An Improvement in Sheet Hackling Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Sheet Hackling Machines.
We, JOHN MCKELVEY HORNER of Clonard Foundry, Belfast, Ireland, Machine
Maker, and JAMES ALEXANDER LAUGHLIN of 142, Falls Road, Belfast, Ireland,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to vertical intersecting sheet hackling machines whose
hackle sheets are divided at one or more points in the length of the machine
into two or more sections of different grades.
Heretofore the sections of the same machine have been driven at the same
speed but inasmuch as some fibres require more hackling by the coarse hackles
and some require more by the finer hackles it follows that as it is not convenient
to change the hackles to suit the frequently varying parcels of fibre, the fibres
are necessarily often subjected to the action of machines which are unsuitably
graded in regard to the hackles and consequently much valuable fibre goes as tow.
Now as the cutting power of a hackling machine is mainly in proportion to the
number of hackle pins passing through the fibre in a given time, the effects of
reducing or accelerating the speed are respectively equivalent to those
obtained by coarser or finer hackles. Therefore by providing means whereby the
hackle sheet sections of the same machine and their doffing brushes may be
driven at different and independently variable speeds the machine may be readily
adapted to suit the requirements of the frequently varying nature of the fibre operated
on, and such is the object and nature of our invention which is carried into effect
by mounting the sections of hackle sheets on independent shafts mounted in any
suitable manner and driven through any suitable arrangement of change or
variable speed gear.
The Invention has further for its object to enable the throwing out motion to
be dispensed with and the full benefit of all the hackle tools to be obtained.
Heretofore it has been deemed necessary in certain cases to bring the throwing
out motion into operation for the purpose of passing the fibres over the last one
two or three hackles of a section without being subjected to their action. Thus
in the case of a machine graded for fine hackling the throwing out motion is
frequently brought into operation when hackling somewhat coarse material or
material that requires a less degree of hackling than the machine is adapted to
give, so that less than the full number of tools are utilized which is a disadvantage
whereas as light reduction of the speed of the hackles in the last section of the
machine will give the required reduction of cutting capacity and the advantage
of utilizing all the hackles.

page_text: An Improvement in Sheet Hackling Machines.
We, JOHN MCKELVEY HORNER of Clonard Foundry, Belfast, Ireland, Machine
Maker, and JAMES ALEXANDER LAUGHLIN of 142, Falls Road, Belfast, Ireland,
Machinist, 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:-
Our invention relates to vertical intersecting sheet hackling machines of which
the hackle sheets are divided into two or more lengths or sections of different
grades of fineness.
Heretofore the different sections of the same machine have necessarily been
driven at the same speed but inasmuch as some fibres require more hackling by
the coarse hackles and some require more by the finer hackles it follows that as
it is not convenient to change the hackles to suit the frequently varying qualities
of fibre, some qualities of fibre are necessarily often subjected to the action of
machines which are unsuitably graded in regard to the hackles and consequently
much valuable fibre goes as tow.
Now as the cutting power of a hackling machine is mainly in proportion to
the number of hackle pins passing through the fibre at a given time, the effects
of reducing or accelerating the speed are respectively equivalent to those obtained
by the use of coarser or finer hackles. Therefore by providing means whereby
the hackle sheet sections of the same machine may be driven at different and
independently variable speeds, the doffing brushes being also driven at different
and independently variable speeds to correspond to the speeds of the hackle sheets,
the machine may be readily adapted to suit the requirements of the frequently
varying nature of the fibre operated on.
Such is the object and nature of our invention which is carried into effect by
mounting the different sections into which the hackle sheets are divided on in-
dependent shafts driven through change or variable speed gear, by which the
relative speeds of the different sections of the machine are determined. This
independent variation of the relative speeds of the different sections of the machine
enables the "throwing out" motion to be dispensed with and the full benefit
of all the hackle tools to be obtained.
Heretofore it has been deemed necessary in certain cases to bring the throwing
ont motion into operation for the purpose of passing the fibres over the last one
two or three "tools" of a section without being subjected to their action. Thus
in the case of a machine graded for fine hackling the throwing out motion is
frequently brought into operation when hackling somewhat coarse material or
material that requires a less degree of hackling than the machine is adapted to
give, so that less than the full number of tools are utilized which is a disadvantage,
whereas a slight reduction of the speed of the hackles in the last section of the
machine will give the required reduction of cutting capacity and the advantage
of utilizing all the hackles.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification as applied to a hackling machine which is divided in its length into
two sections independently variable as regards speed of working, by the use of
an intermediate gable frame upon which the adjacent ends of the divided shafts
are mounted at about mid length of the machine.
Figure 1 is an elevation of the lower part of the driving end of the machine
shewing the change gear governing the speed of the pair of hackle sheets (and their
doffer brushes) of the first section of the machine and the gearing driving the

page_text: the doffers of both sections at one side of the machine. Figure 2. is a similar
elevation of the opposite end shewing the change gear governing the speed of
the pair of hackle sheets (and their doffer brushes) of the second section and the
gearing driving the doffers of both sections at the other side of the machine.
Figure 3 is a plan of the end and intermediate gables and of the gearing and
shafts carried thereby the latter being broken out and the figure being constructed
in length and likewise divided at the plane X-X, of the middle gable into two
separate sheets of drawing. In Figure 1. A are the fast and loose driving pulleys,
B B the shafts of the bottom rollers of the hackle sheets, C C¹ the shafts of the
doffer brushes, D D the doffers. The shaft of the fast pulley is geared by a
pinion 1 through an intermediate wheel 2 which is in gear with a wheel 3 on a
shaft E extending the whole length of the machine. Upon the end of this shaft
is a change wheel 4 geared through an intermediate wheel 5 with a wheel 6
on the hackle roller shaft B, the axis of the wheel 5 being mounted adjustably
in a slot 7 concentric with the axis B, to admit of the position of the wheel 5
being varied to suit the diameter of the wheel 4 being employed. The hackle
roller shaft B is geared by a wheel 8 with an equal wheel 8 on the hackle roller
shaft B and the wheels 8 and 8' are in gear with wheels 9 and 91 on the doffer
brush shafts C and C. So far the gearing only applies to the first section of the
machine.
The hackle roller shaft B₁ is in gear by a change pinion 10 with a wheel 11
turning as one with a pinion 12 in gear with a wheel 13 on the shaft of the
doffers D of both sections at one side of the machine, the wheel and pinion 11, 12,
being carried by an arm pivoted about the axis of the doffers D¹ and fixed, after
adjustment to suit the size of the change pinion, by a slot and bolt attachment
as shewn. The pinon 1 on the driving shaft is in gear with a wheel 14 turning
as one with a pinion 15 changeable for the lifting motion and in gear with a
wheel 16 on a shaft 17 extending to the other end of the machine and there
furnished with a pinion 18 (see Figure 2), in gear with a pinion 19 turning as
one with a pulley 20 geared by a belt 20 with another pulley 21 turning as one
with a pinion 22 in gear with a wheel 23 on the shaft of the doffers D of both
sections of the machine at the opposite side of the doffers D¹ before mentioned.
Upon this end of the cross-shaft E there is another change wheel 24 in gear with
an intermediate wheel 25 whose axis is adjustable in a concentric slot 26 the
wheel 25 being in gear with a wheel 27 on the axis 2B of the bottom roller of
the one hackle sheet of the second section of the machine. The axis 2 B is
geared with the axis 2331 of the bottom roller of the other hackle sheet of that
section by equal wheels 28, 281, and these wheels are in gear with the wheels 29, 29¹,
on the shafts 2C and 20 of the corresponding doffer brushes. A wheel 30 on
the driving pulley shaft 1 gears with a crank wheel 31 which oscillates the comb
of the doffer D as usual. A wheel 32 turning with pulley 20 and geared with
another wheel 33 drives the head piston in the usual way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
A vertical intersecting sheet hackling machine of which the hackle sheets and
doffing brushes are divided into lengths or sections carried by shafts independently
mounted and driven through independently variable change gear substantially
as specified so as to admit of varying the relative speeds of the sections of the
machine.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.