IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR PRE- PARING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES FOR SPINNING
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,.
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical-
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR PRE-
PARING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES FOR SPINNING." -A communication from.
abroad by Emile Hubner, of Paris, in the Empire of France,
Engineer.
•
'
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton:
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition:
,and Declaration, on the 12th January 1870, pursuant to the:
9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS I.am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVED Apparatus
FOR PREPARING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES FOR SPINNING," being a communication

page_text: to me from abroad by Emile Hubner, of Paris, in the Empire of France
Engineer, and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the
same, and have made solemn Declaration that the same has been
communicated to me as aforesaid.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do
hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under my
hand and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) —
The improvements which form the subject of this Invention consist,
firstly, in an arrangement of apparatus for drawing fibrous substances.
Secondly. In a peculiar mode of forming the slubbings or rovings.
Thirdly. In an improvement on the circular combing machine
patented in England on behalf of the present Inventor in the name
of Charles Cowper, on the Twenty-third February. One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-two, No. 13,977, and consisting of a novel kind of
nipping apparatus for holding and presenting the fibres (in a continuous
supply) to the combs that the ends thereof may be combed.
Fourthly. In a moveable point of attachment for the retaining wire
which is laid round against a part of the feed roller.
I will now proceed to describe these various improvements in detail,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawing.
Fig. 1 represents an arrangement of drawing apparatus which may be
advantageously substituted for the following, vizt., cither a fluted roller,
upon which presses another covered with cloth and leather, or two fluted
rollers, around one of which passes an endless band, which communicates
direct with a tension roller. placed above or below the fluted rollers.
With these two methods of drawing it often happens that the fibres
remain attached cither to the leather or to the roller, and cause what
in spinning are called "barbes." This occurs more often when working
at high speed with a small quantity of material, and with great pressure.
The arrangement represented at Fig. 1 allows of the fibres which
adhere to the endless band by reason of the pressure of the feed rollers

page_text: being completely detached. The fluted rollers and s which press
against each other are placed in front of the fibrous matter to be
drawn. c is an endless leather band guided horizontally by the roller,
and held in tension by the roller u.
The roller v must be of small
diameter in order that the leather may make a sharp turn round it, and
thus avoid the tendency which the fibres have to ascend with the band;
x is a small roller of polished copper set loosely upon the endless
band d, and driven by friction of contact therewith. The inner roller b
supports the weight of the roller x, and serves at the same time to
guide the band d. a is a roller, either plain or fluted, which imparts to
the band d a surface speed somewhat less than that of the band c which
is driven by the fluted roller t; y, is a tension roller for the band d; z is
a cleaner covered with plush, which acts upon the band c and the
roller x.
The fibres which come from the drawing rollers t, s, and
which by reason of the nip of the rollers adhere to the lower or
horizontal part of the band c, naturally fall by their own weight upon
the lower band d, and are carried by this latter to the side of the roller v,
where the two bands approach each other. The band d travelling at a
somewhat slower speed than that of the band c, and the fibres being
guided by the roller x on their passage out, a slight friction is produced
between the two bands, which completes the disengagement of the fibres
from the upper band, this latter slipping over the fibres and slightly
displacing them. The fibres after having passed the roller x are carried.
by the band d either to a trumpet mouth or to the improved mechanism
represented in plan view at Fig. 2, to be there formed into a regular
helicoidal slubbing or roving. In this apparatus f is a cylinder made of
polished wood or other material, and mounted transversely of and placed
in contact with the endless band d (Figures 1 and 2), in order that it
may turn upon the fixed axle g which carries it by friction of contact
with the band d. The fibres carried forward by the band d are lapped
up and caused to wind round the cylinder f, from the end of which they
slip off, being guided into a rotating trumpet mouth h, through which
they are drawn by suitable drawing rollers, and by which they are
delivered in the form of a very regular twisted slubbing or roving.
The cylinder f constitutes an improvement upon the cone hitherto em-.
ployed, and gives to the combing machine the advantage of furnishing
a product superior both in quantity and quality, whilst at the same
time it requires little attention, and produces less waste than has
heretofore been experienced.

page_text: In the circular combing machine patented by the present Inventor,
as above mentioned, in England, the moveable and circular holding of
the wool was effected by means of the drag of the substance to be
combed between an elastic portion sliding with pressure over a smooth
fixed surface, carrying forward and presenting the fibre to the comb for
the ends to be combed.
In the novel arrangement of holding apparatus which it is now pro-
posed to employ, and which is represented in elevation at Fig. 3, the two
surfaces between which the fibres to be combed are held are rendered
moveable. This is effected by the use of an endless band d in com-
bination with a rotating pressing surface. The band & passes over the
smooth fixed part 6 of the holder, and it is carried forward by the part c
of the holder which is moveable and provided with any suitable clastic
material x on its under or nipping surface. The fibres to be combed
being now brought in front of the combing apparatus are gripped by
and held between the two travelling surfaces during the time necessary
for that operation, and for conducting the fibre in front of the drawing
rollers e. At this point the holder will be open by reason of tlie
detachment of the endless band d, which at this point leaves the move-
able holder c, being drawn down and passed under guide pullies`y, y,
rejoins c, after passing which it rises, and for the purpose of again
forming a holder with it at a point of the circumference near the feed
roller, which is not shewn in the Figure, to be ready to take up the
fibres as they leave the foed roller and present the same to the rotary
comb a.
Fig. 4 shews in clevation a novel arrangement of moveable point of
attachment for the wire i which is laid round against a part of the feed
roller g. This arrangement has over the old method of attachment,
which was fixed, the advantage of never clogging the passage of the
fibres should they at any point be thicker in consequence of an irregular
feed. On the other hand it has its holding point or point of contact
with the leather covered roller g always at the point k, which has been
assigned to it for a regular feed, without the leather wearing away by
the friction of the wire i, causing a deviation of this point of contact or
of action of the roller where the holding point begins. The wire i is
fixed at one end to the crank arm or lever h, which is mounted upon the
axle, and is free to rock thereon. The other end of the wire is
weighted to allow of its yielding to pressure. When therefore there

page_text: is any tendency of the apparatus to choke by reason of the accumulation
of fibres under the roller g the crank arm will rock, and after allowing
the feed to pass will return to its normal position.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improved
Apparatus for Preparing Fibrous Substances for Spinning," and ex-
plained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to
be understood that what I claim and desire to secure by Letters
Patent is,
Firstly. The arrangement of apparatus above shewn and described
for drawing fibrous substances.
Secondly. The means above shewn and described for forming slubbing
or roving.
Thirdly. The improved arrangement of holder or nipping apparatus
above shewn and described.
Fourthly. Providing a moveable point of attachment for the wire
which acts against the feed roller, in the manner and for the purpose
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.