Improved Apparatus for Stripping the Flats of Carding Engines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1895
omplete Specification Left, 4th July, 1895-Accepted, 10th Aug., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Stripping the Flats of Carding Engines.
We WILLIAM SENIOR, Mechanic, GEORGE ALEXANDER KENNEDY of the
Firm of Horsfall & Bickham Card Makers, and WASHINGTON HEMINGWAY,
Foreman, all of Bridgewater Works Pendleton, in the County of Lancaster; do
hereby declare the nature of. this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction of apparatus for "stripping™" the
surface of the travelling "flats" used in carding engines.
The apparatus usually employed for this purpose consists of a stripping comb
mounted at the free end of two arms or levers which oscillate on a fulcrum placed
about level with the axis of the pulley or drum round which the said flats pass, but
at the side of the pulley or drum furthest from the flat which is being stripped, and
consequently the stripping comb moves in a curve of which the said fulcrum is the
centre and there is a tendency to miss the central portion of the flat and to bend
the wires at the top and bottom edges.
.
Our invention is intended to remedy this defect and to cause the stripping comb
to rise and fall in a vertical line corresponding exactly with the face of the flat.
For the purposes of our invention, instead of attaching the ends of the stripping
comb rigidly to the ends of the two arms or levers, we attach the same in such a
way that the stripping comb can swivel slightly as it rises and falls so as to keep
its working edge always in contact with the face of the flat.
We provide the ends of the comb each with a lug or projection through which
passes a set screw, and the inner ends of these set screws bear against a level
surface which is made near each end of the "flat" parallel with the face thereof,
the comb being provided with a spring or springs having a constant tendency to
keep the ends of the screws against such level surface, so that as the comb rises
and falls the working edge thereof always noves in a line parallel to the face of
the "flat."
Or if preferred instead of making the level surface at or near the ends of the
flat, I provide two bars having level surfaces against which the set screws work,
such bars resting against the edges of the concave surfaces at the ends of the flat
which ride on the flexible bend of the carding engine, and being carried by
swivelling brackets attached to the frame. Or we may make a series of suitable
surfaces at the edges of a disc turning upon the centre round which the flats are
carried.
In some cases wherein it is desired that the working edge of the stripping comb
shall be raised off the surface of the "flat" just before it reaches the lower edge
thereof we form an incline or rise near the lower edge of the level surface against
which the set screws move so as to give the necessary amount of clearance at the
point desired.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improved Apparatus for Stripping the Flats of Carding Engines.
We WILLIAM SENIOR, Mechanic, GEORGE ALEXANDER KENNEDY of the
Firm of Horsfall & Bickham, Card Makers, and WASHINGTON HEMINGWAY,
Foreman, all of Bridgewater Works Pendleton, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention relates to the construction of apparatus for stripping the surface
of the travelling "flats" used in carding engines.
The apparatus usually employed for this purpose consists of a stripping comb
mounted at the free ends of two arms or levers which oscillate on a fulcrum placed
about level with the axis of the pulley or drum round which the said "flats" pass,
but at the side of the pulley or drum furthest from the flat which is being stripped,
and consequently the stripping comb moves in a curve of which the said fulcrum is
the centre, and there is a tendency to miss the central portion of the surface of the
"flat" and to bend the wires at the top and bottom edges thereof.
Our invention is intended to remedy this defect and to cause the stripping comb
to rise and fall in a right line corresponding exactly with the face of the "flat."
The nature of our said invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed or carried into practical effect will be readily understood on reference
to the two sheets of drawings hereunto annexed and the following explanation
thereof.
Figs. 1 and 2 on Sheet 1 of the drawings are a plan view and sectional end
elevation respectively of so much of the flat-stripping apparatus of a carding engine
as is necessary to illustrate our improvements.
Figs. 3 and 4 on the same sheet are plan view and end elevation and Fig. 5 a
section of a modification of the same, and
Figs. 6 and 7 on Sheet 2 of the drawings are end elevations of further modifications
hereinafter described.
In all these figures a is the pulley or drum round which the flats b pass, c are the
arms or levers oscillating on a fulcrum at d and carrying the bar e to which the
stripping combf is attached.
For the purposes of our invention instead of attaching the ends of the bar e
rigidly to the ends of the two arms or levers c we attach them in such a way that
the stripping comb f can swivel slightly as it rises and falis so as to keep its
working edge always in contact with the face of the flat b being operated upon.
For this purpose we form at one or each end of the bar e an excentric stud or
pivot et by means of which it can swivel slightly in the enlargements c+ at the
ends of the arms c and we provide one or each of the ends of the comb bar e with a
lug or projection g (see Figs. 1 and 2) through which passes a set screw h and the
inner end of each set screw bears against a level surface which is made near one or
each end of the "flat," parallel with the surface thereof, (as indicated by the
dotted lines i on Fig. 1) the comb being provided with a spring or springs & having
a constant tendency to keep the ends of the screws h against such level surface i,
so that as the stripping comb frises and falls the working edge thereof always
moves in a line parallel to the working face of the flat.
Sometimes instead of making the level surface i at or near the end or ends of the
"flat" 6 we provide one or two bars (see Figs. 3, 4 and 5) having level working
surfaces and, if preferred, instead of letting the end or ends of the set screw or
screws work directly against such surfaces we provide screws + with adjust-
able lugs m which bear against the said surfaces, the bars being held by springs n
against the concave surfaces at the ends of the "flat" which ride on the flexible

page_text: "bend" of the carding engine and being carried by suitable swivelling brackets o
attached to the frame or bracket o+.
Or we may make a series of suitable flat surfaces at the edge of a disc p turning
upon the central axis round which the "flats b are carried as shown in end
elevation at Fig. 6 on Sheet 2 of the drawings.
And in some cases wherein it is desired that the working edge of the stripping
comb shall be raised off the surface of the "flat" just before it reaches the
lower edge thereof, we may form an incline or rise against which the set screws h,
or the lugs m, move so as to give the necessary amount of clearance at the point
desired.
We find it most advantageous to use the lug m as shewn so that the end thereof
may be pointed to coincide exactly with the position of the points of the stripping
combs as seen clearly at Fig. 5.
We also sometimes mount the bracket ot on a pivot at o++ (see Fig. 7) and hold
it in place by a spring pt or its equivalent, and we form the bar as shewn on
Fig. 7 with a projection at its upper end so that the flat b can come against it as
it passes, and push it outwards as seen by the dotted position so as to remove the
comb from contact with the working face of the flat b which has been stripped.
The bar is carried up for a very short distance by the movement of the flat b
while engaged by the projection ", but the spring + will bring it back again into
the right position which is regulated by the set screw 9 or other suitable device.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination with a stripping comb mounted upon arms or levers so as to
be capable of a swivelling motion of a set screw or set screws or equivalent adjust-
able piece or pieces moving over and working against a flat surface or surfaces so
made or fixed as to be parallel with the working face of the flat substantially as
and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
2. The combination with a stripping comb mounted upon arms or levers so as to
be capable of a swivelling motion, of a set screw or other equivalent adjustable
device moving over a surface formed upon the flat and parallel with the working
face thereof substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings
annexed.
3. The combination with a stripping comb mounted upon arms or levers so as to
be capable of a swivelling motion of a set screw, or its equivalent, moving over the
surface of a swivelling bar resting against the flat at either end thereof, the said
surface being parallel with the working face of the flat substantially as and for the
purposes herein before set forth.
4. The combination with a stripping comb mounted upon arms or levers so as to
be capable of a swivelling motion of a set screw, or its equivalent moving over one
of a series of surfaces so formed upon the edge of a disc revolving as the flats
travel that each surface becomes and continues exactly parallel with the working
face of its corresponding flat as the latter is being stripped substantially as and for
the purposes hereinbefore described.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1895
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.