IMPROVEMENTS IN WOOL COMBING AND DRAWING MACHINERY
Year: 1870

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LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Whitehead, of Holbeck, in the Parish of
Leeds, in the County of York, a Partner in the Firm of Taylor,
Wordsworth, & Co., of the same Place, Machine and Tool Makers,
こ for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WOOL COMBING AND DRAWING
MACHINERY."
Sealed the 20th May 1870, and dated the 18th January 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas. Whitehead.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
et
on the 18th January-1870.
I, THOMAS WHITEHEAD, of Holbeck, in the Parish of Leeds, in the
5 County of York, a Partner in the Firm of Taylor, Wordsworth, & Co.,
of the same Place, Machine and Tool Makers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WOOL COMBING AND
DRAWING MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
:-
7.
My improvements consist in traversing the drawing or endless sheets
of wool combing and other drawing machines by means of a traversing
guide, stretching or tightening roller.

page_text: It will be readily perceived that the drawing roller will have to be a
little over in width of the fluted face according to the length of traverse
given and the width of the sheet, so as to ensure the sheet being kept
within the fluted face of the roller, the face of the guide stretching or
tightening roller between the flanges being the width of the sheet.
I traverse the guide stretching or tightening roller by means of a
shaft on which the guide stretching or tightening roller revolves. The
flanges of this guide stretching or tightening roller may either run
loose on the shaft on which the boss revolves, or they may be attached
to the boss itself as may be found most convenient. I propose to affect
this traversing motion by means of a crank or eccentric attached to the
shaft in any convenient manner.
I also propose to traverse the rollers and sheet as mentioned in
Messieurs Battinson, Battinson, and Whitehead's Patents of the 6th
May 1869, Number 1394, and 13th May 1869, Number 1470, by means
of the two brackets in which the rollers revolve being made to traverse
with the roller instead of the rollers traversing through the brackets as
described in the Specifications of such Patents, or one of them, thereby
causing less friction on the shaft of the rollers, reducing considerably
the quantity of oil used (which is objectionable as it dirties the wool),
and preventing the rapid wear of the brass bushes and shafts of the
rollers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters. Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Whitehead in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th July 1870.
"TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WHITEHEAD, of Holbeck, in the Parish of Leeds, in the County of
York, a Partner in the Firm of Taylor, Wordsworth, and Company, of
the same Place, Machine and Tool Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her 3
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Whitehead, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Whitehead, my executors, administrators, and a

page_text: .
assigns, or such others as. I, the said Thomas. Whitehead, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein.
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,.
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN. WOOL.
COMBING AND DRAWING MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas Whitehead, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I; the said Thomas Whitehead, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
'say)
This Invention relates to improved means for constantly shifting the
position of the leather belt or apron of the stripping or delivery rollers,
of combing and drawing machinery with respect to the line of passage
of the wool or other fibre under treatment from the combs or gills of
such machines, the object of such shifting motion being as is well under-
stood to spread the wear and strain to which the belt or apron is
subjected over an increased surface, and thus to add to the durability of
the belt or apron.
One plan which I propose to employ is to give the spindle of the-
tension roller or tension guide an endway motion in its bearing by means
of a cam or crank, or its equivalent, and thus through the shifting of
the position of the tension roller to impart a lateral traverse motion to.
the belt or apron.
Another plan is to mount the fluted rollers in a sliding frame, making
the tension roller proportionately long to allow of the lateral traverse of
the belt over it.
These arrangements I have shewn under modified. forms in the

page_text: Fig. 1 is a plan of part of a Noble's combing machine. shewing my
Invention applied thereto. a, a, are the endless drawing belts or
aprons; 6 are the traversing stretching guides or tightening rollers; and
c, c, are the fluted drawing off rollers.
Figures 2 and 2ª shew in elevation on an enlarged scale one arrange-
ment for shifting the belt. The fluted rollers c are made longer or in
excess of the width of the drawing belt a and of its traverse. The
width of the drawing sheet a and the length of the stretching roller b
between. the flanges. 61, 6, are however equal. The flanges may be cast
on the roller bor may work loose on the spindle or shaft e.
This spindle
terminates in a strap piece in which works an excentric ƒ keyed on the
shaft g, which shaft derives rotary motion from the noil or other con-
venient shaft. By the rotation of the excentric the desired traverse is
imparted to the flanged stretching. roller b. and through it to the belt or
sheet a, the amount of lateral traverse being determined by the throw of
the excentric.
9
..
In Fig. 3 I have shewn the application of a crank / worked by the
shaft for imparting the desired traverse to the tension roller b and its
belt. In lieu of a tension roller I may employ a tension guide for
operating the belt.
Figures 4 and 5 shew in side view the application of such a guide.
kis a guide frame fitted with runners or antifriction rollers 1 for sup;
porting the belt and transmitting the traverse motion thereto, which it
receives through the guide spindle e, as above described.
Figure 5 shews another form of guide in which the runners ? are
placed inside of the guide eye-k for supporting the sheet whilst being
traversed, as before described, by the excentric or crank."
Figures 6 and 7 shew in front and side views another form of guide
carrying two vertical rollers 1, 1, between which the belt passes, and two
horizontal rollers 7, 1, which guide the edges of the sheet.
-'
}
Fig. 8 shews the application of an excentric or crank to the bearings
or brackets m in which the fluted rollers work so as to obviate the
necessity of raising or lowering the spindles of such rollers through
the necks or bushes n in which they revolve, as described in the Specifi-
cation of the Patent dated May Sixth One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-nine, granted to Isaac Battinson, George Battinson, and Thomas
Whitehead, and numbered 1394. In this arrangement' I shift the line

page_text: of passage of the fibres over the belt by raising or lowering the rollers.
The brackets in which the-rollers revolve are constructed so as to slide
freely in their supports o.
This improvement on the above-mentioned arrangement reduces the
wear and tear, economises oil, and prevents damage to the fibre occa-
sioned by an excessive supply of the lubricating material.
1
Fig. 9 shews in front view, and Fig. 10 in end view an arrangement for
adapting the Invention to a screw gill drawing frame in which an end-
way traverse motion is given to the fluted drawing rollers.a, a¹, are
the traversing drawing rollers; and b, b, the sheet or belt of the screw
gill drawing frame. The axles of these rollers a, a, turn in. bearings
in the standards of a sliding, frame.c, c, which frame is free to slide or
work to and fro in a V bed d. Motion is imparted to the sliding frame
through an excentric e, the strap of which is connected by a ball and
socket joint to the axle of the roller a¹. The rollers a, a¹, correspond
in length with the breadth of the sheet or belt b, and fitted to the ends
of the roller a¹ are flanges for guiding the belt. In this case the tension
roller fis stationary, and it is made of sufficient length to provide for
the lateral shifting of the sheet b.
7.
דיי
Another mode of adapting the Invention to a drawing frame is to
give an endway motion to the tension roller by coupling its axle to an
excentric, as shewn at Fig, 11, and the roller being flanged Will serve
to guide the belt or sheet to and fro over the fluted rollers, which in this
case will be made sufficiently long to allow for the lateral traverse of
the belt.
In connection with a certain class of combing machines drawing off
rollers are employed in a horizontal position. My Invention is equally.
applicable to such machines, and I find considerable advantage in
depressing below the horizontal line one end of such rollers, as shewn
at Fig. 12. This greatly facilitates the gathering of the fibre without
the aid of guide plates or other means heretofore employed to such
horizontal rollers. In this arrangement the sheet a is made to traverse
laterally as in that last described by an excentric or a crank, the con-
nection of the excentric being with the axle of the tension roller f,
which is fitted with flanges for guiding the sheet and is free to slide in
its bearings.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
in Wool Combing and Drawing Machinery,” and explained the manner

page_text: of carrying the same into effect; I wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,
First. Giving a lateral traverse motion to the stripping: belts, aprons,
or sheets of combing machines and gill drawing machines by imparting
an endway motion to the tension roller or tension guide, as described.
Secondly. Giving a lateral traverse motion to the stripping belts,
aprons, or sheets of combing machines and gill drawing, machines by
.traversing the frame carrying the grooved rollers, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Whitehead, havo hercunto
hand and seal, the Third day of June, in the year of our
my
set
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
t
THOMAS WHITEHEAD. (L.S.).
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
said Thomas Whitehead, in the
presence of
THOMAS TURNER,
Sol.,
Leeds.