Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th June, 1887
Complete Left, 15th Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th Apr., 1888
We GEORGE ASHWORTH and ELIJAH ASHWORTH of the firm of Ashworth Brothers
of the Moss Brook Works, Collyhurst, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates principally to the bearings in which revolve the journals of
the main cylinder of a carding engine. In practice it is of great importance that the
axis of the main cylinder shall be exactly in the centre of the arcs or bends upon
which the flats travel. Until recent years this relation of the cylinder axis with the
centre of the said arcs has been obtained by adjusting the flexible bends by bending
the same as is well understood. By this method an approximation to the required
result was obtained but in modern practice attempts have been made to obtain greater
accuracy and in particular we have formed the said curved guide and the pedestal for
the said bearing in one piece and have adjusted the axis by raising the steps or bearing
block by means of a screw wedge or cottar when the said axis has become lower
through the wearing of the bottom step of the bearing. The object of our present
invention is to provide other suitable means for accomplishing the same object and also
to provide means for the horizontal or sideways adjustment of the axis either to obtain
the desired accuracy of centralisation of the said axis during the construction of the
machine or at any subsequent time when such adjustment would be rendered necessary
or desirable owing to the side wearing of the bearing. To this end we form the
bearing steps or blocks in parts capable of separate side and vertical adjustment by
means of screws bolts wedges keys or cottars or by means of packing plates or we
make the bearing block or the bottom step compressible to obtain the side adjustment.
In the latter case we slit the step at places and we keep the step in place by means of
screws wedges or keys so arranged as that by tightening certain of these fastenings
either with or without slackening other fastenings the sides or one side of the step can
be bent or pressed inward toward the cylinder journal so as to take up the slack arising
from wear on one side or on both sides as may be required. When using packing
pieces we prefer to make use of specially prepared steel plates which we cause to be
olled or shaped to known thicknesses each plate being made truly flat and of equal
hickness throughout. The thickness of these plates would vary to a determined
073

page_text: extent as for example we might make the plates vary in thickness to the extent of
one hundredth or one five hundredth part of an inch or even to a much lesser extent
if considered to be advisable the plates being numbered or marked to indicate their
thickness. The bearing step may be raised at any time to a known extent by with-
drawing the packing plate below the step and putting a thicker plate in its place and
in the same way the side steps or parts of the step may be adjusted to compensate for
side wear of the bearing. The adjustment may also be effected by varying the
combination of plates of different thickness. We may employ screws or wedges to
facilitate the removal and introduction of the packing plates or to keep the parts of
the bearing in close contact with the same. By means of our Invention we are enabled
to compensate for the wearing of the bearings owing to the side friction caused by the
strain of the driving bands.
T
0 T
100
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Adjustment of Carding Engine Bearings.
We GEORGE ASHWORTH and ELIJAH ASHWORTH of the firm of Ashworth Brothers
of the Moss Brook Works, Collyhurst, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineers, 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 and accompanying drawings :-
:-
Our Invention relates principally to the bearings in which revolve the journals of
the main cylinder of a carding engine. In practice it is of great importance that the
axis of the main cylinder shall be exactly in the centre of the arcs or bends upon
which the flats travel. Until recent years this relation of the cylinder axis with the
centre of the said arcs has been obtained by adjusting the flexible bends by bending
the same as is well understood. By this method an approximation to the required
result was obtained but in modern practice attempts have been made to obtain greater
accuracy and in particular we have formed the said curved guide and the pedestal for
the said bearing in one piece and have adjusted the axis by raising the steps or hearing
block by means of a screw wedge or cottar when the said axis has become lower
through the wearing of the bottom step of the bearing. The object of our present
invention is to provide other suitable means for accomplishing the same object and also
to provide means for the horizontal or lateral adjustment of the axis either to obtain
the desired accuracy of centralisation of the said axis during the construction of the
machine or at any subsequent time when such adjustment would be rendered necessary
or desirable owing to the side wearing of the bearing. To this end we make the
bearing block or the bottom step compressible to obtain the side adjustment or we
employ specially prepared packings. In the former case we slit the step at places and
we keep the step in place by means of screws wedges or keys so arranged as that by
tightening certain of these fastenings either with or without slackening other fastenings
the sides or one side of the step can be bent or pressed inward toward the cylinder
journal so as to take up the slack arising from wear on one side or on both sides as
may be required.
Our Invention will be fully understood when reference is made to the accompanying
drawings in which Fig. 3 illustrates the manner in which we slit the step as aforesaid.
In the said Fig. a. a are two diagonal slits which are formed in the bottom step b. b¹
either in the operation of casting or by a subsequent sawing or cutting operation.
The step is adjustable laterally within the recess in the pedestal c by means of set
screws d. d. These screws also furnish means for taking up the back-lash arising
from the lateral wearing of the step. It will be readily understood that by tightening
the screw on each side or on one side as may be required the upper part of the
section can be sprung or forced inward toward the shaft e of the main cylinder
thereby approximately restoring the bearing in the step to its original form. If
considered to be desirable the upper step may be similarly slit. Fig. 4 illustrates the
arrangement which we consider to be suitable when both the steps are slit. In this

page_text: example one screw or set of screws at each side effects the compression of both the
top and the bottom step. We might employ wedges in place of the screws. It must
be understood that there may be two or more screws in line on each side of the
pedestal. Wedges or packings might be driven or inserted into the slits in the step.
We do not confine ourselves to the form number or disposition of the slits nor to
the use of slits properly so called so long as the step is adapted to be compressed or
bent inward as would be the case when slitted according to the indication. When
using packing pieces we make use of specially prepared steel plates which we cause
to be rolled or shaped to known thicknesses each plate being made truly flat and of
equal thickness throughout. The thickness of these plates would vary to a determined
extent as for example we might make the plates vary in thickness to the extent of one
thousandth part of an inch or even to a lesser extent if considered to be advisable the
plates being numbered or marked to indicate their thickness. The bearing step may
be raised at any time to a known extent by withdrawing the packing plate below the
step and putting a thicker plate in its place and in the same way the said steps or
parts of the step may be adjusted to compensate for side wear of the bearing. The
adjustment may also be effected by varying the combination of plates of different
thickness. Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate this part of our invention Fig. 2 representing the
bearing in Fig. 1 drawn to a larger scale. In these Figs. the side packings are
represented at ff and the bottom packings at the latter also appearing in Fig. 3.
We may employ screws or wedges to facilitate the removal and introduction of the
packing plates or to keep the parts of the bearing in close contact with the same. By
means of our invention we are enabled to compensate for the wearing of the bearings
owing to the side friction caused by the strain of the driving bands as well as for the
vertical wear due to the weight of the cylinder and its attachments. We do not
confine ourselves to the use of steel in the formation of the said packings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
(1) In a carding engine bearing the step made compressible in combination with
screws wedges or appliances for compressing the step when desirable substantially as
set forth and indicated.
(2) In a carding engine bearing the step formed with slits a. a for the purpose set
forth.
(3) The step 6 b¹ formed with slits a and the screws d d for compressing the step
substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
(4) The special packings f. g prepared and used or applied substantially in the
manner and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 14th day of March 1888.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.