Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 16th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Sept., 1888
JAMES BARBOUR of Falls Foundry Belfast County of Antrim Ireland Machinist do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The arrangements hitherto used for drawing flax and similar fibres are generally a
series of pins or gills that carry the sliver or mass of fibres which is drawn from the
gills by rollers. The draft or elongation of the sliver being done by the difference
between the speed of the gills and the surface of the drawing rollers.
There are also employed for drawing slivers of flax and other fibres arrangements
where instead of drawing rollers a set of gills is employed to draw the sliver from
another set of gills going at a slower speed. For an arrangement of this type letters
patent No. 3422 A.D. 1875 were granted to the present applicant but in this as in all
other arrangements of this sort the nip or distance from the retaining gill pins to the
drawing pins is so great that the arrangement cannot be advantageously employed
for fine or short fibres.
The object of this improved arrangement for drawing flax and similar fibres is to
remedy this defect in the length of nip and provide an arrangement wherein the nip
or distance between the supplying or retaining pins or gills and the drawing gills will
be as short as possible so that a regular drawing operation is obtained.
This improved arrangement consists of two or more circular gills revolving nearly
in contact placed in parallel troughs or shells the one revolving gill driven at a slower
speed to act as the retaining roller the other driven at a higher speed to give whatever
draft is required.
The fibres are drawn from one circular gill to the other across the edge of the
adjacent troughs or shells.
The material to be drawn is supplied either direct or by a pair of feed rollers to the
retaining gill cylinder and it is taken off the final gill cylinder by rollers which have
about the same surface speed as the gill cylinder.
The arrangement of the pins in the gill cylinders is made to suit the sort and
weight of fibre to be drawn.
Dated this 7th day of December 1887.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Arrangement for Drawing Flax and similar Fibres.
JAMES BARBOUR of Falls Foundry Belfast County of Antrim Ireland 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 :-
The arrangements hitherto used for drawing flax and similar fibres are generally a
series of pins or gills that carry the sliver or mass of fibres which is drawn from the
gills by rollers.
The draft or elongation of the sliver being done by the difference between the speed
of the gills and the surface of the drawing rollers.
There are also employed for drawing slivers of flax and other fibres arrangements
where instead of drawing rollers a set of gills is employed to draw the sliver from
another set of gills going at a slower speed; For an arrangement of this type letters
patent No. 3422 A.D. 1875 were granted to the present applicant but in this as in all
other arrangements of this sort the nip or distance from the retaining gill pins to the
drawing pins is so great that the arrangement cannot be advantageously employed for
fine or short fibres.
The object of this improved arrangement for drawing flax and similar fibres is to
remedy this defect. in the length of nip and provide an arrangement wherein the nip
or distance between the supplying or retaining pins or gills and the drawing gills
will be as short as possible so that a regular drawing operation is obtained.
In the drawing accompanying this specification two sectional views of this improved
arrangement are given the same letters and figures of reference being employed to
indicate the same or like parts.
Figure 1 is a section of 2 circular gills.
Figure 2 is a section of 3 circular gills partially encased by troughs or shells.
This invention of an improved arrangement for drawing flax and similar fibres
consists of two or more circular gills (a a a²) revolving nearly in contact placed in
parallel troughs or shells (b) the one revolving gill (a) driven at a slower speed to act
as the conducting and retaining roller the others (a-a²) driven at a higher speed
than the roller (a) to give whatever amount of draft is required.
The fibres are drawn from one circular gill to the other across the edge (¹) of the
adjacent troughs or shells (b).
The material to be drawn is supplied either direct or by a pair of feed rollers (c) to
the retaining and conducting gill cylinder (a) and it is taken off the final gill
cylinder (a or a) by rollers (d) which have about the same surface speed as the final
gill cylinder (a¹ or a²).

page_text: The arrangement and angle of the pins in the gill cylinders are made to suit the
sort and weight of the fibre to be drawn.
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 1
claim is :-
The cylindrical revolving gills in combination with the troughs or shells (b) having
a rounded apex such as (¹) on and across which the fibre is "drawn" in passing from
one cylinder to another as fully described and illustrated by annexed drawings.