IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO CARDING ENGINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Ashworth and Elijah Ashworth, of the Firm of
Ashworth Brothers, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO CARDING
ENGINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Ashworth and
Elijah Ashworth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th
February 1880.
GEORGE ASHWORTH and ELIJAH ASHWORTH, of the Firm of Ashworth Brothers,
of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
APPLICABLE TO CARDING ENGINES."
Our Invention relates generally to the carding engines employed in the
preparation of textile materials, and in the first place to the brushes and allied
parts employed in the brushing or cleaning of the card cylinders. We partly
enclose the revolvable brush in a casing consisting of sides and ends and a curved
hinged cover, and to the inner side of the said cover we attach the combs or
hackles which receive the fibres from the brush. We prefer to attach two or more
ranks of comb teeth, and we prefer to arrange the teeth in the rear rank or ranks
closer together than those in the front rank. Access is had to clear the teeth by
simply turning up or over the hinged cover. To support and adjust the brush
casing we attach two legs or parts to each end of the casing by means of adjustable
bolts or screws, one leg resting on the part which supports the carding cylinder
cover, or upon a suitable fixed support, and the other bearing thereon to prevent
the rotation of the brush casing. The form of the said casing and cover may be
varied, and also the said cover or hinged comb carrier may be used without the
side casing. We prefer to employ a brush made from fine hardened and tempered
steel wire. The apparatus is more compact, portable, and self contained than the
ordinary arrangement. In the second place we employ a brush made from suitably
fine hardened and tempered steel wire in place of the ordinary bristle brush, which
is used to brush the flats. We prefer that the brushing part shall be composed of
separate headed wires inserted in a suitable material which is secured to the foun-
dation roller spirally or otherwise, as desired. We consider such a brush to be

page_text: "
particularly applicable in cases wherein the wire cards are made from hardened
steel wire. A third part of our Invention relates to the grid, which in some cases
extends partly below the licker-in." We have found that the portions of the
knots or fibrous matters thrown off by the "licker-in" have clung to the front
edge or end bar of the said grid, and have collected until by their accumulation they
have been taken forwards by the "licker-in." To prevent this we arrange a roller
or rod to revolve slowly close to the said front edge or end bar, so that the said
knots or fibres are intercepted by the said roller, and are by its revolution with-
drawn from the influence of the "licker-in." A suitable "doctor" clears the
matters from the said roller. The said roller may receive motion from the axle
of one of the feed rollers, or from the axle of the flat actuating wheels, or from any
suitable part of the engine. A remaining part of our Invention has for its object
to arrest the feed on the breakage of the band which actuates the doffing knife.
A pulley mounted on a lever bears upon the said band and imparts tension thereto.
When the band breaks the consequent lowering of the pully end of the lever causes
the said lever to raise the feed roller driving shaft out of gear, or to otherwise throw
the said shaft or rollers out of gear.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Ashworth and Elijah Ashworth in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th August 1880.
GEORGE ASHWORTH and ELIJAH ASHWORTH, of the Firm of Ashworth Brothers,
of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
APPLICABLE TO CARDING ENGINES."
Our Invention relates generally to the carding engines employed in the
preparation of textile materials, and in the first place to the brushes and allied
parts employed in the brushing or cleaning of the card cylinders. We partly
enclose the revolvable brush in a casing consisting of sides and ends and a curved
hinged cover, and to the inner side of the said cover we attach the combs or
hackles which receive the fibres from the brush. Access is had to clear the teeth
by simply turning up or over the hinged cover. To support and adjust the brush
casing we in some cases attach legs or parts to the ends of the casing by means of
adjustable bolts or screws, the said legs resting on the parts which support the
carding cylinder cover, or upon suitable fixed supports, and thereby preventing the
rotation of the brush casing. We prefer to employ a brush made from fine hardened
and tempered steel wire. We prefer that the brushing part shall be composed of
wires inserted in a suitable material, which is secured to the foundation roller
spirally or otherwise, as desired. We consider such a brush to be particularly
applicable in cases wherein the wire cards are made from hardened steel wire.
A second part of our Invention relates to the grid, which in some cases extends
partly below the "licker-in." We have found that portions of the knots or fibrous
matters thrown off by the "licker-in" have clung to the front edge or end bar of
the said grid, and have collected until, by their accumulation, they have been taken
forwards by the "licker-in." To prevent this we arrange a roller or rod to revolve
slowly close to the said front edge or end bar, so that the said knots or fibres are
intercepted by the said roller, and are by its revolution withdrawn from the
influence of the "licker-in." A suitable "doctor" clears the matters from the said
roller. The said roller may receive motion from the axle of one of the feed rollers,
or from the axle of the flat actuating wheels, or from any suitable part of the
engine. A remaining part of our Invention has for its object to arrest the feed on
the breakage of the band which actuates the doffing knife. A pulley mounted upon
a lever bears upon the said band and imparts tension thereto. When the band
breaks the consequent lowering of the pulley end of the lever causes the said lever
to raise the feed roller driving shaft out of gear, or to otherwise throw the said
shaft or rollers out of gear.
In order that our Invention may be fully understood we have attached hereunto
a Sheet of Drawings marked with letters of reference, to which Drawings we will
refer in this place. Fig. 1, drawn about one fourth of the full linear dimensions,
is a cross section, Fig. 2 a longitudinal elevation, and Fig. 3 an end view of a
brush and cover constructed and arranged in accordance with the first part of our
Invention. In the said Figs. a is a cylindrical brush; bis the casing; c represents
a portion of the doffer; and d a portion of the framing of a carding-engine. The
said casing is formed with two sides a¹, a¹, which are connected together by end
plates a³, and fitted with a curved cover or door a³ which is hinged to one of the
said sides; these parts are or may be made of sheet metal. The end plates a³ are
slotted to pass over the axle of the brush, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figs. 1
and 3. Upon each axle is mounted a clamping washer e which is connected by
means of bolts or screws with a bracket f. The end a² passes between the
parts e and ſ, and is clamped thereto by tightening the said bolts or screws. The

page_text: bracket is formed with feet which rest upon the engine framing when the brush
is in use, the axles of the brush revolving in the ordinary bearings attached to the
engine framing, as indicated at g. When the brush is caused to revolve the said
bracket, by bearing upon the framing, prevents the rotation of the casing b. The
said bolts or screws pass through slots in the said bracket in order that it may be
adjusted to bear suitably upon the framing of the carding-engine. To the hinged
cover a³ are attached three ranks of comb teeth h, h1, h2, which project between the
bristles, or the equivalent members of the brush, and receive therefrom fibres
which have been brushed out of the cards. We prefer to arrange the teeth in the
rear rank h² closer together than the teeth in the middle rank, and the teeth in
the latter closer together than the teeth in the first rank. We do not confine
ourselves to the use of three combs or ranks of teeth. When the cover is thrown
back the combs are accessible for the removal of the fibres. The apparatus is more
compact, portable, and self-contained than the ordinary arrangement. We may use
a card brush in lieu of the said comb teeth or in addition thereto. The form of the
casing 6 may be varied, and we may use a comb carrier hinged so as to be capable
b
of being turned up to withdraw the combs from the brush without using the side
casings a¹. In Fig. 7 the apparatus is represented in position upon a carding
engine; Figs. 4, 5, and 6 illustrate a modification in the arrangement for preventing
the rotation of the casing and combs. In lieu of the bracket f a jaw j formed on
a boss projecting from the end-plate e, or from a part secured thereto, embraces the
upper part of the bearing g. Other modifications are indicated by Figs. 6ª, 6B,
and 6 In Fig. 6A a finger on the part e, or attached to the end plate of the
casing, passes between the ribs upon which the bearing g is bolted. In the other
examples the said finger is slotted or forked to engage with a stud or projection
on the said bearing. Other arrangements for effecting the same object may be
adopted. The sectional diagram Fig. 12 illustrates the third part of our Invention.
In the said diagram K represents the "licker-in; " 1, the main carding cylinder;
and m the front end of the aforesaid grid. The roller which we add to the front
edge of the grid is indicated by n; this roller is caused to revolve in the indicated
direction by such suitable means as have been hereinbefore mentioned, and by so
doing carries any knots or fibres which it may receive in a direction away from the
"licker-in." A "doctor o clears the matters from the surface of the roller; or a
brush or any other suitable means may be employed to effect the same object. The
arrangement for stopping the feed on the breakage of the doffer driving band is
illustrated by Figures 7 to 11, the arrangement being shewn completo in Fig. 7,
which is drawn to a scale of about one inch to the foot. In the said Figures p is
the said band, and q is the side shaft which actuates the feed rollers. Upon the
said shaft is a bevil pinion which gears with a wheel r which is fixed on the axle
of one of the feed rollers. One end of the said shaft revolves in a bearing formed
in a block or part s which is fitted to slide in a diagonal direction in a bracket t
which is bolted to the engine framing. Figures 8, 9, and 11 represent the said
parts, or some of them, drawn to a larger scale than Fig. 7. The bracket t is
formed with diagonal ribs which are planed to receive the bearing block 8, or the
parts are otherwise suitably fitted together so that the said bearing block is free to
slide easily in a direction upwards and away from the line of the wheel r. Upon
a stud or suitable fixed fulcrum is mounted a lever u, and upon the longer arm of
this lever is mounted an anti-friction bowl v which rests upon the band p. A wheel
larger in proportion may be substituted for the said bowl. The shorter arm of the
said lever is cranked outwards so as to pass below the shaft q, and its outer end is
made of a form suitable for its work of lifting the said shaft at the required times.
The longer arın of the lever preponderates, but it is sustained by reason of the
bowl v resting upon the band p, the end of the shorter arm just clearing the under-
side of the shaft q, or bearing lightly against it. When the said band breaks the
longer arm of the lever not being sustained sinks, and by so doing causes the end
of the shorter arm to bear forcibly upwards so as to raise the end of the shaft q,

page_text: the bearing blocks at the same time sliding on the bracket. It will be seen that
the diagonal sliding movement of the said bearing block by carrying the shaft
away from the wheel disconnects the bevil pinion from the said wheel, whereby
the action of the feeding mechanism is arrested. We do not confine ourselves to
the precise arrangement, nor to the diagonal movement of the said bearing block,
as the lever u may be otherwise arranged to effect the desired object; as for
example, the shorter end of the said lever may be arranged to act upon a sliding
clutch to disconnect the bevel pinion from the shaft q when the driving band
breaks.
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of our said Invention, and
the manner in which we carry the saine into practical effect, we would have it to
be understood in conclusion that we claim,-
First. The combination of parts forming the portable card brushing apparatus,
substantially as set forth and indicated hereinbefore and in and by the accom-
panying Drawings.
Secondly. The combs, hackles, or brush-clearers attached to a hinged cover,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
Thirdly. The application of the roller or revolving part n, for the purpose set
forth.
Fourthly. The arrangement for stopping the feed when the doffer driving band
breaks, substantially as set forth and indicated.
And, lastly. The employment of a lever provided with a bowl or wheel which
rests upon the doffer driving band, and arranged to put out of gear part of the
mechanism which actuates the feed rollers on the breaking of the said band, sub-
stantially as set forth and indicated.
In witness whereof, we, the said George and Elijah Ashworth, have hereunto
set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of August, One thousand eight
hundred and eighty.
Signed, sealed, and delivered, the day
and year last above mentioned, in
the presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent for the Patentees.
GEORGE ASHWORTH. (L.S.)
ELIJAH ASHWORTH. (L.S.)