IMPROVEMENTS IN DIVIDING AND STRIPPING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO CARDING ENGINES
Year: 1872

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Benjamin Joseph Barnard
Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 29th February 1872.-A communication from
abroad by J. S. Bolette, of Pépinster, in the Kingdom of Belgium.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and
Mills, of 35, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DIVIDING AND STRIPPING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO CARDING
ENGINES," a communication to me from abroad by J. S. Bolette, of
Pépinster, in the Kingdom of Belgium, to be as follows:-
The Invention consists, firstly, in the application to the dividing
and stripping apparatus of carding engines of circular saws, having their
teeth working in the contrary direction to those of ordinary saws, for
the purpose of cutting or dividing the sliver into a number of narrow
strips or fillets, and in an arrangement of stripping rollers to cause
one-half of the narrow strips, ribbons, or fillets to be directed to one
set of "rubbers," and the other half to be directed to another set of
rubbers. The main sliver as it leaves the carding cylinder is held

page_text: between a pair of drawing rollers, formed of a number of narrow discs
mounted side by side upon their shafts or axes, which extend the full
width of the machine. These discs may be made of any required width,
according to the number of rovings it is desired to obtain from the
carding engine. The discs of the upper drawing roller rest upon those
of the lower one by their own weight, which effect is obtained by
making the holes in the discs of the upper drawing roller larger than
their shaft or axis, and is for the purpose of giving a suitable pressure
to the sliver as it is presented to the rotary cutters to divide it. A
space is left between the discs of each of the drawing rollers, and into
these spaces the rotary cutters enter. The main sliver being held
between the two drawing rollers is divded by the rotary cutters into
narrow strips, ribbons or fillets, just at the point of contact or tangent
of the two drawing rollers. The division being thus effected, one-half
of the small slivers is carried by fixed stripping rollers to their
"rubbers," whilst the other half of such small slivers is carried by
other stripping discs or rollers mounted loosely on the axis of the
fixed rollers to their "rubbers." These loose stripping discs or rollers
are provided with holes therein larger than the axis by which they are
supported, and they revolve in the contrary direction to the fixed
stripping rollers by their contact with the lower drawing roller, and
with the upper "rubbers," or by friction otherwise applied.
The second part of the Invention relates to a modification of the
arrangement before described. In this case instead of employing rotary
cutters provided with saw teeth, such rotary cutters are formed with
plain sharp cutting edges and act in pairs so as to form a sort of shears,
one pair to each narrow strip, fillet, or ribbon it is desired to obtain
from the carding engine. These cutters are mounted upon their shafts
or axes with their cutting edges and their backs alternately facing
in one direction and then in the other, the cutting edges of the rotary
cutters on one shaft being placed against the cutting edges of those
on the other shaft. In this way the rotary cutters act as shears, and
divide as they rotate the sliver as it is presented to them; by this
arrangement the strips or fillets of fibrous material to form the rovings
rest in the spaces formed between each pair of shears, which facilitates
their distribution to the "rubbers."
In order to keep the cutting edges of these rotary cutters close up to
each other even if wear takes place, each alternate rotary cutter on each

page_text: axis is fixed rigidly to its boss, and a spiral spring is placed between
each pair of circular cutters on the same axis, so as to force the cutting
edges of the one set of moveable rotary cutters on one shaft up to
those of the fixed set of rotary cutters on the other shaft, and vice versa.
Between the cutting edges of these rotary shears are placed stripping
rings or rollers turning in the same direction as the shears, they are of
greater diameter than the shears, and are formed with larger holes
through them than the bosses of the fixed cutters, and are employed to
cause the small slivers to leave the spaces between the shears and deliver
them to the "rubbers," or if desired fixed scrapers may be employed in
lieu of the stripping rings or rollers to cause the small slivers to take the
required direction to the "rubbers."