Improvements in Combing Machines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 31st Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1887
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Combing Machines.
I THOMAS WILLIS of 144 Bradford Road, Ancoats, Manchester in the County
of Lancaster, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to the machinery employed in the combing of cotton and
textile fibrous materials and has for its principal object to increase the effective duty
of such machinery. In machines employed in the combing of textile material say for
example in cotton combing machines to which my invention is particularly applicable
the cotton is subjected to the action of the combing cylinders in the form of slivers
which are each considerably less in width than the effective combing surface of each
cylinder. As the lock of cotton at the end of the sliver is combed out the said lock
widens out irregularily over the gills or combs and the sliver of combed cotton is
produced with ragged or uneven edges. The necessity for making provision for this
spreading of the sliver whilst being combed is the reason for the adjustment or
formation of the parts which feed forward the cotton so that the sliver is narrower
than the combing surface or the length of the gill combs. The object of my invention
is to utilise more fully the whole of the length of comb surface so that a larger
quantity of cotton may be combed by one machine in a given time or on the other
hand the same quantity may be more thoroughly combed. To this end I provide each
comb cylinder with end segmental flanges or edgings which are fixed close to the ends
of the gill combs and are curved or shaped to suit the combing surface so as to
constitute end margins to the said surface. These margins are brought even with the
points of the gill needles or a little below the same or a little above as may be found
to be or considered to be most suitable. When the said margins extend beyond the
needle points they may or may not be beveled or splayed outward. I prefer to
extend the said margins in each direction in advance and behind the gills in the
direction of their movement so as to guide or keep in bounds the edges of the sliver

page_text: before and after the comibing and in such cases I may extend these parts a little
inward in the direction toward the centre of the breadth of the combing surface so as
to straighten and make smooth the edges of the sliver by pressing the same inward a
little toward the centre of the sliver. The leading ends of these inwardly projecting
parts of the margins would be tapered or beveled. In a machine provided with my
improvements the sliver may be the same width as or only a little narrower than the
width of the combing surface.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Combing Machines.
I THOMAS WILLIS of 144 Bradford Road, Ancoats, Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Mechanic, 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 and accompanying drawings:-
My Invention relates to the machinery employed in the combing of cotton and
textile fibrous materials and has for its principal object to increase the effective duty
of such machinery. In machines employed in the combing of textile materials, say
for example in cotton combing machines to which my invention is particularly
applicable the cotton is subjected to the action of the combing cylinders in the form
of so termed laps which are each considerably less in width than the effective combing
surface of each cylinder. As the lock of cotton at the end of the lap is combed out
the said lock widens out irregularily over the gills or combs and the sliver of combed
cotton is produced with ragged or uneven edges. The object of my invention is to
utilise more fully the whole of the length of comb surface so that a larger quantity of
cotton may be combed by one machine in a given time or on the other hand the same
quantity may be more thoroughly combed. To this end I provide each comb cylinder
with end flanges or edgings which are fixed close to the ends of the gill combs so as
to constitute end margins to the combing surface.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I will now
proceed more particularly to describe the same with reference to the annexed sheet of
drawings.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a combing cylinder fitted with my improved
flanges.
Fig. 2 is a cross section of Fig. 1 at the line A. B.
Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the end d¹.
In Figs. 1 and 2 only so much of the combing cylinder as is necessary to illustrate
my invention is shown the usual fluted portion not appearing.
The combing surface consists as usual of several ranks of needle points held in
position by means of plates or gills a which are secured in the ordinary manner to the
shell which forms part of the combing cylinder. Heretofore when confining or
guiding plates have been used the cotton has not been prevented from spreading
irregularly at the edges and to provide for this irregularity the combing cylinder has
been made much longer than the width of the lap of cotton so that there has been a
considerable margin of unused combing surface on each side of the lock of cotton
being combed. According to my invention I confine the said lock of cotton within
fixed limits beyond which the cotton cannot spread so that the whole of the combing
surface is utilised and the combed cotton is delivered with an even and regular edge.
This I effect by means of the flanges or edgings d d' which are applied at the ends of
the comb gills. In the example two forms of Hange are illustrated the flange d being
made in the form of a broad collar having a continuous cylindrical surface whereas

page_text: the flange d¹ at the other end of the cylinder is made of a segmental form. The
flanged is separately illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5 a side view of the segment d
appearing in Fig. 2. The flange d is bored or prepared to fit upon the cylinder to
which the shells of the combing cylinder are fixed. The segment d' is attached by
means of lugs e to the shell b. It will be understood that the two forms of flanges are
only shown upon the one cylinder for convenience of illustration and that in practice
either the flanged or the flange d¹ would be applied at both ends of the cylinder the
flanges being of course made "right and left." The outer edges or peripheries of the
flanges d. d are level or about level with the points of the comb teeth but if considered
to be desirable the flanges may project a little beyond the teeth or otherwise the teeth
might project a little beyond the flanges. The inner faces which the flanges present
to the cotton might be perfectly level or flat but in the example the confining edges of
the flanges are provided with inward projections f. As the lock of cotton leaves the
last rank of comb teeth, the edges of the lock come into contact with the inner faces
of the said projections which faces slope gradually inwards whereby the edges of the
lock of cotton are pressed slightly inward thus straightening and smoothing the edges
of the said lock and delivering it in a more finished condition so that the sliver as
delivered is only a very little narrower than the full width of effective combing
surface. The flange d' is formed with a projecting lip as shown by the sectional view
Fig. 3 the said lip overlapping the gill foundation to which the needle points are
attached. This slip becomes shallower in depth as the needle points decrease in length
toward the delivery end, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. In practice I prefer the cylindrical
form of flange or collar represented by d for the reasons that as it has a broad smooth
cylindrical surface it is not so liable to collect fly or fluff as the segment & would be
and any fly collecting upon the said surface can be more readily removed and also the
collar fills up the space at the end of the cylinder more fully and thereby to a
greater extent checks the passage of fly from the brush to the sliver. By means of
these flanges or guiding marginal segments I am enabled to comb a lap which will be
about equal in width to the length of the combing surface of the cylinder, thus
effecting an extra production and an improved result without increasing the size of
the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
In apparatus of the indicated description for combing textile materials, the appli-
cation to the combing cylinder of two flanges or edgings d or d in the manner and
for the purposes set forth and indicated.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.