IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SCRIBBLERS, CARDING ENGINES, WILLIES, AND OTHER OPENING MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE TREATMENT OF FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1872

page_text: County of Gloucester, Woollen Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SCRIBBLERS, CARDING ENGINES,
WILLIES, AND OTHER OPENING MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE TREATMENT OF
FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 24th September 1872, and dated the 28th March 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Philip Charles Evans at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 28th March 1872.
I, PHILIP CHARLES EVANS, of Brimscombe, in the County of
5 Gloucester, Woollen Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SCRIBBLERS,
CARDING ENGINES, WILLIES, AND OTHER OPENING MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE
TREATMENT OF FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the combination

page_text: and arrangement of apparatus for feeding wool, cotton, and other fibrous
materials into scribbling and carding engines, or into willies or other
openers, whereby a regular, constant, and uniform supply to such
engines is maintained by self-acting mechanism.
In carrying out this Invention the hopper containing the fibrous
material is situate either below, above, or in front of the feed of the
engine intended to be fed or supplied. When situate above or below
the said feed the bottom of the hopper is composed of an endless apron
or belt disposed horizontally, or nearly so, which carries the fibrous
material slowly to a grating, through which it is drawn by a revolving
beater having combs on the beater arms. This revolving comb or
beater may be situate either at the end of the hopper nearest to the
engine to be fed, or in any other convenient part of the hopper. Or in
' lieu of drawing the fibrous material through a grating it may be drawn
through a pair of rollers, or between a single roller and a fixed or
moveable plate. The fibrous material so drawn through is thrown on to
another travelling apron situate underneath the bottom of the hopper,
which in combination with a third apron working face to face therewith
carries the fibrous material between them up to the desired elevation,
where it is removed from the aprons by means of a revolving spiked
roller and a fan or beater, the latter knocking down the fibrous material
into a weighing scale below. Or in lieu of a spiked roller and fan or
beater I sometimes use one or a pair of rollers fitted with polished
blades, which as they revolve remove the material from the aprons and
allow it to drop into the scale, whence after having been weighed it is
discharged on to the feed of the scribbler or other engine, as set forth,
for example, in the Specification of the Patent of Evans and King,
dated January 20th, 1869, Number 184.
Should there be any surplus wool not taken through by the revolving
comb beater, herein-before described, it is to be elevated by a special
endless band or apron fitted or not with teeth as required, and allowed
to fall back on to the other material in the hopper. Or in lieu of this
arrangement an adjustable inclined surface is so fitted inside the hopper
as that the material shall be forced up it by the action of the endless
band at the bottom of the hopper.
In lieu of using two endless bands working face to face and carrying
the material to be elevated between them, as herein-before described, and
in lieu of using therewith the revolving comb beater, I sometimes convey

page_text: the material by means of the endless apron forming the bottom of the
hopper to a pair of spiked or carded rollers, between which it passes to
an endless series of spiked laths which convey the said material to the
desired elevation, and from which it is discharged into the scale, as
herein-before set forth.
When the hopper is situate in front of the feed the grating or the
rollers before mentioned may form the bottom or part of the bottom of
the said hopper, the material being drawn through by a revolving or
oscillating comb or other beater; or in lieu of the grating long curved
teeth in two rows, one row on each side, may be used, between which the
teeth of the comb beater work. The material drawn down falls on to an
endless apron, below which in combination with a second apron working
face to face with it, elevates the material to the position required. Or
in lieu of a revolving or oscillating comb or other beater for drawing the
material through the bottom of the hopper a series of rotatory serrated
or toothed discs may be used, working through the spaces in the grating
in between the rollers, if the latter be used in substitution for the
grating. The material is removed from these serrated discs by means of
another series of toothed discs working between them, from which the
material falls on to an endless apron, and is elevated as herein-before
described. Or the material may be removed from the serrated discs
above mentioned by means of thick rings working freely between them,
and filling the intervening spaces, the said rings by their revolutions
and gravity tending to push the material from off the teeth of the
serrated discs.
In order to ensure the descent of the material in the hopper within
reach of the toothed discs I employ an endless apron for that purpose
situate on one or both sides of the hopper, or small rollers with or
without blades situate inside the hopper, or forming part of the bottom
or sides thereof. The said aprons and rollers may have either a forward
continuous motion or a reciprocating motion; or in lieu of the said
aprons and rollers parts of the sides of the hopper itself may be made to
reciprocate, the object being to disturb or loosen the material, and
thereby ensure a constant supply to the bottom of the hopper.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Philip Charles Evans in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th September 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PHILIP
CHARLES EVANS, of Brimscombe, in the County of Gloucester, Woollen
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
35th year of Her reign, did, for. Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Philip Charles Evans, Her special license
that I, the said Philip Charles Evans, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Philip Charles Evans, my executors,
and no
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
66 IMPROVEMENTS IN
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SCRIBBLERS, CARDING ENGINES, WILLIES, AND OTHER
OPENING MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE TREATMENT OF FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Philip Charles Evans,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Philip Charles Evans, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say :-
:-
My said Invention relates to certain improvements in the com-
J ommencement of annaratus for feeding wool. cotton, and

page_text: other like fibrous materials into scribbling and carding engines, or
into willies or other openers, whereby a regular, constant, and uniform
supply to such engines is maintained by self-acting mechanism.
In carrying out this Invention the hopper containing the fibrous
material is situate either below, above, or in front of the feed of the
engine intended to be fed or supplied. When situate above or below
the said feed the bottom of the hopper is composed of an endless apron.
or belt disposed horizontally, or nearly so, which carries the fibrous,
material slowly to a grating or opening, through which it is drawn by a.
revolving roller with teeth or a beater having combs on the beater arms..
This revolving comb or beater may be situate either at the end of the
hopper nearest to the engine to be fed, or in any other convenient part.
of the hopper. Or in lieu of drawing the fibrous material through a.
grating it may be drawn through a pair of rollers, or between a single
roller and a fixed or moveable plate. The fibrous material so drawn.
through is thrown on to another travelling apron situate underneath the
bottom of the hopper, which in combination with a third apron working
face to face therewith carries, the fibrous material between them up to
the desired clevation, where it is removed from the aprons by means of.
a revolving spiked roller, and from the spiked roller by means of a fan
or beater, the latter knocking down the fibrous material into a weighing
scale below. Or in lieu of a spiked roller and fan or beater I sometimes
use one or two rollers fitted with polished blades, which as they revolve
remove the material from the apron or aprons and allow it to drop into
the scale, whence after having been weighed it is discharged on to the
feed of the scribbler or other engine, as set forth, for example, in the'.
Specification of the Patent of Evans and King, dated January Twentieth,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, No. 184.
Should there be any surplus wool not taken through the opening,
roller, or grid in the hopper by the revolving comb beater, berein-before
described, it is to be elevated by being pushed up an adjustable inclined
surface, so fitted inside the hopper as that the material shall be forced
up it by the action of the endless band at the bottom of the hopper,
and allowed to fall back into the mass of wool in the hopper.
'
In lieu of using two endless bands working face to face and carrying
the material to be elevated between them, as herein-before described,
and in lieu of using therewith the revolving combe beater, I sometimes
convey the material by means of the endless apron forming the bottom.

page_text: of the hopper to a pair of spiked or card or plain rollers, between which
or through a grid or grating it passes to an endless series of spiked laths
which convey the said material to the desired elevation, and from which
it is discharged into the scale, as herein-before set forth.
When the hopper is situate in front of the feed the grating or the
rollers before mentioned may form the bottom or part of the bottom of
the said hopper, the material being drawn through by a revolving or
oscillating comb or other beater. Or in lieu of the grating long curved
teeth in two rows, one row on each side, may be used, between which
the teeth of the comb beater work. The material thus drawn down
falls on to an endless apron, below which in combination with a second
apron working face to face with it elevates the material to the position
required. Or in lieu of a revolving or oscillating comb or other beater
for drawing the material through the bottom of the hopper a series of
rotatory serrated or toothed discs may be used, working through the
spaces in the grating or between the rollers, if the latter be used in sub-
stitution for the grating. The material is removed from these serrated
discs by means of another series of toothed discs working between them,
from which the material falls on to an endless apron, and is elevated, as
herein-before described.
In order to ensure the descent of the material in the hopper within.
reach of the toothed discs I employ an endless apron for that purpose,
situate on one or both sides of the hopper or small rollers with or
without blades situate inside the hopper, or forming part of the bottom
or sides thereof. The said aprons and rollers may have either a forward
continuous motion or a reciprocating motion. Or in lieu of the said
aprons and rollers parts of the sides of the hopper itself may be made to
reciprocate, the object being to disturb or loosen the material, and
thereby insure a constant supply to the bottom of the hopper.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheets of Drawings,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1, Sheet 1 of my Drawings, represents a sectional elevation of
one arrangement of my apparatus for feeding scribblers, carding engines,
and the like; and Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same. A is the

page_text: hopper; B, the rotatory beater with combs at each extremity for drawing
the wool from the bottom of the hopper; C is a cover over the beater to
prevent the wool from flying out until it reaches the opening at D, where
it is thrown upon the travelling apron E, E, and carried between it and
another apron F, F, to the spiked roller G, from which it is cleared by
the fan H and falls into the scale S, and after being weighed falls from
the scale upon the travelling apron of the engine.
I propose to use for the purpose of weighing the wool and discharging
it when weighed on to the ordinary feeding apron of the engine to be
fed any one of the arrangements described for that purpose in the
Specifications of the Patents of Evans and King, numbered respectively
184, A.D. 1869, and 3600, A.D. 1869, and of the Patent of James Hogg
King, number 629, A.D. 1871.
I also propose to employ the mechanism described in the Specification
of the Patent of James Hogg King, No. 2335, A.D. 1870, for uniformly
distributing and levelling the wool upon the said feeding apron;. I, I,
is a travelling apron forming the bottom of the hopper and carrying the
wool along to an opening between the roller J and the movable board K.
This board forms that part of the hopper which is next to the carding
engine, and is suspended by hinges L, which are so constructed that it
can be raised or lowered to allow more or less wool to pass in, it being
regulated by the thumb screw M, and may have in addition thereto an,
adjusting plate k; N is a door to be opened when putting wool into the
hopper; O is a pulley on the first motion shaft driven by a belt or chain
from the carding engine; P is a covering over the spiked roller and fan,
both of which may be driven by belts from the first motion shaft; T, T,
is the frame of the feeding machine; V, V, V, are rollers for carrying
the feed cloths or endless aprons E and F. At each revolution of the
feed roller one or more weighings of wool at regular intervals is or are
put upon the feed cloth or apron U of the carding machine.
After the delivery of the wool to the scale S it is discharged and spread
on the feeding apron U by any of the arrangements of mechanismı
described in the different Specifications herein-before referred to. The
rotatory beater B is driven by a crossed belt a from the pulley O on the
first motion shaft, and the endless aprons E and F are driven by the
spur gearing and the belt c, or in any other convenient manner; the
ordinary feed rollers of the carding engine are shewn at d.
'

page_text: Figure 3 (Sheet 2) is a sectional elevation of a modification shewing
the hopper placed under the feed of the carding engine as in the first
arrangement, thereby economising space. A is the hopper; B, the
rotatory beater armed with teeth; C, C, aretwo rollers for drawing the
material within range to be acted upon by the beater, or the arrangement
shewn in Figure 1 may be used for that purpose; I, I, is an endless apron
forming the bottom of the hopper, and moving slowly in order to carry the
material forward to the rollers C, C. The beater B throws the wool on
to the endless apron E, E, between which and the second apron F, F,
the wool is carried up as in the first arrangement to a spiked roller G
which is cleared by the revolving fan H, the wool dropping down into
the scale S below; or instead of the spiked roller G and fan H the wool
may be carried on as shewn in the modification, Figure 6, Sheet 2, and.
herein-after described, by extending the feed cloth E, E, clearing it and
dropping the wool into the scale S by the same means, or by the rotatory
fan H.
The material is
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation also shewing the hopper A. under the
feed; B, B, is an endless apron or belt carrying lags armed with teeth
which receives the material from the rollers C, C, (or through a grid or
grating, as in Figure 10) carrying it above the scale S.
cleared off by the fan H, from which it drops into the scale; I, I, is an
endless apron forming the bottom of the hopper; F is a flanged pulley,
one on each side of the feed fitted upon a shaft, and having grooves or
sections into which the lags fit to enable them to be carried round the
angle.
In the modification shewn at Figure 5 the hopper A containing the
wool is made to any shape, as found most convenient; B is a revolving
or oscillating beater armed with teeth which draws the wool through
between two rollers C, C, or one roller and an adjustable plate or board
as in the first arrangement, or through a grid composed of iron rods, as
shewn by dotted lines D. The wool or other material falling on the
endless apron E, E, and entering between it and the second apron F, F,
is carried up above the scale S, the two slowly revolving rollers G, G,
each armed with polished blades serving to clear the wool from off the
aprons, and allowing it to drop into the scale S; H is a fan or roller
inside the hopper with one or more blades moving slowly, for the purpose
of slightly stirring the wool in the hopper, and thereby ensuring a
supply; J, J, is the cover to the beater.

page_text: In the modification, Figure 6, A is the hopper; B, the beater armed.
with teeth; C, a roller carrying the wool forward to the beater, with an
adjustable plate / fitted to the hopper mouth to regulate the supply of
material. The beater throws the material upon the endless apron E, E,
between which and the second apron F, F, the wool is carried up above
the scale S. The bladed rollers G, G, clear off the material from the
aprons E and F, and allow it to fall into the scale below. H, H, arc.
rollers, two, three, or more of which may be used as found needful in
any of my arrangements wherein the two aprons E and F are employed,
for pressing the endless aprons E and F together, and thereby keeping
the material in a right position whilst being elevated. Any of the
endless aprons
in my
various modifications may be made of plain canvass
or woollen fabric, or they may have thin lags or laths fastened to them
in order the better to hold the material in a right position.
The adjustable plate k may have the lower part next to the roller C.
made like a grid to allow the teeth in the beater B to pass between
them.
In lieu of using the apron F in combination with the apron E for,
elevating the wool, as herein-before described, I may sometimes use a,
number of smooth rollers F, F, in combination with the apron E, as
shown in Figure 7.
Figure 8 represents a sectional elevation of another modification with
the hopper situate in front of the feed, although it may be placed, if
desired, in any other convenient position. A is the hopper; B, a roller
having spikes therein fixed upon a shaft, the spikes being about two
inches from each other, more or less, the distances being varied
according to the kind of material to be operated upon; or, in lieu of
spikes a series of serrated discs may be used, fixed side by side on the
shaft. The intermediate spaces may be partly filled up with wood or
'other material to keep the discs in their proper position, sufficient space
being left to allow the teeth or spikes to pass through the grid D, and
thus draw through the wool or other material. This is cleared from the
discs or spiked rollers B by another series of discs or spikes B¹ moving
two or three times faster than the discs B, and having only a few teeth,
thus throwing the wool on the endless apron E, E, which, aided by a
second endless apron F, F, carries the wool above the scale S, where it
is cleared off by means of the fan H, and falls into the scale below. G is

page_text: a bladed roller for clearing the wool from the apron F. I find the discs
should be made from fourteen to sixteen inches diameter, with very
smooth teeth.
Figure 9 (Sheet 3) is a sectional elevation of a modification shewing
the hopper placed above the ordinary feed U of the carding engine.
A is the hopper; B, the beater armed with teeth; C, C, are two rollers
delivering the material to the beater, or in lieu thereof a roller and
adjustable blade or a grid may be substituted, as herein-before described.
I is an endless apron forming the bottom of the hopper, and carrying
forward the material to the rollers C, C. The beater B throws the
material on to the endless apron E, E, which, with the second
apron F, F, and third apron F¹, F", carries the wool forward to G, which
is a roller armed with two or more blades for clearing off the wool from
either or both aprons, and dropping it down a shoot into the scale S,
whence it is discharged on to the feed apron U. J is a covering to the
beater.
Figure 10 is a sectional elevation illustrating another method of
carrying the wool from the hopper to the scale. In this modification I
employ a grid D of any one of the forms shewn in Figures 13 and 13*,
such grid forming in fact the bottom of the hopper A. I mount an
endless apron upon two rollers C, C, to which I attach lags armed with
teeth B, B; on these same rollers I also mount two chain pulleys on
each roller, videlicet, one on each side of the feeding machine, which
pulleys carry two chains with flat links, videlicet, one chain at each end.
To each link in the chain I rivet the ends of the lags. For very long
wool I employ only two or three spiked lags at suitable intervals in
place of having spikes on every lag. As the rollers revolve rather
slowly the wool or other material is drawn through the grid D, and
carried forward until it reaches the fan H, which clears it off and allows
it to fall into the scale S below. The said endless band or chain of lags,
or the comb beater, or serrated discs before referred to may be placed in
any suitable position other than those shewn in my Drawings, or may be
applied to such other of my modifications as will admit of their being
combined usefully therewith.
Figure 11 is a sectional elevation of another modification in which;
T romoTTO the ordinary food anron from the carding engine and place

page_text: of
any convenient shape. B is a roller armed with teeth which work
through a grid D in the bottom of the hopper drawing the wool through
and carrying it to the fan H, by which it is cleared and falls into the
scale S, and after being weighed is thrown from the scale upon a
travelling endless apron E, E, and aided by the second endless
apron F, F, it is carried up between them and delivered to the ordinary
feed rollers d, d, of the carding engine.
In some cases the fan H¹ (see dotted lines) may be placed inside
an open ended casing H", and removed a few inches from the beater'
or spiked roller B so as to direct a blast of air on to the wool.
Figure 12 is a sectional elevation shewing another modification in
which the teeth are fixed to rods of iron, and by mechanical means are
brought into such a position as to draw the wool through the grid D, and
having carried it forward over the curved polished flat bars of iron K,
the rod on which the teeth are fixed is thrown back, and thus the wool
is liberated from the teeth and by a fan or other means, as in the other
modifications, is thrown into the scale S of Evans and King's feeding
machines. A is the hopper; B are two brackets or arms, one fixed at
each end of the shaft C, which arms carry the rods B', B¹, armed with the
teeth; E, E, are the arms or brackets, shewn dotted, which slide round
upon the smooth curved surface or plate F, which keeps the hooks
or teeth in a firm position whilst the wool is being drawn through the
grid D forming the bottom of the hopper A, and is being carried forward.
towards the fan or comb beater H. Just before reaching the fan H the
bracket or arm I strikes against a pin J on a moveable bracket and
thereby turns round the rod B¹ with the hooks or teeth, leaving the wool
upon the polished bands K, K, when it is thrown down into the scale S
by the fan or beater H. From this scale it is discharged on to a similar
arrangement of aprons to that shewn in Figure 11, which elevate and
deliver the wool to the ordinary feed rollers of the carding engine. The
object of the bands K is to clear the wool off the teeth as they revolve.
A small arm a is fixed on one or both ends of each rod B¹ carrying the
teeth, and to these arms are attached india-rubber springs 6 for the
purpose of bringing back the teeth to the proper positions after having
been turned back by the pin J.

page_text: applied to any part of the hopper in any of my modifications wherein
a grid can be used.
Figure 13 is a section of a grid which I have found to answer well
in practice; each grid bar is in two parts, one part being hooked as
shewn. The blocks or iron bars to which these grid bars are attached
can be shifted so as to give greater or less space between the two parts
of the grid.
Figure 14 shews the irons or bars forming the grid made in two parts
instead of the grid bars reaching entirely across the mouth or bottom of
the hopper as in the other modifications. I make each iron or bar D
in two parts, and fix each series of irons to a bar of wood or iron
secured to the bottom of the hopper A or to the sides of the framing,
in order more readily to adjust them to the required positions for various
sorts of wool, thus leaving a small space at 6 to allow the wool to
be drawn through more readily.
Figure 15 is a sectional elevation which shews the grid D also made
in two parts and so constructed as to be driven to and fro by means
of cranks or eccentrics c, c, fixed on each side of the hopper A.
One or both sides of the grid may be made to move to and fro as
desired, the wool falling into the scale as in other modifications after it
has been drawn through the grid by the rotatory comb beater: B.
Figure 16 is a sectional elevation of another method for carrying the
wool from the hopper. In this modification I use a large hollow roller
or cylinder Q which revolves upon a fixed shaft R, and is made to
revolve by means of the tooth wheel W fast on the end boss of the.
cylinder, and driven by any suitable gearing. A second shaft X revolves
in brackets fixed on the inner ends of the shafts R; this shaft X carries
arms Y at each end, to which arms are attached flat bars of iron Z
fitted with long teeth B, and as the shaft X which carries these arms
is eccentric to the shaft R, the revolution of the cylinder causes the
teeth to protrude on the one side and pick up the wool and to withdraw
nearly to the inside of the cylinder, when they reach the other side and
free the wool which is thrown into the weighing scale by a fan or
roller as before described. Or I may also use for the same purpose
the peculiar drum and teeth which is illustrated and described in the
Specification of the Patent of John Petric, the younger, No. 1793, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my.
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The construction and use for the feeding of wool, cotton, and
other like fibrous materials into scribbling and carding engines or into
willies or other openers in a regular, constant, and uniform manner from
the bottom or other part of a hopper of any one of the peculiar com-
binations or arrangements of machinery herein-before described.
Second. The combination of any one of the herein-before described
arrangements of machinery for feeding wool, cotton, and other like
fibrous materials from the bottom of a hopper into scribblers and
carding engines, or into willies or other openers, with any one of the
self-acting arrangements for weighing and distributing the material on
the feed apron described in the several Specifications of Evans and
King, and of James Hogg King, herein referred to, substantially as and
for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Philip Charles Evans, have to
this my Specification, set my hand and seal, the
day of September, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two
PHILIP CHARLES EVANS. (L.S.)