IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING CUT ROPE, STRANDS, OR YARN FOR CARDING INTO OAKUM
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Theophilus Westhorp, of the Falcon Works, Bromley,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING CUT ROPE, STRANDS, OR YARN FOR
CARDING INTO OAKUM."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Theophilus Westhorp at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
. 26th August 1863.
I, THEOPHILUS WESTHORP, of the Falcon Works, Bromley, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING CUT ROPE, STRANDS, OR
YARN FOR CARDING INTO OAKUM," to be as follows:―
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for
preparing cut rope, strands, or yarn which is intended to be carded into
oakum. The cut rope, strands, or yarn is placed into a cylinder or or vessel
mounted on hollow axes. Highly heated air is caused to pass into the
rotating cylinder or vessel through its hollow axes to soften the cut rope,

page_text: strands, or yarn. The heated air is caused to enter the cylinder or vessel
either by a fan, blower, or otherwise. Within the rotating cylinder or vessel
are four or any other number of revolving drums or beaters, each having four
or any other number of blades, the outer edges of which may be either plain or
serrated, as preferred; the axes of these drums or beaters are carried by the
rotating cylinder or vessel. Each of the rotating drums or beaters has a
toothed pinion fixed upon its axis, which takes into and gears with a toothed
wheel. This toothed wheel it is preferred should be stationary and fixed to
the framing, by which means the beaters are caused to rotate very rapidly
when the rotating cylinder or vessel is put in motion. Affixed to the interior
of the rotating cylinder or vessel are a number of fixed projections or blades
extending to within a short distance of the outer edges of the blades of the
beaters. The cut rope, strands, or yarn placed within the rotating cylinder
or vessel will thus be thrown and beaten between the blades of the beaters
and the fixed projections or blades of the cylinder. In some cases when the
cut rope is very hard it may be found necessary to introduce surcharged steam,
which is then caused to enter the cylinder either separately or combined with
the heated air, as' preferred:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Theophilus Westhorp in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 26th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THEOPHILUS
WESTHORP, of the Falcon Works, Bromley, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 2
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Theophilus Westhorp, Her special licence that I, the said
Theophilus Westhorp, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Theophilus Westhorp, 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

page_text: Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
PREPARING CUT ROPE, STRANDS, OR YARN FOR CARDING INTO ОAKUM," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Theophilus Westhorp, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Theophilus Westhorp, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for
preparing cut rope, strands, or yarn which is intended to be carded into
oakum. The cut rope, strands, or yarn is placed into a cylinder or vessel
mounted on .hollow axes. Highly heated air is caused to pass into the
rotating cylinder or vessel through its hollow axes to soften the cut rope,
strands, or yarn. The heated air is caused to enter the cylinder or vessel
either by a fan, blower, or otherwise. Within the rotating cylinder or vessel
are four or any other number of revolving drums or beaters, each having four
or any other number of blades, the outer edges of which may be either plain
or serrated, as preferred; the axes of these drums or beaters are carried by
the rotating cylinder or vessel. Each of the rotating drums or beaters has a
toothed pinion fixed upon its axis, which takes into and gears with a toothed
wheel. This toothed wheel it is preferred should be stationary and fixed to
the framing, by which means the beaters are caused to rotate very rapidly
when the rotating.cylinder or vessel is put in motion. Affixed to the interior
of the rotating cylinder or vessel are a number of fixed projections or blades
extending to within a short distance of the outer edges of the blades of the
beaters. The cut rope, strands, or yaru placed within the rotating cylinder or
vessel will thus be thrown and beaten between the blades of the beaters and
the fixed projections or blades of the cylinder. In some cases when the cut
Fope is very hard it may be found necessary to introduce surcharged steam,
which is then caused to enter the cylinder either separately or combined with
the heated air, as preferred.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood.and
readily carried into effect, I will now proceed to describe the accompanying

page_text: DESCRITTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view, Figure 2 an end view, and Figure 3 a section of
apparatus constructed suitably for reducing cut rope, strands, or yarn pre-
paratory to its being carded into oakum according to my Invention. .
a is a cylinder into which the cut rope, strands, or yarn is placed; a¹, a, are
doors or openings, which are removeable for this purpose. The vessel a is
mounted on hollow axes b, b, through which highly heated air at from 250
degrees to 300 degrees Fahrenheit is admitted to the rotating cylinder or
vessel; c, c, are revolving drums or beaters, the number and arrangement of
which depend upon the size and form of the cylinder or vessel a; they each
have four or other number of blades c', c', the outer edges of which may be
either plain or serrated. The axes of these drums or beaters c are carried by
the rotating cylinder or vessel a; d, d, are the axes of the drums or beaters c, c,
and e, e, are pinions affixed or keyed thereon; 9 is a toothed ring affixed to
the framing, into the teeth of which the pinions e, e, gear, so that as they are
caused to rotate with the cylinder or vessel a they will revolve rapidly with the
drums or beaters c, c, affixed on the same axes d, d. Affixed to the interior
of the cylinder or vessel a are a number of fixed blades or projections a², a
as shewn at Figure 3; these blades or projections cause the cut rope, strands,
or yarn to be thrown and beaten between them and the blades of the drums
or beaters c, c; f,f, is the supply pipe for conducting the heated air; and f¹ is
a pipe which is sometimes employed for supplying steam, which by entering
the pipe, as shewn in the Drawing, becomes surcharged. Steam is only
introduced when the cut rope, strands, or yarn is very hard.
The apparatus is driven in the following manner :-h, h, are fast and
Juose pullies on the shaft i, on which is a toothed wheel j taking into a
toothed ring j affixed to the cylinder or vessel a; k is a pulley, which is
mounted on a hollow axis k³, and on this hollow axis one of the drums or
beaters c is keyed; this drum or beater c it is preferred should be driven
'in a reverse direction to that of the other drums or beaters, and as its
hollow axis works within the hollow axis 6 of the cylinder or vessel a it
is perforated, to allow of the heated air or surcharged' steam to pass into
the cylinder or vessel a; is a cock for allowing the escape when necessary
of the steam.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of

page_text: performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to
any of the parts separately; but what I claim is, the combined machine
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Theophilus Westhorp, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
T. WESTHORP. (L.S.)