IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS FOR COMBING AND SPINNING
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Tongue at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
June 1868.
I, WILLIAM TONGUE, of Kennington, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS FOR COMBING
AND SPINNING," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to certain improved arrangements for working
and feeding machines for preparing and straightening wool and other
fibrous materials for combing and spinning.
A machine for preparing fibrous materials is described in the Speci-
fications of Inventions for which Letters Patent were granted to me,
dated respectively February 23rd, 1866, No. 559, and August 22nd, 1866,
No. 2155, and also described in the Provisional Specification of an
Invention for which a Patent is now being applied for by me, dated
February 6th, 1868, No. 411. In this machine the heckles, gills, or
combs which act upon the fibrous material to straighten it are so.

page_text: actuated that after travelling a short distance through the fibrous
material some of the gill combs and by preference every other one is
withdrawn from the fibrous material and replaced at the back of the
gill comb or combs with which it works, when the operation is repeated,
and so on.
Now one of my present improvements consists in actuating the gill
combs in this machine so that alternate gill combs are withdrawn from
and replaced in the material at that part of the series of gill combs
nearest to the feed rollers or instruments, as described in the Speci-
fications of the Letters Patent and Provisional Specification before
referred to, while at that part of the series of gill combs nearest the
drawing rollers or instruments several consecutive gill combs are so
actuated as to remain in the fibrous material, the last only of such
gill combs being withdrawn from the material at the same time that
every alternate gill comb is withdrawn from the material at the other
part of the series of gill combs nearest to the feed rollers. In carrying
out this part of my Invention I prefer to arrange stationary saddles or
guides for the gill combs nearest the feed rollers. The rising and falling
surface raises and lowers the gill combs to and from the upper and lower
stationary surfaces, but is removed at that part where the gills rest upon
the lower stationary surface, and acts so as to form a guide to retain the
gill combs which have been lowered in a suitable position, the fingers on
the upper and lower slides being so arranged that each gill after it is
raised or lowered acts to push forward or back those gills which have
been previously raised or lowered.
In the Specifications of the Letters Patent and the Provisional Speci-
fication above referred to an inner sliding frame is described which acts
to carry the gill combs back towards the feed rollers or instruments after
the gill combs are lowered, and another of my present improvements
consists in so arranging and actuating the gill combs that those which
are last lowered act to push back the gill combs which were lowered
previously in the same manner that those which are last raised act to
push forward those which were raised previously. In carrying out this
part of my improvements I prefer to dispense with the inner sliding
frame and fingers, the upper sliding frame and fingers acting both to
move the gill combs forward when raised and backforward when they are
lowered. A stationary saddle or sliding surface is provided for the gill
combs to rest upon when they are lowered, and the gill combs which are

page_text: lowered last act to push back the gill combs which were lowered
previously in the same manner that the gill combs which are raised last
act to push forward those which were raised previously. The gills
are raised and lowered by means of fingers, which also act as spacing
instruments to the gill combs which are stationary to the retain them in
the correct position while the gill combs are being raised and lowered.
Another of my present improvements consists in a peculiar arrange-
ment of apparatus for feeding fibrous materials to machines for preparing
fibrous materials, constructed as described in the Specifications of the
Letters Patent and in the Provisional Specification above referred to, and
to the arrangements of machinery previously herein described. In this
apparatus a roller the surface of which is serrated, roughed, or otherwise
formed or covered so as to present a frictional or holding surface to the
fibrous material, and this roller is caused to revolve under a smooth
surface which is pressed towards the roller by means of springs or
weights and adjusted by means of set screws or otherwise so as not to
bear upon the surface of the roller. A roller held down in its bearings
by springs or weights is caused to revolve near the surface of the roller
alove named, and the fibrous material is taken between the surfaces of
these two rollers and afterwards carried by the superior frictional power
of the serrated or frictional roller under the smooth surface, and after-
wards present and hold it to be acted upon by the gill combs, the fibrous
material being held between the frictional roller and the smooth surface
as near as may be desired to the teeth of the gill combs. In some
cases I substitute a porcupine or toothed roller for the serrated or
frictional roller.
The improved arrangement of feeding apparatus above described may
according to my present improvements be applied with advantage to feed
an ordinary screw gill preparing machine.
The improved arrangement of feeding apparatus above described may
according to my present improvements be also applied with advantage
to machines for preparing fibrous material constructed as described in
the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Henry Rawson, and dated
January 27th, 1859, No. 249, and also to machines for preparing fibrous
materials constructed as described in the Specification of Letters Patent
granted to me, and dated March 5th, 1862, No. 596.
Another of my present improvements consists in arranging nipping
and holding instruments or combs for feeding fibrous materials to.

page_text: machines constructed as described in the Specifications of the Letters
Patent and in the Provisional Specification before referred to, and in the
arrangements of machinery previously herein described.
The nipping or holding instruments or combs are so arranged and
actuated that the fibrous material is held and presented as close as may
be desired to the preparing combs, and the fibrous material is released
and fed forward from time to time so as to enable the nippin or holding
instruments to present fresh portions of material to the action of the
preparing combs.