COINS LUgine Fla.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Feb., 1888
Complete Left, 20th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th July, 1888
COINS LUgine Fla.
We GEORGE ASHWORTH and ELIJAH ASHWORTH of the firm of Ashworth Brothers of
the Moss Brook Works, Collyburst, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to the flats used in carding engines employed in the carding
of cotton and other fibrous materials and particularly to the metal flats which are so
connected together as to form an endless chain as is well understood. A former inven-
tion for which Letters Patent dated the third day of November in the year one
thousand eight hundred and seventy seven and numbered 4091 were granted to us,
had for its principal object to obtain a secure attachment of the card clothing to the
flat bar without the necessity for the wide margins which previous methods of attach-
ment had rendered necessary. Our present invention consists of improvements in our
said former invention and in the method of and means for stretching the clothing
during the operation of attaching the clothing to the flat bar. We employ a compara-
Lively narrow bar so as to reduce to a minimum the width of the margin of foundation
on each side of the card teeth and we secure the clothing to the har by means of
metal clamps or clips which do not necessitate the perforation or nicking of the bar.
By preference each clamp is equal in length to the length of the card filet or there-
abouts. The clamp is made by bending a strip of metal into a trough shape and is so
applied as to clip the bar and the margin of the clothing and to cover and conceal the
edge of the bar. To stretch the foundation fabric we employ a comb which is so
mounted as that it can be brought down with its teeth in contact with the fabric and
be pressed into the fabric so as to obtain a firm hold upon the same and be then moved
toward the edge of the bar thereby stretching and tightening the fabric. For the
purposes of our invention we consider an ordinary doffer comb to be suitable but we
may use a comb having teeth similar to a card or a comb or gripping knife or bar
suitably adapted to take hold of the fabric. The same comb may be used to hold the
fabric during the attachment of the first clip and also as a guide to facilitate the

page_text: parallel adjustment of the strip of fabric upon the bar. As the strip of foundation
fabric need not be made wider than is necessary to cover the bar from edge to edge
there is a saving in respect of the such fabric. One edge of the fabric having been
inade to coincide with one edge of the bar a clamp is placed in position and clamped
pressed or hammered down. To facilitate the application the clamp is made of a shape
which admits of its being closed down upon the fabric the clamp at the same time
being tightly pressed against the underside and edge of the bar. The bar being
reversed in position and the comb pressed down and moved as aforesaid to stretch the
fabric the second clamp is secured. To enable the clamps to take firm hold of the
material we cut the metal so as to leave a burr upon the cut edge or we burr or serrate
the said edge or form teeth upon the said edge in the process of cutting or we other-
wise adapt the clamp to bite into the material. The same purpose may be effected by
punching or pressing down portions of the metal of the clamp. To reduce the depth
of the clamp, or for other reasons we prefer to reduce the thickness of the bar at the
place where the clamp is fixed. This may be done in the formation of the bar or by
a subsequent cutting operation metal being removed from the face or the back of the
bar or from both. To give the clamp a firmer hold we prefer to slightly bevel the
back of the bar inward from the edge for a suitable distance, or to groove the face or
back of the bar or both. Although as hereinbefore stated our present method of attach-
ment does not necessitate the slitting or perforation of the bar we might if it were
considered to be advisable further secure the clamp by means of rivets, pins, or parts
passing through holes or slits made in the bar.
Dated this 4th day of February 1888
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.

page_text: improvements in the Method of and in Means for Attaching the
Clothing to Carding Engine Flats.
We GEORGE ASHWORTH and ELIJAH ASHWORTH of the firm of Ashworth Brothers
of the Moss Brook Works, Collyhurst, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying drawings :—
Our Invention relates to the flats used in carding engines employed in the carding
of cotton and other fibrous materials and particularly to the metal flats which are so
connected together as to form an endless chain as is well understood. A former inven-
tion for which Letters Patent dated the third day of November in the year one
thousand eight hundred and seventy seven and numbered 4091 were granted to us,
had for its principal object to obtain a secure attachment of the card clothing to the
flat bar without the necessity for the wide margins which previous methods of attach-
ment had rendered necessary. Our present invention consists of improvements in our
said former invention and in the method of and means for stretching the clothing
during the operation of attaching such clothing to the flat bar. We employ a
comparatively narrow bar so as to reduce to a minimum the width of the margin of
foundation on each side of the card teeth and we secure the clothing to the bar by
means of metal clamps or clips which do not necessitate the perforation or nicking of
the bar. By preference each clamp is equal in length to the length of the card fillet
or thereabouts. The clamp is made by bending a strip of metal into a trough shape
before or during application and is so applied as to clip the bar and the margin of the
clothing and to cover and conceal the edge of the bar. To stretch the foundation
fabric we employ a comb which is so mounted as that it can be brought down with its
teeth in contact with the fabric and be pressed into the fabric so as to obtain a firm
hold upon the same and be then moved toward the edge of the bar thereby stretching
and tightening the fabric.
In order that our Invention may be clearly understood we will describe the same
more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings which are made about three
times the full size.
In sheet 1 of the said drawings Fig. 1 represents an end view and Fig. 2 a
perspective view of one of the clamps which we employ. Fig. 3 represents a cross
section of a flat bar with the card clothing secured thereto by means of such clamps.
Fig. 4 illustrates the manner in which we propose to stretch the clothing upon the
bar. The clamp illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2 is by preference made of sheet steel and
as long as the fillet of card clothing so that one clamp only is required on each edge
of the bar. The clamps might however be made shorter if preferred for any reason
so that two or more would be applied to each edge of the bar. The strip of metal to
form the clamp is bent so that two webs project at right angles or at other suitable
angles from the central or intermediate portion c of the web. In Fig. 1a is the web.
which is intended to clamp down the foundation material and bis the web which is
intended to pass below or to take hold of the back of the bar. We prefer to make
the angle of the web ba little less than 90 degrees from the part c of the clamp in
order that the clamp may be readily slipped into position. The angle of the web b
will vary according to the formation of the back of the bar. The edge of the web a
is left with a burr in the shearing of the strip of metal this burr sinking into the

page_text: foundation material when the clamp is fixed. In the Figs. this burr is indicated at a¹.
In Fig. 3 d is the ordinary metal flat bar and e is the foundation fabric of the card
fillet. The clamps are represented by c. c A clamp is applied to one edge of the
bar with the central parte close to the said edge and the web a projecting over the
margin of the foundation. Pressure is then applied by suitable means so as to
press the web a downward upon the foundation material and also to force the web b
closely against the back of the bar the foundation material being compressed by
the web . The margin of the foundation will then be tightly clamped down upon
the metal bar and forcibly held by the elastic grip of the clamp or spring clip.
In order that the strip of foundation fabric may bed evenly and closely upon the
bar in all parts it will be necessary to stretch the fabric as is well understood.
As the ordinary method of stretching is inapplicable in a case wherein the margin
of the foundation fabric does not project beyond the edge of the flat bar we have
devised other means which will not interfere with the adjustment and fixture of
the clamps. Fig. 4 illustrates our novel method of stretching the foundation fabric.
In the said Figure one edge of the strip of clothing is represented as having been
secured by means of the clamp c. Preparatory to the securing of the other edge a
comb or serrated knife is pressed down upon the fabric so that its toothed edge
takes a firm hold upon the fabric. The conib is then moved in the direction indi-
cated by the arrow and the margin of the fabric is thereby moved toward the edge
of the bar and the said fabric becomes tightly strained or stretched. If any of the
margin of the fabric projects beyond the edge of the bar such projecting portion is
then cut away. The second clamp is then applied and secured in the manner
bereinbefore mentioned. For the purposes of our invention we consider an ordinary
doffer comb to be suitable but we may use a comb having tooth similar to a card
or a comb or gripping knife or bar suitably adapted to take hold of the fabric.
The same comb may be used to hold the fabric during the attachment of the first
clip and also as a guide to facilitate the parallel adjustment of the strip of fabric
upon the bar. We have not illustrated nor described any means whereby the comb
or stretching blade may be operated as one of us the said Elijah Ashworth has
devised special means for this purpose and for facilitating the application and
closure of the clamps and has made application for Letters Patent for his invention
such application bearing the number 7425 and the date May 19th of the present
year. It will be seen that the strip of foundation fabric need not be made wider than
is necessary to cover the bar from edge to edge when duly stretched and that in conse-
quence there will be a saving of material as compared with the ordinary system. It
will be noticed that in Figs. 3 and 4 the under sides of the bar are rebated so as to
reduce the thickness of the bar at the two edges. This reduces the depth of the clamp
and we believe to some extent increases the security of its holding power. It will
also be seen that the rebate at each edge is slightly bevelled or inclined inward and
toward the face of the bar so as to furnish a more secure hold for the clamp. Other
methods which we may employ to increase the security of the fastening are illustrated
by the drawings in sheet 2. Fig. 5 represents a clamp which is serrated at one edge
as indicated at 7. in order that when the clamp is closed upon the fabric the teeth
may bite into the latter and increase the firinness of the hold. Fig. 6 illustratos
another method for adding to the security of the fastening. In this example the edge g
of the clamp is indented by the use of a suitable tool so as to cause portions of the
clamp to penetrate more deeply into the fabric. Figs. 12 and 13 illustrate other
slightly differing methods for attaining the same object. In the example illustrated
by Fig. 12 the web a is supposed to be pricked or punctured at intervals throughout
the length of the clamp so as to form projecting burrs upon the underside of the said
wob. In Fig. 13 the web a is punched at intervals with a tool which forms a saw
tooth or V cut and presses down the end of the tooth so that when the clamp is closed
down the points of the tooth will be forced into the fabric and will resist the tendency
of the fabric to withdraw itself from the hoid of the clamp. In Fig. 7 the upper
face of the bar is grooved so that when the clamp is closed the fabric will be pressed
into the groove as clearly indicated.

page_text: The form of such groove may be varied. In Fig. 10 the face of the bar is rebated
for a short distance from the edge and the fabric is pressed into the rebate by the
closing of the clamp. In Figs. 8 and 9 a groove is formed upon the back of the bar
and the edge of the web b of the clamp is pressed into such groove so as to give the
clamp a secure hold upon the bar. In Fig. 14 the clamp is permanently secured to
the bar by means of rivets which pass through the bar and the web b of the clamp.
In Fig. 15 the web b is dispensed with and the clamp is secured to the edge of the bar
by means of screws. In place of the means indicated in Figs. 14 and 15 for securing
the clamp to the bar riveted pins or studs might be used or pins driven into holes
drilled in the bar or the clamp might be secured or additionally secured by soldering
or brazing. In Fig. 16 the clamp is secured by means of rivets which pass through
the foundation fabric as well as through both webs of the clamp and through holes
drilled in the bar. We have furnished these last described three drawings Figs. 14
to 16 only as examples of methods which might be adopted for adding to the security
of the attachment but with our prosent information we do not consider that such extra
precautions will be necessary to ensure the secure attachment of the clamps and
clothing to the bar. We do not confine ourselves to the method of stretching the
fabric nor to the exact forms of the clamps as appearing in the drawings and so far
described. Fig. 11 illustrates a modification in the initial formation of the clamp.
This clamp is intended to have the bottom part bent up after the clamp is in position.
The clamp would be applied with the web a extending over the foundation fabric and
pressed firmly thereon the vertical part e being also tightly pressed against the edge
of the bar. Whilst the clamp would be thus held in position the lower edge would
be turned up against the back of the bar and tightly clamped prossed or hammered
against the said back the result being substantially the same as if the trough-shaped
clamp had been used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is —
(1) The method of securing the clothing to carding engine flat bars by the employ-
ment of sheet metal clamps formed and applied substantially as set forth and
indicated.
(2) The clamp or spring clip applied to the edge of a carding engine flat bar so
as to press the foundation fabric of the cloth tightly against tho bar and adapted to
conceal the edges of the said fabric and of the bar substantially as set forth and
indicated.
(3) The fastening for securing the clothing to carding engine flat bars consisting
of the spring clip a. b. e made of sheet steel or other suitable sheet metal and applied
so that the part a tightly holds the foundation fabric of the clothing the part 6 bearing
upon the back of the bar and the part c covering the edges of the said fabric
and bar.
(4) The spring clip or clamp of the indicated nature applied to a carding engine
flat bar which has been rebated or grooved on its face or back or on both so as to
increase the holding powers of the clip or clamp substantially as set forth and
indicated.
(5) The comb blade or toolf of the indicated nature employed in the manner
and for the purpose or purposes herein set forth.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.