Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Machines for Opening and Preparing Cotton or other Fibrous Material.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 13th Oct., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Machines for Opening and
Preparing Cotton or other Fibrous Material.
I, BENJAMIN WILLCOX, of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of London,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been
communicated from abroad by James Charles Potter of Pawtucket in the State of
Rhode Island, United States of America, Manufacturer) and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to what are known as self-feeders for cotton openers and
like machinery. The self feeding mechanism comprises among other things, a
spiked lifting apron or its equivalent, such as a large spiked lifting cylinder, or a
series of spiked lifting rolls, an equalizing doffer or comb for regulating the supply
of cotton or other fibrous material I will refer to it as cotton delivered by the lifting
apron; and a feeder beater, which, after the cotton has been acted on by the doffer
or comb, and has been carried forward over the top of the lifting apron, strips it
from the apron and beats, or partly opens it. The feeder beater revolves at
considerable speed and acts upon the cotton with teeth or projecting flanges or pins
with which it is provided.
Heretofore there has been nothing to hold back that part of the cotton on the
apron between the comb or doffer and the feeder beater, and the consequence is
that frequently large wads, or pieces of cotton, are torn off from the apron and are
carried forward by the feeder beater, to the great disadvantage of the opening, and
trash removing, operation. To remedy this there is according to this invention
provided a holding device in the nature of a toothed holding roll, between which,
and the apron, the cotton which passes to the feeder beater is held. This toothed
holding roll is situated between the feeder beater and the comb or doffer, and
revolves at the same surface speed as the apron; but its teeth or spikes, unlike
those of the apron, are not forwardly inclined, but are so shaped, and situated as,
by catching into the cotton-bat, to resist any forward pull thereon such as might be
exerted by the feeder beater.
The roll also is placed as near as possible to the feeder beater, so that, inasmuch
as the stock can only be torn apart at some point between the holding roll and the
feeder beater, it will necessarily be separated into very much smaller pieces than
otherwise would be the case, and thus will be more thoroughly opened, and freed
from seed, trash, and other foreign matter. The toothed holding roll is preferably
placed so near to the feeder beater that the beater pins pass between the teeth of
the roll and thus act to strip from the latter any stock which might otherwise
adhere to it.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which this invention is, or may be, carried into effect.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section partly in elevation, of a self-feeding
apparatus embodying this invention.
Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the toothed holding roll and part
of the lifter apron and feeder beater; and
Figure 3 is an elevation of part of the toothed holding roll and feeder beater.
The apparatus shewn in the drawing in illustration of this invention is of the
self-feeder type, comprising a hopper A, a travelling apron-bottom B, a spiked
lifting apron C, an equalizing doffer, or comb, D, and a feeder beater E, which
strips the cotton from the lifting apron. Beyond the feeder-beater E is an opener

page_text: beater F, after passing which, the cotton is conveyed through the trunk, or
passage, G, to any suitable, or desired, point. With the spiked apron is combined
a speed regulating mechanism comprising the driving and driven cones a, b, and
their connecting belt c, which is shifted on the cones by a belt shipper. (not shown).
The moving parts are power driven, and their driving belting and gearing are
indicated by dotted lines. The driving cone a, derives its movement from the
opener beater F by a cross belt 1. The feeder beater derives its movement from
the same source by a belt 2. The equalizing doffer or comb D derives its move.
ment from the driving cone a by a belt 3 and the lifting apron C derives its
movement from the driven cone through gearing 4, 5, 6, 7, as shewn.
travelling apron B derives its movement from the lifting apron C or from any other
convenient source.
The
H is the toothed holding roll in which in its combination with the lifting apron,
and the feeder beater this invention mainly consists.
This roll is situated above the spiked apron between the feeder beater E and the
comb D, so that all the cotton that passes to the feeder beater E must pass through
the throat or passage between the toothed holding roll and apron. This roll is
power driven, and is geared to the spiked lifting apron, as indicated at 8, 9, so that
the portion opposite the said apron moves in the same direction, and at the same
surface speed, as the apron. The teeth of the holding roll however, are inclined,
not forwardly as in the apron, but rearwardly relatively to the direction of the feed
so that they will resist any abnormal forward pull on the stock held between them
and the spiked apron.
The cotton at the point where the toothed holding roll is
situated is handled just as it would be by a pair of feed rolls, except that it is not
appreciably compressed, but is simply held back by the teeth of the holding roll to
an extent to prevent any large pieces, or lumps, of stock from being torn off, and
carried forward bodily, by the feeder beater E as hereinbefore explained. Any
tearing apart of the stock takes place only between the toothed holding roll and the
beater, and as this distance is small the stock necessarily will be separated into very
much smaller pieces than would be the case were the roll taken away, because then
large pieces of stock, extending back as far as the comb D, might be torn off and
carried bodily forward by the feeder beater pins. The feeder beater, and toothed
holding roll, are shewn as set so near together that the beater pins will pass through.
the spaces between the teeth of the holding roll, and this arrangement is much
preferable inasmuch as under these conditions the feeder beater acts as a stripper
for the roll, removing any stock which may adhere to the teeth of the latter and
preventing strings of cotton from accumulating and winding upon the roll. The
toothed roll may be made in any convenient, or preferred, way, but preferably of
flat toothed plates m, secured to a polygonal body », by screws, or otherwise, as
indicated in the drawings.
For the lifting apron, there may be substituted a spiked drum, or other suitable
equivalent, and I desire to be understood as including any such substitution in my
claim.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of the spiked lifting apron (or the like) the feeder beater
and the toothed holding roll, operated so that the portion opposite to the said lifting
apron or the like travels in the same direction and at the same surface speed as the
said lifting apron or the like, substantially as herein before described.
2. The combination of the equalizing doffer or comb, the spiked lifting apron or
the like, the feeder beater and the toothed holding roll, operated so that the portion
opposite to the said lifting apron or the like travels in the same direction and at the
same surface speed as the said lifting apron or the like, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
3. The combination of the spiked lifting apron or the like, the toothed holding

page_text: roll operated so that the portion opposite to the said lifting apron or the like travels
in the same direction and at the same surface speed as the said lifting apron or the
like and the feeder beater set so that its pins shall pass between the teeth of the
holding roll, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 7th day of September 1894.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
Agents.