Improvements in and applicable to Carding Engines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 7th May, 1894-Accepted, 16th June, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and applicable to Carding Engines.
I ELIJAH ASHWORTH of the Firm of Ashworth Brothers of The Moss Brook
Works, Collyhurst, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the carding engines used in the preparation of textile
materials and has for its objects to lessen the waste of material and to increase the
efficiency of the apparatus.
During the ordinary working of the carding engine fibres accumulate upon the
flats and have to be stripped off or removed at intervals. A proportion of the waste
80 removed is comparatively long in the staple aud therefore suitable to be worked
into the sliver.
This is especially the case with fibres which project backwards from the heel of
the flat, and when accumulated in sufficient quantity extend over the space between
two contiguous flats.
For
The object of my invention is to prevent the accumulation of or in the alternative
to return these longer fibres to the cylinder so as to lessen the waste of material.
To this end I employ means to detach the fringe of fibres before the flat fully
leaves the cylinder and before the flat is stripped in the ordinary manner.
this purpose I propose in some cases to employ a thin blade or a blast of air under
pressure to pass between two contiguous flats, so as to detach the fringe and it
to the cylinder. The blade might receive its motion from the chain of flats in the
case of a travelling flat engine or be actuated by a special motion driven from a
part of the engine.
pass
The lugs or ends of the flats might act upon levers carrying the blade. As each
flat passed forward, the blade would be lowered between two Hats until its lower or
inner edge would just clear the main cylinder the blade being then raised out of
the way to permit the flat to pass forward. I may cause the detachment by
slightly tipping each flat as it is leaving the cylinder or at a suitable point so that
the fringe of fibres shall be licked off by the main cylinder.
I may arrange for the flats to travel in a direction contrary to that of the
periphery of the cylinder and so control the flat as it is passing out of work that it
shall when turning keep its heel close to the main cylinder. I may apply a blade
to each flat so that the edge of such blade shall be brought near to the heel of the
flat or of the contiguous flat and so that the edge of such blade shall only just
clear the main cylinder. Such blades may be fixed or adjustable.
I may apply close to the heel of the flat an edge of lead, pewter, wood or other
material which will grind down readily when the flat is ground, the intention being
that such edge shall be very slightly below the points of the wires and that it shall
check the accumulation of fibres.
It is very important that the correct alignment of the flats relatively to the axis
of the carding cylinder shall be preserved. To enable a regulation to be effected
when desirable I mount one end or each end of the carrier or star wheel shaft or
shafts in a bearing or in bearings formed in an excentric piece which can be turned
in the bearings in the brackets by means of a key or by suitable means.
I form the under grid for the taker-in by inserting grid bars of a suitable section
between the circular taker-in shrouds and concentric curved bearers which are
applied to the shrouds so that when the taker-in is adjusted the grid moves with

page_text: the taker-in and does not require separate adjustment. The said concentric curved
bearers are formed with grooves which receive the turned trunnions or ends of the
grid bars. Spacing pieces are slipped between the bar ends and by varying the
number or length of these pieces the distance of the bars from each other can be
adjusted. To adjust the grid bars towards the taker-in I might use removable
steel ribands at the top and bottom of the grooves in the curved bearers and by
varying the thickness of these ribands the necessary adjustment is obtained.
Instead of the said curved bearers the grid bars might be held in position by an
outer flexible binding clip or riband. The aforesaid improvements might be
applied not only to the formation and adjustment of the taker-in grid but also to
the grid of the main cylinder.
Dated this 6th day of July 1893.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and applicable to Carding Engines.
I ELIJAH ASHWORTH of the Firm of Ashworth Brothers, of The Moss Brook
Works, Collyhurst, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, 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 and accompanying drawings
:-
My invention relates to the carding engines used in the preparation of textile
materials and has for its objects to lessen the waste of material and to increase the
efficiency of the apparatus.
During the ordinary working of the carding engine, fibres accumulate upon the
flats and have to be stripped off or removed at intervals. A proportion of the waste
so removed is comparatively long in the staple and therefore suitable to be worked
into the sliver. This is especially the case with fibres which project backwards
from the heel of the flat, and when accumulated in sufficient quantity extend over
the space between two contiguous flats.
The object of my invention is to prevent the accumulation of, or in the
alternative to return these longer fibres to the cylinder, so as to lessen the waste of
material.
To this end I employ means to detach the fringe of fibres before the flat fully
leaves the cylinder and before the flat is stripped in the ordinary manner.
For this purpose I propose in some cases to employ a thin blade or a blast of air
under pressure to pass between two contiguous flats, so as to detach the fringe and
pass
it to the cylinder. The blade might receive its motion from the chain or flats
in the case of a travelling flat engine or be actuated by a special motion driven
from a part of the engine.
The lugs or ends of the flats might act upon levers carrying the blade. As each
flat passed forward, the blade would be lowered between two flats until its lower
or inner edge would just clear the main cylinder, the blade being then raised out of
the way to permit the flat to pass forward. I may cause the detachment by
slightly tipping each flat as it is leaving the cylinder or at a suitable point so
that the fringe of fibres shall be licked off by the main cylinder.
1 may arrange for the flats to travel in a direction contrary to that of the
periphery of the cylinder and so control the flat as it is passing out of work that
it shall when turning keep its heel close to the main cylinder. I may apply a
blade to each flat so that the edge of such blade shall be brought near to the heel
of the flat or of the contiguous flat and so that the edge of such blade shall only
just clear the main cylinder. Such blades may be fixed or adjustable. I may

page_text: apply close to the heel of the flat au edge of lead, pewter, wood or other
material which will grind down readily when the flat is ground, the intention being
that such edge shall be very slightly below or level with the points of the
and that it shall check the accumulation of fibres.
tes
It is very important that the correct alignment of the flats relatively to the
axis of the carding cylinder shall be preserved. To enable a regulation to be
effected when desirable, I mount one end or each end of the carrier or star wheel
shaft or shafts in a bearing or in bearings formed in an excentric piece which can
be turned in the bearings in the brackets by means of a key or by suitable
means.
I form the under grid for the taker-in by inserting grid bars of a suitable
section between the circular taker-in shrouds and concentric curved bearers which
are applied to the shrouds so that when the taker-in is adjusted the grid moves
with the taker-in and does not require separate adjustment. The said concentric
curved bearers are formed with grooves which receive the ends of the grid bars.
Spacing pieces are slipped between the bar ends and by varying the number or
length of these pieces the distance of the bars from each other can be adjusted.
To adjust the grid bars towards the taker-in I might use removable steel ribands
at the top and bottom of the grooves in the curved bearers and by varying the
thickness of these ribands the necessary adjustment is obtained.
Instead of the said curved bearers the grid bars might be held in position by an
outer flexible binding clip or riband. The aforesaid improvements might be
applied not only to the formation and adjustment of the taker-in grid, but also to
the grid of the main cylinder.
To render my said invention more clearly understood I will now proceed to
describe the same particularly and in detail, reference being had to the annexed
three sheets of drawings.
Fig. 1 of the said drawings is a sectional elevation of the means used for
operating the rising and falling blade by which the aforesaid fibrous tailing is
detached from the heels of the flats.
Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plau view of the levers and parts.
The blade which rises and falls between the flats is marked a in the drawings.
It is made of very thin sheet steel and is clamped between the side plates a¹ a',
the projecting portion of the blade being deep enough to enter between the
flats A. In order to leave a little more space between the flats for the insertion
of the blade a, I cause the centre of the chains which connect the flats at the ends
to be pitched a little wider apart than usual.. At the proper intervals, that is to
say when the space between the flats is opposite to the blade, the blade is caused
to descend such a suitable depth as will push off the tailings of fibre which extend
from flat to flat thus subjecting them afresh to the carding action of the
cylinder.
The blade rises immediately and is taken high enough to clear the top of the
rib A on the back of the flat.
In the drawing Fig. 1, the blade is shown at the bottom of its stroke. This
timed rising and falling of the blade a is effected by a convenient arrangement of
mechanism which I will now describe. At the ends of the clamping plates al a
which hold the blade, I attach brackets and each bracket carries a stud c
attached by jamb nuts c' and having an eye c² at the foot. From the eye c² there
extends a side lever d, formed at the other end with a cross pivot d' and shorter
tail lever d². The pivot rests in a bearing in a bracket e bolted to the side
frame or bend f of the carding engine.
At another point g3 on the bracket e I pivot a double lever one end being
connected by a pivot stud y' to the tail lever a while the other and free end rests
upon the lugs A² of the flats. This free end of the lever g is formed with two
inclined or curved faces which appear plainly in Fig. 1. As the flats advance in
the direction of the arrow (Fig. 1) and starting from the position of the parts

page_text: shown in the drawing, it is plain that the advance of the lug A³, will raise that
end of the lever g thus raising the blade a. The levers are so proportioned that
the comparatively small lift of the free end of the lever g is sufficient to raise the
blade a high enough to clear the rib A of the flat. To assist the lifting of the
As the flat
levers and blade, springs or counterbalance weights may be used.
advances it slides upon the straight part of the lever g until it reaches the
depression marked a when the lever is again allowed to drop, and just at this time
the space between the next two flats has been brought opposite to the blade a so
that the blade enters this space and removes the tailing from the heel of this flat
and so on.
To guide the blade more accurately, I provide a guide rod h
suspended from an arm of the bracket e, and passing through a boss on the
bracket b so that as the brackets b with the clamps and blade rise and fall, they
slide on these guide rods h. To set the blade in the accurate path, I render the
upper end of the guide rod adjustable in a slot e³ in the bracket e; also to prevent
the blade a from being jambed between the advancing flats, the lower end of the
guide rod is not held firmly in the bracket i through which it passes but enters a
slot therein, and is confined between the end of an adjusting screw j and a spring
abutinent so that the blade might be carried forward a little by the advancing
flats against the yielding spring which however replaces the blade in its true
and normal path as soon as it is disengaged from the flats. The exact distance
which the blade shall be allowed to descend is fixed by adjusting the screw k
which also passes through the bracket i. The spring is introduced through a
hole in the back of the bracket i, the hole being afterwards plugged by a screw i¹
as shown in Fig. 1.
One, two or more blades of the indicated nature may be mounted at different
points on the carding engine bend.
In order to render the distance between the inclined faces on the double lever g
adjustable, I may separate the portion of lever extending between the said faces
and connect them by an adjusting screw which sets the said faces closer together
or further apart as desired and thus adjusts relatively the movements of the blade.
The inclines may also be provided with antifriction bowls.
Instead of a thin blade as described and illustrated I might replace the blade
and clamps by an air box or a tube with a narrow discharge orifice at the foot,
and arrange to lower the said air box or tube to the opening between the flats at
the proper times and blow a blast of air down through the opening and thus
disengage the tailing from the heel of the flat.
I might also cause the detachment of the trailing fibre or tailing by tipping
each flat as it is leaving the cylinder or at a suitable point in the circumference so
that the fringe of fibres shall be licked off by the main cylinder.
A mode of doing this is illustrated in Fig. 4 Sheet 2 of the drawings.
I bolt a bracket m to the side frame or bed of the engine, the said bracket
having a curved top as shown.
I also cause a bowl or trunnion n to project from the side of the flat A, which
trunnion rides upon the curved surface of the bracket m and cants the front or toe
of the flat up off the bend and away from the carding cylinder as clearly shown.
To keep the heel down to'the surface of the carding cylinder, I cut away a portion of
the side of the flat end where it bears on the bend, so that when the flat is canted
it rocks on the edge A³ thus formed and keeps the heel close down on the card
clothing of the cylinder.
This tipping of the flat causes the tailing of fibre to be licked off by the
revolving cylinder. In carrying this out, the flats may travel either in the same
direction as the cylinder or in a contrary direction.
With the object of preventing if possible the formation of such tailings of
fibrous materials I might apply a blade or equivalent part to the rear of each flat
as shown at Fig. 5. This blade o extends down to the level of the dent points of
the card clothing on the flat A, and checks or prevents the fibres from becoming
extended between the flats. In some cases I might apply such a fixed blade at
:

page_text: the front of the flat allowing it to extend forward and then carry down it to the
licel of the flat in front as shown in Fig. 6.
This and the previous arrangement shown at Fig. 5 would not require the
spacing of the flats any wider apart and the plan of attachment shown in Fig. 6
prevents any upward draught between the flats, as the gap between is closed by
the extending portion of the blade. The arrangement shown at Fig. 6 presents no
obstacle to the stripping and brushing of the flats.
I may also apply close to the heel of the flat as shown in Fig. 7 an edge v of
lead, pewter, wood or other material which will grind down readily when the flat
is ground.
To render the blades o and v available for cutting off tailings of fibre, I make
these blades somewhat shallower than as shown, and cant the flat as shown at
Fig. 4.
In Figs. 8, 9 and 10 I show an arrangement wherein the blade p is movable, and.
carried by the flat.
I apply chocks to the side of the web A¹ of the flat A so as to provide flat
surfaces at intervals for the blade p to slide on. Thickness patches p' are applied
where a screw or bolt passes through the blade into the chocks. A slot is formed
to receive the screw r and a spring s is applied to keep the sliding blade constantly
up. A bracket t is provided and bolted to the side frame of the engine and this
bracket (of which there may be several on the bend) has a double inclined face
beneath which the thickness patches p' slide as the flat advances so as to lower the
blade p to the proper extent. The bracket t appears in Figs. 9 and 10 of the
drawing.
The blade p can be adjusted to descend to the required depth. A modified form
of this sliding blade is shown in Figs. 11 and 12.
The means which I have devised for the correct alignment of the flats relatively
to the axis of the carding cylinder are illustrated by Fig. 13 Sheet 2 of the
drawings.
I mount one end or each end of the flat carrier or star wheel shaft w or shafts, in
a bearing or bearings formed in an excentric bush which is carried by the block /
which is supported in the ordinary or a similar bracket 2. The excentric bush =
çan be turned by a key fitting over the flat faces 3 cut on the flange of the
excentric so as to adjust the shaft w to one side or the other and when the
adjustment is complete, the excentric z can be firmly bound to the block / by a
binding screw 4, which passes through a slot in the flange and screws into the
block. The usual adjusting screw 5 is used in conjunction with the block l.
The star wheel is marked y.
The improvements relating to the under grid for the taker-in are illustrated by
Figs. 14, 15 and 16 Sheet 3.
In a former Patent for which I in conjunction with my brother George Ashworth
have obtained Letters Patent No. 11529 of 1884 the sides or shrouds of the
taker-in were made in one piece with the bearing blocks and it is to such improved
forms of taker-in shrouds that my present invention more particularly applies.
Instead of the usual form of under grid I insert grid bars 6 of metal or of other
suitable material and of the indicated or of a suitable section, between the circular
taker-in shrouds 7, and concentric curved bearers 8, which are secured to the
shrouds by the screws b, the result being that these grid bars become part and
parcel of the taker-in shrouds and bearing blocks, so that when the taker-ih is
adjusted the whole grid moves with it and does not require separate adjustment.
The curved bearers 8, are so formed as to present grooves (see Fig. 14) which
receive the shaped ends 6" of the grid bars. The bearers 8 might however be
grooved as shown in Fig. 16. Spacing pieces of wood or other material are slipped
between the said grid bar ends and by varying the number or length of such
separating pieces the distance of the grid bars from each other can be adjusted.
The grid bars are checked at the ends so as to produce faces or shoulders which
prevent the separating pieces from falling out. To adjust the grid bars towards'

page_text: the taker-in I might use removable steel ribands 9 at the top and bottom of the
grooves which hold the ends 6" and by varying the thickness of these ribands the
necessary adjustment is obtained.
Instead of the curved bearers 8 the grid bars might be held in position by an
outer flexible binding clip or riband.
It will be evident that the aforesaid grid improvements might be applied not
only to the formation and adjustment of the taker-in grid, but also to the grid of
the main cylinder.
The whole or a part of the foregoing improvements and notably the improve-
ments relating to the removal or prevention of tailings between the flats might be
applied not only to travelling flat carding engines but also to lifting flat and other
forms of carding engines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
.claim is.
1. As means for removing or preventing the formation of tailings of fibre between
the flats of carding engines, the employment of a blade or edge of metal or other
material or of a blast of air so operated as to push the said fibrous tailing within
reach of the card teeth of the main cylinder or to prevent the formation of such
tailings substantially as hereinbefore set forth and as illustrated.
2. Tipping or canting the flats of carding engines so as to raise the toe of the
flat, while maintaining the heel in close proximity to the carding cylinder, whereby
the cylinder licks off or removes the tailing of fibre from the said flat heel,
substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated.
3. As means for removing the tailings of fibre from the flats of carding engines,
a moveable blade separately mounted and arranged to enter between the flats and
capable of being raised and lowered at the proper intervals by the indicated or by
any other suitable arrangement of mechanism, substantially as described and as
illustrated on Sheet 1 of the drawings.
4. The general arrangement and combination of mechanism for operating the
separately mounted blade for removing the tailings from flats, substantially as
described and as illustrated in Sheet 1.
5. The means for tipping or canting the flat so as to allow the carding cylinder
to lick off or remove the tailing from the heel of the flat, the said means consisting
of cam brackets or curved or inclined faces secured to the bends and used in
conjunction with projections or bowls carried on the ends of the flats, and arranged
to slide or roll upon the said curved or inclined surfaces so as to tilt the flat as
required, the flat being so formed as to maintain the heel of the flat in close
proximity to the card clothing of the main cylinder substantially as described and
as illustrated in Fig. 4 (Sheet 2.) of the drawings.
6. As means for removing or preventing the formation of tailings of fibre
between the flats, the thin blades of thin sheet metal or other material fixed to the
side or edge of the flat and extending downwards, substantially as described and as
shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings.
7. As means for the indicated purposes, the edge or strip of wood or soft metal
or other easily ground material applied to the rear of a flat as described and as
illustrated in Fig. 7.
8. A moveable blade mounted upon the side of a flat and arranged to slide
thereon in combination with brackets or inclined or curved surfaces secured to or
projecting from the side frame or bends of the carding engine, the said inclined or
curved surfaces operating the sliding blades at the required times so as to cut off
the tailings of fibre from the heels of the flats, substantially as described and shown
in Figs. 8 to 12.
9. As means for adjusting the travelling flats of carding engines in correct
alignment into the axis of the carding engine cylinder, providing the bearing blocks
of the shafts of the flat carrying or star wheels with excentric or cam shaped

page_text: bushes which can be turned so as to adjust the centre of the star wheel shaft to one
side or the other substantially as described and illustrated by Fig. 13 of the
drawings.
10. The improved under grid for the taker-in, substantially as described and as
illustrated on Sheet 3 of the drawings.
11. Forming the under grid of the taker-in or main cylinder of carding engines.
from bars of metal or other material of a suitable section, checked at the ends and
held in place by removable bearers or flexible embracing bands or clips the said
bars being held and adjusted apart by removable spacing pieces all as described.
and as illustrated in Figs. 14, 15 and 16 Sheet 3.
12. Adjusting the grid bars referred to in the foregoing claim towards and away
from the taker-in or main cylinder by means of ribands of thin steel or other metal
applied above and below the checked ends of the grid bars substantially as.
described and as illustrated in Sheet 3 of the drawings.
www
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.