IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS TO COMBING MACHINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ernest de Pass of the Office for Patents, 68, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN
OR ADDITIONS TO COMBING MACHINES." A communication from abroad by
Joseph Imbs, of 17, Boulevart Saint Martin, Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ernest de pass at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th September 1879.
ERNEST DE PASS, of the Office for Patents, 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London,
Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS TO COMBING MACHINES." A
communication from abroad by Joseph Imbs, of 17, Boulevart Saint-Martin, Paris,
France.
This Invention has for object an improvement in the manner of preparing and
delivering the fleece of fibrous materials to the combing machines which are to be
fed therewith.
The fleece should be of an uniform equal thickness and should contain filaments
sufficiently divided and straightened.
For this purpose an auxiliary apparatus which I am about to describe is added
to combing machines, at that part of the machines which serves for the introduction
of the fibrous fleece, but I would here remark that this apparatus can be employed
with a machine independent of the combing machines for the purpose of preparing
the fleece for them.
This apparatus consists of a cylindrical drum provided with any kind of card or.
breaker clothing. It is fed directly or indirectly by one or more cylinders or
rollers, and operates conjointly with additional carding organs of any kind
whatever, which may or may not exist, according as the case may be. It also
operates with a doffer, which is actuated by a special movement to strip the fibrous
material. This movement consists in a reciprocating or alternating oscillation
around its axis, the oscillation being in one direction each time longer than in the
other direction so that the doffer should thus receive besides the reciprocating
oscillation, a succession of small rotary movements constituted by the excess of
amplitude of the longest oscillation.

page_text: This is the same movement or kind of movement as I have already employed
for the doffer or brush which, in the combing machines described in the Specifica-
tion of Letters Patent, No. 2313, dated 1st June, 1876, and granted to me as a
communication from the said Joseph Imbs; effects the superposition of the combed
slivers, but here this movement is applied to a carding doffer which is in working
relation with any kind of drum breaker or carder, which is very different thing.
At each side of the point of tangency of this doffer with the said drum, are
placed two rotary brushes which are in contact with the doffer.
By the swinging or rocking of the doffer, each layer of filaments deposited on the
doffer is pushed by the brushes, down to the bottoms of the teeth of the said doffer,
and the points of these teeth are always ready to receive a fresh layer of filaments
at the following swinging or rocking.
I thus constitute on the doffer a fleece carded to the required thickness and
which is the sum of the successive layers, one covering the other, so that this fleece
is, in consequence thereof, very regular.
This fleece is stripped by a doffing comb or by any other suitable means, and
passes thence between a cylinder or roller and a trough, and then between other
cylinders or rollers of sufficient strength and diameter to act on the whole
uninterrupted width of the machine, and these cylinders being driven at different
speeds effect a slowing and powerful drawing of the fibrous fleece.
This fleece thus passes directly into the combing machine unless it be desired to
use this apparatus separately.
In summing-up what I have just set forth, it will be seen that in view of
preparing fleeces for feeding combing machines, and being given any kind of card, I
constitute on the doffer of this card by the alternate and repeated superposition of
the thin sheet or layer which adheres to the teeth a thick fleece capable of being
introduced directly into the combing machine and undergoing at the same time a
straightening drawing for its whole width.
But it may happen that very thick fleece might be required, and which would
then fill up the teeth of the doffer of the card too much.
In this case instead of effecting the superposition in the doffer it is effected only
after the thin sheet or layer of carded material has been stripped from the doffer
and in the following manner.
The doffer working in the ordinary manner, that is to say, in a continuous
manner, and the doffing-comb stripping the carded thin sheet or layer, this sheet
or layer is received on a drum or on an endless or creeper sheet which may be
either vertical, horizontal, or inclined, and by giving to this sheet or to the drnm
the same progressive reciprocating movement as hereinbefore described, this carded
sheet or layer is formed upon the endless or creeper sheet or on this drum in a
series of long folds covering one another, each of them retrograding a certain
amount on the preceding one. A continuous fleece of any thickness formed by the
superimposed, successive layers is thus obtained, and this fleece can pass directly
between the drawing cylinders and then into the combing machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Ernest de Pass in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th March
1880.
ERNEST DE PASS, of the Office for Patents, 68, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR ADDITIONS TO COMBING MACHINES."
A communication from abroad by Joseph Imbs, of 17, Boulevart Saint-Martin,
Paris, France.
This Invention relates to improvements in or additions to combing-machines,
and has for object an improvement in the manner of preparing for and delivering
to such machines the fleeces of fibrous materials with which they are to be fed.
The fleeces should be of uniform equal thickness, and should contain filaments
sufficiently divided and straightened.
For the purpose of this Invention an auxiliary apparatus, about to be described,
and which is shown in the Drawing, on an approximate scale of 1/5, is added to
combing-machines at that part thereof through which the fibrous fleece is
introduced. This auxiliary apparatus, and its principle may however also be
employed with a machine which may be independent of the combing-machine for
the purpose of preparing their fleeces.
This apparatus consists of a cylindrical drum A, (of large or small diameter)
provided with any kind of card or breaker clothing, and fed either directly or
indirectly by means of a cylinder B, or a pair of cylinders. This drum acts in
conjunction with any kind of additional carding appliance which may exist,
according as the case may be, but in addition to which it works with a doffer D,
(actuated by a special movement) to strip the fibrous material. This movement
consists of a reciprocating or alternating oscillation around its axis, each oscillation
being in one direction longer than that in the contrary direction, thus the doffer
receives besides the reciprocating or alternating oscillation, a succession of small
rotary movements, constituted by the excess of amplitude of the longest oscillation;
the arrows 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, show these movements.
This movement, or kind of movement, is the same as that already employed for
the doffer or brush, and described in the Specification of British Letters Patent, No.
2313, dated 1st June, 1876, granted to me as a communication from the said
Joseph Imbs, and which in such combing machines, effects the superposition or
consolidation of the combed slivers. But in this instance this movement is applied
to a carding doffer and which is in working relation with a drum breaker or carder
of any kind, which is a very different thing.
At each side of the point of tangency of this doffer with the drum, are two rotary
brushes b, b, which are in contact with the doffer D.
By the swinging or rocking of the doffer, each layer of filaments deposited
thereon, is pushed by the brushes b down to the bottom of the teeth of such doffer so
that the points of these teeth are always ready to receive a fresh layer of filaments
on the following swinging or rocking movement.
A fleece carded to the desired thickness is thus constituted on the doffer D and
one which is the sum of the successive layers covering each other so that such fleece
is in consequence thereof very regular.
This fleece is stripped by a doffing comb Y, or by any other like suitable means,
and passes thence between a cylinder or roller C and a trough D' and then between
a pair of cylinders or rollers E, E¹, of sufficient strength and diameter to act on the
whole uninterrupted width of the machine; these cylinders C and .E, E¹, being
driven at different speeds, effect a slow and powerful drawing in of the fibrous
fleece.
This fleece then enters directly into the combing-machine P unless it be desired
to use this apparatus A, B, C, D, &c., independently.

page_text: From what has just been stated it will be seen that in view of preparing fleeces
for feeding combing-machines, and given any kind of carding-machine whatever a
thick fleece capable of being introduced directly into the combing-machine, and of
undergoing and at the same time a straightening drawing for its whole width, is
constituted on the doffer of this carding-machine by the alternate and repeated
superposition or consolidation of the thin sheet or layer which adheres to the
.teeth.
But as it may happen that very thick fleeces might be required, which would
then fill up the teeth of the doffer of the carding-machine, then instead of effecting
the superposition in the doffer, it is effected only after the thin sheet or layer of
carded material has been stripped from the doffer, and in the following manner, as
explained with reference to Fig. 2 of the accompanying Drawings.
The doffer D working in the usual manner, that is to say, in a continuous
manner and the doffing comb Y stripping the thin sheet or layer, this sheet or
layer is received on the drum, or on an endless or creeper sheet F (which may be
either vertical, horizontal, or inclined), and by giving to this sheet or to the drum
the same progressive reciprocating or alternating movement hereinbefore described,
the carded sheet or layer is formed upon the endless or creeper sheet, or upon the
drum, in a series of long folds, covering one another, each fold retrograding a
certain distance on the preceding one. A continuous fleece of any thickness
whatever formed by the superimposed or consolidated successive layers is thus
obtained, and one which can pass directly between the drawing rollers or cylinders
C, E, E¹, and thence into the combing-machine.
Having thus described the Invention, what I claim is,―
First. The combination of a carding-machine of any construction, with any kind
of combing-machine, such combination causing the said machines to work together
without requiring the fleece to be fed by hand, that is to say, the uniting in one
machine of the twofold operation of carding and combing, as set forth.
Second. The superposition or consolidation on an appliance apart from the doffer
of the carded sheet on itself, in successive and gradually arranged layers, covering
each other or in alternate progressive layers on the doffer itself, as herein set forth,
the object of such superposition or consolidation being to feed combing-machines,
whatever be the kind of carding-machine to which this superposition or con-
solidation is applied, or whether the said carding machine be independent of or
combined with a combing-machine whatever be the mechanical means for effecting
the kind of superposition or consolidation herein mentioned, or the description of
combing machines to be fed by the fleeces so produced.
Third. The system of drawing by means of the parts C, D, E, E¹, acting as
herein described upon the fleeces formed by a superposition or consolidation, similar
to that set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ernest de Pass, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Second day of February, in the year One thousand eight
hundred and eighty
ERNEST DE PASS. (L.S.)