Improvements in Mechanism for Driving the Fluted Rollers of Gilling, Combing, and like Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Oct., 1894-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for Driving the Fluted Rollers of
Gilling, Combing, and like Machines.
I, CHARLES CHOLERTON of 873 Taylor Street in the City of Philadelphia in
the State of Pennsylvania in the United States of America Wool Comber 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:-
My invention relates to mechanism employed in machines for gilling, combing
or drawing fibres, in which a pair of toothed or fluted draft or feed rollers are
employed with an apron passing between them, the object of my invention being
to so drive the said rollers as to prevent the rapid wear of the apron, which is a
serious objection to mechanism of this class as at present constructed.
I will describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawing of
which :-
-
Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of sufficient of a
combing machine to illustrate my present invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional view of part of the same.
Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 Figure 2, with part broken away to
show a construction beyond.
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the rollers and part of the apron used in
connection therewith, and
Figures 5 to 14, inclusive, are views illustrating arrangements for carrying out
my invention.
In Figure 1, A and B represent two parallel shafts carrying toothed or fluted
rollers a and between which passes an endless belt or apron y (Figure 4) of
leather or other suitable material which apron is nipped by the teeth of the rollers
where they engage with each other, the construction being that usually adopted
in what is known as the "Noble" combing machine.
Usually, the shafts are mounted in bearings which are provided with adjusting
devices comprising a yoke a' having a bearing screw a with an adjustable nut a³
acted on by a spring a whereby proper pressure can be imparted to the apron
passing between the fluted rollers, power being applied only to the shaft A
and the rotation of the fluted roller b being ordinarily effected by reason of the
engagement of the rollers a and b with the apron between them.
Those portions of the apron which receive the thrust of the teeth of the fluted
roller a are subjected to considerable pressure and consequently wear rapidly, so
that the aprons soon become useless and must be replaced, the expense of these
aprons being a considerable item in the cost of operating the machine.
Even if the two shafts A and B are geared together, there is always more or less
driving action of one fluted roller upon the other through the medium of the
interposed apron, and as the pressure imparted to the rolls in this class of
machinery is often very heavy, it will be evident that rapid wear of the apron
must result, and frequent renewal of said apron become necessary.
My invention has for its object to materially reduce the expense of operating
the machine, by preventing the excessive wear of the aprons, and this object
attain by driving the fluted roller b independently of any engagement with the
roller a and in such manner that each of its teeth has a constant tendency to
advance or retreat from the front of the following tooth of the roller a, hence the

page_text: pressure upon the apron, due to the driving action of said roller, is removed and
the wear upon the apron therefore very materially reduced and its usefulness
much prolonged.
As shown in Figure 1, the two shafts A and B are connected by a pair of spur
wheels d and f, the said spur wheel & being connected to the shaft A through the
medium of an interposed elastic element as shewn in Figures 2 and 3 having a
tendency to move the wheel forward in the direction of the rotation of the shaft
with force sufficient to overcome the friction of the shaft B in its bearings, so that
the roller b has a constant tendency to move in advance of the movement of the
roller a, hence the power imparted to the fluted apron-carrying roller b is such as
is determined by the initial tension of the said elastic element which, therefore,
prevents any tight nipping of the aprou between a tooth of said roller and an
advancing tooth of the roller a, the tendency being to maintain the roller 6 always
in such position that the advancing tooth of the roller a will enter squarely
between the teeth of the said roller whereby the forward movement of the apron
will be effected with a minimum amount of pressure and wear upon the same.
The elastic medium shewn in Figures 2 and 3 whereby the spur wheel dis
connected to the shaft A is a coiled spring g the inner end of the said spring being
connected to the hub of the spur wheel and its outer end being connected to the
flange g of a collar D loosely mounted on the shaft A but having around its
periphery ratchet teeth which are engaged by pawls g* carried by the flange of
a collar F secured to the shaft A. As the said collar F therefore,
rotates with the shaft, the movement of the same is transmitted to the loose
collar D, thence through the spring g to the hub of the spur wheel d
and thence through the spur wheel and shaft B to the fluted roller b.
While the collar D, therefore, is always compelled to turn forward with the
collar F it can be moved forward independently of the said collar F in order to
tighten the spring g or, upon first backing off the pawls g* can be moved
backward so as to slacken said spring the tension of the latter being thus readily
regulated to accord with the desired conditions of working.
The object of my invention, however, can be attained without this provision for
varying the tension of the spring, for instance, the collar D can be connected
rigidly to the shaft A and the spring y relied upon to transmit the movement of
the shaft to the spur wheel d and any desired form of spring can be used, or, if
desired, a frictional driving device can be employed in place of the elastic driver,
for instance, in Figure 5 I have shown a construction in which the shafts A and B
are connected by spur wheels in and n so proportioned in respect to the diameters
of the fluted rollers a and b that if the spur wheel n was rigidly secured to the
shaft B the fluted roller b would be driven at a somewhat higher surface speed
than the roller a.
The spur wbeel n, however, is loose on the shaft B and drives the same through
the medium of friction rings or washers s interposed between the face of the
wheel and a collar t suitably confined to the shaft so as to be compelled to rotate
therewith, the said collar being adjustable by means of nuts t¹ so as to regulate the
degree of friction upon the rings s to cause it to exceed the friction of the shaft B
in its bearings.
The frictional connection between the spur wheel and the shaft may, however,
be in the form of a peripheral band clutch instead of a face ring or disc, and the
clutch may be used in connection with the shaft A instead of with the shaft B, it
being immaterial upon which shaft the yielding or elastic connection is employed.
In Figure 6 I have shown a friction band ' carried by a collar F' secured to the
shaft A, the said band engaging with a drum t' upon the hub of the spur wheel d'
which is loose on said shaft A.
The frictional driving device may if desired be interposed between the fluted
roller and the shaft instead of between the shaft and a driving spur wheel thereon,
for instance, in Fig. 7 I have shown a construction in which the fluted roller b has
countersunk ends adapted for the reception of cones w w', the cone w being keyed

page_text: to the shaft B and the cone to being adjustable longitudinally thereon by means of
uts adapted to a threaded portion of the shaft so that by screwing up these
ats the fluted roller b can be clutched to the shaft with any desired degree of.
force.
Another method of employing a frictional drive is illustrated in Figure 8. In
this case the friction drums m' and n' are used in place of spur wheels as a means
of connecting the two shafts.
Where the two shafts are not likely to be adjusted from and towards each other,
these friction drums can be cylindrical, but where adjustment of the shafts is
required, it is preferable to make the drums conical as represented in Fig. 8, and to
provide a spring n³ for acting upon the drum n' so that it can move longitudinally
on its shaft in order to slide outward on the cone m' when the shafts approach each
other, or inward on the said cone m' when the shafts are separated.
A method of providing for adjustment of the shafts when cylindrical drums are
employed is illustrated in Figures 9 to 12. In this case the shaft A has a drum
secured to it, but the drum ¹ on the shaft B has an opening larger than that
portion of the shaft which projects into it so that it is free to move radially on the
shaft in all directions, internal springs serving to hold the drum normally in its
central position. On the end of the drum are formed wings which enter
recesses in the face of a collar secured to the shaft B, the recesses being
considerably wider than the wings so that the driving connection between the
drum and collar is such as to permit the adjustment of the shaft B from or
towards the shaft A, the springs serving to hold the drum e firmly in contact
with the drum under all conditions of working.
In Figures 13 and 14. I have illustrated a construction of gill box in which the
power, instead of being transmitted directly from the shaft A to the shaft B, is
transmitted through the medium of an intermediate device.
. The shaft A is driven from the primary shaft H by means of spur wheels I I.
On the shaft H is a sprocket wheel J which, by means of a chain J', drives a
sprocket wheel J' turning loosely on a stud G projecting from the frame of the
machine. Also turning loosely on the said stud is a sprocket wheel K which
receives a chain K' the latter driving a sprocket wheel K* on the shaft B.
The sprocket wheel K bears against a flange or collar M at the end of the stud G
and between the sprocket wheel K and the wheel J' are interposed friction
disks M', a spring M³ being interposed between the sprocket wheel J and nuts N
on the stud G. By adjusting these nuts, therefore, the tension of the spring can
be regulated and the sprocket wheel K can be driven with any desired degree of
friction.
It will be understood that in this case, as in all of the other instances of frictional
driving which I have illustrated, the parts are so proportioned that the fluted
roller & will have a normal tendency to move at a slightly greater surface speed
than the fluted roller a.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A gilling, combing or drawing machine having a pair of fluted rollers, and an
interposed apron, one of the rollers being driven from the other through the
medium of a yielding, or elastic connection interposed at some point between the
rollers, the said yielding or elastic connection being such as to impart to the driven
roller a constant tendency to advance ahead of the driving roller, and thus prevent
excessive wear upon the apron substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In a combination of the character set forth in Claim I, the employment of
means for varying the pressure of the yielding driving device, or the tension of the
elastic driving device so as to govern the force of the advancing tendency of the
driven roller, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The combination of parts illustrated in Figure 1, in which the shafts of

page_text: the driving and driven rollers are geared together, the gear upon the driving roller
shaft being loose, but being connected to a fixed collar on the shaft by means of a
spring and an adjustable collar provided with means whereby it can be locked to
the fixed collar, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1894.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.