IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Foster, of Black Dike Mills; near Bradford,
in the County of York, Spinner and Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING WOOL AND
OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 14th August 1855, and dated the 8th March 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Foster at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th March 1855.
I, WILLIAM FOSTER, of Black Dike Mills, near Bradford, in the County of
York, Spinner and Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING WOOL
AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved machine for effecting the cleansing
of wool, alpacca, mohair, or any other similar fibrous material, from dust, burs,
motes, & other extraneous matter. This machine consists of a slightly
inclined wire grating or perforated plate whereon the fibrous material rests and
passes gradually over it. This wire grating or perforated plate is kept in
constant vibratory motion by a tappet wheel, which gives the necessary shaking
motion required for freeing the material from extraneous matter. Two fan
blowers are also connected with this shaking machine, the one for the

page_text: purpose of exhausting the dust from the machine, & the other to blow
through, so as to clear it effectually. A self-acting motion at the top of the
machine serves to pass on the wool or other fibrous material continually without
intermission. By this machine the wool is not deteriorated by being broken
into small pieces, nor is it liable to become twisted, but is kept perfectly
straight, thereby greatly facilitating the subsequent process of sorting.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Foster in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FOSTER, of Black Dike Mills, near Bradford, in the County of York, Spinner
and Manufacturer, send greeting.
3
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Herrheirs and successors; give and grant unto me, the
said William Foster, Her special license that I, the said William Foster,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or- such others as I, the said
William Foster, my executors, administrators, or 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 OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANSING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Foster, 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 performed, 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 William Foster, do hereby declare
the nature of my said "Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:--

page_text: My said Invention relates to an improved machine for effecting the cleaning
of wool, alpacca, mohair, or any other similar fibrous material, from dust, burs,
motes, and other extraneous, matter. This machine consists of a slightly
inclined wire grating or perforated plate whereon the fibrous material rests and
passes gradually over it. This wire grating or perforated plate is kept in
constant vibratory motion by a tappet wheel, which gives the necessary shaking
motion required for freeing the material from extraneous matter. Two or
more fan blowers are also connected with this shaking machine, the one for the
purpose of exhausting the dust from the machine, and the other to blow
through so as to clear it effectually. A self-acting motion at the top of the
machine serves to pass on the wool or other fibrous material continually
without intermission. By this machine the wool is not deteriorated by being
broken into small pieces, nor is it liable to become twisted, but is kept perfectly
straight, thereby greatly facilitating the subsequent process of sorting.
And in order that my said Invention may be more properly understood, I
shall now proceed to describe and refer to the Figures on the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
throughout both Figures.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings represents a longitudinal vertical section of my
improved wool-cleaning machine in operation, and Fig. 2 is a corresponding
plan of the same. A is the main framing of the machine, which may either
be composed of wood or metal; B is the main driving shaft, fitted with fast
and loose driving pullies C, D, and carrying a fly wheel Ẹ and spur wheel F,
which latter gears into the spur wheel G fast on the second lower shaft H.
This shaft works in suitable bearings in the metal framing I, and is fitted with
a pair of tappet wheels J, J, which in their rotation act upon the anti-friction
pullies K in the ends of the two pairs of side levers L, L, which work on
centres at M, M, and are slotted at that part to allow them to play slightly
along the bolts or studs forming their fixed centres. The opposite ends N, N,
of these levers are connected with the vibrating, hurdle or shaker O, which
consists of a wooden or metal frame, covered with wire guaze, or perforated metal
plates P. The wool or fibrous material to be cleaned is laid upon the endless
travelling feeder Q, which works in a suitable frame R at one end of the
machine, and consists of a series of transverse bars fitted at each end into the
two endless chains S. These chains pass over and are driven by the rollers
T, T', the latter being driven by a belt U and driving pulley V from the small
pulley W fast on the shaft H. A pulley W₁ on the opposite end of the shaft
H drives also the pulley X fast on the crank shaft Y by means of the belt Z.
The cranks a of this shaft are connected to one end of the links or connecting

page_text: rods b, b, the other ends of which are jointed to the suspension bars c, c, forming
two series of bars which are suspended from the fixed centres d, d, on which
they vibrate freely. These bars c are all connected together at their lower
ends by the two side connecting rods e, e, and each pair of bars carries between
them a vibrating spiked bar or wool propeller f. These propellers oscillate on
the centres g. 9, and the two extreme propellers are fitted with catches or studs
h, h, the object of which I shall herein-after refer to. The whole of the pro-
pellers are connected near their ends by side connecting rods i, i, so that they
may all oscillate simultaneously and parallel to each other. j and k are two
hooked catches hinged at 1 to the brackets m, m, fitted at each end of the
machine. These two catches alternately lay hold of the studs h, h, on the
two end propellers, as the propelling frame is vibrated to and fro by the crank
motion herein-before referred to. The catch k has the effect of bringing all
the propeller bars into a vertical position, when the frame is pushed outwards
in the direction of the arrow, as will be clearly understood on referring to
Fig. 1 of the Drawings, by which means the spikes will enter the wool on
the hurdle and propel it forward a certain distance at each forward stroke
of the propeller frame. When the frame has arrived at the end of its stroke,
the propeller bars, which are then all vertical, as shewn by the dotted lines
at n in Fig. 1, are brought into a horizontal position again, as shewn in the
Drawings, and are quite free from the wool during the backward stroke of the
propeller frame. This is effected by the catch j, which lays hold of the studs
h, h, on the end propeller, as shewn by the dotted lines, and draws them all
over into a horizontal position, when the frame moves back again. By this
means it will be seen that the spiked propeller bars ff, are alternately engaged
and disengaged at each forward and backward stroke of the propeller frame,
thereby intermittantly propelling the wool under the process of cleaning over
the vibrating hurdle. The operation of freeing the wool or other fibrous
material from motes and dust is greatly assisted by the two fan blowers 0, 0, and
exhausters p, p, the former by means of the branch pipe q, q, forcing a current
or currents of air through the wool on the perforated hurdle, and carrying
along with such current or currents of air any dust or dirt which has been
shaken or loosened from the wool by the shaking or vibrating motion of the
hurdle, whilst the exhausting fans p, p, collect such dust, motes, and other
extraneous matter, and force the same into any suitable receiver, exit pipe, or
conductor placed below the flooring of the work room. The cleaned wool is
delivered off from the table r at the end of the machine, and may be collected
into any suitable receptacle.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said

page_text: Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe or
refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from the
principles or main features of my said Invention; but what I consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general construction, arrangement, and combination of machinery
or apparatus for cleaning wool, alpacca, mohair, or other similar fibrous
materials, as herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Second, the application and use of the vibrating inclined wire grating or per-
forated plate for the purpose of shaking the dust or other extraneous matter
from the wool, as herein-before described.
Third, the application and use of the blowing and exhausting fans for the
purpose of facilitating the operation of cleaning the wool by expelling and
withdrawing the dust or other extraneous matter therefrom, as herein-before
described.
Fourth, the peculiar construction and arrangement of propellers or wool-
feeding mechanism, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Foster, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of August, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five.
WILLIAM FOSTER. (L.S.)