Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Carding Engines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 19th Mar., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Carding Engines.
I, JACOB FRANK GEB, of Franklin, in the County of Norfolk and State of
Massachusetts United States of America, Carder, 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:-
The invention has relation to feeding mechanisms for carding engines, and is
particularly well adapted for use in connection with what is commonly known to
those skilled in the art, as "Bramwell" feeders.
It is the object of the invention to provide such improvements in mechanisms
of the kind mentioned as will secure a positive operation and a quick stopping
and starting of the toothed apron which supplies the weighing scale.
It is also the object of the invention to provide improved means for actuating
the patter or paddle employed to even the surface of the wool on the feed apron.
It is also the object of the invention to provide improvements whereby the
reciprocating or vibrating comb for preventing the carrying forward of the wool
in lumps or bunches, may be actuated with greater certainty and regularity than
heretofore, and the construction of the comb actuating means may be, at the
same time, greatly simplified.
Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings, and to the letters of reference
marked thereon, forming part of this Specification, the same letters designating the
same parts or features, as the case may be, wherever they occur.
Of the said drawings,
Fig. 1, is a side elevation of a Bramwell feeder, equipped with the improve-
ments.
Fig. 2, is a side view on an enlarged scale of the gear on the end of the shaft or
roll which operates the toothed apron, the said gear constituting also a part of the
clutch hereinafter fully described.
Fig. 3, is a front elevation of the gear and shaft shown in Fig. 2, and illustrating
also the entire clutch mechanism, the driving gear being unclutched from the shaft.
Fig. 4, is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the driving gear clutched with
the shaft.
Fig. 5, is a vertical sectional view of Fig. 4.
Fig. 6, is a side or end view opposite that shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 7, is a diagram, showing the position of the clutch operating lever when the
driving gear is in clutch with the apron operating shaft.
Fig. 8, is a view partially in section of the opposite side of the feeder, showing
additional features of my improvements.
As is well known to wool carders having any knowledge of Bramwell feeders, the
discharge of the scale takes place at regular intervals of time, whether the scale
has or has not received its complement of wool, the operation of filling the scale and
that of discharging the same being independent each of the other. It is very
important therefore that the toothed apron should be so operated as to with
certainty supply the scale within the allotted time.
Heretofore, the apron operating shaft has been driven by means of a belt and
pulleys from the driving shaft, and by reason of the liability of the belt slipping
apon its pulleys, the movement of the toothed apron has been at times irregular
and uncertain.
Again, the construction and arrangement of parts has been such that the apron
might not be quickly stopped the moment the scale became filled, nor instantly
tarted after the discharge of the scale, for the reason that there has been but a
ingle point on the pulley, or other means on the apron operating shaft, to actuate
he stopping and starting means, so that if such point had barely passed the locking

page_text: lever or trip latch, the said apron would continue to move or stand still, as the case
might be, until the said tripping point again came around.
By the invention herein described the objection mentioned is overcome, and as
the improvements have nothing to do with other parts of the machine than those
extending between the driving shaft and apron operating shaft, and the means for
actuating the patter, coöperating parts of the feeder have not been fully illustrated,
' and need not be described in detail.
In the drawings a designates the frame of the feeder, 6 is the driving shaft, and c
the shaft over the roll on which the toothed apron a³ (shown in dotted lines) travels,
and by which it is moved. d is a vertically arranged shaft provided on its lower
end with a bevel gear e meshing with a similar gearf on the driving shaft, and
having upon its upper end a bevel gear 9 meshing with and adapted to drive a
larger bevel gear on the shaft c.
The gear is constructed and arranged to turn loosely on the shaft c, but is
frictionally connected with the collar ², as hereinafter explained, and is provided
with an inner tooth edge or flange i, so as to adapt it to also form the part of a.
clutch fitted to cooperate with a toothed clutch part adjacent to the inner face of
the wheel h.
The clutch part ; consists of a flanged ring surrounding the shaft c, and provided
with inwardly projecting pins which extend through the web of a disk 7 fast on
the shaft c.
m designates pins which extend radially from the pins & through inclined slots n
in the flange o of a wheel p adapted to turn loosely on the shaft c.
K designates a helical spring, one end of which is secured to the web of the disk l,
and the other to the flange or rim o of the wheel p, the said spring operating to
turn the wheel with respect to the wheel j in the direction indicated by the arrow
in Fig. 3, and, as a consequence, move the clutch part j, through the medium of
the pins k m and inclined slot n, into contact with the clutch device of wheel h.
designates lugs or projections extending radially from the periphery of the
flange o of wheel p.
s designates the weighing scale on one end of a counter weighted lever t, with
which counter weighted arin of the said lever there is connected, by means of a rod
or wire u, the outer end of the horizontal arm v of an angular lever w, the vertical
arm of which is provided on its ends with a laterally projecting pin or study,
adapted to fall into a notch z formed in the forward end of a weighted lever a¹,
which latter device when not latched or held down by the pin y of arm a is adapted
to be moved by means of its counter weight 6', so as that its inner end will be
brought into the path of movement of the projections r of the flange of wheel p.
d' is a
tripping lever (common in the construction of Bramwell feeders) provided
with a laterally projecting pin d', adapted when the scale is discharged to be
drawn down upon and depress the lever a', so as that the pin y, resting against the
inclined surface el on the end of lever a¹ (see Fig. 2) may drop into the notch z,
and latch or hold the said lever a' down out of the way of the lugs or projections r
on the periphery o of the wheel p, (see Fig. 7).
8
f1 designates an eccentric on the shaft d, which eccentric is surrounded by the
strap 9 connected with one end of the pitman ', the opposite end of which is
adjustably connected with the upright arm of the shank ¹ of patter j¹ (see dotted
lines, Fig. 1). The shank of the patter is fulcrumed at k¹.
In the use of my improvements thus far described, when the machine is in
operation and the toothed apron a² is running to take the wool from the box and
supply it to the scale, the clutch mechanism will be in the position represented in
Figs. 4 & 5, and the lever a¹ will be held down out of the path of movement of the
lugs, as shown in detail in Fig. 7. As soon as the complement of wool is supplied
to the scale, the latter will be depressed, raising the weighted arm of levert and
throwing the locking pin y out of the notch z of lever a¹, allowing said notched end
to be raised by the weight 61 on the opposite end and bringing said notched end
into the path of movement of the lugs r. The instant the lever a¹ engages the
2

page_text: lugs r, it will stop the rotation of wheel p, and the clutch part; continuing to rotate
or move for a short distance will, through the medium of pins km, connected
therewith, (the latter's pins operating in slots n) be drawn away from the clutching
means of wheel i and the latter will move without effecting a movement of the
toothed apron.
When the scale discharges its load, the tripping lever c¹ will, by means of its
pin d' depress the lever a', as before described, drawing the said lever out of the
path of lugs r, permitting it to be held down by the pin y, and allowing the
spring to instantly move the wheel p in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4,
clutching the part with the part i and at once starting the movement of the
toothed feeding apron.
As the shaft & rotates, and as it does so quite rapidly, the patter j¹ will be
operated quite rapidly and perfectly smooth the upper surface of the wool upon
the feeding apron.
The gear is frictionally connected with the collar or hub A, keyed or otherwise
secured to the shaft c by means of a split clamping ring ³ which embraces a strip
of leather arranged in a groove in the said collar, and said split ring is so
constructed and arranged as to exert a hugging or frictional influence upon the
collar. One of the ends of the said split ring is connected to a stud h*, which is
in turn connected to the gear h. This provision is made in order to prevent any
shock to the machine when lever a¹ is operated to engage a lug r to stop the
machine. Since it will allow gear to turn independently of the shaft and
without operating the same before the said gear is disconnected from the
wheel j.
It is to be noted that with the improvements described, the apron operating
shaft is actuated with positiveness and certainty, and that the toothed apron is
stopped the instant the scale receives its complement of material, and started the
moment the scale discharges its contents.
Having reference to Fig. 8, it will be seen that the toothed lifting apron a³
represented in dotted lines, passes over rolls l' m', affixed to the shafts c and o².
p designates the stripping belt passing over the rolls connected with the
shafts. To the shaft c is secured a gear wheels, which meshes with and.
is adapted to drive an idle wheel t¹ turning on a journal stud connected with the
frame; the said idle wheel meshes with and drives a pinion u¹ on a journal
stud v¹.
Connected with the pinion u¹ is a gear wheel to which engages and drives a
pinion on the shaft q, which carries the upper roll around which the stripping
apron passes, and thus moves the latter.
By this feature of my improvements, it will be seen that I am enabled to drive
the stripping apron at a high speed with respect to the speed of a toothed apron,
and with all the requisite power or force; and by changing the sizes of the
gears w¹, I can readily vary the speed at which the stripping apron is driven, and
thus obviate the objections and difficulties heretofore met with, as hereinbefore
recited, having reference to the operation of the stripping apron.
y', (in dotted lines), designates the vibrating comb for acting upon the bunches
and undue quantity of wool carried up by the toothed apron. The arm of the
said comb extends outward and is connected with a rock shaft z', to which is
connected a counterbalanced lever b³, provided with a slot c³.
d³ designates a pitman adjustably connected at its upper end with the arm b³ in
the slot, and secured at its lower end to the strap e, surrounding the eccentric ƒ³
on the driving shaft, so that the rotation of the said shaft will effect the rocking
of the shaft z¹, and the vibration of the comb y¹.
In this way I secure a positive operation of the vibrating comb directly from the
main shaft.
It is obvious that changes may be made in the form and arrangement of parts
comprising my improvements without departing from the nature or spirit of the
invention.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. As a means of operating the toothed apron shaft of a card feeder, the
driving shaft and a gear thereon, combined with the upright shaft d, the apron
shaft or roll c and a gear thereon, the said gear being also constructed as a clutch
part, a clutch part coöperating with the latter, and gears on the shaft d engaging
the gears on the driving and apron shafts, as set forth.
2. The apron shaft and driven gear fast thereon constructed as a clutch part,
combined with a coöperating clutch part loose upon the shaft and adapted to
enguge the clutch part of the said gear, a lever s adapted to be moved into and
out of engagement with the clutch part loose upon the shaft, a weighing scale, and
devices intermediate of the latter, and the lever s for actuating the said lever, as
set forth.
3. The driving shaft, the upright shaft d, gears connecting the said shaft, and an
eccentric on the upright shaft, combined with the patter and its fulcrumed shank,
and a pitman adjustably connected with the said shank and actuated by the said
eccentric, as set forth.
4. As a means for operating the stripping apron of a card feeding machine, the
combination with the shafts e and i and gears thereon, of gears constructed and
arranged as hereinbefore described intermediate of the gears on the said shafts, as
set forth.
5. The combination with the main shaft and an eccentric thereon, of the
vibrating comb, its rock shaft, a lever on the said shaft, and a pitman connecting
the said lever with the said eccentric, all constructed, arranged and operating, as
get forth.
Dated thi. 01
JACOB FRANK GEB.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.