IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUB- STANCES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Fothergill, of 27, Cornhill, in the City
of London, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUB-
STANCES."
Sealed the 27th May 1864, and dated the 14th December 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Fothergill
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th December 1863.
"IM-
I, BENJAMIN FOTHERGILL, of 27, Cornhill, in the City of London, Con
sulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "]
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS POR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in machinery or apparatus
for combing wool and other fibrous substances, and consists in the employment
of a combination of mechanism consisting of a set of screw or other gill
combs or porcupine rollers provided or not with a heating apparatus in con-
junction with a pair of feeding rollers by which the lap or fleece is carried
forward, so as to bring the front end of the lap or fleece between a pair of
stationary nippers which hold the lap or fleece whilst its protruding front end
is being combed by means of a rotatory or reciprocating clearing comb or combs.
During the action of this comb or combs the end of the lap or fleece is held"

page_text: down by a depressing plate, the object being to press the material well into the
teeth of the clearing comb or combs. The noil in the clearing comb is
removed therefrom by a rotatory brush, which deposits it on to a card cylinder,
from whence it is doffed in the usual manner. After this end of the lap or
fleece has been combed, a screen comb or combs are made to rise and enter the
material immediately in front of the stationary nippers. The combed end of
the material is now laid hold of by movable or travelling nippers, which
detach a tuft from the lap or fleece, and in doing so comb the tail end of the
tuft by drawing it through the teeth of the screen and gill combs, the
stationary nippers having in the meantime been opened. These movable or
travelling nippers are so arranged as to deposit the completely combed tuft
upon a plain or pinned travelling surface or surfaces, with the tail or thin end
of the tuft in the direction of the drawing-off rollers, a brush or pad being
employed, if desired, for the purpose of pressing the fibres together upon the
travelling surface. The several detached tufts are deposited and accumulated
upon the travelling surface so as to partially lie or lap one over another, and
form a fleece or lap of sufficient thickness to admit of it being drawn by
passing through an ordinary or other drawing head.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Benjamin Fothergill in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
FOTHERGILL, of 27, Cornhill, in the City of London, Consulting Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Benjamin Fothergill, Her special license that I, the said Benjamin
Fothergill, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as.. I.
the said Benjamin Fothergill, my executors, administrators, or 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, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS

page_text: SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Benjamin
Fothergill, 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
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 imme--
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Benjamin Fothergill, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the-
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and
'to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to certain improvements in that class of machinery.
or apparatus for combing wool and other fibrous substances wherein a com-
bination of mechanism is employed, consisting of a set of screw or other gill
combs or porcupine rollers (provided or not with a heating apparatus), in.
conjunction with a pair of feeding rollers, by which the lap or fleece is
carried forward so as to bring the front end of the lap or fleece between
a pair of stationary nippers, which hold the lap or fleece whilst its pro-
truding front end is being combed by means of a rotatory or reciprocating
clearing comb or combs. The noil in the clearing comb is removed there-
from by a rotatory brush, which deposits it on to a card cylinder, from.
whence it is doffed in the usual manner. After this end of the lap or fleece
has been combed, a screen comb or combs are made to rise and enter the
material immediately in front of the stationary nippers, the material being
pressed down into the teeth of such comb by a depressing plate. The
combed end of the material is now laid hold of by moveable or travelling
nippers, which detach a tuft from the lap or fleece, and in doing so comb
the tail end of the tuft by drawing it through the teeth of the screen and
gill combs or porcupine roller, the stationary nippers having in the mean-
time been opened.
These moveable or travelling nippers are so arranged according to my
Invention as to deposit the completely combed tuft upon a plain or pinned
travelling surface or surfaces, with the tail or thin end of the tuft in
the direction of the drawing-off rollers, so that the said thinner ends of
the tufts shall be first seized between such rollers. A brush or dabber
may be employed if desired for the purpose of pressing the fibres together
upon the travelling surface. The several detached tufts are deposited and;
accumulated upon the travelling surface, so as to partially lie or. lap one

page_text: over another and form a fleece or lap of sufficient thickness to admit of it
being drawn by passing through an ordinary or other drawing head.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the two Sheets of Drawings hereunto aunexed,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
}
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a sectional elevation of a wool combing
machine provided with one modification of my improved appliances, whereby
a tuft of wool is detached from the end of the lap and deposited on a drum or
on an endless band or apron, with the tail or last combed end of the tuft
pointing from the feeding end of the machine and towards the drawing-off
rollers, so that the thinner end of each successive tuft as it is pieced up
into a sliver or fleece shall be presented first to the drawing-off rollers;
instead of the head or thicker end, as has heretofore been the practice in
this class of wool-combing machinery. Figure 2 is a separate view of
the detaching nippers when up at the screen comb and closed ready to
draw out a tuft of wool; Figure 3 shews the same nippers when drawn out
and opened ready for depositing the tuft on the endless apron or drum; and
Figure 4 is a plan of the detaching nippers when in the position shewn in
Figure 1.
•
In order that the different mechanical parts of the machines may be
more readily indicated and their movements traced out, I have adopted the
following special system of coloring :-The framing and main driving gear
are colored grey; the holding nippers and their appurtenances light or
Prussian blue; the feeding porcupine roller, screen comb, and all parts
involved in the combing of the tail end of the tuft a darker or indigo
blue; the parts effecting the combing of the front end of the tuft are
colored yellow; the detaching nippers and actuating appliances pink; the
dabbing brush and parts connected therewith purple; the drawing-off rollers
and their apron and the drawing rollers are colored brown; and the noil
doffing apparatus green.
A is the main framing of the machine; B, the main driving shaft driven
in the usual manner; C is the cam shaft driven from the main driving
shaft by the spur pinion D and wheel E. The slivers of prepared wool
intended to be operated upon are laid side by side upon the plate F, which
may form the upper surface of a box or chamber, and is heated by means
of gas jets, steam, hot water, or other convenient contrivance, so as to keep
the wool during its passage over it in the condition suitable to be combed

page_text: as is well known in this branch of manufactures. The slivers thus laid
over the hot plate F are passed beneath the feed porcupine roller G, which
feeds them forward at the required intervals by means of a pawl and ratchet
wheel. I have not considered it necessary to illustrate this mechanism in my
Drawings, as it is well known amongst makers of this class of machinery, and
forms no part of my Invention, nor does the general arrangement of the
holding nippers, screen comb, and striking plate differ in any material respect
from that adopted in Whipple's machine, for which Letters Patent were
granted to John Henry Johnson on or about the Twenty-sixth day of
April One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, No. 1050, except that
in my machine those parts are moved directly by the cams H and I. The
cam H acts directly upon the lever K, which moves the upper jaw of the
stationary nippers, whilst a pin L in the spur wheel E on the cam shaft works
in a slot M in the sword N on one side of the machine, and a corresponding pin
on a crank plate, also fast on tbe shaft C, works in a similar slot in a second
sword on the other side of the machine, by which means an oscillating motion
is imparted to the two swords simultaneously. These swords N and the con-
necting rods O, O, jointed thereto transmit motion to the detaching nippers P:
The detaching nippers are in general respects similar to those employed in
Whipple's Patent machine herein-before referred to, but in order to open and
close such nippers I prefer to employ, in lieu of the cam arrangement hitherto
adopted, a weighted lever Q and latch R. The shaft S extending from
side to side of the nippers is furnished with the usual inclined pieces or
arms T, which act upon the curved surfaces of the two levers or arms U
for closing the nippers, but at one end of this shaft there is keyed a weighted
lever (or if preferred a spring may be substituted therefor), the gravity of
which constantly tends to cause the inclines T to act against the levers U and:
so to keep the nippers closed. When, however, it is necessary that the nippers
should be opened at the end of their outward motion, or pin V projecting
laterally from the lever Q passes up the surface of a fixed inclined plane W
and lifts the weighted lever Q so as to take off the pressure of the arms T
against the levers or arms U, whereupon the weighted bar X, by its gravity,
will open the nippers. So soon as the pin V has passed up the incline Wa
latch R drops under the same pin and holds the weighted bar X elevated.
until, by the inward motion of the nippers; the end of this latch comes against:
the fixed stud or pin Y, and is thereby moved backward so as to release the
weight which, now falling, presses upon the curved surfaces or arms T and
closes the nippers again. It will most frequently be found desirable to defer
the opening of the detaching nippers in this arrangement until after they have:

page_text: begun to return inwards, otherwise the tuft of will may not yet be regularly
deposited upon the inclined apron. To effect this the hinged inclined plane
W, shewn in Figure 5, is employed in lieu of that marked W in Figure 1.
As the nippers move outwards the pin or stud V on the weighted lever Q
moves the hinged piece W₁ round the centre Z until it has passed beyond the
point of the incline W', when the latter falls and resumes the position shewn;
then, as the nippers return inwards, the pin or stud V passes up the incline W¹
and opens the nippers sooner or later, as may be required, according to the
length of staple being operated upon.
+
One of the numerous means which may be adopted for effecting the reversing
of the position of the tuft so as to bring the thin end in the direction of or
pointing towards the drawing-off rollers a, a, consists in placing the endless
receiving band or cloth b in a slanting or inclined direction, as shewn in Figure 1,
and applying a curved or other shield cover the upper carrying roller d for
the purpose of preventing the tail end of the tuft, when hanging down, from
becoming engaged in the teeth of the endless band or cloth during the out-
ward traverse of the nippers, which are carried some little distance beyond the
upper roller d so as to pass the edge of the shield. A striking wire d' working
on the centre e is then made to strike down the tail end of the tuft in front of
the nippers by any well-known mechanical arrangement, and so bring it into a
position suitable for being deposited on the band or apron in the desired
reversed direction during the return inwards of the nippers. A dabbing
brush fis caused to roll on the surface of the apron by the lever g, which
receives motion from the nipper slide as it moves inwards; h are two levers
fitted loosely on the stud pins i at each side of the machine; and k is a small
shaft which is carried by and turns freely in eyes in the ends of the levers h,
and has fast upon it the two arms which carry between them the circular
dabbing brush f. A lever ġ is jointed by a slot to a piu on the arm of the
dabbing brush, and at its other end joins the boss of another lever m, also
working on the centre i, and bent out clear of the framing and resting against
a stud n. A hinged trigger n' (Figure 6) carried on the outside of the nipper
slide is so arranged as to pass over the top of this lever m when moving
outwards, but when moving inwards the trigger catches the lever mand moves
it partly round together with the lever g, which being connected with the
arm of the brush draws the latter first round the centre k until the brush
comes in contact with the endless apron, the tail end of the tuft of wool being
between the apron and the brush; the lever h then begins to move, together
with the levers g and m, round the centre i, so as to roll the brush over the
surface of the apron. The trigger n² now slips over the end of the lever m, so

page_text: as to liberate or release the whole system, whereupon a weight or a spring will
restore the several parts to the positions shewn in Figure 1, that is to say,
the lever m will be brought against its stud n, and the levers h against the
sheds o provided for them. The head of each tuft is combed before it is
detached by the ordinary porcupine roller p, and the tail or thinner end of the
tuft is combed and straightened in the act of detaching the same by drawing
it, as is well known, through the teeth of the screen comb q; r is a circular
brush for removing the noil from the porcupine roller, and s is a card cylinder
revolving in contact with the brush for the purpose of taking the noil there-
from, such noil being doffed, in any well-known manner, from the card
cylinder. As fast as the several tufts are laid upon the inclined apron or drum
to form the sliver they are drawn off continuously from such apron or drum
by the drawing-off rollers a, a, which seize the thinner or tail ends of the
several tufts first in lieu of, as heretofore, the head or thicker end, and convey
the sliver to the rollers t, t, and u, u, of an ordinary drawing head, after which
the continuous sliver passes to the usual delivery rollers, which are omitted in
my Drawings.
Although I have only considered it necessary to illustrate one arrangement
as an example of the mode by which the essential feature of my Invention
may be carried out, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine
or restrict myself to that particular combination of mechanism, as various
modifications of the same may be employed for effecting the same purpose;
but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent,
is, the application and use to and in the combing of wool or other fibrous
material of a pair of detaching nippers which shall deposit a succession of
tufts of wool or other fibrous material upon a drum or endless band or other
suitable receiving surface in such a direction that the tail or thinner end of
each tuft will be first laid hold of by the drawing-off rollers in lieu of the head
or thicker end, as heretofore.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Fothergili, have to this my
Specification hereunto set my hand and seal, the Ninth day of June
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
BENJN. FOTHERGILL. (L.S.)