IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING, CLEANING, AND SCUTCHING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING, CLEANING, AND SCUTCHING
COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS." A communication from
abroad by Richard Kitson, of Lowell, Massachusetts, United States of
America.
Sealed the 13th June 1878, and dated the 1st January 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st January 1878.
"
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firin of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING,
CLEANING, AND SCUTCHING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS." [A
communication from abroad by Richard Kitson, of Lowell, Massachusetts, United
States of America.]
The first part of my Invention relates more especially to the clothing for the
cylinders of carding engines, rag pickers, and the like, and consists in constructing
the lags which form the clothing in sections having the grain of the material of each
section in a different direction from the adjacent one, the objects being to mako
these lags very strong and durable, and to ensure a firmer holding of the pins
than when the lags are made of a single strip of material in the usual manner.
Heretofore these lags have been constructed of a single strip generally of the best
seasoned beech, and it has been necessary to select only those parts of the boards
which by reason of the seasoning and grain are suitable. Hence it has been
necessary to throw aside as useless a large quantity of the wood, and even with the
best beech, the lags, owing to the strain on the teeth caused by the pressure to which
the picker or card is subjected, are constantly liable to crack or break longitudinally
and yield around the pins or teeth, and the pins are forced inward through the lags,
so that it is necessary to frequently renew the clothing for the cylinders.

page_text: This Invention is intended to overcome these difficulties, and to provide lags for
clothing the cylinder, which will be able to withstand the pressure on the pins, so
that the clothing shall last for a much longer time than heretofore, while at the
same time a great quantity of wood which has hitherto been useless can be used, and
thus a great saving be effected in the quantity of wood required, in addition to a
much stronger and more durable lag.
The said lags are of about the usual width and thickness, but are formed of two
or more parts or sections longitudinally. These sections are glued and pressed
solidly together, but are so arranged that the direction of the grain of one of these
sections shall be different from that of the adjacent section. The pins are inserted
and the lags bolted to the cylinder in the usual manner.
This method of constructing the lags imparts great strength to them, as the
pressure on the pins will not be in the same direction relative to the grain of all the
sections, as would be the case when the lag is constructed in the ordinary manner
of a single piece, and hence the power of resistance of a lag made in this manner is
much greater than that of a lag whose grain lies in the same direction throughout
its thickness. Moreover the holding power of the wood is much greater when the
lag is constructed in sections having the grain lying in different directions than
when the grain lies in one direction throughout the thickness of the lags, and con-
sequently the pins will be held much more firmly, and will be able to withstand a
very great pressure without being forced inward through the lag in the former case
than in the latter. Hence owing to these advantages clothing constructed in this
improved manner is capable of being used for a much longer time than has been
possible with lags made in the usual manner.
A further advantage of constructing the lag in this improved manner is that a large
quantity of wood which it has been necessary to throw aside, may be used when the
lag is constructed in sections, as wood which was wholly unfit for use before may
be used with its grain in a direction different from that of the adjacent section.
The second part of this Invention relates to the beaters used in cotton openers, and
has for its object the construction of a beater adapted to prevent the gathering of
the cotton upon the several parts, especially the arms.
By reason of the draft caused by the rapid revolution of the beater, the loose
opened mass of cotton is drawn around with the beater within the partially enclosed
beater box.
The blades of the beater will keep themselves free by their rapid striking against
the cotton from the feed rolls, nor does the cotton collect to any great extent around
the shaft, but owing to the rotary motion of the cotton with the beater within the
box, the cotton rapidly collects around and in front of the radial arms of the beater,
and the mass thus collected clogs and impedes the revolution of the beater and
necessitates the frequent stoppage of the machine for the purpose of clearing the
beater arms.
This part of the said Invention comprises the construction of a beater having its
blades attached to circular discs which have a radius equal to the length of the arm,
and occupy the whole space from the shaft outward radially, so that instead of the
suction draft behind each radial arm, which at the rate of revolution of the beater
would tend to draw the cotton ahead of the arm, and thus clog the beater, the draft
is an outward one away from the several parts of the beater, except the blades which
keep themselves clear, and not only will the draft tend to keep the beater clear, but
the beater presents no exposed place upon which the cotton in the box can gather or
collect, while the periphery of the disc is so near the feed rolls as to brush itself
clear against the cotton as it is fed along.
To the shaft of the beater I attach a disc which I prefer to make of a circular
form (and of iron or other metal). I rivet or otherwise attach to these discs where
the blades are secured thereto abutments of the form of radial arms on each side of
the discs within and without and closely connected thereto with rounded edges or
formed in any other convenient manner to give a solid and firm support to the
blade.

page_text: This method of construction forms a beater which cannot become clogged, and in
which there is no liability of the parts to work loose, and which may be driven at
a high rate of speed with perfect safety, and with less power than a closed beater;
and when one face of the blade becomes worn the beater may be turned, and the
other side used.
The third part of this Invention relates to improvements in hinged beaters, in
which the beater blades or links are hinged to radial arms connected to and revolving
with the shaft, the said blades or links revolving upon an axial rod as a supple-
mentary shaft, the object of this part of the said Invention being to obviate certain
difficulties caused by the wearing of the bearing surfaces where the said link
revolves upon its shaft, as herein-after more fully explained.
Each beater blade or link arm is provided with an axial opening accurately fitted
to the rod upon which it revolves, but this joint is open and exposed on each side
thereof to the particles of dirt which are beaten out of the cotton; and owing to the
impossibility of oiling this shaft the axial openings very soon become worn enough
to allow of the entrance of the particles of dirt, and both, the shaft and blade arms aro
very rapidly worn and cut away thereby. The throw of the revolving links is thus
increased, thereby causing them to strike against and break the feed rolls and to be
broken, and also rendering them untit for use by reason of their unsteady and loose
motion. There is also great danger of the cotton in the machine becoming ignited
by sparks struck from the feed rolls by the blades coming in contact with them.
According to this part of my Invention I apply to the said axial openings of the
hinged link a bushing or sleeve of composition or similar metal, whereby the friction
of tho bearing surface is reduced, while the bushing may be removed when worn
with very little labor or expense, and replaced by another. The length of the
beater arms properly adjusted to the distance of the feed rolls from the axial
rod, if the bearing surfaces of the rod and arm become worn thereby, increasing the
throw of the link, there will be great danger of the link striking the feed roll
and either being broken or breaking the feed rolls, or striking fire and igniting the
cotton. Moreover, the joints being open and exposed to the dirt in the cotton
were very rapidly worn, so that the hinged link was unfit and unsafe for use.
To obviate these difficulties I make the axial openings slightly larger than the
shaft, and fit into the openings, bushings, or sleeves of composition or metal which
should be continuous throughout the whole length of the axial rod; thus the latter
is completely enclosed and protected from the particles of dirt, while at the same
time the bearing surface, instead of being confined to and exerted within a small
space, is distributed along the whole length of the shaft.
The difficulties above mentioned may be also obviated by means of a single.
removable sleeve or bushing applied to the axial opening of each blade or link arm,
since the friction between the composition sleeve and iron axial rod will be much
less than when the two surfaces are both of iron, while the composition sleeve being
the softer all the frictional wear will come on this sleeve, which may be readily'
removed and another inserted with very small labor and expense.
The fourth part of my Invention relates to combining with the opener a vertical
dirt trunk, the object of this part of the said Invention being to provide a simple
and effective device for removing a large portion of the dirt which is set free by
the action of the beater, and especially of the first beater, which operates on the
cotton from the bale. The cotton is beaten downward from the feed rolls over the
grids in the usual manner, and passes along over a second lot of bars or grids, and
is carried upward by the air draft through a vertical trunk. The latter is provided
on each side with thin transverse slabs placed obliquely to the direction of the
passing cotton, and spaces are provided on each side of the said slats for the falling
dirt. As the cotton is carried upward by the air draft it comes in contact with
and strikes these slats, and the dirt and particles of foreign matter being heavy fall
between the slats, and into the dirt receptacles, while the lighter cotton is carried
long to screens,

page_text: It is obvious that one of these vertical trunks may be applied after each beater
in a machine, but it is especially valuable immediately after the first beater, as
above specified.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th
June 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING,
CLEANING, AND SCUTCHING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS." A
communication from abroad by Richard Kitson, of Lowell, Massachusetts, United
States of America.
The first part of my Invention relates more especially to the clothing for the
cylinders of carding engines, rag pickers, and the like, and consists in constructing
the lags which form this clothing in sections, having the grain of the material of
each section in a different direction from the adjacent one, the objects being to make
these lags very strong and durable, and to ensure a firmer holding of the pins than
when the lags are made of a single strip of material in the usual manner.
Heretofore these lags have been constructed of a single strip generally of the
best seasoned becch, and it has been necessary to select only those parts of the
boards which by reason of the seasoning and grain are suitable. Hence it has been
necessary to throw aside as useless a large quantity of the wood, and even with the
best becch the lags, owing to the strain on the teeth caused by the pressure to which
the picker or card is subjected, are constantly liable to crack or break longitudinally,
and yield around the pins or teeth, and the pins are forced inward through the lags,
so that it is necessary to frequently renew the clothing for the cylinders.
This Invention is intended to overcome these difficulties, and to provide lags for
clothing the cylinder, and which will be able to withstand the pressure on the pins,
so that the clothing shall last for a much longer time than heretofore, while at the
same time a great quantity of wood which has hitherto been useless can be used,
and thus a great saving be effected in the quantity of wood required in addition to
a much stronger and more durable lag.
In the accompanying Drawing,-
Figure 1 is a vertical section of one of the said lags.
Figure 2 shews a part of a lag used on the cylinder of a rag picker.
A is the lag, which is of about the usual width and thickness, but of two or more
longitudinal sections a, b, c. These sections are glued and pressed solidly together,
but are so arranged that the direction of the grain of one of these sections shall be
different from that of the adjacent section. The pins e, e, e, are inserted, and the
lags bolted to the cylinder in the usual manner.
This method of constructing the lags imparts great strength to them as the

page_text: pressure on the pins will not be in the same direction relative to the grain of all
the sections, as would be the case when the lag is constructed in the ordinary
manner of a single piece, and hence the power of resistance of a lag made in this
manner is much greater than that of a lag whose grain lies in the same direction
throughout its thickness. Moreover the holding power of the wood is much greater
when the lag is constructed in sections having the grain lying in different directions
than when the grain lies in one direction throughout the thickness of the lags, and
consequently the pins will be held much more firmly, and will be able to withstand
a very great pressure without being forced inward through the lag in the former
case than in the latter. Hence, owing to these advantages, clothing constructed in
this improved manner is capable of being used for a much longer time than has been
possible with lags made in the usual manner.
A further advantage of constructing the lag in this improved manner is that a
large quantity of wood which it has been necessary to throw aside may be used
when the lag is constructed in sections, as wood which was wholly unfit for use
before may be used with its grain in a direction different from that of the adjacent
section.
The second part of this Invention relates to the beaters used in cotton openers,
and has for its object the construction of a beater adapted to prevent the gathering
of the cotton upon the several parts, especially the arms.
By reason of the draught caused by the rapid revolution of the beater the loose
opened mass of cotton is drawn around with the beater within the partially
enclosed beater box.
The blades of the beater will keep themselves free by their rapid striking against
the cotton from the feed rolls, and the cotton does not collect to any great extent
around the shaft; but owing to the rotary motion of the cotton with the beater
within the box the cotton rapidly collects around and in front of the radial arms of
the beater, and the mass thus collected clogs and impedes the revolution of the
beater, and necessitates the frequent stoppage of the machine for the purpose of
clearing the beater arms.
This part of the said Invention comprises the construction of a beater having its
blades attached to circular discs which have a radius equal to the length of the arm,
and occupying the whole space from the shaft outward radially, so that instead of
the suction draught behind each radial arm, which at the rate of revolution of the
benter would tend to draw the cotton ahead of the arm, and thus clog the beater,
the draught is an outward one away from the several parts of the beater, except
the blades, which keep themselves clear, and not only will the draught tend to
keep the beater cloar, but the beater presents no exposed place upon which the
cotton in the box can gather or collect, while the periphery of the disc is so near the
feed rolls as to brush itself clear against the cotton as it is fed along.
Figure 3 is an end view of my improved disc beater; and Figure 4 is a sectional
view.
B represents the shaft of the beater, and C, C, the beater blades. To the shaft B
I attach a disc, which I prefer to make of a circular form (and of iron or other
metal), and, in order to have a sufficiently firm and broad base to attach the beater
blades C, C, to, I rivet or otherwise attach to these discs, where the blades are
attached thereto, abutments E, E, which, as shown, are of the form of radial arms
on each side of the discs within and without, and closely connected thereto, with
rounded edges, but it is evident that these abutments may be formed in any other
convenient manner so as to form a solid and firm support to the blade.
This method of construction forms a beater which cannot become clogged, and in
which there is no liability of the parts to work loose, and which may be driven at
a high rate of speed with perfect safety, and with less power than a closed beater,
and when one face of the blade becomes worn the beater may be turned, and the
other side used.
Instead of the blades shewn in Figure 3 I may use semicircular blades, as in
Figure 3a.

page_text: The third part of this Invention relates to improvements in beaters in which the
beater blades or links are hinged to radial arms connected to and revolving with
the shaft, the said blades or links revolving upon an axial rod as a supplementary
shaft, the object of this part of the said Invention being to obviate certain difficulties
caused by the wearing of the bearing surfaces where the said link revolves upon
its shaft, as herein-after more fully explained.
Each beater blade or link arm is provided with an axial opening accurately fitted
to the rod upon which it revolves, but this joint is open and exposed on each side
thereof to the particles of dirt which are beaten out of the cotton, and owing to
the impossibility of oiling this shaft the axial openings very soon become worn
enough to allow of the entrance of the particles of dirt, and both the shaft and
blade arms are very rapidly worn and cut away thereby. The throw of the
revolving links is thus increased, thereby causing them to strike and break the feed
rolls, and to be broken, and also rendering them unfit for use by reason of their
unsteady and loose motion. There is also great danger of the cotton in the machine
becoming ignited by sparks struck from the feed rolls by the blades coming in
contact with them.
According to this part of the said Invention I apply to the said axial openings of
the hinged link a bushing or sleeve of composition or metal, whereby the friction of
the bearing surfaces is reduced, while the bushing may be removed when worn with
very little labor or expense, and replaced by another.
Figure 5 shows the hinged link provided with sleeves; Figure 6 is a sectional
view on the line x, x, Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a sectional view of the beater and feed rolls.
G represents the main shaft of the beater; H, H, the radial arms attached to the
shaft G; J is the rod or supplemental shaft, on which the hinged links M, M,
revolve; and N, N, are the feed rolls. The length of the beater arms M, M, being
properly adjusted to the distance of the feed rolls from the axial rod J, if the bearing
surfaces of the rod and arm become worn, thereby increasing the throw of the
link M, there will be great danger of the link striking the feed roll, and either
being broken or breaking the feed rolls, or striking fire and igniting the cotton.
Moreover the joints, if open and exposed to the dirt in the cotton, become very
rapidly worn, so that the hinged link will be unsafe for use.
To obviate these difficulties I make the axial openings slightly larger than the
shaft, and fit into the openings bushings or sleeves P of metal or composition, and
which should be continuous throughout the whole length of the axial rod J; thus
the latter is completely enclosed and protected from the particles of dirt, while at
the same time the bearing surface, instead of being confined to and exerted within
a small space, is distributed along the whole length of the shaft J, thus causing the
wear of the bearing surfaces to be much less than heretofore.
The difficulties above mentioned may be also obviated by means of a single
removable sleeve or bushing applied to the axial opening of each blade or link arm,
since the friction between the composition sleeve and iron axial rod will be much
less than when the two surfaces are both of iron, while the composition sleeve being
the softer all the frictional wear will come on this sleeve, which may be readily
removed and another inserted with very small labor and expense.
The fourth part of my Invention relates to combining with the opener a vertical
dirt trunk, the object of this part of the said Invention being to provide a simple
and effective device for removing a large portion of the dirt which is set free by
the action of the beater, and especially of the first beater, which operates on the
cotton from the bale.
Figure 8 shows a longitudinal vertical section of an opener provided with my
vertical trunk.
C, D, represent the beater of the construction above described, which operates on
the cotton from the bale. The cotton is beaten downward from the feed rolls N,N,
over the grids S in the usual manner, and passes along in the direction of the arrow
over a second lot of bars or grids S', and is carried along upward by the air draught

page_text: through the vertical trunk R. This latter is provided on each side with thin trans-
verse slats 7, placed obliquely to the direction of the passing cotton, and spaces are
provided on each side of said slats for the falling dirt. As the cotton is carried
upward by the air draught it comes in contact with and strikes these slats, and
the dirt and particles of foreign matter being heavy fall between the slats and into
the dirt receptacles, while the lighter cotton is carried along to the screens T, T.
It is obvious that one of these vertical trunks may be applied after each beater
in a machine, but it is especially valuable immediately after the first beater, as
above specified, as a large amount of dirt, seed, and other matter is loosened in the
cotton when it is first opened. The rapid passage of the cotton over a short grid
space prevents a large portion of the dirt from falling through, and carries it along
in and with the cotton; but this trunk being vertical the passage of the cotton is
naturally retarded and tossed about within the said vertical trunk from side to side
so that the dirt is shaken and falls out much more freely and in much larger
quantities than when passing over horizontal slats or grids.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The lag for the clothing of the cylinders made of two or more sections,
the direction of the grain of one of these sections being different from that of the
adjacent section, as above described.
Second. The combination of the feed rolls and the beater, consisting of the discs,
blades, and shaft, as above described.
Third. In combination with the supplemental shaft the hinged link provided
with a sleeve enclosing and protecting the shaft, and extending beyond the link
arms, as and for the purpose set forth.
Fourth. The combination of the vertical trunk with the opener placed imme-
diately after the beater, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
TIZM DODT TAVE
WM RODT.
OT TAT
BARE
(L.)