Year: 1897

page_text: I, ACHILLE DE ST. HUBERT, of Bierges-lez-Wavre, Belgium, Operative, do hereby.
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a machine for opening or unfelting wool, which has
been too strongly felted up, without breaking the fibres, so that these are left of
their full length, and quality.
For this purpose the wool is placed upon an endless travelling table or apron,
which presents it to grooved rollers which draw it in and hold it firmly during
the opening process.
It has been found by experiment to be necessary to have two such pairs of rollers
for the wool to pass through, one pair behind the other, and both running at the
same speed. In front of these rollers is mounted a comb, moving with great
rapidity in an elliptical path, in such manner that it descends close in front of
the rollers and then, in inoving through the said elliptical path, recedes there-
from to a moderate distance and at the same time rises again.
For effecting this motion of the comb it is mounted on curved lever arms which
have an up and down motion imparted to them by cranks or eccentrics on a
revolving shaft and connected to the arms at an intermediate point of their
length by connecting rods with screw adjustment, while the pivots of the lever-
arms are mounted on vertical pivoted supports carried by an adjustable axis. Thus
by varying the screw adjustment of the connecting rods and the adjustment of
the axis of the supports, the elliptical path described by the comb can be varied
in shape in a corresponding manner.
The wool, after being opened out by the above described action of the comb,
falls on an endless travelling apron which leads it to wherever required.
For clearing the comb of any wool that may adhere thereto, I attach to the
underside of the front ends of the lever arms a curved shield of thin sheet metal
or the like, and below this I fix to the framing of the machine an upward projecting
curved thin sheet metal plate so as, on the downward motion of the lever arms,
to come in contact with the curved shield and thus impart to the latter a vibrating
motion, producing a wind sufficient to blow the fibres off the comb. Or in place
of or in addition to this arrangement I fix upon the framing of the machine a
bracket to which is attached a strip of leather in such a position as to come with
its edge in contact with the comb as this is rising through the backward part
of its path, and thus to strip the fibres off the teeth.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, ACHILLE DE ST. HUBERT, of Bierges-lez-Wavre, Belgium, Manufacturer, 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:-
-
As its name indicates, the machine which is the object of the present invention,
is for the purpose of separating wool too strongly felted together, without tearing
it, that is to say retaining the full length of fibre and consequently its value.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal section and Figure 2
is a plan of the machine.
The wool to be separated is placed on an endless apron A which presents it to
grooved rollers B which draw it in and hold it while the separation goes on.
Experience has shewn that it is necessary to have two pairs of these rollers
moving at the same speed by connecting them by gearing.
In front of these rollers rapidly moves a comb C consisting of a bar carrying
one or several rows of sharp teeth, and moving in an approximately elliptical
orbit. In order to obtain this movement, I mount the comb on two bars D worked
by the rods E and the cranks F, or it might be eccentrics, while the ends of
these bars describe circular arcs being jointed at g¹ to radius rods G.
In order to be able to regulate the stroke of the comb C to suit the character
of the wool or other material treated, the bars D have slots d so that the point
where they are acted on by the rods E may be varied.
The axis g on which the radius rods G rock is carried on slides M which can be
adjusted by screws m m¹ in the pieces N in which they slide, while the pieces N
can themselves slide vertically in fixed brackets P. By these adjustments, as well
as that of the rods d in the arms D, the orbit of the comb C can be varied.
The wool or other material separated by the comb C falls on an endless apron A¹
which carries it to the rear of the machine to be taken thence to be farther
operated on.
In order to clear the comb from material which may adhere to it, I employ
the following arrangement: I apply on the under side of the bars D, and near
to the comb C a bent plate H which extends across the machine and moves with
the comb. In front I fix another plate H¹ bulging, with its convexity towards
the comb. When the machine is in action, these two plates cause such movement
of air as blows away fibres remaining on the teeth of the comb.
In order to prevent the material on the table A¹ from becoming caught by the
shaft I, I surround the shaft with a sleeve fixed to the frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A machine for separating wool or other fibrous materials, comprising two
endless aprons A A¹, grooved rollers B B B B, a comb C with means of giving
it a quasi-elliptic movement, and two air deflecting plates H, H¹, substantially as
described with reference to the drawings.
2. In a machine such as is above referred to, the combination of the crank or
eccentric F, its rods E, the bars D having slots d the radius rods G pivotted on

page_text: horizontally and vertically adjustable slides M. M, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
1
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.