IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Crighton, William Crighton the younger, and
Spencer Crighton, all of the Castlefield Iron Works, Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS."
Sealed the 23rd March 1877, and dated the 1st January 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Crighton, William
Crighton the younger, and Spencer Crighton at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents on the 1st January 1877.
WILLIAM CRIGHTON, WILLIAM CRIGHTON the younger, and SPENCER CRIGHTON,
all of the Castlefield Iron Works, Manchester, in the. County of Lancaster.
"IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON
AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Our Invention relates to the machinery employed in the opening and cleaning of
cotton and other fibrous materials, and having beaters revolving around vertical,
inclined, or horizontal axes.
In a class of opener to which our Invention is particularly applicable the fibrous
material is fed into a cage at or near one end thereof, and is delivered through an
opening at or near the other end, but we do not confine ourselves to the application
to this class of openers.
According to the first part of our Invention we divide the issuing fibrous material
into two or more distinct deliveries, or we cause the fibrous material to be delivered
through two or more openings situated at different points around the axis of the
beater, and we obtain a distinct delivery from each opening or two or more distinct
deliveries from each opening.
•
A second part of our Invention consists in applying two or more lap machines, or
two or more sets of cleaning apparatus to one opener. This we accomplish. either
by applying a lap machine or cleaning apparatus to each one of two or more
delivery openings or sets of openings, or by applying a double lapping machine or
cleaning apparatus, that is to say, a machine or apparatus making two laps or
deliveries of fibrous material to one delivery opening or set of openings, or to each
one or set of two or more openings or sets of openings: The said lapping machine
CD

page_text: or apparatus is provided with two revolving cages which receive the cotton as it is
discharged from the said opening, one cage taking forward a portion of the cotton,
and the other cage another portion thereof. The two portions of cotton thus
divided travel in opposite or different directions, and are operated upon by usual or
suitable apparatus, as for example, each portion may be subjected to the action of a
scutcher beater or of two or more scutcher beaters.
A third part of our Invention consists in attaching fan blades, or screw blades, or
air propelling appliances to the revolving beaters or beater shafts of cotton openers
in order to obtain an increased inlet draught when it is desirable to draw or suck
the cotton from distant feed inlets through pipes or shutes.
A remaining part of our Invention relates to the cages of the aforesaid openers
and lap machines, and is also applicable to other classes and descriptions of openers,
lap machines, scutchers, and machinery of a like nature. We divide the cage or
each cage in the machine into compartments by means of partitions extending to
the inner circumference of the cage, each partition being curved or bent, or being
partly flat and partly curved, the curves extending backwards as compared with
the direction of motion of the cage, so that as the cage revolves the compartments
are brought in succession into communication with the openings leading to the
fans.
:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Crighton, William Crighton the younger, and Spencer
Crighton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th June 1877.
WILLIAM CRIGHTON, WILLIAM CRIGHTON the younger, and SPENCER CRIGHTON,
"IM-
all of the Castlefield Iron Works, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster.
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON
AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Our Invention relates to the machinery employed in the opening and cleaning of
cotton and other fibrous materials, and having beaters revolving around vertical,
inclined, or horizontal axes.
In a class of opener to which our Invention is particularly applicable the fibrous
material is fed into a cage at or near one end thereof, and is delivered through an
opening at or near the other end; but we do not confine ourselves to the application
of our Invention to this class of openers.
According to the first part of our Invention we divide the issuing material into
.two or more distinct deliveries, or we cause the material to be delivered through
two or more openings situated at different points around the axis of the beater, and
we obtain a distinct delivery from each opening, or two or more distinct deliveries
from the opening or from each opening. In the case of a vertical opener, such for
example as the machine known as the Crighton opener, we in some cases deliver
the material through two or more openings situated on different sides of the
machine, so that if desirable the material can be conveyed in different directions,
and if desirable the material issuing from one opening can be subjected to different
treatment to the material issuing from the other opening or openings. In other
cases we divide the delivery of material issuing from an opening so as to obtain
two or more separated deliveries of material from the opening.
A second part of our Invention consists in applying two or more lap machines or
two or more sets of cleaning apparatus, or of apparatus for treating the opened
material to one opener or to a combination of openers having two or more beaters
or cylinders.
1
"
A third part of our Invention consists in attaching fan blades, or screw blades, or
.air propelling appliances to the revolving beaters or beater shafts of "Crighton's'
openers, in order to obtain an increased inlet draught when it is desirable to suck
or draw the material from distant feed inlets through pipes or shutes.

page_text: A remaining part of our Invention relates to the cages of the combined openers
and lap machines or apparatus constructed in accordance with. the second part of
our Invention, and is also applicable generally to other classes and descriptions of
openers, lap machines, scutchers, and machinery of a like nature. We divide the
cage or each cage in the machine into compartments by means of partitions extending
to the inner circumference of the cage, each partition being curved or bent, or being
partly flat and partly curved, the curves extending backwards as compared with
the direction of motion of the cage, so that as the cage revolves the compartments
are brought in succession into communication with the openings leading to the
fans.
And in order that our Invention may be readily described and understood, we
have appended hereunto two Sheets of Drawings marked with letters of reference.
The Drawings on Sheet 1 are illustrative of the first and second parts of our
Invention, and are made to a scale of about one-twentieth of the full linear
dimensions.
Referring to Sheet I, Fig. 1 represents an elevation of "Crighton's opener" com-
bined with two lap machines; and Fig. 2 represents a plan of the arrangement.
In this example A represents the said opener, and B, C, the two lap machines. The
said opener is formed with two distinct delivery openings situated on opposite sides
of the rectangular casing which encloses the revolving beater. The material issuing
from one opening proceeds to the lap machine B, and the material issuing from the
other opening proceeds to the lap machine C, the material thus travelling in opposite
directions from the opener. The machine B is driven from the countershaft d by
means of a strap which acts upon the pulley e. The said pulley is fixed on a shaft
from which the fluted lap sustaining rollers, the calender rollers, and other parts
receive motion. A shaft extends to the machine C and actuates the fluted rollers,
from which the calender rollers and other parts receive motion. A clutch or other
appliance is provided for arresting the motion of the calender rollers when required,
the fluted rollers continuing to revolve; or the clutch may be mounted on the
shaft f so as to stop the fluted rollers as well as the other parts without interfering
with the action of the machine B. Other suitable driving arrangements may be
employed. We have shown two lap machines in connection with the opener for
convenience of representation.
In some cases single beater scutchers or scutchers having more than one beater
may be applied in a similar manner, or a scutcher may be applied on one side and a
lap machine on the other side, or other cleaning or treating apparatus may be
applied either in lieu of or in addition to the lap machines or scutchers.
In some cases we so construct the machinery as that the material may be
delivered through one opening to a lap machine or cleaning apparatus, and thro
another opening the material may be delivered, as in the case of openers not
combined with other apparatus; or the delivery openings may be provided with
doors or shutters so that the material or part of it may either be delivered to a lap
machine or cleaning apparatus through one opening, or be simply discharged from
the opener through another delivery opening.
It must also be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the number of lap
machines, scutchers, or sets of apparatus applied to a single opener or combination of
openers, as we may apply as many sets of apparatus as the opener is capable of
supplying, such sets of apparatus either radiating from the opener or being other-
wise arranged.
In Sheet 2 Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating another arrangement of the lap
machines. In this example the two lap machines G and H are so arranged in
combination with an opener A, as that the cages g and h are brought near together
below the delivery opening which is at i. The said cages are by preference driven
in opposite directions, and the material issuing from the opener divides into two
portions, one portion proceeding through the machine G and the other portion
through the machine H.
.

page_text: Scutchers or other apparatus for cleaning or treating the issuing material may be
substituted for the lap machine, or for one of them.
In addition to the two lap machines or sets of apparatus arranged as indicated,
other lap machines or sets of apparatus may be similarly applied on the opposite
side of the opener, or another set or other sets of apparatus may be applied in the
manner indicated on Sheet 1, or be otherwise suitably applied to receive the cotton
issuing from the delivery openings of the opener.
Although we prefer to employ the opener known as "Crighton's opener," combined
with other apparatus, we do not confine ourselves to this opener.
It must be understood that our Invention is applicable either to "single" openers,
having only one cylinder or "beater," or to double or combined openers, having
more than one cylinder or beater.
Fig. 4 indicates the manner in which two lap machines or sets of apparatus may
be applied to an opener having a beater revolving on a horizontal axis. In this
example the fibrous material issues through one opening to the apparatus J and
through another opening to the apparatus K. In addition to these deliveries
material issuing through an upper or lower opening may be conveyed into a third
set of apparatus extending forwards in the same line as the axis of motion of the
beater or thereabouts.
Fig. 5 illustrates the third part of our Invention, and represents a vertical section
of part of one of "Crighton's openers" with our present improvement applied thereto.
To the lower end of the beater shaft L is attached a boss m, to or on which are
fixed or formed screw blades n, n. The said blades are suitably formed to increase
the upward current of air. Two, three, or more blades, or only a single blade may
be employed, as preferred or found to be desirable, and the forms and proportions of
the blades, and the pitch of the screw, may be varied according to the requirements
in each case, or fan blades may be employed in place of screw blades. The fibrous
material may be conveyed into the openers through horizontal, inclined, or vertical
pipes or shutes, which may be of such lengths as may be necessary to convey the
material by the suction of the draught the required distances from the inlet to the
opener; as, for example, the inlet end of the feed pipe or shute may be in a lower
room in which the material is unpacked, and the opener be in a higher room, say
one, two, or more stories above the said lower room.
Fig. 6 is an illustration of the remaining part of our Invention. In this example
o represents the periphery of one of the cages of the lap machines indicated in the
Drawings, or of other lap machines, scutchers, or similar apparatus. The said cago
is divided into six compartments, by means of the partitions p. p. The said
partitions are radials from the axis of the cage, with the exception of their outer
ends, which are curved backwards and connected with the periphery of the cage;
one of the openings leading to the fan is seen at r; it will be seen that one side of
the opening corresponds in form with the said partitions. As the cage revolves each
compartment as it passes the openings is partially exhausted by the action of the
fan, but when any compartment has entirely passed the said openings the com-
munication with the fan is shut off, the consequence being that the material is
released by the cage, the said material being no longer held by the drawing action
of the fan.
If preferred each partition may be curved throughout its length, from the central
boss to the periphery of the cage, or thereabouts, or the straight portion of each
partition may be a tangent to a circle inscribed around the axis of the cage, or the
number of compartments may be other than six.
Having now fully described and indicated the nature of our said Invention, and
means. whereby the same may be carried into effect, and also indicated certain
arrangements which may be adopted, we would have it to be understood, in
conclusion, that we claim with reference to "openers,"
First. So forming and arranging openers, either alone or combined with other
apparatus, as that two or more distinct deliveries of fibrous material are obtained

page_text: from one delivery opening, or from each delivery opening, or two or more deliveries
from two or more delivery openings.
Secondly. Combining two or more lap machines or scutchers, or two or more sets
of apparatus, for cleaning or treating fibrous materials with one opener, in such a
manner as that the fibrous material issuing from one delivery opening is received
and treated by one set of apparatus, and the material issuing from another delivery
opening is received and treated by another set of apparatus.
Thirdly. Combining two or more sets of apparatus with one opener in such a
manner as that the fibrous material issuing from one delivery opening is divided
and received and treated by two or more sets of apparatus.
Fourthly. The application of a screw or fan blade, or of two or more screw or
fan blades, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated herein-before,
and in Fig. 5 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fifthly. The arrangements and combinations of apparatus substantially as and
for the purposes set forth, and indicated herein-before and in and by the accom-
panying Drawings.
And, lastly. With reference to the cages of lap machines, scutchers, and like
apparatus, the division of the cage into separate compartments by means of
partitions formed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
indicated herein-before, and in and by Fig. 6 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Spencer Crighton, for myself and on behalf of
the said William Crighton and William Crighton the younger, have hereunto
attached my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Signed and sealed by the said
Spencer Crighton,
in the presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent to the Patentees,
3, Princess Street,
Manchester.
SPENCER CRIGHTON. (L.S.)