IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR 'GINNING' COTTON
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's
Inn, in the County of Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the
City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR 'GINNING' COTTON."-A communication
from abroad by Jules Alfred Chaufourier, of Paris, in the Empire of
France.
Sealed the 24th November 1863, and dated the 3rd June 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
June 1863.
I, GEORGE DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR 'GINNING' COTTON," (a communication
to me from abroad by Jules Alfred Chaufourier, of Paris, in the Empire of
France,) to be as follows:-
The machine which forms the subject of the present Invention is distin-
guished from all other machines (which have been hitherto used or proposed
for this purpose) by the combination of "ginning" rollers and drawing rollers
(which form but one single group), and also by a peculiar system of feeding.
The combination of rollers above mentioned gives better results, not only as
to the quality of the product, but also as to the quantity of work performed in
a given time.
At the upper part of the frame of the machine is a hopper into which the
cotton to be operated on is thrown. Below this hopper is a grooved roller

page_text: which revolves in contact with the cotton, and conducts it to a revolving vane
or "fly," which divides the cotton and delivers it on to a curved metal plate,
whence it glides towards a pair of "ginning" rollers, passing over a comb
provided with steel points or teeth, to which comb a reciprocating motion is
given. Immediately behind this pair of "ginning" rollers is a smaller pair
of drawing rollers actuated by endless aprons which pass around them; these
rollers seize the cotton as it issues from the "ginning" rollers, draw it
between their smooth surfaces, and one of the aprons delivers it behind the
machine.
The endless aprons have another object to fulfil; they break (immediately
at the exterior of the "ginning" rollers) any fibres of cotton which nearly
always remain adhering to the seeds, and which tend to retain these seeds
against the internal surface of the said rollers; they thus set the seeds free,
and leave the rollers constantly in a state to "gin" the cotton as it is presented
to them..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIES, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
and No. 28, St. Enoch Square, in the City of Glasgow, Civil Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Davies, Her special license that I, the said George
Davies, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said George Davies, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINES FOR 'GINNING' COTTON," being a communication to me
from abroad by Jules Alfred Chaufourier, of Paris, in the Empire of
France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George

page_text: Davies, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should par-
ticularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE,, that I, the said George Davies, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, and on reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :-
The machine which forms the subject of the present Invention is distin-
guished from all other machines (which have been hitherto used or proposed
for this purpose) by the combination of "ginning" rollers and drawing rollers
(which form but one single group), and also by a peculiar system of feeding.
The combination of rollers above mentioned gives better results, not only as
to the quality of the product, but also as to the quantity of work performed in
a given time.
At the upper part of the frame of the machine is a hopper into which the
cotton to be operated on is thrown. Below this hopper is a grooved holder
which revolves in contact with the cotton, and conducts it to a revolving vane
or "fly," which divides the cotton and delivers it on to a curved metal plate,
whence it glides towards pair of "ginning" rollers passing over a_comb
provided with steel points or teeth, to which comb a reciprocating motion is
given. Immediately behind this pair of "ginning" rollers is a smaller pair of
drawing rollers actuated by endless aprons which pass around them; these
rollers seize the cotton as it issues from the "ginning" rollers, draw it.
between their smooth surfaces, and one of the aprons delivers it behind the
machine.
The endless aprons have another object to fulfil; they break (immediately
at the exterior of the "ginning" rollers) any fibres of cotton which nearly
always remain adhering to the seeds, and which tend to retain these seeds
against the internal surface of the said rollers. They thus set the seeds free,
and leave the rollers constantly in a state to "gin" the cotton as it is presented
to them.
<
:
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "Improvements
in Machines for Ginning' Cotton," I will now proceed to describe more in
detail the manner in which the same is to be or may performed or carried
into practical effect; and in order that the same may be distinctly understood,

page_text: I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those
in the following explanation thereof, that is to say :--
Figure 1 represents a transverse section of the machine arranged as above.
At the upper part of the framing is a hopper a, in which the cotton is placed,
and beneath which a roller 6 (grooved or channeled so as to form separate
teeth) turns by means of a ratchet deriving its movements from an eccentric
keyed upon the driving shaft r. The roller is in contact with the cotton,
which it conducts as fast as it issues from the hopper on to a revolving vane
or "fly" c, to which movement is transmitted by means of small grooved
pulleys, one of which is fixed on the extremity of the roller m. By their
incessant beating the vanes c divide the cotton and throw it on to a piece of
metal d, whence it glides towards the "ginning" rollers f, passing over a comb
e, furnished with steel points. This comb has a horizontal to-and-fro move-
ment given to it by a cam (not shewn in the Drawing) fixed on the intermediate
shaft P; the other extremity of the comb is acted on by a spring which con-
stantly presses it against the cam. The teeth of the comb are arranged to the
height of the point of contact of the ginning rollers f, and advance or recede
when required by means of screws; they are intended not only to move and
change the cotton from place to place, but also to clean the rollers, by removing
the seeds which might lodge there and obstruct the continuity of the work of
the said rollers. By their rotary movement the "ginning" rollers immediately
seize the cotton which is presented to them by the comb, drawing the fibres
behind them and leaving the seeds exposed, which fall beneath the machine
through an opening, which may be more or less closed by the plate i, which
extends throughout the whole width of the machine, that is to say, below
the teeth of the comb. Immediately behind the ". ginning" rollers fare
placed the drawing rollers g, which receive motion from the rollers m, by
means of the endless cloths or aprons h (of either woven fabric or varnished
leather); the rollers 9 seize the cotton as soon as it usues from the ginning
rollers, and draw it between their smooth surfaces, one of the said aprons
delivering the cotton behind the machine. These aprons have also another
object to effect, they break (immediately at the exterior surface of the
"ginning" rollers) those fibres of cotton which almost always remain adhering
to the seeds, and tend to hold the latter against the inner surface of the said
rollers; this rupture causing the fall of the seeds, leaves the rollers constantly
in a state to "gin" the cotton which is presented to them. The lower
ginning" roller takes its movement direct from a toothed wheel R, mounted
on the shaft, and the latter is driven from below by the intermediate shaft p.
26

page_text: The arrows indicate the direction of rotation of the wheels, which actuate the
different organs above described. I would here observe that according to
the width given to the machine the "ginning" rollers are supported by a
central bearing arranged at the middle of their length, which thus binders them
from separating. This prevents the choking up of the " ginning" rollers,
which takes place when their parallelism is not perfect. I would also remark
that the endless cloths or aprons may be in some cases dispensed with, the
drawing rollers being capable of driving each other.
Figures 2 to 5 represent a modification of the above described "
'ginning"
machine, which presents some peculiarities of construction; firstly, the dis-
pensing with the revolving vane which divides the cotton; secondly, the
employment of a double comb; and, thirdly, a modification in the arrange-
ment of the ginning rollers. Figure 2 represents an exterior elevation of the
modified machine; Figure 3 is a plau view, as seen from above; Figure 4 is
a vertical transverse section; Figure 5 is a view of the driving end. On
referring to these Figures the "ginning" rollers f and f¹ and the drawing
rollers g and g¹ will at once be perceived. The former are supported at the
middle of their length by a support t, cast with the cross bar T, it is therefore
impossible that there should be the least separation of the rollers during the
work. The distributing roller b (the form of which is seen in Figures 4
and 5) is placed lower than in the former machine, that is to say, at the lower
part of the hopper a, and it draws the cotton forward without the aid of the
vanes on to the lower comb e, near to the point of contact of the rollers f
and f¹, there is therefore almost a simultaneity between the moment when the
distributor takes the cotton to the grooved " "ginning" roller f and that
when the rollers f,f', perform their work. In the present arrangement the
comb is double as well as its action, that is to say, that there is a second
comb e above the one e, which acts under the same conditions as the pre-
ceding; these combs move in different directions, their extremities being
connected at one side by a single lever (Figure 5), which oscillates on a
small support, screwed into one of the sides of the framing s.
In conse-
quence of this inverse movement the cotton becomes divided on its issue from
the distributor b in front of the "ginning" rollers f and f¹. The comb e is
driven by means of a gudgeon E, which moves in a slot formed in the cross
bar T on which the comb slides, and which is actuated by the groove of the
cam p¹ mounted on the intermediate shaft p. This shaft, furnished with a
regulating "fly," carries outside the frame a wheel R, which gears with the
wheel R' keyed upon the driving shaft M, which may be driven either by
hand or by motive power. As in the former machine, behind the "ginning
"

page_text: rollors and f¹ are mounted the drawing rollers g and g', furnished with
endless aprons h, which pass round the rollers m and m¹; these rollers are
intended to seize the staple of the cotton without breaking it as soon as it
issues from the "ginning" rollers and to cast it on to the ground. The tension
of the endless aprons is effected by means of screws V, which press against
the bearings in which the axes of the rollers m and m¹ turn. I would here
observe that the nearer to the centre of the " ginning" rollers (that is, to
the point where the staple issues from the said rollers) the effect of the
drawing rollers is produced, the more effective and regular the work will be.
In fact, when the cotton adheres to its seed, and the separation of the two is
required, the further the seed is placed from the agent which strips it, the
longer are the fibres of cotton which invariably remain, and the greater is the
tendency for the seeds to which they are attached to remain captive against
the point of contact of the "ginning" rollers. There is then retardation
of the work, which helps to produce a choking up of the rollers if the
endless aprons do not seize and break the cotton sufficiently near to the
"ginning" rollers, so that the small fibres which remain adhering to the
seeds shall not stay sufficiently long to impede or retard the fall of the
seeds, the cotton requiring to be seized as near as possible to the point
of its issue from the "ginning" rollers. This result is obtained in the fol-
lowing manner: The upper drawing roller 9, or rather the apron which
covers it, touches the upper ginning" roller f, and presses at the same time
on the lower "ginning" roller; that is to say, that the centre of the roller g
is in a direct line with the point of contact of the two "ginning" rollers (see
Figure 4). On the other hand, the roller g¹ moving in an opposite direction
to the one g touches the lower "ginning" roller f¹, and presses by means of its
apron against the upper roller g, so as to effect the seizure of the cotton as
near as possible to the "ginning" rollers, firstly, by the action of the pressure
of the apron of the roller g against the lower roller f¹, and secondly, by the
drawing action caused by the pressure of the apron of the corner drawing
roller on the apron of the roller f. The clearing of the aprons which
envelope the drawing rollers g and g¹ is effected in the following manner :-
At the widest part of the angles formed by the aprons is arranged an axle i,
surrounded by a sleeve or boss of wood or iron, represented in red at Figure 4,
on which are fixed a suitable number of bands or strips of leather j, j, by one
edge only. These strips of leather, in the movement which is given to them
by the axle i, constantly strike against the aprons of the drawing rollers, and
thereby clear them of the fibres of cotton, which they then throw down. The
cotton which is drawn by the aprons falls naturally on to the inclined plane I
66

page_text: (formed by a plate of sheet iron fixed on a cross bar of the frame), which
conducts it to the ground. It only remains now to explain the driving of the
different organs above described. The distributing roller 6 has a progressive
revolving movement imparted to it by means of a cam G cast with the wheel
R¹, and in the groove of which works a friction roller G' connected to a vertical
rod H; the form of this cam determines the ascending and descending move-
ment of the rod, which acts by its successive displacements upon the lever L,
mounted loose on the axle of the distributing roller b, the click L' of which is
in gear with the ratchet k. At each ascent the click takes up a certain
number of the teeth of the ratchet, and turns the distributor when the rod H,
descends. The ascending movement of the vertical rod is regulated by means
of a screw v, tapped into a projection of the frames. The wheel R gives
motion to the drawing roller g¹ by means of the pinion A, which gears with
the intermediate pinion B, which is sufficiently large to drive the pinion G of
the lower "ginning" roller f¹. The axis of the roller g¹ carries at its extre-
mity a pinion D (shown dotted in Figure 2), which drives the drawing roller
g by means of the pinion D'; a pinion of the same diameter as the pinion A
drives the upper "ginning" roller f. The arrows seen in Figure 2 indicate the
direction of rotation of each of the driving wheels.
66
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention for
Improvements in Machines for Ginning' Cotton," together with the
manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, I would remark in conclusion that I claim as the Invention
communicated to me by the above named Jules Alfred Chaufourier,)-
Firstly, the combination of "ginning" and drawing rollers which form the
working group of the machine, whatever may be the kind of gearing employed
to actuate them.
Secondly, the system of feeding the cotton.
And, thirdly, the adaptation of a central support which prevents the sepa-
ration of the "ginning" rollers, and allows of working machines of a much
greater width than heretofore.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of December, in the year of our Lord
GEORGE DAVIES. (L.S.)