IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING, BLOWING, SOUTORING AND PREPARING COTTON. AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Lord, Thomas Lord, Abraham Lord, and
William Lord, of Todmorden, in the County of York, Machine Makers,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING, BLOWING,
SOUTORING AND PREPARING COTTON. AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 30th December 1856, and dated the 25th July 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Lord, Thomas
Lord, Abraham Lord, and William Lord at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 25th July 1856.
We, EDWARD LORD, THOMAS LORD, ABRAHAM LORD, and WILLIAM LORD, of
Todmorden, in the County of York, Machine Makers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING,
BLOWING, SCUTCHING AND PREPARING COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to
be as follows:-
This Invention consists, first, in certain improvements upon the machinery
for scutching or opening cotton and other fibrous substances, for which Letters
Patent were granted to the above-named Edward Lord on the Third day of
November, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three. Our present improve-

page_text: ments consist in the application of one or more rollers furnished with teeth for
taking the cotton or other fibrous material from the feeding apparatus on
which it has been deposited when taken from the bales, as described in the
Specification of the Letters Patent above referred to; also in making the
feeding apron move up and down, or through the arc of a circle, when
delivering the cotton or other fibrous substance to the said roller or rollers.
When the cotton or other fibrous substance is fed in at such a depth that one
pair of rollers will not hold it securely, two or more pairs of feeding rollers are
employed. The feeding rollers have claws or teeth on their circumferences,
(one of each pair of rollers being supported in moveable bearings, to allow
them to press on the fibrous substance,) and revolve slowly, and deliver the
cotton or other fibrous substance to a toothed cylinder or beater. In some
cases we employ two or more toothed cylinders or beaters, acting in succession
on the fibrous substances, and then delivering them to the perforated cagos,
forming part of the ordinary machine for opening and scutching. The teeth
of the cylinders which take the fibrous substance from the feeding rollers are
stamped, or otherwise made of thin plates of steel or other metal, of such a
shape, that when the outer part is worn away the position of the plate is
reversed, so as to bring the other end to act on the cotton or other fibrous
substance. These plates are attached to disks, placed at right angles or
obliquely on their axis, or the axis of the cylinder may be placed obliquely, so
as to equalize the action of the teeth. We also in some cases place the
feeding apron or apparatus at right angles, or nearly so, to the opener or
scutcher. The fibrous substance is deposited into a hopper or other recep-
tacle, into which it falls in position for being acted upon edgeways of the
layers. In this arrangement the toothed cylinders are placed below the hopper
or other receptacle, and revolve either in fixed bearings, or the bearings have
a to-and-fro motion.
Another of our improvements consists in making the doors placed under the
grids of openers, blowers, and scutchers to open and close periodically by
means of self-acting machinery, instead of performing that operation by hand,
as hitherto. This self-acting machinery consists of a rod connected to levers
fixed on the fulcrum shafts of the doors, and liberated when the lap is full, or
at any other period, or by other mechanism; also in connecting the several
doors of such machines to the same handle, so that by moving the handle by
hand, the doors, so connected, may be opened and closed simultaneously.
Our Invention also consists in the combination of differential wheels with
the machinery described in the Specification of the Letters Patent before

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Lord, Thomas Lord, Abraham Lord, and William
Lord in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th January 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWARD
LORD, THOMAS LORD, ABRAHAM LORD, and WILLIAM LORD, of Todmorden, in
the County of York, Machine Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Edwar Lord, Thomas Lord, Abraham Lord, and William Lord, Her special
license that we, the said Edward Lord, Thomas Lord, Abraham Lord, and
William Lord, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said Edward Lord, Thomas Lord, Abraham Lord, and William Lord,.
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING,
BLOWING, SCUTCHING AND PREPARING COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Edward Lord, Thomas
Lord, Abraham Lord, and William Lord, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our or their, or one of our or their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Edward Lord, Thomas Lord, Abraham
Lord, and William Lord, do hereby declare the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement (that is to say) :-
The nature of our Invention consists in certain combinations of machinery
for opening, blowing and scutching cotton, and other fibrous substances, being

page_text: improvements upon the machinery for the same purpose for which former
Letters Patent were granted to the above-named Edward Lord.
Secondly, in an improved mode of constructing toothed rollers for blowers,
openers, and scutchers.
Thirdly, in making the doors placed under the grids of openers, blowers,
and scutchers to open and close periodically by means of self-acting machinery,
instead of performing that operation by hand, as hitherto; also in con-
necting the doors of such machines to the same handle, so that by moving
the handle by hand the doors so connected may be opened and closed simul-
taneously.
And, lastly, in the combination of differential wheels with the machinery
for regulating the feed of blowers and other machines for preparing cotton
and other fibrous substances, described in the Specifications of the Letters
Patent above referred to, whereby the cone strap has only to communicato
the power required to compensate for the variations in the thickness of the
fibrous substances supplied to the said machines.
In order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, we will proceed to describe the means pursued by us, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters, figures, and
arrows marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of part of a machine for opening
cotton and other fibrous substances constructed according to our improve-
ments; Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 an end view, of parts of the machine
shown in Fig. 1. a is a feeding apron of the usual construction, passing
over the rollers a' and a²; these rollers revolve in bearings attached to the
swing frame b, whose fulcrum is at b. c is a second feeding apron, passing
over the rollers c¹ and c, which also revolve in bearings attached to the swing
frame; below the feeding apron c is a sheet metal or other partition c³. d'and
dare a pair of feeding rollers to carry forward the fibrous substances on the
apron a; and e and e' are a second pair of feeding rollers to carry forward the
fibrous substances on the apron c; the bearings of these feeding rollers and
those of the cross shaft f are also attached to the swing frame b, which is
noved slowly up and down at the delivering end (when the shaft f revolves) by
means of the levers f¹, fixed to the shaft f, and jointed to the vibrating bars f
whose fulcrum is the cross shaft f³. The feeding rollers d, d', e and e¹ are
made with claws or teeth on their circumferences, and these claws or teeth are
so set, that the points are not in a line with their axes, the object being to
secure a better hold on the fibrous substance carried forward by them, and

page_text: presented to the action of the toothed rollers g, h, i, j, and k. The teeth of
these rollers are made, by preference, by stamping plates of steel to the required
shape; each plate is made with two teeth, and as each plate is bolted or other-
wise fixed to a disk, it is evident that when one edge or point has become
worn, the plate may be taken off, turned round, and again attached to the disk,
so as to bring the other edge or point to act on the fibrous substance. The
points of the teeth of these rollers are set so that they do not run parallel with
the axes of the rollers, in order that their action may be more equal on the
fibrous substances to be opened or cleaned. The teeth on the rollers 9, h, i, j,
and I, instead of being placed as shown in Fig. 2, namely, at right angles to
the axis of the roller, may be placed obliquely, as shewn in Fig. 4; or the
axes of the rollers may be placed obliquely, to equalize the action of the teeth
on the fibrous substance. The rollers h, j, and k have grids of the usual con-
struction under them, to allow the dirt loosened by their action on the fibrous
substance to drop through them, and the fibrous substance, after being acted
upon by the roller k, passes over the grid 1, described in the Specification of
former Letters Patent granted to the within-named Edward Lord, and then
between the perforated sheet metal cages m and n, from whence it is taken
through rollers and operated upon by one or more beaters, in the usual manner;
or it may be at once formed into a lap by the lap rollers o, which in that
case would be placed close to the cages m and n. The swing frame 6 is
made to move up and down, and the rollers a¹ and c¹ of the feeding aprons a
and c and the feed rollers d, d¹, e and e', are made to revolve in the following
manner:-
.
The side shaft of the machine marked p is continued to the end of the
feeding apron, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3; to this shaft is fixed a pinion p³,
gearing in the carrier pinion p²; to this pinion is fixed the pinion p³, gearing
into the pinion p', which gears into the pinion g' fixed on the shaft q, which
revolves in bearings fixed to the swing frame b. To the shaft 2 is also fixed
the screw wheel ³, gearing into the screw wheel f' fixed to the cross shaft f.
These screw wheels in revolving give the requisite up-and-down motion
to the end of the swing frame 6 by the levers f¹, vibrating bars f, and fulcrum
shaft f, before described. The worm ³ at the end of the shaft q gears into
the worm wheel d³ on the roller d, thereby causing it to rotate slowly; the
motion of the roller d is communicated to the roller d' by the spur wheels,
shewn by dotted circles in Fig. 1, and to the roller a' of the feeding apron a by
the pinion d, which by a carrier drives the wheel a³ on the roller a¹. The
feeding apron c is put in motion by the pinion d' on tho roller d' gearing into
the pinion e² on the roller e; to this roller is also fixed the pinion e³, which by

page_text: means of a carrier gives motion to the pinion on the roller c'; the top
roller is driven by spur wheels from the roller e, as shewn by dotted circles.
The side levers r, one of which is shown in Fig. 1, are connected to the
swing frame 6 by a link or chain at one end, and at the other end the weight
¹ is suspended to them; this weight is to counterbalance the swing frame b
and parts connected to it. By the above-described gearing the feed rollers and
the feeding aprons have their-respective rotating, advancing, and up-and-down
motions imparted to them, thereby bringing forward and presenting the fibrous
substance to the action of the toothed rollers 9 and h, which revolve in.
stationary bearings. These toothed rollers revolve rapidly in the directions
of the arrows marked upon them, being driven by a belt, shewn by a dotted
line; and this belt drives the other toothed rollers i, j, and k at increasing
velocities, being taken round pulleys of suitable diameters, indicated by dotted
circles in Fig. 1.
We wish it to be understood we do not limit ourselves to the number or
arrangement of the toothed rollers, nor to the velocity at which they are made
to revolve, the same being capable of considerable variations; we would also
observe that, in some cases a single feeding apron and one pair of feed rollers
may be employed, and the upper feed roller or rollers may be supported
in moveable bearings to allow the roller or rollers to press on the fibrous
substance passing between the feed rollers.
In Fig. 1 we have also shewn our improvements in working the doors
placed under the grids of openers, blowers, and other machines of the liko
nature. Below the grid are placed the four doors s, s, constructed and sup-
ported in the usual manner; to the axis of each door is fixed a lever s¹, the
door near the cage n being also furnished with a tooth segments. The levers
¹ are connected together by a rod s³, and the segment s³ gears into a rack in
the bar s; this bar extends the whole length of the machine, and when two or
more grids similar to Z are employed, the doors of these grids are connected
together and worked in the manner shewn. To the left-hand end of the bar s
is connected a chain or cord, passing over the pulleys and attached to the
weight books. The stud t is fixed to any convenient part of the framing of
the machine; this stud supports the elbow lever t, the longer arm of which
has a catch taking into a notch in the bar st; the shorter arm has a pin, which
is acted upon, when the lap is full, by the agency of the pinions u and u¹
which are common to blowing machines, and give motion to the bent lever u
when the projections on their faces coincide. The Drawing shews the lap
roller partly full. As soon as a certain length of the fleece has been wound on
the lap roller, the two projections on the pinions and u² coincide, and force

page_text: the pinion u in the direction of the arrow; the bent lever u³ then acting on the
pin in the elbow lever t³ raises the catch out of the notch in the bar st, and the
doors s being no longer held up drop suddenly down, thereby allowing the dirt
that had accumulated on them to fall into the receptacle below. When the
full lap has been taken away and an empty one put in its place the weight
hook s descends, thereby drawing the bar in the direction of the arrow until
the catch of the lever t¹ again drops in the notch of the bar s; the doors s are
then closed. If it should be desirable to open the doors s by hand instead of
by the self-acting apparatus, above described, the bar s' is cut off near the last
rack and continued to the feeding end of the machine, where it is connected
to the handle s', by moving which all the doors are opened or closed simul-
taneously.
On Sheet 2, Figs. 5 and 6 represent two views of another modification
of our improvements in machinery for opening cotton and other fibrous
substances. The feeding apron a in this arrangement delivers the fibrous
substance into a hopper b, near the lower part of which are placed the two pairs
of feeding rollers d, d³, e and e', similar to those above described in reference to
Figs. 1 and 2. Below these feed rollers is a toothed roller g, which may be
made of the peculiar construction shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, or in any other
manner; this roller, in addition to a rapid rotary motion, has a vibrating motion
from the fulcrums, being supported in levers and balanced by a weight >³ ;
the fibrous substance brought forward by the feed rollers and combed out by
the roller g is thrown on the grid l, and taken forward by the cages or cylinders
m and n, after passing between which it is formed into a lap, or disposed of in
any convenient manner. By this arrangement of machinery the fibrous
substance is presented to and acted upon by the roller g, with the layers lying
at right angles or nearly so to the direction of action of the roller.
Figs. 7 and 8 are an elevation and plan of part of a blower, to which our
improvements in combining differential wheels with the machinery for regu-
lating the feed according to the thickness of the fibrous substance supplied
to the machine is applied. is part of the feeding apron; y, one of the feeding
rollers; and w, part of the side shaft of the blower; to this shaft is fixed
a mitre wheel w¹³, gearing in the wheel w³, which with the wheel w³ is loose on
the axle of the feed roller y; the worm wheel y' is also loose on the axle of the
feed roller, and to it are fixed bearings for the carrier wheels y², both of which
gear into the wheel w³ and into the wheel y³, which latter is fixed to the axle
of the feed roller. The cone A, forming part of the machinery for which
former Letters Patent were granted to the within-named Edward Lord, is

page_text: turned round by the strap B, as described in the Specifications of the Letters
Patent above referred to, and above it is furnished with a worm C, gearing into
and giving motion to the worm wheel y'. The mode of operation is as
follows: The Drawing shows the parts in the positions they occupy when the
fibrous substance is supplied to the machine at its proper thickness, the feed
roller and the wheel w¹ revolving at the same velocity. As soon as the thick-
ness of feed increases beyond its proper limits the motion of the feed roller
y must-be retarded; the cone strap B is moved towards the larger end of the
cone A by the machinery described in the Specifications above referred to, and
in so doing reduces the velocity of the cone A, worm C, worm wheel y',
and feed roller y; the side shaft w, however, continues to revolve at its former
speed, and the carrier wheels y³ then transmit the motion of the wheel w' to
the wheel y, with the difference due to the velocity of the wheels w¹ and y¹.
The contrary action takes place when the feed is too thin. By this means the
cone strap has only to communicate the power required to compensate for the
variations in the thickness of the fibrous substances supplied to the machine,
and the action of the machinery is rendered much more effective than
heretofore. This last part of our Invention may be adapted to all machines
for opening, blowing, scutching, and preparing fibrous substances to which the
same is applicable.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit ourselves
to the details given, as they may be considerably varied without departing from
the peculiar character thereof; but what we claim is,-
First, the general arrangement and combination of the machinery, shewn
and described in reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, for opening, blowing, and
scutching fibrous substances.
Secondly, the combination of two or more toothed rollers or beaters, each
provided with a separate feeding apparatus, for opening, blowing, and scutching
fibrous substance, as shewn and described in reference to Figure 1.
Thirdly, the improved mode of constructing the toothed rollers marked g, h,
i, j, and k in Figs. 1 and 2.
Fourthly, placing the teeth of toothed rollers obliquely to their axis, as
shewn Fig 4.
Fifthly, the general arrangement and combination of the machinery, shewn
and described in reference to Figs. 5 and 6, for opening, blowing, and scutching
fibrous substances, and placing the feed apron at right angles to the machino.
Sixthly, connecting the doors of the grids of openers, blowers, and scutchers

page_text: in the manner and for the purposes shewn and described in reference to
Fig. 1.
And, lastly, combining differential wheels with the machinery for regulating
the feed of blowers and other machines for preparing fibrous substances, as
shewn and described in reference to Figs. 7 and 8.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Lord, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
EDW. LORD. (L.S.)