IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND COMBING FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Cullen Whipple, of the United States of America, but.
now residing at Manchester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND COMBING FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 29th April 1856, and dated the 8th November 1855.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Cullen Whipple at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 8th November 1855, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CULLEN
WHIPPLE, of the United States of America, but now residing at Manchester,
do hereby declare that the nature of the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND COMBING FIBROUS MATERIALS," 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for preparing
and combing fibrous materials. For this purpose the machinery is so arranged
that the fibrous material (previously brought into a sliver or sheet by suit-
ablo means, as well understood,) is fed on to a cylindrical or suitable surface
covered with teeth in such manner as to be imbedded amongst the teeth. The
forward ends of the fibres are raised by a rotatory brush out of the teeth

page_text: in a line across the cylinder or surface, and the raised portion of the fibres
is cleansed and freed from all foreign matters and short fibres by a rotating
cylinder covered with teeth. Nippers take hold of such protruding and cleaned
ends of the fibres, and are by the working of the machine moved a distance
so as to draw the other or uncleansed ends of the fibres amongst the teeth
on the cylinder or surface, and thus is a quantity of the fibres thoroughly
prepared or cleaned and separated, or drawn from amongst the other fibres
which have not been so treated, and this is done without removing such
quantity of fibres from amongst the teeth. The nippers leave hold of the
fibres and deposit them again amongst the teeth, the forward ends of such
cleaned or prepared quantity of fibres overlapping or piecing up with the
ends of the quantity previously similarly treated. The mippers are by the
working of the machine then moved back together with their brush, a fresh
quantity of fibre is raised by the brush in a line across the cylinder or surface,
and such fresh quantity is then treated in like manner to that above described.
The toothed surface or cylinder is caused to move slowly, and the cleaned
fibres as they are brought near to are drawn out or doffed from amongst the
teeth by rollers. By this arrangement of machinery, the fibres, it will be
seen, though they are moved by the nippers amongst the teeth, do not leave
them till the fibres are thoroughly prepared or combed, and are made up into
a sliver.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is an end view of the machine; Figure 2 is the opposite end view
thereof; Figure 3 is the back view; Figure 4 is a transverse section of the
machine; Figure 5 shows a section of the nippers on a larger scale; Figure 6,
parts of the apparatus for actuating the nippers separately.
In these Figures the same letters indicate the same parts.
a is the framing,
which is made of any convenient form and dimensions proper and sufficient
to support the machinery; 6 is a cylinder covered with suitable teeth.
It should be stated, that although it is preferred to have this surface b of a
cylindrical form, it is not essential that such should be the case, as will readily
be seen by a mechanic. The shaft b' (Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4,) is the first or
main driving shaft of the machine. On one end is fixed a drum to receive the
driving strap (Figures 1 and 3); a pinion 6' is fixed upon the other end to
transmit the motion to the several parts. This pinion 6 works into and drives
a large spur wheel 6 (Figures 2 and 3), which is fixed upon the outer end of

page_text: the shaft b' (see Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6), which is the shaft upon which the
cylinder 6 is free to move and is caused to revolve. At the other end of the
shaft 6' is a small pinion (Figures 1 and 8), working into (Figures 1
and $), which by another similar wheel o, fast upon the lower or drawing-off
roller o (Figures 1, 2, and 4), gives motion thereto. Upon this drawing-off
roller is a small pinion (Figures 1 and 3), working into and driving a large
cog wheel (Figures 1 and 8), which is upon the outer end of a short
shaft d (Figures 1 and 4), and by a pinion on the inner end d gives motion
to the cylinder 6 through a large wheel c (Figures 1 and 4), which is fastened
to the arms of the cylinder, so that the motion of the cylinder bis derived from
the first or main driving shaft 6, passed through the shaft (upon which the
cylinder revolves), transmitted by one set of spur gear up to the lower drawing-
off roller, and thence back by spur gear and a short shaft to a cog wheel on
the arms of the cylinder 6 within the outer end or rim of the same. The
motion of the cylinder b, it will be observed, is much slower than the shaft on
which the cylinder 6 revolves.
The apparatus which works the nippers is vibratory in its action, and is
centered upon the shaft b', upon which the cylinder 6 revolves, and is located
between the ends of the cylinder 6 and the frame a, by which the shaft b' is
supported. The principal parts of this nipping apparatus are represented in
Figure 6. The arms h, h', to which the nippers are attached, and by which
they are operated, are centred upon the main shaft b', which passes through
the nave or hub of the arm h (see Figure 6), and the nave or hub of the
arm h' is fitted to move on the hub or nave of the arm h. Upon the outer
end of these arms (which are similarly arranged at both ends of the cylinder 6)
the nipping bars are attached, and pass across the cylinder 6 from end
to end. These nipping bars are opened by a spring, not shown in the
Drawing, and are closed by cams A and levers h. A curved or hooked
projection is formed on each lever h', which, when the tails of the levers
rest on the rises of the cams he fixed on the shaft b', act on the rollers h³
on the arms h, so as to bring the edges of the nipping bars into close
proximity, so as to hold the fibres perfectly fast till the tail ends of the
levers descend on the cams nearer to the axis b'. The whole of this
apparatus is made to vibrate by cams f (Figures 3 and 6) on the main shaft
6', which actuate the levers f³, which are connected with the arms h at the
outer end, so as to cause the nipping bars to move back in order to take hold
of a fresh quantity of fibres. Attached to the nipper bars h is a brush k,
by means of two short arms h³, so as to cause it to move in a curved
direction. These arms are connected by rods to the armis h, the

page_text: effect of which is to draw or turn the brush down (as the nipping bars
open) into a position between the said nipping bars, and in contact with
the cylinder or toothed surface b. This brush k is made to rotate rapidly
by a pinion upon one end working into a cog wheel, which receives
motion from a cog wheel on the shaft b' (see m and m³, Figures 1 and 3).
By means of this brush the noil and refuse in the teeth occupying the
space between the prepared or combed fibres and the unprepared fibres
are brushed out from the teeth, and the forward ends of the advancing
unprepared fibres are raised out of the teeth, and made to project over the
upper edge of the lower nipping bar, and of a guard plate, which also extends
across the entire width of the teeth surface. This guard plate p covers a
portion of the teeth surface, and retains the fibres in the teeth, except so much
of the same as rises above its upper edge, and is exposed to the action of the
brush, as above described. Above the lower rail of the framo a there is a
shaft, upon which are two arms, which support a small cylinder l, clothed
with suitable teeth for the purpose of combing or preparing the ends of the
fibres made to protrude over and beyond the upper edge of the lower nipping
bar, as above described, and also beyond the upper edge of the guard plate, as
will be better understood from the description of the
process herein-after given.
This small combing cylinder is driven by a pinion on its shaft or axis,
taking into a cog wheel P, which is driven by the wheel , which takes into a
cog wheel on the shaft 6'; it is actuated backward and forward as required by
being attached to arms, as seen in Figures 1, 2, and 3, having their centres
upon the shaft (Figure 3), which shaft is rocked or vibrated by means of the
lever n (Figure 3), with a roller at its end working against a cam n' on the
shaft b. By this cylinder the ends of the fibres raised out of the teeth, as
already described, are prepared or combed. The brush & which removes the
noils from the teeth of the cylinder or surface b, when it comes to and is
passing the cylinder P, has the noil and refuse removed from it by the cylinder l',
and that cylinder is cleaned by the rapidly revolving brush m², from which the
fibres and refuse are deposited on to a doffing cylinder on the shaft l. o and o¹,
Figure 2, are two rollers properly supported by standards, by which the doffing
or drawing-off operation is effected, and the prepared or combed fibres are
collected into a sliver through a trumpet, and condensed by calender rolls and
passed into cans, or are otherwise disposed of. The working of the machinery
is as follows:-The fibres, whether of wool, cotton, flax, or of other material
to be operated upon, passes over a roller, which to some extent presses it into
the teeth upon the surface or cylinder b, and the fibres are further pressed
amongst the teeth by a rotatory brush in contact with the surface b. The fibres

page_text: are carried round, imbedded amongst the tecth to where the guard plate p is
situated; the forward ends of the fibres are raised by the brush; the nippers
take hold of tho ends raised from the teeth. and made to lean over the upper
edge of the nipping bar and guard plate; the cylinder is moved up to and
by its rotation cleanses the protruding ends of the fibres; the cylinder / then
recedes and deposits the refuse on the smaller cylinder m². The protruding
ends being thus cleansed, the nippers open and are moved a distance so as
to take hold of the cleansed or prepared ends of the fibres further up, when
they close again, and by the cams f' (already described) are made to move
forward over the face of the cylinder or toothed surface b, and in as near
proximity to the same as may be practicable, so that the fibres thus drawn
amongst the teeth shall be kept thoroughly imbedded in amongst the teeth, by
which this quantity of the fibres will be cleansed and prepared, and such quan-
tity of the fibres will also be detached or separated from the other or unpre-
pared or uncombed fibres. As the nipping apparatus approaches the furthest
point of their vibration, the nipping bars are caused to open suddenly, and the
ends of the fibres thus liberated enter amongst the teeth, and become imbedded
in the teeth on the cylinder b, where their forward ends overlap the hinder
ends of the previous quantity, and the hinder ends of this last quantity are
left in a position to be overlapped by the forward ends of the next quantity
similarly operated on; hence it will be seen that the successive quantities of
prepared fibres are pieced up end to end amidst teeth. And it will also be
seen that the successive quantities of fibres, except a small portion of their
forward ends, are never removed from amongst the teeth from the time they
are fed on to the surface 6 until they are doffed or drawn off from amongst
the teeth in finished condition. These peculiar features of the machine aro
considered as of the essence of the Invention, and they distinguish this
machinery from all others at present known. The nipping apparatus having
carried one quantity of fibres and deposited the same, as above explained,
returns, the brush k descends amongst the teeth on the cylinder b, and
removes all waste and refuse substances left by the fibres, which have been,
as above explained, drawn amongst the teeth on that part of the cylinder; and
this brush also raises the next advancing ends of the fibres from amongst
the teeth on the cylinder 6 ready for another operation, and so the process
is quickly repeated and the work effected. It will be evident from the above
description that the distance which the nipping apparatus is moved will
depend on the length of staple of the fibres which are being treated, and the
extent it may be desired to draw the fibres amongst the teeth. I wish it to
be distinctly understood that I do not limit myself to the construction and

page_text: special arrangement, so long as the peculiar mode of operation herein described
is obtained.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim
to any of the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the
details herein described; but what I claim is, the combining machinery as
herein described, whereby the fibres, after being fed into or received amongst
teeth (set in a suitable surface), have their ends raised out from the teeth
and cleansed, the cleansed ends of the fibres being then nipped and drawn
amongst the teeth in order to cleanse the other ends, and also to separate this
quantity of fibres from the other fibres amongst the teeth; the protruding ends
are then deposited amidst the teeth in such manner that they overlap the
ends of the quantity of fibre which has been just previously similarly treated.
thus admitting of the prepared or combed fibres being doffed or drawn off
from the teeth in a continuous sliver, as above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Cullen Whipple, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness.
J. W. WESTON, Sol",
Manchester.
CULLEN WIIPPLE. (L.S.)