IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMBING OR CLEANING SILK, COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Wilson Hadwen at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th April
1860.
I, JOHN WILSON HADWEN, of Kebroyd Mills, in the Parish of Halifax, and
West Riding of the County of York, Cotton Spinner, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR COMBING OR CLEANING SILK, COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,"
to be as follows:-
The said Invention consists in new modes of combining and arranging the
working parts of improved apparatus or machines adapted for combing, cleaning,
and straightening long stapled fibrous materials.
The first arrangement is as follows:-Separate sets of combs or teeth
adapted for combing in contrary directions are mounted upon the convex part
of the surface of a cylindrical segment which constitutes the combing cylinder.
This cylinder has intermittent rotatory motion in alternate directions, but rests
or becomes stationary during intervals between its movements. During these
intervals of rest the flat or plane part of the surface of the cylindrical segment
is presented upwards. There are two sets of self-acting nippers or holders.
Of these the first present successive portions of the lap to the action of the
first set of combs or teeth with which the cylinder is furnished. The cylinder
partially revolves, and the teeth comb out the ends of the fibres which protrude

page_text: from the nippers. The cylinder having revolved until the plane or flat side is
uppermost, becomes stationary in that position. The second nippers advance over
the flat upper surface of the cylinder to meet the first nippers, and receive from
them the combed or cleaned end of the tuft or detached portion of material,
having done which they recede to their first position, and expose the tail or
uncombed portion of the tuft to the action of the second set of combs or teeth
which are now brought into operation by the renewed rotation of the cylinder
in a direction the reverse of that of its last previous motion. The combing of
the tuft or detached mass of fibre is thus perfected, and the second nippers
deposit it upon an endless travelling card band. This series of movements is
continually repeated, and the motion of the card band is so timed that each
successive deposit of material overlaps the end of the preceding one, and thus
a continuous fleece or sliver is formed, which is taken off by rollers in the
usual manner. The noils are cleared from the combing cylinder by revolving
brushes, and delivered to a card cylinder, from which they are doffed by the
ordinary method.
A second combination of parts for the same purpose is similar to the foregoing,
but with this variation, viz., that instead of one segmental combing cylinder two
are employed, each furnished with one set of combs or teeth set in a contrary
direction to those upon the other cylinder. The cylinders revolve intermittently
in opposite directions, but each in one direction only. Each of them combs
out one end of the tuft as it is presented in due course by the corresponding
nippers. In other respects the arrangement is the same as the foregoing.
A third arrangement or modification of the foregoing consists in using two
ordinary combing cylinders instead of segmental ones, and in causing them to
descend out of the way of the nippers when the material has to be transferred
from one side to the other. The cylinders revolve in contrary directions, each
of them combing out one end of the tuft as it is presented. The other
parts of the combination remain the same as in the arrangements previously
described.
In the fourth arrangement a combing cylinder is furnished upon different
portions of its surface with separate sets of combs or teeth adapted to comb in
contrary directions. This cylinder has an intermittent revolving motion, and
becomes stationary during short intervals in certain positions, a pair of nippers
supplied by a suitable feed apparatus present one end of a tuft or portion of
the lap to one of the sets of combs carried by the combing cylinder. The
latter partially revolves, and the teeth of the combs comb out the protruding
end of the fibrous tuft. The motion of the cylinder is then arrested, and the
nippers carrying the tuft or portion of fibrous material present the combed

page_text: end thereof to a second pair of nippers, which advance from the opposite side
of the combing cylinder and lay hold of it. The first nippers relax their hold
and retire. The combing cylinder remains stationary, its position being such
that the second set of combs or teeth are presented upwards, and the second
nippers in receding draw the tail or uncombed part of the tuft through the said
combs or teeth, thereby producing the same effect as would be produced by the
cylinder reversing its previous motion, and combing out the tail of the tuft by
drawing the comb teeth through it. The combing of the tuft or detached
portion of fibre is thus completed. The deposit of the same upon the card-
band, the doffing of the sliver formed on the latter, and the mode of clearing
the combing cylinder from noils are the same as in the arrangement firstly
before described.