Peeling decorticator for producing undamaged natural fiber from bast fiber plants

Abstract

A plant stalk decorticator includes a pair of feed rollers arranged abutting one another along a substantially horizontal axis with a line of contact therebetween. A splitting wedge is positioned at least partially below the pair of feed rollers and aligned along a substantially vertical axis that is substantially centrally located in the line of contact between the pair of feed rollers, the splitting wedge is configured to split a plant stalk fed from the pair of feed rollers into two plant fiber bark sections. Symmetrical pairs of vertically stacked peeling rollers are positioned below the pair of feed rollers and laterally from either side of the substantially vertical axis. Each of the pairs of peeling rollers are configured to receive a respective one of the plant fiber bark sections from the splitting wedge and separate the plant fiber bark section from the respective other one of the plant fiber bark sections.