IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR FORMING BATS OF FLEECE OR SHEET SLIVER, AND ALSO FOR FOLDING CLOTH AND OTHER FABRICS."
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Ferrabee, of the Phoenix Iron Works,
Stroud, in the County of Gloucester, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR FORMING BATS OF FLEECE OR SHEET SLIVER, AND
ALSO FOR FOLDING CLOTH AND OTHER FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Ferrabee at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th June 1859.
I, JAMES FERRABEE, of the Phoenix Iron Works, Stroud, in, the County of
Gloucester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR FORMING BATS OF FLEECE OR SHEET SLIVER, AND ALSO
FOR FOLDING CLOTH AND OTHER FABRICS," to be as follows:-
The chief object of this Invention is to take up the fleece or sheet sliver as
it comes off the doffer of the carding or scribbling engine, and fold it in layers
to produce an endless bat, which may either be carried forward. to. undergo a
further carding operation, or be used in the felting process. For this purpose
I mount transversely upon the frame which carries the endless cloth or table
intended to receive the bat of wool or, other fibrous material, a compound
vibrating frame immediately in the rear of the doffer, from which the sliver.is
to be stripped. One portion of this frame has as its fulcrum, the axle of a
guide roller, and at its other end, it carries a second roller, parallel with the
first. The axle of this second, roller forms the fulcrum for the second part of
the vibrating frame, which is fitted with pairs of antifriction rollers that run on

page_text: parallel horizontal guides on the bat frame. This part of the vibrating
frame is continued below the guides, and is slotted to receive a pin on an
endless travelling belt, by the movement of which a backward and forward
traverse is given to the vibrating frame, the parts of which being connected
together like the butts of a hinge, open and close at every stretch. Two other
guide rollers, one a little below the upper guide roller, and the second a little
above the antifriction rollers are mounted in the compound frame, and an
endless cloth passes over these four guide rollers, and is kept at tension by
springs acting on one or more of the guide rollers. As the sliver or fleece is
stripped by the doffer comb, this endless cloth takes it up, carries it over the
frame, and leads it down between the pairs of antifriction rollers, which in
turu serve to lay it on the table or endless travelling apron, layer upon layer,
and thereby form the required thickness of bat. In order to ensure a width of
fold equal to the length of traverse of the vibrating frame, I mount in rocking
arms at either end of the bat frame a pair of rollers, over which is passed a
narrow band. These bands are intended as the delivering end of the vibrating
frame recedes from them, to press on the laid fleece and prevent it following
the movement of the vibrating frame. To allow of the fleece being laid under
the bands, the compound vibrating frame is caused to lift the arms carrying
the band rollers clear of the fleece as the antifriction rollers approach the
band rollers.
This arrangement of compound vibrating frame I propose also to apply
to the folding of cloth and other fabrics. In this instance I substitute a
descending table for the endless receiving apron, giving it a vertical motion,
timed according to the thickness of material operated upon, and for the
purpose of maintaining the breadth of fold, I substitute fallers or presser
bars for the pressing bands and rollers above mentioned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Ferrabee in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th December 1859.
COME,
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
FERRABEE, of the Phoenix Iron Works, Stroud, in the County of Gloucester,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Ferrabee, Her special license that I, the said James Ferrabee, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Ferrabee, 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 Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR FORMING BATS OF FLEECE OR SHEET SLIVER, AND ALSO POR FOLDING CLOTH AND
OTHER FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
James Ferrabee, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 I, the said James Ferrabee, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being liad to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
The chief object of this Invention is to take up the fleece or sheet sliver as
it comes off the doffer of the carding or scribbling engine, and fold it in
layers to produce an endless bat, which. may either be carried forward to
undergo a further carding operation, or be used in the felting process.
For this purpose I mount transversely upon the frame which carries the
endless cloth or table intended to receive the bat of wool or other fibrous
material, a compound vibrating trame immediately in the rear of the doffer
from which the sliver is to be stripped, which frame by means of an endless
band with which it is provided, and also a traversing carriage connected
therewith, will receive the fleece and deliver it in layers on to the travelling
bat cloth.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in side elevation my improved
arrangement of machinery for forming bats of fleece or sheet sliver; Fig. 2
shews in plan view the apparatus for folding the sheet sliver; Fig. 3 is an end
elevation, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section, of the same; Figures 5 and 6,
shew in sectional elevation and front view the traversing carriage on an
enlarged scale.
A is the framing of the folding machine fitted with a railway for supporting
the traversing carriage B. To this carriage and also to the framing A is

page_text: jointed a compound vibrating frame C, C*, fitted with rollers c, c¹, c², e³. The
axle of the roll c has its bearings in a bracket projection of the framing A,and
forms the fixed fulcrum of the compound frame, the two parts C, C* of which
are jointed together at their upper ends by the axle of the roll c', which forms
the moving fulcrum of the compound frame; c³ is a guide roller supported
by a spring attached to the frame C; and 2 is a similar guide roller,
which together with the roller c³ has its bearings in the compound frame,
the axle of this latter roll serves to connect the vibrating frame with the
carriage B which is mounted on four wheels b, b, b, b; d is an endless band
which passes round the rollers c, c1, c2, c³, and is kept in tension by the latter
roller. The sides of the carriage B extend downwards and form supports for
a pair of rock levers D, D, the use of which will be presently explained. In
one of the sides of the carriage a vertical slot g is formed to receive a fixed
stud or pin on the travelling belt or chain g', which is carried by a pair of
pulleys k, k, having their bearings in the main framing A. The rock
levers D, D, turn on centre pins a, and are fitted with adjustable fingers e, e¹;
f, f', are adjustable stop pieces secured to the travelling carriage B by set
pins, and forming together with the fingers e, e, loose bearings for a pair of
pressing rollers. The rock levers D are connected to the upper part of the
carriage by levers h, links, and joint pins h³. A vibrating bar h³, connects
the levers on the opposite sides of the carriage together (see Fig. 6); E, F,
are inclined planes screwed to the rail G of the framing A, and adjustable
thereon. These inclined planes are intended to rock the levers D, and
thereby throw into and out of action alternately one of a pair of pressing
rollers represented by the dotted circles H, H, which rollers serve to consoli-
date the fleece or sheet sliver as the laps are successively delivered on to the
apron K to form the bat.
The gudgeons of these rollers are shewn at i, i.
L, L, are a pair of rolls for carrying the cross apron K on which the bat M
is formed. Attached to and adjustable on the bar G1 of the frame A is the
incline plane, on which the pressing rolls H, H', alternately rest as they are
released from the travelling carriage B, the object being to relieve the bat of
their pressure as they arrive at about the middle of the traverse of the car-
riage. To the apron K for receiving the sheet sliver forming the bat, a
slow traverse motion at right angles to that of the traversing carriage B, is
communicated from the driving shaft s by the belt pulleys r, r, and bevil
wheels r¹, 1.
The roll c carrying the endless apron d, receives motion from the shaft s
through the pulleys and belt. t, t, and by means of the pulleys and belt u,
motion is given to the travelling. belt g¹, which drives the carriage B; N is

page_text: the doffer of the scribbler, and O, O, are stripping rolls which takes the fleece
from the doffer.
On motion being communicated to the driving shaft s in any convenient
way, the fleece from the doffer N is received on to and carried by the endless
apron d over the compound frame C, C1, at an uniformrate, while the carriage
B is carried to and fro by the belt gl, its stud working for that purpose in the
slot g of the carriage B. The fleece or sheet sliver will thus, without being
subjected to any tension, be layed in alternate layers on the endless cross
apron, which is moved continuously forwards by the gearing r,, as shewn.
As the carriage B traverses to and fro to lay the sheet sliver over the endless
apron K it takes with it alternately the rolls H, H', from the outside to the
iniddle of the bat M, which is being formed on the apron. Supposing the
roll H to have been just brought in, the carriage will leave it (as shewn at
Fig. 6) on the inclined plane q, dislodging the other roll H therefrom, the
fingers of the levers D. D, being lifted, by reason of the pin a¹ coming in
contact with the adjustable inclined plane E, and thereby releasing the
gudgeons i of the roll from their loose bearings. The roll HI will now be
taken hold of by the levers D, and carried forward by the carriage to the
opposite edge of the bat, and be returned to the inclined plane q, when its
gudgeons will be released from the fingers e of the rock levers by the pin a¹
striking against the inverted incline plane F. By the rolls running up the
inclined plane q, their weight will be taken off the bat while they remain
stationary, and thus they will offer no obstruction to the forward traverse of
the bat. The motion which thus on the return of the carriage releases the
gudgeons i of the roll H, will ensure the gudgeons of the roll H¹ being again
caught by the fingers e¹ of the rock levers D, and the roll H' will thus be
carried back and over the edge of the bat. As the operation of both rolls is
the same, their combined action will be to compress the "bat" uniformly at
the deposit of every succeeding layer of the fleece or sheet sliver. The bat
thus formed is carried continuously forward on the endless apron K, and may
be either fed into a succeeding machine, or folded into a suitable receptacle,
or wound upon a roll, or it may be hardened and felted, or otherwise disposed
of. The width of the bat it will be readily understood may be varied at
pleasure, by increasing or decreasing the length of the traverse of the carriage
B, and its thickness may be varied by increasing or decreasing the speed of
the apron K, provision being made for readily effecting the same.
Fig. 7 is a Diagram plan, shewing the arrangement which I propose to
adopt for a set of scribbling engines and condenser when the bat is required
to be fed continuously from scribbler to scribbler. Lu this Figure A,,A', A²,

page_text: are the scribbling engines; B, B', the folding machines; and C, the con-
densing engine. The wool or other material is fed to the scribbler A, and
stripped from the doffer in the usual way, and carried to the folder (as shewn
at Fig. 1). It is then laid by the folder at B in manner already described, and
carried (at a right angle to the line of feed into that machine) to the second.
machine A¹. At B' it is again folded and. carried (at a right angle to the line
of feed into that machine) to the scribbling machine, whence it passes to the
condenser C. The result of this mode of feeding is, better work, and more
uniform threads or ropings, while a thorough mixing of the wool is insured.
If desirable, two or more fleeces or short slivers from other scribblers may be
laid by the same folder, and materials of different color or quality may be
separately scribbled and incorporated with the "bat." It is also sometimes
desirable to form the attenuated sliver as it comes from the doffer into a
thicker or narrower sliver before conducting it to the folding machine, which
may be effected by any of the ordinary methods, and such. sliver may be
formed into a continuous bat, layer upon layer, in the same manner as already
described, or upon an apron running in the same direction as the feed apron
of the scribbling engine, admitting of a set of engines being placed in a line
one after another.
When applying my compound frame for folding fabrics, I dispense with
the endless apron d, and also the rock levers and pressing rollers of the
carriage D.
Instead of the travelling apron K, I use a table to receive the
folded material, and this table I so mount and operate, that it will sink
gradually as the folded fabric accumulates thereon, using for that purpose
screw shafts for carrying the table, which may be worked in their bearings
well-known
way of actuating such shafts. The traversing carriage
may, if desired, be actuated by an adjusting crank and measuring rod.
in
any
For ensuring a regularity in the length of the lap, it may be desirable, when
thick cloths are folded to employ the modification of carriage shewn at Fig. 8,
wherein v, v¹, are two leaves mounted on the lower extremities of the carriage,
.the gudgeons of which leaves are fitted with an. arm. w. On the framing A
two inclines are provided, at or near the extremities of the reach of the
carriage, for the purpose of raising the leaves. alternately free of the cloth
which is being delivered to the table.. These leaves will alternately ensure
the folds extending a uniform distance on either side of the table, the one
acting during the forward and the other during the backward traverse of the
carriage.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of improved machinery
for forming bats of fleece or sheet sliver, and also for folding cloth and other

page_text: fabrics, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it
to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,
the means herein-before described for taking from the doffer of the carding
or scribbling engine the fleece or sheet sliver, and transferring it in layers
on to a travelling receiving cloth or table, for the purpose of forming a bat
thereon.
Secondly, the application of the compound vibrating frame to the folding
of cloth and other fabrics, as above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Ferrabee, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
JAMES FERRABEE. (Ls).