IMPROVE- MENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO CARDING ENGINES WITH ROLLERS AND CLEARERS
Year: 1884

page_text: I GEORGE BERNHARDT of Radcliffe in the County of Lancaster Cotton Spinner
and Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO CARDING ENGINES WITH ROLLERS AND CLEARERS,"
to be as follows:-
"
My improvements relate and are applicable to what are termed double carding
engines with "rollers and clearers and part of my improvements are also
applicable to what are termed single carding engines.
The double carding engine has two main cylinders a doffer in front, hereinafter
termed the front doffer, and one between the two card cylinders, hereinafter termed
the middle doffer.
In the common double carding engine both doffer cylinders are arranged to be
simultaneously. thrown out of gear to stop them, but though the front doffer in
consequence of being geared up in connection with other mechanism stops almost
instantly the middle doffer makes one to two revolutions after the front doffer has
stopped. This I find causes the middle doffer to strip the fibre from the back card
cylinder and carry it forward to the front card cylinder where it accumulates
against the first and other "rollers," forming a lump or thick place in what should
be a uniform fleece or sliver, and another consequence is that the back cylinder
having been stripped, as described, after the feeding of the lap has ceased, produces
a thin place in the fleece or sliver-this thick and thin uneven sliver thus produced
frequently breaks and has to be rejected and made into waste (and though it can
be reworked the fibre is deteriorated) and if allowed to go forward the sliver is
uneven.
The stoppage of the engine has to take place many times a day and on the
aggregate there is considerable loss of time, diminished production and deterioration
of fibre.
My first improvement consists in stopping both doffers and consequently the
parts driven by or in gear with them simultaneously by applying a brake to the

page_text: wheel on the middle doffer or to a special surface upon or connected with it or by
gearing both doffers together, so that when disconnected from the driving power
both will be stopped at the same time, and in combinations of mechanism for
effecting this object.
The arrangement in common use consists of a lever handle which can be placed
in one position when the doffers are to rotate and in another position when they
are to stop rotating, this hand lever acts directly upon a lever carrying the pulley
and wheel for the front doffer and by a rod connected with a bell crank lever it
also acts on another lever carrying a similar pulley and wheel for the middle
doffer.
With the lever for the middle doffer a rod is jointed which is connected with a
lever brake, lined with leather by preference, the lever brake being jointed on a
stud in the framing and its brake surface acts upon the tops of the teeth of the
wheel on the doffer shaft, or on a surface, specially arranged for the purpose.
There is also an arrangement by which the brake can be lifted away when the
doffer has to rotate to be ground. This consists of a cam lever on the connecting
rod or other arrangement.
In some cases the lever carrying the driving pulley and wheel for the middle
doffer may be made with an arm added to act as a brake when the lever is lowered
to put the doffer out of gear-and the lever handle is or may be arranged to have
a middle position between the "in" and "out" of gear positions where the
wheels will be out of gear but the brake will not be in contact with the wheel or
surface.
In engines where guards are used over the wheels on the doffers, the guards are
or may be made in two parts, one fixed as a guard, the other hinged and arranged
to act upon the wheel as a brake as well as a guard.
According to another modification of my Invention, the front doffer is or may be
driven in the ordinary manner, and one doffer is geared to the other by a shaft and
bevel wheels, or other arrangements. Or the doffers are driven in the ordinary
manner, and then connected together by an endless rope or band or belt working
on a pulley on each doffer shaft.
My second improvement is applicable both to double and single roller and clearer
carding engines.
The engines have to be stripped (as it is termed) several times a day and the
usual plan when this has to be done is to stop the feed of the lap, and break down
the sliver delivered, and let the fibre then on the cards work through and be
delivered as sliver in front of the engine (which sliver is rejected as waste) then
after the engine has been stripped it takes some time before the cords are again
evenly filled with fibre and ready to deliver clean uniform sliver, thus there is
considerable waste and loss of production.
In order to obviate the loss in waste and production I make the following
arrangements in which this part of my Invention consists.
"
37
"
"
Previous to stripping I stop the feed of the "lap" and also the rotation of the
"rollers" but allow the " cylinder or "cylinders " doffer " or " doffers and
" clearers to continue working so as to empty themselves of fibre-This only takes
about one fourth of the time required in the ordinary mode of proceeding and
increases production and saves waste.
I carry out this part of my Invention by the arrangements described as follows-
I arrange an intermediate or carrier wheel on a stud in a lever handle having its
fulcrum on the axis of the chain wheel driving the rollers-"This carrier wheel
remains in gear with a wheel on the axis of or attached to the chain wheel in the
two positions of the lever handle but in one position of the lever handle the carrier
wheel is in gear with the pinion on the doffer shaft and in the other position of the
lever handle the carrier is out of gear with the pinion, and the rollers are thus
stopped.

page_text: In double carding engines there is a similar arrangement of gearing for driving
the chain for the rollers in connection with each doffer and the lever handle at the
front is connected by a rod with the lever carrying the intermediate wheel for the
middle doffer.
Where the rollers are driven by a rope or chain from a pulley on the axis of the
doffer this pulley is arranged to be loose on the shaft and is connected and
disconnected there with by a clutch or clutch arrangement.
Any other suitable arrangement may be substituted for those described.
Dated this Second day of January 1884.

page_text: I GEORGE BERNHARDT of Radcliffe in the County of Lancaster Cotton Spinner
and Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO CARDING ENGINES WITH ROLLERS AND CLEARERS
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My improvements relate and are applicable to what are termed double carding
engines with "rollers and clearers" and part of my improvements are also
applicable to what are termed single carding engines.
The double carding engine has two main cylinders, a doffer, in front, hereinafter
termed the front dofter, and one between the two card cylinders, hereinafter termed
the middle doffer.
In the common double carding engine both doffer cylinders are arranged to be
simultaneously thrown out of gear to stop them, but though the front doffer in
consequence of being geared up in connection with other mechanism, stops almost
instantly, the middle doffer makes one to two revolutions after the front doffer has
stopped. This causes the middle doffer to strip the fibre from the back card
cylinder and carry it forward to the front and cylinder where it accumulates against
the first and other rollers forming a lump or thick place in what should be a
uniform fleece or sliver, and another consequence is that the back cylinder having
been stripped as described, after the feeding of the lap has ceased, produces a thin
place in the fleece or sliver-this thick and thin uneven sliver thus produced
frequently breaks and has to be rejected and made into waste (and though it can
be reworked the fibre is deteriorated) and if allowed to go forward the sliver is
uneven.
The stoppage of the engine has to take place many times a day, and on the
aggregate there is considerable loss of time, diminished production and deterioration
of fibre.
My first improvement consists in stopping both doffers and consequently the
parts driven by or in gear with them simultaneously by applying a brake to the
wheel on the middle doffer or to a special surface upon or connected with it or by
gearing both doffers together so that when disconnected from the driving power
both will be stopped at the same time, and in combinations of mechanism for
effecting this object.
The arrangement in common use consists of a lever handle which can be placed
in one position when the doffers are to rotate and in another position when they
are to stop rotating this hand lever acts directly upon a lever carrying the pulley
and wheel for the front doffer and by a rod connected with a bell crank lever
it also acts on another lever carrying a similar pulley and wheel for the middle
doffer.
With the lever for the middle doffer a rod is jointed which is connected with a
lever brake, lined with leather by preference the lever brake being jointed on a
stud in the framing and its brake surface acts upon the tops of the teeth of the
wheel on the doffer shaft or on a surface specially arranged for the purpose.
There is also an arrangement by which the brake can be lifted away when the
doffer has to rotate to be ground. This consists of a cam lever on the connecting
rod or other arrangement.
In some cases the lever carrying the driving pulley and wheel for the middle
doffer may be made with an arm added to act as a brake when the lever is lowered

page_text: to put the doffer out of gear and the lever handle is or may be arranged to have a
middle position between the "in" and "out" of gear positions where the wheels
will be out of gear but the brake will not be in contact with the wheel or surface.
In engines where guards are used over the wheels on the doffers, the guards are
or may be made in two parts, one fixed as a guard, the other hinged and arranged
to act upon the wheel as a brake as well as a guard.
According to another modification of my Invention the front doffer is or may be
driven in the ordinary manner and one doffer is geared to the other by a shaft and
bevel wheels, or other arrangements. Or the doffers are driven in the ordinary
manner and then connected together by an endless rope or band or belt working on
a pulley on each doffer shaft.
My second improvement is applicable both to double and single roller and clearer
carding engines.
The engines have to be stripped (as it is termed) several times a day and the
usual plan when this has to be done is to stop the feed of the lap, and break down
the sliver delivered, and let the fibre then on the cards work through and be
delivered as sliver in front of the engine (which sliver is rejected as waste) then
after the engine has been stripped it takes some time before the cards are again
evenly filled with fibre and ready to deliver clean uniform sliver, thus there is
considerable waste and loss of production.
In order to obviate the loss in waste and production I make the following
arrangements in which this part of my Invention consists.
$1
"C
"t
11
Previous to stripping I stop the feed of the "lap" and also the rotation of the
rollers" but allow the "
cylinder" or cylinders," "doffer or "doffers" and
clearers" to continue working in the ordinary way so as to empty themselves of
fibre-This only takes about one fourth of the time required in the ordinary mode
of stripping and increases production and saves waste.
I carry out this part of my Invention by the arrangements described as follows-
I arrange an intermediate or carrier wheel on a stud in a lever handle having its
fulcrum on the axis of the chain wheel driving the rollers.
This carrier wheel remains in gear with a wheel on the axis of or attached to the
chain wheel in the two positions of the lever handle but in one position of the lever
handle the carrier wheel is in gear with the pinion on the doffer shaft, and in the
other position of the lever handle the carrier is out of gear with the pinion and the
rollers are thus stopped.
In double carding engines there is a similar arrangement of gearing for driving
the chain or rope for the rollers in connection with each doffer, and the lever handle
at the front is connected by a rod with the lever carrying the intermediate wheel
for the middle doffer.
Where the rollers are driven by a rope or chain from a pulley on the axis of the
doffer this pulley is arranged to be loose on the shaft and is connected and
disconnected therewith by a clutch or catch arrangement.
Any other suitable arrangement may be substituted for those described..
Fig. 1 is a diagramatic side elevation of a double carding engine illustrating one
modification of my Invention and Fig. 2 is a similar view showing another
modification, both the above Figures having reference to my first improvement.
In each Figure a represents the front doffer, b the front cylinder, a¹ the middle
doffer or "tummer" and b¹ the back cylinder.
Each doffer a and a¹ is driven by a belt from a pulley on its respective cylinder
which works on a pulley on a short shaft in a lever c having its fulcrum at c¹ on
the framing, a pinion on the short shaft gearing with a wheel on the doffer shaft in
each case.
The lever c at the front is connected with a lever handle & having its fulcrum
at on a bracket secured to the framing-This lever handle d is held in two
positions in a slotted bracket e where in one case the pinion will be in gear with
the wheel on the doffer shaft and in the other case it will be out of gear.

page_text: The lever handle has an arm that is jointed with one end of a rod f which at
the other end is jointed with one arm of a bell crank lever g having its fulcrum g¹
on the framing the other arm is connected with the lever c for the middle doffer so
that the levers.c for front and middle doffer are actuated at the same time by the
lever handled to throw the driving pinions in and out of gear with their respective
wheels on the doffers-h are fixed guards for the wheels-The parts above described
by letters of reference are ordinary parts. I make the guard h for the middle
doffer wheel in two halves and hinge the upper half of it at h¹ and connect the
other side of the half guard by a rod 2 with the lever c so that when that is
lowered to put the driving out of gear the upper half * of the guard is brought
down to act as a brake on the wheel. There is or may be a cam h³, excentric screw
or other arrangement to allow the end of the brake to be lifted from the wheel
when the lever c is lowered to leave the doffer free when being ground.
In Fig. 2 a brake arm c² is formed on or secured to the lever c so that when the
latter is lowered to the full extent the brake arm c³ will come against the wheel-
The lever handle d in this case is held in a middle position when the doffer is to be
ground that is so that the lever c will be low enough to keep the pinion out of
gear with the wheel on the doffer but not low enough to bring the brake arm c²
against the wheel.
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are each diagramatical side elevations illustrating my second
improvement.
The same letters of reference are used in these Figures for the same parts as are
employed in describing Figs. 1 and 2.
The rollers are represented by the parts marked i they are driven by ropes or
chains as is well understood, but these ropes or chains according to my Invention
are arranged to have motion imparted to them in such manner that the driving may
be stopped or started as required.
Fig. is a side elevation and Fig. 7 a front elevation showing on an enlarged
scale the arrangement indicated in Fig. 3 in which the mechanism is shown out
of gear.
There is a lever k having its fulcrum ³ on a bracket and this fulcrum also forms
an axis for a wheel and grooved or chain pulley for the rope or chain for driving
the rollers -The wheel fast to the pulley 7 gears with a carrier wheel 7 having
its fulcrum on a stud in the lever k which latter wheel gears with a pinion on the
doffer shaft a when the lever k is held in one position, but when in another
position the carrier wheel is out of gear and the rollers are stopped. The lower
end of the lever k is jointed with a rod handle k' which has two notches in it to
catch upon a bracket k³ secured to the framing, and are pins in the rod handle k³
to act as stops to limit its extreme movements.
The lever for the front doffer is connected by a rod with a similar
arrangement of lever and wheels for the middle doffer and thus the rollers for both
front and back cylinder are simultaneously put in and out of gear.
In Fig. 4 the rollers for both the front and back cylinder are driven from the
middle doffer by pulleys grooved for a rope or chain and arranged to be thrown
in and out of gear.
Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation illustrating one arrangement for driving the rope
or chain; a¹ is the doffer, a* the doffer shaft, 1x a wheel fast on the doffer shaft, -
grooved pulley for the rope or chain loose on the doffer shaft a*This pulley
has an annular slot in its side with an annular dovetail groove for the head of a
bolt 3 which can be passed through a hole in the side of the grooved pulley and
a hole in the boss of the wheel 1* and then secured by a hand screw nut 15 The
slackening of this bolt leaves the grooved pulley 1 free and undriven the tightening
of it causes the grooved pulley to be driven.
'
In the modification shown by Fig. 9 there is a wheel * fast on the doffer shaft
and the boss of this wheel has one half a clutch on its side the other half of which.
is upon a grooved pulley 7 loose on the doffer shaft,

page_text: The end of the doffer shaft a* has a hole in its centre for a rod 10 the end of
which has a cross pin secured in it that passes through a cross slot in the doffer
shaft The ends of the cross pin enter an internal annular groove in the grooved
pulley the pin being first passed through a hole in the side of the said grooved
pulley and screwed into the centre rod 8 which is slided to and fro by a screw
knob 18 on the rod at the end of the doffer which rod is reduced and arranged to
form two notches for a weight washer l, shown in end view by Fig. 10 which is
lifted out of one notch and dropped into the other when the rod is to be slided
to move the grooved pulley in or out of gear.
In Fig. 5 ny improvements are shown applied to a "single" carding engine; the
doffer, lap feed rollers, and a shaft for driving the rope or chain for the rollers, are
all geared together by a shaft m and bevel wheels.
The bevel wheels say at the doffer are arranged so that the bearing of the side
shaft m can be slided to bring the bevel wheels in and out of gear as required
and there is a clutch box on the side shaft m so that the bevel wheels driving
the feed can be brought in and out of gear as required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In double carding engines, arranging the mechanism driving the two doffers,
so as to be simultaneously arrested substantially in the manner and for the purpose
hereinbefore described and illustrated by the Drawings.
2. The combinations and arrangements of mechanism for simultaneously arresting
the rotation of both doffers of double carding engines, substantially in the manner
and for the purpose herein before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
3. In stripping carding engines the system of first stopping the rollers before
the other card surfaces, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
4. In stripping carding engines the combinations and arrangements of mechanisin
for driving and stopping and starting the rollers substantially as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Dated this Sixteenth day of September 1884.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.