Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1887 -.
Complete Left, 28th Apr., 1888
Compléte Accepted, 1st June, 1888
We, DANIEL SMITH, and HENRY SMITH, both of Alexandra Shed, Keighley, in the
County of York, Wool Combers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in that class of machinery commonly
called preparers or gill boxes, and used for the opening out of fibrous material previous
to its being combed and has for its object, the construction of the screws in such a
manner that, the fibro is more effectually opened and straightened whilst passing
through a machine, with a considerable reduction in the pressure on the front
rollers, and with less strain on the fibro, than when constructed in the ordinary
manner.
We accomplish our object by constructing tho screws for operating the top row of
fallers with a varying pitch; the screws being rotated in the usual manner; but
instead of the pitch getting gradually coarser towards the front rollers, it is made to
vary a few threads near to the feed rollers being of the ordinary pitch, then tho
screw spaces are considerably coarser for a few threads, and return or terminate finer,
to a pitch somewhat the same as the threads near the feed rollers.
By means of constructing screws in the manner described, the teeth or pins of the
fallers enter the fibre and travel for some distance as hitherto; but when the fallers
come to the coarse portion of the screws, they pass quickly through the fibre and
thereby opens and straightens it out considerably; thereby relieving the same to such
an extent, that the front rollers can draw it through the remaining fallers with greater
freedom than when the screws are of the same pitch throughout; and by the screws
returning and terminating in somewhat the same pitch near the front rollers as at the
opposite end, the fallers travel slower than when in the coarse portion, and can be
carried nearer to the said rollers than when the coarse pitch is continued to the end;
therefore by going or travelling slower, the pins are up for a longer period, and the
fibre drawn through a greater number than when a quick pitch is continued to the
extent of the screws; also by continuing the fallers close to the front rollers, the short.
fibre is more effectually straightened.

page_text: Improvements in Screws for Operating Fallers.
We, DANIEL SMITH, and HENRY SMITH, both of Alexandra Shed, Keighley, in the
County of York, Wool Combers do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the samo is to bo performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to certain improvements in that class of machinery commonly
called preparers and gill boxes used for opening and straightening fibrous material;
and has for its object, the construction of the faller operating screws in such a manner
that, the fibre is more effectually opened and straightened whilst passing through the
machine, with less strain on the fibre, and with less pressure on the front or drafting
rollers than when the screws are cut in the ordinary manner; and consists in cutting
the top screws with threads of a varying pitch, some of the threads at the end near the
feed rollers being of the ordinary pitch; they are then cut coarser for some distance,
finally decreasing to the original pitch at the end of the screws; or the threads may
gradually increase in pitch until near the termination, where they are suddenly decreased
to about the same pitch as at the commencement of the screws; by which means the
fallers are travelled at a varying speed whereby the fibre is opened out considerably
where the fallers are operated by the quick or coarse pitched portions: and by the screws
terminating in the original or a finer pitch, a longer "dwell" of the terminating
fallers is obtained; thereby allowing the fallers to be carried nearer to the front or
drawing rollers; thus giving more time for the said rollers to draw the fibre through
the pins of the terminating faller or fallers, before dropping to the bottom screws.
In describing our invention more in detail, reference is made to the accompanying
sheet of drawings, representing two top screws having the threads cut according to
our invention.
The screws are mounted in the machines and operated in the usual manner; but
instead of making the top screws of the same pitch throughout; or cutting the threads
with a pitch gradually increasing from the feeding end of the screws to the other: we
may cut the pitch equal for a number of threads somewhat as shown by Fig. 1, by
which the fallers are operated for some distance at the usual speed, the pins acting on
the fibre in the same manner as hitherto; then as tho several fallers arrive at that
portion of the screws where the pitch is coarser, they are moved quicker until they
arrive at the finer thread or threads terminating the screws; by the so means, the pins
of the fallers operated by the coarse portion, are moved considerably faster through
the fibre than it is allowed to travel by being held by the pins of the fallers near the
feed rollers travelling at an uniform and slower rate, sufficiently firm for the pins of
those fallers operated by the coarser portion of the screws to pass quickly through ;
and thereby to more thoroughly open and straighten the fibre to such an extent that,
less pressure is required on the front rollers to draw it through the remaining
faller or fallers than is the case when the threads are cut with an ordinary pitch
throughout.

page_text: By the screw threads terminating in a pitch the same or about the same as at the
commencement, the fallers do not travel so fast and drop as soon as when a quick
pitch is continued to the end; by which means, they can be travelled to as near the
front or drafting rollers as when the threads are cut the ordinary pitch throughout;
thus enabling the said rollers to draw the short fibre to better advantage, by being
near, and giving to the terminating faller or fallers a longer "dwell;" thereby
reducing the liability of the short fibre being carried down with the descending fallers
and forming waste, as is the case when a coarse pitch is continued to the end.
The top screws may be made with threads gradually increasing in pitch from the
commencement to near the termination somewhat as shown by Fig. 2; the fallers
according to this arrangement travelling at a gradually increasing speed until thoy
arrive at the maximum pitch, when it is suddenly decreased, terminating with one or
more fine threads; enabling the fallers to be travelled to as near the front or drafting
rollers as when the screws are of the ordinary pitch throughout.
By suddenly reducing the pitch of the screws at the termination as described, the
fibre is further opened by being drawn by the front or drafting rollers through the
pins of the terminating or remaining faller or fallers travelling at a comparatively
slower speed to those operated by the coarse pitched portions of the screws: thus, by
the fibre being more thoroughly opened and straightened, less pressure is required on
the front or drafting rollers than is required by machines having the top rollers
constructed in the ordinary manner, thereby obtaining a corresponding saving of the
combing leathers in proportion to the decreased pressure on the rollers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is-
The combination with a preparing, gill, or other machine in which fallers are used,
of screws having the threads cut with a varying pitch, arranged substantially in the
manner shown and described and for the purpose set forth.