IMPROVE- MENTS IN COMBING AND PREPARING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, AND IN ENGINES OR MACHINES IN CONNECTION THERE WITH
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Ferdinand Tavernier, of Leeds, in the
County of York, Machine Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN COMBING AND PREPARING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES, AND IN ENGINES OR MACHINES IN CONNECTION THERE WITH."-
A communication from abroad by Edouard Tavernier, of Lille,
France.
-
Sealed the 21st March 1871, and dated the 12th October 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Ferdinand
Tavernier at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th October 1870.
I, LOUIS FERDINAND TAVERNIER, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING AND PREPARING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES, AND IN ENGINES OR MACHINES IN CONNECTION THEREWITH," to be
as follows:
-
This Invention relates, firstly, to certain means of preventing the
divergency of the fed sliver of the fibre under operation in circular

page_text: machines, whereby a fringe or compact "bat" is produced without any
solution of continuity.
Secondly. To the construction of the feeding boxes or frames of
circular combing and other similar machines.
Thirdly. To feeding the material or fibre from the inside to the outside
of the circle comb.
Fourthly. To a mode of cleaning the working comb or gills by fixed
brushes or their equivalents.
Fifthly. To a new form of needle for circular combing frames such as
"Noble's."
Sixthly. To a special combination and arrangement of parts of the
engine or machine for effecting the above objects, whereby I am enabled
to overcome the objections which at present exist in circular combing
machines.
And, seventhly. To improvements in the construction of combing
and carding engines of a circular form for the more effectual working
of the same.
The first improvement herein-before referred to consists in feeding
the sliver or material into and between the comb of a circular rotating
machine from the inside to the outside thereof. The frames through
which the end of each fed sliver protrudes. are acted upon, and made
to rise and fall by inclined plates or grooves, and as the comb rotates
a compact fringe or "bat" of perfect form free from solution of con-
tinuity is produced. The needles of both the rotating and the working
combs are of a curved or bent form, somewhat resembling a bayonet,
and the working organs are kept in contact with the needle points.
Sometimes a series of gills' combs are employed as working combing
organs outside the main receiving rotary comb, and then these gills'
combs are made of a curved form to embrace more or less the circular
horizontal receiving comb in a similar manner to the patented gills'
comb of Ramsbottom and Brown, that is to say, the curve increases by
insensible degrees in such a way as to avoid an angle at the point
where the straight line melts into a curve. The feeding frames are
of skeleton form, and the fore ends are arranged with spring plates to
press upon the sliver as it passes through into the needles or points the
plates can be kept off the sliver by a catch as desired. In order to
clean the gills I cause them to rise up between two or more fixed flat

page_text: bushes or their equivalents pressing on both sides of the needles, thereby-
causing the noils. to be pushed off at the extremity of the gills' combs,.
where a revolving brush takes the noils, this brush being cleaned by a.
card, drum, or a doffing knife. I use the same mode of cleaning when a
porcupine is employed. Sometimes. I use a fixed longitudinal keeping.
plate instead of a travelling one, which plate may however be pressed:
down by a spring or springs. By the combination and arrangement of
some of the parts of existing circular engines or machines with the
new parts as before referred to, I can prevent the divergency of the.
sliver for the purpose before described. The circular guard or cleaning.
comb is made up of segments and rise and fall by riding upon incline
plates or grooves, the comb enters into the fringe between the
receiving comb and the drawing off rollers, and no spaces are left at
their meeting ends so that no solution of continuity round the circular
comb takes place. The fringe is pushed down to the bottom of the
points by a dabbing brush.. A revolving brush lifts the fibre to the top,
and another brush turns the points of the fibre towards the draining
off rollers.. The porcupine is preferably of roller form and has one end of
smaller diameter than the other, the barrel being hollowed to follow.
the circle of the receiving comb, the needles or points are of varying.
lengths and of different degrees of fineness, and are so arranged that
the coarser needles are at a distance apart at the smaller diameter and
become closer and finer as they approach the larger diameter.
The foregoing improvements are based upon an Invention patented
by Edouard Tavernier and Henry Walton Whitehead on the First day of
November in the year 1866, No. 2832, in which Patent the feeding of
the sliver to the comb is from the outside to the inside thereof, whereby.
a solution of continuity of the fibre occurred which proved detrimental
to its after treatment, whereas by the present improvements no solution
of continuity can take place..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Louis Ferdinand Tavernier in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 12th April 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Louis
5 FERDINAND TAVERNIER, of Leeds, in the County of. York, Machine
Maker, send greeting.
i

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Louis Ferdinand Tavernier, Her |
special licence that I, the said Louis Ferdinand Tavernier, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Louis Ferdinand
Tavernier, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBING AND PREPARING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, AND IN ENGINES OR MACHINES IN CONNECTION THEREWITH,”
(communicated to me from abroad by Edouard Tavernier, of Lille,
France), upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Louis
Ferdinand Tavernier, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their 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 monthis next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Louis Ferdinand Tavernier, do
hereby declare the nature of my 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 thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say
This Invention relates, firstly, to certain means of preventing the
divergency of the feed slivers of the fibre under operation in circular
machines, whereby a fringe or compact "bat" is produced without any
solution of continuity.
Secondly. To the construction of the feeding boxes or frames of
circular combing and other similar machines.
Thirdly. To feeding in a peculiar manner the material or fibre from
the inside to the outside of the circle comb.
Fourthly. To a mode of cleaning the working comb or gills by fixed
brushes or their equivalents.

page_text: Fifthly. To a new form of needle for circular and other combing.
frames.
Sixthly. To a special combination and arrangement of parts of the
engine or machine for effecting the above objects, whereby I am enabled
to overcome the objections which at present exist in circular combing
machines.
And, seventhly. To improvements in the construction of combing
engines of a circular form for the more effectual working of the same.
The first improvement herein-before referred to, consists, in feeding
the sliver or material into and between the comb of a circular rotating
machine from the inside to the outside thereof. The frames through
which the end of each fed sliver protrudes are acted upon and made to
rise and fall by inclined plates or grooves, and as the comb rotates a
compact fringe or "bat" of perfect form, free from solution of continuity
is produced. The needles of both the rotating and the working combs
are of a curved or bent form somewhat resembling a bayonet, and owing
to that form the working organs are kept in close contact with the
needle points. Sometimes a series of gills' combs are employed as
working combing organs outside the main receiving rotary comb, and
then these gills' combs are made of a curved form to embrace more or
less the circular horizontal receiving comb in a similar manner to the
old patented gills' comb of Ramsbottom and Brown, that is to say, the
curve increases by insensible degrees in such a way as to avoid an acute
angle at the point where the straight line melts into a curve. The
feeding frames are of skeleton form and the fore ends are arranged with
spring plates to press upon the sliver as it passes through into the needles
or points, the plates can be kept off the sliver by a catch as desired. In
order to clean the gills I cause them to rise up between two or more
fixed flat brushes or their equivalents, pressing on both sides of the
needles, thereby causing the noils to be pushed off at the extremity of
the gills' combs where a revolving brush takes the noils, this brush being'
cleaned by a card drum or a doffing knife. I use the same mode of
cleaning when a porcupine is employed. Sometimes I use a fixed
longitudinal keeping plate instead of a travelling one, which plate may
however be pressed down by a spring or springs. By the combination
and arrangement of some of the parts of existing circular engines or
machines with the new parts as before referred to, I can prevent the
divergency of the sliver for the purpose before described. The circular

page_text: guard or cleaning comb is made up of segments which rise and fall by
riding upon inclined plates or planes and grooves; the comb enters into
the fringe between the receiving comb and the drawing off rollers, and
no spaces are left at their meeting ends so that no solution of continuity
round the circular comb takes place. The fringe is pushed down to the
bottom of the points by a dabbing brush or equivalents. A revolving
brush lifts the fibre to the top, and another brush or equivalents turns
the points of the fibre towards the drawing off rollers. The porcupine.
is preferably of roller form and has one end of smaller diameter than
the other, the barrel being hollowed to follow the circle of the receiving
comb. The needles or points are of varying lengths and of different
degrees of fineness, and are so arranged that the coarser needles are at
a greater distance apart at the smaller diameter and become closer and
finer as they approach the larger diameter.
The foregoing improvements are based upon an Invention patented by
Edouard Tavernier and Henry Watkin Whitehead, on the First day of
November, in the year 1866, No. 2832, in which Patent the feeding of
the sliver to the comb is from the outside to the inside thereof, whereby
a solution of continuity of the fibre occurred which proved detrimental
to its after treatment, whereas by the present improvements no solution
of continuity can take place.
The Invention will be well understood by referring to the acconr-
panying Drawings in which Figure 1 represents a section or portion of
a machine or circular combing frame in which these improvements are
shewn, and in which a sliver can be produced with perfect continuity
throughout its length; Figure 2 is an elevation of the same frame
representing the mode by which the necessary motion is imparted to the
circular comb.
is the frame of the machine supporting the circular rotating comb b
on its outer edge, the inside of the comb ring c is provided with teeth
geared into by the pinion d, operated by the bevil wheels e and the
main shaft.fon which the fast and loose pullies g, h, are mounted, the
throwing in and out of action of which is governed by the fork i in
the usual manner. The machine carries at its upper part a series of
reel carriers j for supporting the reels k from which the slivers 1 to be
operated upon by the pins or points are drawn. The sliver is led down
from the inside of the frame through an eye in the plate n to the outer
end of the pressing frame o, and thence to the needle points or pins

page_text: "6
before it passes to the porcupine or doffing roller p. The frame or box o
somewhat resembles that known as Noble's," but its mode of action is
different, inasmuch as the fibre is held or gripped by a spring plate q
termed a pressing plate to prevent the fibre being taken from it at too
great a speed, and to admit of the sliver being drawn or lengthened by
the rotation of the comb. The box is shewn detached in Figures 3, 4,
5, 6, and 7; Figure 3 being a side view, and Figure 4 a top view, while
Figures 5, 6, and 7 are end views with the pressing plate in the three
positions it occupies for the proper action when in work. The plate
is surmounted by a spiral spring which bears against a shoulder or top
bar which is perforated to allow the central pin to work through, the
pin has a button or spherical head to which a thin plate with a notch in
it is attached, this plate prevents the pin turning and its notch when
lifted, as shown in Figure 5, rests upon the top bar and holds the plate q
off the sliver. This is essential as a large opening is left for permitting
the sliver to be passed through when the reel is first placed upon the
support j. The tail of plate m rests upon a spring 8 and its pressure
is regulated to suit the necessary height of the outer end, and to return
the fore end when it is lifted by the pin u which rides upon usual
inclined plates in their rotation. The needles or points of the circle
and other combs are of bayonet shape or are bent outwards to admit of
other needles or points rising up between them as will be seen on
reference to Figure 8. These needles are carried by plates provided
with rollers to run up the inclined plates w, shown in Figure 9. A bar
is shown for each roller and they are so arranged that the needle plates
are raised in a horizontal manner to bring all the points up level at one
time. The inclined plates travel round with the circle comb and permit
of the needle plates falling off the inclines when travelled a sufficient
distance. The working or ring guard combs with their plates form a
continuous circle outside the circle comb, their ends overlapping one
another, as shown in the views Figures 10 and 11, they are adjustable
and can be secured to their plates by the screws which work in the slots,
as seen in Figure 9. The sliver as it passes through the needles or
points of the circle comb and the guard comb is acted upon and cleaned
by a porcupine of the form shown in Figure 1. This porcupine is a
hollow cone, on the smaller diameter of which the teeth are of greater
distance apart than those at the larger diameter at the opposite end, the
distances decreasing gradually from one end to the other, the hollow

page_text: shape being only formed to coincide with the circle comb against which
it work to clean the sliver. The porcupine is set at an angle to the
circle comb and receives the sliver at one end only, namely, the smaller
end, which is farther from the circle comb than the larger diameter;
by this means the sliver is acted upon gradually, that is to say, the
extremity of the fringe is first cleaned, and as the points enter more and
more into the fringe the body of it becomes thoroughly cleaned. The
porcupine is itself cleaned by the brush x, the loose fibre being after-
wards removed from the brush by the card drum y. The sliver after
being cleaned by means of the porcupine passes round to the drawing off
rollers in the usual manner, these being placed in a frame outside the
machine so that the sliver after leaving them falls into a "cam" or a
balling head. By means of the above improvements the sliver is operated
upon and thoroughly cleaned without breaking its continuity or leaving
some portions of it thicker or more full than others, a fault in most
other constructions of combing frames which reduces the commercial
value of the sliver in the market.
Figure 12 is a detached view of one of the keeping plates for pressing
the sliver to the bottom of the pins as they travel from the porcupine
to the drawing off rollers shown in Figures 13 and 14, and by which
the sliver is removed from the pins previous to passing through the
rotating eye z to the balling can, which is outside of the machine and
under the outer drawing off rollers A. A dabbing brush or its equivalent
may however be used to press the sliver into the pins, and a revolving
brush or its equivalent may be employed to lift the sliver from the pins
to present it to the drawing off rollers, and another brush or its equivalent
to turn the points of the fibre towards them.
Figure 15 represents one of the groove plates for the segment combs
to ride in when they have to be lifted to bring their points up level with
the circle comb points, these groove plates may be used instead of or in
combination with the inclined plates or bars before spoken off. The
mode of action of the drawing off rollers and of the revolving brush will
be understood by referring to Figure 14, which shews the parts in the
position they occupy according to this part of this Invention.
I do not in all cases use the drawing off rollers, as when short staple å
sliver, for instance, cotton is being acted upon, a nipping apparatus can
be employed, and the working of this will be regulated so as not to

page_text: break the continuity or divergence of the sliver. Any "top" being.
shown above the nippers can be removed by transferring combs or rollers,
or, in
any convenient manner, accumulating the short fibres (as cotton),.
after combed on an endless sheet, drum, or equivalent in order to.
obtain a substantial sliver. Instead of using a porcupine in the manner
and for the purpose before explained I can use "gills" combs arranged
in a similar manner having rows of needles of a gradual size, beginning.
by coarse needles and finishing by very fine needles outside the main
circle comb, these gills combs having a curve embracing more or less the
circular form of the main revolving comb. The points of the gills may
be standing up from the top or pointing downwards from the bottom of
their plates or holders, and they can be kept clean by brushes or other
appliances in any suitable manner, in this case the noils would be
removed from the brushes by a revolving one against which a doffing
knife may be caused to act. If the slivers or ribbons arc intended to
be passed on to a balling head, I prefer to make the head of the shape
shown in Figures 16 and 17, and to operate upon four bobbins at one
time so that the ribbon is divided, and I keep the ribbons or slivers
upon the bobbins in a compact manner as they are being wound on by
pressing rollers, which adjust themselves to the increasing diameters by
means of balance weights or springs. In the Figures I have shown
weights because they are capable of being slided along the levers to
regulate the pressure. This balling head is of novel character and would
form an important addition to all existing combing frames as by it the
work is turned out more solid than by the ordinary method. The sliver
is also prevented unrolling from the bobbins. The balling head B is
mounted upon a frame or support C. The frame has on the front
of it a vertical plate or bar D carrying guide eyes E for dividing the
sliver, one end of each sliver is passed through its eye and laid upon
the bobbin B intended to receive it. The bobbin shaft is then rotated
by the gearing or band wheel F, and continues to do so until the bobbins
are filled. The end of the bobbin shaft has a handle G for turning it
in order to unscrew the opposite end from the socket when the bobbins
have to be removed. The pressure rollers H, H, are held upon vertical
swinging arms I, I, which are free to vibrate upon the axis J, so as to
keep the rollers in contact by means of the weights K, K, as before
explained.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention and in

page_text: Firstly. The general arrangement of the machine before referred to
in which the sliver is combed on its passage from the inside to the out-
side of the same.
Secondly. I claim the employment of rising and falling combs outside
the circle comb in circle combing machines, substantially as, described
and shown.
Thirdly. The employment of porcupines in which the teeth are at
varying distances apart, and when set so that only one end is in contact
with the circle comb as described' and shown, as far as their application
to the machine here above described.
Fourthly. The employment of porcupines of curved conical shape,
in or to circle combing machines as described, and shown as far as their
application to the machine herein-above described, and my mode of
cleaning the working combs or gills. by fixed brushes or their equi-
valents pressing on both sides of the needles of these working combs or
gills.
Fifthly. The construction and employment of feeding boxes of the
shape shown and their mode of acting upon the sliver when passing from
the inside to the outside of circle combing machines.
Sixthly. The improved form of needles or points in circle combing
machines as herein-before described and shown, whether they are used
in the circle receiving comb or in the rising and falling comb or in the
porcupine.
Seventhly. The employment of fixed keeping plates in lieu of travel-
ling ones in circle combing machines as herein-before described.
Eighthly. As novel, overcoming the divergency of the fed slivers by
pressing frames feeding from the inside to the outside of a main revolving
circle comb in the manner substantially as described, whereby a compact
and perfect bat is produced, and the overcoming of divergency by
pressure in combing machines generally.
Ninthly. The employment of double curved gill combs working
on the outside of the main circle comb of combing and preparing
machines, whether their points are caused to work up between the circle
points or downwards into or between them as described.

page_text: I also claim the improved balling head shewn in the Drawings and the
method of operating the parts for dividing the sliver and produced a
solid ball upon the bobbins as described.
In witness whereof, I, have the said Louis Ferdinand Tavernier,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of
March One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
LOUIS FERDINAND TAVERNIER. (L.S.)