IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Allen Leigh, of Miles Platting, in the
County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES."
Sealed the 29th January 1869, and dated the 31st July 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Allen Leigh
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 31st July 1868.
I, FREDERICK ALLEN LEIGH, of Miles Platting, in the County of
Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to carding engines employed in the preparation
of cotton or other textile substances or materials for spinning, and
consists in the first place of an arrangement for effecting the enclosure
of the "licker-in" more effectually and efficiently than has hitherto
been done.
In the arrangement which I prefer I use end shells which are cast

page_text: or otherwise formed in two pieces, one piece of each shell being formed
on the pedestal in which the shaft of the "licker-in" revolves the other
piece being formed on the cap of the said pedestal, the two portions
forming a complete circle.
In another arrangement the said shells are formed each in one piece
in the form of a disc or flanged can, and are fitted or attached to the
inside of the pedestals or bearings of the "licker-in" shaft. The
"licker-in cover" is fitted to the upper portions of the said end shells,
and the under guard or casing to the lower portions thereof, the said
cover being connected by an intermediate V-shaped plate with the "fly
plate" that guards the main cylinder, thus preventing to a great extent
the discharge of fly from the carding engine. In those carding engines
having a "flexible bend" to guide the flats I prefer to make the said
"flexible bend" of sufficient length to sustain the said fly plate,
that is to say, the plate enclosing the portion of the main cylinder
between the "licker-in" and the first clearer or flat,
the aforesaid intermediate plate is connected.
and to which
Another improvement in the same portion of the carding engine
consists in mounting the brackets or arms which carry the grinding
roller upon the bosses formed on the above-mentioned pedestals
around the bearings, so that each of the said arms can be swivelled
to some extent around the centre of motion of the licker-in, and be
fixed by means of a set screw in the position required, the said arms
being fitted with a screw adjustment for increasing or decreasing the
distance between the centres of the licker-in and the grinding roller.
As the said arm together with the end shells cover and under casing
herein-before described preserve their positions as relative to the licker-
in, when the said licker-in is moved towards or from the main cylinder.
the adjustment of the various parts is readily effected.
I also employ the arms as herein above described, or a modification
thereof, to carry grinding rollers or brushes to operate on the working
rollers and clearers in their places, the said arms admitting of being
readily adjusted so as to be able to grind or clean a roller and a clearer
at one operation with one grinding roller or brush or other equivalent,
or each one seperately, as may be desired.
In order to prevent the passage of oil from the bearings to the card-
covered surfaces of the licker-in and the rollers and "clearers" I make
the portion of each journal situated between the bearing and the body of

page_text: the licker-in roller or clearer less in diameter in two places than the
portion of the said journal contained in the length of each bearing, that
is to say, I turn two grooves in the said portion of the journal and form
a recess in the inner side of the said bearing, the object being to
intercept the oil which may overflow from the bearing, and form a
receptacle to contain the said oil until such time as it may be desirable
to remove the same.
Another portion of my improvements consists in adapting the modi-
fication of the arrangement of end shells and covers employed to
enclose the licker-in, as described at the commencement hereof, to
enclose the rollers and clearers of carding engines, each cover or a
portion thereof being hinged so as to open readily. Each roller and
clearer may be supplied with a seperate hinged cover, or one cover may
serve for a roller and a clearer as may be found most convenient.
A further and last remaining portion of my improvements consists in
the employment of a circular "bend" or frame on each side of the carding
engine to carry the roller and clearer brackets, or a system of flats, and
also the under casing, the said circular "bend" or frame being cast or
otherwise formed in one piece or in two or more parts joined or
connected together and having an eye in the centre of the circle, which
said eye fits on to a boss formed on the cylinder pedestal around the
bearing for the purpose of retaining the circular "bend" in its true
position as relative to the main cylinder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Allen Leigh in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I FREDERICK
ALLEN LEIGH, of Miles Platting, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-

page_text: second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Frederick Allen Leigh, Her special
license that I, the said Frederick Allen Leigh, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick Allen
Leigh, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no 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 Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES," upon the condition, amongst others,
that I, the said Frederick Allen Leigh, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, 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 Frederick Allen Leigh, do
hereby declare the nature of the said 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, that is
to say:-
My Invention relates to carding engines employed in the preperation
of cotton or other textile substances or materials for spinning, and
consists in the first place of an arrangement for effecting the enclosure
of the "licker-in
more effectually and efficiently than has hitherto
been done.
"
In the arrangement which I prefer I use end shells which are cast
or otherwise formed in two pieces, one piece of each shell being
formed on the pedestal in which the shaft of the "licker-in" revolves,
the other piece being formed on the cap of the said pedestal, the
two portions forming a complete circle. The licker-in cover is fitted
to the upper portions of the said end shells, and the under guard or
casing to the lower portions thereof, the said cover being connected
by an intermediate V-shaped plate with the "fly plate" that guards the
main cylinder, thus preventing to a great extent the discharge of fly
from the carding engine. In those carding engines having a "flexible

page_text: bend" to guide the flats I prefer to make the said "flexible bend "
of sufficient length to sustain the said "fly plate," that is to say, the
plate enclosing the portion of the main cylinder between the licker-
in and the first "clearer" or flat, and to which the aforesaid inter-
mediate plate is connected.
Another improvement in the same portion of the carding engine
consists in mounting the brackets or arms which carry the grinding
roller upon the bosses formed on the above-mentioned pedestals around
the bearings, so that each of the said arms can be swivelled to some
extent around the centre of motion of the licker-in, and be fixed by
means of a set screw in the position required, the said arms being fitted
with a screw adjustment for increasing or decreasing the distance
between the centres of the licker-in and the grinding roller. As the
said arm together with the end shells cover and under casing herein-
before described preserve their positions as relative to the licker-in,
when the said licker-in is moved towards or from the main cylinder,
the adjustment of the various parts is readily effected.
I also employ the arms as herein above described, or a modification
thereof, to carry grinding rollers or brushes to operate on the working
rollers and clearers in their places, the said arms admitting of being
readily adjusted so as to be able to grind or clean a roller and a clearer
at one operation with one grinding roller or brush or other equivalent,
or each one seperately, as may be desired.
In order to prevent the passage of oil from the bearings to the card-
covered surfaces of the licker-in and the rollers and clearers I make the
portion of each journal situated between the bearing and the body of the
licker-in roller or clearer less in diameter in two places than the portion of
the said journal contained in the length of each bearing, that is to say, I
cut two grooves in the said portion of the journal and form a recess in the
inner side of the said bearing, the object being to intercept the oil which
may overflow from the bearing, and I provide a receptacle to contain the
said oil until such time as it may be desirable to remove the same.
Another portion of my improvements consists in adapting a modi-
fication of the arrangement of end shells and covers employed to enclose
the licker-in, as described at the commencement hereof, to enclose the
rollers and clearers of carding engines, each cover or a portion thereof
being hinged so as to open readily. Each roller and clearer may be

page_text: supplied with a seperate hinged cover, or one cover may serve for a
roller and a clearer, as may be found most convenient.
A further and last remaining portion of my improvements consists in
the employment of a circular bend or frame on each side of the carding
engine to carry the roller and clearer brackets or a system of flats and
also the under casing, the said circular bend or frame being cast or
otherwise formed in one piece or in two or more parts joined or con-
nected together and having an eye in the centre of the circle, which said
eye fits on to a boss formed on the cylinder pedestal around the bearing
for the purpose of retaining the circular bend in its true position as
relative to the main cylinder.
In order that the said Invention may be fully understood I have
supplied two Sheets of Drawings to accompany this Specification, the
said Sheets having letters of reference marked thereupon, similar letters
indicating corresponding parts in the various Figures.
Referring here to Sheet 1 of the said Drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation
shewing the "licker-in" and illustrating the improved method of
enclosing the same; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line A, B,
in Fig. 1, shewing the end shell and a portion of the cover of the
"licker-in," and illustrating in connection with Fig. 3 the improved
method of preventing the passage of oil to the licker-in; and Figs. 4
and 5 are detached views of an end shell for the licker-in, all the
aforesaid Figures being drawn about one half the full size.
In Sheet 2 Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of a carding engine
illustrating the improved method of enclosing the rollers and clearers and
other portions of the Invention, Fig. 7 being a section on the line C, D;
Fig. 8, a section on the line E, F; and Fig. 9, a section on the line G, H;
in Fig. 7, the said Figures being drawn about one quarter the full size.
In Figs. 1 and 2 a is the "licker-in," b is the pedestal in which the
journal c of the said licker-in revolves, d is the end shell, and e is
the cover, the opposite end of the said licker-in not shewn in the
Drawings, being similarly fitted as in the case of the end represented.
The end shell d is formed in two portions, the upper portion d being
formed in one piece with the cap of the pedestal b, the lower portion d'
being formed in one piece with the body of the pedestal, the two portions
by preference fitting together with an overlapping joint, as shewn in
Figs. 4 and 5. The periphery of the said shell is formed with a flanch

page_text: which projects over the end of the licker-in, but the said flanch may in
some cases be dispensed with, and the said periphery is turned or other-
wise fashioned into a true circle or nearly a true circle. In Figs. 4 and 5
the shell d is represented as being formed seperately from the pedestal
and cap and as being attached thereto by the screws 2, 2, the said shell
being formed in two portions, one of which is attached to the pedestal
and the other to the cap thereof. The under casing of the licker-in
is attached to the lower portions of the said end shells, and the cover e, e¹,
is fitted to the upper portions thereof. The portion e of the said cover is
hinged to the portion e', and the latter portion is connected by means of
the V piece g with the fly plate h, which said fly plate is attached to the
flexible bend which is extended sufficiently to receive the same. The
said fly plate extends in an upward direction as near as is convenient to
the flats j, or in the case of other descriptions of carding engines to the
f.rst clearer or to the casing thereof, thus forming a continuous enclosure
of the licker-in extending from the feed rollers to the said flats or
clearer or nearly, and as the cover is fitted to the end shells d, which are
concentric with the licker-in, the space between the said cover and
the card clothing may be less than has been usual heretofore, a more
efficient enclosure of the licker-in being thus obtained, the advantages
arising therefrom being well understood.
the distance between the licker-in and the
the end shells cover and under casing move
the fly plate is attached to the flexible bend and is connected to the
licker-in cover the said parts maintain their relative positions without
requiring seperate adjustment. The boss b' of the pedestal is turned, and
the bracket or arm k which is to carry the grinding roller is fitted
thereupon, the said bracket being capable of being swivelled into any
suitable position and of being retained in such position by means of the
set screw 3, the screw which works in a thread formed in the said
arm being employed to increase or decrease the distance between the
centres of the grinding roller and the licker-in, a corresponding arrange-
ment being applied to the other end of the said licker-in. As the said
brackets remain in position they are always ready to receive the grinding
or cleaning roller, and the adjustment of the same to the licker-in is
readily effected. Fig. 3 represents one of the journals of the licker-in as
constructed to prevent the passage of oil to the said licker-in. The two
grooves 4, 4, are formed on the said journal in such a manner as to leave
It will be seen that when
main cylinder is adjusted
with the licker-in, and as

page_text: a collar between the said grooves which may be larger in diameter than
the journal if preferred, any oil which may flow towards the licker-in
being retarded by reason of the decrease in the diameter of the journal,
and in the case of the oil reaching the collar it will be thrown off there-
from by the centrifugal action when the licker-in is revolving, and will
be ejected into the recess formed in the pedestal and the cap thereof,
as shewn in Fig. 2.
In the said Figure 2 a modification of the last-described arrangement
is shewn, a ferrule suitably formed to act in manner as above described
being shrunk upon or otherwise attached to the journal. The oil ejected
or thrown off is allowed to flow down the tube 5 into the receptacle 6,
from whence it may be removed at intervals.
In Sheet 2, Figs. 6, 7, and 8, 7 is the circular frame, m, m, are the
roller brackets, n, n, are the clearer brackets, and o, o, are the hinged
covers enclosing the said rollers and clearers. In this example the said
frame is cast in one piece and is so formed as that it may be employed
to sustain the rollers and clearers, or the flats in other forms of carding
engines, and at the same time it encloses the side of the upper portion of
the carding engine. The said frame is formed with a boss 7 which is
bored to fit upon the boss on the pedestal p and is formed with brackets
8, 8, by means of which it is attached to the under framing 9 and with
the projecting pieces 9, 9, which in connection with the hinged covers o, o,
enclose the rollers and clearers. The annular surface 10 as well as the
rings 11 and 12 are turned to form a true surface on which to fit the
brackets or other fixings, and in the case of the employment of flats a
suitable and true surface is formed on the frame 1 for the said flats to
travel or rest upon. The rings 11 and 12 are grooved or slotted at the
required positions of the roller brackets, the said grooves or slots being
by preference formed with a wheel cutting engine, and the side shells of
cach bracket enter the said slots and bear upon the surface. 10, as shewn
in Figs. 8 and 9, the said brackets being thus maintained in a true radial
position with respect to the centre of the main cylinder, at the same time
that the distance of the rollers from the said cylinders may be readily
adjusted by means of the screw in the usual manner. Each clearer
bracket rests only on the surface 10 and admits of being swivelled to
some extent around the stud or fibboe s, but is connected to the cor-
responding roller brackets by the shackle t, shewn seperately at Fig. 10,

page_text: one end of the said shackle being bored out to fit upon the boss of the
roller bracket, the other end being fitted upon the boss of the clearer
bracket, the screw t¹ connecting the two ends. The distance between
the clearer and the roller can be readily adjusted by turning the screw t¹
in a suitable direction, the distance between the clearer and the cylinder
being adjusted by means of the screw in the ordinary manner. Each
roller bracket and clearer bracket is formed with a circular end shell 14,
as in the case of the licker-in pedestal herein-before described, one
portion of the said shell being formed upon the bracket, and the other
portion on the cap thereof, the said shell being turned and being by
preference formed with a flanch which projects over the end of the
roller or clearer, as shewn in Fig. 8. It will be seen that the hinged
covers o, o, and the projecting casings 9, 9, enclose the rollers and
clearers with the exception of the spaces u, u, the space between the
adjacent covers being enclosed by the curved casings v, v, preferably
formed of sheet iron. The aforesaid spaces u, u, are closed by the
aforesaid end shells, as shewn more clearly in Fig. 8. Each roller
bracket is fitted with an arm w to carry a grinding or cleaning roller.
the said arm being fitted upon the boss of the bracket in a similar
manner as in the case of the licker-in pedestal herein-before described.
Upon the said arm is mounted a bearing x which is fitted so as to slide
to and fro on the said arm, the said movement being regulated by the
screw in a similar manner as in the case of the screw employed to
adjust each roller bracket. The outer end of each arm is supported by
the screw y which works in a thread formed in the said arm or in a stud
attached thereto, the said screw resting on the boss of the clearer bracket.
The grinding or cleaning roller or brush may be placed in position with
its journals resting in the bearing and in the corresponding hearing
situated on the other side of the machine, and not represented in the
Drawings, and by turning the screw ¹ in a suitable direction the said
roller or brush may be caused to operate on the card roller, or by
similarly turning the screw y may be caused to operate on the clearer,
or may be so adjusted as to operate upon both at the same time. It will
be understood that each set of a roller and clearer is furnished with a
pair of the said arms and with a pair of the adjusting shackles shewn at
Fig. 10, whereby it follows that the operation of grinding or cleaning
the said rollers and clearers is much expedited for the reason that when
any one of the covers o, o, is raised the grinding roller or other equivalent

page_text: may be quickly placed in position and readily adjusted in manner as
herein-before described. Access to any set of the rollers and clearers
may be more readily obtained by raising or throwing back the cor-
responding hinged cover than when the ordinary covers are employed.
The under casing of the main cylinder is attached to the lower part of
the frame, as shewn at z in Fig. 7.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
means adopted by me to carry the same into practical effect, I would
have it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise details as herein described and as illustrated in the attached
Drawings, nor do I claim the employment of the end shells for the
licker-in and the rollers and clearers, excepting when the said shells are
made each in two portions, as herein described, notwithstanding any-
thing to the contrary contained in my Provisional Specification; but
that I claim,
First. The method of enclosing the "licker-in," substantially as herein-
before described and as illustrated in the attached Drawings.
Secondly. Connecting the licker-in cover with the fly plate by means
of the V piece g.
Thirdly. Attaching the said fly plate to the "flexible bend."
Fourthly. The method of preventing the passage of oil to the card-
covered surface of the licker-in or other card-covered roller, or any mere
modification thereof.
Fifthly. Mounting adjustable arms or brackets to carry a grinding
roller, cleaning brush, or other equivalent upon bosses formed around
the bearings of the licker-in and the card rollers or clearers, in manner
as herein described and as illustrated in the accompanying Drawings,
or in any other suitable manner that shall be a mere modification
thereof.
Sixthly. Enclosing each roller and clearer, or each set consisting of
one roller and one clearer, with a seperate hinged cover.
Seventhly. Forming the end shells of each roller and clearer in two
portions, one portion being cast upon the bracket and the other portion
upon the cap thereof.
And, lastly. Sustaining the rollers and clearers or a system of flats by
circular or partly circular frames, the said frames being suitably formed

page_text: In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Allen Leigh, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
FREDERICK ALLEN LEIGH. (L.S.)
Signed and sealed by the said
Frederick Allen Leigh, in
the presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent to the Petitioner,
Manchester.