Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Grinding of Flats of Carding Engines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1894-Accepted, 16th June, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling the Grinding of Flats
of Carding Engines.
I, JOHN EDWARD PREST, of Whitinsville, in the County of Worcester, and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to the grinding of flats which are employed in carding
engines, and are arranged in endless chains, the wire being ground from their
working surfaces without removing them from their position on the carding
engine.
The invention consists essentially of a sliding or moving block adjustable as to
inclination or angle at its ends by means of adjustable slideways which support the
ends, whereby the block or slide may be adjusted to the angle of the bevel of the
flat and grind the wires to an exactly even length by slides which are independent
of the grinding mechanism and adjustable, all constructed substantially as described
below, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device, a sufficient portion of a carding engine
being shown to illustrate the operation of the invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional view, the section being taken vertically,-looking from
the inside, a portion of the grinding roller being represented as broken out.
Figure 3 is a cross vertical section.
Figure 4 is an enlarged elevation looking from the inside, a portion of the sliding
block being represented as broken out.
Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on line, Figure 4.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
a represents the grinding roller supported in bearings in the adjustable or
extensible bracket b secured to the bend d, all as now common. e is a weighted
lever, being the weight, pivoted at g to the bracket and formed into the
shape shown at el for the purpose of successively lifting up each flat to be
ground; not new in this invention. h is a screw for adjusting the height of the
lever. k is the cylinder, and is an ordinary endless chain carrying the flats A
over the guide or track m and over the part e¹ of the weighted lever which holds
them up to the grinding roller a in accordance with a well known principle or plan
in grinding flats.
Secured to the bracket 6 is the horizontal bracket or frame B. Pivoted at 1
and 2 respectively are two slideways C C, inclined as shown, the angles of
inclination being arranged by the vertical screws D D which turn in the frame and
set against the upper and under sides of blocks C¹ C¹ projecting into the
are-shaped openings B' in the frame B and pivotally secured at CC to the
slideways. Thus the operation of the screws sets the angles of the slideways by
allowing them to swing on their pivots 1 and 2. Each slideway is longitudinally
grooved at c, and in each groove moves a sliding block E, said blocks being
pivotally secured at E' to the opposite ends of the substantially horizontal sliding
bar or sliding grinding block F. The under side of this sliding bar F is provided

page_text: with an integral lug or projection F1, the face of which is substantially at right
angles with the bottom of the sliding bar but the rear side of which is at an obtuse
angle therewith.
Pivoted at I within a recess or vertical hole in the sliding bar F is a bell-crank
lever H whose lower arm is provided with a foot H. A spiral spring J has its
ends secured to the frame B at J₁, and to the sliding bar F by means of the
bracket J".
The operation is as follows: The sliding bar F is held normally toward the left,
as shown in full lines in Figure 4. A flat A advances, being carried by the chain l. It
strikes the projection F', and, while being forced up the incline e of the lever e,
carries the sliding bar along into the position shown by broken lines in Figure 4 and
full lines in Figure 2, and is ground by the wheel a. As the sliding grinding
bar F moves toward the right, it mounts the inclined slideway C and the upper
arm of the lever H strikes a horizontal arm or projection L (Figure 3) extending
from the upper edge of the frame B, and said arm is hence depressed to pass under
it causing the foot H' to be pushed down upon the surface of the flat until the
latter is forced below the projection F', instantly freeing the grinding bar F and
allowing it to be pulled back from the position shown in broken lines in Figure 4
into the position shown in full lines in said figure, ready to be engaged by the
next flat.
As will readily be seen, the screws D enable the adjusting blocks C to be raised
and lowered at will independently of each other and of the grinding bar and
mechanism. Thus the direction of the movement of the sliding or grinding bar F
may be determined and adjusted to a high degree of exactness, so that the grinding
line may be exactly parallel with the top surface of the flat without regard to the
iucline on the end of the flat, such incline being the part which is pressed up
against the under side of the sliding bar F. In other words, the ends of the
sliding grinding block are independently adjusted to the angle of the bevel of
the flat.
.
Having now particularly.described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An apparatus for controlling the grinding of flats of carding engines,
comprising a sliding grinding bar or block against which the flat bears as it is guided
to the grinding roller, and independently adjustable sliding supports for the ends of
said bar or block, whereby the direction of the movement thereof may be adjusted
to produce and correspond with the line of direction of the grinding of the flat,
substantially as set forth.
2. An apparatus for controlling the grinding of flats of carding engines,
comprising a sliding grinding bar or block against which the flat bears as it is
guided to the grinding roller, independently adjustable sliding supports for the
ends of said bar or block, and rotative slideways for said supports pivotally secured
to a frame and adapted to be set at different radii, whereby the direction of the
movement of the bar or block may be adjusted to produce and correspond with the
line of direction of the grinding of the flat, substantially as described.
3. The apparatus herein described for controlling the grinding of flats of carding
engines, comprising the frame B, the slideways Cc pivoted thereto, the grinding
bar or block F pivoted at its opposite ends to blocks E moving in said slideways,
means for adjusting the angles of said slideways, and the flats adapted to be guided
to and held against the under surface of the grinding bar, substantially as set
forth.
4. The apparatus herein described for controlling the grinding of flats of
carding. engines, comprising the frame B provided with the trip-bar L, the
slideways Ce pivoted to the frame, the grinding bar or block F pivoted at its
opposite ends to blocks E moving in said slideways and provided with the
projection F on its under side, means for adjusting the angles of the slideways, and

page_text: the lever H provided with the foot H' and pivoted to the grinding bar, all
constructed to operate substantially as described.
Dated this Tenth day of April 1894.
JOHN EDWARD PREST.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.