IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING, DRESSING, OR HACKLING SILK AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Cunliffe Lister, of Manningham, in the County of
York, Silk Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR COMBING, DRESSING, OR HACKLING SILK AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th December 1879.
SAMUEL CUNLIFFE LISTER, of Manningham, in the County of York, Silk Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING, DRESSING, OR HACKLING
SILK AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL."
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for combing,
dressing, or hackling silk and other fibrous material.
Since the Patent granted to me 31st May 1878, No. 2191, after various experi-
inents I have succeeded in filling the shortest drafts on to the carrying comb that
feeds or delivers the fibrous material into the travelling nip. For this purpose I
uso a pair of filling heads which are so arranged that when one is at the top centre
of the excentric or crank the other is at the bottom, so that they act as a counter-
poise to each other. The feed rollers, by preference two pair, are attached or fixed
to a table which is arranged horizontally, or nearly so, and made of a suitable
width and length to allow of a lap from the working cards being placed thereon,
and again fed into the machine without further expense.
The tables, with the rollers fixed to them, are mounted on eccentrics or cranks,
which give them the necessary reciprocating motion, and at the end of the tables
levers are attached and so arranged as to control the reciprocating motion of the
filling heads, according to the length of the fibrous material under process.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th June 1880.
SAMUEL CUNLIFFE LISTER, of Manningham, in the County of York, Silk Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING, DRESSING, OR HACKLING
SILK AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL."
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for combing,
dressing, or backling silk and other fibrous material.
Since the Patent granted to me 31st May 1878, No. 2191, after various experi-
ments I have succeeded in filling the shortest drafts on to the carrying comb that
feeds or delivers the fibrous material into the travelling nip. For this purpose I
use a pair of filling heads which are so arranged that when one is at the top centre
of the eccentric or crank the other is at the bottom, so that they act as a counter-
poise to each other. The feed rollers, by preference two pair, are attached or fixed
to a table which is arranged horizontally, or nearly so, and made of a suitable
width and length to allow of a lap from the working cards being placed thereon,
and again fed into the machine without further expense.
The tables, with the rollers fixed to them, are mounted on eccentrics or cranks,
which give them the necessary reciprocating motion, and at the end of the tables
levers are attached, and so arranged as to control the reciprocating motion of the
filling heads, according to the length of the fibrous material under process.
The Drawing hereunto annexed shews various views of a pair of filling heads
constructed in the manner above described.
Figure 1 is a plan view, Figure 2a vertical section on the line A, A, and Figure 3
a vertical section on the line B, B.
A is the shaft by which motion is given to the filling heads. B, B, are two pairs of
eccentrics fixed on the shaft; the pairs of eccentrics are set on the shaft in opposite
directions, as shewn at Figure 3. C, C, are two tables; each table has fixed to
it, on its under side and near its forward end, two rings or straps which embrace
one pair of the eccentrics on the shaft. The rear end of each table is supported by
links D, D, which can rock on a fixed shaft E.
At the front end of cach table are two pairs of rollers F, F, one pair in front of
the other; the upper roller of each pair is pressed downwards towards the lower
roller by springs G, to cause thom to nip and hold the fibre to the degree requisite.
On one end of the lower roller of each rear pair of rollers is a bevil toothed wheel
H; a bevil pinion I on a spindle K gears into and drives this toothed wheel. On
the spindle is a worm; this gears with and is turned by a screw cut around an
eccentric L which is fast on the spindle. On the opposite ends of the lower rollers
of both the rear and front pair of rollers is a toothed pinion; these pinions are put
into gear with one another by an intermediate pinion not shewn in the Drawing.
Both rollers are thus driven in the same direction. M is a roller at the rear end of
each table; an endless apron, which serves to carry the fibres forward to the rollers
F, is passed over and distended between this roller and the lower rollers of the pairs
of rollers F. The endless apron (not shown in the Drawing) is nipped between the
upper and lower rollers F, and receives motion from them.
When the shaft A is revolved the tables with the feed rollers upon them are
caused by the eccentrics to move up to and away from a travelling comb, and the
fibre which protrudes from the foremost pair of rollers is thereby lashed into the
travelling comb, as will be well understood. At the same time the feed rollers and
apron receive a slow revolving motion, and feed forward the bat of fibre which is
resting upon the apron.
By constructing the filling apparatus in the above manner the bat of fibre is
constantly supported and sustained, and does not get tangled or broken apart by

page_text: the shaking arising from the to and fro motion of the filling head. Thus silk fibro
of short length can readily be placed on to the travelling comb of a combing or
dressing machine.
Filling apparatus constructed as above described is applicable, not only for filling
fibrous material into the endless carrying comb employed, as described in the
Specification of the Patent above mentioned to deliver fibrous material in to a
travelling nip, but it may also be used in other combing or dressing machines to
feed fibre into other endless combs when they are travelling in a straight line.
Also, although the filling heads are more especially useful for enabling bats of
short lengths of silk or other fibre to be fed on to a travelling comb, yet they can
also be used advantageously when longer fibre is being worked. For long fibro
more pairs of feed rollers are used, and the foremost pairs of rollers are not allowed
to nip the fibre so tightly as the rear pairs of rollers.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. The combination of filling heads, constructed as herein before described,
with a combing, dressing, or hackling machine constructed as described in the
Specification of the Patent herein before mentioned, the purpose of filling fibrous
material on to the carrying comb that feeds or delivers the fibrous material into the
travelling nip.
Second. The construction of filling heads in such a manner that the bat of fibre
passing to the feed rollers is supported on a table which is approximately horizontal,
and which rocks to and fro with the feed rollers, substantially as described.
Third. The construction of apparatus for filling fibro into the travelling combs of
machinery for combing, dressing, or hackling silk and other fibrous material,
substantially in the manner herein before described and shown in the Drawings
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
S. C. LISTER. (L.S.)