IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Edmund Donisthorpe, of Leeds, in the
County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR
COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES."
Sealed the 17th March 1865, and dated the 25th October 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Edmund Donis-
thorpe at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 25th October 1864.
I, GEORGE EDMUND DONISTHORPE; of Leeds, in the County of York; do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES," to be as follows:-
Heretofore in that class of combing machine in which two endless combs
are employed that by separating comb out the wool or other fibre; the
slivers of fibre to be combed have in some cases been passed through flat tubes
or troughs ranged around one of the combs, the ends of the tubes being made
to come nearly up to the outer row of teeth' of the comb, and the slivers
carried by them caused to project over its teeth, so that the ends of the
slivers form an endless ring of fibre. Such machines have been so arranged
that as each of the tubes comes round towards the point at which the combs
meet the end of the tube is raised; and the end of the sliver projecting from
it is lifted out of the teeth of the comb, and as the tubé comés opposite the
point at which the combs meet the end of the sliver is pressed down into the
teeth of the two combs.

page_text: Now, according to my Invention, in place of employing tubes, the ends of
which come up to the outer row of teeth of the comb, I employ tubes that
project over its teeth, each tube being formed with a number of transverse
slots on its under side, into which the rows of teeth of the comb are received
when the sliver is lying in the comb. By employing tubes that thus project
over the teeth of the comb to carry the slivers, much broader combs may be
employed than heretofore, so that when combing wool of long staple the comb
may be of sufficient width to allow of the whole length of fibre lying in the
combs. The tubes I, by preference, form of a number of thin plates, each
having a slot formed in it. These plates are placed one in front of the other,
with narrow spaces left between them, so that the rows of teeth of the comb
may enter into these spaces. The plates are connected together at their
upper ends, and the slivers are passed through the slots in all the plates. By
forming each tube of a number of plates, each having a slot formed in it, the
sliver may be both raised out of the teeth of the comb by the tubes and also
depressed by them into the comb, as the bottom edge of the slots serves to
raise the sliver, and the upper edge of the slots to press the sliver down.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Edmund Donisthorpe in the Great Seal Patent
⚫ Office on the 24th April 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,- GEORGE
EDMUND DONISTHORPE, of Leeds, in the County of York, send greeting."
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the.
said George Edmund Donisthorpe Her special licence that I, the said George
Edmund Donisthorpe, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as. I, the said George Edmund Donisthorpe, 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 Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES," upon the.
condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Edmund Donisthorpe, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,.

page_text: 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 per-
formed, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Edmund Donisthorpe, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
Heretore in that class of combing machine in which two endless combs are
employed that by separating comb out the wool or other fibro, the slivers
of fibre to be combed have in some cases been passed through flat tubes or
troughs ranged around one of the combs, the ends of the tubes being made to
come nearly up to the outer row of teeth of the comb, and the slivers carried
by them caused to project over its teeth, so that the ends of the slivers form
an endless ring of fibre. Such machines have been so arranged that as each
of the tubes comes round towards the point at which the combs meet the end
of the tube is raised, and the end of the sliver projecting from it is lifted
out of the teeth of the comb, and as the tubo comes opposite the point at
which the combs meet the end of the sliver is pressed down into the teeth of
the two combs.
Now, according to my Invention, in place of employing tubes, the ends of
which come up to the outer row of teeth of the comb, I employ tubes that
project over its teeth, each tube being formed with a number of transverse
slots on its under side, into which the rows of teeth of the comb are received
when the sliver is lying in the comb. By employing tubes that thus project
over the teeth of the comb to carry the slivers much broader combs may be
employed than heretofore, so that when combing wool of long stable the comb
may be of sufficient width to allow of the whole length of fibre lying in the
combs.
The Drawings hereunto annexed shew an example of the application of
troughs, such as are above described, to a combing machine composed of
endless combs; the endless combs in this case being circular rotating combs.
One of the circular combs only is shown in the Drawings. This comb is
usually about 5 or 6 feet in diameter, and around it the slivers are ranged as
is usual, so as to form a continuous ring of fibre all around the inner circum-
ference of the comb, the slivers being carried by the comb, and so caused to
travel round with it. This comb works with two other circular combs of
much smaller diameter, which are placed on its interior, and rotate in the

page_text: same plane with it, and, at the same surface speed. The outer. circumference
of both small combs is caused, to meet or come in contact with the inner cir-
cumference of the larger comb, one, small comb touching one, point of its
circumference, and the other small comb touching the. opposite. point of its
circumference. The ends of the slivers are combed by their being in suc- 5
cession lifted out of the teeth of the larger comb, as by the revolution of this
comb they are brought round towards the point where. this comb comes in.
contact with one of the smaller combs, and as each sliver is in succession:
brought round to this point its end is deposited into the teeth. of. both combs.
by a brush. or otherwise, and the fibre. so deposited into the. teeth. of, both 1
combs is, as the comb continues to revolve, combed out by.the.separation.of
the combs, so leaving a clean fringe of fibre projecting from each, comb, .which,
is drawn off by drawing rollers. As the slivers are by the revolution of the.
Jarger comb brought.round in succession to the other small circular comb,
they are again lifted out of the teeth of the large comb, and afterwards placed. I
into the teeth of both combs at the point where they meet together, and are,
again combed as before. Combing machines of this class are now. well,
known, and their construction and mode of operation is well understood, so
that it is unnecessary to give any further general description of them.
Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings shew so much of a combing machine.of.2
this description as is necessary to illustrate my Invention. Figure 1 is a.
cross section of the larger comb above mentioned, together with one of the
tubes or lifters through which the slivers to be combed are passed. In this.
view is also shewn the manner in which it is preferred to raise the tubes.or.
lifters so as to lift the wool out of the teeth of the comb. I have not thought
it necessary to shew the smaller circular combs or any of the other parts of
the combing machine, as their construction is well understood.
A plan view of a portion of the comb shewn at Figure 1, is shewn on a
smaller scale at Figure 2. In these Figures a is a circular ring or plate,
which carries on its upper surface the points or teeth of which the larger s
comb is composed. At the inner edge of the plate are three rows of teeth
b, b, b, and outside these are other rows of coarser teeth 61, which are for the
purpose of keeping the wool or other fibre straight and prevent it from being
drawn up out of a straight line behind the rows of fine teeth 6 when wool or
fibre is being drawn from the inner edge of the comb. The inner edge of the 8
plate a rests upon the upper surface of the circular steam chest c, and all
around this edge of the plate is a descending flange which bears against the
inner edge of the steam chest. All around the descending flange teeth are
formed, and rotary motion is given to the plate by a pinion, gearing into the

page_text: teeth formed around the flange, and, the plate is caused to revolve truly by its'
flange bearing against the steam chest'as above mentioned. The circular
steam chest is. carried by four standards & placed at equal distances: apart,
one only of which standards is shewn; in the Drawing.. To the upper end: of
each. standard, is bolted an arm d', each of which, carries a roller ei upont
which the under side of the plate a also rests. The slivers of wool which are
ranged around the comb b; 6', are passed through tubes:or lifters which project:
over the row of, teeth 6', but not over the; rows of teeth:b; if the tubes 'or
lifters projected over the rows of teeth 6, other; means of feeding the slivers
forward through the tubes or; lifters would have to be provided than those
shewn in the Drawing. The rolls of slivers whose ends 'pass through: the
tubes frest on and are carried by wooden rollers-supported by the lower 'end'
of arms.a', which descend from the under side of the ring aas is usual:. Each
of the tubes or lifters 'f has slots-formed on its under. side, into which 'the
rows of teeth 6 are received, as is shown at Figure 1, and also by Figures 4;.
5, 6, and 7, which show views of one. of these tubes or lifters separately.
Each of the tubes or lifters is provided with a lid f, turning on. a pin at f³,
this is to facilitate the placing of the ends of the slivers into the tubes. The
lids when turned down to close the top of the lifters are secured by a turn-
button g. Projecting from the 'under side of each lifter are two rods h, h,
each carrying at its lower end a roller h¹. When-the lifter has to be raised"
so as to lift the wool out of the teeth 61, these rollers are by the revolution of
the plate.a brought against inclines k, k, (see Figure 1). These inclines are
supported by two of the arms d¹, which project from two of the standards d,
and they are curved to a segment of a circle of suitable radius to allow the
rollers ¹ to run on them. As the rollers rise up these inclines the lifter to
which the rollers are connected is raised, and when the lifter has been raised
to such an extent that the sliver passing through it has been raised above the
top of the teeth 61, the end of the sliver still remains in the comb teeth b, as
these teeth are higher than the teeth 6', and the end of the sliver is also held
down into these teeth by the curved steel blade 7. As the lifter still continues
the sliver is drawn forward
to rise, and the sliver is still held in the teeth b,
through the lifter f until the lifter has risen to the position shown at Figure 8.
The height to which the lifter is raised can, however, be greatly varied by
varying the position of the inclines. When the lifter ceases to rise, and the
sliver by the rotation of the plate a has been moved beyond the curved blade 7,
the end of the sliver is lifted out of the teeth 6 by an inclined plate as is
usual, so that its ends may be placed over the teeth of one of the smaller circular
combs, where the circumference of the comb on the plate a comes in contact

page_text: with the circumference of this smaller comb. When the end of the sliver is
so placed into the teeth of both combs it is pressed down into the teeth by a
brush as is usual, and at the same time the lifters, which then have been
carried round beyond the inclines k, descend by their own weight, assisted by
the spiral springs h³, so as to place the sliver into the teeth 6'. The end of
the sliver so placed into the two combs is combed out by the combs sepa-
rating one from the other by their continuing to revolve. This leaves a clean
fringe of fibre projecting from both combs, which is drawn off by drawing
rollers, and afterwards as the sliver is by the further revolution of the plato a
brought round towards the second small circular comb, the rollers /¹ are
again brought against. inclinės similar to the inclines k before described,
which, again cause the lifters to rise, and so again draw. forward the end of
the sliver that it may be placed into the teeth both of the larger and smaller
comb. where they. come together, when the end of the sliver is again combed
as before..
In witness whereof, I, the said George Edmund Donisthorpe, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.