IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FLAT CARDING ENGINES 〃
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Muir Hetherington of Manchester in the County of
Lancaster Machinist for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING
FLAT CARDING ENGINES
〃
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Muir Hetherington at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th January 1883.
JOHN MUIR HETHERINGTON of Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Machinist,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FLAT CARDING ENGINES
"
My Invention has reference to revolving flat carding engines and relates
particularly to the elastic bends which carry the travelling chain of flats. It is of
importance that the periphery of these bends should be exactly concentric with the
circumference of the carding cylinder and they are usually trued up by a turning
lathe or other tool and finished to a size of circle rather larger than that through
which the flats should traverse. When in position the ends of the elastic bends are
sprung inwards by pinching screws so as to cause the bends to approximate as
closely as possible to the required size of working circle. Owing however to
inequalities in their formation it frequently happens that the elasticity of the bends
is unequal and consequently a periphery truly concentric with the main cylinder
cannot be obtained causing rapid deterioration of the clothing and preventing the
machine from doing its duty properly.
According to my Invention I obtain a periphery truly concentric with the
circumference of the main cylinder by the following means. When the bend has
been placed in position and before the main cylinder has been covered I fix on the
latter a bracket carrying a cutter or grinding wheel arranged to act upon the
periphery of the bend and capable of adjustment. The said cutter or grinding
wheel is driven by a belt or other suitable means and as it acts upon the bend is
slowly carried round by the main cylinder until the whole periphery of the bend
has been trued up. In those cases where the main cylinder has already been
covered with clothing I would support the said cutters or grinding wheels on arms
extending from the axis of the main cylinder or from any other accessable position
on the said cylinder.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Muir Hetherington in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 25th July 1883.
JOHN MUIR HETHERINGTON of Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Machinist,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REVOLVING FLAT CARDING ENGINES
"
My Invention has reference to Revolving flat Carding Engines and relates
particularly to the "flexible bends" which carry the travelling chain of flats. It
is of importance that the peripheries of these bends should be exactly concentric
with the circumference of the carding cylinder and they are usually turned in a
lathe or other machine tool and finished to a size of circle rather larger than that
through which the flats should traverse. When in position the ends of the flexible
bends are sprung inwards by pinching screws so as to cause the bends to
approximate as closely as possible to the required size of working circle.
Owing
however to inequalities in their formation it frequently happens that the elasticity
of the bends is unequal and consequently a periphery or working surface truly
concentric with the axis of the main cylinder cannot be obtained this defect
causing rapid deterioration of the clothing and preventing the machine from doing
its duty properly.
According to my Invention I obtain a periphery truly concentric with the
circumference of the main cylinder by means of cutters or grinders which are
carried by the main cylinder or are otherwise caused to move in curved paths
which are concentric with the central axis and which cutters or grinders true up
the peripheries or working surfaces of the flexible bends which are fixed in position
upon the carding engine framing or upon a suitable framing.
"
و"
In order that my invention may be fully understood I have attached hereunto a
sheet of drawings illustrative of the arrangements I have adopted for carrying the
said Invention into effect. In the said drawings which are made to a scale of
about one and a half inches to the foot Fig 1 represents a side elevation and Fig 2
a back or end elevation of a carding engine the parts of the engine and framing not
necessary to the illustration not appearing in the drawings. The carding engine is
represented in its incomplete condition before the chain of flats and the doffer
and certain other parts have been mounted in position. In the. said Figs a is
the main cylinder and b, b are the flexible bends which are secured to the upper
curved side frames c, c as is usual. Upon the cylinder I mount a bracket D which
in the example is formed with a base plate which is curved to sit upon the cylinder
and is adapted to be temporarily screwed or secured thereto. Upon this base plate
are cast or fixed end standards d, d, which carry a shaft e. A bearing block fis
fitted to slide upon the face of each standard and in the two blocks is mounted to
revolve a cutter shaft g which is connected by means of gearing with the shaft e.
An intermediate spur wheel h gears with wheels fixed on the two shafts and is
adjustable in position to provide for the varying distance of the cutter shaft from
the shaft e. The bearing blocks are adjustable upon the standards by means of the
screws so that the cutter shaft can be set nearer to or further from the cylinder.
Upon each end of the cutter shaft is fixed a rotatory cutter or mill i which is
adapted to true up the curved face of the flexible bend. The shaft e receives a
revolving motion from a band pulley which is attached to a strap pulley ; which is
loosely mounted upon one axle end of the main cylinder and receives motion from
a convenient source. The said band pulley drives a pulley k which is fixed upon
one end of the shaft e. Upon the other axle end of the cylinder is temporarily
fixed a worm sector with which gears a worm m which is upon a shaft n which

page_text: P
is mounted to revolve in a frame o. The said frame is formed with two screw
clamps of whereby it can be readily secured to the underframing of the engine
and the frame is also partly sustained and steadied by means of an arm o³ which is
provided with a screw foot which can be adjusted to take a firm bearing upon the
floor. Upon one end of the shaft n is fixed a worm wheel with which gears
a worm upon a cross shaft which revolves in bearings in the frame o and is
provided with a band pulley r. Upon the shaft e is fixed a band pulleys which
drives a double grooved band pulley t which is loosely mounted upon one of the
axles of the card cylinder and a band mounted in the second groove in the said
pulley drives the band pulley r so that the shaft n is rotated and a slow rotatory
movement is imparted to the sector and as a consequence to the cylinder b. The
double pulley t is interposed between the pulleys 8 and in order to permit of the
movement of the former partly around the axis of the main cylinder without
interfering with the action of the bands as will be well understood. The action of
the apparatus is as follows. The bracket & having been fixed on the cylinder and
the frame o secured to the engine framing the sector and pulleys mounted on the
axle and the connections established the cutter shaft is adjusted so that the said
shaft shall be exactly parallel with the face of the cylinder and the cutters be in
position to act upon the faces of the bends the wheel h being adjusted to gear with
the two wheels on the shafts e and g. The pulley is then set in motion so as to
drive the other parts of the apparatus and the cylinder revolves slowly carrying
forward the cutters on to the ends of the two flexible bends. The movement of
the cylinder continuing the cutters are carried from end to end of the flexible
bends facing and "trueing up" the surfaces upon which the flats slide and
rendering them truly concentric with the axis of the main cylinder. If required
the operation may be repeated as for example the cutters may be set to take a
finishing cut and one of the bands u having been crossed the direction of motion of
the cylinder will be reversed so that the cutters will traverse back again to the
starting point. Grinders or emery wheels may be substituted for the cutters either
to effect the entire operation or to finish the surfaces of the bends. Fig 3 illustrates
a modification in the method of carrying the cutter shaft the arrangement being
particularly adapted for use in "trueing" the flexible bends of engines which have
been at work and have their main cylinders clothed so that the bracket d could
not be secured in the manner represented. In the said modification the bearings
of the cutter-shaft are mounted upon two arms which are clamped upon the axles
of the cylinder one upon each side thereof or upon a shaft which is mounted in the
bearings for the said axles. In the drawings v represents one of these arms formed
with a "
"
vee recess into which the axle w of the cylinder is clamped. The shaft e
is mounted to revolve in bearings formed in or fixed to the upper ends of the arms.
I do not confine myself to the indicated method of revolving the main cylinder as
other means may be adopted and if the bracket & were suitably counterbalanced
the cylinder might be turned by hand especially in cases wherein emery grinders
would be used. In Fig 1 the bracket & is counterbalanced by the sector which is
provided with adjustable weights x but, if preferred may be made of the requisite
weight. In order to provide for the effect which the weight of the flats may have
in altering the curvature of the flexible bends I prefer to load the bends during the
"trueing" operation to an extent about equal to the weight of the flats which
would rest upon the bends. In the example weights y, y are suspended by means
of cords which are attached at the point to the bends but the method of loading
the bends or of suspending the weights may be varied. I do not confine myself to
the details of the apparatus so long as cutters, cutting tools or grinders are carried
by parts mounted upon the main cylinder or its axles or are arranged to turn upon the
axis of its bearings so as to act upon the working surfaces of the flexible bends to
render them truly concentric with the axis of the main cylinder. In some cases
the cutters or grinders might be carried by a frame or part other than the main
cylinder having axles fitted to turn in the bearings for the said cylinder or being
attached to a shaft mounted in the said hearings or the flexible bends might be

page_text: secured to a special framing or to the framing of an engine other than the one upon
which the bends would be permanenty fixed and the cutters or grinders be
arranged to move around a centre which would represent the axis of the main
cylinder of the carding engine but I prefer to make use of the engine framing upon
which the bends are to be permanently fixed.
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of my said Invention and
the manner in which and the means whereby I carry the same into practical effect
I would have it to be understood that I claim :-
First. The appliances for trueing the working surfaces of flexible bends in position
and under working conditions arranged and acting substantially as set forth and
indicated hereinbefore and in and by the accompanying drawings.
Secondly. A bracket or appliance adapted to be secured to the main cylinder of
a carding engine and carrying cutters, grinders or tools which as the cylinder is
rotated cut or abrade the working surfaces of the flexible bends to render them
concentric with the axis of the main cylinder substantially as set forth and
indicated.
Thirdly. "Trueing" the flexible bends in position upon a carding engine frame
by means of cutters, grinders or tools which are carried by parts mounted upon the
main cylinder or upon its axles or arranged to turn upon its axis so that the said
cutters, grinders or tools can be moved from end to end of the bends in a path
which is concentric with the said axis.
And lastly. Rendering the working surfaces of flexible bends truly concentric
with the cylinder axis by means of cutters or grinders which whilst acting upon
the flexible bends are moved in a curved path which is exactly concentric with the
said axis or with a central point representing such axis.
In witness whereof I the said John Muir Hetherington have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twentyfourth day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty-three
JOHN MUNCTIONT
JOHN METODINION (L.C.)
Signed, sealed and delivered
in the presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON
41 John Dalton St., Manchester.