Improvements in Fleece-dividing Machinery for use in connection with Carding Engines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Oct., 1890-Accepted, 29th Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fleece-dividing Machinery for use in connection
with Carding Engines.
A communication to me from abroad by G. JOSEPHY'S SUCCESSORS, of Bielitz, in the
Empire of Austria, Manufacturers.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and Engineers,
of 35. Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to new and useful improvements in fleece dividing machinery,
for dividing the fleece from the doffing cylinder of a carding engine into a desired
number of strips or bands which form the coarse roving of the thread to be spun.
The said invention has for its object to provide suitable means for guiding the
dividing straps in such a manner as to prevent the fibre of the strips or bands of the
fleece carried by the dividing straps from being caught and torn by the returning
straps.
In treating long-fibred wool, as also by the use of very narrow, small dividing
straps, particularly for producing rovings of a finer quality, it has been generally
found that the fibres projecting from the strip or band of fleece carried by the
dividing strap are engaged or caught and torn or carried off by the empty straps,
and in consequence, the rovings are of uneven strength and are liable to break at those
parts which are attenuated by the loss of fibres.
In order to overcome this inconvenience various means and methods of construction
have been tried, consisting mainly of replacing the solid dividing rollers with circular
grooves, by rollers composed of a number of discs placed side by side with proper
interstices between thein, the empty straps being guided in the said interstices, while
the loaded straps, carrying the bands of fleece, are guided on the circumference of the
said dises the empty straps, in this arrangement, are crossed in those parts where
they encounter the loaded straps, in order to prevent contact.
;
Although, by such and similar means, the difficulties described, have in some
degree been overcome, still the meeting of the loaded and empty straps in their path
could not be avoided and accordingly any fibres of unusual length projecting from
the loaded straps, were, as before, caught by the empty straps and carried away,
being torn from the band of fleece on its way from the dividing cylinders.
Another inconvenience connected with such dividing discs, consisted in the
accumulation of burr or dust in the interstices between the said discs, whereby it was
rendered difficult to keep the dividing straps clean, necessitating special means, such
as brushes, or rollers covered with plush, for cleaning the straps.
The improved fleece-dividing mechanism which forms the subject of the present
invention fully and perfectly remedies all these inconveniences hitherto connected
with machinery of this kind; the good results of the invention being obtained by
the particular arrangement and guiding of the dividing straps.
In order to divide the fleece coming from the carding cylinder, parallel dividing
cylinders are arranged, between which the fleece is made to pass to be divided into strips
or bands by means of small straps, the said straps being so arranged, that for cach
pair of roving bands, consisting of one upper and one lower band, a single dividing
strap is employed. Accordingly the number of dividing straps employed will only
be half the number of rovings or fleece-bands produced by the dividing cylinders.
The said dividing straps are crossed or turned half round at two parts of their length,
as hereinafter more fully described.
Instead of employing one dividing strap for each pair of roving-bands, as described,
ne single dividing strap could be used for the whole number of roving bands to be

page_text: produced, but no advantage would be derived by proceeding in this way, particularly
on account of the uniform tension of strap existing over the full breath of the
machine. By the use of one dividing strap for each pair of roving-bands a particular
advantage is obtained in the facility for giving a uniform tension to the whole series
of dividing straps for the upper and lower roving bands by means of a single tension
roller arranged at an elevated position and provided with devices by which it can be
conveniently adjusted to give the proper tension.
The essential novelty of the present invention consists however in the particular
method of arranging and guiding the dividing straps.
The dividing rollers are made solid and the grooves in their circumference do not
exceed in depth the thickness of the straps. From the said rollers the dividing strap
carries the band of fleece, produced in the well known manner while passing between
the said rollers, over two guide-rollers arranged in a proper position, up to the endless
compressing straps which receive the band of fleece from the dividing strap just
above the lower guide roller, without the use of any other mechanical means (in the
manner described in German Patent No. 3636, and in the Specification of English
Patent No. 4588 A.D. 1881). By the said endless compressing straps the band of
fleece is compressed and rounded so as to form a coarse roving thread attached to
and rolled up by the bobbin shafts in the usual way.
Between the two guide-rollers the dividing strap must be crossed and inverted,
in order to present the band of fleece properly to the endless compressing straps.
When the lower compressing strap has received the band of fleece from the
dividing strap, the latter continues its movement empty, and passes the upper
compressing strap which, bearing against the full surface of the former strap cleans
it efficiently.
The dividing strap, then, runs over the adjustable tension roller already described
and returns to the dividing cylinder from which it has come and it then enters the
groove in the other dividing cylinder adjacent to the groove in the first cylinder from
which it started.
Between the tension roller and the first dividing cylinder the strap is again
crossed or half twisted, a guide roller pressing against it and serving to prevent it
from being thrown out of its proper groove.
From the groove of the lower or second dividing cylinder the strap passes in the
same manner, as described with reference to the upper or first cylinder over
corresponding guide rollers to the compressing straps similar to these already
described, returning over a separate guide roller to the dividing cylinders, the lower
endless compressing strap operating upon the strap so as to thoroughly clean the
surface opposite to the one cleaned before by the upper compressing strap as first
described.
It will be easily seen that the straps issuing from the cylinders dividing cylinders
and loaded with the bands of fleece, in no place encounter or cross with the
returning empty parts of the same strap; on the contrary, the empty straps
return to the dividing cylinders by an entirely different path, thereby avoiding any
possibility of engaging or catching the projecting fibres of the band of fleece, by
the returning straps and preventing all injury that might be done to the band of
fleece on its way to the compressing straps.
It will be equally evident that the cleaning of the dividing and transporting strap
is effectually performed on both surfaces and without interruption, by the endless
compressing straps as it passes the latter in its regular working, and without the
aid of any auxiliary cleaning or brushing devices, as employed in other machines
of the kind.
On their way from the lower guide-roller to the lower dividing cylinder the
dividing straps may be carried over another guide roller, arranged in close proximity
to the carding cylinder in such a manner, that the series of straps returning to the
said lower dividing cylinder will form a horizontal or nearly horizonta! feed or table,
which carries the fleece and feeds the same between the dividing rollers (as shewn and
described in the Specification and drawings of German Patent of Addition No. 25233,

page_text: and in the Specification of English Patent No. 2107 A.D. 1883). This arrangement
will be of special advantage when short fibred material or wool of little strength is
being treated.
Owing to this arrangement and to the circumstance that the bands of fleece, on
their way to the upper or lower sets of compressing straps are carried without the
use of intermediate mechanism, and are permanently supported till they are received
by the said compressing straps, the present improved fleece-dividing machine offers
all those advantages which are peculiar to the known machinery of the kind and
which, besides, allow of a universal application, being equally useful with material
of every quality, from the very best and finest descriptions of wool down to the lowest
qualities, such as shoddy, mungo, and waste.
In addition to this facility of universal employment, the improved fleece dividing
apparatus particularly offers conspicuous advantages in treating wool of the longest
fibre, such as cheviot, alpacca, Hungarian wool and the like, the spinning of which
is accompanied by the greatest difficulties; by means of the present improved fleece-
dividing system the first division of the fleece may be obtained by the use of the
narrowest dividing straps, whereby roving-bands or thread results of such fineness
as could never be produced before by any other machinery of the kind.
In addition to these remarkable advantages, the construction of the improved
fleece-dividing device is of extraordinary simplicity and offers every facility to the
operator, being easily accessible from every side.
Of the many advantages of the said invention the following are the most
conspicuous, viz.:―
1. Its universal application for treating every kind and quality of material, from
the finest to the coarsest fibres, but particularly its great utility for long-fibred
material.
2. The facility of producing an extraordinarily fine division of the fleece and
rovings of a fineness never before obtained, even when treating material of low
quality.
3. The automatic cleaning of the dividing straps on both surfaces by contact with
the compressing straps.
4. The facility for adjusting the tension of the dividing straps by means of a
tension-roller, whereby a uniform tension of the whole set of straps is easily and
reliably obtained.
Dated this 25th day of January 1800
EDWARDS & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fleece-dividing Machinery for use in connection
with Carding Engines.
A communication to me from abroad by G. JOSEPHY'S SUCCESSORS, Manufacturers,
of Bielitz, in the Empire of Austria.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
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 drawing, that is to say :-
This invention relates to new and useful improvements in fleece dividing machinery,
for dividing the fleece from the doffing cylinder of a carding engine into a desired
number of strips or bands which form the coarse roving of the thread to be spun.
The said invention has for its object to provide suitable means for guiding the
dividing straps in such a manner as to prevent the fibre of the strips or bands of
the fleece carried by the dividing straps from being caught and torn by the returning
strap.

page_text: In treating long fibred wool, as also by the use of very narrow small dividing straps,
particularly for producing rovings of a finer quality, it has been generally found that
the fibres projecting from the strip or band of fleece carried by the dividing strap are
engaged or caught and torn or carried off by the empty straps, and in consequence the
rovings are of uneven strength and are liable to break those parts which are attenuated
by the loss of fibres.
In order to overeome this inconvenience various means and methods of construction
have been tried consisting mainly of replacing the solid dividing rollers with circular
grooves by rollers composed of a number of discs placed side by side with proper
interstices between them the empty straps being guided in the said interstices
while the loaded straps carrying the bands of fleece are guided on the circumference
of the said discs, the empty straps, in this arrangement, are crossed in those parts
where they encounter the loaded straps in order to prevent contact.
Although by such and similar means the difficulties described, have in some degree
been overcome still the meeting of the loaded and empty straps in their path could not
be avoided and accordingly any fibres of unusual length, projecting from the loaded
straps were as before caught by the empty straps and carried away, being torn from
the band of fleece on its way from the dividing cylinders.
Another inconvenience connected with such dividing discs consisted in the accumula-
tion of burr or dust in the interstices between the said discs, whereby it was rendered
difficult to keep the dividing straps clean necessitating special means such as brushes
or rollers covered with plush for cleaning the straps.
The improved fleece dividing mechanism which forms the subject of the present
invention fully and perfectly remedies all these inconveniences hitherto connected
with machinery of this kind, the good results of the invention being obtained by the
particular arrangement and guiding of the dividing straps.
The construction and working of the invention will be readily understood from the
accompanying drawing to which the following statement refers.
In order to divide the fleece coming from the carding cylinder, parallel dividing
cylinders A, A', are arranged between which the fleece is made to pass to be divided
into strips or bands by means of small straps the said straps being so arranged that
for each pair of roving bands consisting of one upper and one lower band a single
dividing strap is employed. Accordingly the number of dividing straps employed
will only be half the number of rovings or fleece-bands produced by the dividing
cylinders. The said dividing straps are crossed or turned half round at two parts of
their length as hereinafter more particularly described.
Instead of employing one dividing strap for each pair of roving bands as described
one single dividing strap could be used for the whole number of roving bands to be
produced, but no advantage would be derived by proceeding in this way, particularly
on account of the uniform tension of strap existing over the full breadth of the machine.
By the use of one dividing strap for each pair of roving bands a particular advantage
is obtained in the facility for giving a uniformn tension to the whole series of dividing
straps for the upper and lower roving bands by means of a single tension roller arranged
at an elevated position and provided with devices by which it can be conveniently
adjusted to give the proper tension.
The essential novelty of the present invention consists however in the particular
method of arranging and guiding the dividing straps.
The dividing rollers are made solid and the grooves in their circumference do not
exceed in depth the thickness of the straps. From the said rollers A, A', the dividing
strap carries the band of fleece, produced in the well-known manner while passing
between the said rollers, over the two guide rollers b and c up to the endless compressing
straps m, n, which receive as shewn at d the band of fleece from the dividing strap
without the use of any other mechanical means (in the manner described in the
Specification of German Patent No. 3636, and in the Specification of English Patent
No. 4588 A.D. 1881). By the said endless compressing straps the band of fleece is
compressed and rounded so as to form a coarse roving thread attached to and rolled up
by the bobbin shafts in the usual way. Between the two guide rollers b and c the

page_text: dividing strap r must be crossed and inverted in order to present the band of fleece
properly to the endless compressing straps.
When the upper compressing straps m, n, have received the band of fleece from the
strap as shewn at d, the said strap continues its movement empty and passes the upper
compressing strap n which bearing against full surface of the strap cleans it
efficiently.
The dividing strap then runs over the adjustable tension roller s as already described
and returns to the dividing cylinder A from which it has come and it then enters the
groove in the other dividing cylinder A¹ adjacent to the groove in the first cylinder a
from which it started.
Between the tension rollers and the dividing cylinder a the strap is again crossed
or half twisted as shewn at o, a guide roller pressing against it and serving to prevent
it from being thrown out of its proper groove.
From the groove of the lower or second dividing cylinder A¹ the strap r passes in the
same manner, as described with reference to the upper or first cylinder a, over corre-
sponding guide rollers &¹¹ to the compressing straps m¹ n' similar to those already
described returning over a separate guide roller e to the dividing cylinders A' and A, the
lower endless compressing strap n¹ operating upon the strap r so as to thoroughly clean
the surface opposite to the one cleaned before by the strap n as first described;
It will be easily seen that the straps ? issuing from the dividing cylinders A, A' and
loaded with the bands of fleece, in no place encounter or cross with the returning
empty parts of the same strap r, on the contrary the empty straps return to the
dividing cylinders A, A', by an entirely different path, thereby avoiding any possibility
of engaging or catching the projecting fibres of the band of fleece, by the returning
straps and preventing all injury that might be done to the band of fleece on its way
to the compressing straps.
It will be equally evident that the cleaning of the dividing and transporting strap r
is effectually performed on both surfaces and without interruption by the endless com-
pressing straps n n¹ as it passes the latter in its regular working, and without the aid
of any auxiliary cleaning or brushing devices, as employed in other machines of the
kind.
On their way from the lower guide roller e to the cylinder a¹ the dividing straps r
may easily be carried over another guide roller not shewn in the drawings the said
guide roller being arranged in close proximity to the carding cylinder in such a
manner that the series of straps returning to the said cylinder a will form a hori-
zontal or nearly horizontal feed or table which carries the fleece and feeds the same
between the dividing rollers a a¹ (as shewn and described in the Specification and
drawings of the German Patent of Addition No. 25233, and in the Specification of
English Patent No. 2107 A.D. 1883).
This arrangement will be of special advantage when short fibred material or wool of
little strength is being treated.
Owing to this arrangement and to the circumstance, that the bands of fleece, on
their way to the upper or lower sets of compressing straps m, n, or m³, n', are carried
directly without the use of intermediate mechanism and are permanently supported
till they are received by the said compressing straps, the present improved fleece
dividing machine offers all those advantages which are peculiar to the known
machinery of the kind and besides allows of a universal application being equally
useful with material of every quality from the very best and finest descriptions of wool
down to the lowest qualities such as shoddy, mungo, and waste.
In addition to this facility of universal employment the improved fleece dividing
apparatus particularly offers conspicuous advantages in treating wool of the longest
fibre such as cheviot alpaca, Hungarian wool and the like, the spinning of which is
accompanied by the greatest difficulties; by means of the present improved fleece
dividing system the finest division of the fleece may be obtained by the use of the
narrowest dividing straps, whereby roving bands or thread results of such fineness as
could never be produced before by any other machinery of the kind.
In addition to these remarkable advantages the construction of the improved

page_text: fleece dividing device is of extraordinary simplicity and offers every facility to the
operator, being easily accessible from every side. Of the many advantages of the
said invention the following are the most conspicuous, viz. :
1. Its universal application for treating every kind and quality of material, from
the finest to the hoarsest fibres, but particularly its great utility for long fibred
material.
2. The facility for producing an extraordinarily fine division of the fleece, and
rovings of a fineness never before obtained, even when treating material of low
quality.
3. The automatic cleaning of the dividing straps on both surfaces by contact with
the compressing straps.
4. The facility for adjusting the tension of the dividing straps by means of a
tension roller whereby a uniform tension of the whole set of straps is easily and
reliably obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
The construction of fleece dividing mechanism with returning dividing straps,
substantially as described and shewn and especially the peculiar guiding of the
dividing straps, and the application of only one of the said straps for producing each
pair of upper and lower roving bands or threads.
Dated this 23rd of October 1890
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.