IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL, FLAX, SILK, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES AND NOILS, AND WASTE PROM SUCH SUBSTANCES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Charles Eastwood, of Bradford, in the
County of York, Machine Wool Comber, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL, FLAX, SILK,
COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES AND NOILS, AND WASTE PROM SUCH
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 22nd March 1872, and dated the 23rd September 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Charles
Eastwood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 23rd September 1871.
I, THOMAS CHARLES EASTWOOD, of Bradford, in the County of York,
3 Machine Wool Comber, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL, FLAX,
SILK, COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, AND NOILS AND WASTE FROM SUCH
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the construction of a machine to
which wool or other fibres and waste on being fed thereto is carded,

page_text: combed, and slivered without the aid of the intervening or preparatory
machines and processes now employed for preparing for combing wool
and other fibrous substances.
The construction of the machine is as follows:-An endless feed
apron conveys the wool or fibre to one or more pairs of fluted or pointed.
feed rollers which deliver the same to a card cylinder or swift, and a series
of card rollers working near to and in immediate conjunction with the
said swift. The swift or cylinder is driven at a much greater surface
speed than the rollers. The pins or cards on the rollers are (by
preference) of different degrees of fineness, the first or leading rollers
being each coarser than the succeeding ones. The wool or fibre on
passing from card roller to card roller in succession is "lashed out," or the
fibres are straightened by the action of the swift, and deposited thereby
on the pins of an endless belt comb or chain comb, working parallel
with the periphery or face of the said swift; the points of the teeth or
pins of the said comb enter slightly within or intersect the card teeth on
the swift, so as to secure the depositing of the wool or fibre on the pins
of the said comb. Between the cards on the swift and the lower portion
of the comb pins is a "bearing plate" curved to an arc of nearly the
same radius as the swift, and the leading end of this bearing plate is
placed close to the cards on the swift, the other or delivery end being
somewhat removed therefrom so as to provide for the increased quantity
of fibre which accumulates on the comb pins during their transit or
travel across the periphery or face of the swift. The wool or fibre being
supported or held by this bearing plate in contact with the cards on the
swift, is thus exposed to a carding and clearing operation during the
whole of its transit on the comb pins across or along the periphery or
face of the swift. It. is thence conveyed on the said comb pins. to
ordinary drawing-off rollers and slivered.
1
In some cases I may apply and use another endless belt comb or
chain comb to work in conjunction with the former, in such manner as
to receive the wool or fibre therefrom and from which it is drawn off,
and such additional endless comb may have one or several rows of teeth
according to the particular kind of fibre it is required to operate upon.
A brush or doffing plates or rollers are employed for removing the noil
from the pins of the endless comb. Or a swift may be employed the
periphery or face of which is concave, so as to fit to and work in
conjunction with a circular carrying comb, the face of the working card

page_text: rollers being convex or constructed of greater diameter in the middle, so
as to fit and work close to the surface of the said concave swift.
filed by the said Thomas Charles Eastwood in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd March 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
CHARLES EASTWOOD, of Bradford, in the County of York, Machine Wool
Comber, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Charles Eastwood, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas Charles Eastwood, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Charles
Eastwood, my 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND COMBING WOOL, FLAX, SILK,
COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, AND NOILS AND WASTE FROM SUCH
SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Charles Eastwood, 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 Thomas Charles Eastwood, 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 and accompanying three Sheets of Drawings
(that is to say) :

page_text: This Invention has for its object the construction of a machine to
which wool or other fibres and waste on being fed thereto is carded,
combed, and slivered without the aid of the intervening or preparatory
machines and processes now employed for preparing and combing wool
and other fibrous substances.
The construction of the machine is as follows :-An endless feed apron
conveys the wool or fibre to one or more pairs of fluted or pointed feed
rollers, which deliver the same to a card cylinder or swift, and a series of
card rollers working near to and in immediate conjunction with the said
swift. The swift or cylinder is driven at a much greater surface speed than
the rollers. The pins or cards on the rollers are (by preference) of different
degrees of fineness, the first or leading rollers being each coarser than
the succeeding ones. The wool or fibre on passing from card roller to
card roller in succession is "lashed out" or the fibres are straightened
by the action of the swift and deposited thereby on the pins of an
endless belt comb or chain comb, working parallel with the periphery or
face of the said swift. The points of the teeth or pins of the said comb
are sometimes worked slightly within or caused to intersect the card
teeth on the swift so as to secure the depositing of the wool or fibre on
the pins of the said comb. Between the cards on the swift and the
lower portion of the comb pins is a bearing plate curved to an arc of
nearly the same radius as the swift, and the leading end of this bearing
plate is placed close to the cards on the swift, the other or delivery end
being somewhat removed therefrom so as to provide for the increased
quantity of fibre which accumulates on the comb pins during their
transit or travel across the periphery or face of the swift. The wool or
fibre being supported or held by this bearing plate in contact with the
cards on the swift is thus exposed to a carding and clearing operation
during the whole of its transit on the comb pins across or along the
periphery.or face of the swift. It is thence conveyed on the said comb
pins to ordinary drawing-off rollers and slivered.
In some cases I may apply and use another endless belt-comb or
chain-comb to work in conjunction with the former in such manner as
to receive the wool or fibre therefrom, and from which it is drawn off,
and such additional endless comb may have one or several rows of teeth
according to the particular kind of fibre it is required to operate upon.
A brush or doffing plates or rollers are employed for removing the
noil from the pins of the endless comb.

page_text: Such being the nature and object of this my said Invention, I will
now proceed to describe the same fully, and in order that the same may
be clearly understood, I have annexed three Sheets of Drawings
illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures and letters
of reference, the same letter referring to the same part in the various
views or Figures.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed according to this
my Invention; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the opposite side thereof.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section through the line a, b, on Fig. 4,
which is a general plan view; Fig. 5 is an end elevation. Figs. 6, 7,
and 8 are detail views of detached parts drawn about one-fourth full
size.
At A is shewn an endless feed apron which conveys the wool or fibre
to the feed rollers A¹ (these may be either pointed or fluted), and these
rollers A¹ deliver the wool or fibre to the card cylinder or swift B and to
the series of working rollers B', which as shewn work near to and in
conjunction with the swift B. The swift is driven or caused to rotate at
a much greater surface speed than the working rollers B', so as to "lash
out" the wool or fibre on these rollers. The pins or cards thereon are
of different degrees of fineness, the first or leading rollers, that is, those
nearest the feed end, being coarser than the succeeding ones. The wool
or fibre in passing from card roller to card roller is "lashed out," that is,
the fibres are straightened by the action of the swift and deposited thereby
on the pins C of the endless belt or chain comb C', working parallel
with the periphery or face of the swift B. The points of the teeth or pins
of the said comb are worked slightly within, or engage and intersect the
card teeth on the swift (see Fig. 6) so as to secure the depositing the wool
or fibre on the pins C (see Fig. 7). The said comb may be constructed by
inserting the pins thereof in an endless belt of leather C' as shewn, or
metal may be employed for receiving the said pins, and so form a chain
comb, and there may be one or more rows of pins on the said comb.
Between the cards on the swift B and the lower portion of the comb
pins C is a bearing plate D, curved to an arc of nearly the same. radius
as the swift (see Figs. 6, 7, and 8). The leading end E (plan view) of this
bearing plate is placed close to the cards on the swift, the other or

page_text: delivery end E¹ being somewhat removed so as to allow for the increase
of fibre, which, as will be evident, accumulates on the comb pins C
during their transit across the periphery of the swift from point E to E',
plan view. The wool or fibre being supported or held by this bearing
plate D in contact with the cards on the swift B, is thus exposed to a
carding and clearing operation during the whole of its transit on the
comb pins C from the receiving or deposit end to the delivery end. The
motion of the belt or chain comb is steadied by means of the guides F,
through or along which the said comb passes. G, G, are ordinary
drawing off" rollers which draw off or remove the fibre from the pins
of the comb in a slivered state. In some cases, for instance, when
operating on wool or fibre difficult to clear or cleanse, I apply and use
another endless belt comb H working in conjunction with the comb C,
so as receive or take the wool or fibre from the pins of the comb C, and
deliver such fibre to the drawing-off rollers G. A brush or "blades." I,
shewn at Figs. 8, 9, and 10, are employed for removing the noil from the
pins of the endless comb H.
The machine is driven as follows:-J, J', are loose and fast pulleys on
the shaft J of the swift; on the other end of which shaft is a pulley
imparting by means of pulley and strap Js and pulley J* motion to the
shaft K, on the other end of which shaft is a pulley K¹; the latter by
means of the strap and pulley K² imparts rotation to the shaft and pinion
L, gearing with the wheel L' keyed on the foot of the upright shaft L³, on
which shaft is the pulley L³ around which and the pulley L' the endless
belt comb or chain C¹ works (see Fig. 4). The lower rim of the pulley is
toothed, and gears with a pinion M imparting motion thereto and to the
shaft M', on which is the pulley N, over which and the pulley N¹ the
endless belt comb H works (see Fig. 5). The gearing for working the
feed rollers A¹ and the working rollers B₁ consist of a pinion P keyed on
the end of the shaft J2 (see Fig. 2), imparting motion to the carrier wheel
P¹, on the stud of which is a pinion P² driving the wheel R, keyed on the
shaft of the feed roller A¹, on which shaft is also a pinion R³ gearing
with a pinion R¹ on the shaft of one of the feed rollers A³, the latter
roller imparting motion to the feed apron A. The wheel R gears with a
wheel S secured to the shaft of the second working roller B2, which roller
by means of the chain T becomes the driver of the series of working
rollers B'. The first of the working rollers is driven by means of a cord
and pulleys W from the second working roller.

page_text: Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and
shewn by Drawings in what manner the same is or may be performed
or carried into practical operation, I would have it understood that what
I claim as of my Invention is,―
Firstly. The constructing of a machine or the combining and arranging
mechanism or apparatus and the method of working the same substan-
tially as shewn and described, whereby wool, flax, silk, cotton, and other
fibrous substances can be prepared and combed in or by one process or
operation, or without the use of intervening ordinary or other separate
preparing machinery.
Secondly. The constructing and arranging of an endless belt, comb, or
chain comb to work in connection and conjunction with the swift of a
carding engine, to receive the carded wool or other fibrous substances
therefrom in manner shewn and described, and whereby such wool or
fibre is deposited on the said belt or chain comb and is further carded or
cleansed by the action of the cards, and from which said comb it can be
drawn off in a sliver by ordinary drawing-off rollers and belts in the
usual manner.
Thirdly. The construction, application, and use of the bearing plate
in manner and for the purpose herein set forth.
Fourthly. The construction and application of a second belt comb or
chain working in conjunction with first receiving belt or chain comb in
manner and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Charles Eastwood, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
THOMAS CHARLES EASTWOOD. (L.S.)
WALTER BRIERLEY,
Tasker & Brierley,
Patent Agents,
Halifax & Bradford.