IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR FEEDING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES TO PREPARING AND CARDING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clissold, of Dudbridge Works, near
Stroud, in the County of Gloucester, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR FEEDING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES TO PREPARING
AND CARDING MACHINES."
Sealed the 3rd October 1866, and dated the 7th April 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clissold at the
'
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th April 1866.
I, WILLIAM CLISSOLD, of Dudbridge Works, near Stroud, in the County
of Gloucester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR FEEDING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES TO PREPARING
AND CARDING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide a means of feeding wool, cotton,
or other fibrous substances to preparing or carding machines without sepa-
rating the long from the short fibres. Thus when operating with wool I
propose to make a bat or sheet with the long and short wool or shoddy well
mixed, and of the same consistence throughout its breadth and length. The
wool or other fibre to be operated upon is placed in a large box or receiver of
the width of the bat or sheet required to be made, the width being determined.
by the width of the machine to be fed. The bottom of the box is formed of
inclined bars, which are suspended at their upper ends by hooked rods
pendent from a cross bar at the back of the box. Their front and lower ends
extend to the front of the box, which has a horizontal opening at the level of
the bars for discharging the fibrous material. A forward endway motion is.
given alternately to every other of the bars by means of coiled springs, which
çonnect them with a fixed cross bar, and the return motion is produced by

page_text: means of fingers or cams on a rotating transverse shaft striking against pro-
jections on the under side of the bars. The object of this endway motion of
the inclined bars is to feed the fibre towards the horizontal opening in the
front of the box and bring it under the operation of a pair of horizontal reci-
procating combs or toothed bars, which are intended to mass it as it is discharged
from the box into a loose thick sheet or bat, the quantity of fibre discharged
being gauged by the horizontal opening or mouth. The shaft carrying the
fingers receives motion through gearing from another transverse shaft fitted
with a pair of excentrics or cranks for operating through coupling rods a pair
of cranked levers situate one on each side of the feed box. These crank rods
are formed with segment racks at their outer ends, into which gear racks
attached to the pair of comb bars before mentioned. The comb or toothed
bars slide up and down in inclined or curved guides fitted to the feed box, and
being actuated by the segment racks they alternately act upon the fibre,
giving it at the same time a slow forward motion, which motion allows of the
fibres before they escape from the teeth accumulating sufficiently to form a
thick even bat. The inclined bars forming the bottom of the feed box are
fitted at their lower ends with recessed plates, into which the fibre passes, and
it is kept from moving back at the return motion of the bars by means of
loose rods which are pendent from a cross shaft, but which are at times free
to drop and bear upon the wool with their whole weight, thereby pressing it
down for the ends of the bars to thrust it into the discharge opening of the
feed, and preventing the back motion of the bars disturbing the fibre. This
cross shaft, which lifts the bars at the proper moment for releasing the fibre,
is carried by rock levers that receive their motion from the shaft that
operates the inclined feeding bars. The massed fibre or bat as it leaves the
combs is passed between a pair of pressing rolls, which will serve to deliver
it to the aprons, feed rolls, or cylinders of the preparing or other machines.
This arrangement of machinery will deliver the fibre in uniform quantity. so
long as there is sufficient fibre in the box to fill the discharge mouth, and thus
even laps may be ensured in the subsequent processes of manufacture.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clissold in the Great Seal Patent Office on the.
6th October 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM 35
CLISSOLD, of Dudbridge Works, near Stroud, in the County of Gloucester,
Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant. unto me,
the said William Clissold, Her special licence that I, the said William
Clissold, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I; the
said William Clissold, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR FEEDING WOOL AND OTHER FIBRES TO PREPARING AND CARDING
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Clissold, 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 William Clissold, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention is to provide a means of feeding wool, cotton,
or other fibrous substances to preparing or carding machines without sepa-
rating the long from the short fibres. Thus when operating with wool I
propose to make a bat or sheet with the long and short wool or shoddy well.
mixed, and of the same consistence throughout its breadth and length. The
wool or other fibre to be operated upon is placed in a large box or receiver of
the width of the bat or sheet required to be made, the width being determined
by the width of the machine to be fed, and by means of reciprocating bars.
which form the bottom of the box, it is propelled towards a horizontal
opening cut in one end of the box, and corresponding in length to the width
of the box. The continuous endway motion of the bars causes the wool to be
discharged through the opening at a certain regulated rate, the wool passing
between a pair of reciprocating combs, which acting upon the wool masses it
into a continuous bat of uniform thickness.
:
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation of the right side, and

page_text: Fig. 2 an elevation of the left side of the feed box, looking at it from the
front; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the feed box, and Figures 4 and 5
are respectively front and back elevations of the same.
A is a rectangular.open box for receiving the wool or other material to be
delivered to the preparing or carding machine to be fed; the bottom of this
box is formed of inclined bars B, B, which are suspended at their upper ends'
by hooked rods C pendent from a round cross bar C at the back of the box.
The front and lower ends of the bars B extend to the front of the feed box,
and they are armed with steel terminations B', suitably shaped, as shewn at
Fig. 8, for propelling the wool forwards. The box A has a horizontal.
opening A¹ at the level of the bars, through which the fibrous material is
discharged. A forward endway motion is given alternately to every other of
the bars by means of coiled springs D, which connect them with a fixed cross-
bar D¹, and the return or back motion is produced by means of fingers E, or
it may be on cams on a rotating transverse shaft E' striking against bracket
projections B on the under side of the bars B. The object of this endway.
motion of the inclined bars is to feed the overlying fibre towards the horziontal
opening in the front of the box and bring it under the operation of a pair of
horizontal reciprocating combs or toothed bars F, which are intended to mass
it as it is discharged from the box into a loose thick sheet or bat. The quantity
of fibre discharged is gauged by the depth of the horizontal opening or
mouth A¹. The shaft E carrying the fingers E receives motion through spur
gearing from another transverse shaft G, which is fitted at its ends with 'a
pair of excentrics (or it may be cranks) G for operating through coupling
rods G a pair of crank levers H situate one on each side of the feed box.
These crank rods are formed with segment racks H¹ at their outer ends for
the purpose of gearing into and driving a pair of racks F attached to the
comb bars F. These comb or toothed bars slide up and down in inclined
guides fitted to the front of the feed box A, an inclination being given to
them to allow each comb bar to pass the teeth of the other as it is propelled
forward. The comb bars being thus actuated by the segment racks through
the agency of the cam shaft and rock levers above mentioned, they are caused
alternately to act upon the fibre, giving it at the same time a slow forward
motion, which motion allows of the fibres before they escape from the teeth
accumulating sufficiently to form a thick even bat. The inclined bars B
forming the bottom of the feed box as they are drawn back leave vacancies at
their forward ends, into which the fibre passes, and the tendency of the fibre
as it accumulates near the discharge opening A¹ to move back at the return
motion of the bars is counteracted by means of loose rods K which are

page_text: pendent from a cross shaft L, but which are at times free to drop and bear
upon the wool with their whole weight, thereby pressing it down for the ends
of the bars to thrust it into the discharge opening of the feed, and preventing
the back motion of the bars disturbing the fibre. This cross shaft L, which
lifts the bars at the proper moment for relieving the fibre of their pressure, is
carried by a pair of rock levers M, which are mounted on a cross shaft M¹
having its bearings in the sides of the box A. From the extremity of one of
the levers depends a rod N, carrying at its lower end a wedge-shaped elastic
projection N¹. A pin or projection on a disc O keyed to the shaft E' in its
rotation strikes against the elastic projection on the rod N, and thereby gives
a reciprocating motion to the rock levers M, causing them to lift the rod L
and with it the pressers K. The continuous rotation of the disc causes the
elastic projection to yield to the pressure of the disc pin, and the rod being
now released the rock levers will resume their former position, and allow the
rods K to press again upon the wool. The massed fibre or bat as it leaves
the combs is passed between a pair of pressing rolls P, P, which will serve
to deliver it to the aprons, feed rolls, or cylinders of the preparing or other
machines.
This arrangement of machinery will deliver the fibre in uniform quantity so
long as there is sufficient fibre in the box to fill the discharge mouth or
opening, and thus the production of even laps may be ensured in the sub-
sequent processes of manufacture.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improved Machinery
for Feeding Wool and other Fibres to Preparing and Carding Machines," and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim, the
arrangement of mechanism above described for effecting the discharge of wool
or other fibre in the form of a bat from feeding boxes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clissold, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
WILLIAM CLISSOLD. (L.S.)