An Improved Stop Motion for Cotton Combing Machinery.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 9th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 14th Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Stop Motion for Cotton Combing Machinery.
I JOHN MUIR HETHERINGTON of the Firm of John Hetherington and Sons
Limited, of The Vulcan Works, Pollard Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the stop motions of combing machines. In such machines
the stop rod shaft carries feelers having trumpet eyes through which the sliver
of combed cotton is drawn a breakage or failure in continuity of the sliver
causing the stoppage of parts of the machine as is well understood.
I mount this feeler upon a fulcrum carried by the framing and upon the same
fulcrum I mount an abutment piece which sits upon the fulcrum and is so formed
as that its centre of gravity is below the fulcrum so that the abutment piece
remains in a position of equipoise upon the fulcrum. The feeler is so proportioned
as that the tension put upon the sliver and the frictional contact of the sliver with
the feeler are sufficient under usual conditions to keep the lower end of the feeler
bearing against the abutment piece without disturbing its equipoise the abutment
piece serving as a stop to keep the feeler steadily clear of the vibrating striker or
knocking-off arm which is slotted or formed to clear the feeler so long as the latter
remains thus gently bearing against the abutment piece.
On the complete or partial failure of the sliver the feeler moves away from the
abutment piece and by so doing is brought within the range of action of the
vibrating striker and the action of the machine is arrested.
When on the contrary the thickness of the sliver becomes excessive from any
cause the extra friction in passing through the eye in the feeler by increasing the
pressure of the lower end of the feeler upon the abutment piece is permitted to
move out of its position of rest and is acted upon by the striker so that the action of
the machine is arrested. Each of the two parts the feeler and the abutment piece
is made to sit upon the fulcrum so that either part can be readily lifted out of
position and replaced and the combination is simple cheap and efficient for the
purpose.
Dated this 9th day of December 1892.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Stop Motion for Cotton Combing Machinery.
I JOHN MUIR HETHERINGTON of the Firm of John Hetherington and Sons
Limited, of The Vulcan Works, Pollard Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, 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 and accompanying drawings:
--
My invention relates to the stop motions of combing machines.
In such
machines the stop rod shaft carries feelers having trumpet eyes through which the
slivers of combed cotton is drawn a breakage or failure in continuity of the sliver
causing the stoppage of parts of the machine as is well understood.
I mount each feeler upon a fulcrum carried by the framing and upon the same
fulcrum I mount an abutment piece which sits upon the fulcrum and is so formed
071

page_text: as that its centre of gravity is below the fulcrum so that the abutment piece
remairs in a position of rest upon the fulcrum. The feeler is so proportioned as
that the tension put upon the sliver and the frictional contact of the sliver with the
feeler are sufficient under usual conditions to keep the lower end of the feeler
bearing against the abutment piece without disturbing its equipoise the abutment
piece serving as a stop to keep the feeler steadily clear of the vibrating striker or
knocking-off arm which is formed to clear the feeler so long as the latter remains
thus gently bearing against the abutment piece.
On the complete or partial failure of the sliver the feeler moves away from the
abutment piece and by so doing is brought within the range of action of the
vibrating striker and the action of the machine is arrested.
When on the contrary the thickness of the sliver becomes excessive from any
cause the extra friction in passing through the eye in the feeler by increasing the
pressure of the lower end of the feeler upon the abutment piece moves the latter
and the feeler is permitted to move out of its position of rest and is acted upon by
the striker so that the action of the machine is arrested.
The parts of the combing machine to which my invention more immediately
relates are illustrated by the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 being a cross sectional
elevation and Fig. 2 a front elevation.
In the said Figs. A is the said feeler B is the abutment piece C C are the
ordinary calendering or drawing rollers and D is the vibrating striker.
The parts A and B are seated upon a knife edge bar which extends along the
frame so as to carry the feelers which are in connection with all the combing heads
as is usual. The abutment piece B is formed with two fingers which are
undercut with vee grooves so that the piece can sit upon the edge of the bar f.
When the abutment piece is in its position of rest as indicated in the drawing the
piece bears at two points 62 against the lower part of the bar whereby the piece is
sustained in the indicated position. The centre of gravity of the abutment piece
being below the top edge of the bar and to the left hand side of the bar as the
parts appear in Fig. 1 the abutment piece is sufficiently stable to offer some
resistance to any action operating to move the lower part of the piece away from
its contact with the bar. Projections at f¹ upon the lower edge of the bar keep
the abutment in position upon the bar. The feeler is also seated upon the top edge
of the bar and sits between the two fingers so that it is kept from moving
sideways out of position. The upper end of the feeler is formed with the ordinary
trumpet mouth a' and the lower end is extended downward below the bar and
provided with a side projection a². The vibrating striker D is fixed upon the
ordinary rock shaft g and vibrates between the two positions indicated by the full
and dotted lines or thereabouts. The outer end of the striker is formed with a slot
into which extends the projection a². When the striker is in its higher position
the projection is clear of the slot so that the feeler would be free to rock in either
direction upon the fulcrum bar but it will be apparent that if the projection is
moved out of the line of the slot the striker in its descent would strike the
projection. The shaft y is or may be operated in the usual manner.
A stud upon
the outer end of an arm fixed upon the shaft g passes through a slot in a
link which operated to draw down the said outer end of h so as to raise the
strikers the falling movement of the strikers being effected by their own weight
aided by a load attached to the shaft.
When a striker in its descent comes in contact with a projection a² on one of the
feelers the further movement of the striker and as a consequence of the parts g
and is arrested and the end of the link i continuing its upward movement slides
upon the pin the slot guiding the end of the link to move further away from the
shaft so that the said end comes in contact with a part which is in connection
with the parts which arrest the movements of parts of the combing machine.
As the action of the link i and the parts upon which it operates to knock-off or
stop the machine may be of an ordinary character I have not thought it to be
necessary to illustrate such parts in the drawings.

page_text: The feeler is so balanced upon the top edge of the bar as that when not held out
of its position of rest it would fall into the position indicated by the dotted
lines.
When the machine is at work under normal conditions the frictional contact of
the sliver with the trumpet mouth a' draws the upper end of the feeler toward the
rollers but this movement is limited by the abutment piece against which the feeler
bears as indicated by the full lines. The abutment piece is sufficiently heavy to
furnish support to the feeler which remains steady in the indicated position so long
as the particular combing head is working properly the projection a² clearing the
mouth of the slot of the striker. On the failure or breakage of the sliver the
feeler being released would fall into the position indicated by the dotted lines on
the striker moving into its higher position and on the next descent of the striker
the downward movement of the striker would be arrested and the machine would
thereby be stopped as aforesaid.
An excessive thickness of the sliver by drawing forward the upper end of the
feeler would overcome the resistance of the abutment piece and the lower part of
the feeler would be permitted to move further away from the bar the result
being the same in that the movement of the striker would be arrested and the
machine be stopped.
The slot might be in the feeler and a finger carried by the striker might enter
such slot or other modifications might be made so long as the feeler would be used
in combination with a seated abutment.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
1. The parts of a combing machine constructed and adapted to act substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a stop motion for a combing machine the feeler A seated upon the bar f
or an equivalent part in combination with the abutment piece B seated on the bar
so as to yield at the times and for the purpose set forth and with a vibrating
striker D or an equivalent part substantially as set forth and indicated.
Dated the 8th day of September 1893.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.