Improvements in certain of those Carding-engines which are Provided with Revolving Flats.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 25th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 27th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in certain of those Carding-engines which are
Provided with Revolving Flats.
1, THOMAS KNOWLES of Mill Lane, Churchtown, Southport in the County of
Lancaster, Cotton Spinner do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
:-
My invention relates to such carding engines provided with revolving flats as are
also provided with flexible wedge-shaped bands by means of which the revolving
flats may be adjusted relatively to the surfaces of the main cylinders of the said
carding engines and my invention consists in improvements by which the con-
struction of the carding engines is simplified and facilitated and by which the
various adjustments of the revolving flats in relation to the card surfaces of
the main cylinders of such carding-engines which may be required may be
accomplished with greater facility and accuracy than has hitherto been possible.
According to my invention I form upon each of the bends of the carding-engine
to which my invention is applied a circular, inclined or other surface or part
through or to which pass or are secured screws which are connected in any suitable
manner to a band of metal which is so formed that its outer edge forms an inclined
surface, spiral or cam upon which bears the inner edge of a flexible band which is
wedge-shaped in vertical longitudinal section and is so formed that the revolving
flats when in action may rest upon its outer edge. By means of the screws above
mentioned or by means of suitable nuts screwed thereon the band of metal above
referred to may be moved either as a whole or at certain parts only, from or
towards the axis of the main cylinder of the carding-engine and thus while by
means of the flexible wedge-shaped band above mentioned the flats in action may be
adjusted simultaneously so as to be nearer to or farther from the card surface of
the main cylinder it is possible to adjust either the whole or any portion or portions
of the surface upon which the said flexible band rests so that although there may
be some irregularity in the shape of the said flexible band or of the surface upon
which it is supported or some displacement of the axis of the main cylinder or of
the pedestal by which it is supported the revolving flats may whenever it is desirable
be properly adjusted to the card surface of the main cylinder.
By my invention I am also enabled to dispense with any means of adjustment of
the position of the axle of the main cylinder of the carding engine.
Dated this Twenty-fourth day of April 1891.
HOWARD
CHEETHAM.
Manchester, Agent to the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in certain of those Carding-engines which are
Provided with Revolving Flats.
I THOMAS KNOWLES of Mill Lane, Churchtown, Southport in the County of
Lancaster, Cotton Spinner 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 relates to such carding-engines provided with revolving flats as are
also provided with flexible wedge-shaped bands by means of which the revolving
flats may be adjusted relatively to the surfaces of the main cylinders of the said
Pin 17

page_text: carding-engines and my invention consists in improvements by which the con-
struction of the carding-engines is simplified and facilitated and by which the
various adjustments of the revolving flats in relation to the card surfaces of the
main cylinders of such carding-engines which may be required may be accomplished
with greater facility and accuracy than has hitherto been possible.
According to my invention I form upon each of the bends of the carding-engine
to which my invention is applied a circular inclined or other surface or part
through or to which pass or are secured screws which are connected in any suitable
manner to a band of metal which is so formed that its outer edge forms an inclined
surface, spiral or cam upon which bears the inner edge of a flexible band which is
wedge-shaped in vertical longitudinal section and is so formed that the revolving
flats when in action may rest upon its outer edge. By means of the screws above
mentioned or by means of suitable nuts screwed thereon the band of metal above
referred to may be moved either as a whole or at certain parts only from or
towards the axis of the main cylinder of the carding-engine and thus while by
means of the flexible wedge-shaped band above mentioned the flats in action may
be adjusted simultaneously so as to be nearer to or farther from the card surface of
the main cylinder it is possible to adjust either the whole or any portion or portions
of the surface upon which the said flexible band rests so that although there may
be some irregularity in the shape of the said flexible band or of the surface upon
which it is supported or some displacement of the axis of the main cylinder or of
the pedestal by which it is supported the revolving flats may whenever it is
desirable be properly adjusted to the card surface of the main cylinder.
By my invention I am also enabled to dispense with any means of adjustment
of the position of the axle of the main cylinder of the carding-engine.
In the accompanying drawing is illustrated so much of a carding-engine con-
structed in accordance with my invention as is necessary to illustrate the nature of
my invention and the manner in which it is to be carried into effect, Fig. 1 being a
side view of such portion of a carding-engine and Fig. 2 a cross section taken on
the plane indicated by the line A A of Fig. 1. In the said Figures 1 and 2, a is
the bend at one side of the carding engine and 6 is the framework to which the
bend a is secured. c is the flexible wedge-shaped band upon which one end of each
of the revolving flats which are in action rests, and is guided.
Upon the bend a, I form a part or flange a' which is in the form of a portion of a
spiral or volute. Through the part or flange a¹ I pass screws e and e¹ each of which
is screwed into a projecting part d' formed upon a band d. of metal the outer
surface 2 of which is made to form an inclined surface, spiral or cam upon which
bears the inner edge of the flexible band c which is wedge-shaped in vertical
longitudinal section. The screw e which is nearest to one end of the band d
is made to fit the hole in the flange or part a' through which it passes, and the other
screws e are passed through slots a formed in the flange or part al so as to be
capable of being moved when required in such flange or part a' either in the
direction indicated by the arrow B or in the opposite direction. Each of the
screws e e¹ is provided with nuts 2 by means of which it may adjusted and secured
in position in the flange or part-a. The flexible band is connected at one end to
one end of a screw which passes through a bracket g secured to the bend a of the
carding-engine and is provided with a bevel wheel h with which gears or engages
a bevel wheel i fixed upon a short shaft j mounted so as to be capable of being
revolved in the bracket g. The short shaft j is provided with a wheel or disc k in
the circumference of which are formed notches with any one of which may
engage a detent or pawl m mounted upon a stud n secured to the bracket g.
Through the detent or pawl m and the stud n upon which it is mounted may be
formed holes through which when the detent or pawl m is engaged with any one
of the notches k¹ in the wheel or disc k a stud or pin may be secured by any suitable
means such as a padlock so as to keep the said detent or pawl m in engagement
with the said notch so that the adjustment of the flexible band in position may
be prevented from being tampered with except by the proper persons who after

page_text: C
C
A.t
removing the stud securing the detent or pawl m in engagement with the wheel k
may accomplish the required adjustment of the position of the flexible band c.
its other end the flexible band c is connected to a weight t tending to draw the
flexible band c in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow B and to keep
the inner surface c' of such flexible band c in contact with the outer surface d² of
the band d of metal. The flexible band c is made so that when the band d of metal
is so adjusted by means of the screws e e¹ that it forms a portion of a spiral or volute
or is in its normal condition and approximately equidistant from the outer surface of
the flange or part a' at all parts; the outer surface c² of the said flexible band c will
form a portion of a cylinder having the same axis as the main cylinder of the
carding-engine. If when the band d of metal is in the condition above mentioned
the flexible band c be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow B or in the
opposite direction by means of the screw for by means of the screw fand weight t
all the flats which are in action will be moved towards or away from the surface
of the main cylinder according as the flexible band c is moved in the direction
indicated by the arrow B or in the opposite direction. If one or other or two or more
of the screws e el be moved towards or away from the axis of the main cylinder by
means of the nuts e²e with which such screw or screws e el is or are provided the
curvature of a portion or portions of the band d of metal and consequently the
position and curvature of a portion or portions of the outer surface of the flexible
band c and the position of the flats supported by the said portion or portions of
the outer surface c² of the flexible band e will be modified and in this manner it is
possible to compensate for any irregularities which may exist in the shape of the
band d of metal or in the shape of the flexible band c or for any displacement of
the axis of the main cylinder which may have occurred from any cause.
In order that the flexible band may be prevented from being moved laterally I
secure to the bend a of the carding engine by means of set screws or bolts and nuts
a plate p which prevents the flexible band c from being moved laterally towards
the main cylinder. The brackets which are ordinarily employed in carding
engines provided with revolving or travelling flats serve to prevent the band d of
metal and the flexible band c from being moved laterally away from the main
cylinder but if it be desired other brackets may be provided for this purpose instead
of or besides the brackets q and plate p. The pedestal is cast or formed with the
bend a and consequently after the band d of metal has been connected to the bend a
by the screws e e¹ the outer surface d² of the band d of metal may be shaped by
means of a milling tool or other suitable device carried by and moved in the required
manner upon an arm upon a shaft mounted in the bearing of the pedestal which will
when the carding-engine is completed receive the axle of the main cylinder and thus
the requisite relation between the form of the outer surface d² of the band d of metal
and the axis of the main cylinder may readily be secured. If it be desired a milling
cutter or other suitable tool carried by an arm mounted upon a shaft mounted in
the bearing of the pedestal may be employed to shape or dress the outer and inner
surfaces of the flange or part a¹ upon the bend a in order that the nuts e² ² upon
the screws e e¹ may bear properly against the said flange or part a¹ and so that the
lateral movements of the screws e which may accompany the axial movements of
such screws e may take place.
I prefer to form the flexible band c employed in a carding-engine constructed
according to my invention of such taper that if when the carding-engine is com-
pleted and the screws e e¹ are duly adjusted the flexible band c when in the position
in which it is indicated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing supports in proper
position relative to the main cylinder the flats which are in action the adjustments
necessary to compensate for the first half of the wear of the teeth or wire surfaces
of the flats and main cylinder which takes place during the use of the carding-
engine may be made by the flexible band c
in the direction indicated by the arrow B.
allow the flats to approach the axis of the
band c upon the band d of metal further in
being moved upon the band d of metal
Then when it ceases to be possible to
main cylinder by moving the flexible
the direction indicated by the arrow B

page_text: the flexible band c may he moved upon the band d of metal in the direction opposite
to that indicated by the arrow B into the position in which it is indicated in Fig. 1
and then the screws e e¹ may be so adjusted by means of the nuts e² e² that the wire
surfaces of the flats which are in action shall be in the required position relative to
the wire surface of the main cylinder. The further adjustments in the position of
the flats which are necessitated by the further wear of the card wire surfaces of
such flats and of the main cylinder may then be accomplished by the flexible band c
being moved upon the band'd of metal in the direction indicated by the arrow B so
that the flats which are in action will be allowed to approach the axis of the main
cylinder to the required extent.
By the flexible band c being made of a taper such as is described above which is
more gradual than the taper which would be necessary to enable the movement
of the flexible band c in the direction indicated by the arrow B to compensate alone
for all the wear which takes place in the card surfaces of the flats and main cylinder
of the carding-engine when such carding-engine is in use I render it more easy to
move the flexible band c in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow B
either by the screw for by the weight whenever it may be required to be so
moved in the adjustment of the flats relatively to the main cylinder.
In order that the movement of the flats upon the flexible band c or any vibration
which may be imparted to the bend a or to the band d of metal may not interfere
with the adjustment of the screws e el I pass through the projecting parts d' upon
the band d of metal bolts s by means of which the band d of metal may be secured
to the bend a after each adjustment of the position of the screws e e¹ has been made.
In order that the bolts s may not hinder the band d of metal from being moved
nearer to or farther from the axis of the main cylinder I form slots d³ in the
projecting parts d' through which slots a³ the bolts s are passed and in order that
the bolts s which pass through the projecting parts d' into which the screws e e' are
inserted may be able to move circumferentially around the axis of the main cylinder
with the said projecting parts d' when the band d of metal is being moved nearer
to or farther from the axis of the main cylinder I form in the bend a slots a³ through
which the bolts s are passed. The slots a³ are made to form arcs of a circle or
circles of which the centre or centres is or are in the same straight line as the axis
of the main cylinder.
Although I have in the accompanying drawing only shown one side of a carding-
engine both sides of carding-engines constructed according to my invention are
provided with bands of metal and flexible bands arranged and employed in the
manner above described.
It is also obvious that although I have above described the part or flange a¹ as
being of such shape that its inner and outer surfaces form portions of spirals or
volutes the part or flange a' at each side of a carding-engine constructed according
to my invention may form a portion of a circle or be made of any suitable form in
which case the screws e e¹ will require to be made of various lengths and to be
arranged in different modes so that while they will securely hold the bands d of
metal to the bends a such screws e e¹ will not interfere with the adjustments of the
bands d of metal, which may be required.
I would have it also understood that the screws e e¹ instead of passing through
the flanges or parts a¹ of the bends a and being fixed in the bands d of metal
employed in a carding-engine constructed according to my invention may be fixed
in the flanges or parts a¹ of the bends a of the carding-engine and in such cases the
bands d of metal may be adjusted and secured upon the screws e e¹ by means of nuts
or other suitable devices. It is also obvious that instead of the bands d of metal
employed in a carding-engine constructed according to my invention being adjusted
in position by nuts e² e² being turned upon the screws e e employed in conjunction
with such bands d of metal the said screws e e¹ may be arranged so as to be capable
of being secured and turned in one direction or the other as may be necessary either
in the bands d of metal or in the bends a of the carding-engine or in parts secured
to the bands d of metal or to the bends of the carding-engine. The horizontal

page_text: thickness of the bands d of metal will depend upon the width of the inner surfaces c
of the flexible bands c which rest upon them and the vertical thickness or depth of
the said bands d of metal which in turn will depend upon the width of the surfaces
formed upon the flats which are to be in contact with such flexible bands c and the
vertical thickness or depth of the bands d of metal may vary from one inch to one
and a half inches according to the number of screws e, e employed. It is thus
possible for the bands of metal to be made of any strength necessary to rigidly
support the flats, the screws e e' affording ample means of varying the curvature
of bands d of any thickness which would probably be adopted in practice.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
In a carding-engine provided with revolving flats and with flexible wedge-
shaped bands by means of the adjustment or movement of which in the direction
of their length the revolving flats may be adjusted relatively to the card surface of
the main cylinder of such carding-engine; the combination and arrangement of
bands of metal such as d to support the said flexible wedge-shaped bands, and screws
such as e e' by which the last mentioned bands of metal may be adjusted and
secured in position relatively to the axis of the main cylinder all arranged, employed
and operating substantially in the manner hereinbefore described in reference to
and indicated in and by the accompanying drawing.
Dated this Twenty-third day of January 1892.
HOWARD
CHEETHAM,
Manchester, Agent to the Applicant.