IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO ENGINES FOR CARDING FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Tatham of Vulcan Works, Rochdale in the
County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OR APPLICABLE TO ENGINES FOR CARDING FIBROUS MATERIALS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Tatham at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th May 1883.
WILLIAM TATHAM of Vulcan Works, Rochdale in the County of Lancaster,
Machine Maker, "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO ENGINES FOR CARDING
FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
In carding Engines with "rollers and clearers," as they are termed, the bearings
for the rollers and clearers are arranged in brackets which are made adjustable, so
that the card surfaces of both the rollers and clearers can be accurately adjusted to
the surface of the card cylinder, and to each other, this latter adjustment has been
hitherto commonly attained by either two separate set-screws, or screw nuts on
each side of the Engine, so that in setting the card surfaces of the rollers and
clearers to each other, one set screw or screw nut had to be unscrewed and the
other screwed on each side of the Engine and frequently one set screw or screw nut
would be forgotten, and this might cause the cards to be damaged, and besides this
objection the adjusting of the "rollers" and "clearers" by the means hitherto used
is a tedious process and occupies considerable time.
My invention relates to combinations and arrangements for adjusting the card
"rollers" and "clearers" the one to the other, by which I am able to accomplish
this object by one screw or screw nut on each side of the Engine, with greater ease
and satisfaction, and in less time than by the ordinary arrangements and my
invention consists in forming a screw nut in a pin which is accurately fitted to
swivel in the bracket carrying the bearing for the "roller," and there is a similar
swivel screw nut in the other bracket for the bearing of the "clearer," one of these
screw nuts having a right and the other a left handed screw thread, and I fit a
right and left handed screw bolt or rod into the screw nuts and between the two
screwed ends form a square or pulley or other means of rotating the right and left
handed screw bolt or rod.

page_text: One of the swivel screw nuts or pins, may if desired be fitted to oscillate, in the
"bend" which carries the brackets for the rollers and clearers.
Thus arranged the bearing brackets or supports for the rollers and clearers can
be adjusted to and from the card cylinder and to and from each other, the swivel
nuts or pins allowing of the requisite movements.
In place of a right and left handed screw bolt a bolt is or may be used-with a
single screw screwing through a nut arranged as herein before explained to swivel
in the bracket for the bearing to be adjusted the other end of the screw bolt
rotating freely in a bearing arranged to swivel in the "bend" or in the bracket for
the bearing of the "roller" or clearer," as the case may be, but the bolt or screw
is connected with the swivel bearing by a collar screw nut or other means so that
while rotating"; it cannot move endways.
.
In place of screw nuts or pins made to swivel, two fixed pins or studs are or
may be used having each a link jointed upon them, the ends of the two links each
having a screw thread one right and the other left handed, to screw in a corre-
sponding right and left handed screw coupling nut.
Or one screw-link need be used, to screw in a nut which is arranged so as to
rotate, but not move endways.
Other modifications may be used without departing from my invention by which
the required adjustment is effected on each side of the Engine by rotating only one.
screw or screw nut. The swivel nuts or bearings for the screws, or points of
attachment for the links are screw tapped into the bearings or "bends," so that
when they swivel they will slightly screw in or out but this movement will be
trifling and equal and thus parallel for both attachments.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Tatham in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th November 1883..
WILLIAM TATHAM, of Vulcan Works, Rochdale, in the. County of Lancaster,
Machine Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO ENGINES FOR CARDING
FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
:
In carding Engines with "rollers and clearers," as they are termed, the, bearings
for the rollers and clearers are arranged in brackets which are made adjustable, so
that the card surfaces of both the rollers and clearers can be accurately adjusted to
the surface of the card cylinder, and to each other. This latter adjustment has
been hitherto commonly attained by either two separate set screws, or screw nuts,
ön each side of the Engine, so that in setting the card surfaces of the rollers and
clearers to each other, one set screw or screw nut had to be unscrewed and the
other screwed on each side of the Engine and frequently one set screw or screw
nut would be forgotten, and this might cause the cards to be damaged, and besides
this objection the adjusting of the "rollers" and "clearers" by the means hitherto
used is a tedious process and occupies considerable time.
My invention relates to combinations and arrangements for adjusting the card
"rollers" and "clearers," the one to the other, by which I am able to accomplish
this object by one screw or screw nut on each side of the Engine, with greater
ease and satisfaction, and in less time than by the ordinary arrangements, and my
invention consists in forming a screw nut in a pin which is accurately fitted to
swivel in the bracket carrying the bearing for the "roller" and there is a similar
swivel screw nut in the other bracket for the bearing of the "clearer" one of these
screw nuts having a right and the other a left handed screw thread, and I fit a
right and left handed screw bolt or rod into these screw nuts, and between the two
screwed ends, form a square or pulley or other, means of rotating the right and
left handed screw bolt or rod,
One of the swivel screw nuts or pins may if desired, be fitted to oscillate in
the bend which carries the brackets for the rollers and clearers.
Thus arranged the bearing brackets or supports for the rollers and clearers can be
adjusted to and from the card cylinder and to and from each other, the swivel nuts
or pins allowing of the requisite movements.
In place of a right and left handed screw bolt-à bolt is or may be used-with
a single screw screwing through a nut arranged as hereinbefore explained to swivel
in the bracket for the bearing to be adjusted, the other end of the screw bolt
rotating freely in a bearing arranged to swivel in the " bend," or in the bracket
for the bearing of the "roller" or "clearer," as the case may be, but the bolt or
screw is connected with the swivel bearing by a collar, screw nut, or other means
so that while rotating, it cannot move endways,
In place of screw nuts or pins made to swivel, two fixed pins or studs are or
may be used having each a link jointed upon them, the ends of the two links each
having a screw thread one right and the other left handed, to screw in a corres-
ponding right and left handed screw coupling nut.
Or one screw link only need be used, to screw in a nut which is arranged so as
to rotate but not move endways.
.
Other modifications may be used without departing from my invention by which
the required adjustment between the rollers and clearers is effected' on each side of
the Engine by rotating only one screw or screw nut. The swivel nuts or bearings
for the screws, or points of attachment for the links are screw tapped into the

page_text: bearings or "bends" so that when they swivel they will slightly screw in or
out but this movement will be trifling and equal and thus parallel for both
attachments.
Fig 1 is a side elevation, fig 2 an edge sectional elevation, and fig 3 is a cross
section illustrating one mode of carrying out my invention as applied to and
combined with what is known as 'Masons," arrangement of bend and carriers
for the rollers and clearers of carding Engines.
"
a is part of a bend; b a clearer; b' the carrier or bracket for it arranged in the
ordinary manner.
C
the roller and c¹ the bracket for it, which bracket is fitted in a slide d that can
move and is guided on and between the ribs a¹ and a³ on the bend a c² is the
ordinary screw for adjusting the bracket to bring the roller to and from the card
cylinder ; e is the ordinary bolt for securing the brackets when adjusted.
By my invention I form a screw nut d¹ with a screwed stem which is screwed
to fit tightly into the slide d but so as to swivel therein and I pass a set screw d³
through this swivel nut d', and the end of this set screw also screws through a
similar screw nut d³ having a screwed stem screwed into the bend so as to swivel
therein The screw thread for one swivel screw nut d' is reverse to that for the
other d³ but both screw threads may be in the same direction one being of smaller
pitch than the other; with either arrangement the slide d can be adjusted by.
turning the screw d to bring the roller c to and from the clearer b. Fig 4 is a
side elevation; fig 5 an edge sectional elevation, and fig 6 a cross sectional view
illustrating my invention as applied to and combined with that arrangement and
bend" known as Platt Brothers'.
a is part of a bend, b is a clearer and 61 the bracket for it arranged in the
ordinary manner; and c is a roller, c¹ its bracket, which is carried by another
bracket d, that can oscillate upon a projection a¹ on the bend; c¹ the screw to
adjust the roller to the card cylinder x and e the set screw to secure the brackets
when adjusted. d' is a screw nut with a screwed stem that screws so as to swivel
in a part d that is fitted to slide in a slot in the bracket c' an adjusting screw d²
screws through this screw nut and the ends of this adjusting screw accurately fit
bearings in projections a and a³ from the bend to prevent end movement in
the set screw d² by turning which the roller c is adjusted to and from the
clearer b
In place of the arrangement above described an adjusting screw (d³) arranged
similar to the screw d³ figs 1, 2 and 3 may be used, the swivel nut d in this case
screwing into the oscillating bracket d.
According to another modification, shown in peculiar dotted line, in fig 4, a
projection is formed on one side of the oscillating bracket d and one end of a screw
bolt do is jointed with it, and another similar screw bolt is jointed to the bend, and
both screw bolts are coupled by an adjusting screw nut d² the thread of the screw
of one bolt de being reverse to that of the other d'.
The joints of the screw bolts d'and d' with the bracket & and bend are formed
preferably by set screws which screw through screw threads in the eyes of the
bolts into screw threads in the bracket d and bend, the set screws fitting tightly
but so as to swivel slightly as required.
This arrangement of screws may be reversed, that is, screw tapped bosses or nuts
may be jointed to the bracket d and bend a, and a two ended bolt with squares or
other arrangement in the middle to turn it by and screwed at one end with a right
and at the other end with a left handed screw thread to fit the jointed nuts or
bosses, may be used.
Fig 7 a side elevation, fig 8 an edge sectional elevation and fig 9 a section
illustrating my invention as applied to a well known old type of carding engine.
bend and carriers.
b is a clearer, c the roller, c* the bearing for the roller and it fits on the end of
the stud c¹ the, lower end of which screws into a stud in the bend a in the
ordinary manner.

page_text: d is a part through which the stud c¹ passes and the lower end of this pȧrt & fits
to oscillate upon the stud c³.
The short end of a cranked bolt de is screwed and is screwed tightly but so as
to swivel in the part d.
The long screwed end of the bolt de screws through a screw nut d' held in a
forked stud d³ the end of which is screwed to screw tightly but so as to swivel in
a flange from the bend a or into a bracket secured to the bend-There is or may
be a set screw d in the forked stud to bring its two sides against the sides of the
screw nut d to prevent "play."
Instead of the cranked bolt d with the short screwed end, the bolt is or may be
made with a screw tapped eye and a set screw c (see fig 10) screwed through it
and into the part d tightly but so as to swivel. The eye of the bolt de is or may
be jointed to ears from the side of the part d as illustrated by fig 10.
The part d is or may be bored out to fit the stud c' and cut open on one side
and held by a set screw do to prevent play as shown in fig 10.
In all the arrangements of bends and carriers for the rollers of carding Engines
hitherto used the bracket c' for the roller c, or the part carrying the bracket c' has
been arranged to move in a curve to and from the clearer as in the examples
shown by tigs 1, 2 and 3, figs 4, 5 and 6 and figs 7, 8 and 9.
In the modification shown by figs 1, 2 and 3 the curve is concentric with, and in
the other modifications it is excentric to, the card cylinder.
To dispense with the necessity for swivelling screw nuts or the corresponding
parts, or arrangements, to adapt the lateral adjusting screw or screws to the curve
whether concentric or excentric and to simplify the arrangements of the parts,
I combine the two adjustments required so that both are made in a straight line,
consequently adjusting screws in non-swivelling bearings may be used and thus
one source of "play" is obviated.
The lateral adjustment of the roller to the clearer and card cylinder, only
amounts in the extreme to about half an inch in several years for which a set of
cards last, and if the adjustment is in a straight line, at a tangent to the card
cylinder, and is equally divided on each side of the central radial line from the
axis of the card cylinder, the departure from the true curve of the periphery of the
cylinder is so small, even in the two extremes, as to be practically nothing and
even this small departure from the curve is adjusted by the ordinary screw
provided for the purpose which must be used in all arrangements hitherto known
for setting the roller to the card cylinder as the cards are worn out.
Fig 11 is a side elevation, fig 12 an edge elevation and fig 13 a cross section
illustrating a modification of my invention where both adjustments are in straight
lines.
b is the clearer, 61 its bracket as in the ordinary arrangements; c is the roller
and c¹ its bracket-The longitudinal centre line of this bracket is by preference in
a radial line from the axis of the card cylinder, when the bracket is in the middle
position of its adjustment, that is, when it is in the position where the cards are
say half worn out.
The bracket c¹ is mounted on a slide d which is by preference arranged to move
at a right angle to the centre radial line of the bracket when in its middle position.
The lateral slide d moves in slide ways formed on the face of the bend a and its
side dis screw tapped for the adjusting screw d² that has its two ends fitted
between projections a' and a³ formed on the bend to prevent end "play" or
movement. If desired screw lock nuts may be used at that end of the screw d² to
screw against the projection a* to prevent play.
There is a bolt e to secure the bracket c' and slide d when adjusted, which passes
through the bend and through slots in the bracket c' and slide d, which slots are at
a right angle to each other.
:
A right and left handed screw or a coarse and fine pitched screw may be
substituted for the adjusting screw d³ figs 11, 12 and 13.

page_text: The c¹
of the bracket, el is adjusted by the screw e² which fits a bearing in the lower part
and screws into a projection on the slide d
The slide.d may be extended if desired to give a longer bearing on the slideways
on the bend.
B
Another, modification of my invention by which the two adjustments required
by the roller care or may be made in straight lines, consist in forming slideways
on the face of the bend, at by preference an angle of 45 degrees to the middle
position or radial line from the axis of the card cylinder for a bracket (c') and
fitting a slide (d) to move on the slide ways which slide has slide-ways for a
bracket (c).
TI)
[
In this modification there will be a screw arranged in any convenient manner to
adjust the diagonal slide (d) and another screw to adjust the bracket (c) and a
bolt (e) passing through the bend and through slots in the slide (d) and
bracket (c) to secure them when adjusted, or the bolt may pass through a hole
in the slide (d) through a slot in the bracket (c') and a slot in the bend parallel to
the movement of the diagonal slide, the head of the bolt being prevented from
rotating by flat sides to fit and slide in the diagonal slot. With this arrangement
the screw for the diagonal slide, will bring the roller in contact with both the
clearer and cylinder at the same time when they are equally distant, as is the case
when the cards are ground equally, but when not equally distant the adjustment
can be made perfect by the adjusting screw (c2) for the bracket (c). (The letters
of reference above used.in brackets refer to corresponding parts shown in figs 11,
12 and 13)
"In some cases the lateral adjustment of each roller to its clearer is or may be
made, by one screw acting for one direction, and a spring arranged to keep the
bracket (c¹) or slide for it against the screw in the opposite direction.
I have now particularly described the nature of my said invention and the
modes of carrying the same into effect, and claim as my invention
1. The adjusting of each roller to each clearer of carding Engines by one screw
or screw nut on each side of the Engine substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the drawings.
2. The combination of a screw, and swivel screw nuts; and of a screw bolt and
screw nuts arranged to swivel, with the brackets or carriers on each side of"
carding Engine to adjust each roller to each clearer of carding Engines, substantially
as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
3. The several combinations for adjusting the rollers and clearers of carding
Engines to each other, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by
figs 1, 2 and 3, figs 4, 5 and 6, and figs 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the drawings.
4. The combination and arrangement by which both adjustments required by
the rollers of carding Engines are made in straight lines, either at a right angle, or
any other suitable angle to each other, substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by figs 11, 12 and 13 of the drawings.
5. The arranging of the swivel nuts or parts which have to swivel on screws
which swivel by slightly screwing or unscrewing, substantially as and for the.
purpose herein before described and illustrated in figs 1, 2, and 3, figs 4, 5 and 6
and figs 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the drawings.
In Witness whereof I the said William Tatham have hereunto set my hand
and seal this thirteenth day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.