IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING, CLEANING, CARDING, AND GRINDING OR SHARPENING CARDS USED IN PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Mallinson, of the Firm Fleming, Mallinson,
and Co., of Globe Works, in the City of Manchester and County of
Lancaster, Machine Makers, & Peter Williams, of the same Place,
Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
OPENING, CLEANING, CARDING, AND GRINDING OR SHARPENING CARDS USED IN
PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 9th October 1863, and dated the 18th April 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas 'Mallinson and
Peter Williams at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 13th April 1863.
We, THOMAS MALLINSON, of the Firm Fleming, Mallinson, and Co., of
Globo Works, in the City of Manchester and County of Lancaster, Machine
Makers, & PETER WILLIAMS, of the same Place, Machinist, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR OPENING, CLEANING, CARDING, AND GRINDING OR SHARPENING CARDS USED IN
PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
The first part of our Invention applies to machines for opening and cleaning
cotton and other fibrous materials, and also to carding engines, and consists in
the use of a fluted feeding roller, having its flutes formed into the shape of
ratchet teeth, the inclination of the flutes being in a direction opposite to that
of the motion of the "beaters," or the teeth of the cylinder in "openers" or
"blowers," or the "Icker-in," or " cylinder" of carding engines, at the time when

page_text: such beaters or teeth are passing the feeding roller. A roller with pointed
teeth, or an ordinary fluted roller is used in combination with the ratchet
fluted feeding roller.
"
The second part of our Invention is also applicable both to "openers' or
blowers and carding engines, and consists in the use of a series of bars,
which are curved to correspond to the convex surface of the cylinder cir-
cumscribed by the beaters, or points of the teeth of the cylinder or of the
"licker-iu," which take the fibrous material from the feeding rollers. These
bars are arranged together to form a grid having spaces between them, and
the concave edges of the bars are serrated, and the whole grid is arranged
so that a reciprocating motion can be imparted to it in a direction parallel
to the axis of the beater, toothed cylinder, or "licker-in."
The third part of our Invention relates to carding engines, and consists in
arranging a partition or cover between the ends of the rollers or cylinders,
and the "bends," to protect the bearings of the rollers from "fly," which is
driven out by the current of air produced by the card cylinder, these par-
titions or covers being adjustable to the axis of the rollers, as their position is
changed in adjusting them to the wear of the cards.
The fourth part of our Invention relates to the doffing motion of carding
engines, and consists in an arrangement and combination of mechanism,
namely, on the end of the oscillating shaft carrying the doffer comb an arm
is secured having a slot in it the lengthway of the arm, in which slot an
adjustable stud or pin is secured, which fits so as to slide freely into another
slot lengthway, and at one end of a lever placed immediately in front of the
arm. The fulcrum of the lever is upon a stud secured in the framing; and
at the other end of the lever another slot is formed, in which a crank pin or
excentric works, which is attached to a pulley carried in suitable bearings,
which pulley is driven by a band from any convenient part of the engine; by
this means the lever has oscillations imparted to it, which are transmitted by
means of the stud in the arm to the oscillating shaft. The stud is adjustable,
so that the length of the oscillations of the comb shaft can be varied when
required. The stud may be fixed in the lever, and be freo in the slot in the
arm, instead of the contrary, and the excentric or crank pin may be placed
between the fulcrum of the lever and the stud in the arm, instead of the
fulcrum of the lever being between the stud and eccentric or crank pin.
The fifth part of our Invention relates to grinding or sharpening the teeth
of cards of the cylinder, doffer, or rollers of carding engines, and the
mechanism is moveable so as to be taken from one engine to another. The
emery roller for grinding or sharpening is narrow, and is traversed across the

page_text: card along the shaft forming its axis, which is grooved from end to end for a
fixed key, so as to impart rotatory motion to the emery roller, to which end
movement is given by a clutch fork arm attached to a slide or guide formed
upon a bearer passing across the engine, and forming part of the framing of
the grinding apparatus; in the slide a slot is formed at a right angle to the
direction in which the slide moves, into which slot a pin fits that is attached
to an endless chain passing round two pulleys on studs carried by the cross
bearer. The motion of this pin gives the required reciprocating motion to the
slide, and thus to the emery roller; a connecting rod may be used instead of
the slot. The emery roller shaft is driven from the engine and the endless
chain from the emery roller shaft. The mechanism is provided with suitable
arrangements for properly adjusting the emery roller to the card surface to bo
acted upon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Mallinson and Peter Williams in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 13th October 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
MALLINSON, of the Firm of Fleming, Mallinson, and Company, of the Globe
Works, in the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Makers, and PETER WILLIAMS, of the same Place, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Thomas Mallinson and Peter Williams, Her special license that we, the
said Thomas Mallinson and Peter Williams, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Mallinson and Peter Williams,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
OPENING, CLEANING, CARDING, AND GRINDING OR SHARPENING CARDS USED IN PRE-
PARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Thomas Mallinson and Peter Williams, by an
instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal

page_text: of one of us, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thomas Mallinson and Peter Williams,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner tlie
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (and accompanying Drawings), that is to say :-
The first part of our Invention applies to machines for opening and cleaning
cotton and other fibrous materials, and also to carding engines, and consists in
the use in such machines of a fluted feeding roller having its flutes formed
into the shape of ratchet teeth, the inclination of the flutes being in a direction
opposite to that of the motion of the "beaters," or the teeth of the cylinder in
openers" or "blowers," or the "licker-in" or cylinder of carding engines, at
the time when such "beaters" or teeth are passing the feeding roller. A
roller with pointed teeth, or an ordinary fluted roller, is used in combination.
with the ratchet fluted feeding roller.
This part of our Invention is illustrated on the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings by Fig. 1, in which a represents the path or circle described by the
"beaters," or the toothed or card cylinder, or "licker-in." The direction in
which the beaters or toothed or card cylinder rotates in respect to the ratchet
fluted roller is shewn by the arrow; 6 is the ratchet-toothed feed roller; and
c is a roller covered with card or other teeth, wbich is weighted by the usual
arrangements, so that the teeth of the roller can just touch the tops of the
flutes when it is at its nearest point to the flutes of the roller. The inclination
of the flutes in the lower roller and the teeth of the upper roller is such as to
hold back the material fed between them as much as possible and give it a
scraping action when drawn over the edges of the flutes, so that a portion of
the dirt in the fibrous material is left in the spaces of the flutes and drops
from these spaces when they arrive at about the under side of the roller. The
pitch of the ratchet flutes is about one quarter of an inch, and they are
under-cut as much as possible consistent with the strength of the flute. The
advantages of the ratchet-toothed feed roller may be partially obtained with
an ordinary fluted upper roller, but we prefer a pointed or card-toothed upper
roller (6) as shewn.
The second part of our Invention is also applicable both to "openers" or
"blowers and to carding engines, and consists in the use of a series of bars
which are curved to correspond to the convex surface or cylinder circumscribed
by the beaters, or the points of the teeth of the cylinder or of the "licker-in,"

page_text: which takes the fibrous material from the feed rollers. These bars are
arranged together with spaces between them to form a grid, and the concave
edges of the bars are serrated, and the whole grid is arranged so that a reci-
procating motion can be imparted to it in a direction parallel to the axis of
the "beater," toothed cylinder, or "licker-in."
This part of our improvements is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings
by Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a carding engine, and
Fig. 3 is a detached view, at a right angle to Figs. 1 and 2, of a portion of
the grid and the mechanism for giving it motion. By Fig. 1 it will be seen
that the bars c are serrated with inclined teeth like saw teeth, the inclination
of which is set opposite the direction in which the "beater"-toothed cylinder
or "licker-in" rotates. Projections are formed at each end of each bar (c),
so that when placed as close as possible side by side there will be a sufficient
space between the bars. The ends of the serrated bars are placed in a recess
or cross bars c', and they are all secured to the cross bars c by an angle piece c²
passing over the upper ends of the serrated bars and secured by bolts to the
cross bars). The grid thus constructed extends from side to side of
the machine, and is made to slide in bearings (³) secured to the side of the
machine, which bearings can be adjusted vertically and laterally by set screws
(c), as shown in Fig. 2, so that the serrated surface of the grid can be exactly
regulated to the surface of the toothed cylinder, or the cylinder circumscribed
by tho "beaters." One of the anglo pieces (c) forms a scraping edge, which
acts to detach dirt from the fibrous material upon the toothed surface of the
"licker-in" before it comes in contact with the serrated teeth of the grid,
which removes the larger portion of any dirt remaining in the fibrous material.
Reciprocating motion is given to the grid for the purpose of detaching any
fibrous material which may be held by the teeth of the grid by means of a
lever (d) having its fulcrum at d, ono end of which lever is connected with
a bent rod secured to the grid, the other end of the lever spanning an
excentric upon the shaft d, geering the feed rollers and doffer of carding
engines together. The thickness of the serrated bars for carding engines is
about one-twelfth of an inch, and space between them about one-fourth of an
incb, the traverse of the grid about one inch, and the speed about one doublé
reciprocation for each revolution of the doffer (x).
The third part of our Invention relates to carding-engines, and consists in
arranging a partition or cover between the ends of the card "rollers," "clearers,"
or cylinders, and the "bends" or sides of the engine to protect the bearings of
the card rollers or clearers from "fly," driven out by the current of air pro-
duced by the card cylinder; these partitions or covers are adjustable to the

page_text: axis of the rollers and clearers, as their position is changed in adjusting them
to the wear of the "cards." This partition or cover may be made of wood,
iron, or any other suitable material; it is fitted close against the "bend" or
side of the engine, and as close as possible to the ends of the card cylinder and
card rollers and clearers, but without touching them; this partition or cover
diverts the current of air produced by the cylinder, and causes it to pass
towards the middle part of the engine, consequently the "fly," instead of
accumulating on the axis or bearings of the rollers and clearers, will pass along
with the fibrous material, or will be delivered below the card cylinder in the
ordinary course of working. One of the partitions or covers is shown in Fig. 2
in peculiar dotted line marked (c). These partitions or covers may be secured
either to the sides of the bend of the engine on to the cover part so as to be
withdrawn when the cover of the engine is removed.
The fourth part of our Invention relates to the doffing motion of carding
engines, and consists in an arrangement and combination of mechanism,
namely, on the end of the oscillating shaft, carrying a peculiarly curved doffer
comb, an arm is secured, having a slot in it the lengthway of the arm, in which
slot an adjustable stud or pin is secured, which fits so as to slide freely in
another slot lengthway in one end of a lever placed immediately in front of
the arm; the fulcrum of the lever is upon a stud secured in the framing, and
at the other end of the lever another slot is formed, in which a crank pin or
excentric works, which is attached to a pulley carried in suitable bearings,
which pulley is driven by a band from any convenient part of the engine. By
this means the lever has oscillations imparted to it, which are transmitted by
means of the stud to the arm of the oscillating shaft. The stud is adjustable,
so that the length of the oscillations of the comb shaft can be varied when
required. The stud may be fixed in the lever, and be free in the slot in tho
arm instead of the contrary, and the excentric or crank pin may be placed
between the fulcrum of the lever and the stud in the arm instead of tho
fulcrum of the lever being between the stud and the excentric or crank pin, as
first described.
This part of our Invention is illustrated by Figs. 2, 4, and 5. In Fig. 2
the mechanism is shown applied to the engine, and by Fig. 4 a detached view
of the stand containing the actuating mechanism, Fig. 5 being an edge sec-
tional view of the stand. f is the oscillating shaft, having a piece f³ on one sido
to balance the arms carrying the comb as well as the comb; this comb f' is
curved, as shewn, which not only adds strength to it laterally, but when
arranged as shown we are enabled to adjust the comb to the doffer, so as to
give a longer stroke on the surface of the doffer without bringing the upper or

page_text: plain edge of the comb in contact with the card teeth of the doffer than can be
made by a broad straight comb. The ends of the oscillating shaft (f) are
fitted in bearings which slide horizontally in a stand f*, fixed at each side of
the engine and the shaft (f), and thus the comb (f) can be adjusted in its
distance from the doffer (x) by means of the set screws (f³). On one end of
the oscillating shaft (f) a slotted arm (f) is placed, and this arm is secured
by means of set screws fo, so that the comb can be adjusted to work at any
required angle to the arm (ƒ³). At the front of the arm (f) a lever (g) is
placed, having its fulcrum (9') on a stud fixed in the stand (f); this lever (9¹).
has a horizontal slot formed in it opposite the oscillating shaft (f), and through
which the shaft passes, so that the lever can be oscillated without contact with
the shaft. In the lower part of the lever (g) a slot is formed, which is
opposite and corresponds to that in the arm (f³) on the oscillating shaft (f).
A stud (9) is fixed in the slot of the arm (f) or that of the lever (9), and if
fixed in one it is free in the other; this stud is adjustable up and down; by
this means the length of the oscillations of the comb may be varied and
regulated. The upper end of the lever (9) is forked or has a hole in it in
which an excentric works; this excentric (9) has play lengthway of the lever,
but not sideways, where it acts against pieces of leather to prevent play and
percussion. The excentric is formed on the end of a short shaft (9') working
freely in a bearing formed in the stand, and upon the end of the shaft a
grooved pulley (95) is fixed, which is driven by a band, as shewn in Figure 2.
The upper part of the stand (f) is provided with holes through which oil
can be supplied to the short shaft and excentric, as shown in Figures 4 and 5,
and when working the lover (9), arm (f³), and excentric (9) are enclosed in
the stand (f) by a cover at the side, so as to exclude dirt.
The fifth part of our Invention relates to grinding or sharpening the teeth
of cards of the cylinders, doffers, rollers, and clearers of carding engines. The
mechanism may be made either moveable, so as to be taken from one engine
to another, or it may be made into a stationary machine, to which card rollers
"and clearers" may be taken to be ground or sharpened. The emery drum
or roller for grinding or sharpening is narrow, and is traversed across the card
along a shaft forming its axis, which is grooved from end to end for a key
fixed in the boss of the emery drum or roller, so that rotatory motion may be
imparted to it. End movement is given to the emery drum or roller by arms
or forks, which are attached to a slide or guide moving upon or against a
bearer passing across the engine or machine, which bearer forms part of the
framing of the grinding apparatus. In the slide or guide a slot is formed at
a right angle to the direction in which the slide moves, into which slot a pin

page_text: fits that is attached to an endless chain passing round two pulleys on studs
carried by the cross bearer; the motion of this pin gives the required recipro-
cating motion to the slide, and thus to the emery drum or roller. A con-
necting rod may be used instead of the slot. The emery roller is driven from
the engine or from a shaft below it in the stationary machine, and the endless
chain is driven from the shaft of the emery drum or roller. The mechanism
is provided with suitable arrangements for properly adjusting the emery drum
or roller to the card surface to be acted upon. This part of our improvements
is illustrated by Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, Figure 6 being an end elevation,
and Figure 7 a front elevation of a stationary machine for grinding rollers and
clearers, or those parts which can be readily removed from the engine. A,
framing; a, first motion shaft; a', fast and loose driving pulleys; b, emery
roller shaft, driven from shaft a, as shewn. The shaft bo has a key groove
from end to end, and a fixed key is secured in the boss of the emery drum or
roller b', so as to slide freely in the groove. Two arms (2) are made to fit the
shaft (6), to come close against the boss of the emery drum or roller (6'), and
theso arms are secured to a plate (b) above the emery drum or roller, in
which four vertical studs (6) are fixed, having antifriction bowls upon them,
which take on each side of a bar (A'), passing across the machine, and
forming part of the framing, so that between the cross bar (A') and shaft (6)
the arms and plate (b) are carried and kept steady when sliding to and
fro. Below the cross bearer (A') two pulleys (6) are placed; one is free on
a fixed stud, the other is fixed on one end of a vertical short shaft (6), having
bearings in the cross bearer, the upper end of the shaft having a bevel wheel
upon it, which geers with ono on a horizontal shaft (07) in bearings on the
cross bearer (A'), and this shaft is driven by spur wheels from the end of the
shaft (b). An endless toothed chain (6%) is placed upon the pulleys (6), as
shewn, and to this chain a stud is secured, which is fitted so as to slide
freely in a slot across the plate (63); this stud moves from one end of the slot
to the other, when the stud passes round the pulleys (6). A plan view showing
pulleys (6), endless chain (3), guide plate, stud b, and slot, is shown by
Figure 8.
The card rollers or clearers to be ground or placed in sliding bearings
carried by projections (A) from the side or end frames; they are rotated when
in contact with the emery drum or roller by a belt from a pulley on the
shaft a; one belt may be used for driving the card rollers or clearers on each
side of the emery drum or roller, or a separate belt for each roller or clearer.
Fig. 9 is a side view, and Fig. 10 a cross sectional view detached, showing
the construction of the sliding bearings for the card rollers or clearers, and the

page_text: mode of adjusting them. The part forming the bearing is made in two pieces,
the upper part (c) to slide on the lower part (c), so that the space for the
journal of the card roller or clearer can be adjusted to suit various diameters
by means of the slot in the upper part (c'), and the set screw (c) in the lower
part which is fitted to slide on one of the projections (A³) from the framing,
as shown in Fig. 10. To the slide piece (c) a screw nut (³) with two screwed
projections is secured, as shown, and upon one of the screwed projections a
washer (c) and screw hand wheel (c) is placed, by which the slide (c) may be
secured when adjusted by the screw (c), shown in Fig. 9, which screws
through the nut (³). This screw is rotated by means of a worm wheel (c)
on its end, which gears with a worm (c) on a shaft (c), having bearings in
the projections (A) from the framing, which shaft extends across the machine,
and by means of a band wheel (d) on this shaft the card roller or clearer is
simultaneously advanced at each end towards the emery drum or roller, and
as the axis of the card roller or clearer is thus kept parallel to the axis of the
grinding shaft (b), the card rollers and clearers are ground perfectly cylin-
drical.
This apparatus is applied for grinding the card cylinders and doffers in
their places in the engines, except that in this case all the parts are dispensed
with but those on the shaft (6) and cross bearer (A'), and the upper part of
the end frames. Those parts which are retained are constructed of less
weight and smaller, and two stays are made to pass between the end frames,
one on each side of the emery drum or roller, and sockets are formed at the
lower part of the end frames with horizontal adjustments, by which they may
be placed on adjusting screws (y), (see Fig. 2), on the bends or sides of the
engine, by which screws the emery drum or roller is adjusted to the card
cylinder or doffer to be ground or sharpened. The shaft b is driven by a belt
from the axis of the card doffer or cylinder, as the case may be.
We have now particularly described the nature of our Invention, and the
mode of carrying the same into effect, and claim as our Invention,-
.
Firstly, the use of ratchet fluted rollers, and also the combination of such
fluted rollers and card or toothed rollers for feeding fibrous material to
openers, blowers, carding engines, and other similar machines for preparing
fibrous material, as herein-before described.
Secondly, the use of grids formed by bars serrated on their concave edges,
and the giving of reciprocating mction to such grids in "openers," "blowers,"
"carding engines,” and other similar machines for preparing fibrous materials,
as herein-before described.

page_text: Thirdly, the combination of the mechanism referred to in our first and
second claims, as herein-before described.
Fourthly, the use of the partition or cover, as described under the third
division of our Invention.
Fifthly, the combination and arrangement of the mechanism for actuating
the doffer comb, and the use of doffer combs, curved and arranged as herein-
before described.
Sixthly, the combination and arrangement of the machinery for grinding and
sharpening card rollers, clearers, cylinders, and doffers, and the mode of
simultaneously advancing both ends of the card roller or clearer towards the
emery drum or roller in the stationary machine, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Mallinson and Peter Williams,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Tenth day of October, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
THOS. MALLINSON. (L.S.)