated. However, given the fact that these products are essentially different in shape, it is not easy to mix them well. Thus, an important advantage of the present invention is that the product of the present invention is a relatively homogeneous mixture of fine leaf tobacco leaf particles and tobacco leaf stem particles.

The fact that the moisture content (fraction of tobacco leaf stalks) may be contained in the ground tobacco leaf crushing apparatus, by comparison, reduces the drying requirements of the product, which in turn can significantly reduce the equipment used and the energy used.

The smoke modifying components of the tobacco product, such as the tobacco film, may be used with the material consisting of the tobacco leaves prior to and after preparation of the material using a process according to the present invention.

The products obtained in accordance with the invention may be submitted to a so-called tobacco expansion procedure. Examples of such expansion procedures that may be used in this case are disclosed in GB 1,484,536 and 2,176,385.

It has been shown that the moisture content of the whole tobacco leaf is, as a rule, a major factor in determining, on the one hand, whether or not this results in tobacco leaf stem particles or, on the other hand, virtually the entire tobacco leaf.

discovered that the value of the quantity or formed Negatively that our being in the product enough to surprise, was precisely the sudden transition of moisture to the product.

from receiving one product to another

The value of the moisture content to which such a transition occurs will continue to be treated as the value of the moisture content transition.

The significance of the moisture content transition for any tobacco material to be crushed is readily determined by simple experimental means prior to the crushing of that material. For example, for a whole leaf of Virginia to be crushed in a Kwester SM11 mill, it has been clarified that the moisture transition value is practically equal to 18%.

It has also been shown that the upper limit of the moisture content transition value is practically equal to 70% in the manufacture of blends of tobacco leaf stems. Above this value, the material is homogenized and briquetted to the inactive state.

Accordingly, the upper moisture content transition value for the whole sheet material for the preparation of the present invention does not exceed 3%. However, values that are less than 30% are more appropriate.

A moisture content of 30% at the entrance of the tobacco leaf shredding apparatus may be appropriate when the resulting product is to undergo an expansion process that results in a mixture of fine tobacco leaf particle and tobacco leaf stem particles in direct contact with hot in a gaseous environment.

The heat may be directed to the tobacco material for feeding to the tobacco leaf shredder. When the material is heated, for example by microwave irradiation, the value of the moisture transition will tend to decrease.

The material consisting of tobacco leaves to be prepared using the method according to the invention may be a single type of tobacco or a mixture of several types of tobacco. When such an individual species forms a small proportion of the mixture, even if its moisture content is less than the moisture transition value, the product of the present invention can be obtained until the average moisture content of the mixture is higher than the moisture content transition value.

Due to the fact that the tobacco leaf shredding apparatus implementing the method of tobacco leaf shredding according to the present invention appears to be more complete as compared to the conventional shredding machines which have several threshing and classifiers as well as a corresponding air extraction system. Therefore, the use of the present invention results in significant cost savings compared to conventional crushing equipment. In this case, energy savings are also achieved. In addition, capital cost and energy cost savings are obtained through the simplification of the tobacco leaf processing bar in the tobacco factory. Thus, the use of the present invention significantly reduces the cost of the tobacco leaf preparation process, which begins with the extraction of tobacco leaves from the farms that produce them and ends with the manufacture of cigarettes or any other tobacco product.

It is to be noted that the subject matter of the present invention is not only a simultaneous method of crushing fine tobacco leaf and tobacco leaf stems, to obtain a mixture of individual tobacco leaf leaf particles and tobacco leaf stem particles, without the need for successive machines of several machines , but also a method of preparing tobacco leaves which does not require recirculation of the resulting product for further crushing. In other words, the use of the present invention allows for a relatively simple one-step process for preparing tobacco leaves.

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Preferably, the tobacco leaf shredding apparatus implementing the method of shredding tobacco leaves of the present invention is in such a form that the material for shredding passes between the first and second tobacco leaf shredding elements, which guarantee tobacco material passing through this line, cutting. In addition, at least one of the tobacco leaf chopping elements must have a disc shape. Ideally, in this case, this disk-like element or each disk-like element should face each other on their surfaces, preferably linear protrusions disposed in the annular direction and having the shape of ribs. Ideally, both of the aforementioned tobacco shredding elements should have a disc-like shape. Bayer 400 and Kwester SM11 are examples of tobacco leaf shredding machines with two tobacco leaf shredding elements. In the Bayer 400 tobacco leaf chopping machine, two discs rotate in opposite directions, while in the Kwester SM11 tobacco leaf chopping machine, one disc rotates while the other disc remains stationary. The Bayer 400 Leaf Shredder has a set of discs, each with a predetermined shape of protrusions on their working surfaces. Most suitable for use in the present invention are the hardware model Bayer 400 boards bearing the marks 325 and 326.

When using disk mills, simultaneously crushing the thin sheets of tobacco leaves and the tobacco leaf stems, the size of the particle comminution is determined by the specific rotational speed of the disks, the size of the spaces between them and the configuration of the crushing projections on the disks.

In the embodiment of the present invention, another type of shredding device may be used, more particularly a shredder mill having a barrel-shaped housing having a rotor rotatable within said housing and having an axis coaxial to said housing.

The inner curved surface of the housing includes projections having a rib shape and parallel to the housing axis, while the rotor is provided with three scattered blades at right angles to each other, parallel to the axis of the rotor and in close proximity to the housing projections having rib shape.

It has also been clarified that so-called mills of the type which use the principle of impact action, in particular hammer crushers, are generally unsuitable for the necessary crushing.

We conducted research on a grinding mill known as the Robinson Grinding Mill (model mark - hourly hammer M3). This grinding mill has a rotating disc and a disc-shaped stator. Both of these elements are positioned in a radius of a row of pointed pins perpendicular to the opposite surfaces of the other elements. In addition, the pointed pins of one element pass between the pins of another element. The limited number of experiments carried out demonstrates the feasibility of using the Robinson Shredding Mill to realize the tobacco leaf methods which are the subject of the present invention.

Various methods of artificial aging or shredding by tobacco leaf shredding machines can be used for the whole leaf material of tobacco (as previously explained).

The product forming the subject matter of the present invention may be a liquid mixture consisting of fine tobacco leaf sheets and tobacco stem particles having a free angle of inclination of up to 45 ° or even 35 ° at the humidity of the product during the cigarette manufacturing stage. such as 13%.

It has also been found that the products forming the subject matter of the present invention have a shape factor of 0.5 or more due to 60 percent and more particles (dust free). The form factor can be 0.5 or more due to dust particles of 70 percent and higher.

4mXPlot

Form factor = (Perimeter) ²

The shape that has the maximum value of the shape factor equal to one is round.

It has also been found that, for the product forming the subject matter of the present invention, the value of Borvaldt's fill size appears to be substantially smaller than its analogous size for Conventional smoking materials for smoking. In addition, to our surprise, it has been found that the product used as the main filler in the product forming the subject matter of the present invention can be compared to control cigarettes made from conventional tobacco materials for smoking.

Preferably, the particle size of the product forming the subject matter of the present invention is similar to 50-65% of the particle retention in a 2.4x1.4 mm rectangular opening.

EN 3 54 B

Preferably also, the product forming the subject matter of the present invention had practically no intact tobacco leaf stalks.

The present invention provides products that can be further introduced into tobacco product manufacturing equipment for further reduction of particle size of the product, without necessarily being subjected to initial preparation, or which require a slight further reduction in particle size. In addition, it is of course not confirmed that a significant amount of heavy fraction and / or a small fraction of dust cannot be removed from the product before being added to tobacco products.

When the products forming the subject matter of the present invention are incorporated into cigarettes in the manufacture of tobacco products, these products are externally shaped as a filler for ordinary cigarettes.

The usual material for smoking tobacco, which is used in the manufacture of cigarettes, is a long fiber non-lumped material. For this reason, the feed unit for the cigarette manufacturing installation consists of a carding device which guarantees the filling of the filler material. In the products forming the subject matter of the present invention, the material is a loose non-volatile mixture of fine tobacco leaf sheets and tobacco stem particles and therefore eliminates the need for an additional carding device or, at least, individual elements thereof when added to cigarettes.

In the case where the material consisting of tobacco leaves is crushed according to the method of the present invention, in the area where the tobacco is grown, tobacco material can be used, so-called green leaf material. It is, in this case, a material obtained from a tobacco-growing farm with heat-treated leaves. In the case where the material consisting of tobacco leaves has to be prepared in a tobacco factory which is located a considerable distance from the tobacco growing area, it would be more appropriate to carry out a so-called "re-drying" of the tobacco leaf procedure. The above re-drying procedure is used because it is necessary to maintain a low moisture content in the material consisting of tobacco leaves while ensuring that this material is transported and stored in the factory without damaging its properties.

The use of the whole tobacco leaf as a starting material in the preparation of tobacco filler material without the need to have a step of separating the tobacco leaf sheets from the tobacco stem particles is more economical since the whole tobacco leaf is expected to be cheaper compared to tobacco stems and fine tobacco leaves separate purchases in factories that cut tobacco.

The products forming the subject-matter of the present invention can be subjected to exactly the same procedures as the tobacco materials obtained in the conventional manner. For example, a mixture of shredded fine tobacco leaf shoots and tobacco stem shives obtained by the process of the present invention may be blended in any known manner with another substance (s) for smoking in any desired ratio. However, it is expedient that, at least, the greater part of the material for smoking intended to be produced by mixing the materials be a product obtained by a grinding process according to the present invention. The smoking materials to which the products of the present invention may be blended may include tobacco materials, reconstituted tobacco materials, and substances used as a substitute for tobacco.

It is also possible to blend the products of the present invention from different types of tobacco.

For the purpose of obtaining blended fillers for cigarettes manufactured in the United States, the following may be blended: (1) a product obtained from the preparation of a whole sheet of tobacco according to the present invention, and

(2) the fraction of fine tobacco leaves from the product obtained by grinding the whole tobacco Berley leaf to a moisture content below the moisture content transition value, such that the product consists of a mixture of fine tobacco leaf particles and practically all tobacco leaf stalks. .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Below is a description of some examples and illustrative drawings.

Fig. - a block diagram illustrating a conventional method for the preparation of all tobacco previously submitted to smoky drying;

Fig. - a block diagram illustrating a method for preparing all tobacco leaf according to the present invention;

Fig. - a histogram showing the dependence of the particle shape coefficient value (horizontal axis) on the frequency of occurrence of this value, measured in units-millions (vertical axis), of thin tobacco leaf sheets in a cigarette filler, milled in a conventional manner;

Fig. - a histogram giving the same information as in Figure 3. and to the same extent, only for the product obtained according to the present invention and for the cigarette filler.

In addition, each of the values of the particle shape factor plotted on the horizontal axis of the histograms in Figures 3 and 4 is the upper value of the range of values. For example, a value of 0.4 means that the range starts with values less than 0.3 and reaching a maximum of 0.4.

Fig. - a scatter diagram showing the relationship between the particle length, measured in millimeters (horizontal axis), and the shape factor (vertical axis) for the conventional aggregates obtained in Fig. 3, respectively;

Fig. - a scatter plot showing the relationship between the particle length measured in millimeters (horizontal axis) and the shape factor (vertical axis) for the fill materials obtained in Figure 4, respectively;

Fig. - an illustration of the internal conventional filler obtained in Figures 3 and 5, respectively; and fig. - an illustration of the internal customary filler obtained in Figures 4 and 6, respectively.

Fig. the relevant numbers are marked as follows:

- conditioning / drying

- sand removal

- conditioning

- crushing

- the stem

- drying packing stem conditioning mixing rolling mill cutting water saturation method (WTS) drying thin tobacco leaf drying packaging thin tobacco leaf conditioning *

blending sawdust drying blending and additive cut tobacco storage cigarette making

Steps 1-4, 5-7 and 15-17 are performed where the tobacco is grown, while steps 8-14, 18-22 and 23-25 are performed at the factory where the cigarettes are manufactured. The factories referred to are, as a rule, remote from the areas where tobacco is grown.

The operations performed in steps 8-14 and 18-22 correspond to the initial preparation of the tobacco leaves at the tobacco factory. The locations in the factory where the operations are carried out are sometimes called the Prep Bar (PPB).

Steps 8 to 14 are generally treated as forming a tobacco leaf stem line, and steps 18 to 22 are generally treated as forming a thin tobacco leaf line. The term additive in step 23 is understood to mean the possibility of adding any other material to tobacco products, products consisting of tobacco leaf stems and thin tobacco leaf leaves, in lines where blending is performed. Examples of such additional smoking materials are stretched tobacco and reconstituted tobacco.

In the first stage, the raw material is all the green tobacco leaf.

Some details of the whole process, from Step 1 to Step 25, are subject to change at the same time. illustrates a typical routine tobacco leaf preparation process that results in a cigarette filler.

Fig. the relevant numbers are marked as follows:

\ conditioning sand removal drying packing whole tobacco leaf conditioning mixing crushing drying mixing additives intermediate storage cigarette making

Steps 26-29 are performed in the area where the tobacco is grown, and steps 30-37 are carried out in the factory where the cigarettes are made.

The conditioning steps are carried out in such a way as to remove or at least significantly reduce the water from the extracted components.

in the stage the whole raw tobacco leaf is the primary material.

As can be seen by comparing the conventional tobacco leaf preparation process shown in Fig. 1. and the tobacco leaf preparation process according to the invention and shown in Fig. 2, the latter of which is much simpler.

· *

The following is a more detailed description of the present invention in connection with experiments.

THE EXPERIMENT

In this experiment, a single leaf smoky drying Canadian whole green leaf was purchased as a tobacco leaf material, which was purchased in the form of rolls packed in a tobacco-producing farm with a moisture content of about 18%. The above packages were cut using guillotine type cutting equipment. The cut parcels formed large layers of tobacco leaves, which, as noted above, bear the name all tobacco leaves. Most of these tobacco leaf layers have a thickness of about 10 to 20 cm.

Subsequently, the whole tobacco leaf material thus obtained was subjected to conditioning, resulting in a moisture content of 26%. Then, under the force of gravity, the entire tobacco leaf scrolled continuously at a speed of 150kg / h to the Kwester disk mill (Model SM11). The speed of the rotating mill blade was 1000 rpm. The rotating disk and the fixed disk or plate, which were standard construction elements for the disk mill (model SM11), had ribs protruding on their working faces, linear and annular.

The circular mill operated at a nominal disc spacing of 0.15 mm. After this, the size of this gap was increased to 0.9 mm. Steam was also allowed into the disk mill at a pressure of 1 bar.

In the mill, the product obtained at a fixed space between the disks is a homogeneous, flowing mixture of fine tobacco leaf particles and tobacco stem particles. The regulation was carried out in such a way that all the resultant crushing output was suitable for cigarette production in conventional cigarette making machines. As expected, the average size obtained from tobacco leaf particle grinding has also increased with increasing disc space.

THE EXPERIMENT

Experiment 1 was repeated except that the material containing the whole tobacco leaf was submitted to conditioning such that the moisture content was set at 24% and the disc spacing was set at 0.15, 0.75 and 1.05 The milled product obtained at a fixed size for each of the three disks between the disks also had a homogeneous, flowing mixture consisting of fine tobacco leaf particle particles and tobacco leaf stem particles. The adjustments were made in such a way that all three products were suitable for cigarette making in conventional cigarette making machines.

THE EXPERIMENT

The third mode of Experiment 2 was repeated, that is, the disk space was set at 1.05 mm. The material containing the whole leaf of tobacco was submitted to conditioning in such a way that its moisture content was set at a much lower level, 21%. In addition, the resulting product consisted of a mixture comprising fine tobacco leaf particles and non-contacting tobacco leaf stem sections. It is clear that the material containing the whole leaf of tobacco which was fed to the grinding mill had a moisture content which was smaller than that.

relative to the size corresponding to the moisture content transition value, which was highest for the experimental run conditions.

THE EXPERIMENT

Experiment 1 was repeated except that the material containing the whole tobacco leaf was submitted to conditioning such that it had a moisture content of 20% and a feed rate of 180 kg / h. Experiments were performed at 0.30 mm and 1.2 mm disc spacing. Thus, at a disk spacing of 0.30 mm, the resulting product corresponded to the product of the present invention and consisted of a homogeneous fluid mixture consisting of fine tobacco leaf particle particles and tobacco stem particles. At the same time, when the disc space was 1.2 mm, the resulting product did not conform to the present invention and consisted of thin tobacco leaf particle particles and intact tobacco leaf stem sections.

Comparison of the results of this experiment with the results of Experiment 3 showed that the size of the disk gap can be determined by the moisture content transition value.

THE EXPERIMENT

As a material containing tobacco leaf, three types of tobacco re-cured using a smoky drying obtained from Zimbabwe and labeled as A, B, and C were used in this experiment. The specified types of tobacco in the form of parcels were cut by a cutting machine such that tobacco leaf sheets of 15 cm to 20 cm wide were obtained. The material thus obtained, containing the whole leaf of tobacco, was then subjected to conditioning, whereby the moisture content was determined at a level of 24%. Subsequently, the material was submitted for shredding, each species individually, in a Kwester SM11 type mill with a disc spacing of 0.3 mm.

Successful products obtained by grinding tobacco types B and C also appeared to be acceptable to certain claims of the present invention, while the product obtained by grinding tobacco type A consisted of a mixture of fine tobacco leaf particles and unprocessed tobacco leaf stem sections.

A review of material containing tobacco type A, when removed from packages, showed that tobacco leaf stalks were sufficiently thick and even had a woody shape.

THE EXPERIMENT

Experiment 5 was repeated except that all material containing the whole leaf of tobacco species A, B, and C was mixed before being submitted to conditioning. After conditioning, the moisture content of the material was 24%. After passing through such blended material through a Kwester-type mill, the resulting product met the requirements of this invention, despite the fact that this product contained a relatively small amount of unprocessed tobacco leaf stalks. The unprocessed pieces of tobacco leaf stalks were quite simply removed from the product by soaking.

THE EXPERIMENT

Thin tobacco leaf strips were mixed with tobacco leaf stems in a weight ratio of 80:20. This mixture of materials, at a moisture content of 24%, was submitted to Kwester for shredding

SM11 type mill with 0.3 mm disc spacing. In addition, steam was supplied to the mill at a pressure of 1 bar. As a result of the comminution, a product was obtained at the outlet of the mill which complied with the requirements of the present invention, that is, had a homogeneous, flowing mixture consisting of fine tobacco leaf particle particles and tobacco leaf stem particles.

THE EXPERIMENT

The material containing the whole tobacco leaf, which was formed by cutting the tobacco leaves into separate sheets, was mixed with strips of thin tobacco leaf sheets in the ratio of 10:90. This mixture of materials, at a moisture content of 24%, was subjected to grinding in a Kwester SM11 type mill, where the disc space was set at 0.3 mm. In addition, steam was fed to the mill at a pressure of 1 bar. As a result of the comminution, a product was obtained at the outlet of the mill which complied with the requirements of the present invention, that is, had a homogeneous, flowing mixture consisting of fine tobacco leaf particle particles and tobacco leaf stem particles.

THE EXPERIMENT

The material containing the whole tobacco leaf and formed by cutting the tobacco leaf packs into individual sheets was mixed with tobacco leaf stems in a ratio of 60:40. This mixture of materials, at a moisture content of 24%, was subjected to grinding in a Kwester SM11 type mill, where the disc space was set at 0.3 mm. In addition, steam was supplied to the mill at a pressure of 1 bar. As a result of the comminution, a product was obtained at the outlet of the mill which complied with the requirements of the present invention, that is, had a homogeneous, flowing mixture consisting of fine tobacco leaf particle particles and tobacco leaf stem particles.

In Experiments 7,8 and 9, each of the three materials used, that is, thin tobacco leaf stems, tobacco leaf stems and whole tobacco leaf, was obtained by mixing three types of tobacco from Zimbabwe and described by analyzing Fig. 5.

THE EXPERIMENT

Three types of material, repeatedly smoked for drying, having a tobacco leaf that is shipped from the United States, were cut by a cutting machine. The tobacco leaf sheets were cut from 15 cm to 20 cm wide when the tobacco leaf packages were cut. The resulting materials of each species having a whole leaf of tobacco were then blended. Subsequently, the mixed material was submitted to conditioning, which resulted in a moisture content of 28%. Subsequently, the blended material was submitted for milling to a Bayer 400 type mill where the disc spacing was set at 3.9 mm and the spin speed of each disc was set at 700 rpm. These mill discs are those mentioned above, which are discs 325 and 326. The discs have linear projections on the working surfaces which are rib-shaped and stretched in an annular direction. The grinding mill is equipped with air strings, which guarantee the delivery of tobacco material through the feed openings located on the first of the above discs.

The crushed product thus obtained has a homogeneous, flowing mixture of fine tobacco leaf particle particles and tobacco leaf stem particles, and the process of obtaining this product has been controlled such that all of the resulting crushing output is suitable for cigarette production in conventional cigarette making machines.

t

As a result of the experiment, it was found that using a Bayer 400 type grinding mill requires higher moisture values for the starting material having the tobacco leaf than when using the Kwester SM11 type mill.

THE EXPERIMENT

An ordinary American, exposed to smoky drying, was screened with 100 grams of material consisting of thin sheets of tobacco leaf using special screening apparatus. The apparatus referred to consists of a housing in which five horizontal nets are placed on top of each other. The mesh size of these sieves is 1.98, 1.40, 1.14, 0.81 and 0.53 mm, respectively, when viewed from top to bottom. The screening test apparatus also consists of a feed unit which provides for the back and forth movement of the test piece weighing the installation body and the screening nets inside the body. One hundred grams were evenly distributed along the top surface of the sieve screen, then a 10-minute feeder was started. At the end of the 10-minute period, the portion of material that remained on the top four sieves gathered. The part of the material that collected on the lower sieve screen as well as that which passed through this screen was treated as fine dispersible dust and was discarded.

An additional 0.5 gram sample was taken from the four fractions obtained and subsequently distributed on appropriate surfaces such that each of the fine particles of tobacco leaf sheets was separated in an appropriate manner from the other. The geometric sizes of each of the additional samples thus obtained were submitted for analysis using a model Magiscan 2 image analyzer provided by Joyce-Loable. Data such as particle area (two-dimensional), particle length (maximum linear size), and particle periphery length were obtained using an image analyzer.

Based on the data thus obtained, a histogram was made characterizing the relationship between the value of the particle shape coefficient and the frequency with which this value occurred (Fig. 3). A diagram characterizing the relationship between particle length and shape factor was also made (Fig. 5).

THE EXPERIMENT

A sample of 100 grams of the product of the present invention, obtained by grinding a material consisting of a whole sheet of American tobacco exposed to smoky drying at a moisture content of% Kwester in a grinding mill, was 0.3 mm. for sifting. The sieving procedure indicated was analogous to that detailed in Experiment 11. After that, the geometric characteristics of the four 0.5 grams of additional specimens taken from the four upper sieve nets, i.e. free from fine-dispersed dust samples were provided for analysis as well as in Experiment 11.

Based on the data thus obtained, a histogram of the dependence of the shape factor value on the frequency of occurrence of such value and a sifting diagram characterizing the relationship between the particle length and the shape factor for them was made. This histogram and graph are shown in Figures 4 and 6, respectively.

The histograms provided in the drawing 3 and 4, the comparison shows that the product of the present invention (Fig. 4) has clear substantial differences from the conventional material consisting of cut thin sheets of tobacco leaves (Fig. 3). On review of all this, it can be said, for example, that for a conventional material consisting of cut thin sheets of tobacco leaf, about 80% of the material from which the fine dispersed material is isolated has a shape factor of 0.5 or even less while being a product of the invention. 75% of the material from which the fine dispersed material is isolated has a shape factor of 0.5 or more.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, it can be seen that the two materials mentioned have clearly different characteristics.

THE EXPERIMENT

The three types of tobacco A, B, and C described in Experiment 5, a conventional material consisting of cut thin tobacco leaf sheets and mixed with a moisture content of 12.5%, were placed in a 125 mL laboratory chemical container without affecting the contents of the container. under pressure. This laboratory vessel was then inverted on a flat horizontal surface and subsequently raised vertically upwards. As a result, a slip of material consisting of cut thin sheets of tobacco leaves is shown in Fig. 7. As can be seen from this figure, the angle of the given material for the respective horizon is approximately 90 degrees.

THE EXPERIMENT

An additional 13 experiments were conducted. However, in this case, a product meeting the requirements of the present invention was obtained, which was obtained from a whole tobacco leaf consisting of a mixture of three types A, B and C described in Experiment 5. The moisture content of this product is 12.5%. The result of this experiment is the formation of a material slide, shown in Fig. 8. The size of the angle formed by the specified material for the respective horizon is approximately 33 degrees.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8. Here again, it is apparent that the characteristics of a conventional material consisting of cut thin sheets of tobacco leaves and a material which is a product according to the invention are substantially different.

THE EXPERIMENT

The three materials, respectively, were the strips of Virginia leaf thin sheets, the strips of thin Berley leaves and the thin strips of Oriental tobacco, each of which had a primary coating, that is, was treated with a special agent.

which provided smoke modification, were fed into the hopper along with the tobacco leaf stalks to form a mixture containing each of the four substances in the ratios of 44%, 23%, 16% and 17%, respectively.

Such a mixture of four materials, at a moisture content of 24%, was fed into a Bayer 400 mill with a working space of 2.7 mm and rotating at 700 rpm. Subsequently, the product was dried to provide a moisture content of 14.5% and subsequently fed to a cigarette making machine, Molins MK, type 9.5. The apparatus described above produced cigarettes containing 100% fill of the product obtained in this experiment.

Claims (14)

DEFINITION OF INVENTION 1. A tobacco leaf tobacco material consisting of a mixture of fine leaf tobacco leaves and tobacco leaf stalk particles having a tilt angle of not more than 45 ° and 60% or more of the fine leaf particles separated from the thin stems, non-dusty, has a shape factor set at a ratio 4nXplot (perimeter) ² and at least 0.5. 2. A smoking material according to claim 1, characterized in that the angle of inclination of the thin sheet particles does not exceed 35 °. 3. A smoking material according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the shape factor of at least 70% of the thin sheet particles is at least 0.5. ⁴ 4. A method of preparing tobacco leaf for smoking material, comprising passing thin sheets and tobacco leaf stalks through a crushing apparatus having two working members, including a passage for movement of said tobacco leaf particles, wherein said tobacco leaf thin stems and stalks are shredding apparatus at a total moisture content higher than the moisture content of the particles fed to the apparatus to obtain at its outlet a mixture of fine tobacco leaf blushes and stems of smoke-forming material. 5. A method according to claim 4, characterized in that the thin tobacco leaf sticks which are passed through the chopping apparatus are previously separated from their respective tobacco leaf stems. 6. A method as claimed in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the layers of tobacco leaves passing through the grinding apparatus are previously separated from the respective tobacco sheets. 7. A process according to any one of claims 4-6, wherein the resulting smoking material is bulk. 8. A process as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the moisture content of at least a large portion of the material consisting of tobacco leaves passed through the grinding apparatus exceeds the moisture content of the resulting material. 9. A method according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the tobacco leaves are fed into a shredding apparatus under the effect of a gravity. 10. A method according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that the thin sheets and stalks of the tobacco leaves are passed through the crushing apparatus only once. 11. A method according to any one of claims 4 to 10, characterized in that, during rolling of the tobacco leaves, steam is introduced through the crushing apparatus at low pressure and begins to come into contact with the tobacco leaves. A method according to any one of claims 4 to 11, characterized in that the tobacco leaves are fed and passed through a shredding apparatus at the outlet of the installation due to reduced air pressure. 13. A method of preparing tobacco leaves to obtain a smokable material, comprising passing thin sheets and tobacco leaf stalks through a crushing apparatus having two equally large movable working members with a passage characterized in that the thin sheets and tobacco leaf stalks are formed. prepares all tobacco leaves at the same time, passing through the passage between the operating elements, and has a higher total moisture content than the amount of moisture of the resulting smoking material consisting of a mixture of tobacco leaf stem particles for particle exit. 14. A method of obtaining a smoking material for the manufacture of a cigarette, comprising the step of dividing a portion of the tobacco leaf packet by passing a portion of the tobacco leaf packet through a grinding mill to form a smoking material consisting of a mixture of tobacco leaf thin leaves and stems. moreover, the total moisture content of the mixture is higher than the moisture content of the tobacco leaves fed to the mill.