IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PRE- PARING AND COMBING WOOL
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PRE-
PARING AND COMBING WOOL."-A. communication.
Sealed the 7th December 1853, and dated the 14th October 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 14th October 1853.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND COMBING
WOOL" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, first, to an improved method of preparing
wool into long slivers preparatory to spinning, by means of a novel
arrangement of machinery, whereby the long fibres are drawn out and
straightened, and the short fibres mixed in, but so disposed in the sliver
as to facilitate its separation from the long fibres when placed in the
combing machine.
The wool, after being washed, is placed on an endless cloth, and fed

page_text: into the preparing machine, in which it is brought against the teeth of
a card or porcupine cylinder, which, by being made to rotate at about
the same speed as the endless cloth travels, will take up the wool and
carry it forward to a pair of drawing rollers, which are made to rotate at
a considerable speed, and will thereby draw out and straighten the long
fibres of the wool from the porcupine cylinder, leaving the shorter fibres
to collect thereon in lumps so as to form an uneven sliver, with the
long fibres drawn out and, straightened, and the short libres arranged
in masses. This operation will considerably facilitate, the after process
of combing. The long and short fibres thus arranged are conveyed
along another endless cloth with a smooth surface, and from which the
wool is afterwards transferred to a third cloth, which is made to travel
above and about the same speed as..the other. The wool may be con-
ensed upon these cloths by means of pressing rollers, and may, if
required, be passed a second time through the machine for the purpose
of.rendering the operation complete, when the fibres may be wound on
to a cylinder. and transferred to the combing machine."
In the combing machine the fibres are conducted. between a pair of
jaws,, which are made to open and shut when required to feed in the
fibres to the combs, and to hold them while being operated upon.
When the fibres protrude and hang down from the jaws they are, by
means of a sector card, swept or wiped into a pair of holding rollers;
which are connected with an endless cloth on to which the combed
fibres are delivered. The comb teeth are arranged 'on a segment of a
circle, and are made to act against the sliver which is held between the
jaws and the holding rollers, and will by their operation comb out the
short fibres, leaving the long ones to be conducted by the holding rollers
on to the travelling endless belt.
The short fibres are brushed out or removed from the combs by
rotating brushes or teeth, suitably mounted, arranged, and operated for
the purpose.
:

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th April. 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME; I,
WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the 'said William Edward Newton, Her
special license that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL,"
being a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascef-
tain 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 immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed; to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures' marked
thereon (that is to say):
In the improved machinery for preparing and combing wool, for
which I have obtained Letters Patent as aforesaid, the wool is worked

page_text: into long slivers preparatory to submitting it to the combing operation.
The machine for effecting the preparatory process is termed the pre-
"paring machine, and by it the long fibres are drawn out and straight-
ened and the short fibres mixed in, but so disposed in the sliver as
to facilitate the separation of the long fibres therefrom.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1, is a plan of the machine for
preparing the wool preparatory to the combing operation; Fig. 2, is
an elevation, and Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section of the same;
Fig. 4, a plan of the machine for combing; Fig. 5, a side elevation ;
and Fig. 6, a longitudinal vertical section thereof. The same letters
indicate like parts in all the Figures. The wool, after being washed,
is spread by hand upon an endless apron a, made of india-rubber cloth
or some suitable material. This apron passes around two rollers b, c,
and over a third roller d, at a short distance from the roller c, and
placed a little higher than the plane of the rollers b, and c: The roller c
receives motion by cog wheels or otherwise from the motive power.
Above the roller d, there is another roller e, which by its weight presses
lightly on the wool as it is carried under it by the apron a.
Just over that part of the apron a, extending between the rollers
c and d, there is a cylinder f, armed with coarse card teeth bent in a
direction the reverse of the rotation which is indicated by the arrow.
The teeth of this cylinder bear upon the apron and bend it down in a
curve nearly equal to the curvature of the periphery of the cylinder.
The apron a, and the tips of the teeth on the cylinder, move in the same
direction with equal or nearly equal velocity, the teeth of the cylinder
being made to penetrate the mass of wool on the apron a.
Just beyond, and close to the roller c, there is a pair of drawing
rollers g, g, with an endless apron h, of india-rubber cloth, leather, or
some other suitable material, which apron passes around the lower one
of this pair of drawing rollers g, and around another roller i, at the
other end of the machine. Driving power is applied by cog or belt
wheels to the lower one of the pair of rollers g, so as to make their
peripheries move with ten times the speed, more or less, of the cylinder f,
the upper roller g, being held down in any well known manner to bite the
wool and draw out the fibres, which are further laid on the apron, by

page_text: the weight of a series of small rollers j, placed just behind the upper
draw roller g.
Just over the apron h, there is another endless aprou k, made of
india-rubber cloth, with the cloth side outward and passing around two
rollers 1, m, so situated that the lower face of the apron shall be
inclined to the upper face of the apron below it, as shewn in Figures
2, and 3. By this means the sliver of wool, when laid on the apron h,
will be gradually compressed, and the sliver will be made slightly to
adhere to the surface of the apron k, and be drawn up by it, and thus
wound on to this apron until the required thickness has been obtained.
The weight of the roller m is sufficient for this purpose; and in order
still further to condense 'the slivers, pressure may be made upon them,
if desired, by another roller n, above the roller 1, as shewn in Figures
2, and 3.
As the wool is carried along by the apron a, under the porcupine
cylinder, the teeth thereof pass through the layer of wool to the surface
of the apron; the fibres are then caught in the bite of the draw
roller g, g, which moving with a greater velocity than the porcupine
cylinder and apron a, draw out and straighten the long fibres, whilst
the short fibres are retained by the teeth of the porcupine cylinder, and
collected in pods or lumps, and thus their final separation from the long
fibres by the after operation of combing is facilitated.
The fibres thus drawn out are laid on the apron h, and carried along
under the apron k, and caused to bind against it as above explained, by
reason of its rough surface, which causes the fibres to adhere thereto in
preference to the smooth surface of the apron h. After a sufficient
thickness has been obtained on the apron k, the hank thus formed is
broken, drawn off, and again put on the apron a, to be again drawn ont.
This operation is repeated until the long fibres are drawn out
straight, and then they are wound upon a roller or beam, and taken to
the combing machine shewn in Figures 4, 5, and 6.
The roller or beam above referred to is seen at o, Fig. 6, and this
beam, with the prepared fibres wound thereon in a sheet, is mounted
in suitable standards on the frame of the combing machine.
The sliver of wool 2, is carried from the beam or roller o, Fig. 6, to

page_text: the bite of a pair of feed rollers q, q, which receive an intermittent
reciprocating motion in one direction for the purpose of feeding or
supplying the sliver, and in the reverse direction for the purpose of
drawing back the sliver. This intermittent reciprocating motion is
communicated by a cam r, on the cam shaft s, which receives motion
from the driving shaft t, by a band u, Fig. 4, which drives a band
wheel v. On the spindle of the wheel v, is a pinion. w, that gears into
a cog wheel a, on the cam shaft. The cam 7, acts on an arm y, Fig. 6,
of a rock shaft, provided with another arin a¹, Figures 4, and 5,
jointed to a connecting rod 6, the upper end of which is jointed to an
arm or lever c; Fig. 5,; that is mounted and turns freely on the shaft of
one of the rollers q, Fig. 6, and this lever is provided with a dog
or pawle d, Fig. 5, which catches the spurs or cogs of a wheel.e', 'on
the selfsame roller q, so that whilst the dog or pawle is engaged in the
cogs, the reciprocating motion given by the form of the cam 1. to the
rock shaft, and by the connections to the lever c', 'the roller q will be
caused to reciprocate on its axis, and-this motion is arrested at the time
required by means of a sector f¹, on the end of a rod g', Fig. 5, which
is lifted up by a cam h', on the cam shaft s.
The sliver of wool passes from the feed rollers between a pair of
jaws 7, Fig. 6, the lower jaw being fixed or stationary, and the other
movable and connected by rods k, l, to levers 1111; which are acted
upon by cams m³, m³, on the cam shaft s, for the purpose of opening
the jaws to liberate the sliver when the feed rollers are in motion, and
to close them so as to gripe and holl the sliver when the feed rollers
are at rest. The front face of the jaw below the griping surface is
curved in the segment of a circle concentric with the combing cylin
der n', so as to form a rest-to support the sliver during the operation of
combing; and the lower edge of this jaw-fits over the upper one of a
pair of draw rollers 'o', o'; which receive an intermittent rotary motion
for the purpose of drawing out the fibres of wool after they have been
combed. An endless apron p (to receive tlie combed wool as it is
drawn out) passes around the lower one of the pair of drawing- rollers,
and around another roller q', at the rear end of the machine. Behind
the
upper drawing roller o' there is a series of pressure rollers 7, 7, 2,

page_text: to compress the sliver of combed wool on the apron p', from whence it
is taken up by another apron s¹, in a similar manner to that described. in
the preparing machine.
In front of the jaws and parallel therewith.is the, semi-cylinder n',
mounted on a shaft t: The periphery of this semi-cylinder is armed
with rows of comb teeth u, each row in succession being finer and
nearer together than the comb immediately preceding. Sometimes
instead of the last row of comb.teeth Isubstitute, a strip of wire:cards.
A segment of cards v' is attached to the arms w; which are hung, to
and are free to turn on the shaft t' of the combing cylinder, so that
the card can play in the open segment of the comb cylinder. And one
of the arms of the card has a wrist pina, which at times. rests.
and plays on the face of a rocker y', on the end of an arm, on the
rock shaft which receives motion from the cam r, to operate the
feed motion, as before described.
As soon as a given. length of the sliver of wool p, has been fed for-
ward between the open jaws the feed motion stops, and, the jaws close,
and there gripe the sliver with the required, length hanging down in
front of the fixed jaw . The comb teeth then pass and comb out the
noyles and straighten all the fibres. The comibing semi-cylinder and
the segment card, which have the sanie axis of inotion, receive: motion.
alternately by the same belt a Fig. 4, from a pulley on the driving
shaft t, which belt is alternately shifted from the pulley b, on the shaft,
of the combing semi-cylinder to the pulley c, on the hollow or sleeve
shaft, to which the arms of the segment card are attached,' and the belt
is shifted from the one to the other of these two pullies by a shipping,
lever de, operated' by a cami e, on the cam shaft.
The moment the combs have passed and combed the fibres, the seg->
ment card reaclies the fibres, and at that moment the jaws open and
the feed rollers feed forward the sliver; the belt a² is then shifted from
the segment card pulley, and the segment card is then controlled in its
motions by the cam'r, by reason of the wrist pin on one of its arms,
resting on the rockery of the arm of the rock shaft z. The move,
ment of these parts permits the segment card to descend-with the sliver..
as it is supplied by the feed rollers. This brings the combed ends of
+

page_text: the fibres to the bite of the draw rollers by which they are drawn from
the sliver, and whilst the combed fibres are being thus drawn out the
feed rollers and segment card reciprocate or move back about half the
distance, so as to carry back the sliver, and aid in separating the un-
combed from the combed fibres. The jaws i, j, then close, leaving
the required length of fibres hanging from the jaws, with the noyles of
short fibres ready to be combed out, and by that time the combing
semi-cylinder has performed its circuit, and comes again to comb the
fibres thus left hanging from the jaws.
In this way at each operation a portion of the length of a series of
fibres are left hanging from the jaws to be combed, so that the noyles
or short fibres may be combed out, whilst the other portion of their
length lies in the sliver to be drawn out by the draw rollers, which
differs from all other machines heretofore known in this important
characteristic, (viz',) that the long fibres which are laid longitudinally in
the sliver by the drawing operation of the preparing machine have the
noyles combed out of a part of their length, and when thus combed
these ends are griped, and the remaining portion of their length drawn
out of the sliver, and thus separated from the rest of the fibres, instead
of hooking or hitching them on to teeth around which they are bent,
and then combing out the two ends and drawing them around and away
from the teeth on which they were hung; the one acting upon the fibres
throughout the operation in the direction of their length, thus tending
to straighten them; the others acting from the middle towards each end,
and necessarily bending and doubling the fibres, and tending to break
them in the operation of drawing them off, if they should be hung by
the middle, and the apparatus for drawing them off should catch both
ends simultaneously.
As the teeth of the segment card are bent or hooked upward, as
shewn in Fig. 6, they have no tendency (when descending for the
purpose of leaving the fibres) to carry any fibres with them. The combs
carry off the noyles from the sliver, and these noyles are stripped or
cleaned out by the teeth or brushes f, on the ends of arms g³, on
a shaft h, hung in levers i, and acted upon by a cam j, on the cam
shaft s.
This operation brings the teeth or brushes within the reach of

page_text: the comb teeth after they have performed their combing operation. A
rotary motion is given to this series of teeth or brushes much more
rapid than the motion of the comb teeth, so as to clean out the latter,
and this series of brushes or teeth is in turn cleaned out by passing
through reversed teeth on a vibrating sector k, on a rock shaft 2, and
these teeth are in turn cleaned by passing through another set of teeth
in another sector m².
I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not limit myself to the
special mechanical arrangement for obtaining the various movements
above specified, as any skilful mechanician can obtain the same ends
by the substitution of mechanical equivalents; but what I claim as
new in the above-described improvements, and therefore wish to claim
as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, is,
first, the general arrangement of parts shewn and described, or any
mere modification thereof, for preparing and combing wool. I claim
particularly the means shewn and described for consolidating or
compressing the sliver.
In reference to the combing machine shewn in Figures 4, 5, and 6,
I claim the use of the card segment and the comb semi-cylinder
operated in the manner and for the purposes above explained, and also
the arrangements shewn, or any mere modification thereof, for feeding
forward the sliver, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
FRED. WALKDEN,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)