IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES
Year: 1884

page_text: We GEORGE ASHWORTII and ELIJAH ASHWORTII of the Moss Brook Works
Collyhurst Manchester in the county of Lancaster Engineers do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES" to be as
follows:-
Our Invention consists of further improvements in a former invention for which
Letters Patent bearing date the 15th day of May 1883 and numbered 2432 have
been granted to us. In the said former invention in order to obtain greater
accuracy of action in the travelling cards we turned the side frames or casings of
the main cylinder and of the doffer and on a turned rail on the former casing we
applied bands of steel. The object of our present invention is to obtain greater
accuracy in the application and adjustment of the parts which enclose the parts
of the main cylinder and doffer from the flats to the comb or thereabouts. Instead
of the ordinary hinged doffer cover we apply a sheet steel covering shell upon
the turned end casings of the doffer. This shell is bent or moulded to a truly
cylindrical form and accurately fits the edges of the said end casings which aro
turned to such a size as that when the cover is in place it only just clears the doffer
so that there is a minimum of space for the passage of air. The cover is or may be
secured by means of screws the holes in the cover being slotted so that the cover
can be adjusted. The cover for the front of the carding engine also consists of an
accurately moulded plate which is curved so that when in position it only just
clears the covering of the main cylinder. The lower edge of this plate and the
lower edge of the doffer cover are both beveled nearly to a knife edge in order
that they may be extended as closely as possible to the point of contact of the
doffer and cylinder. Between these two edges we leave a slight space sufficient to
permit the passage of the gauge and we close this space by means of a removable
strip. The two ends of the curved plate are screwed rivited or secured to two
turned angle pieces which can be bolted or secured to the side frames so as to hold
the said plate in position and as the said side frames are also turned true the
covering plate is brought into a true position without a tendency for the holding
screws or bolts to distort the plate. In order that the plate may be correctly in
position when it is put in its place and the end angle pieces are pressed against the
end frames we provide each angle piece with two correctly adjusted surfaces
which bear upon the steel band which is applied upon the side frame. For
convenience of alteration we employ two screws the ends constituting the said

page_text: adjusted surfaces. In the said plate we form an opening sufficient for the
admission of the grinder to act upon the main cylinder. This opening we close
by means of an accurately fitted door made of a plate so shaped and applied as
that when secured in position by means of locking handles or by suitable means
the inner side of the door forms a continuation of the inner surface of the covering
plate to which the door is applied. We do not remove the said plate when the
cylinder is to be ground and as we apply the grinder in front of the doffer it is
not necessary to remove the doffer cover. When the main cylinder covering plato
has been removed for the adjustment of the flats it is only necessary when
re-placing the plates to press the angle pieces against the steel bands when
tightening the screws no other adjustment being required. Partly to prevent the
accumulation of fluff upon the comb shaft we in some cases provide a hinged or
removable cover to cover the comb or the comb and and shaft. Such cover may
nearly touch the comb shaft and may be shaped or fitted to retain fluff or dirt from
passing to the doffer.
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent.
We GEORGE ASHWORTH and ELIJAH ASHWORTH of the Moss Brook Works,
Collyhurst, Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES" and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying drawings:-
Our Invention consists of further improvements in a former invention for which
Letters Patent bearing date the 15th day of May 1883 and numbered 2432 have
been granted to us. In the said former Invention in order to obtain greater
accuracy of action in the travelling cards we turned the side frames or casings of
the main cylinder and of the doffer and on a turned rail on the former casing wo
applied bands of steel. The object of our present Invention is to obtain greater
accuracy in the application and adjustment of the parts which enclose the main
cylinder and doffer from the flats to the comb or thereabouts. Instead of the
ordinary hinged doffer cover we apply a sheet steel covering shell upon the turned
end casings of the doffer This shell is bent or moulded to a truly cylindrical
form and accurately fits the edges of the said end casings which are turned to such
a size as that when the cover is in place it only just clears the doffer so that there
is a minimum of space for the passage of air. The cover for the front of the
carding engine also consists of an accurately moulded plate which is curved so that
when in position it only just clears the covering of the main cylinder. The two
ends of the curved plate are screwed, riveted or secured to two turned angle pieces
which can be bolted or secured to the side frames so as to hold the said plate in
position and as the said side frames are also turned true the covering plate is
brought into a true position without a tendency for the holding screws or bolts to
.distort the plate. In order that the plate.may be correctly in position when it is

page_text: put in its place and the end angle pieces are pressed against the end frames we
provide cach angle piece with two correctly adjusted surfaces which bear upon the
steel band which is applied upon the said frame. In the said plate we form an
opening sufficient for the admission of the grinder to act upon the main cylinder
This opening we close by means of an accurately fitted door made of a plate so
shaped and applied as that when secured in position the inner side of the door
forms a continuation of the inner surface of the covering plate to which the door
is applied Partly to prevent the accumulation of fluff upon the comb shaft we
in some cases provide a hinged or removable cover to cover the comb or the comb
and shaft.
To render the description of our Invention more clear we will refer to the
accompanying sheet of drawings in which Fig: 1 drawn to a scale of about three
inches to the foot represents a side elevation of a Carding Engine framing con-
structed in accordance with our Inventions the parts of the engine not necessary.to
the understanding of our Invention not appearing in the drawings In the said
Fig: a. is a part of the ordinary underfraining and b. is a bend frame which is
turned on its periphery and provided with steel bands c. as set forth in the
specification of our said former, Invention. The doffer is indicated by the dotted
circle d. Upon each of the pedestals in which the doffer shaft revolves we cast an
end casing or plate e. which is turned upon the centre of the bearing so that when
the doffer is mounted in working position the turned peripheries of the two end
casings shall be truly concentric with the axis of the doffer and shall project slightly
beyond the periphery of the same. Upon the two turned end casings we apply a
cover f. made of sheet steel bent, pressed or moulded to the form of a cylindrical
are of such proportions as will accurately fit the end casings and will just clear the
card surface of the doffer. This cover is or may be secured to the end casings by
means of screws g. the holes in the cover being slotted so that the cover can be
adjusted. To the front edge of the cover we hinge a cover h. which extends over
the doffer combi and its shaft. In addition to the use hereinbefore mentioned this
additional cover tends to prevent the accidental drawing in of foreign substances
between the doffer and the cover. The front of the engine is enclosed by a cover k.
which is also made of sheet steel moulded to the form of a cylindrical arc so that its
concave side will just clear the card surface of the main cylinder as seen in Fig: 2.
which is a full sized section on the line A. Each end of this cover is secured to a
curved angle piece which is turned to the correct form and the inner flat faces of
the two parts are truly turned so as to be parallel one with another and to fit against
the flat turned faces of the bend frames b. to which the parts are secured by means
of screws m. In each of the parts l. two screws n. n. are fixed and they are so
regulated in length as that when the cover is applied in position with the ends of
these screws bearing upon the outer steel ribands on each side the cover will be
brought into it's correct position without the necessity for further adjustment. We
employ screws to bear upon the ribands because of the facility these screws offer for
obtaining the required adjustment and also the screws may be made of steel and be
hardened but after the adjustment is once correctly obtained it is not our intention
to vary it by turning these screws. It will be seen that when the outer steel riband
has been removed from each side of the Carding Engine it is only necessary to secure
the cover in position with the ends of the screws bearing upon the ribands which
would then be the outer ribands no other adjustment being required. We do not
remove this cover when the grinding of the cylinder is to be effected but wo form
a portion of the cover to open as a hinged door so that it can be opened to admit
the grinding roller as herein before mentioned. In Fig: 1. this part is shown as
when so opened. The grinding can thus be effected without removing the doffer
cover. The lower edges of the two covers are represented on a larger scale in Fig: 3.
wherein it will be seen that they are each beveled to a thin edge and extended
downwards as closely as possible toward the point of nearest approach of the
cylinder and doffer. Between the nearly meeting edges of the two covers we leave
a narrow space sufficient for the introduction of the guage and this space we close

page_text: when the engine is at work, by means of a removable strip o. or of any suitable
appliance. As hereinbefore mentioned the cover f. is adjustable upon the end doffer
casings c. After slackening the screws g. this cover can be slid to some extent in
either direction around the doffer so as to regulate the width of the space at o. after
the adjustment of the flats and other parts has been effected or if preferred the said
space might be closed by bringing the edge of the cover f. close up to the other
cover.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declaro that what
we claim is :
1. The combination of the parts e. and f. forming the casing and cover of the
doffer cylinder of a Carding Engine formed and applied substantially as and for the
purposes set forth and indicated.
2. As applied to a Carding Engine the arc shaped cover k. secured to the angle
pieces. . which are prepared to fit against the flat vertical turned faces on the bend
frames b. and provided with accurately adjusted stops n which by bearing upon the
bands or arcs upon which the flats travel determine the distance of the cover from
the cylinder substantially as set forth and indicated.
3. The cover k. formed with a hinged or removable door substantially as and
for the purpose set forth and indicated.
4. In a Carding Engine the curved sheet steel covers f. and h. continued down-
ward in the space between the doffer and the cylinder substantially as indicated in
Figs 1 and 3 of the drawings.
:
5. In a Carding Engine the comb cover h, applied substantially in the manner set
forth and indicated.