IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Patrick Kelly, of Sutton Mill, Kildwick, in the
County of York, Overlooker, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER
FIBRES."
Scaled the 6th October 1875, and dated the 15th April 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Patrick Kelly at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th April 1875.
I, PATRICK KELLY, of Sutton Mill, Kildwick, in the County of York,
Overlooker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND
OTHER FIBRES, to be as follows:—
In the processes of preparing and combing wool and other fibres fluted
rollers with endless leathers or aprons are employed, and generally in the
drawing off of the fibre under operation. As the rollers are now formed
the flutings extend the whole length of them occupied by the leather,
and owing in part to the springing of the upper of these rollers, or that

page_text: bearing on the leather passing over the other roller of the pair, the nip
is the greatest on the leather at and towards the edges thereof, the
effect of which is to cause the leather soon to become hard to break and
separate at such edges. The object of my Invention is to remedy this
evil. I effect this according to one arrangement by removing the teeth
at the two ends of one of the rollers for some distance in from the edges
of the leather so as to prevent the teeth of that roller from pressing into
those portions of the leather, and I round off or reduce down the ends
of these teeth to prevent their cutting into the parts of the leather acted
upon by them.
According to another arrangement I reduce both these rollers by
removing the flutes at the ends of both of them to the extent desired, and
I then apply collars on such parts adapted to fill up the thickness of both
rollers to about half the height of the teeth between the flutes, and I
gradually incline the teeth to these collars, and the parts of the collars
to the flutes. The edges of the leathers, and for some short distance
inwards therefrom are then supported between the plain surfaces or
collars of the pair of rollers These details may be varied, the object
being to remove undue pressure and wear from the leathers at and
towards the edges.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Patrick Kelly in the Great Scal Patent Office on
the 15th October 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PATRICK
KELLY, of Sutton Mill, Kildwick, in the County of York, Overlooker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of er reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Patrick Kelly, Her special licence
that I, the said Patrick Kelly, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Patrick Kelly, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no

page_text: others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during tho term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within. the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ircland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES,”
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Patrick Kelly,
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 montlis next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Patrick Kolly, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertamed in and by
the following statement, that is to say.
In the processes of preparing and combing wool and other fibres,
fluted rollers with endless leathers or aprons are employed, and theso
rollers are generally used in the drawing off of the fibre under operation,
though they are sometimes used in other parts of the process. As the
rollers are now formed the flutings extend the whole length of them
occupied by the leather, and owing in part to the springing of the upper
of these rollers or that bearing on the leather passing over the other
roller of the pair, the nip is the greatest on the leather at the edges
thereof, and thence decreasing towards the centre, the effect of which is
to cause the leather soon to become hard, especially towards the edges,
to break and separate at such edges. The object of my Invention is to
remedy this evil.
But that the Invention may be fully understood I will by the aid of
the accompanying Drawings proceed to describe means pursued by me
in carrying the same into effect.

page_text: as heretofore to the full extent of and beyond the width of the leather
apron acting with it, the teeth a of the other roller (Figure 1) of such
pair are cut away at 6 for some distance in from the edges of the leather
so as to prevent teeth of that roller at such parts of these rollers from
pressing into those portions of the leather The ends a¹ remaining of a
the teeth a are rounded off or reduced down to the parts b to prevent
their cutting into the parts of the leather acted upon by them.
Figures 5 and 6 represent a pair of rollers, the teeth « at the ends of
which have been removed and reduced down to the extent desired, and
then collars c, c, have been applied to each of such parts adapted to fill
up the thickness of both rollers to about-half the height of the teeth a
of them. The teeth a are gadually inclined at a to the collars c, and
the parts of the collars c next the teeth are also reduced to the flutes.
between such teeth. The edges of the leather and the parts thereof for
some short distance inwards therefrom are then supported between the 1
plain surfaces 6 or collars c of theso pairs of rollers.
Figures 7 and 8 respectively show end views of the rollers, Figures 5
and 6; these details may however be varied, and Figures 9 and 10 show
another pair of rollers in which a similar result is obtamed by the use of a
pair of fluted rollers of different diameters, Figures 11 and 12 are sections; a
and Figures 13 and 14 end views of the same. In this case the collars
c, c, of the smaller roller (Figure 10) are in external diameter of about
that of the extremity of the teeth of that roller, whilst the external
diameter of the collars c, c, of the larger roller are only about equal to the
diameter of the flutes between the teeth a, a, thereof In cases however
where the collars of the respective rollers of the pairs are not of the same
external diameter, those to one roller are better left to run loosely in
order to avoid any grinding of either of the collars on the leather apron.
In every case the object is to remove undue pressure and wear from the
leather aprons at and towards the edges thereof. In all cases whilst the a
necessary nip to the fibre taken between these rollers is retained, any
additional and unnecessary pressure and cutting into the leather aprons
at and towards the edges thereof is avoided.
The diameter of the collars or of the cut away or reduced parts of the
ends of the fluted rollers is regulated to the extent of nip required,
regard being had to the elasticity of such rollers when in use.
must also be taken that any otherwise sharp edges of the collars next
Care

page_text: the teeth be reduced down or rounded off so as not to cut into the
leather at those parts, whilst sufficient of them is still retained for the
required support to those portions of the leather.
Having thus described my Invention, and means which I adopt for
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise arrangements, as shown and described, as
the same may be varied; but what I do claim is, the so arranging or
forming the ends of fluted rollers carrying aprons, and used in the
preparing and combing of wool and other fibres that relief may be given
to undue pressure on and towards the edges of such aprons, in manner
substantially as described.
Sany as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Patrick Kelly, have hercunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.