IMPROVEMENTS IN SCREW, GILL MACHINERY FOR PREPARING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1857

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Fielding Johnson
and John Williams at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 10th February 1857. .
We, THOMAS FIELDING JOHNSON, of Leicester, Spinner, and JOHN WILLIAMS,
of Leicester, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SCREW, GILL MACHINERY FOR PREPARING WOOL AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in screw gill machinery fo
preparing wool and other. fibrous materials. For these purposes in place of
the screw shafts or axes only actuating one set of gill combs as heretofore,
each of the four axes, or, shafts have three, or it may be more screw's thereon,
and which turn therewith, in order to actuate three or more sets of gill combs.
The first set of gill combs which receive the wool or other fibrous materials
from the feed are worked by screws fixed or formed on the four screw sliafts
.I
I

page_text: or axes. The second set of gill combs is worked by another set of screws on
the same screw shafts or axes; this set of screws. however are capable of
sliding on the shafts or axes to and from the first-mentioned set of screws. The
third set of screw's are fixed towards the delivering end of the screw shafts or
axes, and at a distance from the first-mentioned set, thus leaving a space
through which the sliding set of screws can be moved to and fro; and in order
to separate the ends of the fibres of wool or other material taken by the gill
combs in the sliding screws, it is preferred to have a faller between the fixed
and the sliding screws. The gill combs of each set of screws are worked by
their respective screws in the ordinary manner of screw gills. If it be desired
to give the wool or other fibrous materials more working than will be accom-
plished by three sets of screws on each shaft or axis, arrangements may be
made for having more sets of screws on each axis, placing a set of moveable
or sliding screws between each pair of fixed screws, as above explained. The
wool or other fibrous material is taken and worked in succession by the
successive sets of gill combs, whatever number of sets of screws be used on the
screw shafts or axes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Pätent, filed-
by the said Thomas Fielding Johnson and John Williams in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 10th August 1857.
..TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
FIELDING JOHNSON, of Leicester, Spinner, and JOHN WILLIAMS, of Leicester,
Mechanic, send greeting...
•
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said,
Thomas Fielding. Johnson and John Williams, Her special, licence that we,
the said Thomas Fielding Johnson and John Williams, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Fielding Jolinson
and John Williams, 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 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

page_text: "
SCREW GILL MACHINERY FOR PREPARING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Fielding
Johnson and John Williams, our executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and
seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Thomas Fielding Johnson, on behalf of
myself and the said John Williams, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say-
This Invention has for its object improvements in screw gill machinery for
preparing wool and other fibrous materials. For these purposes in place of
the screw shafts or axes only actuating one set of gill combs as heretofore,
each of the four axes or shafts have three, or it may be more screws thereon,
and which turn therewith, in order to actuate three or more sets of gill combs.
The first set of gill combs which receive the wool or other fibrous materials
from the feed are worked by screws fixed or formed on the four screw shafts
or axes. The second set of gill combs is worked by another. set of screws on
the same screw shafts or axes; this set of screws, however, are capable of
sliding on the shafts or axes to and from the first-mentioned set of screws.
The third set of screws are fixed towards the delivering end of the screw shafts
or axes, and at a distance from the first-mentioned set, thús leaving a space
through which the sliding set of screws can be moved to and fro; and in order
to separate the ends of the fibres of wool, or other material taken by the gill
combs in the sliding screws, it. is preferred to have a faller between the fixed
and the sliding screws. The gill combs of each set of screws are worked by.
their respective screws in the ordinary. manner of screw gills. If it be desired
to give the wool or other fibrous materials more working than will be accom-
plished by three sets of screws. on each shaft or axis, arrangements may be
made for having more sets of screws on each axis, placing a set of moveable
or sliding screws between each pair of fixed screws, as above explained. The.
wool or other fibrous material is taken and worked in succession by the
successive sets of gill combs, whatever number of sets of screws be used on the
screw shafts or axes.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS..
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section; Figure 2, a side view; Figure-3;
part of an end view; and Figure 4, part of a plan of screw gill machinery
for preparing wool and other fibrous material, constructed according to our
Invention:
.
The nature of screw gill machinery being well understood, it will only be
necessary for us to describe those parts of the machinery which relate to our
present improvements, to enable a workman acquainted with this class of
machinery clearly to understand the nature of our improvements.
.
ath
a, a, are the four axes or shafts which give motion in the ordinary manner
to the gill combs, which in this arrangement are divided into three distinct
sets, A, B, and C, driven by the same axes. The two sets of gill combs A
and C receive motion from suitable screws, which are fixed or stationary on
thic axes a, a, the gill' combs B being 'driven by screws which slide or move to
and fro on the axes a, a, and which screws receive rotatory motion by means
of keys or projections on the screws entering grooves cut in the axes a, a, or
by sliding or moving on feathers formed on the axes a, a. A constant to-and-
fro motion is given to the set of gill combs B by means of connecting rods B';
connected by pin joints to the frames which support and enclose the screw
gills B, and to crank pins on the toothed wheels B2, which receive motion
from toothed pinions B³, fixed on the driving axis B', which will be readily
understood on examining the Drawings. The wool or other fibrous material
is fed into the machine by the endless apron b, which conducts it to the feed
rollers'c, c, from which it is received on to the first set of gill combs A, through
which it. is conducted by the forward movement of the gill combs into a
position to be taken by and-deposited in the teeth of the second set of gill
combs B, which are brought into a position to receive the. fibres projecting
from the gill combs A; the brush & then. descends and deposits the, wool or
other fibrous material within the teeth of the gill-combs B, which then moves
towards the third set of gill combs, and in so doing causes the fibres held
between the two sets of gill combs A and B to be separated or detached;
unless the length of staple is greater than the distance to which the set of
gill combs B moves, in which case the descent of the open frame or faller e
between the two sets of gills causes separation of the fibres, between the two
sets of gill combs A and B. The descent of one of the bars of the set. of

page_text: gill combs B; as they move up to or in contact with the set of gill combs C,
causes the projecting ends of the fibres in the gill combs B to be in a
position to be deposited by the aid of the frame f and brush 9 upon the teeth
of the set of gill combs C, through which it is conducted to the drawing-off'
rollers h; or, if desired; other sets of moveable gill combs may be arranged on
the same screw axes, to receive and deliver the wool or other fibrous material
on additional gill combs, to which suitable nipping apparatus may be applied,
for the purpose of delivering the wool or other fibrous material in detached
portions, as is well understood, to suitable combing machinery, by which the
preparing and combing processes would be rendered continuous, in place of
being conducted in separate machines; in which arrangement the system of
gill comb machinery herein described would, in fact, be employed in place of
the gill combs now used in combing machines wherein nipping apparatus is
employed. We would however state that we make no claim to nipping appa-
ratus when so combined with our improvements in gill comb machines. If
desired, more than one set of moveable screw gills B may be placed and worked
in the space between the gill combs A and C, the moving gill combs being
arranged to deliver from one to the next, and from it into the comb C.
Motion is communicated in the following manner to the brushes d and g,
and to the fallers or instruments, which in descending separate the fibres
between the sets of gill combs, and which in rising also act to raise or lift the
projecting ends of the fibres into a position to be again deposited upon the
teeth of the gill combs :-i is a vertical axis, turning in bearings fixed to the
side framing of the machine. The axis i receives motion from a bevil toothed
wheel ', fixed on the axis B2*, taking into the teeth of the bevil toothed
wheel, fixed on the lower end of the axis i. is another bevil toothed
wheel, fixed on the upper end of the axis i, which takes into and drives the
bevil toothed wheel it, fixed on the axis j, upon which are fixed the excentrie
toothed wheels, which take into and drive the excentric toothed
wheels,,,, turning freely on the axis k; to each of the wheels k¹, k, l, k³,
a bevil toothed pinion 1,,,, which take into and drive the bevil pinions
m', m³, m³, m³, fixed on the axes n, o, p, q. The axes n and 7 give motion by
means of the crank pins n', q', to the rods and levers which actuate the frames
or fallers e, f, and the axes o and p give motion by means of the toothed wheels
o', p', to the toothed wheels o³, p², on which are fixed the crank pins o*, p*,
which actuate the brushes d and g.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we make no claim to

page_text: any of the mechanical parts separately, nor do we confine ourselves to the
details; but what we claim is, the combining gill comb machinery, as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Fielding Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE.
THOMAS FIELDING JOHNSON. (L.S.)!