CARDING MACHINES
Year: 1879

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LETTERS PATENT to Bristow Hunt, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the
IMPROVEMENTS IN
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
CARDING MACHINES." A communication from abroad by Thomas Kershaw, of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bristow Hunt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th November 1879.
BRISTOW HUNT, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING MACHINES." (A communication from
abroad by Thomas Kershaw, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States
of America.)
The principal object of this Invention is to maintain the main cylinder of a
carding-engine in a clean condition, without injury to the teeth of the card-
clothing, by combining therewith a rotating shaft armed with straight, radial
pointed teeth, which act intermittently on the card-clothing, as explained herein-
after. Another object of the Invention is to separate the fibres removed from the
carding-cylinder by the said cleaning-teeth from foreign matter, and to restore the
fibres to the card-cylinder by combining a screen and roller with the cleaning-teeth,
in the manner also described hereinafter.
The carding-machine is provided with the usual main card-cylinder, doffer,
fancy card-cylinder, worker-rolls, and licker-in, all being caused to revolve in
suitable bearings in the frame.
Below the main cylinder a shaft is caused to revolve, and this shaft carries a
series of cleaning-teeth projecting radially from the shaft, and being straight and
pointed so as not to retain the fibres struck from the clothing of the main cylinder.
The teeth move faster than the circumference of the main card-cylinder, and are
arranged to penetrate between the teeth of the card-clothing preferably to the
extent of about two-thirds of the length of the card-teeth.
As the main card-cylinder revolves the teeth of the said shaft make rapid inter-
mittent movements through the teeth of the card-clothing, and strike therefrom
the dirt or refuse matter and much of the fibre which has not been removed. by
the coffer.

page_text: The card-clothing of the main cylinder is thus cleaned at intervals, but care is
taken to so regulate the speed of the cleaning teeth in respect to the speed of the
main cylinder that the said cleaning teeth shall not act on the same portions of
the card-clothing at every revolution. In other words, the speed of the main card-
cylinder and that of the teeth are 80 regulated that the teeth have always
uncleaned portions of the card-clothing to act upon, the clothing being thus
maintained in a sufficiently clean condition without any serious absorption of the
power required for driving the carding engine, owing to the fact that the power
required for cleansing purposes is only exerted at intervals.
The intermittently-acting cleaning-teeth possess the further advantage over the
continuously-acting cleaning-rollers heretofore used of not wearing out the teeth of
the card-clothing so rapidly as the rollers.
The shaft and its cleaning-teeth are contained within a. screen secured to the
frame, the screen being composed of a grating or metal net-work, having openings
or meshes of such a size that the dirt struck from the clothing of the main cylinder
can pass freely through them, while the released fibre influenced by the current of
air caused by the revolving cylinders has a tendency to fly towards the card teeth,
and is pressed thereinto by a revolving plain roller.
In carding wool containing much foreign matter, such as burrs, to which the
fibre adheres closely, or in carding cotton in which particles of cotton seed prevail,
the inventor prefers to used a fluted roller in place of the said plain roller for the
following reasons:-
While much of the foreign matter is struck from the card-clothing of the main
cylinder by the cleaning-teeth and falls through the grating particles adhere to the
fibre and pass with the same toward the fluted roller, the grooves of which will
afford a lodgment for the seed, burrs, and other foreign matters, while the fibres
adhere to the card-teeth of the main-cylinder, and after passing between the fluted
roller and card-cylinder the refuse matter which has been thus separated from the
fibre will fall to the floor, while the fibres will continue to adhere to the teeth of
the said card-cylinder to which they may be more closely applied by a second or
plain roller.
This arrangement has the effect of separating from the fibre such particles as may
continue to adhere to it after the action of the revolving teeth.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Bristow Hunt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th May
1880.
BRISTOW HUNT, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES." (A communication from
abroad by Thomas Kershaw, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States
of America.)
The principal object of this Invention is to maintain the main cylinder of a
carding-engine in a clean condition without injury to the teeth of the card-clothing,
by combining therewith a rotating shaft armed with straight, radial pointed teeth,
which act intermittently on the card-clothing, as explained hereinafter.
Another object of the Invention is to separate the fibres removed from the
carding-cylinder by the said cleaning-teeth from foreign matter, and to restore the
fibres to the card-cylinder by combining a screen and roller with the cleaning-teeth,
as also described hereinafter.
One modification of the Invention is illustrated on the accompanying Drawings in
Figure 1, which is a vertical section on the line a-b, Figure 2, of a carding-engine
adapted with the present improvements; and in Figure 2, which is a transverse
vertical section on the line c-d, Figure 1.
The carding-machine is provided with the usual main card-cylinder 1, doffer 2,
fancy card-cylinder 3, worker-rolls 4, and licker-in 5, all being caused to revolve
in the direction of the arrows in suitable bearings in side frames (i.
Below the main-cylinder a shaft 7 is caused to revolve in the direction indicated,
and this shaft carries a series of cleaning-teeth 8 projecting radially therefrom,
and being straight and pointed so as not to retain the fibres struck from the
clothing of the main-cylinder.
The teeth 8 move faster than the circumference of the cylinder 1, and are
arranged to penetrate between the teeth of the card-clothing, preferably to the
extent of about two-thirds of the length of the card-teeth.
As the main card-cylinder revolves the teeth of the shaft 7 make rapid inter-
mittent movements between the teeth of the card-clothing, and strike therefrom
the dirt or refuse matter and much of the fibre which has not been removed by the
doffer.
The card-clothing of the main-cylinder is by this method cleaned at intervals,
but care is taken to so regulate the speed of the cleaning-teeth in respect to the
speed of the main-cylinder that the said cleaning-teeth shall not act on the same
portions of the card-clothing at every revolution; in other words, the speed of the
inain card-cylinder and that of the teeth are so regulated that the teeth have always
uncleaned portions of the card-clothing to act upon.
The intermittently-acting cleaning-teeth possess the further advantage over the
continuously-acting cleaning-rollers heretofore used of not wearing out the teeth of
the card-clothing so rapidly as the rollers.
The teeth 8 may either be arranged in rows parallel with the shaft 7, as illus-
trated in Figures 1 and 2, or they may be arranged helically thereon, as illustrated-
in the corresponding views, Figures 3 and 4, so that while a limited portion of the
cylinder 1 is cleaned during every revolution, as in the method firstly described,
some of the cleaning-teeth will always be acting on and penetrating between the
teeth thereof.
The shaft 7 is also according to this method so speeded in relation to the speed
of the cylinder 1 that the portion of the clothing of the latter, which has been
cleaned during one revolution thereof, is not acted upon by the cleaning-teeth
during the next revolution, the object being, as in the method firstly described,

page_text: to clean different limited portions of the main cylinder at every revolution, and to
thus maintain it in a clean condition.
In either of these modifications the teeth 8 may be arranged as illustrated in
Figure 5, or they may be attached to a strip 9 of card-clothing (it however being
inmaterial how they are connected to the shaft 7); but in order that they may
yield without danger of breaking it is preferred to attach them to the cleaning-shaft
of the character
or roller, as illustrated in Figures 6 to 11, in which long teeth
shewn in the perspective view, Figure 6, are passed through a strip 9 of leather or
rubber-cloth, as shown in Figure 7, and the strip or strips, if more than one be
used, is or are properly secured to the roller either in the method shown in Figure 8
or otherwise.
The teeth 8 are arranged with their bases at right angles to the axis of the
roller 7, as illustrated most clearly in Figures 8 and 9 (whereas in ordinary card-
cylinders the cleaning teeth are arranged with their bases parallel with the said
axis), and they may be bent abruptly at a short distance from the base, as illus-
trated in Figure 10, so as to have an extended bearing against the surface of the
roller, being passed through the strip as far as the bend, the bent bases being
confined between the strip and the roller.
In Figures 9 and 11 teeth similar to those shown in Figures 6 to 8 are used,
but there is a narrow strip 10 at the back of the strip 9, and which occupies the
position shown in Figure 11 in respect to the teeth.
Teeth arranged in the manner shown will yield readily in acting on the teeth of
the main card-cylinder, and will be self restoring to their original position after
they are free from contact therewith.
The shaft 7 and its cleaning-teeth are contained within a screen or shield 11
secured to the frame, and composed, according to the modification illustrated in
Figures 1 and 2, of a grating or metal net-work, having openings or meshes of
such a size that the dirt struck from the clothing of the main-cylinder can pass
freely through them, while the released fibre influenced by the current of air caused
by the revolving cylinders has a tendency to fly in the direction of the arrow, and
is pressed into the card-teeth by a revolving plain roller 12.
In carding wool containing much foreign matter, such as burrs, to which the fibre
adheres closely, or in carding cotton in which particles of cotton-seed prevail it is
preferred to use a fluted roller 12*, as illustrated in Figure 12, in place of the plain
roller 12 for the following reasons:-While much of the foreign matter is struck
from the card-clothing of the main-cylinder by the cleaning-teeth and falls through
the grating, particles adhere to the tibre and pass with the same toward the fluted
roller, the grooves of which will afford a lodgment for the seed, burrs, and other
foreign matter while the fibres adhere to the card-teeth of the main-cylinder, and
after passing between the fluted roller and card-cylinder the refuse matter which
has been thus separated from the fibre will fall to the floor while the fibres will
continue to adhere to the teeth of the card-cylinder, to which they may be more
closely applied by a second roller 13.
or
According to the inodification illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 the screen
shield 11 is made without perforations, and in two parts attached at their lower
edges to a rod 14 secured to the side frames, their upper edges being connected to
rods 15 attached to brackets 16 on the said frames. The part 11* of the shield is
hinged to the rod 14, and so connected to its rod 15 that it can be detached
therefrom, thereby permitting it to be turned down when its contents have to be
removed. The other part of the shield may be hinged to the rod 14 in a similar
manner, or, if desired, the entire shield may be detachable from its supports.
A longitudinal reciprocating motion may be imparted to the cleaning-roller or
shaft 7 as it revolves by securing to the shaft 17 of the roller 12 or 12* a scroll-
cam 18, the edge of which projects between the flanges of a wheel 19 on the
shaft 7, so that as the shaft 17, which has no longitudinal movement in its
bearings, revolves a reciprocating motion is imparted to the shaft 7 which can slide
in its bearings.

page_text: Having now described the nature and objects of the said Invention, together
with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, I would remark in conclusion that I claim as the Invention com-
municated to me by the said Thomas Kershaw,―
1. The combination in a carding-engine of a carding-cylinder with a shaft
provided with straight or spiral rows of teeth, and which is arranged in respect to
the said cylinder as set forth, whereby when the shaft is revolved the said teeth
shall intermittently act upon, or have a limited continuous cleaning effect and
penetrate between the teeth of the card-clothing of the said cylinder, substantially
as hereinbefore described and as illustrated on the accompanying Drawings.
And 2. The combination of the card-cylinder, the shaft, and its cleaning-teeth
arranged in respect to the teeth of the card-clothing, as set forth, with the per-
forated or imperforate screen or shield and with the plain or fluted separating
roller, substantially as herein before described and as illustrated on the accom-
panying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bristow Hunt, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
BRISTOW HUNT. (L.S.)