IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ..
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lowry, of Bury Street Foundry, Salford,
and Samuel Brookes, of Lower Broughton, Machinist, both of the
County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Lowry and
Samuel Brookes at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 1st June 1870.
We, GEORGE LOWRY, of Bury Street Foundry, Salford, and SAMUEL
BROOKES, of Lower Broughton, Machinist, both of the County of
Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND HACKLING
FLAX," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists, firstly, in an improved construction of machine
for scutching the flax. Upon the periphery of a drum or wheel we
arrange a series of beaters which are hinged thereto; the centres of the

page_text: beaters following spirally round the drum. Upon the wheel or drum
being made to revolve the beaters fly out by the centrifugal force and
strike the flax that is brought in contact therewith. One of the chief
advantages obtained by this peculiar arrangement of the beaters is the
elastic blow that is imparted to the flax, this produces a larger yield of
fibre and less waste.
Our Invention further consists in an improved construction and
arrangement of the sheets of hackles in hackling machines. The sheets
of hackles are carried by three revolving shafts, one being the driver and
the other two carriers and guides. Instead of making one continuous
sheet of hackles from end to end of the machine we divide the length
into two, three, or more parts, and arrange the driving drums with
increasing numbers of projections which take into the back of the
hackles in the ordinary manner, by this means each consecutive sheet
of hackles travels at an increased speed although driven by the same
shaft. The flax by this means is more gently treated at the commence-
ment when the fibres are in the rough state, the quicker speed coming
into operation after the first combing or hackling has been accomplished.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Lowry and Samuel Brookes in the Great 2
Seal Patent Office on the 1st December 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
LOWRY, of Bury Street Foundry, Salford, and SAMUEL BROOKES, of
Lower Broughton, Machinist, both of the County of Lancaster, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said George Lowry and Samuel Brookes, Her special licence
that we, the said George Lowry and Samuel Brookes, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said George Lowry
and Samuel Brookes, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND
HACKLING FLAX," upon the condition (amongst others) that we; the said
George Lowry and Samuel Brookes, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said George Lowry and Samuel Brookes,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
Our Invention consists, firstly, in an improved construction of machine
for scutching flax as follows:-Upon the periphery of a drum or wheel
we arrange a series of beaters which are hinged thereto, the centres
of the beaters following spirally round the drum. Upon the said wheel
or drum being made to revolve, the said beaters fly outwards by centri-
fugal force and strike the flax that is brought in contact therewith with
an elastic blow and produces a larger yield of fibre and less waste.
Our Invention further consists in an improved construction and
arrangement of the sheets of hackles in hackling machines. The sheets
of hackles are carried by three revolving shafts, one being the driver,
and the other two carriers and guides. Instead of making one continuous
sheet of hackles from end to end of the machine, we divide the length
into two, three, or more parts, and arrange the driving drums with
increasing numbers of projections which take into suitable provisions in
the back of the hackle sheets in the ordinary manner. By these means
each consecutive sheet of hackles travels at an increased speed, although
driven by the same shaft. The flax is thus more gently treated at the
commencement when the fibres are in the rough state, the quicker speeds
coming into operation after the first combing or hackling has been
accomplished.

page_text: Fig. 1. is a sectional elevation or part of a nackling machine constructed
according to our Invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same part;
Fig. 3 shews the drums with increasing numbers of projections for
driving the hackles; Fig. 4 is an elevation of the said drums arranged
upon a shaft as used in the machine; Fig. 5 is a modification of the
mode of driving the sheets of hackles at different velocities. In each
of the Sheets of Drawings the same letters of reference indicate like:
parts in the same machine.
Referring to Sheet I., shewing the scutching machine, a is a shaft,
upon which are fixed two pullies or drums k, k; fastened to the
periphery of each of these drums are cross bars m, upon which are hung
the beaters c, c, c, which are arranged spirally round the periphery;
the flax is held at the position shewn at e. The shaft a is carried by
two pedestals supported upon a standard or frame d. Upon one end
of shaft a is a pinion gearing into a wheel e², to which is fixed the
driving pulley b. On turning the pulley 6 the wheel e makes the
shaft a revolve by means of pinion f, upon which the beaters c, c, imme-
diately fly out radially from the centre of the shaft and strike the flax
at e; and as the beaters are arranged spirally round the periphery of the
drum no part of the flax held in front is left untouched. The beaters
being simply jointed to the bars m, or fixed to bars which are jointed
to the drums turning freely at said joints, the blow that is imparted a
is very elastic and less liable to destroy fibre and cause waste,
Referring to Sheet 2, representing various views of our improvements
in hackling machines, A, A¹, are the shafts which drive the sheets of
hackles by means of the drums B, C, D, E, and B¹, C¹, D¹, E', which
have increasing numbers of projections or driving teeth, as shewn in
Fig. 3, and also in Fig. 4, arranged upon the driving shaft as used in

page_text: the machine. Fig. 2 shews the separate sheets of hackles which travel
at different velocities according to the number of projections or driving
teeth in the drums B, C, D, E. The sheets of hackles are guided at the
top by the runners P, P', and at the bottom by the runners F, F¹. The
brush rollers G, G¹, operate upon the sheets of hackles at the part
between the bottom guide rollers and the driving shaft, where the hackle
sheets are drawn straight; the doffing is thus considerably facilitated.
The flax is first operated upon by the sheet of hackles driven by the
drums having the least number of projections or driving teeth and is
carried forward to the next having an increased speed and afterwards
to the sheet of hackles having a still quicker speed, and so on, the slow
speed treating the flax gently, the quicker speeds being applied when
the fibres have had a preparatory combing.
Fig. 5 is a modification of the mode of driving the sheets of hackles
at different velocities. P is the ordinary runner, and F the ordinary
bottom roller; Q is a third shaft upon which are pinions S with different
numbers of teeth gearing into suitable wheels R fixed to the shafts
carrying the drums or bottom rollers F. The sheets of hackles are divided
similarly to the manner herein-before described, and the speeds of the
sheets are varied according to the relative diameters of the wheels and
pinions R and S. Or the drums may be varied in diameter and made to
revolve upon eccentric bosses upon shaft T, in which case the driving
pinions for each sheet of hackles would be equal.
Having described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention, and
the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, we would have it
understood that we do not bind ourselves to the precise details of con-
struction herein described and shewn; what we claim is,-
Firstly. The construction of scutching machines substantially in
the manner herein-before described and shewn in the accompanying
Drawings.
Secondly. The dividing of the ordinary sheet of hackles in vertical
hackling machines into two, three, or more parts, the said sheets of backles
being driven at variable velocities and having different pitches from a
third shaft, substantially in the manner hercin-before described and shewn

page_text: Thirdly. The disposition of the shafts carrying the sheets of hackles
in such a manner as to present a flat or straight surface at the point
where the brush roller doffs the tow from the hackles,
In witness whereof; I, the said George Lowry, have hereunto set
my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy..
Witness,
JOSEPH WILLCOCK,.
Consulting Engineer,
Bradford.
GEORGE LOWRY. (L.S.)