IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING, WOOL AND OTHER FIBRE
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of No. 28, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING, WOOL AND OTHER FIBRE."
A communication from abroad by Friedrich Carl Glaser, of Berlin, in the
German Empire.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Charles Denton Abel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th May 1882.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No. 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMBING WOOL
AND OTHER FIBRE." A communication from abroad by Friedrich Carl Glaser, of
Berlin, in the German Empire.
<<
This invention relates to improvements in the well known combing machines of
the "Heilmann and Schlumberger" class, and has reference to the arrange-
ment of the feed apparatus, the mechanism for forming and leading forward the
combed tufts, as also the mechanism for moving the delivery and noil cylinders.
These improvements are shewn in elevation and plan in Figs. 1 and 3 of the
accompanying drawings, while Figs. 2, 4 and 5 shew various detached details.
The feed apparatus consists, as shewn in Fig. 1 mainly of a grating A a plate B
provided with needles and the two cylinders C C' which will be presently described.
The oscillation of this feed mechanism does not however take place, as in existing
machines, in a direction parallel to the openings of the grating A, but the to and
fro motion takes place in a direction forming an appreciable angle with those
openings, by which means the fibres are retained in the teeth of the holding comb.
For this purpose the slide surface of the lower gripper jaw which serves as support
and guide for the oscillating motion of the feed mechanism, forms a certain angle
with the plane of the grating. Forming part of the feed mechanism is a pair of
roilers CC rotated by means to be presently described when the gripper is closed,
sucli rotation taking place automatically on the backward motion of the feed
1

page_text: mechanism in which they participate and by which they are made to recede from
the gripper.
The mechanism for rotating these rollers is shewn at Fig. 4. The one roller C¹
has a ratchet wheel D, the diameter and number of teeth of which is determined
according to the distance passed through in moving backwards and forwards.
A pawl E with relatively stationary fulcrum gears with this ratchet wheel,
whereby the latter and with it the rollers C C¹ are caused to revolve during the
backward motion of the feed mechanism.
Another improvement relates to the mechanism for detaching and leading forward
the combed tufts. In the present combing machines with oscillating sliver belt it
is by means of one and the same contrivance that, on the one hand the tufts are
detached, thereby combing' the back end, and, on the other hand, a continuous
sliver is formed out of the tufts. According to the present improvements these
two operations are effected by separate contrivances. The detaching of the tufts is
effected by the rolling of the cylinder G upon the segment H on the comb cylinder.
The cylinder G has a triple movement. First, It has a continuous or intermittent
rotary motion which, in the arrangement shewn on the drawing Figs. 1, 2 and 3
is produced by intermittent contact with the segment H. This motion can also be
produced by other contrivances, as is the case with several machines of known
construction, instead of by contact with the segment. By the rolling of the
cylinder G on the segment H it detaches the entire length of the fibre and only
leaves the segment when the detaching has been completely effected. Second, The
cylinder has a to and fro motion produced by the gearing together of the cam J
'lever K and the two levers L L' on the latter of which the cylinder has its bearings.
This movement allows the holding comb to follow the motion of the feed mechanism,
as shewn in Figs. 2 and 3. Third, The cylinder has a motion to and from the
segment H. It is for this purpose raised by the excentrics O O¹ (Fig. 3) fixed on
the axis of the comb cylinder and acting on rollers on the levers L L¹, and it is
drawn downwards by springs N in combination with the curved hooks.
The contrivance for uniting the tufts for forming a sliver consists mainly of the
following parts. The sliver belt Q and fluted roller R, which is pressed by springs S
against the leather. The whole contrivance is caused to oscillate by the action of
the cam J fixed on the drum shaft, and the lever K¹ on the end of the shaft K, the
-fulcrum of which can be adjusted by the movement of the bracket T attached by
means of bolts U U¹ to the framing of the machine. The stretching of the leather
belt, as also the pressure of the contrivance against the cam J is effected by the
springs W. X is the guide cylinder for the combed sliver, Y Z are parts carrying
a small transverse piece a. They bear upon any point that does not partake of
the entire to and fro motion; as for example the rollers M. M' of the levers L L.
When the mechanism for forming the sliver moves away from the cylinder G, the
transverse piece a falls down and presses upon the hanging part of the tuft in
order to prevent it from turning over, and to remove it from the comb segment.
Other parts of the contrivance consist of the delivering rollers bc, the clearing
brush d and the noil delivery cylinder e.
The movements of the reciprocating feed belt and of the delivery and noil
cylinders can be effected as follows. On the driving shaft is fixed a cam f (Fig. 4)
which acts on a lever g having at its other end a toothed segment h. The latter
gears with a second toothed segment i which turns on the same centre il as the
stretching lever i of the feed belt. This second segment carries a pawl j which
gears with the ratchet wheel and effects the motion of the belt Q by means of
the wheel k, l, m, at the moment when it has approached the cylinder G and is
required to take up a certain length of the detached tuft.
If in place of the pawl shewn on the drawing be used a claw coupling or a
double pawl, or any other suitable contrivance, in particular the special form of
pawl of the "Schlumberger" cotton wool combing machine, the entire length of
the detached fibre can be taken up by the sliver forming apparatus which would
then recede such a distance that the uniting with the next tuft is effected by over-

page_text: lapping. The to and fro motion of the apparatus can by this arrangement be
considerably reduced.
Fig. 5 shews the movement of the noil cylinder. On the drum shaft is an
excentric pin n which imparts a to and fro motion to the connecting rod o. This
has on one side a roller p which slides in the fork g that imparts motion by means
of the pawl and ratchet wheels, to the noil cylinder e. The connecting rod o
has at its other end a pin u adjusted to the required position in the slot of the
lever v.
The latter drives the delivery rollers b c (Fig. 1) by means of the pawl w
ratchet wheel and wheels y z a¹. If the pin u be moved away from the centre c'
by means of the adjusting screw 6' in order to diminish the end speed of the
motion, the roller p approaches the centre a' and by this means accelerates the
delivery of the noiÏ.
Having thus described the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I
claim in respect of combing machinery of the "Heilmann” and “ Schlumberger
class.
"
First. Arranging the slide surface of the entire feed mechanism inclined to the
plane of the feed grating, in order that the fibres may be properly seized by the
teeth of the holding comb.
Second. The use of two or more rollers C C¹ connected with the feed mechanism
and caused to revolve on the backward motion of the feed mechanism.
Third. The arrangement of mechanism for detaching the combed tufts and for
forming them into slivers, such mechanism consisting of a detaching cylinder or roller
separate from the sliver belt and so arranged in relation thereto that the former
detaches the full length of the fibre by rolling upon the segment H while the latter,
actuated by special mechanism, takes up the separate tufts from the former and.
causes them to overlap each other.
Fourth. The use of mechanism for imparting motion to the delivery and noil
cylinders arranged and operating as described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5 of the
Drawings.
In witness whereof I the said Charles Denton Abel have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twentieth day of May in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.