IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND PREPARING COTTON OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Evan Leigh, Henry Thomas Palmer, and William
Edward Whitehead, of Miles Platting, near Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND PREPARING COTTON OR OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 18th January 1867, and dated the 23rd July 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Evan Leigh, Henry
Thomas Palmer, and William Edward Whitehead at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 23rd July 1866.
*We, EVAN LEIGH, HENRY THOMAS PALMER, and WILLIAM EDWARD WHITE-
HEAD, of Miles Platting, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OF APPARATUS POR CLEANING AND PREPARING COTTON OR OTHER
.
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:―
First, this Invention consists of an improved feed roller and shell, or concave
pláte to be used in scutching or carding engines, thus instead of the feed roller
being fixed close up to the concave part of the shell as usual we cause the said
feed roller to be moveable to suit the different staples of cotton or other
fibrous substances; also we serrate the edge of the shell.

page_text: Secondly, an improved form of beater blade for scutchers, the same to be
fixed upon arms or in a cylinderas follows:-We serrate the edges of the beater
in conjunction with a serrated edge upon the shell or plate on which the feed
roller is pressed.
Thirdly, improved vibrating grate bars with power to regulate the air which
is drawn by the fan, and so act upon the cotton that any amount of air
required by the fan may be drawn through the grate bars both in front and
behind the beater. The air can be supplied to the machines in such a manner
that the cotton will pass over the grate bars between the beater and cages
quicker or slower as required.
Fourthly, an improved knocking-off motion for drawing frames, which
mainly consists in making the knocking-off fork act both ways.
Fifthly, an improved front roller for drawing frames to prevent lap waste,
acting independent of a bottom roller or otherwise; this roller is driven by
gearing from the bottom roller which it does not touch, but stands out to the
front of it, and is not weighted, or it may be driven by friction.
Sixthly, improved relieving motion for levers and weights for drawing
rames or other machinery to relieve the top rollers from pressure whilst the
frame is standing. This is accomplished by a longitudinal bar running under
side the beam and below the levers; there is a cross piece under each lever,
so that when the cams are turned the cross piece raises the lever and thus
takes off the pressure from the top rollers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Evan Leigh, Henry Thomas Palmer, and William Edward
Whitehead in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd January 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EVAN
LEIGH, HENRY THOMAS PALMER, and WILLIAM EDWARD WHITEHEAD, of Miles
Platting, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Evan Leigh, Henry Thomas Palmer, and William Edward White-
head, Her special license that we, the said Evan Leigh, Henry Thomas
Palmer, and William Edward Whitehead, our executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigus, or such others as we, the said Evan Leigh, Henry Thomas Palmer,
and William Edward Whitehead, our 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 OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND PREPARING
COTTON OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Evan Leigh, Henry Thomas Palmer, and William Edward
Whitehead, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, or their, or one of our or 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 afte: the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Evan Leigh, Henry Thomas Palmer,
and William Edward Whitehead, do hereby declare the nature of our
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):-
This Invention consists, first, of an improved adjustable feed roller and shell
or concave plate to be used in scutching and carding engines or machines,
thus instead of the feed roller.being permanently placed close up to the
concave part of the shell as usual we cause the said feed roller to work in
bearings which can be moved so as to adjust the roller to suit the different
staples of cotton or other fibrous substances, or we make the shell adjustable;
we also serrate the edge of the shell, or fix a serrated plate to the shell.
of improved vibrating grid or grate bars in scutching machines,
with power to regulate the force of the draught of air which is drawn by the
fan, and so act on the cotton or material that any amount of air required may
be drawn through the grate bars, both in front and behind the beater. The
air can be supplied to the machines in such a manner that the cotton will
pass over the grate bars between the beater and cages quicker or slower as
required.
Secondly,
Thirdly, of an improvement in the knocking off motion of drawing frames,
which improvement mainly consists in making the vibrating knocking-off
forks or levers act both ways instead of one.
Fourthly, of an additional front roller for drawing frames for the purpose

page_text: of preventing lap waste; this roller acts independently of a bottom roller or
otherwise, and is driven by friction or gearing from the bottom roller which
it does not touch, but stands out to the front of the top roller, and is not
weighted.
And, fifthly, of an improved relieving motion for levers and weights for
drawing frames or other machinery for the purpose of relieving the top rollers
from pressure whilst the frame or machine is standing. This is accomplished
by raising by means of cams or cranks a longitudinal bar having cross pieces
beneath the levers of the weights, so that when the cams or cranks are turned
the cross pieces raise the levers and weights, and thus take off the pressure
from the top rollers.
These improvements will be clearly understood by the following particular
description thereof, reference being bad to the figures and letters on the
accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, in which Fig. 1, Sheet 1, is an end
view, Fig. 2 a plan, and Fig. 3 a side view, with part in section, of the
comb or serrated shell of a carding engine, and also our improved adjustable
bearings for the feed roller; Figs. 4 and 5 are side and end views of one of
our improved adjustable bearings, and part of a serrated shell for a scutching
machine; Figs. 6 and 7, transverse sections of the feed roller and serrated
shell in different positions; and Fig. 8 a side view of part of a scutching
machine provided with our improved vibrating grate bars and the apparatus
for regulating the draught of air.
Figs. 9 and 10, Sheet 2, are end and front views of part of a drawing frame
provided with our improved double-acting knocking-off forks or levers; Fig.11
a transverse section shewing the application of an additional roller to the
ordinary drawing rollers of a drawing frame; and Figs. 12 and 13 are end
and front views of our improved relieving motion for drawing frames or
other machinery.
a, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, represents part of the comb or serrated shell of a
carding engine; b, Figs. 4 and 5, part of the serrated shell of the scutching
machine; e, in all the Figures the bearings for the feed rollers; and d, Figs.
1, 2, 4, and, the stands or blocks on which the bearings slide. To one end
of each bearing is fixed a screw e, which passes through a bracket or projec-
tion f, cast or fixed to its corresponding stand, and on each screw there is a
shifting nut y and a set nut h, the shifting nuts being employed for moving
the bearings and adjusting the feed roller nearer to or farther from the edge
of the comb or serrated shell according to the different staples of the fibrous
materials, and the set nuts are for tightening up and keeping the parts firm

page_text: when the adjustment is finished. In Fig. 6 the feed roller of the scutching
machine is shewn in position for short stapled cotton, and in Fig. 7 for long
stapled cotton.
We do not confine ourselves to the arrangement described for shifting the
bearings, as each can be moved by a screw and nut at each end, or by turning
a screw fitting a screwed hole at one or both ends, or wedges with screws, or
any other mechanical contrivance, and it is evident that when desired we can
shift the comb or serrated shell in the same manner as we shift the bearings.
We now describe our improved vibrating grate bars for scutching machines,
and the apparatus for regulating the draught of air.
In Fig. 8,, represents one of the beaters; k, l, two wire cages; m, the fan;
n, one set of vibrating grate bars; and o the frame which carries the bars.
To each side of the frame o are jointed arms or rods p, the lower ends of
which are linked to studs q, fixed to the framework of the machine, and
at one end of the frame there is a block r projecting downwards, and carrying
a roller s, and the arms or rods are jointed in an inclined direction, so that
the bars, frame, and block shall move by their own gravity in one direction to
a certain position, and there remain until they are moved in the opposite direc-
tion. In bearings fixed in the framework there is a shaft t, carrying in the
iuterior of the framework a cam u in contact with the roller s, and outside the
framework a chain pulley v, connected by a chain w with a chain pulley x
fixed to the shaft of the cage 1. When the machine is at work the cage !,
chain pulleys v, a, and cam u revolve in the direction of the arrows, and as
the larger radius of the cam advances against the roller it moves the block r,
frame o, and bars n one way, and the instant the extremity of the cam u
escapes from the rollers the block, frame, and bars fall back by their own
gravity until the roller comes against the boss or lesser radius of the cam with
a shock,the effect of which is to shake the bars,and loosen the dirt and refuse
from their surfaces. Instead of employing a cam with one beat or movement,
we may use a tappet or cam with any number of prominences and recesses
for giving a greater number of vibrating movements to the bars for one revo-
lution of the shaft t, and the said shaft may have revolving motion given to
it by a chain, belt or gearing from any suitable revolving part of the machine.
For regulating the draught of air we employ for each set of grate bars a
damper y fixed to the shaft z extending across the machine, there being at
the outside a handle for turning the damper, and placing it full open or
partially closed as shewn by the full and dotted lines, or at any intermediate
position, so that the cotton shall pass between the beater and stationary grate

page_text: bars over the vibrating grate bars, and between the cages quicker or slower
as required.
Our improvement in the knocking-off motion of drawing frames is shewn
in Figs. 9 and 10, Sheet 2, in which a¹ represents the spoons, and b' the
oscillating shaft, on which shaft we fix two sets of forks or levers c¹ in
opposite positions, so that when a sliver breaks, and a pin or rod/con-
nected to the spoon drops, one fork or lever c¹ shall catch it at either move-
ment, and cause the stoppage of the frame much quicker than in those
frames in which only one set of forks or levers are employed.
Our additional front roller for drawing frames for preventing lap waste is
shewn in Fig. 11, in which f¹ represents the ordinary drawing rollers, and g¹
the additional roller, which is driven in an opposite direction to the bottom
rollers by the gearing h¹, or by friction, so that when the cotton has a
tendency to lap over the ordinary front top roller the additional roller
shall lead it downwards to the calendar rollers.
Our improved relieving motion for drawing frames or other machines is
shewn in Figs. 12 and 13; k¹ represents the top rollers, and l, m, the levers
and weights. In the interior of the machine there is a longitudinal bar n',
having fixed to it cross pieces o¹ below the levers l', and in contact with the
bar there are two cranks or cams having handles, one crank or cam being
shewn at ', and one handle at q'. When the handles are turned to one
position they raise the bar, the cross pieces, and the levers and weights, and
take the pressure off the top rollers, and when turned to the reverse position
the bar and cross pieces are lowered, and allow the pressure to be exerted
on the rollers.
In our Provisional Specification we stated that for scutchers we serrate
the edges of the beater; we believed this to be of our own Invention, but
having since ascertained that it has been before adopted, we now disclaim
it, and leave it out of this our Complete Specification.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be
understood that we claim,-
Firstly, an adjustable feed roller for scutching and carding engines or
machines in conjunction with the serrated or plain edge of a shell or
concave plate, the serrated edge being formed either in the shell or in a
plate fixed to it.
Secondly, improved vibrating grid or grate bars, in conjunction or other-
wise with a regulating damper as shewn.

page_text: Thirdly, improved knocking-off motion for drawing frames as shewn.
Fourthly, improved mode of preventing waste in drawing or other frames.
Fifthly, improved relieving motion applicable to drawing frames or other
machinery weighted by levers and weights.
In witness whereof, we, the said Evan Leigh, Henry Thomas Palmer,
and William Edward Whitehead, have hereunto set our hands and
seals, this Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Evan Leigh, Henry
Thomas Palmer, and William
Edward Whitehead, in the pre-
sence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
עVIVA