IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Roberts, of the City of Manchester,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 17th April 1855, and dated the 25th October 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Roberts, at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th October 1854.
I, RICHARD ROBERTS, of the City of Manchester, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES" to be as
follows:-
My improvements in machinery for preparing consists, firstly, in constructing
the traversing apparatus of the balling machine, so that it shall produce a
more cylindrical ball of sliver than heretofore.
Secondly, in apparatus for varying the angle in combing machines of the
feeding apparatus whilst the taking comb, brush, or nipper recedes from it,
by which means the feeding apparatus will be kept in line with the pull
of the fibre.

page_text: Thirdly, in causing the taking comb, brush, or nipper to recede whilst taking
fibre, and to advance when disengaging it.
Fourthly, my improvements in spinning apply to the self-acting mule, and
consist of a rail so applied, that as the carriage is finishing its run inwards,
the rail shall cause a little supplementary motion to be given to the spindles
for the purpose of preventing snarl in the yarn..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Roberts in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th April 1855:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ROBERTS, of the City of Manchester, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Richard Roberts, Her special license that I, the said Richard Roberts, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others, as I, the said Richard,
Roberts, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Roberts, 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 Richard Roberts, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed;
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
that is to say:
The nature of my Invention of Improvements in Machinery for Preparing
and Spinning Cotton and other Fibrous Substances consists, firstly, in means
for varying the angle of feeding apparatus in combing machines, so that the

page_text: plane of the feed shall be kept in line with the pull whilst the tuft of fibre is
being detached.
Secondly, in the means employed for adapting the taking comb, brush, or
nipper to recede from the feeding apparatus whilst taking fibre, and to advance
when disengaging it.
Thirdly, in adapting the traversing apparatus of balling machines, for pro-
ducing a more cylindrical lap than heretofore.
Fourthly, in applying a rail or spring to a self-acting mule in such manner
that, by its action on the winding-on drum, supplementary motion may be given
to the spindles, and snarls in the yarn prevented.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to describe
the manner of performing the same, reference being had to the accompanying
two Sheets of Drawings.
In Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, shewing so much of
my present improvements in combing machines as is necessary to explain the
nature of the same; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. A is the driving shaft, on
which is fixed the spur wheel B, gearing into the carrier wheel C (on a stud in
the framing), which communicates motion through the wheel D to the wheel E
on the main shaft Ex. Each of the wheels B and D has half the number of
teeth contained in E. F, a disc fixed on the shaft E*, in which disc there are
bearings to carry one end of the taking comb shaft G, and the fixing brush
shaft G*; there being a similar disc F, to carry the other ends of the shafts
G and G*; H, H, brushes for fixing the fibre in the taking combs I, I;
H*, H*, springs secured to the disc F, whose office is to cause the brushes
H, H, to press the fibre into the taking combs I, I. The brushes E are with-
drawn from the combs I, I, by the cam H**, fixed to the framing at one side
of the machine, the cam I**, which actuates the taking combs, being fixed to
the framing on the other side. The feeding apparatus (only partially shewn
in the Drawings) is of the kind known as screw gills, one faller J being shewn
in the upper and another J* in the lower row. The nature of screw gills
being well understood, a more detailed Drawing is unnecessary. K, framing
of the feeding apparatus, turning on the shaft A as a centre; L, L, links con-
necting the feeding apparatus with the levers M, M, which are fixed on a
shaft M*, on which is also fixed the lever M**; N, a roller on a stud on the
lever M**, which is actuated by the cam O on the shaft D*; P, the receiving
comb; Q, the fixing brush, which is similar to that described in the Speci-
fication of Letters Patent granted to me on the Twentieth of July, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, together with apparatus for giving
motion to it from a shaft corresponding to D*.

page_text: The operation of the machine is as follows:-The cam O is adjusted to raise
or advance the front of the feeding apparatus from a point a little below the
position shewn in the Drawing, at the same speed as the periphery of the
wheel E (until the plane of the feed coincides with the centre of the wheel),
and the cams ** and I** are adjusted to cause the comb I and brush H to
be then at their greatest extent asunder, and that the wheel E and the feeding
apparatus advance together until the face of the stock of the comb I is in the
plane of the radius of the wheel E, when that coincides with the plane of the
.feed, and at the same time that the cam H** shall allow the fixing brush H
instantly to close and press the fibre into the taking comb (which should be
fine to hold firmly). The feed is advanced from this point until the tuft is
detached at such speed as will keep its plane in line with the pull of the
comb I. The feeding apparatus is then lowered to its original position, ready
to be advanced (as before) with the next taking comb; in the meantime, the
detached tuft of fibre having been deposited on the receiving comb P, and
pressed into it by the fixing brush Q, the cams H** and I** cause the taking
comb I and fixing brush H to separate; in doing which, the comb. I is with-
drawn from the tuft, and the brush thrown back sufficiently to pass the
fibre in the receiving comb; the comb I and brush H then pass on, ready to
take a tuft as before. In Sheet 1, Fig. 3 is a side elevation, and Fig. 4 a
front view, of another of my improved machines for combing fibre; in which
A, A, is the framing; B, B, the feeding head frame (bolted to the framing
A, A). The feeding apparatus is represented of the screw gill kind, but my
improvements are applicable to other feeding heads. C is the driving shaft,
which communicates motion to the feeding apparatus in the ordinary way.
On the shaft C is the cam D, which acts against the roller D*, on a stud in
the lever E, fixed on the shaft E*; upon which are also fixed the levers F, F,
.connected by rods G, G, with the brush G*, for pressing the fibre into the
receiving comb G**; H, H, radius rods for guiding the brush G*. These
rods are keyed on a shaft supported in the framing. In the cam D is a stud
or crank pin J, which, through the link J* and lever K, actuates the shaft K*,
on which are fixed the levers L, L, the other ends of which are connected by
links L*, L*, with the levers M, M, fixed on the shaft M*, which turns in
bearings in the pieces N, N, which slide on bars N*, N*, fixed to the feeding
head B, B. Q, the taking comb, supported by the arms Ox, O*, fixed on the
shaft M*; P and P*, bars attached to the slides N, N, which serve to limit
the action of the comb arms O*, Ox. To the shaft C is also fixed the cam Q,
which acts against the roller Q* on a stud in the lever R, which is keyed on
the shaft R*. To this shaft are fixed the double levers S, S, the longer arms

page_text: of which project beyond the screw gills, and the shorter arms are connected
by the links S*, S*, to the levers T, T, whose fulcrum is at T*. The upper
ends of the levers T are connected to the fixing brush U by the links U*. The
spring U** attached to the levers T should be sufficiently strong to overcome
5. the weight of the fixing brush U and links U*. The parallelism of the brush
U is preserved by the guide bars V and fulcrum shaft V*.
This motion, by
The mode of operation is as follows:-A tuft of fibre having been deposited
in the receiving comb G**, and pressed therein by the fixing brush G*, the
cam D, by acting on the roller D*, levers E and F, and links G, removes the
Obrush G* from the comb G**. The stud J then acts on the link J* to move
the levers K and L in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 3.
acting on the taking comb O, brings the arms O* against the bar P (the
friction of the slides N on the bars N* being greater than the power required
to raise the arms Ox), and then the slides N advance the taking comb O
to the feeding apparatus; the projections P** and the bar P* acting on
the plate U***, move the brush U into the position shewn by dotted lines..
The comb O and brush U are then in position to seize the projecting tuft
of fibre. The crank pin J now turns the neutral centre, the first effect of the
return stroke being to close the comb O on the protruding tuft of fibre; at the
same time, by the action of the cam Q on the roller Q and lever R, the long
end of the levers S, S, is brought to bear against the rollers W, W, (to support
the taking comb O,) and simultaneously with the action of the levers S, S, the
brush U (connected with the short levers S by the links S*, levers T, and
links U) presses the tuft into the taking comb, the action of the crank
continuing. The comb O and brush U proceed together until the tuft is
detached, or nearly so, when, by the cam Q permitting a spring (not shewn in
the Drawing) to pull the lever R towards it, the brush U is withdrawn from
the comb O, which continues its course until it arrives above or beyond the
receiving comb, when the brush G*, through the action of the cam D, as
previously explained, strikes the tuft off the comb O into the comb G**.
In Sheet 2, Fig. 5 is a longitudinal or vertical section, as the case may be,
of so much of a combing machine as is necessary to explain the nature of this
part of my Invention; Fig. 6 is a plan of the same; Fig. 7, a front view of
the taking comb apparatus; and Fig. 8, a toothed plate, one of which is placed
on the right-hand side of the brush P*, as will be explained hereafter.
A is the driving pulley, fixed on the shaft A*, on which is also fixed the
spur wheel B, that communicates motion through the carrier wheel C, on a
stud in the framing, to the wheel D on the shaft D* of the (screw gill) feeding
apparatus, which, being well understood, is only partially drawn. The wheels

page_text: B and D have the same number of teeth. E, a shaft, extending across the
gill head, and carrying by its extremities the bars F, F, on which the frame G
slides to and fro. To this frame are bolted brackets G*, G*, by which the
shaft H is borne. H*, H*, arms on the shaft H, carrying the taking comb
H**; I, a shaft (also in the brackets G*, G*,) bearing the fixing bar I*, pro-
vided with grooves, perforations, or bristles, to receive the points of the comb
teeth, and press the fibre therein. On the shaft I are fixed levers J, J, (which
work between stops J*, J*,) and support the shaft J**, which has its.
extremities in a mortice at one end of each of the connecting rods K, K, the
other end being on a stud in, and eccentric to, the wheel D and disc K*.
L, L, links connecting the comb carriers H* with the fixing bar carriers.
I**, I**, which have an extension beyond the link, that in their descent they
may come in contact with the pins M, M, which rest on spiral springs in the
cylinders M*, M*, fixed to the framing; N, a roller on a stud in the lever N*,
which turns on a stud in the framing, and is actuated by the cam O, fixed on
the shaft A* O*, a link, connecting the lever N* with the bar F; P, the
receiving comb; P*, the fixing brush, which is guided by the rod Q, supported
in brackets Q, Q*, attached to the framing; R, a bar, to which the fixing
brush is attached; R*, a link, connecting the fixing brush carrier with one
end of the lever R**, the other end being supported by a stud in the framing;
S, a roller on a stud in the lever R**, which is actuated the cam S*, also
fixed on the shaft A*; T, the front faller (in the upper row) of the feeding
apparatus. Parts corresponding to those marked as follows occur on the
other side of the machine, several of which are seen in the plan, viz., F, J, L,
M, M, N, N, O, O*, Q, Q*, R, R**, S and S*.
The operation of the machine is thus:-The shaft A* being set in motion,
communicates, through the wheels C and D, rotary motion to the shaft D*,
which actuates the feeding apparatus; whilst the crank pins in the wheel D
and disc K (through the connecting rods K, K,) reciprocate the frame G
and the taking comb apparatus from the feed to the position shewn in the
Drawing, and back. The taking comb is represented as having arrived out
with its tuft of fibre, and the cam O on the point of lowering the tuft on the
receiving comb P; in doing which, the arms I**, I**, come in contact with
the pins M, M, which cause the comb H** and bar I* to separate as the cranks
recede; the brush P* then descends rapidly, and, having fixed the fibre in the
receiving comb, retires to the position shewn, and simultaneously with it the
frame G also resumes that position, the necessary time for doing which being
regulated by the length of the mortices in the links K, K, which, by pulling
the levers J, J, against the stops J*, J*, keep the comb H** and fixing bar I*

page_text: asunder, as shewn by dotted lines, until they arrive at the feeding apparatus ;
after which, the cranks having turned the neutral centre, force the other end of
the mortice in the connecting rods K, K, against the shaft J**, and the levers
J, J, against the stops J*, J*; in doing which the taking comb transfixes the
projecting feed, which is simultaneously supported by the fixing bar I*.
Another mode of applying this Invention is by putting to the right-hand
side of the fixing brush P* a comb, Fig. 8, having fine teeth of open pitch
extending a little below the bristles, so that in the descent of the brush P*
the comb shall transfix the tuft of fibre just as the bar I* is about to retire;
to the position shewn by dotted lines, to allow the brush P* to continue its
descent, until it shall have fixed the fibre in the receiving comb P; by this
arrangement
the up
and down motion of the frame G may be dispensed with..
In Sheet 2, Fig. 9 is a plan view of the table of the ordinary machine for
balling slivers, the traverse of which is effected by means of a crank on the
upper end of a vertical shaft under the table.
A, A, a groove, in which the crank pin traverses crosswise of the table,
giving to it a very irregular to and fro motion; that is to say, a rapid motion in
mid stroke, varying into a slow one near the ends, which varying speeds allows
the sliver to accumulate more at the ends of the lap than at the middle. To
remedy this defect, I make the course in which the crank pin travels of the
curved form, shewn by dotted lines at B, C, D, and E, which, by allowing the
crank pin at mid stroke to travel faster than the table, and the table to travel
so much faster than the crank pin near the ends of its stroke, as to produce a
more uniform speed in the table, and consequently a more cylindrical lap of
sliver. The curved course B, C, D, and E, is made on the under side of the.
table deep enough to receive the anti-friction roller on the crank pin, which.
with its roller travels in the course as indicated by arrows; to accomplish
which, a spring attached to either the framing or the table is put in a state of;
tension by the table upon its arriving near the end of its stroke, the reaction.
of which spring causes the roller to turn the angles C and E.
In Sheet 2, Figure 10 is an end view, partly in section, and Fig. 11 a plan, of,
so much of the "square" of a self-acting mule and its mountings as are neces-
sary to explain the nature of my improvements in the winding-on mechanism.
A is the plate called the "square;" B, the "winding-on drum," mounted.
with the spur wheel C on the shaft D, which turns in the frame E, one end
ofwhich is jointed by the pin F and bracket G to the "square;" the other end.
rests on the front of the "square," and carries on a stud the roller H, which,
runs up the inclined elastic rail I, as the carriage comes up to the rollers.
The raid I is secured by one end to the back of the head-stock, and supported,

page_text: about the middle by an adjusting screw J in a nut K, secured to the floor. L
is a pinion (gearing into the wheel C), and fixed on the ordinary drum shaft
M, provided with its ratchet wheel and silent click, as usual. N, a catch,
suspended on a pin O in the frame E, the use of which is to hold the frame
down on the plate A until released by the roller P, on a stud in the catch N,
ascending the inclined rail Q, fixed to the floor.
The operation of the mechanism is thus:-On the carriage being "put up,"
and arriving within an inch or two of the end of its run, the roller H, by
mounting the elastic rail I, puts it into such a state of tension as will cause
its reaction to raise the frame E (as soon as permitted to do so by the catch
N); and thereby to continue the rotation of the spindles (after the inward
motion of the carriage has ceased to do so), whilst the fallers are rising, and
the mule is being re-started
"Having thus 'described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to
the details herein set forth, as the same may be varied without departing from
the peculiar character of my Invention; but what I claim is,
Firstly, varying the angle of the feeding apparatus of combing machines
immediately before or during the withdrawal of tufts of fibre therefrom,
either directly by the receiving comb, or by an apparatus that transfers the
fibre to it.
Secondly, the use of taking combs whose teeth whilst taking fibre point in
the contrary direction to the course of the comb.
Thirdly, the use of taking combs with fixing brushes, also of taking
nippers and of taking brushes, when the same are applied, substantially in the
manner herein-before specified.
Fourthly, the means described in reference to Figures 3 and 4, whereby the
action of the mechanism for causing the taking comb O to recede from the
feeding apparatus causes that comb to strike into the feed to take the tuft;
and the reversal of that mechanism, for the purpose of fetching another tuft
of fibre, disengages the comb O from the tuft last deposited or about to be
deposited in the receiving comb G**.
Fifthly, 'the mean's described for supporting the fixing comb O, and fixing
the fibre in it.
Sixthly, the mechanism herein-before described in reference to Figs. 5, 6,
7 and 8, for causing the taking comb, by means of a fixing brush or bar, as
explained, to take fibre by receding from the feed.
Seventhly, the means described in reference to Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, for
causing nippers to seize fibre by the receding action of the mechanism.

page_text: Eighthly, the use of the slide bars F, F, carriage G, and apparatus for
raising and lowering them, when applied to apparatus for transferring fibre,
directly from the feed to the receiving comb to be deposited thereon, as shewn
in Figs. 5, 6, and 7.
Ninthly, causing the return action of the taking mechanism to disengage
the fibre from the taking apparatus, in the manner herein-before described.
Tenthly, the substitution of a curved race or traverse mortice for the straight
one, in which the crank pin works in sliver lapping or "balling" machines,
as shewn and described in reference to Fig. 9.
And, lastly, the means herein-before described for preventing snarls in the
yarn, by giving motion to the spindles supplementary to that produced by
the withdrawel of chain from the winding-on drum, as shewn and described
in reference to Figures 10 and 11.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Roberts, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
RICHD ROBERTS. (L.S.)