IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to: William Tongue, of Kennington, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR COMBING FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Scaled the 8th October 1872, and dated the 15th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION loft by the said William Tongue at
"
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th April 1872.
I, WILLIAM TONGUE, of Kennington, in the County of Surrey,
3 Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists in certain improvements in machinery for
combing fibrous materials for which Letters Patent were granted. to
O me, bearing date the 27th August 1870, No. 2356, such improvements
being in part applicable to other machines for combing fibrous materials.
'According to my Invention I give a curved or hooked form to the
needles in heckle bars mounted upon flexible sheets or upon the por-

page_text: cupine rollers employed in machines for combing fibrous materials.
These needles I form flat, so that they will not turn in the holes formed
to receive them. I insert these curved needles in the heckle bars, so
that when acting to comb the fibrous material such material is not
drawn against the head of the comb.
Combs formed according to my Invention with hooked needles enter
the fibrous material with greater certainty, and the fibres are not drawn
against the head of the comb but remain at the centre of the needles.
The material is consequently treated with less severity. The noil or
refuse fibrous material removed by the heckles is suspended among the
needles instead of being drawn against the head of the comb, and the
heckles are more easily and effectually cleaned by the revolving brush,
the wear of which is considerably diminished.
I also give a curved form to the heckle bars mounted on flexible
sheets so as to comb the fibrous material close to the circular nipper for
a longer distance than when such heckle bars are formed straight, and
act with greater certainty and precision. I cause the circular brush to
remove the "noil" from the heckles when such heckles are turning a
small roller. By this arrangement the brush enters more effectually
among the heckles, and acts for a shorter time, and the brush is less
liable to rapid wear than when such brush is caused to act upon a longer
surface of heckles.
I also substitute the two feeding disks described in the Specification
of the said Letters Patent by a single disk placed outside the circular
comb, whereby the machine is simplified and the comb is more exposed
to view, and more space given for passing the slivers into the machine.

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Tongue, Her special licence
that I, the said William Tongue, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Tongue, my exccutors,
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 COMBING FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Tongue, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, 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 William Tongue, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
°
My Invention consists in certain improvements in machinery for
combing fibrous materials for which Letters Patent were granted to mc,
bearing date.the 27th August 1870, No. 2356, such improvements being
in part applicable to other machines for combing fibrous materials.
According to my Invention I give a curved or booked form to the
needles in heckle bars mounted on flexible sheets, or upon the porcupine
rollers employed in machines for combing fibrous materials. These
needles I form flat, so that they will not turn in the holes formed to
receive them. I insert these curved needles in the heckle bars, so that
when acting to comb the fibrous material such material is not drawn
towards the head of the comb.
Combs formed according to my Invention with hooked needles enter
the fibrous material with greater certainty, and the fibres are not drawn
against the head of the comb, but remain at the centre of the needles.
The material is consequently treated with less severity. The "noil"
or refuse fibrous material removed by the heckles is suspended among

page_text: against the head of the comb, and the heckles are more easily and
effectually cleaned by the revolving brush. The steel pins are best.
formed flat. I prefer that they should be bent after they are pointed,
and then flattened, tempered, and polished. The pins formed flat do not,
turn in the oblong holes drilled or cut in the heckle bars to receive
them, and retain the desired position. In place of driving the curved
steel pins into holes made to receive them such pins may be soldered
upon the hecklo bars. This part of my Invention consists in making the
pins in heckle bars curved as and for the purposes discribed, and this
part of my Invention also consists in forming flexible heckle sḥcets with
heckle bars provided with curved pins, as described; and I claim the
exclusive right to make and employ heckle bars and sheets of heckle.
bars provided with curved pins, as herein described and shewn in the
Drawings, for combing fibrous material in all descriptions of combing
machines where such heckle bars or sheets are applicable.
According to another part of my Invention I give a curved form to
the heckle bar when such bar is employed mounted upon a flexible sheet
to comb a fringe of fibrous material held in a circular nipper or comb.
Figures 3 and 4 shew one of these curved heckle bars. These curved
heckle bars being mounted on an endless sheet, as above described, the
fibrous material is combed close to the circular nipper by the finer part
of the heckle for a longer distance than when such heckle bar is formed
straight, and the heckle acts with greater certainty and perfection. I
am aware that curved heckle bars have been heretofore employed for
combing fibrous materials, and I make no claim to such curved heckle
bars except when mounted upon an endless sheet, as described in the
Specification of the said Letters Patent.
According to another part of my Invention I employ porcupine rollers
mounted with curved pins for combing fibrous materials.
) Figure 5 shews a section of a porcupine roller mounted with heckles
provided with curved pins according to this part of my Invention. The
pins in these heckles are flat and curved, and driven into heckle bars
or into a hollow roller, or soldered upon bars as before described in
reference to the heckle bars to be fixed upon flexible sheets. A por-
5 cupine roller mounted with curved pins possesses the same relative
advantages over one mounted with straight pins as the heckle sheet
herein-before described. I would here remark that I am aware that
curved flat pins have been heretofore employed, but such pins havo

page_text: been of considerable size and quite unsuitable for combing purposes.
Pins of this description have been employed for preparing fibrous
materials before combing, and for tearing up old fabrics, and I make no
claim to the employment of such pins for such purposes.
What I claim in reference to this part of my Invention is the t
employment of porcupine rollers armed with curved pins driven into
or soldered upon bars, or into a hollow cylinder in machines for combing
fibrous materials, as described and shewn in the Drawings.
Another part of my Invention consists in an improved arrangement
of the rollers around which the heckle sheet passes, as described in the 1
Specification of the Letters Patent before referred to.
Figure 6 shews so much of the parts in question as will enable me to
explain this part of my Invention. In the Specification of the said
Letters Patent the heckles are presented to the revolving brush 7"
while passing in a straight line from the roller / to the roller 7. Now 1
I find the heckles are better presented to the brush and more effectually
cleaned if the heckles are presented to the brush when turning a
roller of comparatively small dimensions. After the heckle teeth
have entered among the bristles of the brush the hackles continue their
course in a straight line, as shown. According to this part of my 2
Invention the heckles are plunged one by one into the brush while
turning the roller 7°, and then cleaned while travelling away in a
straight line. By the means herein-before described in reference to
Figure 6 of the Drawings, according to this part of my Invention, the
circular brush can readily enter between the rows of heckle pins when 2
turning the roller h³, and can then more effectually cleanse the heckles
while travelling away in a straight line, and with less fatigue and wear
to the circular brush.
Another part of my Invention relates to an improved form of feeding
apparatus to be employed in combination with the machine for which 3
Letters Patent liave been granted to me as aforesaid.
In the Specification of the said Letters Patent the slivers are lifted
from the comb d by inclined plates u', and carried forward by the
disc to the disc v; both such discs u and v are placed above the
comb d, and the disc v by its angular position acts to feed the slivers 3
forward over the plate c'. Now I find the discs and can be sub-
stituted by a single disc placed outside the comb d, whereby the

page_text: machine is simplified and the comb d is more exposed to view and
more space is given for passing the slivers into the machine.
-
.
.
Figure 7 shews a section, and Figure 8 a front elevation of so much of
the said machine having the improved feeding disc applied thereto as .
will enable me to explain the same. The slivers are lifted from the
comb d by the inclined plates ', and the fringe of fibres which has
been lifted out of the detaining comb e is taken between the edge of the
revolving frictional disc and the plate v'. The disc is placed
angularly to the comb d, and by its angular position serves to draw the
slivers forward. The plate o' is carried by a lever v³ caused to press
upon the fibrous material by the spring o³. of is a regulating screw to
prevent contact between the disc and the plate v¹ when the fibrous
material is withdrawn from the machine. The disc can be turned
back upon the hinge joint & so as to expose the combs d and e to view.
I would here remark that I make no claim to the frictional disc v
except when arranged and combined with the said machines and with
the circular comb d, substantially as herein describedḍ.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Tongue, have hereunto set -
my hand and seal, this Third day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
MAYATIT