Improvements in and connected with the Carding of Fibrous Materials.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 1st Feb., 1895-Accepted, 9th Mar.. 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with the Carding of Fibrous
Materials.
I, ERNST GESSNER, of Aue, Saxony, Machine Builder, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved method of, and means or apparatus for,.
equalizing or levelling the product of the carding operation and thereby improving
the quality of the yarn, and it consists essentially in doubling and dividing fleeces
by taking two or more fleeces of full width from the same or different carding
engines, uniting them by superposition, and dividing the combined fleeces at once.
into slivers.
Many sets of carding engines now in use comprise one or two breaker cards,
each having one doffer, and a finisher card having two doffers with alternating card
rings for forming rovings. In order to provide these carding engines with a strap
or steel band fleece divider or condenser, it has heretofore been necessary to replace
the two doffers of the finisher card by a single doffer of large diameter. This
entails considerable expense, the two discarded doffers being valueless.
In order to obviate this objection I utilize the two old doffers of the finisher card
by covering them with cards over their whole surface and taking from them two
In this way
full fleeces which are then united and led to a divider and condenser.
not only is the cost of a new doffer saved but more and better yarn is produced in
consequence of the equalization or levelling of the fleece obtained from the
doubling.
It will, therefore, be advantageous to provide new carding engines with two fully
covered doffers and likewise to alter single-doffer machines by providing them with
two such doffers, or to adapt and use one of the workers for taking off another full
fleece from the main cylinder. As a more even and uniform layer and consequently
better yarn will be produced by doubling and uniting the fleeces, it will be advan-
tageous to double more than two fleeces and to divide the same by a single fleece
divider. The fleeces to be so united may be taken from the doffers of the same
finisher card or they may come from different sets of carding engines (in which case
the fleeces may be of different colours or different material) the fleeces being
united and brought to the fleece divider and condenser by means of aprons, rollers,
or otherwise. Several fleeces, when brought together and superposed form a layer
of more even, uniform, and equalized content than could be obtained hitherto from a
single doffer, thereby enabling a more even and uniform yarn to be produced.
the united fleeces form a thicker layer than the fleece from a single doffer, a
considerably greater number of rovings can be obtained, the rovings being of course
narrower but thicker.
As
In the accompanying drawings Figures 1 to 5 shew, in vertical transverse section,
various combinations and arrangements for carrying into effect my method of
equalizing, by doubling, several fleeces coming from two or more doffers of one or
more finisher cards and dividing the combined fleeces into slivers.
Figure 1 shews two doffers B, B, fully covered with cards and one fancy V
applied to a cylinder T. A full fleece is taken from each doffer by combs h, h, and
the two fleeces are brought together by means of aprons H, H, so as to form one
full double fleece which is then carried between the cylinders S, S, of the fleece
divider, whereby the combined or double fleece is divided into slivers which are

page_text: rounded into ends in the usual manner by rubbing motions. Any fleece divider or
condenser may be used for dividing the full and doubled fleece, but it will be
advantageous to make the slivers as narrow as possible in order to obtain a great
number of ends. According to the kind of material to be worked, it may be
necessary to employ either one or several fancy rollers or none at all, in combination
with several doffers applied to one drum.
Figure 2 shews three doffers B, B, B, and one fancy V, all applied to one
cylinder, three full fleeces being taken from the doffers by combs and carried
forward by aprons H. As shewn, the two upper fleeces are first brought together
and then the double fleece is superposed on, and united with, the third one, the
combined fleece being then divided into slivers by the cylinders S, S, of the.
condenser. The three fleeces may, however, be superposed and united at one and
the same point simultaneously.
Figure 3 shews one doffer B of large diameter a fancy V, and an ordinary
worker A, acting in the place of a second doffer, a full fleece being taken from it
by a comb h' and carried down by an apron H¹ to be united on the apron H' with
the other fleece coming from the doffer B. Another fleece, either single or doubled,
coming from one or more other carding engines, may be united with the first
mentioned fleece, as shewn by the dotted lines, the whole then forming a very well
equalized layer which is then to be divided between the cylinders of the condenser,
as shewn in Figure 2.
Figure 4 shews a combination of two doffers B, B, and one worker A, acting in
the place of a third doffer, a fancy V being placed between the worker A and
doffer B, and a second fancy V between the two doffers. The three full fleeces
taken off by combs h, h, h', are transported by aprons H, H, H₁, and are united
either successively or simultaneously to form one uniform equalized layer.
A third fleece, either single or double, may also be brought from one or more
other carding engines in the direction indicated by dotted lines, and deposited in the
same manner by the apron H. The said apron may be arranged to carry the fleece
along from one drum over another, or to bring a fleece from a carding engine on
another floor. The fleeces may, however, be transported by rollers or any other
suitable means, or they may be brought together directly without being transported
by any special means.
One fleece may be united with another fleece by being transferred from one
doffer to another, either directly or by special means. Such an arrangement is
shewn in Figure 5 in which B, B1, are the two doffers. A fleece is taken from the
one doffer B by a comb h¹, and is transferred by means of an intermediate roller D
to the other doffer B, to be superposed and united with the fleece lying on the
surface of the latter, the combined fleeces being taken from the doffer B by a
comb and thence conveyed to the fleece divider and condenser. One or more
other fleeces may be united either directly or indirectly with the first layer, as
illustrated in dotted lines which shew how a third fleece is conducted from above
and laid directly upon the doubled fleece, while a fourth fleece is conducted from
below the drum and superposed upon and united with the fleece upon the
doffer B.
Another arrangement is shewn in Figure 6 where only one doffer B is applied to
the drum T, the comb taking therefrom a full fleece whilst two other fleeces
brought from elsewhere by aprons H and H¹, are united with the first mentioned
fleece. The fleece. coming from below is first united with the fleece lying on the
surface of the doffer B, the double fleece being then taken off by comb while the
fleece coming from above is directly united with the double fleece.
Figures 7 and 8 shew a set of carding engines as now in use, for instance in the
United States of America, adapted to the herein described invention.
Figure 7 shews a breaker card, the usual workers and strippers being shewn in
dotted lines around drum T, the fancy V and the doffer B with comb h being
arranged in the well known manner. The doffer B is fully covered with cards. A
second doffer B' likewise fully covered with cards and accompanied by a fancy V1

page_text: and comb h, is arranged at the front side of the breaker below the feed table Z, as
shewn and described in the Specification of my English Letters Patent No. 12,832
of 1892, the fore part of the machine being represented as withdrawn from the
middle frame in order to allow of easily cleaning and otherwise attending to the
second doffer. The second doffer B' takes from the drum a second fleece which is
removed by comb and transported by the apron H below the drum to the other
or rear side of the card where it is united with the fleece on the first doffer. The
two fleeces of full width thus united on the first doffer B, are taken off as a double
Heece by the comb h and formed as desired into a lap layer or band to be supplied
to a finisher card, (see Figure 8), either mechanically or by hand.
Instead of being conducted to the finisher card, the united fleeces coming from
the first breaker card may be first supplied to a second breaker or intermediate
card. Or a carding engine with two or more swifts, as used generally in England,
may be suitably adapted to work on the new system, the united fleeces being thence
supplied to the finisher card.
In the finisher card shewn in Figure 8 two doffers B, B', are located at some
distance apart so as to leave space for a second fancy V₁ to be applied to the
drum T. The two doffers instead of only having rings of cards, as hitherto, are
fully covered with cards so that two full fleeces over the whole width of the doffers
are obtained. These two fleeces taken from the doffers by the combs h, h', are
brought together by aprons H, H', and superposed so as to be equalized throughout,
the united fleeces being then conveyed to the dividing cylinders W, W¹, of a
condenser to be divided into slivers and rounded into ends or rovings. The fleeces
may be otherwise conveyed, for instance, the fleece of doffer B may be deposited
on the doffer B' by an apron or by an intermediate roller, as shewn in Figure 5.
Dated this 13th day of December 1894.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION:
Improvements in and connected with the Carding of Fibrous
Materials.
I, ERNST GESSNER, of Aue, Saxony, Machine Builder, 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 :-
My invention relates to an improved method of, and means or apparatus for,
equalizing or levelling the product of the carding operation and thereby improving
the quality of the yarn, and it consists essentially in doubling and dividing fleeces
by taking two or more fleeces of full width from the same or different carding
engines, uniting them by superposition, and dividing the combined fleeces at once
into slivers.
Many sets of carding engines now in use comprise one or two breaker cards,
each having one doffer and a finisher card having two doffers with alternating card
rings for forming rovings. In order to provide these carding engines with a strap
or steel band fleece divider or coudenser, it has heretofore been necessary to
replace the two doffers of the finisher card by a single doffer of large diameter.
This entails considerable expense, the two discarded doffers being valueless.
In order to obviate this objection, I utilize the two old doffers of the finisher
card by covering them with cards over their whole surface and taking from them
two full fleeces which are then united and led to a fleece divider or condenser. In
this way not only is the cost of a new doffer saved but more and better yarn is
produced in consequence of the equalization or levelling of the fleece obtained from
the doubling.

page_text: It will, therefore, be advantageous to provide new carding engines with two
fully covered doffers and likewise to alter single-doffer machines by providing
them with two such doffers, or to adapt and use one of the workers for taking off
another full fleece from the main cylinder. As a more even and uniform layer,
and consequently better yarn, will be produced by doubling and uniting the
fleeces, it will be advantageous to double more than two fleeces and to divide the
same by a single fleece divider. The fleeces to be so united may be taken from
the doffers of the same finisher card or they may come from different sets of
carding engines (in which case the fleeces may be of different colours or different
material) the fleeces being united and brought to the fleece divider and condenser
by means of aprons, rollers, or otherwise. Several fleeces, when brought together
and superposed, form a layer of more even, uniform, and equalized content than
could be obtained hitherto from a single doffer, thereby enabling a more even and
uniform yarn to be produced. As the united fleeces form a thicker layer than the
fleece from a single doffer, a considerably greater number of rovings can be
obtained, the rovings being of course narrower but thicker.
In the drawings accompanying the Provisional Specification Figures 1 to 5
shew, in vertical transverse section, various combinations and arrangements for
carrying into effect my method of equalizing, by doubling, several fleeces coming
from two or more doffers of one or more finisher cards and dividing the combined
fleeces into slivers.
Figure 1 shews two doffers B, B, fully covered with cards and one fancy V
applied to a cylinder T. A full fleece is taken from each doffer by combs h, h, and
the two fleeces are brought together by means of aprons H, H, so as to form one
full double fleece which is then carried between the cylinders S, S, of the fleece
divider, whereby the combined or double fleece is divided into slivers which are
rounded into ends in the usual manner by rubbing motions. Any fleece divider
or condeuser may be used for dividing the full and doubled fleece, but it will be
advantageous to make the slivers as narrow as possible in order to obtain a great
number of ends. According to the kind of material to be worked, it may be
necessary to employ either one or several fancy rollers or none at all, in
combination with several doffers applied to one drum.
Figure 2 shews three doffers. B, B, B, and one fancy V, all applied to one
cylinder, three full fleeces being taken from the doffers by combs and carried
forward by aprons H. As shewn, the two upper fleeces are first brought together
and then the double fleece is superposed on, and united with, the third one, the
combined fleece being then divided into slivers by the cylinders S, S, of the
condenser. The three fleeces may, however, be superposed and united at one and
the same point simultaneously.
Figure 3 shews one doffer B of large diameter a fancy V, and an ordinary
worker A, acting in the place of a second doffer, a full fleece being taken from it
by a comb and carried down by an apron H' to be united on the apron H with
the other fleece coming from the doffer B. Or another fleece, either single or
doubled, coming from one or more carding engines, may be united with the first
mentioned fleece, as shewn by the dotted lines, the whole then forming a very well
equalized layer which is then to be divided between the cylinders of the condenser,
as shewn in Figure 2.
Figure 4 shews a combination of two doffers B, B, and one worker A, acting in
the place of a third doffer, a fancy V being placed between the worker A and
doffer B and a second fancy. V between the two doffers. The three full fleeces
taken off by combs h, h, h', are transported by aprons H, H, H', and are united
either successively or simultaneously to form one uniform equalized layer.
Or a third fleece, either single or double, may also be brought from one or more
other carding engines, in the direction indicated by dotted lines, and deposited in
the same manner as by the apron H¹. The said apron may be arranged to carry
the fleece along from one drum over another, or to bring a fleece from a carding
engine on another floor. The fleeces may, however, be transported by rollers or

page_text: any other suitable
means, or they may be brought together directly without being.
transported by any special means.
One fleece may be united with another fleece by being transferred from one
doffer to another, either directly or by special means. Such an arrangement is.
shewn in Figure 5 in which B, B', are the two doffers. A fleece is taken from the
one doffer B by a comb and is transferred by means of an intermediate roller D to
the other doffer B, to be superposed on, and united with, the fleece lying on the
surface of the latter, the combined fleeces being taken from the doffer B by a
comb and thence conveyed to the fleece divider and condenser.
One or more
other fleeces may be united either directly or indirectly with the first layer, as
illustrated in dotted lines which shew how a third fleece is conducted from above
and laid directly upon the doubled fleece, while a fourth fleece is conducted
from below the drum and superposed upon, and united with, the fleece upon the
doffer B¹.
Another arrangement is shewn in Figure 6 where only one doffer B is applied
to the drum T, the comb h taking therefrom a full fleece whilst two other fleeces
brought from elsewhere by aprons H and H', are united with the first mentioned
fleece. The fleece coming from below is first united with the fleece lying on the
surface of the doffer B, the double fleece being then taken off by comb h, while
the fleece coming from above is directly united with the double fleece.
Figures 7 and 8 shew a set of carding engines as now in use, for instance, in the
United States of America, adapted to the herein described invention.
Figure 7 shews a breaker card, the usual workers and strippers being shewn in
dotted lines around drum T, the fancy V and the doffer B with comb being
arranged in the well known manner. The doffer B is fully covered with cards.
A second doffer B', likewise fully covered with cards and accompanied by a
fancy and comb ', is arranged at the front side of the breaker below the feed
table Z, as shewn and described in the Specification of my English Letters Patent
No. 12,832 of 1892, the fore part of the machine being represented as withdrawn
from the middle frame in order to allow of easily cleaning and otherwise attending
to the second doffer. The second doffer B' takes from the drum a second fleece
which is removed by comb and transported by the apron H below the drum to
the other or rear side of the card where it is united with the fleece on the first
doffer. The two fleeces of full width thus united on the first doffer B are taken
off as a double fleece by the comb and formed as desired into a lap layer or band
to be supplied to a finisher card (see Figure 8) either mechanically or by hand.
Instead of being conducted to the finisher card, the united fleeces coming from
the first breaker card may be first supplied to a second breaker or intermediate
card. Or a carding engine with two or more swifts, as used generally in England,
may be suitably adapted to work on the new system, the united fleeces being
thence supplied to the finisher card.
In the finisher card shewn in Figure 8 two doffers B, B', are located at some
distance apart so as to leave space for a second fancy V₁ to be applied to the
drum T. The two doffers, instead of only having rings of cards, as hitherto, are
fully covered with cards so that two full fleeces over the whole width of the
doffers are obtained. These two fleeces taken from the doffers by the combs h, h',
are brought together by aprons H, H', and superposed so as to be equalized
throughout, the united fleeces being then conveyed to the dividing cylinders W, W¹,
of a condenser to be divided into slivers and rounded into ends or rovings. The
fleeces may be otherwise conveyed, for instance the fleece of doffer B may be
deposited on the doffer B' by an apron or by an intermediate roller, as shewn in
Figure 5.
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. In the operation of carding fibrous materials, the method of equalizing the

page_text: product of the operation, which consists in taking two or more fleeces of full width
from two or more fully covered doffers of one or more breaker carding engines,
uniting or combining the said fleeces by superposition, then passing the combined
fleece to the finisher card, as specified.
2. In the operation of carding fibrous materials, the method of equalizing the
product of the operation, which consists in taking two or more fleeces of full width
from two or more fully covered doffers of one or more finisher carding engines,
uniting or combining the said fleeces by superposition, and finally dividing the
combined fleeces into slivers by any suitable fleece divider or condenser,
substantially as specified.
3. The herein described method of forming strips or rovings, which consists in
uniting or doubling in their full width several doffed fleeces coming from several
fully covered doffers, and in dividing simultaneously said united or doubled fleeces.
into strips or rovings, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
4. In a carding engine, the combination, with the same main cylinder or swift,
of two or more doffers fully clothed over their whole surface so as to take fleeces
of full width from the cylinder, combs for stripping the fleeces from said doffers.
and means for uniting the fleeces by superposition, and means for dividing the
combined fleeces into slivers and condensing them into rovings, substantially as
specified.
Dated this 31st day of January 1895.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.