Year: 1888

page_text: Date o Application, 22nd May, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 6th Apr., 1889
I, THOMAS WALTER HARDING of the Tower Works, Leeds, in the County of
York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists in improvements in machine wool combs.
In circular machine combs the pins have hitherto been set in circumferential rows
of a fineness of pitch suitable to the quality of wool to be combed. The spacing of
the circumferential rows themselves is comparatively coarse, and in most cases noil
knives are worked between the rows. Alternate rows are so drilled that the pins in
one row stand opposite the spaces of the row of same pitch adjoining. The rows of
equal pitch are therefore grouped in two.
My improved Combs are constructed with the fine pitch rows set, not circum-
ferentially, but either radially or at an angle to the radius; and the spacing of the
rows circumferentially is comparatively coarse, so as to allow, where required, noil-
removing-apparatus to work between them. This method of construction permits of
complex grouping in 2-3-4-5 or more groups, with the result that very fine
combing effects may be combined with a comparatively strong pin.
Thus in a segment circle of the system known as "Holdens" where on the
existing plan there are 3 rows of pins, 40 per inch circumferentially, with the pins in
the central row placed opposite the spaces of the outer rows, the pitch obtained is a
group of 80 per inch.
Now on my improved system, with the same quantity of pins, and the same size of
pin, set in diagonal fine rows of 40 per inch, with a circumferential spacing of rows
of 20 per inch, I get a grouping of six and a resulting pitch of 120 per inch.
In the combs known as square motion combs I apply the same principle; that is,
instead of having longitudinal fine rows as at present, I use transverse fine rows;
and, as in these combs the wool works in an oblique direction, the transverse rows
may be either diagonal, or preferably at actual right angle to the length of the comb
the exact opposite in fact to the present mode of construction. By this arrangement
j

page_text: of rows in the square motion combs, I not only obtain the finer grouping of the pins
relatively to the oblique draft, but another important advantage that I can readily
clean these combs automatically, by working into them a compound noil knife or
comb, which may be fixed if the rows are at right angle to the length of the comb.
Dated this 19th day of May 1888.
I, THOMAS WALTER HARDING of the Tower Works, Leeds in the County of York,
Engineer 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 :-
"
My invention consists in improvements in Machine Wool Combs, and is specially
applicable to the Combs of the machine known as
Motion Machine," but that part of my improvements which relates to the circular
Holden's" or the Square
combs of that machine is also applicable to the circular combs of other circular
machines such as Noble's, Lister's or Platt's.
In circular combs the pins have hitherto been set in circumferential rows as fine as
possible, the spaces between such rows being comparatively large, so as to allow in
some cases of noil knives working between the rows to lift out the noil or combing
waste. *
At Fig. 1 I shew as an instance a magnified plan view of the usual position of the
pins in the "nacteur" circular comb of the "Holden's" Machine. There are three
circumferential rows of 40 pins to the inch. The pins of the outer rows are opposite
each other, and the pins of the inside row are opposite the spaces of the outer rows.
This gives a group of 2 x 40 or an effective combing pitch of 80 per inch as shewn
in the side view Fig. 2 where the points only of the pins are shewn. The size of the
pins used with this pitch is No. 25 gauge.
Now, if it be desired to produce a finer combing effect, it has hitherto been
necessary to increase the fineness of the circumferential rows by putting more pins to
the inch, and this necessitates the use of finer pins, so that a limit is soon reached
when the pin becomes too weak to resist the strain put upon it.
My invention consists in placing the pins in fine diagonal rows so disposed that, if
imaginary lines are drawn from the centre of each pin to the centre of the circle, no
two pins come on the same line. Thus, each pin tells in the combing and produces its
effect, so that very fine combing effects may be produced with a comparatively strong
pin, just as by a somewhat similar system of grouping already in use in the card

page_text: segments of flax & jute cards, fine carding effects may be obtained with a comparatively
strong pin.
In the figures 3 to 8 I shew how by this system of grouping I obtain effective
combing pitches of 100-125 and 150 to the inch, without reducing the size of the
pin hitherto used with the 40 per inch "nacteur" comb, and which, when set on the
old system, gives only an effective pitch of 80 per inch as shewn in figures 1 and 2.
At fig. 3 I show a magnified plan view of a grouping 5 × 20 giving an effective
combing pitch of 100 per inch as shewn in the side view of the points at Fig. 4.
In this case there are 20 diagonal rows to the inch circumferentially, and each
diagonal row consists of 5 pins of No. 25 gauge set 4th of an inch apart. Although
the pitch obtained is finer than in Fig. 1, it will be seen that there are actually fewer
pins in Fig. 2.
At Fig. 5 I shew a magnified plan view of a grouping 5 × 25 giving an effective
combing pitch of 125 per inch, as shewn in the side view of the points at Fig. 6.
In this case there are 25 diagonal rows to the inch circumferentially, and cach
diagonal row consists of 5 pins No. 25 wire gauge set 6th of an inch apart.
At Fig. 7 I shew a magnified plan view of a grouping 5 × 30 giving an effective
combing pitch of 150 per inch as shewn in the side view of the points at Fig. 8.
In this case there are 30 diagonal rows to the inch circumferentially, and each
diagonal row consists of pins No. 25 wire gauge set 40th of an inch apart.
1
It will be evident that the number of the diagonal rows to the circumferential
inch may be varied, and also the number of the pins in each diagonal row and the
size of pins so as to produce variety of grouping and of combing effects. Thus, with
4 pins per diagonal row and 30 of such rows to the circumferential inch, 1 get an
effective combing pitch of 4 x 30 or 120 per inch. With 4 pins per diagonal row
and 40 of such rows to the inch, 1 get an effective combing pitch of 4 × 40 or 160 per
inch.
My invention relates further to a similar modification in the square motion combs
of the "Holden" machine, only, as the wool acts upon these combs in an oblique or
diagonal direction, I prefer to use transverse rows of pins in the same direction as
the line of motion of the combs.
At Fig. 9 (sheet 2) I shew a plan view, one third size, of an ordinary square
motion comb in which the longitudinal lines following the shape of the comb
represent the rows of pins which hitherto have always been so placed longitudinally
and of a fineness suited to the combing effect required.
These combs have always been very inconvenient to clean, and it has been necessary
to remove the combing waste from them by hand at short intervals.
At Fig. 10 I shew a plan view, one third size, of my new square motion Comb, in
which the transverse lines represent the transverse rows of pins which vary in
fineness of pitch according to the combing effects required. It will be seen that on
my new plan the arrangement of the pins is precisely the reverse of the old system,
that, instead of longitudinal rows, I use transverse rows.
This arrangement has an important advantage over the old plan, that it permits the
introduction of noil blades or knives in the spaces between the transverse rows, the
parallel lines of these rows being in the same direction as the line of motion of
the Combs. These noil knives or blades ensure the automatic removal of the noil or
combing waste from the square motion combs, an operation which has not hitherto
been possible, because the rows on the old system were in a direction at right angles
to that of the motion of the Combs.
The noil knives or blades are secured to a stock so as to form a noil Comb or doffer,
which is suitably fixed to the machine so that one of the blades may enter in the
space between each of the transverse rows of the square motion Combs and lift out
the noil or waste from the pins.
The blades or knives may be secured to the stock by fixing them into grooves or
notches cut in the stock to receive them; or they may be soldered in position to the
stock, or the stock may be formed by casting metal round the root ends of the blades,
or in any other convenient way.

page_text: At Fig. 11 I shew a plan view and at Fig. 12 an end view of this arrangement'
full size (the dotted lines representing rows of pins). One end of the squaro
motion combs and of the doffer only, is shewn at Fig. 11, (and only some of the
blades) but it will readily be understood that the arrangement is continued throughout
the length of the Combs.
A A A are the square motion combs. B is the doffer or noil comb, of which U is
the stock. D D D etc. are the blades.
I shew the form which I find to be the most convenient for the blades without
limiting myself to this particular shape.
The motion of the combs is in the direction of the arrow E F in the plan view
Fig. 11, and in the direction of the arrow G H in the end view Fig. 12.
As the square motion combs retire from the fringe of wool on the circular comb,
they pass through the blades of the doffer which gradually lift the noil or combing
waste out of the pins, and as the square motion combs successively drop down, the noil
so lifted out is left on the surface of the blades of the doffer, and, pushed by the
action of the succession of combs, falls into a suitable receptacle, or may be drawn
off in a sliver by any of the known means.
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
1. The construction of the circular combs of "Holden's" and other circular
combing machines with the pins arranged in diagonal groups substantially as
described, and shewn in the Figs. 3 to 8, so as to permit fine.combing effects with
comparatively strong pins.
2. In a "Holden's"
<<
or square motion" combing machine the construction and
use of square motion combs fitted with transverso rows substantially as described
and shewn in Figs. 10. 11 and 12 to permit the use of noil blades between the rows
for automatically lifting the waste from the pins.
3. The construction, use and application of the Doffer or Noil Comb substantially
as described and shewn in Figs. 11 and 12 in combination with square motion combs
constructed with transverse rows, for the purpose of automatically clearing said
combs of the noil or combing waste.
Dated this th love of ML
1000