IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1855

page_text: Sealed the 1st April 1856, and dated the 3rd October 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Wilkinson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
October 1855.
I, the said ROBERT WILKINSON, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING COTTON,
WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist, firstly, in arranging a series of rollers of uniform
diameter, covered with the ordinary wire card around the periphery of the
carding cylinder, so that the dirt and short fibres removed from it by them may
be drawn off by means of a travelling rotatory brush, from which they are
removed by a vibrating comb or other apparatus. The rollers covered as above
mentioned may be caused to revolve by any suitable means, and the rotary
brush may also be driven by straps or other mechanical agents. At the same
time, it is caused to travel in a groove or slot concentric to the cylinder by..
means of a circular rack and pinion. This will enable the brush to arrive in
contact with all the rollers, and remove from them all the dirt and short.

page_text: fibres, so that a clean surface will be presented to the carding cylinder. When
the brush arrives into a convenient position the extraneous matters may be
drawn off by a comb worked in any suitable manner, and deposited in a
receptacle; after which operation the brush is caused to travel in the contrary
direction in a groove or slot (similar to a mangle motion), and not in contact
with the rollers, after which it again operates as above described.
Another part of my Invention relates to the brackets that form the bearings
for the rollers of carding engines, and consists in so arranging the same, that
the snugs or studs, by which they are secured to the "bend," act as the nuts
for the screws, by which the vertical adjustment is obtained, the brackets being
held in the proper position by a screw and nut, as before stated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Wilkinson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd April 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
WILKINSON, of Staley Bridge, in the County of Chester, Mechanic, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Robert Wilkinson, Her especial licence that I, the said Robert Wilkinson, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert
Wilkinson, my 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert
Wilkinson, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: KNOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Wilkinson, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in the employment of certain mechanism for tho
renioval of dirt and other extraneous matters during the process of carding.
In order to effect this, I employ a series of rollers of uniform diameter
arranged partly around the carding cylinder, which rollers are operated upon
by a peculiar arrangement of brush and apparatus connected therewith; in
order fully to explain which, I will refer to a Sheet of Drawing accompanying
this my Specification.
Fig. 1 is a partial side view of a carding engine arranged according to my
Invention; Fig. 2 is a partial plan view thereof; and Fig. 3 a detached view,.
shewing how the series of rollers may be driven. The shaft of the main
carding cylinder is shewn at a, upon which is mounted so as to swing freely a
radial arm or lever b, the lower portion thereof having a counterbalance
weight c. The upper end of the arm or lever b carries a pulley d, driven by a
pulley cupon the shaft a. The axis of the pulley d is provided with a pinion
e, taking into a wheel f, which is carried by a bracket f*, mounted so as to be
capable of turning upon the axis of the pinion e. The axis of the wheel f
carries a rotatory brush or other cleaner A, which extends across the machine,
and at certain periods, hereafter to be mentioned, runs in contact with a series
of rollers B, of uniform diameter, and covered with wire cards, which rollers
are mounted so as to operate over a portion of the surface of the main cylinder,
and thus effect the carding. Upon the axis of the wheel f is a bevil pinion g,
taking into another h, mounted upon a long boss i, which at its lower end is
furnished with a worm k, taking into a worm wheel 1. This wheel is carried by
a bracket m, mounted by incans of a centre pin upon the arm b, and connected,
to the other bracket f", so as to move therewith, the two turning respectively
upon the centres n and o. Upon the axis of the worm wheel is a spur
pinion p, in gear with a circular rack q, to which are adapted end pieces,*,
so as to form an ordinary "mangle motion." Upon the bracket f* is a pro-
jecting part s, to which is adapted by means of centre pins a bar t, furnished
with a comb u, and to this bar is attached a toothed quadrant v, taking into a
corresponding part w, affixed to the arm or lever b. The comb u passes
through a slit formed in a bar y (see the detached views, Figs. 4), which bar has
short projecting parts z resting upon arms 1 attached to the bracket s. By
these arms, therefore, the bar y which surrounds the combs is supported, and
that support being removed, the said bar will be free to drop downward,
upon

page_text: and push forward any accumulated material upon the combs; the extent of its
downward motion is, however, determined by stop pieces 2 attached to the
bar t. The operation of the machine is as follows:-The material being fed as
usual, and motion being communicated to the machine in any ordinary manner,
the series of card rollers B are caused to revolve in contact with the carding
cylinder by means of a chain 4, shewn in Fig. 3, and actuated in any convenient
imanner, portions of which chain act as teeth for driving pinions 5 upon the
axis of the said rollers. During this operation of carding, the pulley C* being
caused to revolve, will communicate the like motion to the pulley d, and from
thence through the wheel work e, f, h, k, to the pinion p, which being in gear
with the rack will travel thereon, and cause the arm or lever to turn in
the direction of the arrow upon the axis a; at the same time the wheel f
being caused to revolve, will cause the brush A to act against the surfaces
of the rollers B, and remove dirt and other extraneous matters therefrom,
and thus the operation will continue until the pinion p shall have arrived
at the end of the rack q, at which time, as in ordinary mangle motions,
it will turn around the end thereof, guided by the piece r, so as to act
upon the upper side of the rack. In doing this, the bracket m will turn
upon its centre o until arrested by the stop m*, and a similar turning upon
the centre n will also take place in reference to the bracket f*, so that the
whole of the gearing connected therewith will continue to occupy the same
relative positions. This operation will have caused the toothed quadrant v
to act against that shewn at w, by which means the former will be turned
partly round, and with it the comb u, so as to move it some distance
from the surface of the brush A, at which time the position of the arm or
lever will have carried the front of the arm 1 downward, so that it will no
longer support the slit bar y, which being then free, will fall downward
until arrested by the stops 2, and will carry forward the dirt and other
matters accumulated on the comb u, so as to strip them off and discharge
them into a box C. The above operations having taken place, the pinion p
travelling upon the upper side of the rack 7 will carry back the arm or lever b,
brush A, and apparatus connected therewith; but now, instead of revolving
in contact with the rollers B, the said brush will have been lifted above
the surface thereof, and free from operation thereon, and thus the motion
will continue until the shaft of pinion p shall have arrived at the curved
plate, when it will be guided downward again to travel in the direction of
the arrow, by which change the brackets m, f, will again turn into the position
shewn, restoring the brush A into contact with the rollers B, the toothed
quadrant v at the same time, by acting on the quadrant w, causing the combu

page_text: to turn upon its centre, so as to strip the brush as before, and the slit bar will
simultaneously be raised by the arm 1 turning upward with the bracket f*.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood
that I claim, as secured to me under the above recited Letters Patent, and in
reference to carding engines, in which a series of rollers are employed similar
to those shewn at B,-
Firstly, the construction of a rotatory brush or other cleaner with suitable
apparatus for stripping the material therefrom and depositing it in a receptacle
which prevents its return to the machine.
Secondly, the use of the mangle motion, or equivalent apparatus for removing
the brush or other cleaner from the rollers B on its return motion.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Wilkinson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
ROBERT WILKINSON. (L.S.)