Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Removing the "Bur"in Wool and other Fibres.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 2nd Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 13th Dec., 1887
Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Removing the
"Bur"in Wool and other Fibres.
I, THOMAS SPEIGHT, of Bath Shed, Upper Castle Street, Bradford, in the County
of York, Wool Comber, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
-
The object of this invention is to remove from the wool or other fibre as it is
passing through the machines, straw and other vegetable substances commonly called
* burs."
The wool or other fibre is passed
I accomplish my object in the following manner.
through a preparing box, in which I mount in a convenient position between the
fallers and ordinary revolving funnel; a pair of rollers, which may be plain or fluted
on the circumference.
The wool or other fibre passes between the said rollers in a very thin sliver or sheet,
so that on the appearance of any straw or vegetable fibre, which in every case will be
thicker than the sliver or sheet, it is crushed to small pieces by the pressure of the
rollers, so that on the fibre passing through the subsequent machines, the crushed
"bur" is shaken and falls away from the fibre.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Removing the
"Bur" in Wool and other Fibres.
I, THOMAS SPEIGHT of Bath Shed, Upper Castle Street Bradford, in the County of
York, Wool Comber 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 :—
:
The object of this invention is to remove from wool or other fibre as it is passing
through a gill or preparing box, the short pieces of straw and other vegetable
substances commonly called "burs" and consists in mounting between the ordinary
draughting rollers and rotating funnel, another pair of rollers, one of which I prefer
to be heated by steam and the circumference of either or both of which may be plain
or fluted and close to the last mentioned rollers, I mount another pair which are
coarse fluted. The first pair of additional rollers are under pressure, so that on the
appearance of straw or other vegetable matter, it is crushed into fragments, and on
leaving the same is shaken from the fibre by the coarse fluted rollers which cause the
fibre to vibrate and a large proportion of the crushed or pulverized vegetable matter
to fall away,
the remainder being removed by being shaken when passing through the
subsequent machines, or what remains adhering to the fibre is too small to be drawn
into the "top" when combing, is removed from the machine along with the short and
knotty fibre called "noils."
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of such portions
of an ordinary gill or preparing box as are required to explain my invention which is
added thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan: Fig. 3 a transverse section of Fig. 1, and Fig 4 a
guide for distributing the slivers at the feeding end of the machine.
The several bands or slivers of fibre are passed through openings A in guide B, the
openings being so arranged that the slivers cannot overlap each other, but travel side
by side in a flat sheet, through the divisions A', to the ordinary rollers C, and gills in
fallers D, the gills straightening the fibre by the rollers E drawing it through the
faller gills as hitherto.
Instead of the fibre passing direct to the revolving funnel F, on leaving the
draughting rollers E as hitherto, it is distributed by the said rollers in a very thin
even sheet to the additional rollers G and G¹, the latter of which I prefer to be heated
by steam accomplished somewhat in the same manner as the cylinders of ordinary
back washing machines. The circumference of each roller is parallel and may be plain
or slightly fluted in a longitudinal direction, and the necessary pressure to the rollers
G and G for crushing any vegetable matter passing between them along with the
straightened fibre is obtained by the weights W. W. on levers H. H. jointed to the
brackets J. J. and to each of the said levers is connected a bar K, bent to clear the
roller axles and curved at the top eud for resting on the respective bushes or
bearings L. L. thereby pressing the rollers together so that the vegetable matter or

page_text: C
"bur" when fed to the machine in the manner as hereinafter described is crushed
into fragments, that, on being shaken by the additional coarse pitched fluted
rollers R. R. a large proportion of the pulverized vegetable matier falls from the fibre,
the remainder leaving the fibre when passing through the subsequent machines, or is
so broken into small fragments by the before mentioned weighted rollers, that it is
cleared from the "top" when combing, the broken "bur" being removed from the
top" or combed fibre by the ordinary apparatus for removing the short and knotty
fibre termed "noil" along with which it passes.
The rollers G and G¹ receive rotary motion by the wheels M and M', the latter
being secured on the bottom roller shaft E, and the additional coarse pitched fluted
rollers R. R. are operated by wheel M² gearing with the wheel M: the wheel M¹
being secured on the bottom roller shaft E which is operated in the usual manner, as
is also the revolving funnel F, into which the fibre is conducted on leaving the coarse
pitched rollers R. R.
In order to effectually crush and pulverize any vegetable matter, the fibre must pass
through the rollers G and G¹ in a very thin and even sheet: this is accomplished by
conducting the slivers or cords of fibre through the openings A in guides B and
passing each sliver through one of the thin partitioned divisions A' which prevent
the edges of the slivers when entering the gills D overlapping, as I find if they
overlapp, any "burs in the thinner portion of the sheet are not sufficiently crushed
so as to be shaken from the fibre, but pass away with it as hitherto.
"
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 :-
"
A gill or preparing box with which is combined a pair of rollers G and G¹ and a
pair of coarse pitched fluted rollers R. R. for the purpose herein before described.
The hereinbefore described process of removing "burs or vegetable matter from
wool or other fibres, the essential novelty in such process consisting in passing the
fibre between weighted rollers and coarse pitched fluted rollers substantially in the
manner described.
A gill or preparing box with which is combined the partitioned guides or divisions A¹
and the crushing rollers G and G for the purpose described.
JOHN WAUGH,
Bradford, Agent.