Improvements in Revolving Flat and Roller and Clearer Carding Engines.
Year: 1890

page_text: 1890
Date of Application, 18th Jan.,
Complete Specification Left, 20th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Revolving Flat and Roller and Clearer
Carding Engines.
We, JOHN ALSTON HART of Higher Bank Blackburn in the County of Lancaster
Engineer and DOCTOR CHARLES BAYNES of Knuzden House, Blackburn aforesaid
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to provide means for more regularly holding and
feeding of the roll, lap or fleece of cotton or other fibre to the class of carding
engines known as revolving flat and roller and clearer carding engines and for more
firmly holding and presenting the said roll lap or fleece to the action of the taker-in.
According to our invention we provide a number of narrow pressing surfaces
arranged side by side so as to press the roll lap or fleece against the feed roller which
pressing surfaces form a part of or are combined with springs which give the pressure
required to hold and feed the cotton or other fibre to the carding engine. The
pressing surfaces and springs may also have combined with them or may be themselves
so fashioned as to also constitute the part or parts to suitably present the cotton or
other fibre to the action of the taker-in and by the relatively independent action of
these narrow pressing surfaces we are enabled to firmly hold the thick as well as the
thin parts of the fleece and so decrease the power of the taker-in to twitch in large
pieces of the cotton or other fibre from the thin places of the fleece and we thereby
increase the efficiency of the taker-in and carding machine as well as save the staple
of the cotton or other fibre and lessen the strain thrown upon the card fillet.
Dated this 18th day of January 1890.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Revolving Flat and Roller and Clearer
Carding Engines.
We, JOHN ALSTON HART of Higher Bank, Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, and DOCTOR CHARLES BAYNES, of Knuzden House, Blackburn aforesaid,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of our invention is to provide means for more regularly feeding and
holding of the roll, lap or fleece of cotton or other fibre to the classes of carding
engines known as revolving flat or roller and clearer carding engines, and for more
firmly holding and more efficiently presenting the said roll, lap, or fleece to the action
of the taker-in than is the case with the feed mechanism hitherto in use.
The main objects of a feed plate and feed roller are to draw, by the rotation of the
feed roller, the roll lap or fleece into the machine and also to properly present this
fleece to the opening and cleaning action of the taker-in.
According to our invention we provide a feed mechanism which will, automatically
and with greater sensitiveness than hitherto, adapt its conditions to variations in the
thickness of the roll lap or fleece as it passes through the said mechanism and is
presented to the action of the taker-in." In order to secure this adaptability the
feed plate is subdivided into numerous narrow, and independently operating pressing
parts or surfaces and to ensure the greater sensitiveness of these narrow pressing parts
or surfaces to variations in the thickness of the roll lap or fleece each of them is

page_text: narrow and
mounted upon a spring such as for instance a tempered steel spring, forming a
practically frictionless support. By transmitting through these springs the whole or
practically the whole of the pressure with which these numerous
independent pressing surfaces or parts bear upon the roll lap or fleece, we are
enabled to better apportion the pressure among the pressing surfaces or parts and if
required in such a manner that the pressure on each part or surface will vary with the
thickness of the roll lap or fleece passing over or under such surface or part.
In some cases we combine with the aforesaid numerous narrow and independently
operating pressing surfaces or parts hereinhefore described an equal number of
guiding parts or surfaces to guide and present the roll lap or fleece to the opening
and cleaning action of the taker-in. The relative proportions and arrangements of
the pressing and the guiding parts of the mechanism may be varied and may be so
arranged that the automatic movements of a pressing part due to the varying
thickness of the roll lap or fleece passing between it and the feed roller shall
automatically adjust the distance of the guiding and presenting part with which it is
combined relatively to the taker-in.
In some cases we may place the numerous narrow and independently operating
pressing parts or surfaces with their springs and fittings above the rotating feed
roller, and use, in combination therewith, the surface of this roller to guide and
present the roll lap or fleece to the action of the taker in.
By the relatively independent action of the aforesaid narrow surfaces, we are
enabled to decrease the liability or power of the taker-in to twitch relatively large
pieces of unopened cotton or other fibre from the fleece before the taker-in has opened
and combed the fibres. The efficiency of the taker-in, is thus increased, and by
insuring better and more regular opening and cleaning of the fibre by the taker-in
before the fibre is carried off by the said taker-in and submitted to the action of the
carding teeth of the cylinder fillet, less damage is done to the fibres and less strain is
put upon the teeth or carding points of the cylinder, thereby diminishing the liability
of these carding points or teeth becoming unduly strained, loosened at their
foundations, or broken.
And in order that our said invention may be fully understood we shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed drawings the same letters of reference indicating corresponding
parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a plan of so much of a cotton carding engine as is necessary to
illustrate our invention and Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same drawn to a larger
scale. Figures 3, 4 and 5 illustrate modifications hereinafter described.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 A are narrow tempered steel springs arranged side
by side, each spring having at one end a smooth narrow pressing and feeding part or
surface B, and also a narrow guiding and presenting part or surface C. The springs A
are fastened at their other ends to a bar D which may be done in any convenient way
for instance by means of screws a, sufficient clearance being left between the several
springs A to admit of their moving independently of each other. The bar D may be
provided at each end with a journal by which it is carried in suitable bearings on, or
in, the frame of the machine. E is the feed roller for feeding the roll lap or fleece up
to the taker-in G. This roller E is mounted in suitable bearings above the pressing
or feeding surfaces B of the springs A. The minimum pressure to be put upon the
parts B and roller E is effected by deflecting the springs A, which deflection may be
obtained in various ways. For example the journals Di formed on the bar D to which
the springs A are attached may be fixed in their bearings in such a position that the
springs when unrestrained occupy the position indicated by the dotted line in Figure 2,
and the required stress and deflection upon the springs may be obtained by pressing
down the roller E by means of weights and levers or their equivalents, acting on the
journals c of the said roller or by any other convenient means.
Or the feed roller E may be mounted in bearings fixed at the required position
relative to the taker-in G, and the springs A be caused to bear with more or less
pressure as required by means of levers F secured on the journals D' of the bar D

page_text: which turn in bearings, so that by applying pressure by weights or springs to the
levers F the bar D will be turned and the springs A be thereby caused to bear with
more or less pressure against the material passing between the surfaces B and the
rotating feed roller E. Or in some cases both the bar D (or an equivalent surface to
which the ends of the springs A are fastened) and also the bearings which carry the
rotating feed roller E may be fixed and stationary and so arranged relative to one
another that when there is an average thickness of roll lap or fleece passing between
the surfaces B and the roller E the springs A will be deflected to an extent which will
give the required average pressure.
In consequence of the parts B and C being formed in one with or connected to each
other, when a part B is automatically moved relatively to the feed roller E by an
increase or decrease in thickness of fibre passing between the said part B and the
roller E, such automatic movement by suitable arrangement of the centres of move-
ment of the parts relatively to one another may be used to automatically increase or
decrease the distance sett or adjustment relatively to the taker-in, of that part which
is formed in one or combined with the part B, and so graduate the action of the
taker-in upon the thick as well as upon the thin parts of the roll lap or fleece and
thereby prevent the fibre being cut or damaged.
We have found in practice that the lighter the pressure put upon the roll lap or
fleece (consistent with efficient holding power of the parts B and C) the less will be
the damage done to the fibre by the taker-in.
The pressure required varies with the nature of fibre forming the roll lap or fleece
and this pressure may be varied by altering the pressure on the springs a by the
weights and levers or by altering the strength of the springs A either by varying the
thickness of the said springs or by varying the distance between the parts B and
the bar D but always retaining the required range of working deflection within a safe
proportion as for instance of the total range of deflection up to the point of
permanent set of the springs.
In some cases we may taper the thickness of the spring forming the presenting
part between B and C so as to be still more flexible at Cif required. The springs A
may he fixed to the bar D separately or a number of them may be formed from a
single plate of tempered steel, fixed to the bar D, sawn or otherwise separated up to
the edge of the bar. The springs A may be straight when undeflected and be curved
when deflected or they may be curved in their normal condition and be straightened
by deflection.
The springs A with the parts B and the bar D may be arranged above the rotating
feed roller E as shewn in Figure 3 the surface of the roller E serving then to guide
and present the fibre to the action of the taker-in G. The parts B, C, may be made
separate from the springs A and be attached thereto in any suitable way and the part
or surface C may be curved to any desired extent to suit the various classes of cotton
or other fibre so as to properly hold guide and present it to the action of the
taker-in G. The springs A may be fixed to the bar D in any suitable way for
instance as in Figures 1, 2, and 3 simply by screws or as shewn in Figure 4 by having
their ends turned down against the back edge of the bar and held in position by a
saddle or clip piece H. Ör as shown in Figure 5 the springs may be fixed by
curving their ends partly around the bar D thereby forming a self-contained clip.
In some cases we may form the springs A from round steel tempered wire and
flatten the ends to form the parts B and C. The springs A may be made of steel or
of any other suitable material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. In revolving flat and roller and clearer carding engines a feed plate
composed of a number of narrow independent surfaces formed in one with or
mounted upon a number of sorings substantially as herein before described.
Second. In feed plates for revolving flat and roller and clearer carding engines,

page_text: the combination of springs A with parts B and C substantially in the manner and for
the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to Figures 1, 2, 4, 5
in the accompanying drawings.
Third. In feed plates for revolving flat and roller and clearer carding engines the
combination of springs A parts B and feed roller E substantially in the manner and
for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to Figure 3 in
the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. In revolving flat and roller and clearer carding engines the combination
of springs. A parts B and C bar D and feed roller E with means for putting the
required stress upon the springs A substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the
accompanying drawing.
Fifth. In revolving flat and roller and clearer carding engines the combination
of springs A parts B bar D and feed roller E with means for putting the required
stress upon the springs A substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described and illustrated with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
Datal this 90th love of Ontabar 1800.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, Agents.