IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES OR MACHINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Aimers and James Aimers, both of Galashiels,
in the County of Selkirk, and David Wright, of the Town and County of
Selkirk, North Britain, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING
ENGINES OR MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Aimers, James
Aimers, and David Wright at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 15th December 1880).
GEORGE AIMERS and JAMES AIMERS, both of Galashiels, in the County of
Selkirk, and DAVID WRIGHT, of the Town and County of Selkirk, North Britain.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES OR MACHINES."
"
"
In
This Invention relates to certain improvements in carding engines or machines
for carding wool or other similar fibrous materials, and is specially designed to
simplify the construction and reduce the first cost of such machines, whilst also
lowering the expense of working, cleaning, maintenance, or repair. The improved
machine is much more easily managed, and the "sliver" resulting from the carding
process is stronger in the fibre, as well as more completely freed from seeds and
other foreign matters than as produced by carding engines hitherto in use.
the ordinary construction of carding engines very large carding cylinders or
"swifts are used, to which the wool or coarse fibre is led by stripping rollers or
"strippers" from a Garnett" roller having a simple revolving motion. The wool
is reduced while passing over the upper surface of the revolving cylinder by means
of a series of slowly rotating carding rollers or "workers" which lift off the fibre,
and from which it has to be returned to the cylinder by means of a stripping
roller for each "worker." In intermediate positions a "fancy" or raising roller
revolving at a high speed is also required to raise the fibre before it is removed by
the "doffer." The use of so large a number of revolving rollers with their spindles
carried in bush bearings involves a great deal of time and trouble in fitting or
setting and keeping the carding surfaces in proper working contact, besides tear
and wear of moving parts and cost of lubricating the same.

page_text: By the present improvements the use of "workers" are entirely dispensed with,
and the number of strippers also reduced, thereby overcoming the objections
referred to, while the acting surface of the carding cylinders and rollers is diminished,
the efficiency in carding is fully maintained, and all the working parts rendered
more accessible for cleaning purposes.
Under one modification of the improvements the machine is constructed or fitted
with three carding cylinders or "swifts," which are preferably of smaller diameter
than usual, and three "doffers" of the ordinary kind ranged alternately the one
behind the other in a horizontal row on transverse spindles, which are all carried
in strong side frames or standards; the carding cylinders and "doffers" being
driven in reverse directions, the former at a high speed and the latter more slowly,
so as to take off and carry round the wool from one cylinder to the next in
succession, and a "stripper" being interposed to carry forward any wool that may
not be taken by the cylinder.
ss
The wool or other fibrous substance is led forward by the usual lattice feed
board, and through the feed rollers to the intake "Garnett" roller, which is
specially made of a large size. Over the intake roller two, three, or more small
"Garnett" rollers are fitted, and these are provided with inclined discs or cams at
or near the end of their spindles running in grooves or between friction rollers,
which during their rotation act on and cause these Garnett" rollers to recip-
rocate in the direction of their length. This lateral reciprocatory movement of the
upper "Garnett" rollers cause their teeth or cards to traverse those of the intake
roller beneath and open up the wool which is being fed into the machine. From
the "Garnett" intake roller the wool is lifted to the first carding cylinder by
means of an intaking "stripper" which removes it from the one to lay it on the
other. The wool is carried on by the rotation of the cylinder to a "fancy" which
revolves at a high speed over the cylinder, and raises the fibre on its surface.
Thence the wool fibre continues to the opposite side of the cylinder, where the
slowly revolving "doffer" lifts it off and carries it round to the second cylinder,
on to which it is laid, a "stripper" being interposed to carry forward any wool
that may not be taken by the cylinder.
This ordinary process or operation of raising the fibre by a "fancy" and alternate
"doffing" or lifting and stripping is continued from the second to the third
cylinder, and the fibre is then taken off by the third doffer, and carried round to
the opposite side, where it is combed off as the "sliver" by a fly comb, and is
drawn off by the "roper" or draw rolls to a balling machine for subsequent
treatment.
A single "fancy" only driven at a high speed is fitted over each cylinder, and a
single "stripper" also is provided between each "doffer" and cylinder following.
The number of revolving spindles with their bearing bushes is thus considerably
reduced, and the machine is consequently less liable to derangement by the
carding surfaces coming too closely in contact by vertical wear of the bushes or
"flyings" getting into the bearings. When the cards require cleaning also it is
only necessary to remove each "fancy" and "stripper" to obtain full access to the
cylinder cards. In the arrangement described the extent of carding surface required
for the treatment of the fibre is much less than in the old constructions of machines,
and the prime cost of the improved machine is in this respect correspondingly
reduced, while the cost of maintenance, sharpening, and cleaning of the cards is
diminished. By discarding the use of "workers" also the fibre does not pass and
repass the same points of contact between the cards, and is therefore less liable to
be rolled into knots.
The improved machine is susceptible of considerable modification as regards the
arrangement and disposition of various working parts, and in details of construction,
whilst still adhering to the two main and essential features of novelty or improve-
ments, namely, the traversing of the "Garnett" rollers to open up the wool before
delivering it to the carding cylinder, and the constructing of the machine with
carding cylinders or "swifts" and "doffers" disposed alternately, and so arranged

page_text: as to dispense with the use of "workers," and the actuating gear necessary for their
operation.
Thus either one only or all the "Garnett" rollers may be made to reciprocate
across the machine, or the large "Garnett" intaking roll beneath may be in like
manner traversed either by means of cam surfaces or by eccentrics or cranks. The
number of such rollers, and of alternate carding cylinders or "swifts "and doffers
may also be varied to suit varying circumstances, as for different kinds of wool or
fibre to be treated, or quality of "sliver" to be produced.
"
The driving of the various revolving cylinders and rollers may be effected in
many well known ways to obtain the requisite velocities of the carding surfaces, as
by means of belts and spur gearing; but it is preferred to drive the carding cylinders
at the same surface speed by means of belting, while the "doffers are driven at a
slower speed by bevil gearing from a longitudinal shaft at one side, which may be
carried in bearings immediately under or beyond the spindles of the carding
cylinders.
The improvements relating to the traversing of the "Garnett "rollers can also
be applied with advantage to carding machines of the ordinary construction.
The Invention is also applicable for the opening as well as the scribling of wool
or other fibrous material.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Aimers, James Aimers, and David Wright in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 14th June 1881.
GEORGE AIMERS and JAMES AIMERS, both of Galashiels, in the County of
Selkirk, and DAVID WRIGHT, of the Town and County of Selkirk, North Britain.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES OR MACHINES."
Our said Invention relates to certain improvements in carding engines or machines
for carding wool or other similar fibrous materials, and is specially designed to
simplify the construction and reduce the first cost of such machines, whilst also
lowering the expense of working, cleaning, and maintenance or repair. The
improved machine is much more easily managed, and the "sliver" resulting from
the carding process is stronger in the fibre, as well as more completely freed from
seeds and other foreign matters, than as produced by carding engines hitherto in
use.
«
In the ordinary constructions of carding engine very large carding cylinders or
swifts" are used, to which the wool or coarse fibre is led by stripping rollers or
'strippers" from a "Garnett" roller having a simple revolving motion. The wool
is reduced while passing over the upper surface of the revolving cylinder by means
of a series of slowly rotating carding rollers or "workers," which lift off the fibre
and from which it has to be returned to the cylinder by means of a stripping roller
for each "worker." In intermediate positions a "fancy" or raising roller revolving
at a high speed is also required to raise the fibre before it is removed by the
doffer." The use of so large a number of revolving rollers with their spindles
carried in bush bearings involves a great deal of time and trouble in fitting or setting
and keeping the carding surfaces in proper working contact, besides tear and wear
of moving parts and cost of lubricating the same.
<<
"
By the present improvements the use of "workers" are entirely dispensed with
and the number of "strippers also reduced, thereby overcoming the objections
referred to, while the acting surface of the carding cylinders and rollers is diminished,
the efficiency in carding is fully maintained, and all the working parts rendered
more accessible for cleaning purposes.
The Invention comprises a new arrangement of the carding cylinders or "swifts"
and doffers, which consists in fitting such cylinders and doffers in pairs of equal or
nearly equal size and surface immediately behind or in contact with each other,
that is, with the cylinders and doffers alternately, and preferably having two or
three pairs to form a complete carding machine. A novel feature of the Invention
is the giving to one or more of the small "Garnett" rollers over the usual intake
roller a traversing or reciprocating motion during its rotation by means of cranks,
eccentrics, cam surfaces, or other suitable mechanical devices, to cause the Garnett
teeth of these rollers to open out the wool or other fibre and thereby reduce the
work of the carding surfaces.
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, we have hereunto appended for that purpose a Sheet
of explanatory Drawings, which we shall now describe, and representing a
modification of a carding engine or machine constructed in accordance with our
Invention. In these Drawings the same reference letters are used to indicate the
same parts in the different Figures. Figure 1 of these Drawings is a side elevation
of our improved carding machine; Figure 2 is an elevation showing the other side
of the same machine, and Figure 3 is a plan shown broken to bring the side frames
close together for convenience.

page_text: Referring to these Drawings the modification of our improved carding engine or
machine illustrated is constructed or fitted with three carding cylinders or
"swifts" A. A¹, A2, which are preferably of smaller diameter than usual, and three
doffers B, B1, B2, of the ordinary kind. The cylinders and doffers are ranged
alternately the one behind the other in a horizontal row on transverse spindles a, b,
which are all carried in pillow block bearings con strong side frames or standards C,
the carding cylinders A, A1, A2, and "doffers" B, B1, B2, being driven in reverse
directions, the former at a high speed and the latter more slowly, so as to take off
and carry round the wool from one cylinder to the next in succession, and a
stripper D being interposed between each cylinder and doffer to carry forward any
wool that may not be taken by the succeeding cylinder.
The carding cylinders A, A1, A2, and the doffers B, B1, B2, are by preference all
fitted in contact with each other, and the cylinders or swifts are driven at a high
speed by belts and pullies, while the doffers are driven therefrom at a reduced
speed by means of toothed gearing. For this purpose the spindles a of each of the
cylinders are carried out through their bearings c and fitted with driving pullies,
the spindle of the rear cylinder A2 having large fast and loose pulleys E, E¹, driven
by a belt e from a main driving or counter shaft.. A pulley E' fitted on the opposite
end of this spindle drives the second cylinder A¹ by means of a belt e¹ and a
pulley Es on the spindle of this cylinder A¹, on the opposite end of which a
pulley E is fitted to drive the cylinder A in like manner through a belt es and
pulley Es on the spindle of this cylinder A. On the spindle a of the cylinder A a
spur pinion F is also fitted, from which the intake Garnett roller G is driven by
means of spur gearing F1, F2, also driving the lattice feed board H by a pinion F³
on its roller spindle.
The doffer B2 is driven from the spindle a of the cylinder A² by means of a spur
pinion on it and a spur wheel 2 on the doffer spindle b through intermediate
speed reducing gearing f¹. Each doffer spindle b is driven by a bevil or mitre
wheel I on its end gearing into corresponding bevil wheels I' on a longitudinal
shaft J carried in bearing brackets j on the side frames C of the machine, and
driven from the spindle b of the doffer B. A second longitudinal shaft J¹ held in
bearing brackets j and driven by a bevil pinion 12 from the spindle of the doffer B,
has a small bevil pinion I³ at its front end gearing into a bevil wheel I' on the
spindle of one of the small feed rollers K, and thereby drives these rollers, which
are fitted with pinions gearing into each other.
A "fancy" roller D¹ is provided for each cylinder A, A1, A2, to raise the wool or
fibre and enable it to be lifted off by the doffer following, and these rollers are
fitted in bearing brackets d fixed to side brackets C at the ends of the cylinders
and fitted over the main side frames C. A stripper or stripping roller D is also
fitted to carry the wool or fibre from each doffer to the succeeding cylinder, and
these rollers D are also held in bearing brackets d¹ fitted to the side brackets C¹.
The stripping and fancy rollers D¹, D, are driven by crossed belts d², d³, and
pulleys D2, D3, on their spindles from pulleys D' carried on spindles or studs in the
side frames below, and which are driven by belts d from large pulleys D³ fitted
on the spindles a of the cylinders A, A¹, A².
The side brackets C¹ to which the bearing blocks c of the cylinders are attached
are adjustable longitudinally by screws 7, and the bearing blocks of the doffers are
also adjustable, so that the contact of the carding surfaces may be regulated to a
nicety. The carrying brackets d, d', of the stripping and fancy rollers D, D¹, and
Garnett rollers G, G₁, are also fixed adjustably for a like purpose.
The action of the improved machine is as follows:-The wool or other fibrous
substance is led forward by the usual lattice feed board H and through the feed
rollers K to the intake Garnett roller G, which is specially made of large size.
Over the intake roller G two, three, or more small "Garnett" rollers G¹ are fitted;
and these are provided with inclined discs G² or cams at or near the end of their
spindles, as indicated in the detached view, Figure 4, running in grooves or between

page_text: friction rollers, which, during their rotation, act on and cause these "Garnett "
rollers G¹ to reciprocate in the bearings in the direction of their length. This
lateral reciprocatory movement of the upper "Garnett" rollers G', causes their
teeth or cards to traverse those of the intake. roller G beneath, and open up the
wool which is being fed into the machine. The traversing or reciprocating action
of the small Garnett rollers G¹ may be obtained by means of eccentrics, cranks, or
cams, or separate revolving spindles at the side of the machine, or by means of
oscillating levers or other equivalent devices.
"
From the Garnett" intake roller G the wool is lifted to the first carding
cylinder A by means of an intaking "stripper" D which removes it from the one
to lay it on the other. The wool is carried on by the rotation of the cylinder to
a "fancy" D¹ which revolves at a high speed over the cylinder and raises the fibre
on its surface. Thence the wool fibre continues to the side of the cylinder, where
the slowly revolving "doffer" B lifts it off and carries it round to the second
cylinder A¹ on to which it is laid, a "stripper" D being interposed to carry forward
any wool that may not be taken by the cylinder. This carding process or operation
of raising the fibre by a "fancy" and alternate "doffing or lifting and stripping
is continued from the second to the third cylinder A2, and the fibre is then taken
off by the third doffer B2 and carried round to the opposite side, where it is combed
off as the "sliver" by a fly comb B³, and is drawn off by the usual "roper" or
draw rolls to a balling machine for subsequent treatment.
"
ور
A single "fancy" D₁ only driven at a high speed is fitted over each cylinder,
and a single "stripper" D also is provided between each "doffer" and cylinder
following, while "workers are entirely dispensed with. The number of revolving
spindles with their bearing bushes is thus considerably reduced, and the machine is
consequently less liable to derangement by the carding surfaces coming too closely
in contact by vertical wear of the bushes, or "flyings" getting into the bearings.
When the cards require cleaning also it is only necessary to remove each "fancy" D¹
and stripper D to obtain full access to the cylinder cards, but the cards may be
cleaned without removing any of the rollers. In the arrangement of carding
macbine described the extent of carding surface required for the treatment of the
fibre is much less than in the old constructions of machines, and the prime. cost of
the improved machine is in this respect correspondingly reduced, while the cost of
maintenance, of sharpening, and of cleaning the cards is diminished. By discarding
the use of "workers" also the fibre does not pass and repass the same points of
contact between the cards, and is therefore less liable to be rolled into knots.
"
The improved machine is susceptible of considerable modification as regards the
arrangement and disposition of various working parts and in details of construction,
whilst still adhering to the two main and essential features of novelty or improve-
ments, namely, the traversing of the Garnett "rollers G¹ to open up the wool
before delivering it to the carding cylinder A, and the constructing of the
machine with carding cylinders or "swifts" and "doffers" disposed alternately,
and so arranged as to dispense with the use of "workers" and the actuating gear
necessary for their operation. Thus either one only or all the "Garnett " rollers G¹
may be made to reciprocate across the machine, or the large "Garnett " intaking
roll G beneath may be in like manner traversed, either by means of cam surfaces
or by eccentrics or cranks, or by other equivalent mechanical means. The number
of such rollers and of alternate carding cylinders or "swifts" and doffers may
also be varied to suit varying circumstances, as for different kinds of wool or
fibre to be treated or quality of "sliver" to be produced. The driving of the
various revolving cylinders and rollers may be effected in many well known ways
to obtain the requisite velocities of the carding surfaces, either by means of belts
and spur and bevel gearing, as described and shown, or by frictional or other
gearing, but it is preferred to drive the carding cylinders at the same surface speed
by means of belting, while the “doffers" are driven at a slower speed by bevil
gearing, as shown in the Drawings,

page_text: '
The improvements relating to the traversing of the "Garnett" rollers can also
be applied with advantage to carding machines of the ordinary construction.
Our said Invention is also applicable for the opening as well as the scribling of
wool or other fibrous material.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner in
which the saine is performed, we have to state that we do not restrict ourselves
to the precise details herein described or delineated, but what we believe to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,—
First. The construction and arrangement or combination of the parts of a carding
engine or machine, substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying
Drawings.
Second. The construction and arrangement of carding engines or machines, in
which two, three, or more pairs of carding cylinders or "swifts" and "doffers" are
arranged in a line or row behind each other with the carding surfaces in contact,
and having fitted in combination therewith one, two, or more Garnett rollers which
are made to reciprocate during their rotation, substantially as and for the purposes
herein described in reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Third. In carding engines or machines, whether of the kind herein described or
of ordinary construction, the application or arrangement and use of Garnett rollers
or intake rollers which are fitted and caused to reciprocate in the direction of their
length during their rotation by means of cams, eccentrics, or other mechanical
devices, substantially as and for the purpose herein described or delineated.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Aimers and the said James Aimers,
on behalf of ourselves and of the said David Wright, have hereunto set our
hands and seals, this Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight huudred and eighty one.
GEORGE AIMERS. (L.S.)
JAMES AIMERS.
(L.S.)