IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING AND CARDING WOOL, FLAX, MOHAIR, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1855

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Heaton Barry at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th July
1855.
I, HENRY HEATON BARRY, of Bedford Street, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING AND CARDING WOOL, FLAX, MOHAIR, AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in machinery for combing and carding
wool, flax, mohair, and other fibrous substances, consist of an arrangement of
machinery whereby those substances may be taken up by combs or brushes
rotating on a swift or cylinder, which substances are thereby combed and carded,
and discharged by mechanical means. I place the taking-up combs or brushes
across the breadth of the periphery of the swift, and cause the wool or other
material to be operated upon to be fed up to them by feed rollers or by other
suitable means. When the charge of fibres is taken up, it passes first under
card rollers, against which it is pressed up by brushes or surfaces carried by
the swift; these are kept to their work by springs, to equalize the contact
pressure on the card surfaces. In order to prevent the card cylinders retaining
hold of the fibres, a discharging plate acts in connection with such rollers to

page_text: discharge the long fibres from the card rollers. Having passed from the
carding cylinders, the fibres are carried to the point of discharge, where they
are received by an endless chain of travelling combs. When the wool, flax, or
other fibrous substance on the swift combs is about to enter on the travelling
combs, the points of which are in close proximity to the swift combs, a brush
surface is actuated, so as to move in the same direction as the swift combs, but
at a much quicker velocity, so as to strike the wool off the swift combs down
into the travelling combs; the teeth of the travelling combs being inclined
towards the swift, the fibres are drawn clear of the taking combs, which pass
round to the feed rollers, and again receive another charge of fibres to be
operated upon in like manner.
in like manner. The endless chain of combs moves across the
breadth or face of the swift, and carries away and delivers the combed and
carded fibres. Instead of actuating the striking-off brush or surface so as to
move much quicker than the swift, I arrange it to come down upon the
travelling chain combs at a speed but little quicker than the speed of the swift
combs, but so as to penetrate and descend to the bottom of travelling comb
teeth, carrying with it the fibrous material and there holding it fast, while the
onward motion of the swift combs comb out and free themselves of the fibrous
material, and proceed to take another charge. For this purpose, instead of
imparting a continuous motion to the travelling combs, an intermittent motion
is given to it, and so arranged as to permit those combs to remain stationery
during the time the fibres are held by the taking-off brush or instrument.
As some slight portion of the fibres would be retained on the swift combs, in
this case it would be necessary to clear any accumulation thereof at intervals,
stopping the machine in the usual manner for that purpose..