Improvements in Machines for Parallelizing and Lapping Flax, Tow, or other Fibrous Materials.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 7th Aug., '894-Accepted, 22nd Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Parallelizing and Lapping Flax, Tow,
or other Fibrous Materials.
We, THE FIBRE MACHINERY COMPANY LIMITED of 46 Queen Victoria
Street, London, E.C., and TAYLOR BURROws, Engineer to the above Company,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to machinery or apparatus for parallelizing or straightening
and lapping fibrous material such as the tow or waste of flax rhea silk hemp etc. or
other tangled fibres or fibrous materials and is more particularly designed to treat
such fibrous material preparatory to combing or spinning so as to facilitate the
latter processes.
•
At present the carding engine in general use for preparing and forming a ribbon
or sliver from tow or other such like waste fibres has the fault of breaking (or
liability to do so) the fibres and rendering them lumpy or nippy so that the
subsequent process of combing or spinning is more difficult and the thread not so
clean or even. Also the existing carding engine is a costly machine and very
expensive to keep it in good working order.
The present invention is as follows:-
In a suitable frame or support is mounted a lapping cylinder or drum covered
with teeth having their points inclined in the direction of the forward rotation
thereof and of sufficient length out of the wood or other material-in which
these teeth are set.
The fibrous material is placed on a feed table or feed apron which carries it
forward to a pair (or more) of feed rollers and these forward it to a horizontally
revolving porcupine sheet or endless apron covered with teeth having their points
inclined in the opposite direction to their travel, or in other suitable direction.
This porcupine sheet revolves or works in a dish or trough which keeps the
material in or against the said teeth and presents same to the action of the said
teeth on the aforesaid revolving lapping cylinder.
The material is lashed by these teeth and as it is advanced by the porcupine
sheet it is let go gradually in a straightened form and pushed into the teeth on
the lapping cylinder by a brush which at same time assists to keep the porcupine
sheet clean.
To take off the lap accumulated on said cylinder-the latter is stopped and the
end of the lap led between a pair of fluted rollers in front of the said cylinder
which thus draw off the lap when the quantity required has accumulated.
In place of the aforesaid porcupine sheet a series of porcupine rollers may be
mounted in a dish or undulating trough thereunder to keep the fibrous material
from dropping out of or away from the teeth on said rollers which thus act in an
equivalent manner to the porcupine sheet to feed the material onto the aforesaid
toothed lapping drum or cylinder.
The various working parts are driven by any suitable mechanism and the
relative speeds may be arranged as desired-the speed of the lapping drum being
greater than that of the porcupine sheet (or rollers) and the feed apron and feed
rollers advantageously travel a little slower than the said porcupine sheet.
Dated this 7th day of October 1893.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Parallelizing and Lapping Flax, Tow,
or other Fibrous Materials.
We, THE FIBRE MACHINERY COMPANY LIMITED, a Joint Stock Company
whose registered offices were formerly 46 Queen Victoria Street in the City of
London, but are now at 202 High Street Hounslow, both in the County of
Middlesex, and TAYLOR BURROWS of 88 Upper Kennington Lane, London, S.E.
formerly Engineer to the above Company, 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 :-
This invention relates to machinery or apparatus for parallelizing or straightening
opening and lapping fibrous material such as the tow or waste of flax rhea silk
hemp etc. or other tangled fibres or fibrous materials and is more particularly
designed to treat such fibrous material preparatory to combing or spinning so as to
facilitate the latter processes.
At present the carding engine in general use for preparing and forming a
ribbon or sliver from tow or other such like waste fibres has the fault of breaking
(or liability to do so) the fibres and rendering them lumpy or "nippy" so that
the subsequent process of combing or spinning is more difficult and the thread not
so clean or even. Also the existing carding engine is a costly machine and very
expensive to keep in good working order.
The present invention is as follows:-
In a suitable frame or support is mounted a lapping cylinder or drum covered
with teeth having their points inclined in the direction of the forward rotation
thereof and of sufficient length out of the wood-or other material-in which
these teeth are set on the periphery of said drum.
The fibrous material is placed on a feed table or feed apron which carries it
forward to a pair (or more) of feed rollers and these forward it to a horizontally 2
revolving porcupine sheet or endless apron covered with teeth having their points
inclined in the opposite direction to their travel or in other suitable direction.
This porcupine sheet revolves or works in a dish or trough which keeps the
material in or against the said teeth and presents same to the action of the said
teeth on the aforesaid revolving lapping cylinder.
The material is lashed by these teeth and as it is advanced by the porcupine
sheet it is let go gradually in a straightened form and pushed into the teeth on the
lapping cylinder by a brush which at same time assists to keep the porcupine
sheet clean.
To take off the lap accumulated on said cylinder-the latter is stopped and the
end of the lap led between a pair of rollers in front of the said cylinder which
thus draw off the lap when the quantity required has accumulated- -or same may
be removed in any other desired manner.
And in order that my invention may be easily understood we will proceed to
further describe same with reference to the sheet of drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation-partly in section-showing the new machine.
Fig. 2. is a plan view-showing the whole length of the machine but not the
whole width.
4

page_text: the belt A is otherwise suitably mounted) so as to adjust the tension of the belt A
as desired.
CC are the feed rollers-the upper one being mounted in the movable
bearing Cand kept pressed tightly towards or against C¹ by means of springs
such as D the tension on which latter is adjustable by means of the regulating
screws D-all of which parts A to D¹ are well known and well understood.
E is the porcupine sheet carried round (in the direction shown by the arrows
thereon) by the rollers F F.
Gis the dish or trough fitting close up under E so that the fibrous material is
held closely into or against the pins or points on said travelling porcupine sheet E
from the moment such material comes from between the rollers C C¹ until it is
drawn off said sheet at the other end.
His the brush for "dabbing" or assisting the fibre off E onto the lapping
drum I, and to clean the porcupine sheet E.
I is the large drum or cylinder the periphery of which is covered by pins or
teeth advantageously inclined forwards in the direction (see arrow X thereon) in
which said drum revolves when lapping-as shown.
J is a belt driven from pulley K and which drives the pulley I³ on the shaft or
axle on which the drum I is fixed-and this pulley K can be thrown out of gear
by the clutch lever L and clutch L' (see Fig. 2) so that the pulley K becomes
"idle" and thereby the drum I can revolve loosely in the opposite direction to the
arrow when required for taking off the lap etc. or this drum I can be driven by
any suitable mechanism other than belt as shown.
The various parts are revolved by a train of wheels or other suitable means
(driven by a belt on a "fast and loose" pulleys which may advantageously be ou
the shaft of the machine or in any other suitable manner) the peripheral speed
of the drum I being much (say about ten times) faster than that of the porcupine
sheet E while the peripheral speed of the feed rollers CC is slightly less than
that of said sheet E so that an opening straightening or parallelizing action is
thereby obtained.
To DRAW OFF THE LAP.
After sufficient material has been received on the drumm I--the machine is
stopped and the clutch lever L operated so as to disconnect the drum I (free from
the rest of the mechanism-as aforesaid) and a rod or pin is inserted transversely
under the accumulated "lap" which is thereby divided and the end thus formed
is led between the rollers MN of the drawing off mechanism which latter is as
follows:-
:―
To permit the passing of the said end of the lap between the said rollers-the
top one M is mounted at one end in a movable bearing M' to which is attached a
weight and similarly at the other end.
A cord or chain P is attached to said bearings and passes onto the drum or
wheel P¹ fixed on the axle Q on which latter is also rigidly fixed the hand
wheel M and ratchet wheel P*.
R is a pawl pivotted at R' to the frame work of the machine.
N is a hand wheel fixed on the axle of the lower roll N by which the latter is
rotated.
S is shoot or guide trough down which the drawn off "lap" is led into the
sliver can or other suitable receptacle.
By revolving the hand wheel M* in the direction of the arrow Y the bearings
and with them the roll M are raised and maintained in such raised position by the
pawl R engaging in the teeth of the ratchet wheel P* while the "lap" end is
placed between said rolls M and N-the roll M is then released (by moving
the pawl R out of ratchet wheel P×) and lowered onto N the surface of these
rolls being fluted or otherwise suitably formed to thus give a firm grip therein
between.

page_text: The hand wheel N is now revolved (in the direction of the arrow Z) and
thereby draws off the material lapped on the drum I-the latter easily and loosely
revolving as the lap is thus drawn off it.
Or the lap may be removed in any other suitable manner as desired.
When ready the drum is again connected up (by means of the clutch L' and
lever L) and the machine again starts whereupon the lapping on the drum again
takes place.
The whole of the parts marked A to G inclusive may be so arranged and
mounted on the main frame V as to be capable of adjustment upon said standard V
towards or away from the drum I-as desired.
The porcupine sheet operating in a trough between the feeding rolls and the
lapping drum forms a very essential feature in the present machine as by this
means we obtain a very beneficial action on the fibrous material to straighten and
parallelize same without violence-the rearwardly pointed pins on the porcupine
sheet partially straightening out the material in readiness for the more vigorous
action of the pins or teeth on the quickly revolving drum and also serve to
release the said material and without injury thereto as it is lashed by and drawn
into the teeth of the drum I.
In place of the aforesaid porcupine sheet a series of porcupine rollers may be
mounted in a dish or undulating trough thereunder to keep the fibrous material
from dropping out of or away from the teeth on said rollers which thus act in an
equivalent manner to the porcupine sheet to feed the material onto the aforesaid
toothed lapping drum or cylinder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a machine for the purposes set forth-the arrangement and combination
with a lapping drum such as I of a porcupine sheet such as E operating between
said drum I and the feed rollers substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore described.
2. In a machine for the purposes set forth-the arrangement and combination
with a lapping drum such as I of a porcupine sheet such as E operating between
said drum I and the feed rollers and a brush such as H substantially in the manner
and for the purposes herein before described.
3. In a machine for the purposes set forth-the arrangement and combination
with a lapping drum such as I of a porcupine sheet such as E operating between
said drum and the feed rollers and a dish or trough such as G in which said
porcupine sheet operates substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-
before described.
4. In a machine for the purposes set forth-the arrangement and combination
with a lapping drum such as I of a porcupine sheet such as E operating between
said drum I and the feed rollers a brush such as H and a dish or trough such as G
in which said porcupine sheet, operates substantially in the manner and for the
purposes hereinbefore described.
5. The apparatus or machine arranged constructed combined and acting
substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described and
illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 7th day of August 1894.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.