IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PRESSES FOR COM- PRESSING COTTON AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL
WHOM THESE
PRESENTS SHALL
ME, 1, THOMAS
CARDWELL, of Bombay, in the East Indies, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty. Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifteenth day of December, in the sixth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Cardwell, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Thomas Cardwell, my exors, adññors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thomas Cardwell, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and the Isles of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark,
and Man, and also in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad,
my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PRESSES FOR COM-
PRESSING COTTON AND OTHER ARTICLES;" in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso that I, the said Thomas Cardwell, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Cardwell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):-
My Invention relates to the means of giving motion to the followers of
presses for compressing cotton and other articles requiring to be pressed
into bales or trusses; and in order that the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, may be fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to explain the Drawing hereunto
annexed, in which the same letters of reference are used to indicate similar
parts in all the figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of part of a press constructed according
to my Invention, the lower part of the press being omitted; my Invention
only relating to the means of obtaining motion to the follower of the
press, I have only thought it necessary to show so much of the press
as will enable me fully to explain my improvements. It may, however, be
desirable to state, that the lower part of the press which is not shown
is of the ordinary construction, and which is well known, there being a
door at the front and back of the press, in order to get at the bale or
truss, in order to cord it, and then to remove it from the press, as is well
understood. Figure 2 shows a front view of the upper parts of the press;
Figure 3 a plan thereof; and Figure 4 shows the working parts separate from
the framing, and the trunk or box of the press. The follower works through
an upright trunk or box composed of iron frames a, a, at the sides, and b, b,
at the front and back, screwed strongly together by means of screws and
nuts c, c, as is shown. The under surface of the follower is grooved as usual,
and such is the case with the bottom of the press, to offer ready means of
cording the bales or trusses as they are made, which operations are well under-
stood, and the construction of the press from the point at which the dotted red
line (1) (1) is marked across the press downwards is of the ordinary con-
struction. The side framings a, a, are continued upwards considerably above
the line (1) (1), and these frames become the uprights of the press, to carry
some of the working parts; and the mechanical parts for giving motion to
the follower are so combined and applied as to cause the main strain, caused
by the pressure exerted on the cotton or other article, to be through these

page_text: 9,
side framings a, a. At the upper part of the framings a, a, are formed
bearings c¹, c', for the axis d, d, which axis has arms e, e, formed thereon.
At the lower ends of the arms e, e, are formed bearings for the pin or axis
which connects the connecting rods or frames h, h, to the arms e, e, as is
shewn; and this pin or axis g also receives the connecting rod i, hereafter
mentioned. The connecting rods h, h, are strongly framed together by
rods h', h¹, as is shewn; j, j, are two strong rods, affixed to the upper part of
the follower (there being an axis or pink, which passes through the upper
ends of these rods j, and through the lower ends of the connecting rods or
frames h, h; and on the two ends of the axis or pin k there are two friction
wheels 1, l, which in the movement of the follower up and down keep the
follower rods upright; and there are pulleys formed on the sides of the
rollers, for receiving the chain to which the balance weight is applied, as
hereafter explained. It will be evident that the parts d, e, f, g, h, i, j, and k,
should be made with great care, and I prefer to make them of the best
wrought iron. The connecting rod i at its other end is connected to a pin m,
of the sector ratchets n, the nature of which sector ratchets is clearly shewn
in the Drawing, the same consisting of two ratchets combined together,
each having a similar portion of a circle, and they move on an axis o, the
bearings of which are supported by the framings p, p, and the uprights q, q,
all which will readily be understood on examining the Drawing; and motion
is communicated to the sector ratchets by means of two claw drivers, which
successively take into teeth of their respective ratchets, motion being commu-
nicated to such claw drivers by means of cams or excentrics acting on
levers r, r, to which the claw drivers are attached, these levers moving on an
axis at r, r, as is shewn. The connecting rod i works between the sector
ratchets; and it will be understood, that in consequence of the arrangement
and mode of combining the parts n, i, c, h, and j, it will be found at the com-
mencement that the follower accomplishes its movement quickly for some time,
the movement of each tooth of the sector ratchet at first effecting a con-
siderable movement of the follower; the speed, however, gradually decreasing
with consequent increase of power for each tooth of the sector ratchets moved,
and the latter portion of the motion becomes very slow as compared with the
space moved through by the sector ratchet. s is the main or driving axis
which turns in bearings at s¹, s¹, as is shown. On the upper end of the axis s
is fixed a capstan head, suitable for receiving capstan bars, in order by
manual power to give motion to the working parts of the press, or power
may be communicated to the main shaft or axis of the press by other
convenient means. t is a bevilled toothed wheel affixed on the axis s; this

page_text: wheel takes into and drives the cog wheel v, affixed on the axis w, which
turns in bearings at w¹, w¹, and on the axis w there are two cams or
excentrics w2, which alternately press on the levers to which the claw
drivers are attached, and thus successively cause those levers to be lifted, and
they, by their claws, taking into the teeth of their respective ratchet wheels,
will cause the sector ratchets to move on their axis, and thus by the con-
necting rod i, give motion to the follower. The sector racks are weighted at
their lower parts in order to counterbalance some of the parts which work
therewith, and the follower and parts which work therewith are further
balanced by the weight a, in the following manner:-¹ is a chain or rope, one
end of which is fixed to the upper part of the press; the chain then passes
down under the pulley (2), up over the pulley (3), then over the pulley (4),
down under the pulley (5) attached to the balance weight, then over the
pulley (6), then down under the pulley (7), and then passes up and is made
fast to the upper part of the press; and the balance weight is such as to slightly
preponderate, in order, when the claw drivers are put out of gear with the
teeth of the sector racks, that the balance weiglit may fall, and cause the fol-
lower of the press to rise to its highest position. The cotton or other material
to be pressed is introduced into the trunk or box when the follower is at
its highest position, and then the quantity of cotton or other article is filled
into the trough or box, the flap y is to be closed, it being kept closed by the
balance weight y', but the flap will readily give way to the pressure of the con-
necting arms or frame h, h, as the follower descends, and the flap will be partly
opened thereby. The claw drivers are thrown back out of gear, and the
counterbalance causes the follower to ascend; fresh cords and canvas for
covering the next bale is to be placed on the bed of the press, and the doors
closed, and a fresh charge of cotton or other article supplied into the trunk or
box of the press, and a piece of canvass placed over the lower part of the fol-
lower, as is usually practised, particularly in the East Indies when compressing
cotton, in order, together with the other piece of canvass, to cover the bale pro-
duced, as is well understood. The claw drivers are then again allowed to fall
into action, and the press again worked as above described.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I wish it to be understood that
I do not confine myself to the precise details shewu, so long as the peculiar
character of my Invention be retained. But what I claim is,
First, the mode of giving motion to the follower of a press for com-
pressing cotton and other articles by means of the parts e, h, i, and n, as above
described. And,

page_text: Secondly, I claim the mode of applying a capstan head for giving motion to
the press by manual labor, whereby the capstan bars in revolving pass over
the top of the press, thereby saving room.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Cardwell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
Enrolled the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-three.