IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Philip John Passavant, of Bradford, in the County of
York, Machine Comber, and John Cure, of the same place, Manager, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING
WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 26th September 1854, and dated the 30th March 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Philip John Passavant
and John Cure at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 30th March 1854.
We, PHILIP JOHN PASSAVANT, of Bradford, in the County of York, Machine
Comber, and JOHN CURE, of the same place, Manager, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES " to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates chiefly to that description of combing machine for
which Letters Patent were granted to Charles Augustus Preller, on or about
7th July 1842. One part of our improvements consists in the addition of an
endless chain of combs or other travelling apparatus, upon which the tufts of
wool or other material are deposited by the action of a transferring comb,
which removes them from the usual drum; from this surface the deposited
tufts are drawn by rollers, or by other suitable means.
The drum, according to our Invention, revolves continuously, and each comb
draws off a number of tufts, which are therefore accumulated thereon before

page_text: the transferring comb arrives in the proper position for stripping them off, and
depositing them upon the travelling surface.
The transferring comb is mounted upon an arm extending from an axis,
driven by excentric wheels, so as to cause it to move at an accelerated speed
when in the act of stripping off the material; it has also an independent
motion upon the said arm, so as to be capable of turning upon its own axis for
the purpose of assuming a proper angle for the stripping operation, and of
passing into another when depositing the material; these changes of position
we govern by an irregularly shaped toothed wheel, taking into a pinion
mounted upon the axis of the comb. These varying motions of the transferring
comb are applicable to combing machines of other constructions. The
revolving drum we cause to move at a decreased rate when the material is
about to be stripped by the transferring comb, and this we accomplish by using
excentric wheels as a driving medium, or by other similar means.
The wheel work for driving the drum and for raising and lowering the usual
card cylinder are mounted on the same side of the machine and connected
together, so that when a change of wheels is made, for the purpose of regulating
the number of tufts or layers to be accumulated on the combs, the two parts
are altered together. In order to lift the material, so as to cause it to be
readily taken by the transferring comb, we adapt a rod extending across the
drum, and cause it to rise and fall by a crank or other such motion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Philip John Passavant and John Cure in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 30th September 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, PHILIP
JOHN PASSAVANT, of Bradford, in the County of York, Machine Comber, and
JOHN CURE, of the same place, Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Philip John Passavant and John Cure, Her special license that we,
the said Philip John Passavant and John Cure, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Philip John Passavant and John
Cure, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR COMBING WOOL; AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the, said. Philip John Passavant and John Cure,
by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, 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 immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Philip John Passavant and John Cure,.
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner.
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained. in and
by the following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):
:-
Our Invention relates chiefly to that description of combing machine for
which Letters Patent were granted to C. A. Preller, on or about the Seventh
day of July, One thousand eight hundred and forty-two; that is to say, we
employ a revolving drum, upon which series of combs are mounted for the
purpose of receiving the wool or other material from the feed rollers. Accord-
ing, however, to the machine of the said C. A. Preller, the comb drum was
caused to rotate for a time, and was then arrested in its motion for the
purpose of removing the material by hand; whereas, according to our Inven-
tion, the, drum.revolves continuously, and we use a transferring apparatus for
the purpose of depositing the wool or other material upon an endless chain of
combs, from whence it is drawn by rollers or other suitable mechanism. The
transferring comb we cause by peculiar mechanism to assume varying angles
suitable for stripping and depositing, and we also cause it to move at an
accelerated rate when in the act of stripping the material, and at that time we
retard the, velocity of the drum, whereby sufficient time is given for the
effective working of the machine. In order further to facilitate the operation,
we adapt a rod extending across the drum, and cause it to rise at proper.
intervals, so as to lift the material, and enable it to be readily taken by the
transferring apparatus.
Having thus stated generally the main features of our Invention, we will
proceed to describe the same more particularly by aid of the two Sheets of
Drawings accompanying this our Specification. Fig. 1. is a side view of
the machine; Fig. 2, a plan view; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section;
and Fig. 4, an end view; in all of which similar letters and numbers of
reference denote the like parts. The wool or other material is applied to the
:

page_text: machine in the usual manner, and is received by the feeding rollers shewn
at a; the manner in which rotatory motion is communicated to them is
as follows:-Upon the main driving shaft b is a bevil pinion c, taking into
a wheel d, mounted upon a cross shaft e; this shaft carries an eccentric
toothed wheel f, taking into another of similar form g, upon the axis of
which is a wheel h, which by gearing with a wheel i, causes the combing
cylinder to revolve; upon the axis of this cylinder is a pinion k, which,
through the tram shewn in the Drawing, imparts rotatory motion to the
wheel, mounted upon the axis of one of the feed rollers a; the means by
which the other rollers are caused to revolve at proper speeds will be seen by
reference to the Figures. The material thus carried passes over a plate m,
and is delivered to the action of a series of combs mounted upon the cylinder j
and by which successive portions are removed and retained until transferred to
another part of the machine, as hereafter to be described. It has been stated
that the wheels f, g, through which motion is communicated to the cylinder j
are mounted as eccentrics upon their shafts; it will therefore be evident, that,
although the driving power be uniform, an irregular motion will be imparted
to the combs accordingly as the larger or smaller radii of the wheels f, g, are
in gear, the object and precise operation of which will be hereafter explained.
Upon the axis e of the wheel fis mounted an elliptical toothed wheel n, taking
into another o of similar form affixed to a cross shaft p. This shaft is provided
with projecting arms furnished at one end with counterbalance weights, and
at the other with a cross bar r, which carries by means of centres a line of
combs corresponding in width to those upon the cylinder j. Upon a fixed
parts is a stationary pinion t, gearing into a wheel u, which is fast with another
wheel v, the two being mounted upon one of the arms q; the wheel v is of
varying radii, as shewn by the pitch line of the teeth in the detached view,
Fig. 5, and is in gear with a pinion w, fixed to the axis of the comb bar r; as
therefore the shaft p revolves, the wheel u will be caused to roll upon the teeth
of the fixed pinion t, and will thereby be caused to revolve and communicate
rotatory motion to the pinion w, so as to cause the comb r to turn upon its
centre. It will be perceived by reference to Fig. 5, that the wheel v is con-
stituted by a series of irregularly formed portions of its periphery, from a to y
being one of such portions; and the numbers of teeth in the several wheels are
so arranged that one of such portions shall operate upon the pinion w, for every
revolution of the shaft p; the object of this arrangement is to cause the comb
bar to assume varying angles for the purpose of effectually stripping the wool
from the combs j, and depositing it upon others, as will be explained hereafter,
in describing the combined operation of the parts. Upon the shaft p is fixed a

page_text: wheel, driving another 1, which is carried by the stationary frame; to the
latter of these is attached a crank pin 2, which by means of a rod and lever
causes arms 3 to vibrate upon their centres; these arms are connected by a
cross bar 4, which is therefore caused to rise and fall, so as at stated intervals to
lift the wool or other material projecting from the combs j, in order to enable
it to be more easily removed. Upon the main shaft 6 is a pinion 5 taking
into a wheel, the axis of which is provided with a pinion 6, driving a wheel 7,
the shaft of which carries a notched disc 8%; over which and another disc 9
is passed an endless chain 10, provided with combs of the usual construction;
these combs pass between plates 11, heated by steam, as is usually practised.
The main shaft 6 carries a bevil pinion, taking into another, mounted upon a
short upright shaft 12, which is provided at its upper end with a pulley, com-
municating motion by a band to a short shaft 13; upon this is mounted a drum
14, having angular vanes upon its periphery, which serve to lay the material
upon the combs in a position suitable for being drawn off as a sliver; this
is previously assisted by means of an endless band 15, which bends the fibres
towards the vanes, and enables them to complete the operation. Upon the
axis of the cylinder j is a pinion 16, driving another 17, which is provided with
a crank pin 18, connected by means of a rod to a lever 19, the extremity of
which carries arms 20, mounted in stationary guides, and carrying a brush 21,
situate above the travelling combs 10; as therefore the crank 18 revolves, the
said brush is caused to rise and fall, pressing the material by the latter motion
upon the travelling combs. Upon the upright shaft 12 is a pinion, which
communicates rotatory motion to a pinion 22, mounted upon the axis of one of
the ordinary drawing-off rollers, the apparatus connected with which is similar
to that in ordinary use. Upon the shaft of the comb cylinder j is a pinion 30,
which, by means of an intermediate, drives a wheel 23, the axis of which is
provided with a pinion 25, giving motion to a cylinder of wire cards 24; the
pinion 25 also communicates rotatory motion, as shewn, to a second card
cylinder 26, both of which are so situate that the combs ; in their revolution
arrive slightly in contact therewith.
Having thus described the construction and arrangement of the parts
separately, we will proceed to point out the combined operation:-The wool or
other material having been passed onward by the feed rollers a, over the plate m,
is drawn off in tufts. by the rotatory action of the combs j, and carried down-
ward in the direction of the arrow; passing onward, it is drawn over the
surfaces of the card cylinders 24, 26, and is there cleansed and straightened.
Upon the arrival of a comb at the position denoted by A, in Fig. 3, the comb
cylinder, driven as before mentioned by the excentric wheels f, g, will be moving

page_text: at its slowest rate, the lesser radius of the driving wheel being in gear with the
greater of the driven; this will afford time for the operation of those parts
which are to transfer the material from the combs; previously, however, to
which operation, the crank 2 will have caused the bar 4 to rise, so as to lift
the projecting ends of the tuft;, this having been effected, the wheels n, o, will
have brought the comb bar into the position shewn particularly in Fig. 3,
and a further rotation of the shaft p will cause it to rise further and lift the
material from the combs j. The turning of the shaft p will have been effected,
ás before mentioned, by the revolution of the elliptical wheels n, o, and as at
this part of the operation of the machine the greatest diameter of the driving
wheel is actuating the smallest of the driven, the motion imparted to the
comb will be accellerated. By this arrangement, it will be perceived that we
at the same time retard those parts which hold the material and quicken the
action of those which are to remove it. The wool or other material being thus
transferred to the comb r, that instrument will be turned over by the revolu-
tion of the shaft p towards the series of travelling combs 10, during which
motion one division of the irregularly formed wheel v will, by the action of its
different radii upon the pinion w, cause the comb bar to assume varying
angles, so as to pass into that shewn by the dotted lines at B, in Fig. 3; after
which, a further revolution of the shaft p will cause it to pass onward, and
deposit the wool or other material upon the travelling combs 10, by which
time the crank 18 will have brought the brush 21 downward, for the purpose
before mentioned. The continued revolution of the shaft P will carry forward
the comb bar r, and again bring it into the position shown; by which time
another comb will have advanced, so as to be ready for the same operations
to take place, during which another division of the wheel p will cause the
comb to assume the angles above described. According to the arrange-
ment shewn in the Drawings, we suppose five tufts to be accumulated upon
each comb before they are transferred; this is accomplished by regulating
the velocity of the cylinder, as compared with that of the elliptical wheels n, o.
In order to explain this, it must be observed that there are six sets of combs;
it will therefore be necessary for the cylinder to perform five-sixths of a
revolution before the transferring combs rises into the position shewn at Fig..3;
to effect this. it will merely be necessary for the wheel h to have one-sixth
less teeth than the wheel i, and the effect will be that the tufts will be removed
from the combs j in succession, each one passing the feed rollers five times
before it is again stripped. In like manner other numbers of tufts may be
accumulated by altering the wheel work, so as to cause the transferring comb r
to operate at suitable intervals. We have shewn and described the card

page_text: cylinders as simply revolving on their centres, but they may, if desired, be
caused to recede from the combs j, according to the Patent of C. A. Preller
aforesaid.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be
understood that we claim as secured to us under the above in part recited
Letters Patent,-
Firstly, the use of continuously revolving combs mounted upon the
periphery of a drum, which combs take the wool or other material from the
feeding part of the machine in combination with a transferring apparatus and
with travelling combs, from which a sliver may be drawn.
Secondly, imparting to the rotatory combs a reduced velocity at the time the
material is to be removed therefrom.
Thirdly, imparting to the transferring apparatus an accelerated velocity by
wheel work at the time of its operation.
Fourthly, the application of a rod or other instrument for raising the material
from the rotatory combs for the purpose above set forth.
And, fifthly, we claim the method described of causing the transferring comb
to assume various angles.
In witness whereof, we, the said Philip John Passavant and John
Cure, have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Twenty-eighth day.
of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-four.
PHILIP JOHN PASSAVANT. (L.S.)
JOHN CURE.
(L.S.)