IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Charles Eastwood and Thomas Whitley, of
Bradford, in the County of York, Overlookers, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Charles East-
wood and Thomas Whitley at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th May 1855.
We, THOMAS CHARLES EASTWOOD and THOMAS WHITLEY, of Bradford, in
the County of York, Overlookers, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING & COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES" to be as follows:-
The improvements relate to means of working combs used as carrying
combs between suitable feed means and receiving combs, in connection with
means of using such receiving combs. The carrying combs are supported by
arms or other means from an axis, around which they rotate, and we by pre-
ference use several of such axes, which in addition to their rotary motion have
a movement in a circular or other orbit. The supply to these carrying combs
from suitable feed means is effected when those combs are in their combined
motion furthest from the centre of such circular or other orbit, whilst the
delivering therefrom to the receiving combs is effected when the carrying

page_text: combs have made a partial rotation, and are turned inwards towards the
common centre. The receiving
The receiving combs are caused to traverse within such
orbit, and in that position to receive the fibre from the carrying combs.
Card or other point roller may be employed to act upon the fibre between the
feed and the delivery to the receiving combs.
2.4.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Charles Eastwood and Thomas Whitley in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wе, TномАя
CHARLES EASTWOOD and THOMAS WHITLEY, of Bradford, in the County of
York, Overlookers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Thomas Charles Eastwood and Thomas Whitley, Her special licence that
we, the said Thomas Charles Eastwood and Thomas Whitley, our exccutors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Charles
Eastwood and Thomas Whitley, 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 "In-
PROVEMENTS IN PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Charles East
wood and Thomas Whitley, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly describe
and ascertain the mature 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 dato of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thomas Charles Eastwood and Thomas
Whitley, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-

page_text: The improvements relate to means of working combs used as carrying and
holding combs between suitable feed means and receiving combs, in connection
with means of using such receiving combs. The carrying combs are supported
by arms or other means from an axis, around which they rotate, and we
by preference use several of such axes, which in addition to their rotary.
motion have a movement in a circular or other orbit. The supply to these
carrying combs from suitable feed means is effected when those combs are in
their combined motion furthest from the centre of such circular or other
orbit, whilst the delivering therefrom to the receiving combs is effected when
the carrying combs have made a partial rotation, and are turned inwards
towards the common centre. The receiving combs are caused to traverse.
within such orbit, and in that position to receive the fibre from the carrying
combs. Card or other point rollers may be employed to act upon the fibre
between the feed and the delivery to the receiving combs.
But that the nature of our said Invention and in what manner we carry the
same into effect may be fully understood, we will proceed to describe the
Drawings annozod
Figures
and 2 show two side views, Figures 3 and 4 two opposite end
views, and Figures 5 and 6 two sections, of apparatus arranged according to
our improvements.
a, a, is the main framing of the machine; b is the main or driving axis, froin
which the various movements of the different parts are obtained. The axis b
receives motion from a steam engine or other suitable power, acting by a strap.
or band upon the fixed drum or pulley affixed on that axis b; c, c, c, c, are
two pairs of feed rollers, which receive motion, as hereafter explained, by which
slivers of wool or other fibrous substance to be treated are fed into the machine
in order to its being taken by the combs d. The combs d, of which we have
shown six (but this number may be varied), are supported in pairs upon arms
d, carried by the shafts or axes d', d', which are each capable of a rotary motion
to carry round their combs d, whilst they are capable also of traversing in an
orbit around a common centro of motion. e are the endless traversing or
other receiving combs, on to which the wool or other fibre is delivered by the
combs d; and the movements of the parts are so arranged, that after each comb
d has taken its feed of wool or other fibrous substance from the feeding means,
and before it comes round again for a fresh supply, its axis & makes a partial
rotation to bring that comb into a position to deliver its quantity of fibre on to
the receiving and traversing comb e, whereby the delivery of fibre from each of

page_text: the combs d will be effected when it is turned inwards and nearest the common
centre of motion of those combs d, and at the same side of such centre of
motion as that at which the supply to those combs is obtained; and at the same
time the other comb of that axis will be brought into a position to take a
quantity of wool or other fibre from the feeding means, and so on with each
comb d of each axis d², in succession. The axes & are supported in bearings f,
formed on or affixed to the rings f', which are supported so as to be capable of
rotating in the rims a', affixed to the end framings a, and the rings f¹ have
teoth formed on their periphery, which are taken into by the teeth of the
wheels f, affixed to the shaft or axis b, by which these rings f¹ will have
continuous rotary motion given to them.
Upon each axis d' there is also affixed a pinion d³, which at one part of the
orbit of the axes d is brought into connection with the teeth d' formed on
the fixed plate &, carried by one of the rims a', for the purpose of giving the
partial rotary motion to each axis d in succession, as referred to. But in order
that so soon as this change of position of the combs by the partial rotation of
an axis d³ has been effected, the combs & may be held steadily so as to move
only with the rings f, there is applied to each axis d³ a plate do, formed with
two opposite edges of a curve corresponding to and so as to slide on the
inner surface of one of the rims a¹, and one of those edges will be con-
stantly sliding on the inner surface of that rim except at the instant when
the change of position of any pair of combs is being effected by the wheel
thereof coming into action with the teeth d'; and in order to the plate da
turning freely at such time with its axis d', a portion of the rim a' is cut
away, as shown at a².
We would remark that we prefer to apply the teeth of the combs d so that
their points incline outwards, by which they will more readily take into the
wool or other fibre, as well as be in a better position for conducting the fibre
held thereby through the card or other points on the surface of the rollers 9, 9,
and, by penetrating between the teeth upon the surface of those cylinders g, of
taking up and thereby clearing out the refuse or noil previously left in these
teeth or points, and also to deliver the fibre on to the receiving combs; and by
the teeth of the combs d thus penetrating between and thereby clearing the
points of the teeth of the cylinders g, the tibre left therein by previous combs d
will be taken for delivery to the receiving comb e, and the use of stripping
rollers to those cylinders is rendered unnecessary. The cylinders 9, I, I, have
their surfaces covered with card teeth or other suitable points, and they are so
placed as to act upon the fibres as conducted through them by the teeth of the
combs d. These cylinders have slow rotary motion given to them, so as to bring

page_text: a fresh and cleared portion of their surface to act upon the fibre carried by the
combs d, in manner hereafter referred to, and the teeth of the cylinders g
are caused to penetrate the fibre as conducted through them by the teeth of
the combs d, the fibre at such time lying upon the surfaces of the plates d,
and the points of the cylinder 9 working close up to such surface of the
plate d'.
The receiving combs care
endless comb, to which a
We would here remark, that although we have shown only one row of teeth
to each of the combs d, we do not confine ourselves thereto, nor to the length
of the teeth, or to the number of them to the inch, as these may be varied, as
may also the number of teeth to the inch, and the length of them, as well as the
number of rows employed in the chain of combs e.
affixed to links connected together so as to form an
progressive motion is given in the direction of the arrow by the motion given
to the carrying wheel e¹. is a similar carrying wheel, except that it has no
motion given to it except that given by the chain of combs for the purpose of
keeping the chain of combs distended. The wheel & rotates upon an axis es
fixed to the framing, as shown. The chain of combs is also supported in
passing through the machine by means of the stationary guide e. Motion
is given to the wheel in the following manner:-Upon the main shaft or
axis 6 is affixed the toothed wheel e', which takes into and drives the toothed
wheel e, to which is affixed the tooth wheel e', which together are supported
so as to revolve upon the fixed stud . The teeth of the wheel take into
the teeth of the wheel e, affixed to the hollow axis e", which rotates upon a
fixed stud, as shown, and has also affixed to it the bevilled pinion ", which
takes into and drives the bevilled pinion upon the axis e, upon which is
affixed the pinion e, which, by means of the intermediate wheels e, drives
the toothed wheel e affixed to the axis e, upon the other end of which is
fixed the pinion e", which takes into and drives the tooth wheel affixed to the
wheel, by which that wheel will receive a slow motion to move the chain
of receiving combs e. By this arrangement of parts in connexion with the
combs e, those combs are at the time of receiving fibre from the combs d
passing through the orbit traversed by the combs d, whilst they receive such
fibre at the same side of the common centre of motion of the combs d as that
at which the feed takes place.
Upon the axis e is also affixed the small bevilled pinion c', which takes into
and drives the bevilled pinion ², to which is affixed, so as to rotate with it
upon a fixed stud, as shown, the small pinion &, which takes into and drives
the intermediate wheel c', to which is affixed, so as to rotate with it upon the
stud c, the small pinion c, which takes into and drives the tooth wheel &',

page_text: affixed to the axis of one of the lower pair of feed rollers c, whilst upon that
axis is also affixed the pinion c, which takes into and drives the pinion c
affixed on the axis of one of the upper pair of feed rollers, by which the
requisite feeding motion will be given to those rollers. From these feed rollers
motion is also given to the card cylinders by their being affixed on the axis of
one of them the toothed wheel g', which takes into and gives motion to the
toothed wheel g², upon the axis of which is affixed the toothed wheel g³,
which takes into and drives the tooth wheel g', affixed upon the axis of one of
the rollers g. There is also a wheel g'affixed upon the axis of each of the
cylinders g, and they are connected together so as to receive like rotary motion
by means of the intermediate wheels g. We prefer in use that the teeth of
the cylinders g, which succeed each other in operating upon the fibres, be of a
progressively finer character than the preceding. Upon the axis e¹ is also
affixed the bevilled pinion i, which takes into and drives the bevilled pinion ¿¹
affixed to the axis, upon which is affixed the bevilled pinion ³, which takes
into and drives the bevilled pinion affixed to the axis of one of the drawing-
off rollers, 23 is the conducting and drawing-off apron for conducting the
wool or other fibre to the drawing-off rollers. The bevilled pinion e¹s also
drives the bevilled pinion h, affixed to the hollow axis h', upon which is also
affixed the pinion h², which by means of the intermediate wheel h³ drives the
pinion, affixed upon the axis of one of the delivery rollers h, upon which is
also affixed the pinion ho, which takes into the pinion h', affixed on the axis of
the other roller h³, so as to cause them to rotate together. The rollers h
deliver the wool or other fibre into a can or other suitable receiver.
Upon the
axis of one of the drawing-off rollers t' is affixed the pulley j, which by means
of the band gives rotary motion to the tube or funnel 7, conducting the fibre
from the drawing-off rollers i to the delivery rollers h³. k is a rotatory brush,
for raising the noil towards the points of the teeth of the combs €; and is a
rotating cylinder, with flaps of leather or other suitable material, which by
wiping against the noil on the points of the combs e knocks it off into cans
or other suitable receivers placed to take it as knocked off. The cylinder /
receives rotary motion from the axis of one of the drawing-off rollers i by
More being affixed on that axis a drum or pulley , which by means of the
strap or band gives motion to the drum or policy, no univer.
the cylinder, upon which is also affixed the pulley, which by the band or
strap gives motion to the pulley 1a, affixed on the axis of the brush k. 112
is a brush, which is simply caused to descend upon the fibres of wool or other
substances when being delivered from the combs d into the comb c, and
thereby cause them to be more fully placed in those combs; and we prefer

page_text: that the bristles of the brush be longer at the end 1 than at the end 2, by
The
which the fibre will be found more uniformly laid on to the combs e.
brush m is carried by arms m', affixed to the axis m³, which is supported so as
to turn in suitable bearings carried by the framing, as shown, and has affixed
on it the arm m, which by means of the link m is connected to the stud m³
projecting from the plate me, which is affixed to the axis m', which is capable
of rotating in a standard from the main framing, and has also affixed to it the
tooth wheel me, which takes into and is driven by the teeth on the periphery
of one of the rings f¹.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the best means
we are acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, we would have it
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein shown
and described, as the same may be varied without departing from the peculiar
character of our Invention; but what we do claim is, the arranging and
combining parts forming apparatus for preparing and combing wool and other
fibrous substances to operate in manner substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Charles.Eastwood and Thomas
Whitley, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Ninth day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-five.
Witness,
WILLIAN BROOKES,
THOMAS CHARLES EASTWOOD. (LS.)
THOMAS
WHITLEY.
Patent Agent.
(L.B.).