Improvements in or connected with Lap Machines or Apparatus for Carding Engines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 5th Oct., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Lap Machines or Apparatus
for Carding Engines.
I, ALPHONSE BORIOS Machine Maker of La Sarraz in the Canton of Vaud,
Switzerland, 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in the lap machines or apparatus for
those kinds of carding engines in which the fleece combed off the doffer is lapped
or wound on to a revolving drum in repeated layers till the lap thus formed has
attained a desired thickness, when it is cut or broken across and rolled or coiled
upon a roller for transfer to the following machine. The improvements consist in
the manner of or arrangement of parts for rotating the lap drum and for breaking
and coiling the lap automatically when it has attained the desired thickness.
On the drawings appended hereunto-
Fig. 1 shows a side view of the improved lap machine;
Fig. 2. a side view of part of the lap breaking mechanism in its operating
position;
Fig. 3 the lap breaking doors opened;
Fig. 4. a front view partly in vertical section;
Fig. 5, a front view of the parts shewn in Fig. 3;
Fig. 6, a top view of part of the mechanism."
In the machines hitherto made the lap drum A mounted upon shaft a has been
rotated by driving this shaft, in consequence of which the fleece combed off the
doffer B by the comb has been lapped or coiled upon the drum A at a continually
increasing speed as the diameter of the outer surface of the lap A increased at
cach revolution, whereby the different layers of fleece lapped on to the drum have
a different and irregular tension; they also become at times broken and hang down
from the bottom side of the drum and then lay themselves upon it when coming to
the top in an irregular lumpy manner, which causes irregularities and defects in
the yarns made from such laps. These irregularities are avoided by my improved
mainer of or arrangements for rotating the drum, which are as follows:-I arrange
a series of rollers c, c¹, e², c³, c, round which I pass an endless apron or blanket C.
The roller c is preferably, supported in bearings fixed to the side frames S¹ of the
carding engine; the rollers c' and 2 are supported in bearings in the lower rail of
the frame sides S of the lap machine; the roller c³ is the lower one of a pair of
condensing rollers, the upper one being e', while roller c¹ rotates the lapping-on
roller s'. The roller c¹ is rotated from the carding engine by means of a pulley.d
driven by a belt from the engine, a pinion d¹ cast or fixed on said pulley and a
spur wheel d² fixed upon one of the pivots of the roller c'. The roller c² is driven
from by means of chain wheels d³, Fig. 3, on the end of the rollers and a chain
passing round them. The lap drum A rests upon the apron C and rollers c¹ c² and
is rotated by the apron and the lap A' in consequence of which the circumferential
speed of the outer layer of the lap and the tension on the fleece b remain uniform
for any thickness of the lap A' on the drum A.
In order to allow the drum to rise as the thickness of the lap increases, the
shaft a or a bush surrounding it is held in slots in the frame sides S so that it
can rise and fall therein. The frame of the machine is preferably mounted on
wheels as shewn, so that by moving it back the apron or blanket C can be
tightened.

page_text: My further improvement consists in the arrangement of means for breaking
the lap A when it has obtained a sufficient thickness, and turning it down upon
the apron C so that it is carried between the condensing rollers c³co, and to the
lap rollers, so as to be coiled round the same. For this purpose I arrange in
the circumference of the drum A, which may be constructed in any usual way and
is shown on the drawings formed of wood lags a', bolted to two cast iron ends a²,
two flaps or doors N and D, the former of which is turned outwards when the
lap A has attained the desired thickness while the door is opposite the con-
densing rollers c³ ³, while the door D is lifted once during each revolution when
near to the top in order to break each layer of fleece as it is put on and ease
the work of finally breaking the lap by the door N. The mechanism for opening
the doors is arranged as follows:-
€
On each side of the machine a square frame E is arranged formed with a boss e
through which the shaft a passes. The frames E have extensions e below the
boss which are guided between brackets fixed or formed on the frame sides S or
by equivalent means, so that the frames E rise vertically with the drum A. On
one side of the drum A a tee-headed or swing lever is fulcrumed upon the
boss which thus also rises and falls with the drum so that the relative position of
parts fixed to the ends of the drum A and the frame E and swing F are not
affected by the increase of thickness of the lap A'. Upon the top of the drum a
roller G is placed the shaft of which slides in slotted brackets g fixed to the
frames E. The rise of the roller G and its rotation by the lap on which it rests
control the opening of the door N. The door D is opened at each revolution as
soon as it has passed under the roller G. For this purpose one of the pivots d¹ by
which the door is supported in the ends a² is prolonged outside and has a lever d
fixed upon it which in its path encounters a stud with friction bowl fixed in a
bracket bolted to the frame E and is turned thereby so as to lift the door D and
break the lap while it is held down at the joint by the roller G. When the lever d
has passed the bowl, a spring d8 pulls the door down again.
Upon the shaft 9 of roller G are fixed a worm and a spur pinion m.
Upon the
top of the swing is fixed a stud on which a worm wheel can turn and another
stud is fixed in the side of the extension f of the swing F, on which a spur wheel m¹
is mounted.
The lever F extends below its fulcrum and is formed with a fork into which one
end of a lever i engages, which is fulcrumed on a stud fixed in the extension e¹
of frame E. The other end of lever i is in the path of a stud 2 with friction
bowl, which once during each revolution of the drum encounters the lever i and
moves its lower end to the right, thereby moving the upper end of the swing F
likewise to the right. On the top bar of the frame two levers f1f2 are fulcrummed
on studs fixed in the bar, which levers are connected by a stud f³ fixed in one of
them and engaging into a slot of the other or by equivalent means, so that the
outer ends of the levers move up and down simultaneously and the outer ends are
weighted so as to fall down by their weight. The outer end of lever 2 is formed
as a catch for the end of the extension f of the swing F, and when the swing is
moved to the right drops down and catches it and holds it. In that position the
worm engages into the wormwheel has shewn on Fig. 6, and rotates it.
Upon the top of the worm wheel an inclined projection 2 is fixed or formed,
which after the wheel has moved round a certain distance encounters the
outer end of lever and lifts it, thereby lifting the outer end of lever f2
connected to lever as described whereby the swing F becomes liberated and
is pulled to the left by a spring attached to lever i and the frame side as shewn
on Fig. 1. The swing moves to the left against a stop fixed to the frame E,
which is so set that when the swing is against the stop, the pinion m is in gear
with the wheel m¹; while the wormwheel is drawn out of the worm h, as shewn
on Fig. 1.
4
To the boss of the worm wheel a helical spring is connected, attached at its
other end to the swing F, and when the wheel is disengaged, the spring moves it

page_text: backwards till the peg ³ fixed in the wheel catches against the side of swing F.
The spurwheel m¹ is now rotated by the revolution of the roller G until the
stud or bowl 2 again encounters the lever and moves the swing F again to the
right.
P, the
For
On a stud o fixed in a bracket bolted to the frame E two latch levers o¹ and o²
are fulcrummed, both of which when down engage a broad catch lever
disengagement of which causes the opening of the door N in the manner herein-
after described. The longer latch extends over the shaft y of the roller G, and
as the lap A becomes thicker and the roller G rises, it is lifted up and liberates
But as this rise
the lever when the lap has attained the desired thickness.
might be occasioned by a local thickness or irregularity of the lap caused by
irregular feeding of the carding engine or otherwise, and thus the lever p be
liberated before the lap has attained the average thickness required the second
latch is arranged, the lifting of which depends on the number of revolutions
made by the roller G. When the drun A is empty the roller G will make a less
number of revolutions than when the lap has attained its desired thickness.
instance, if the diameter of the drum A is forty inches and that of the roller
four inches, the latter will make ten revolutions for one of the drum A, when the
drum is empty.
When the lap has attained a thickness of, say two inches, the
diameter of the drum and lap driving the roller G will be forty-four inches,
and the roller make eleven revolutions for one of the drum. In consequence
of this, as the worm will remain in gear with the wormwheel for the
same number of revolutions of the roller in all cases, the pinion m and
wheel ' remain in gear for a greater number of revolutions as the thickness
of the lap increases. For instance, if after the worm has been put
into gear with the worm wheel the latter has to move round for 8 teeth
till the incline lifts the lever and disengages the swing F, the pinion m
wil gear with wheel m¹ for two revolutions of the roller G if the drum A
is empty, for the above size of drum and roller, but for three when the lap has
attained the thickness of two inches, before the bowl shifts the swing again and
If the wheel m¹
disengages the wheel and pinion in the manner before described.
has four times the diameter of the pinion m, it would make half a revolution in the
former and three-quarters of a revolution in the latter case, before it is moved out
of gear with the pinion. This is utilized to disengage the latch o² and liberate the
lever P when the lap has reached the desired thickness in the following way: In
the side of the wheel m' a peg m³ is fixed which lifts the latch o² when it comes
against it. To the back of the wheel a band pulley m² is fixed to which a band
with weight m¹ is attached and passed round the same, so that it pulls the wheel
till
round as a clock finger moves when the wheel is out of gear with the pinion m,
When the wheel m' is put
a stop m³ rests against the extension f of the swing F.
into gear with pinion m, it revolves in the opposite direction. While the drum is
empty or partly filled, the wheel makes less than three quarters of a revolution and
the peg m³ does not encounter the latch o before the wheel and pinion are
disengaged again, and only when the lap has attained the desired thickness and the
roller G makes the additional revolution for each revolution of the drum the
wheel m¹ will make three quarters of a revolution and the peg m³ will encounter
the latch o² and lift it so as to liberate the lever p.
This lever is thus not liberated until both latches o' and o² are both lifted, one
by the rise of the roller G and the other by its increased rotation caused by the
increase of the diameter of the lap on the drum; the latch o preventing the
disengagement of the lever p through irregular local accumulations of lap lifting
the latch and the latch of preventing the disengagement if from some cause the
latch o is lifted prematurely by the mechanism operating the same.
The liberation of the lever p causes the door N to be opened in the following
way: The lever is fixed upon a shaft pl supported on the frame E and carrying
at the back a lever p' and at the front end a lever p³ which is connected by a rod på

page_text: to another lever r fixed on a shaft which is supported in a bracket 3 bolted to
the frame E and carries at its back end a curved lever 03. When lever is
liberated, these levers and rods drop by their weight. At the back of frame E a
vertical shaft u is supported in suitable bearings on a collar on the shaft. This
shaft is formed with two pins u' and u² and has fixed to it at the bottom end a pin u³
with friction bowl. When the lever p is held by the latches o¹ o² the pin u¹
projects towards the drum A and the pins u² and u³ are at right angles thereto and
project to the right as shown on Figs. 1 and 4.
When the lever pis liberated, the lever drops against the pin u³, and in that
position is in the path of a bowl which seizing it turns it into the position shewn
on Fig. 2, and thereby causes the shaft u to make a quarter turn, whereby it
assumes the position shewn on Figs. 2 and 5. The bowl on the pin u³ is then in the
path of a lever n fulcrummed upon a stud a fixed in the side of the drum, a pin n²
fixed in the lever a engaging into a slot of a lever n³ fixed upon one of the pivots of
the door N. As the end of the lever a encounters the bowl n³ it is turned thereby
and the door N is opened outwards when it is about opposite to the condensing
rollers cc, and breaks the lap A' and lays its end down on the apron C so that the
lap passes with the apron between the condensing rollers and is coiled on to the lap
rollers as indicated by dotted lines on Fig. 1. The breaking of the solid lap
would require too great an effort to be effected satisfactorily, and for this reason
the other door D is arranged and operated as herein before described so that the lap
has only a slight cohesion at the breaking point when finally broken. After the
lever has passed the bowl on pin n³ a spring l attached at one end to the door N
and at the other to the shaft a closes the door again.
Finally a bowl on lever w fixed on the shaft a encounters and lifts the lever r
and returns it to the position shewn on Figs. 1 and 4, when the latches o' o² drop
over the lever p and hold it in its original position. At the same time the curved
lever presses against the pin u², and turns the shaft back by a quarter turn into
the position shewn on Figs. 1 and 3. The lapping on of the fleece upon the drumm
then proceeds until the rise and increased rotation of the roller G again cause the
liberation of the lever p and the breakage and enrolment of the lap in the manner
hereinbefore described.
The studs, and n¹ are fixed in the arms of the drum ends or in brackets
bolted thereto, the arms having been omitted on the drawing for the sake of
clearness. The details of the mechanisms described may be varied and replaced
by their equivalents.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of ny said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a lap machine or apparatus for carding engines driving the lap drum by
means of an endless apron or blanket upon which the drum rests substantially as
herein before described.
2. In a lap machine or apparatus for carding engines the arrangement of an
endless apron passing round a roller placed near to the doffer, two or more rollers
arranged below the drum and driven from the engine, the lower condensing and lap
roller, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated
by the drawings.
3. In a lap machine or apparatus for carding engines the arrangement of two
contiguous doors in the circumference of the lap drum one of which is opened
self-actingly at each revolution of the drum and the other when the lap has attained
the desired thickness substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the
drawings.
4. In a lap machine or apparatus for carding engines the arrangement of two
contiguous doors in the circumference of the lap drum one of which is opened
self-actingly at each revolution of the drum and the other intermittently by

page_text: mechanism controlled by the rise and acceleration of a roller resting upon the top
of the drum and rotated by contact with the lap substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
5. In a lap machine or apparatus for carding engines the arrangement of two
contiguous doors in the circumference of the lap drum and of mechanism for
opening one of them at each revolution and the other when the lap has attained the
desired thickness substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated on and by
the drawings.
6. The general arrangement of a lap machine or apparatus for carding engines or
combination of the parts thereof, substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated on and by the drawings.
100-
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.