IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES FOR CARDING COTTON, WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1884

page_text: СпочОДОПАМ
DIEVLFICATION.
I THOMAS SCHOFIELD WHITWORTH of 93 Moreton Street Strangeways Manchester
in the County of Lancaster, Machinist do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES FOR CARDING COTTON, WOOL AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS to be as follows:-
My invention refers to carding engines used for carding cotton wool and other
fibrous materials and relates to that part of a carding engine which is known as
the flexible bend used in conjunction with travelling flats, and my said invention
consists in arrangements whereby I am enabled to alter the curvature of such
flexible bend so as to cause it to correspond with the varying diameter of the main
cylinder of the carding engine such varying diameter being caused by the grinding
or sharpening of the cards upon such main cylinder. In accomplishing the above
object I employ a band of steel or other suitable metal which band of steel or other
suitable metal I support at intervals throughout its length by means of brackets
of which brackets I prefer to employ as many as there are flats simultaneously in
contact with the main cylinder of the carding engine such brackets aforesaid being
capable of being slidden upon guides mounted upon the side frame of the carding
engine and fixed thereto by means of screws or by any other suitable means. The
brackets aforesaid I provide with projections which projections take into a spiral
groove formed in the face of a'ring which is capable of being rotated about an axis
coincident with that of the main cylinder of the carding engine. The brackets
above referred to having been secured to the side frame of the carding engine their
outer ends are formed by turning, grinding or other suitable means to a curve
corresponding to that of the surface of the main cylinder of the carding engine.
The band of steel or other suitable metal aforesaid is then placed over the outer
ends of the brackets above mentioned and is brought into and kept in contact with
the outer end of the brackets aforesaid by means of levers and weights, springs or
their equivalents acting upon the ends of such band of steel or other suitable metal.
The aforesaid band of steel or other suitable metal forms a surface along which the
ends of the travelling flats above referred to travel. The apparatus above described
is repeated upon the side of the carding engine opposite to that above referred to
for the purpose of adjusting the remaining ends of the travelling flats aforesaid

page_text: When the cards upon the main cylinder of the carding engine and upon the flats
aforesaid become reduced in thickness so that it is desired to adjust the surfaces of
the fints to the surface of the cards upon such main cylinder the screws securing
the above named brackets to the side frames of the carding engine are slackened
and the rings aforesaid rotated so as to move all such brackets towards the axis of
the main cylinder of the carding engine, and when the said brackets have been
adjusted to the position desired they are secured to the side frames of the carding
engine by means of the screws above mentioned. As the brackets above referred
to are moved towards the axis of the main cylinder of the carding engine the
before named weights or springs will cause the bands of steel or other suitable
metal to be kept in contact with the outer ends of the brackets previously
mentioned.
Each of the rings above referred to I provide with teeth which teeth take into
the teeth of a wheel or into a worm, and such wheel or worm is provided with a
handle by which the ring aforesaid may be rotated to adjust the flats to the main
cylinder as above described.
Each of the brackets above referred to I form in two parts one of which is acted
upon by the spiral groove aforesaid the other part of the said bracket being secured
to that acted upon by the spiral groove aforesaid by means of screws, and being
also provided with an adjusting screw by which such portion of the bracket may
be moved nearer to or farther from the axis of the main cylinder of the carding
engine. By this arrangement I am enabled to adjust any individual bracket so
that the flats above referred to may be caused to approach nearer to or recede
farther from the cards upon the main cylinder of the carding engine. After being
adjusted as above described the two portions of each of the said brackets are
secured together by means of the screws above mentioned.
In some cases I dispense with the use of the band of metal aforesaid and cause
the ends of the flats to travel in contact with the curved, ends of the brackets in
which case I cause the ends of such brackets aforesaid to overlap each other.
1. Dated this eighteenth day of February 1884.
.

page_text: I THOMAS SCHOFIELD WHITWORTH of 93 Moreton Street Strangeways Manchester.
in the County of Lancaster-Machinist do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES FOR CARDING COTTON WOOL AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be.
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention refers to carding engines used for carding cotton wool and other
fibrous materials and relates to that part of a carding engine which is known as.
the "flexible. bend" used in conjunction with travelling flats and my invention
consists in arrangements whereby I am enabled to alter the curvature of such.
flexible bend so as to cause it to correspond with the varying diameter of the main
cylinder of the Carding Engine such varying diameter being caused by the grinding
or sharpening of the cards upon, such main cylinder.
One method of carrying my invention into effect is illustrated by: Figs 1. 2..3
and 4 of the drawing hereunto annexed. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of so much of
a carding engine as is requisite to illustrate my invention and Figs 2 3 and 4 are
detached views of portions thereof upon a larger scale Fig 2 being partly in
section-Similar letters of reference are applied to corresponding parts throughout
the whole series of Figures.
At a is the main side framing of the carding engine which by means of the
bracket b and pedestal c supports the axle d of the main cylinder e of the carding
engine-Secured to and carried by the frame a is the circular bend f. Upon the
bend fare formed ribs f¹ f³ which act as guides to the brackets g. As the
brackets g are similar in construction to each other I shall for convenience of
description describe one only of such brackets g but it will be understood that my
description refers to each and all such brackets g. Upon the bracket g are formed
ribs g g which act as guides to a bracket h which can at times as will be
hereinafter described be slidden longitudinally upon the bracket g.. Passing
through a slot j. formed through the bracket h is a set screw the screw threads of
which set screw take into corresponding screw threads formed in the bend f
The brackets g. h. may when desired be rigidly secured. to the bend ƒ by means of
the set screw k. The end h¹ of the bracket h is provided with a set screw 2-the.
screw threads of which set screw 1 take into corresponding screw threads formed in
the bracket h.. The end of the set screw Zabuts against a projecting part gª.
formed upon the bracket g and, the remaining end 12 of the set screw abuts against
a projecting part g also. formned upon the bracket g.. The end 2 of the bracket h
I form curved so that the curvature thereof corresponds to that of the top of the
"cards" upon the main cylinder e of the carding engine-Upon the outer surface
of the bend f are formed circular ribs f³ f the centre of the circle which is
described by such ribs f³ f being coincident with the centre. of revolution of the.
main cylinder e of the carding engine-Supported upon the circular ribs f³ f' is.a
ring m provided with a circular projecting rib m¹ which is situate between the
ribs ff. Formed in the ring m is a spiral groove m²-Formed upon the
bracket g is an extended portion g" to which by means of the nut n is secured a
stud o which stud o projects into the spiral groove m² formed within the ring m.
At p is a bracket secured by means of bolts to the bend f. q is a stud secured by
one of its ends to the bend f. Upon the said stud q. and free to be turned thereon
is a bell-crank-lever r. From one end of the bell crank lever r projects a stud s to
which is secured one end t¹ of a band or strip t of steel or other suitable metal-the
remaining end t of which band or strip t of steel or other suitable metal is secured

page_text: to a pin p¹ projecting from the bracket p The band or strip of steel or other
suitable inetal rests upon the ends of the brackets h. To the arm 2 of the bell-
crank-lever r is attached one end u' of a coiled spring u the remaining end u² of
which coiled spring u is secured by means of the rod v and nut w to the bend f.
The spring u tends to turn the bell crank lever in the direction of the arrow A
and draws and keeps the band or strip t of steel or other suitable metal into and
in contact with the ends of the bracket h At x y are the wheels or pulleys
ordinarily employed for traversing the flats around the main cylinder e in the
ordinary manner-Each of the flats is provided at its ends s¹ with a projecting
part which while the said flat is passing over the main cylinder e rests upon
the band or strip t of steel or other suitable metal.
I have hitherto for convenience of description referred to the apparatus situate
at one side only of the carding engine but it will be readily understood that the
apparatus above described is repeated upon the sido of the carding engine opposite
to the side above referred to.
When the cards upon the main cylinder e of the carding engine and upon the
flats before referred to become reduced in thickness so that it becomes desirable
to adjust the surfaces of the flats to the surface of the cards upon the main
cylinder e the screws of the brackets jh are slackened and the ring m is turned
in the direction of the arrow C-For the purpose of turning the ring m I provide a
hand wheel 1 mounted fast upon a shaft 2 supported by a bracket 3 secured to the
bend f. Fast upon the shaft 2 is a worm 4 gearing into the teeth of a worm wheel
5 fast upon a tubular collar 6 mounted upon a stud 7 carried by the bend f. Fast
upon the tubular collar 6 is a toothed wheel 8 the teeth of which toothed wheel 8
gear into the teeth of a circular rack 9 formed upon the inner side of the ring m.
As the ring m. is rotated in the direction of the arrow C the spiral groove m³
acting upon the studs o will draw the whole series of brackets g h simultaneously
towards the axis of the main cylinder e and thereby allow the card surfaces of the
When the flats z have
flats to approach the card surface of the main cylinder e.
been adjusted to the position desired the screws & are again tightened so as to
secure the brackets 9. rigidly to the bend f. If it be desired to remove the card
surfaces of the flats s further from the card surface of the main cylinder e the ring m
may be turned in a direction opposite to that of the arrow C As the brackets g h
are moved towards the axis of the main cylinder e the spring u will cause the
band or strip t of steel or other suitable metal to be kept in contact with the outer
ends of the brackets h.
In order to avoid any depression or elevation which might be imparted to the
band or strip t of steel or other suitable metal in the part extending between any
two of the brackets which may be adjacent to each other. I form the ends h³
of the brackets h with projecting parts h³ h so arranged that the projecting parts
3 of each of the brackets h will overlap the projecting parts h³ respectively
of the brackets h on each side of the one before mentioned. This arrangement is
more clearly shown in the detached view Fig 4 which is a plan of two of the
brackets which are adjacent to each other.
In order that the ends h² of the brackets / may be of a curve corresponding or
nearly so to that of the surface of the cards upon the main cylinder e I propose in
some cases to turn or grind the same after they have been placed in position and
secured to the bend f by the screws k. After the ends of the brackets h have been
ground or turned the band or strip t of steel or other suitable metal is placed over
the ends of the brackets h. The band or strip t of steel or other suitable metal
after being brought into and kept in contact with the outer ends of the brackets
h by means of the spring u may also if requisite or desired be turned or ground.
The bracket h is capable of being adjusted upon the bracket g by means of the
set screw in the following manner :-
Upon slackening the set screw kand lock nut 13 upon the set screw and
turning the said set screw Z the bracket will be moved longitudinally upon the
bracket further from or nearer to the axis of the main cylinder e of the carding

page_text: engine according as the set screw is turned in one direction or the other. After
the bracket h has been adjusted in the position desired upon the bracket g the lock
nut and set screw are again tightened. By this arrangement I am enabled to
adjust any individual bracket h so that the flats z passing over the end h² of such
bracket will be nearer to or further from the axis of the main cylinder e of the
carding engine. When a bracket or series of brackets h has been so adjusted it
will while being adjusted in relation to the main cylinder e simultaneously with
the other brackets h by the turning of the hand wheel 1 maintain its position
relative to the other brackets h.
In some cases I dispense with the use of the band or strip t of steel or other
suitable metal and cause the projecting parts &³ of the flats to travel in contact
with the curved ends of the brackets h in which case I cause the ends h³ h* of
such brackets h aforesaid to overlap as shown in Fig 4.
Instead of employing a spiral groove m² in the ring m into which spiral groove
m² pass projections or studs o upon the brackets g. I in some cases form a spiral
rib upon the ring m which spiral rib passes into grooves formed in the brackets g.
for the purpose of simultaneously adjusting such brackets g relatively to the main
cylinder e of the carding engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
Firstly-The brackets g. hand ring m provided with a spiral groove or rib
used in conjunction with each other and with the flexible band or strip t of steel
or other suitable metal constructed arranged and operating substantially in the
manner hereinbefore described and shown in reference to and in and by the
accompanying drawing for the purpose of adjusting the travelling flats of a
carding engine with regard to the main cylinder e of such carding engine.
Secondly-The brackets g. h. and ring m provided with a spiral groove or rib
used in conjunction with each other and constructed arranged and operating
substantially in the manner hereinbefore described and shown in reference to and
in and by the accompanying drawings for the purpose of adjusting the travelling
flats of a carding engine with regard to the main cylinder e of such carding
engine.
Dated this seventeenth day of November 1884.