IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING, BREAKING, SCUTCHING, AND CLEANING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1876

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, &
Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING, BREAKING, SCUTCHING, AND
CLEANING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS." A communication
from abroad by Richard Kitson, of Lowell, Massachusetts, United States of
America
Sealed the 12th January 1877, and dated the 27th July 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Willian Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th July 1876.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING,
BREAKING, SCUTCHING, AND CLEANING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS." A communication.
The first part of my Invention relates to the application of a new separating
device between the apron and feed rolls of the beater or scutcher of cotton, or other
openers, and comprises,-
First. The application of a pair of separating rolls after and adjacent to a pair of
grasping rolls, the separating rolls revolving with much greater rapidity than the
grasping rolls, the object of this part of my Invention being to open or separate the
lumps and bunches of cotton evenly as they come from the bale before reaching the
feed rolls.
Second. Causing the cotton to be delivered from the grasping rolls to the feed
rolls through a gauging device, the object of this part of my Invention being to so
measure or gauge the cotton that a constantly uniform quantity of sufficient
thickness will be delivered to the beater and a lap be formed directly from the
separating rolls.
Heretofore the cotton has been taken from the bale and divided by hand while
being laid upon the feed apron, in order to deliver it as nearly as possible in a
uniform sheet to the feed rolls and beaters. This process was necessarily imperfect,
even with the greatest care and skill on the part of the workman, and was liable to
be more so from inattention, thus impairing the lap, as well as exposing the
beater to great strains and wear from the passage of lumps of cotton not sufficiently
[Price 6d.]

page_text: opened by hand; to overcome these defects in a great measure my improvement is
devised.
By the use of a set of grasping rolls, followed by a set of dividing rolls running
at high speed, and a measuring or gauging device, I get the cotton into the feed
rolls in proper form and quantity to form a lap, while thoroughly divided and pulled 5
apart.
A great part of the opening of the cotton which has heretofore been done by
beaters I accomplish by means of dividing rolls, so that in the process of forming
the lap two of the beaters heretofore required may be dispensed with, while at the
same time the expense of building and power required to run the openers are greatly 1
reduced.
These two separating or dividing rolls may be made of different sizes, the
diameter of the lower one being enlarged, so that no space will be left between the
lower grasping roll and the lower dividing roll, and as the adjacent faces of these
two lower rolls are revolving in opposite directions the cotton will be kept from 1
winding around either roller.
The cotton is delivered from the dividing rolls, owing to their high speed, in
so thin a sheet as to be incapable of forming a lap, and hence must be condensed
or formed into a thick sheet before entering the feed rolls and beater. For this
purpose I use a condenser or gauge box between the dividing rolls and the feed
rolls, but any other suitable apparatus, such as two aprons or an apron and feed roll,
may be used.
I
Heretofore the cotton has been fed along from the apron directly through the feed
rolls to the beater, the same amount being fed directly to the beater that is placed
on the feed apron, so that the amount delivered to the beater constantly varied with
the amount placed on the feed apron, and as the size of the lap depended upon the
quantity fed to and opened by the beater the lap was correspondingly uneven.
obviate this difficulty by means of this gauge or condenser box, and cause the
amount delivered to the beater in a given time to be entirely independent in even-
ness of the quantity placed upon the feed apron. At the bottom of this condenser
I place a large fluted roll which revolves slowly and carries the cotton out to the
feed rolls, which deliver it to the beater. My condenser is also applicable to a
single breaker at the end of the trunk.
I provido the machine with a trunk through which the cotton is thrown from the
beater upon the revolving screens which drop the cotton into the gauge box. In
the side of this condenser, toward the operator, I place a glass window, so that he
can at all times see that the quantity in the condenser is kept uniform.
inclined apron leads from the box to the cotton bin to receive the overflow.
An
Horetofore in this kind of openers the cotton has been discharged from the screens
upon the floor from which it was taken to the next opener or lapper by hand, but
by means of my condenser the cotton is delivered directly to the feed rolls of the
beater of the second opener.
Instead of a pair of grasping, or of dividing, or of feed rolls, a single roll and a
plate may be used in the well known form to act in the same manner with reference
to the others in dividing and delivering the fibres.
The second part of my Invention relates to improvements in the machinery used
for forming laps of cotton, whereby the current of air admitted to the beater is
made to enter between the forward grate bars, or the grate bars farthest from the
feed end of the machine, thereby causing a better and more even distribution and
action of such current of air and preventing cotton from being forced down between
the grate bars with the sand, seeds, and trashy matter separated from the cotton by
the action of the beater. The current and volume of air from the beater being
somewhat reduced relieves the draft fans connected with the screen cylinders and
make such fans work casier, less power being required to drive them, the means
employed for producing the aforesaid new and beneficial results being air ports or
openings through the ends of said machine and always forward of the beater and
the forward extremity of the rack.

page_text: In the ordinary machinery used for opening, cleaning, and forming laps of cotton,
the beater is supplied with air through one or more openings directly under the
lower feed roll and beneath the grate or through the heads of the beater bonnet
above the shaft of the beater or through the bonnet above the beater, or through
openings at or near the feed end of the machine.
The last abovo-described means of supplying the cotton-lapper beater with air,
as compared with my improvement, are productive of unfavorable results. The
volume of air, in my opinion, being too great and the current too strong, or of
necessity badly distributed, considerable good cotton is carried down between the
grate bars with the trashy inatter; and besides this, when the screen cylinders are
much loaded with light opened cotton the meshes or openings through said cylinders'
surfaces are too thickly covered with cotton, and by this means the outlet of the
great volume and current of air becomes limited, resulting in reaction or a back
current, which frequently clogs the machine with cotton blown back to the beater,
all of which is sufficiently objectionable, to say nothing of the necessity of stopping
the machine and clearing out the clogged cotton, and the waste or loss of time
occasioned thereby, or of the danger of fire by friction of the rapidly rotating
beater while working through the clogged cotton. To overcome these difficulties
and to produce the best results with the cotton lap forming machine it is necessary
that the ports for supplying the beater with air should be forward of the beater
and forward of the grate or rack which extends around beneath the beater, with
ample and uninterrupted space between the air ports and the forward bar or bars
of the grate, between which it is found best to have the air enter.
Taking any of the common lap-forming machines, I close all the air openings
through the bonnet or below the feed rolls under the rack, or at or near the feed
end of the machine I form air ports through the ends of the machine. These air
ports should be in area equal to from six to eight inches in diameter and forward of
the beater, so as to compel the air to enter at the first open space or spaces between
the most forward bars.
My improved means for supplying the cotton-lapper beater with air, as described,
in no way interferes with the working of the beater and the rack, or impedes their
action in liberating and extracting the dirt, sand, and seeds from cotton, but these
improvements produce the new and beneficial results herein described and in the
nanner specified.
My improvements are adapted to certain kinds of machines which are used for
opening, picking, and cleaning other fibrous substances, as well as cotton, and
whether such machines deliver their wool, cotton, or other fibrous substance to
screen cylinders or directly into a ventilated bin or room and through a long or short
spout or trunk.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th-
January 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING,
BREAKING, SCUTCHING, AND CLEANING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS." A communication from abroad by Richard Kitson, of Lowell, Massa-
chusetts, United States of America.
The first part of my Invention relates to the application of a new separating
device between the apron and feed rolls of the beater or scutcher of cotton or other
openers, and comprises,-
First. The application of a pair of separating rolls, after and adjacent to a pair of
grasping rolls, the separating rolls revolving with much greater rapidity than the

page_text: grasping rolls; the object of this part of my Invention being to open or separate
the lumps and bunches of cotton evenly as they come from the bale before reaching
the feed rolls.
Second. Causing the cotton to be delivered from the grasping rolls to the feed
rolls through a gauging device, the object of this part of my Invention boing to so
measure or gauge the cotton that a constantly uniform quantity of sufficient
thickness will be delivered to the beater, and a lap be formed directly from the
soparating rolls.
Heretofore the cotton has been taken from the bale and divided by hand whilo
being laid upon the feed apron, in order to deliver it as nearly as possible in a
uniform sheet to the feed rolls and beaters. This process was necessarily imperfect
even with the greatest care and skill on the part of the workman, and was liable to
be more so from inattention, thus impairing the lap as well as exposing the boater
to great strains and wear from the passage of lumps of cotton not sufficiently
opened by hand. To overcome these defects in a great measure my improvements
are devised.
By the use of a set of grasping rolls followed by a set of dividing rolls running
at high speed, and a measuring or gauging device I get the cotton into the feed
rolls in proper form and quantity to form a lap, while thoroughly divided and
pulled apart.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improved separating device attached to the
opener.
Figure 2 is a vertical section showing a measuring device attached to the trunk
of an opener.
A is the feed apron; B, B, are fluted grasping rolls which take the cotton from
the apron A; C, C, are fluted separating rolls, placed next after the grasping
rolls B, B, which separating rolls revolve at a very high speed campared with that
of the grasping rolls, the former making, say, one hundred and forty revolutions,
while the latter make about fourteen revolutions per minute, as these dividing rolls
revolve so much faster than the grasping rolls they seize and draw apart or open all
the lumps and bunches of cotton which pass through the said grasping rolls, and a
great part of the opening of the cotton which has heretofore been done by beaters,
I accomplish by means of these dividing rolls C, C, so that in the process of formning
the lap two of the beaters heretofore required may be dispensed with, while at the
same time, the cost of construction and the power required to run the openers are
greatly reduced.
These two separating or dividing rolls may be made of different sizes, the
diameter of the lower one being so cnlarged that no space will be left between the
lower grasping roll B and the lower dividing roll C, and as the adjacent faces of
these two lower rolls are revolving in opposite directions the cotton will be kept
from winding around either roller.
The cotton is delivered from the dividing rolls C, C, owing to their high speed in
so thin a sheet as to be incapable of forming a lap, and hence must be condensed or
formed into a thick sheet before entering the feed rolls and beater. For this
purpose I use a condenser or gauge box between the dividing rolls and the feed
rolls, but any other suitable apparatus, such as two aprons, or an apron and feed
roll may be used. D is the condenser or gauge box which I attach to the frame
under the separating rolls C, C, so that the cotton will fall into it from these rolls.
This box may be made of any thin sheet metal or other material, the front and
sides being made of any convenient shape to prevent the cotton from escaping
improperly, while between the back side of the condenser and the lower separating
roll C I leave a space a, so that when the condenser overflows the surplus will be
thrown back by the lower separating roll along the inclined apron J to the cotton bin.
Heretofore the cotton has been fed along from the apron directly through the
feed rolls to the beater, the same amount being fed directly to the beater that is

page_text: placed on the feed apron, so that the amount delivered to the beater has varied
with the amount placed on the feed apron, and as the size of the lap depended
upon the quantity fed to and opened by the beater the lap has been corre-
spondingly uneven. I obviate this difficulty by means of the said gauge or
condenser box D, and cause the amount delivered to the beater in a given time to
be with regard to its evenness entirely independent of the quantity placed upon
the feed apron, as whatever may be the quantity placed upon the latter and fed
along, as soon as the condenser overflows the surplus is thrown back by the lower
dividing roll C through the opening a to the bin. This condenser is made slightly
wider at the bottom than at the top to keep the cotton from getting jammed or
clogged in it. At the bottom of this condenser I place a large fluted roll E, which
revolves slowly and carries the cotton out to the feed rolls F, F, which deliver it to
the beater G.
As the cotton is well opened and separated by the dividing rolls C, C, its bulk is
largely increased as it falls into the condenser, and in order that it may be
discharged out of the condenser at about the same rate that it is fed into it, I make
these feed rolls revolve a little faster than the grasping rolls B, B, or from fifteen to
twenty revolutions per minute, and by varying the speed of these rolls a lap of any
desired thickness may be formed.
It will be observed that as the cotton is in an open and loose condition free from
Jumps and bunches, and as it cannot get clogged or jammed in the box D, the feed
rolls F, F, will deliver a constantly uniform quantity to the beater, and a corre-
spondingly even lap will be formed.
My condenser is also applicable to a single breaker at the end of the trunk, as
shown at D¹, Figure 2. M is the trunk, through which the cotton is thrown from
the beater G upon the revolving screens n, n, which drop the cotton into the gauge
box D¹, where it is fed to the beater G by the feed rolls E and F, F, as before, thus
correcting any unevenness created by the trunk. In the side of this condenser
toward the operator 1 place a glass window d, so that he can at all times see that
the quantity in the condenser is kept uniform. An inclined apron leads from the
box to the cotton bin to receive the overflow.
Heretofore in openers of this class the cotton has been discharged from the
screens n, n, upon the floor, from which it has been taken to the next opener or
lapper by hand, but by means of my condenser D' the cotton is delivered directly to
the feed rolls of the beater G of the second opener, and thus not only will a more
even lap be formed, but less workmen will be required, one man being able to
attend to both machines, as he can at all times see the quantity of cotton in the
condenser D¹, and feed a sufficient quantity through the beater G to keep the con-
denser well filled, while if it is fed too fast the surplus will be thrown back along
the apron to the cotton bin.
Instead of a pair of grasping, or of dividing, or of feed rolls, a single roll and a
plate of the ordinary form may be used to act in the same manner with reference
to the others in dividing and delivering the fibres.
The second part of my Invention relates to improvements in the machinery used
for forming laps of cotton, whereby the current of air admitted to the beater is
made to enter between the forward grate bars or the grate bars farthest from the
feed end of the machine, thereby causing a better and more even distribution and
action of such current of air, and preventing the forcing of the cotton down between
the grate bars with the sand, seode, and trashy matter separated from the cotton by
the action of the beater. The current and volume of air from the beater being
somewhat reduced, relieves the draft fans connected with the screen cylinders, and
make such fans work more easily. In producing these beneficial results I form air
ports or openings through the ends of said machine, and always forward of the beater
and the forward extremity of the rack.
In the ordinary machinery used for opening, cleaning, and forming laps of cotton
the beater is supplied with air through one or more openings directly under the
lower feed roll and beneath the grate, or through the heads of the beator bonnet

page_text: above the shaft of the beater, or through the bonnet above the boater, or through
openings at or near the feed end of the machine.
The last-above described means for supplying the cotton lapper benter with air, as
compared with my improvements, are productive of unfavorable results. The volume
of air being too great and the current too strong, or of necessity badly distributed,
considerable good cotton is carried down between the grate bars with the trashy
matter, and moreover, when the screen cylinders are much loaded with light opened
cotton, the meshes or openings through said cylinders' surfaces are too thickly
covered with cotton, and by this means the outlet of the great volume and current
of air becomes limited, resulting in reaction or a back current, which frequently
clogs the machine with cotton blown back to the beater, all of which is sufficiently
objectionable, to say nothing of the necessity of stopping the maching and cleaning
out the clogged cotton, and the waste or loss of time occasioned thereby, or of tho
danger of fire by friction of the rapidly rotating beater while working through the
clogged cotton. To overcome these difficulties and to produce the best results with
the cotton lap forming machine, it is necessary that the ports for supplying the
beater with air should be forward of the beater and forward of the grate or rack,
which extends around beneath the beater, with ample and uninterrupted space
between the air ports and the forward bar or bars of the grate, between which it is
found best to have the air enter.
Taking any of the common lap forming machines of the kind clearly shewn in
Figure 3 of the Drawings in sectional elevation, I close all the air openings through
the bonnet, or below the feed rolls under the rack, or at or near the feed end of the
machine, and remove the partition, shewn in dotted lines, at the forward and lower
extremity of the rack R; or in constructing the said machines these last-mentioned
parts are omitted. I then form air ports A¹ through the ends of the machine, sub-
stantially as shewn. These air ports should be in area equal to from six to eight
inches in diameter, and in all cases forward or in front of the grate bar y and of the
beater, so as to compel the air to enter at the first open space or spaces between the
most forward bars, or those bars farthest from the feed end of the machine. The air
ports should be at a distance of from six to thirty inches forward or in front of and
from the forward grate bar, according to the distance between the beater and the
screen cylinders C₁. These air ports A¹ open into the clear space below the rack
and below the under side of the trunk T, leading to the screen cylinders; or they
may be made through the floor beneath the machine. The removal or omission of
the said partition gives a clear open space between the air ports A¹ and the forward
bars of the grate.
When this improved machine is operating, the rapidly revolving beater B¹ draws
air from the only inlets, the ports A¹, through the clear space between them and the
forward bars of the rack, and between those to the beater, as indicated by the
arrows, and this peculiar mode of supplying air to the beater prevents the escape or
waste of cotton, which in most of the ordinary machines is forced down or blown
downward between the bars.
My improved means for supplying the cotton lapper beater with air, as above
described, does not interfere with the working of the beater or the rack, or impede
their action in liberating and extracting the dirt, sand, and seeds from cotton; but
these improvements produce the new and beneficial results herein described, and in
the manner specified.
The same improvements are adapted to certain kinds of machines used for
opening, picking, and cleaning other fibrous substances, as well as cotton, and
whether such machines deliver their wool, cotton, or other fibrous substance to
screen cylinders or directly into a ventilated bin or room, and through a long or
short spout or trunk.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood.
that I claim for the purposes of this Invention,―
First. The combination of the grasping rolls with the intermediate dividing rolls

page_text: and the feed rolls, the said dividing rolls being driven at a higher speed than either
the grasping or feed rolls, as above described.
Second. In combination with the dividing rolls running at a high or quick speed,
and the feed rolls running at a slower speed, the condenser placed between thein, as
above described.
Third. The combination of the condenser with the delivery roll, as above
described.
Fourth. The combination of the feed apron, the separating and condensing me-
chanism, and the feed rolls, as above described.
Fifth. The combination of the cotton trunk, the condenser, and the feed rolls, as
above described.
Sixth. In a cotton lapper, as herein described, air ports forward or in front of the
beater and the rack, as specified, and opening into a space or compartiment commu-
nicating with the beater through the spaces between the forward bars of the rack,
in the manner set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Twenty-sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.