IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR FOR CARDING WOOL OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTAN
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Eastwood, of Elland, in the County of York,
Machine Maker, and Benjamin Matthews, of the same Place, Mechanic,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR-
Sealed the 8th September 1864, and dated the 14th March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Eastwood and
..Benjamin Matthews at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 14th March 1864.
We, HENRY EASTWOOD, of Elland, in the County of York, Machine Maker,
and BENJAMIN MATTHEWS, of the same Place, Mechanic, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPA-
BATUS FOR CARDING WOOL OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the feed apparatus, and consists in the
application of an endless spirally grooved roller for traversing the slivers on
the feed apron instead of the belt heretofore used for that purpose, by which
a certain or positive action or motion thereof is produced. Also instead of the
slivers being laid in straight lines on the feed apron either diagonally or
parallel to the feed rollers, they are laid on in curved lines, whereby greater
regularity or a more even supply to the feed rollers is obtained.
Secondly, it relates to the doffer, and consists in the employment of thin
rings of steel or other suitable, material placed betwixt the rings of cards on

page_text: the doffer, projecting beyond the surface or points of the card teeth, and
entering grooves formed on the swift or betwixt the card teeth thereon, so
as to divide the wool or other fibre into strips' as it is transferred to the
doffer.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Eastwood and Benjamin Matthews in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 10th September 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
EASTWOOD, of Elland, in the County of York, Machine Maker, and BENJAMIN
MATTHEWS, of the same Place, Mechanic, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
of our
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of March, in the year
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said Henry Eastwood and Benjamin Matthews, Her special
licence that we, the said Henry Eastwood and Benjámin Matthews; our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry
Eastwood and Benjamin Matthews, 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, au Invention for
'IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING WOOL OR OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (aniongst others) that we, the said
Henry Eastwood and Benjamin Matthews, 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
Invention, 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:::
66
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said "Henry Eastwood and Benjamin
Matthews, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described; and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement (that is to say):-
-
.
-
The Invention relates, firstly, to the feed apparatus, and consists in the
applcation of an endless spirally grooved roller for traversing the slivers on

page_text: the feed apron instead of the belt heretofore used for that purpose, by which
a certain or positive action or motion thereof is produced. Also instead of
the slivers being laid in straight lines on the feed apron either diagonally or
parallel to the feed rollers, they are laid on in curved lines, whereby greater
regularity or a more even supply to the feed rollers is obtained.
Secondly, it relates to the doffer, and consists in the employment of thin rings
of steel or other suitable material placed betwixt the rings of cards on the
doffer projecting beyond the surface or points of the card teeth, and entering
grooves formed on the swift or betwixt the card teeth thereon, so as to. divide
the wool or other fibre into strips as it is transferred to the doffer.
In order that this Invention may be clearly understood we herewith givo
reference to an accompanying Sheet of Drawings of so much of the machinery
employed in carding woollen or parts thereof as will enable us to shew our
improvements applied thereto.
Fig. 1 is a plan of a feeding apparatus with a spirally grooved traverse
roller constructed and arranged according to the first part of our Invention,
and Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same taken through the line A and B.
Ordinary feed rollers are represented at C supported in bearing of frame-
work D, to be attached to the end of a carding engine. The endless apron
or creeper is formed of a series of endless belts E carried on rollers Ę¹ and E³,
which are also supported on the framework; F is the spirally grooved roller
carried in bearings F and F attached to the framing with a boss G. capable
of sliding thereon, and to which is attached a jointed arm H, connected to the
traversing carriage or feeding head I, which is supported upon and guided by
the curved rail J, on which it is caused to slide or travel backwards and
forwards from end to end thereof, being impelled by the rotation of the
grooved roller. This grooved rolled and boss are shewn in detail full size at
Fig. 8, where it will be seen that a guide stud or swivelling pin a, carried by
and free to turn in the boss G, enters the groove b in the roller F, which by
the rotation of the said roller is caused to slide in the groove, following its
course, and returning at each end, thereby driving the boss backward and
forward on the shaft, which consequently by means of the arm H impels the
feeding head in like manner backward and forward on the curved rail, the
joint in the arm H allowing for the difference in. distance betwixt the shaft
and rail at the different parts in its course. Ordinary woollen roping is
supplied over the rail K, and passed through the guide eye L'and betwixt the
pair of guide rollers M attached to and carried by the feeding head I, which
by the traverse motion of the said head is laid in curved lines side by side
on the creeper as it moves forward, as shewn by the dotted lines N, which is

page_text: thence carried forward by the said creeper to the feed rollers. By means of
these improvements a positive and regular motion is obtained in the laying on
of the roping, and by laying it in curved lines on the feed apron it is laid in
the same form or at a similar angle at each end of the feed rollers, thereby
avoiding any tendency of lateral movement towards one end of the swift,
whereby a more even supply of fibre is given to the carding engines than by
the irregular action of a strap, and laying the roping in diagonal lines thereon.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a doffer cylinder constructed
according to the second part of our Invention, shewing thin rings of steel P
placed betwixt the rings of cards R, and projecting beyond the points thereof;
being secured betwixt the rims of the wheels or the sections s of which the
doffer is composed, which are held there by the close nipping of such sections
together by longitudinal bolts or or other means; Fig. 5 is an end view of the
doffer and part of the swift; and Fig. 6 is a side view of the same, shewing
the manner in which the steel rings of the doffer enter in betwixt the teeth of
the cards, and form their own grooves therein by the rotation of the swift in
contact with the said doffer. By means of this improvement the whole
surface of the swift is doffed, or the fibre which has been carded thereon is
removed therefrom constantly by the action of the doffer and swift thus
working in contact together. Also the fibre is taken off in strips of equal
width to the spaces betwixt the steel rings (which rings are adjusted to be of
equal distances apart from each other), and the fibre being more evenly
supplied to the carder. By the first part of these improvements we are
enabled to obtain strips of the fibre or rovings of equal weight from all parts
of the surface of the swift. It will be observed that it is not necessary that
the roping or slivers be laid on in circular curve lines, but may be in
parabolic curves, or in form of cones with the apex rounded off by having the
guide rail J formed with as quick a curve in the middle as will allow the
carriage or feeding head to travel thereon, and then verging into flat curves
or straight lines at each end, our object being to lay the fibre on at both ends
of the feed equally, and thereby avoid the tendency of the roping to lateral
movement on the feed apron or creeper, which is the case when laid on
diagonally. It will also be evident that other material than steel may be
employed for rings or dividers, but we prefer steel for the purpose: We
would also observe that the groove in the traverse roller may be terminable
at each end by adapting reversing gear for driving, so as to reverse the motion
at each end of the traverse, but we prefer the endless groove.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we would have it understood that we do

page_text: not confine ourselves to the precise details as herein set forth, but what we
claim as of our Invention is,-
Firstly, the application and use of a spirally grooved roller for traversing
the ropings or slivers on the feed apron of a carding engine.
Secondly, the constructing and arranging apparatus so that the ropings or
slivers may be laid on the feed apron in curved lines, or a combination of
curvilinear lines with right lines.
Thirdly, the application and use of thin rings of steel or other suitable
material betwixt the rings of cards on the doffer cylinder when projecting
beyond the surface or points of the card teeth, for purposes and in manner
substantially as herein described and illustrated by the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Matthews, for and on behalf
of myself and the said Henry Eastwood, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighth day of September, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-four.
"Signed, sealed, and delivered by
the said Benjamin Matthews
in the presence of
WM. TASKER,
BENJAMIN MATTHEWS. (L.S.)
Patent Agent,
Halifax.