IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES
Year: 1884

page_text: We GEORGE ASHWORTH and ELIJAH ASHWORTH of the Moss Brook Works
Collyhurst Manchester in the County of Lancaster Engineers do hereby declare
the naturo of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES"
to be as follows:-
Our Invention is a continuation of former inventions having for their object to
obtain greater truth and exactness in the working of the engine and greater
delicacy of adjustment of the parts in order to render the engine capable of
producing better work with less waste of material. As ordinarily constructed the
chain of flats is driven by means of toothed wheels at the front end of the engine.
As these wheels revolve and as the teeth engage with the flats it is unavoidable
that the pressure of the teeth shall have a disturbing influence upon the flats just
at the time when they are ceasing to act the pressure of the teeth forcing the flat
closer to the cylinder or slightly tilting the flat or lifting one edge or otherwise
effecting the regular motion and operation of the flat. To remedy this defect wo
dispense with the toothed wheels at the front of the engine and we drive the chain
of flats by means of toothed wheels which take the place of the carrier wheels on
the top of the engine. We mount the driving wheels in adjustable bearings which
are fitted to slide in strong brackets which are connected across the engine by
means of a stay. Screws are provided whereby the said bearings can be adjusted
in the brackets so as to regulate the tension of the chain In the ordinary engine
this regulation is effected by adjusting one of the end carrying shafts the parallelism
of the flats depending upon the skill with which such adjustment is effected. In
our improved engine the adjustment of tension is effected without altering the
position of the bearings of either of the two end shafts so that the maintainence of
the parallelism of the flats does not require the adjustment of the end carriers.
The shaft which gives motion to the chain of flats is connected by means of a chain
with the carrier shaft at the front of the machine or receives motion in any other
suitable manner. By our invention we are also enabled to extend the casing closer
to the point at which the flats leave the cylinder. We by preference combine the
improvements constituting our present invention with the improvements for which
Letters Patent bearing date the 15th day of May 1883 and numbered 2432 have
been granted to us and when adjusting the flats nearer to the cylinder we substitute
for the carrier wheels other wheels having an increased radius the increase in radius
being equal to the reduction which is made in the thickness or combined thickness
of the bands or ribands which are superimposed upon each turned bend whereby
we obtain a known and positive adjustment.

page_text: "
We GEORGE ASHWORTH and ELIJAH ASHWORTH of the Moss Brook Works
Collyhurst Manchester in the County of Lancaster Engineers do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES
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:—
Our Invention is a continuation of former inventions having for their object to
obtain greater truth and exactness in the working of the engine and greater
delicacy of adjustment of the parts in order to render the engine capable of
producing better work with less waste of material. As ordinarily constructed the
chain of flats is driven by means of toothed wheels at the front end of the engine.
As these wheels revolve and as the teeth engage with the flats it is unavoidable
that the pressure of the teeth shall have a disturbing influence upon the flats just
at the time when they are ceasing to act the pressure of the teeth forcing the flat
-closer to the cylinder or slightly tilting the flat or lifting one edge or otherwise
affecting the regular motion and operation of the flat. To remedy this defect we
dispense with the toothed wheels at the front of the engine and we drive the chain
of flats by means of toothed wheels which take the places of the carrier wheels on
the top of the engine. We mount the driving wheels in adjustable bearings which
are fitted to slide in strong brackets which are connected across the engine by
means of a stay. Screws are provided whereby the said bearings can be adjusted
in the brackets so as to regulate the tension of the chain. We by preference
combine the improvements constituting our present invention with the improve-
ments for which Letters Patent bearing date the 15th day of May 1883 and
numbered 2432 have been granted to us and when adjusting the flats nearer to the
cylinder we substitute for the carrier wheels other wheels having an increased
radius the increase in radius being equal to the reduction which is made in the
thickness or combined thickness of the bands or ribands which are superimposed
upon each turned bend whereby we obtain a known and positive adjustment.
In order that our Invention may be clearly understood we will describe it with
reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings which are made to a scale of
about two inches to the foot. In the said drawings Fig: 1. represents a Side
Elevation of a Carding Engine with the parts omitted which are not necessary to
the proper illustration of our Invention. Fig: 2. is a Front Elevation of the parts
which appear in Fig: 1. In the said Figs: a. is a portion of the ordinary under
framing on which is mounted one of our patent concentric turned bend frames b. To
the periphery of this bend frame are secured steel bands in accordance with the subject
matter of our patent of the year 1883. herein before referred to. To the frame b.
are secured the brackets c. c. in which are the bearings for the shafts of the carrier
pulleys d. d. one of which is shown separately at Fig: 3. and which help to carry the
endless chain of flats indicated by g. To the upper part of the frame is secured a
third bracket h. which is connected by means of a stay i with the corresponding
bracket on the other side of the Engine. In the said two brackets are fitted the
bearings of a shaft k. upon which are fixed two toothed wheels which drive the
chain of flats one of these wheels appearing at l. The bearings in the brackets h.
are fitted to slide and are sustained by screws as indicated by the dotted lines m or
are otherwise suitably arranged to be adjustable so that the tightness of the chain
of flats can be regulated. Motion is imparted to the shaft k. by means of a pitch

page_text: chain n which gears with a wheel o. which is loosely mounted upon the shaft d'.
and is attached to a worm wheel p. With this worm wheel gears a worm which is
upon a shaft q. upon which is a second worm wheel r. A strap pulley 8. is mounted
upon a stud carried by the bracket c¹. and is attached to a worm which gears with
the wheel r. the said pulley 8. receiving motion from a pulley t. upon the cylinder
shaft. The requisite motion is thus transmitted through the worm and worm
wheel gearing and the pitch chain to the shaft k. the pulleys d, d¹ not having any
driving effect upon the chain of flats. To ensure that the flats when passing over
the driving wheels 1. stall be square across the engine-that is to say in line with
the axis of the main cylinder-we plane a groove from end to end of the larger
diameter of the shaft k. or plane grooves in swells on the shaft ends at one operation
so that the groove or grooves shall be truly in line with the shaft axis and we slot
the wheels with one adjustment so that when the two wheels are keyed upon the
shaft the teeth are squarely opposite to one another. We prefer also to fix the
brackets d. d. so that the bearings on opposite sides of the Engine shall be exactly.
and squarely in line with one another the axes of the two shafts being truly
parallel and in line with the axis of the main cylinder. When these true positions
are obtained either by adjustment or by great accuracy in the drilling of the bolt
or stud holes in the two frames and in the brackets the brackets are fixed so that
they cannot be afterwards adjusted or altered in position by the operators or
carding engine setters. When however it becomes necessary to set the flats closer
to the main cylinder one of the steel ribands is removed from the periphery of
the frame b. and the wheels d. d. are replaced by wheels which are larger in
diameter to the extent of twice the thickness of the removed riband. When our
method of driving the flats is not used in connection with our said former Invention
or when for any reason it is considered to be desirable to have the brackets c. c¹.
adjustable we should make them adjustable upon radials from the main cylinder
axis as is usual. In the ordinary engine the truth of the flats in relation to the
main cylinder axis depends upon the skill with which the occasional adjustment of
the said brackets is effected but it will be seen that in our improved engine this
adjustment is rendered unnecessary and that the adjustment of tension of the chain
of flats is readily effected without altering the positions of the bearings in either
of the brackets d. d. so that the parallelisin of the acting flats with the main
cylinder axis is not disturbed. The Engine is represented as being fitted with our
grinder brackets u. which are included in the subject matter of a former Invention.
Our Invention also enables us to extend the casing closer to the point at which the
flats approach and leave the cylinder. Since we made our application for Letters
Patent we have seen the specification of the Patent No 5230 of the year 1883
which specification includes a method of driving the chain of flats by means of
toothed wheels which gear with the returning side of the chain and also with the
flats which are at work but we consider this gearing with the working flats to have
the disturbing effect which we wish to avoid.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :
1. In a Carding Engine provided with travelling flats giving motion to the chain
of flats by means of toothed driving wheels which are not in contact with any
flat whilst it is at work substantially as and for the purposes set forth and
indicated.
2. The brackets h on each side of the Engine connected by means of a cross stay
and fitted adjustable bearings for a shaft upon which are secured toothed wheels 7.
which drive the chain of flats substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
indicated.
3. In a Carding Engine the fixed unajustable brackets d. d. carrying the shafts
of plain carrier pulleys which are replaced with larger pulleys when adjustment of
the flats is necessary in combination with an intermediate driving shaft for giving

page_text: 6.
motion to the chain of flats substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
indicated. WB... Lar
"
Log
14. The combination of parts substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
indicated herein before and in and by the accompanying drawings.
obriDated this 24th day of December 1884.
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