Improvements in Gill Boxes for Preparing Wool and other Fibre, and in "Fallers" employed therein.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1893-Accepted, 8th Apr., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gill Boxes for Preparing Wool and other Fibre,
and in "Fallers" employed therein.
We, THOMAS SPEIGHT, of Thornbury, Bradford, in the County of York,
Commission Wool Comber, and JOHN SCOTT, of Dudley Hill, Bradford, aforesaid,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Our invention has reference to gill boxes, which have hitherto employed screws
for working the "fallers" through the machine, and also cams for causing the
" at
fallers to descend at one end of the machine, and also for raising the "fallers
the other end of the machine. To the use of these screws and cams in addition to
the cost thereof there are many objections.
In constructing a gill box according to our invention, we dispense with the screws
and cams, and instead thereof, we employ new and original devices for effecting the
same purpose.
At each side of the machine, we mount a revolving disc having
internal notches or lifting surfaces, so timed and arranged, that when a faller has
traversed to the end of the bed on which they rest, that these revolving notches
receive and take hold of such faller, and carry it around until it arrives at the
opposite end of the bed onto which it is pushed by a hinged finger, operated by cam,
spiral spring or other equivalent device, the whole arrangement being such, that as
one faller is placed (by the revolving notched disc) onto the bed at the feeding end,
a corresponding faller is being removed from the opposite end by the notched
revolving plate or disc, thus maintaining the full supply of fallers for operating
upon the fibre.
Such being the nature and object of our invention we will now make reference to
the accompanying sheets of drawings illustrative thereof, wherein
Fig. 1 is cross section of such portions of a gill box as is necessary to shew the
application thereto of our invention, and Fig. 2 front view of same.
A represents the framework of the machine, B the fluted feed rollers and C the
fluted drawing rollers which are ordinary and form no part of our invention.
D represents the fallers or gills each end of which, enters a horizontal groove or
recess formed in stationary blocks E arranged at each side of the machine and
secured in stationary pedestals F.
Upon the outer surface of each stationary block E we mount a shell or disc G
the outer side of which is provided with teeth forming a spur wheel H caused to
Within
revolve by other spur wheels I and J driven from any convenient source.
the shell or disc G are five or other suitable number of notches L which notches as
the discs revolve (in the direction indicated by the arrow M of Fig. 1,) catch hold
of that particular faller which has reached the end of the groove or traversing bed,
the said notch carrying the faller, as indicated in Fig. 1 around to the opposite end
of the traversing bed and on which it is pushed by the vibrating pushing finger N,
and this operation of removing one of the fallers from one end of the traversing bed
to the opposite end, is continuous so long as the machine is at work, a full
compliment of fallers always riding on the said bed and operating upon the fibres
in the same manner as is the case where screws and cams are employed.
As each succeeding faller is brought around and presented to the traversing bed,
the vibrating pushing finger N is timed and regulated to remove itself away from
the fallers in the following manner :-The vibrating finger N is attached to an

page_text: upright arm O forming part of a bell crank form of lever P fastened upon the cross
shaft Q. Upon the same cross shaft Q is also fastened a crank R carrying a bowl S
forced by means of a spiral spring T against a revolving cam U. This cam has five
recesses V formed in it, corresponding to the number of notches L within the disc G
and these notches and cams are so timed that just before each faller D is about to
be presented to the traversing bed that one of the recesses V in the cam is presented
to the bowl S into which it is forced by the spiral spring T the effect of which, is to
cause the cross shaft Q to rock, whereby the bell crank lever Pand finger N are drawn
backward as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, but as soon as one of the notches L
presents a faller opposite the groove in the bed E, the revolving cam U will force
the bowl S downward causing the bell crank lever P and finger N to return or
move forward and so force the newly presented faller into contact with the other
fallers and this advancing and receding action of the pushing finger takes place
continuously as the machine is at work. To make the pushing finger yield to any
irregularity which might happen to the fallers as they are from time to time pre-
sented to the travelling surface, the said finger is connected to the upper arm
the bell crank lever P by the bolt X which is surrounded by a spiral spring Y,
whereby the said finger is permitted to yield as required. It is obvious that each
time the pushing finger N withdraws from the fallers to allow of another faller to
be placed upon the travelling bed, that for a brief moment the pressure of the
finger is removed from the fallers and that there may be a tendency for the last
faller to be unsupported, therefore to provide for the temporary absence of the
pushing finger we employ at each end of the fallers a bar or latch a (see Figs. 2, 3,
and 4) the latter of which is a sectional plan of Fig. 3 taken through the line b, c.
This latch a fits into a slot or groove formed in the stationary block E and it is
forced upon the end of each faller by a flat spring d pushed against one end of the
latch by the spiral spring e, but as each faller is forced upon the bed by the
pushing finger N the latch a is forced endwise by the pressure or forward move-
ment of each faller, the flat spring d and spiral springe yielding for that purpose,
whilst one end of the latch a is rounded to permit each faller to more easily pass
over the end of the said latch.
of
By the construction, arrangement and combination of mechanism shewn and
described herein, the gills or fallers are caused to traverse through the machine
with exact regularity and the full number or compliment of fallers are always
maintained. The speed of the machine can also be increased over those having
revolving screws and cams, whilst the noise caused by the fallers dropping from
the upper bed to the lower bed in screw gill boxes is now entirely avoided. The
revolving notched disc G which removes the fallers and carries them to the
opposite end of the traversing bed places the fallers at each operation upside down,
we have therefore found it necessary to compound the fallers, that is to say, we
employ two fallers placed back to back and secured together by solder or other
suitable means, consequently the fallers for our purpose have pins projecting both
upwards and downwards to meet the requirements of the altered conditions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
Firstly. In gill boxes, the combination therewith of a revolving notched disc or
wheel employed for carrying fallers from one end of the machine to the other,
substantially in the manner shewn and described.
Secondly. In gill boxes, the use of revolving notched discs or wheels together
with the pushing finger N, all operated in the manner and for purposes described
herein.
Thirdly. In gill boxes, the combination of the revolving notched wheel or disc G,
pushing finger N and sliding latch a, all operated and employed for the purpose
substantially as herein shewn and described.

page_text: Fourthly. In gill boxes, the use of "fallers" having pins or hackle gills on both
edges, as shewn and described herein.
Dated this 2nd day of March 1893
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.