CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Beard, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the
County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, for the Invention of
" CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES."
Sealed the 12th January 1872, and dated the 28th July 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Beard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th July 1871.
I, JOHN BEARD, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster,
Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention is applicable to self-stripping carding engines, and it
consists in certain improved combinations of machinery for raising
the top flats off the main cylinder, stripping the flyings from them,
and depositing them again in their places, the said operations being
accomplished more expeditiously than heretofore.
In performing my Invention I make use of two radial arms, as in
other self-stripping carding engines, and these radial arms support a

page_text: cross shaft. At cach end of the cross shaft is a diso with a radial slot,
in which works a slide, and these slides fit under the ends of the top
flat. The cross shaft also supports an eccentric near each disc, and
these eccentrics in revolving half round raise the top flat. The discs
and eccentrics are driven by a toothed wheel, having part of the
teeth cut out, gearing into pinions fixed to the discs and eccentrics
respectively. After the top flat has been raised the discs perform
one revolution, carrying the top flat round with them, and a stripping
apparatus acts on the cards of the top flat as it passes to remove the
flyings; as soon as the discs have completed the revolution the eccentrics
lower the top flat into its original position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Beard in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
Beard, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Beard, Her special license that I,
the said John Beard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Beard, 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 King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Beard, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Beard, 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 (that is to say):-
My Invention is applicable to self-stripping carding engines, and it
consists in certain improved combinations of machinery for raising
the top flats off the main cylinder, stripping the flyings from then,
and depositing them again in their places, the said operations being
accomplished more expeditiously than heretofore.
In performing my Invention I make use of two radial arms, as in
other self-stripping carding engines, and these radial arms support a
cross shaft.
At each end of the cross shaft is a disc with a radial slot,
in which works a slide, and these slides fit under the ends of the top
flats. The cross shaft also supports an eccentric near each disc, and
these eccentrics in revolving half round raise the top flat. The discs
and eccentrics are driven by toothed wheels having part of the teeth cut
out, gearing into pinions fixed to the discs and eccentrics respectively.
After the top flat has been raised the discs perform one revolution,
carrying the top flat round with them, and a stripping apparatus acts
on the cards of the top flats as it passes to remove the flyings; as soon
as the discs have completed the revolution the eccentrics lower the top
flat into its original position.
And in order that my Invention may be readily carried into operation,
I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the principal parts of a self-stripping carding
engine of the usual construction to which my improvements are applied;
Fig. 2.is a side view of the same; and Fig. 3, a section of the stripping
apparatus; Figs. 4 and 5 are detached views of parts of my im-
provements.
In Fig. 1, a is the licker-in; b, the main cylinder; c, the doffer;
d, the top flats; e, the radial arms hinged to the bearings of the main
cylinder; e', the wheels forming part of the stripping apparatus; fis the
cross shaft, revolving in adjustable bearings fixed to the radial arms; all
the parts above enumerated and those required for moving the radial
arms from the first to the last top flat and back again are made in the
usual manner. Near each end of the cross shaft and loose thercon is
a bush g, seen best in Figs. 4 and 5, and on each bush is placed a disc h,
the bush and disc being connected together by the bolts g', which pass

page_text: through segmental slots in the flange of the bush. The object of thus
connecting the bushes and discs is to enable the discs to be set when
owing to the wearing of the card wires the bearings of the cross shaft f
are lowered in the radial arms. In each disc h is a radial slot for the
slides to move to and fro in; the outer end of each slide has a pro-
jecting foot fitting under the ends of the top flats, and by which the top
flats are raised; the slides i have each a hole to receive a stud projecting
from the eccentric rings j, cach of which fits on an eccentric cast on the
plate k, which fits loose on the bush g; to each plate k is cast a spur
pinion ¹, and to the bush g is keyed a similar pinion 7, which is pro-
vided with a plate fitting on the rim of the toothed wheel m; this
wheel m gears into both the pinions k¹ and I, and about one-half of the
teeth gearing into the pinion are cut away or left out, so that during
one half of a revolution of the wheels m the pinions 1, and with them
the bushes g, are turned once round, and during the other half revolution
the bushes remain stationary. To each disc h is fixed a spring ³, to
press against the top flat when it is lifted by the slides i.
The wheels m are driven in the following manner:-To the axle of
the main cylinder is fixed a small pulley b', which drives by a strap the
pulley r, which revolves on a stud fixed in one of the radial arms e; to
this pulley is cast or fixed a pinion », gearing into the wheel f¹ fixed on
the cross shaft f; to this wheel is cast or fixed the pinion f, gearing
into the wheel o, which is cast or fixed to the pinion o² gearing into the
ordinary large wheel e', which drives the pinion m³ on the same shaft as
the wheel m above referred to. When the radial arms are in position
for lifting a top flat the slides i are projecting from the discs h, as shewn
in Fig. 2, and in dots in Figs. 4 and 5; the lower ends of the slides are
then under the ends of the top flat, consequently when the plates k
revolve the eccentrics on them acting on the eccentric rings j cause the
slides i to move towards the centre of the shaft f, and to lift the top flat
with them. While the top flat is being lifted the projections on their
ends, shewn best in Fig. 1, enter into the radial slots in the discs h, to
guide the top flat and hold it steady while being stripped. As soon as
the top flat has been lifted, the teeth that are left on the outer sides of
the wheels m come into gear with the pinions 1, and cause the bushes g
and discs to revolve in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, and in
revolving the top flat is stripped by the vibrating stripper n, which is
actuated by the pinion f2 on the cross shaft f gearing into the wheel o,

page_text: in the face of which is a stud for one end of the link o¹, the other end
of which is jointed to a stud in the lever n' fixed to the axle of the
stripper n. Below the vibrating stripper n is the stationary stripper p,
on which the flyings collected by the stripper n are deposited at the
return stroke of the said stripper.
I wish to remark that the stripping apparatus above described forms
no part of my Invention, and that it may be modified, or a revolving
brush may be used instead.
As soon as the discs h have completed their revolution in the direction
of the arrow in Fig. 3, and brought the top flat again over the main
cylinder, the teeth of the wheels m that had been gearing in the
pinions pass beyond the said pinions, and consequently the said pinions
cease their motion, but the other part of the wheels m gearing into the
pinions cause the discs k to revolve, and in so doing the eccentrics
again lower the slides i, and deposit the cleaned top flat into the position
from which it had been lifted. When the top flat has been lowered the
radial arms e are moved by the ordinary segmental racks and pinions
(which are not shewn in the Drawings) to the next top flat that has to
be stripped.
By means of the improved machinery above described the top flats are
lifted up, turned round, stripped, and again deposited in their places
more expeditiously than by the machinery now in use, thereby econo-
mising time in the operation, and producing better work.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, I declare that I claim, the combination
of the parts marked g, h, i, j, k, k, l, and m, or their equivalents, when
used in the manner and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Beard, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of January One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-two.