CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING WOOL, AND DOFFING, STRAIGHTENING, PIECING, ROVING, AND DRAWING ROLLS OR CARDINGS OF WOOLs
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ARCHIBALD, of the Parish of Alva, in the County of Stirling, in the Kingdom
of Scotland, Manufacturer, send greeting. .
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Fourth day of August, in the seventh year of His reign,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Archibald, His especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said John Archibald, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Archibald, my executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING WOOL, AND DOFFING, STRAIGHTENING, PIECING, ROVING,
AND DRAWING ROLLS OR CARDINGS OF WOOL;" in which said Letters Patent is

page_text: contained a proviso obliging me, the said John Archibald, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Archibald, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
My Improvements in Machinery for Carding Wool, and Doffing, Straighten-
ing, Piecing, Roving, and Drawing Rolls or Cardings of Wool, consist in a
certain improved construction and arrangement of mechanism adapted to a
carding engine, by means of which I am enabled to doff or deliver a greater
quantity of wool, or a greater number of cardings or rolls of wool suited for
clothing purposes than can be obtained by the ordinary mode of conducting
that operation; which advantage is effected by the use of two doffing cylinders
partially covered with sheets of wire cards in a peculiar way, and a novel
mode of working the doffer combs. I am also by my improved mechanism
enabled to straighten out such rolls or cardings of wool as they successively
fall from the roll boxes, and to piece or join them together end to end, so as
to form two continuous rolls or continuous lengths of carding from one engine.
And I likewise, by means of my improved mechanism, cause the said con-
tinuous rolls or cardings to be drawn or extended, in order to perform partially
the effect of slubbing or roving.
These improvements will be further explained by reference to the accom-
panying Drawings, in which the similar letters of reference point out the same
parts of the machinery in all the Figures. The improved mechanism is prin-
cipally contained within a framework of iron, plated at the doffing end of the
carding engine to which it is connected, and from which its moving parts
are all actuated.
Fig. 1 may be called a front elevation of the frame, with the carding engine
seen behind. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, and a portion of the
standards of the framework,
side of the carding engine. a, a, a, are the side
braced together firmly by horizontal bars b, b, b, b. Two doffing cylinders c, c,

page_text: are mounted on axles in the carding engine, and receive the filaments of wool
from the great cylinder in the usual way. d, d, are the doffer combs which
respectively strike off the filaments of wool from the cards of the doffing
cylinders into the roll boxes e, e. The fluted cylinders f, f, act in the usual
way in rolling up the cardings or doffed filaments of wool in the boxes e, e,
and discharging them in front; but in this instance, instead of the rolls or
cardings of wool falling on to an endless cloth, as in ordinary carding engines,
the rolls of wool as they are severally thrown out of the roll boxes fall into a
sort of angular trough formed by wings 9, 9. At stated periods 'these
wings g, g, are thrown open, and the carding or roll of wool contained
within is let fall on to a travelling endless strap h, distended over pullies i, j,
mounted in bearings affixed to the framework, which travelling strap conducts
the roll or carding of wool in a lateral direction between the pulley ; and a
pressing roller k; and when the doffed carding or roll of wool has been carried so
far as to bring its end within a short distance of the end of the wings g, then
the wings again open, and another length or roll of wool is let fall in a similar
way on to the travelling strap h, which causes small portions of the filaments
at the ends of the two rolls to be brought into contact. As the successive
cardings or doffed rolls of wool are thus conducted onward by the endless
carrying strap h, the two ends of the rolls in contact are pressed together in
passing between the pulley ; and the pressing roller k, and their adhesion is
further secured by the operation of twisting the fibres, which is effected as
the carding proceeds between other rollers after it has quitted the carrying
strap. The carding or roll of wool is conducted from the pressing rollers j, k,
between a pair of small drawing rollers m, m, which are made to revolve with
a speed. greater than that of the pressing rollers, in order to draw out or
extend the fibres of the roll of wool. Between these drawing rollers and the
pressing rollers another pair of rollers 1, 1, of larger diameter are mounted,
turning at right angles to the former. The peripheries of these rollers are
slightly convex, and are brought very nearly into contact; they both revolvo
in the same direction, and, hence, as the roll of wool passes between them, it
receives a temporary twist by the friction of the two revolving peripheries,
which brings the fibres of the wool at the junctions of the ends of the cardings
into such a state of combination as to produce adhesion; thus a perpetual roll
of carding is obtained of any length that may be desired.
In order to render my improved mechanism still more evident, and the
operation of producing perpetual rolls of wool more perfectly understood, I
will first.describe the peculiarity of my doffing apparatus. Fig. 3. represents

page_text: the two doffer combs d, d, attached to jointed rods n, n; the fluted cylin-
ders and other mechanisn in front being in this Figure removed, in order
to shew the doffing apparatus more distinctly. Two vertical bars p, p, having
guide slots, are made fast to horns or brackets extending from the framing
of the carding engine, and studs q, q, q, q, affixed to the jointed rods n, n,
slide in the slots of these bars p, p, for the purpose of guiding the doffer
combs as they are raised and depressed by the rotation of the crank shaft r
at bottom.
Fig. 4 represents one of the jointed rods of the doffer comb, as it woud
appear when seen sideways; and Fig. 5 is a similar view of one of the guide
bars p. 8 is the joint or hinge on which the jointed rods bend as the doffer
combs move up and down, and by means of these joints s and the studs q, q,
which slide in the guide bars p, p, the doffer combs are thrown off from the
doffing cylinders in rising and are brought on, that is, into operation in
falling, the movements of which it will be perceived are produced by the
revolving crank shaft at bottom driven in the usual way. The two doffing
cylinders I make of any diameter that may be required, and upon their peri-
pheries I place two, three, or more sheets of wire cards extending from end
to end in the direction of the axis, observing that the blank spaces upon the
peripheries of the doffing cylinders between the sheets of cards must not be
less in breadth than the breadths of the sheets; and the relative positions
of the doffing cylinders in the engine must be such as to cause the several
sheets of cards of the two cylinders to come alternately into operation, in
order that the cards of each doffing cylinder may respectively take the wool
from the great carding cylinder at intervening spaces of time. The filaments
of wool thus successively struck off or doffed from the doffing cylinders
fall between the revolving fluted cylinders f, f, and their boxes e, e, as
usual, for the purpose of being rolled up into the forms of ordinary cardings
or rolls of wool, and they are thrown out at the front of each box in the
angular trough 9, g, placed there to receive them As, however, it is of
importance that each roll of wool should be laid in its trough as straight as
possible, I have found it desirable to form the front edge of each roll box of
thin metal, in order to prevent the filaments of wool hanging to the wooden
box; and I also curve the front edge or lip of the box slightly downwards in
the middle, as shewn in Fig. 1, for the purpose of causing the middle part of the
roll of wool to be first passed out of the roll box, as by that mode of falling it
will be more readily enabled to place itself straight along its trough. And to
facilitate this, as well as to prevent the fibres of the wool adhering to the

page_text: periphery of the fluted cylinder f, I direct a blast of wind downward over the
front of the fluted cylinder from a row of small holes in a horizontal pipe t.
The blast of wind may be forced into the pipe by a rotary fan in the wind
box us, worked by a pulley and band from the shaft of what is called the fancy
cylinder, or by any other convenient means. In the front view of the
mechanism Fig. 1, and also in the side view Fig. 2, it will be perceived that
the wings of the upper angular trough g, g, are closed, in order to receive the
carding or roll of wool when it falls from the roll box e; but the right-hand
end of the trough has a small opening at 2, for the purpose of allowing a
portion of the carding or roll toward its end to hang down and touch the
previously deposited carding or roll of wool which is moving along in a lateral
direction with the travelling strap h below. Py this means I ensure the contact
of the fibres of the two rolls or cardings, and when the lower roll or carding
has been conducted by the travelling strap so far toward the right hand as
to bring its end within about an inch and a half of the end of the carding or
roll hanging from the trough above then the wing of the trough is thrown
open, and the roll falls on to the endless travelling strap h, and is moved onward
by it, the ends of the two rolls being in contact. But for the purpose of laying
the carding or roll of wool perfectly straight upon the strap h, I have placed a
small lip at the left-hand end of the back wing of the trough shewn by dots
in Fig. 1, which holds up that end of the roll of wool until it is drawn off by
the
progress of the travelling strap, which consequently draws it straight.
I may here remark, that I have found it desirable to attach a series of forks
made of slight strips of tin, as guides, extending on each side of the carrying
strap, which effectually prevent the carding or roll of wool falling over the
side, or otherwise getting out of its proper position. The means by which the
opening of the trough g is effected will be perceived by reference to the end
view, Fig. 2. A crank arm vis affixed to the shaft of the front or moveable
wing g, which is connected to a horizontal rod w, hanging by a joint upon a
crank arm a attached to the side standard frame. The reverse end of this
rod w carries an antifriction roller, which bears against the periphery of a
rotary cam y, fixed upon the shaft of the doffing cylinder, and hence, as tho
doffing cylinder revolves, the larger radius of the cam forces back the rod w
and crank arm », and keeps the movable wing of the trough g closed; but
when, as the cam y revolves, the antifriction roller of the rod w is allowed to
fall from the greater to the lesser radius of the cam, the rod instantly recedes,
and the wing of the trough falls open, allowing the carding or roll of wool
to descend on to the endless travelling strap h, as above described. The

page_text: cardings or rolls of wool carried along laterally by the travelling band h, as
before stated, pass under the pressing roller k, and the ends of the two rolls of
wool brought together as described are thereby pressed into more immediate
contact. The ends of the axle of each pressing roller & work loosely in grooved
brackets affixed to the bar 6; they press by their own gravity, and revolve by
the friction of the travelling straps h, h, passing under them. These travelling
straps h, h, and their pullies i, j, i,j, are actuated by means of bevel and spur
gear from the carding engine. From the pressing rollers the united cardings
or rolls of wool are led off to the pair of drawing rollers m, m, which have plain
peripheries. The lower drawing roller is mounted in bearings affixed to a
bracket extending from the end of the framework, and is driven by gear
through an intermediate wheel taking into a spur wheel on the shaft of the
pulley j; the upper drawing roller, which turns by friction, is mounted in an
arm having a joint, which allows of it being raised as shewn in the partial end
view, Fig. 6. The twisting rollers 1, 1, are a pair of plain wheels rounded at
their edges; they turn on studs fixed to the end frame, and revolve with their
peripheries nearly in contact. On the side of each wheel 7, a grooved pulley
is formed, and under each pulley a band passes from a large pulley A above,
which is driven by a cone pulley fixed on its shaft, carrying a band from the
shaft of the fancy cylinder; thus the wheels 1, 1, are both made to revolve in
the same direction, and, by pinching the carding or roll of wool in its passage
between them as they revolve, cause the fibres of the wool to be temporarily
twisted, which brings the fibres at the ends of the two conjoined rolls or
cardings sufficiently into combination to produce a perfect union or piecing
of the ends of the cardings or rolls of wool.
Having now described the construction and object of my Improvements in
Machinery for Carding Wool, and Doffing, Straightening, Piecing, Roving, and
Drawing Rolls or Cardings of Wool, I lastly declare that the particular features
of my improvements consist in, -
.
First, the peculiar mode of working two doffer combs by jointed crank rods
in connection with two doffing cylinders.
Second, the angular troughs for receiving the rolls or cardings of wool
when discharged from the roll boxes, and the curved form of the metal edges
of those boxes.
Third, the endless travelling straps for receiving and conducting the
successive rolls.
Fourth, the pressing rollers for connecting the rolls with the drawing
rollers and twisting wheels.

page_text: And, nith, the arrangement of the whole mechanism for the purposes
above stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Archibald, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Declaration of the said Henry
Goodford, the Instrument aforesaid was inrolled word for word as above
written. And also the Instrument aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth year of the reign of Ilis late
Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Fourth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-seven.