IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING AND HECKLING FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles De Jongh, of Lautenbach, near Guebwiller,
in the Empire of France, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING AND HECKLING FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 26th October 1858, and dated the 21st August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles De Jongh at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st August 1858.
I, CHARLES DE JONGH, of Lautenbach, near Guebwiller, in the Empire of
France, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING AND HECKLING FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements upon a Patent obtained by me on
the 29th October 1856, for machinery for combing fibrous substances. In
this machine the fibres to be operated upon by the rotary combs were fed
into the machine between endless chains, which were pressed into contact with
the fibres by means of pressing rollers, and thereby caused to hold the fibres
fast while under the heckling or combing action.
. I now propose, instead of making these chains of short links jointed together,
to construct them of flat plates of iron, or other hard substance, with square.
abutting ends, and to connect them together by securing them to an endless.

page_text: band of vulcanized india-rubber, or other suitable elastic connection, such, for
example, as coiled springs let into a groove in the back of the plates, and
hooked to pins provided for the purpose.
When the endless band is used, it is also applied to the back of the plates.
These plates I propose to make of such a length, with respect to the distance
apart of the pressing rollers, that there shall be never less than two rollers
pressing upon each plate that is under pressure.
And as a further improvement, I propose, in order to avoid the accumula-
tion of oil from the bearings of the pressing rollers upon the chains, to form
the pressing rollers with a central journal, the bearing for which shall receive
pressure from a coiled spring confined between the bearing (which is capable
of sliding in guides) and the fixed frame which carries it. A flange on these
rollers enters a longitudinal groove in the back of the plates, to keep the
chains in position. I prefer to flute the nipping surface of the chains, in
order to obtain a more powerful holding surface. To prevent the pinching of
the fibres between the abutting ends of. the chain plates, I apply two endless
bands of leather, felt, or other material, which respectively encircle the upper
and lower chains. These bands are guided by fixed rollers, so that they will
close upon the fibres, and partially compress them before the nip of the chain
comes upon the fibres.
Instead of the system of spur gearing, which I formerly described for driving.
the pressing rollers, the rotation of which carries the chains through the
machino, I now propose to apply bevil wheels to the rollers, and to drive
thom by bevil wheels on horizontal shafts mounted on the side of the framing.
To prevent the fibres as they are presented to the action of the combs from
being affected by the current of air produced by the rotation of the combs,
and thereby forced out of the range of the comb teeth, I provide guides, which
will support the fibres, and retain them in the proper position for being
combed out. In some cases I propose, in place of using traversing holding
chains, to place the fibres to be combed in books or holders, of the ordinary
construction, and pass these between the pressing rollers, for the purpose of
presenting the fibres to the action of the combs or heckles. The pressure of
the rollers will, in this case, act the part of the screws or holdfasts ordinarily
employed,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles De Jongh in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, СHARLES
DE JONGH, of Lautenbach, in the Empire of France, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles De Jongb, Her special license that I, the said Charles De
Jongh, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Charles De Jongh, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at 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
MACHINERY FOR COMBING AND HECKLING FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Charles De Jongh, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-.
formed, 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 I, the said Charles De Jongh, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
'
This Invention relates to improvements upon an Invention for which I
obtained Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth
day of October, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, for machinery for
combing fibrous substances. In this machine the fibres to be operated upon
were fed up to rotary combs between endless chains, which were pressed into
contact with the fibres by means of pressing rollers, and thereby caused to hold
the fibres fast while under the heckling or combing action. I now, however,
propose as a matter of economy, instead of making these chains of short links
jointed together, to construct them of flat blocks of wood, or plates of iron or

page_text: other hard substance with square abutting ends, and to connect them together
by securing them to an endless band of vulcanized india-rubber, or other
suitable elastic connection.
In Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 shews one mode of
carrying out this improvement, a, a, being the blocks of wood, and b, b, the
band of vulcanized india-rubber secured to the back of the blocks by pins,
cement, or other suitable means; Fig. 2 shews in plan view, and Fig. 3 in
longitudinal section, an elastic attachment, in which a coiled spring c (let into
a groove in the back of the blocks or plates, and hooked to pins d provided -
for the purpose,) is the means of connecting together the blocks which form
the links of the chain. These blocks, plates, or links I propose to make of
such a length, with respect to the distance apart of the pressing rollers, that
there shall be never less than two rollers pressing upon each plate that is
under pressure, as shewn at Fig. 7 in Sheet 2.
In order to avoid the accumulation upon the chains of oil from the bearings
of the pressing rollers, I propose to provide the pressing rollers with a central
journal, the bearing for which shall receive pressure from a coiled spring
confined between the cap of the bearing and the fixed frame which carries it.
This contrivance is shewn at Fig. 4, which is a partial end view of the
machine. In this Figure a, a, shew the blocks, which form the links of the
chain, the same being grooved longitudinally on their nipping surfaces to
e, e*, are
ensure a good hold of the material between the pressing surfaces.
the pressing and sustaining rollers which respectively bear against the upper
and under sides of the endless chains, and also impart the required traverse
motion thereto. A flange on these rollers enters a longitudinal groove in the
back of the blocks, plates, or links, to keep the chains in position. The
central journal of each of the upper rollers receives a cap bearing f, which is
Above this cap,
inserted in guides made in the main framing to receive it.
and pressing upon it, is a coiled spring g, which is enclosed within a hollow
chamber formed for it in the main framing. The pressure of this spring is
capable of adjustment by means of a screw and nut h, so as to ensure the
Below the
proper holding of the fibres between the traversing chains.
journals of the upper series of pressing rollers is fixed a thin plate i, which is
supported by screws pendent from the main framing, and set at suitable
distances apart. Strips of leather are placed between this plate and the
journals, for the purpose of absorbing any oil that may have a tendency to run
off the bearing.
To prevent the pinching of the fibres between the abutting ends of the
chain plates, I apply two endless bands of leather, felt, or other material, of

page_text: the same width as the chains, which respectively encircle the upper and lower
chains, as shewn in the partial longitudinal elevation of the machine at Fig. 7,
Sheet 2, in which k, k, are the bands, guided by fixed rollers 1, 1, so that they,
will close upon the fibres and partially compress them before the nip of the
chain comes upon the fibres.
Instead of the system of spur gearing which I formerly described for
driving the pressing rollers, the rotation of which, as before mentioned, carries
the chains through the machine, I find it desirable to apply bevil wheels to
the rollers, and to drive them by bevil wheels on horizontal shafts mounted on
the side of the framing, but I make no claim to such application.
To prevent the fibres as they are presented to the action of the combs from
being affected by the current of air produced by the rotation of the combs,.
and thereby forced out of the range of the comb teeth, I find it desirable to
provide guides, which will support the fibres, and retain them in the proper
position for being combed. A simple mode of effecting this is shewn at
Fig. 5, Sheet 1, wherein A represents the rotary comb; B, the traversing
holding chains; C, the material to be operated upon; and D, a plate of metal
bolted to the framing, and forming a rigid guide, over which the fibres traverse
on their way to the combs. The tendency of any down draft to depress the fibre
will, by this guide plate, be effectually removed. In lieu of this rigid guide,
I may find it convenient to employ endless belts for leading the fibres up to
the rotary comb teeth, the endless belts being set abreast of each other, and
made of varying length, to suit the space desired to be filled between the
carrying chains and the rotary comb. I may here remark that the plates
forming the links of the endless chains may, with advantage, be bevilled at
their abutting edges, instead of being cut square. This arrangement is shewn
on an enlarged scale at Fig. 6 (Sheet 1), and when chains are thus con-
structed, the endless cloth before mentioned may be dispensed with, as the
tendency to nip the fibres between the joints of the chains is thus removed.
Fig. 8, Sheet 2, shews one of these chains employed in conjunction with an
ordinary construction of butt-joint chain, over the latter of which an endless
cloth is applied for the purpose of covering the joints. As the combed fibre
is delivered from the nip of the chains, it may be convenient to bring tapes
m, m, to the upper and under side thereof, and to wind them up into a roll, as
at n. By this means the subsequent separation of the fibres will be greatly
facilitated.
In some cases I propose, in place of using traversing holding chains, to
place the fibres to be combed in books or holders of the ordinary construction,
and to pass them between the pressing rollers, for the purpose of presenting

page_text: the fibres to the action of the combs or heckles. The pressure of the rollers
will, in this case, act the part of the screws or holdfasts ordinarily employed for
clamping the books or holders.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of improvements in
machinery for combing and heckling fibrous materials, and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,―
First, attaching flat plates or blocks together by elastic connections at their
back, so as to form a continuous chain for the purpose above described.
Secondly, protecting the fibres from being nipped between the joints of the
endless carrying chains by the use of independent endless travelling bands
arranged as described.
Thirdly, mounting the pressing rollers (between which the carrying chains
pass) in central, in contradistinction to end bearings, for the purpose above
set forth.
Fourthly, the application of guides for supporting the fibres when brought
up to the action of the combs, as described.
And, lastly, the use of books or detached holders of any ordinary construc-
tion in lieu of chains for carrying the fibres through the machine, the traverse
of the holders and the grip of the fibres by the holders being, in this case, due
to the action of the pressing rollers, between which they are passed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles De Jongh, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.