IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR HECKLING OR PREPARING HEMP AND OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Dunch Frost, of 11, London Street, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
POR HECKLING OR PREPARING HEMP AND OTHER FIBRES."
Soaled the 12th February 187ŏ, and dated the 15th December 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Dunch Frost
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th December 1874.
I, FREDERICK DUNCH FROST, of 11, London Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "In-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HECKLING OR PREPARING HEMP AND OTHER
FIBRES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for
heckling or preparing hemp and other fibres, and relates especially to
machines in which the teeth or points for dressing the fibre are mounted
on bars or fallers, and the bars or fallers are connected by links into an
endless shect which passes around rollers, and is driven by them. Such

page_text: a machine is described in the Specification of a Patent granted to Alfred
Vincent Newton, dated the 22nd day of August 1871, No. 2211, a com-
munication from John Good. The fibre passes from feed rollers on to one
endless sheet of teeth, which carry it to another similar sheet driven at a
much higher velocity, and this latter having taken the fibre from the
first rollers carry it forward and delivery it to drawing-off rollers. Now
in order to govern or control the fallers of such endless sheets more
effectually, and with less friction and wear, and to admit of their being
driven at a higher speed, and with less expenditure of power than here-
tofore, I construct the fallers and the parts which govern or control
them in the following manner:-Each faller is turned at its ends to form
necks to receive links, by which it it is connected with the fallers on either
side of it, the necks of the fallers forming the pins by which the links of
the chains are coupled together. Thus the fallers are connected into an
endless sheet, being held together by two chains, one on either side.
The endless sheet of fallers encircles two rollers, and is distended
(although not tightly) between them. The rollers are driven, and there
are recesses on them, which engaging with the fallers cause the sheet of
fallers to be carried round by the rotation of the rollers. The necks of
the fallers project beyond the chains, and upon each a triangular tappet
is firmly fixed. The neck of the faller is inserted and fixed into a boss
formed near one angle of the tappet, and the other two angles come into
contact with guides which govern the inclination of the teeth. The boss
is on the outer side of the tappet; it is cylindrical, and also runs in
guides which support the sheet of fallers and prevent it sagging on its
upper or working side. The guides are upon the two side frames of the
machine. As the fallers travel from roller to roller on the upper side
the teeth are held so as to incline slightly forward, and the guide grooves
being straight they maintain this position until they are going to pass
down around the further roller, and so to leave the fibre. Here the
guides are so formed as to place the teeth vertically, ready to fall out of
the fibre. Immediately on being so set the fallers are left by the fixed
guide free to turn, and the control of the inclination of the teeth is taken
by two rotating guide wheels or discs, which maintain the teeth in a
nearly vertical position until they have fallen out of the fibre. The
guide wheels or discs are similar, and are placed one on either side of the
machine, outside the sheet of fallers. The discs or wheels are able to
rotate freely on axes, and they are formed with recesses and projections
'which interlock with the tappets, and control them in the manner

page_text: described. As the fallers return beneath the rollers they are not governed
by guides, but the sheet of fallers is allowed to sag freely, and the weight
of teeth or points causes them to incline downwards. Before the fallers
again rise and strike into the fibre the guides again control them and
place the teeth in position.
When the fallers reach the upper side of tho
roller their teeth, as before mentioned, have an inclination forward; this
causes them to strike more effectually into the fibre, which otherwise
would have a tendency to ride on the top of the teeth.
meu by the said Frederick Dunch Frost in the Great Deal Patent
Office on the 15th June 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
DUNCH FROST, of 11, London Street, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Frederick Dunch Frost, Her
special license that I, the said Frederick Dunch Frost, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick Dunch
Frost, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR HECKLING OR PREPARING HEMP AND OTHER
FIBRES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick
Dunch Frost, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Dunch Frost, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for
heckling or preparing hemp and other fibres, and relates especially to
machines in which the teeth or points for dressing the fibre are mounted
on bars or fallers, and the bars or fallers are connected by links into an
endless sheet which passes around rollers or axes, and is driven by them.
Such a machine is described in the Specification of a Patent granted to
Alfred Vincent Newton, dated the 22nd day of August 1871, No. 2211,
a communication from John Good. The fibre passes from feed rollers on
to one endless sheet of teeth, which carries it to another similar sheet
driven at a much higher velocity, and this latter having taken the fibre
from the first sheet of fallers carries it forward and delivers it to
drawing-off rollers. Now in order to govern or control the fallers of
such endless sheets more effectually, and with less friction and wear, and
to admit of their being driven at a higher speed, and with less expen-
diture of power than heretofore, I construct the fallers and the parts
which govern or control them in the following manner :-The necks of
the fallers project beyond the links which connect them together, and
upon each a triangular tappet is firmly fixed. The neck of the faller is
inserted and fixed into a boss formed near one angle of the tappet, and
the other two angles come into contact with guides, which govern the
inclination of the teeth. The boss is on the outer side of the tappet; it
also runs in guides which support the sheet of fallers, and prevent it
sagging on its upper or working side. The guides are upon the two side
frames of the machine, and the upper guide is adjustable and is set up
when required to compensate for wear. As the fallers travel from roller
to roller on the upper side the teeth are held so as to incline slightly
forward, and the guide grooves being straight they maintain this position.
until they are going to pass down around the further roller, and so to
leave the fibre. Here the guides are so formed as to place the teeth
vertically, ready to fall out of the fibre. As the fallers descend, passing
around the roller, the fixed guides allow to them a certain amount of
freedom. As the fallers return beneath the rollers they are not governed
by guides, but the sheet of fallers is allowed to sag freely, and the weight
of teeth or points causes them to incline downwards. Before the fallers
•

page_text: again rise and strike into the fibre the guides again control them and
place the teeth in position. When the fallers reach the upper side of the
roller their teeth, as before mentioned, have an inclination forward; this
causes them to strike more effectually into the fibre, which otherwise
would have a tendency to ride on the top of the teeth.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, showing parts of the machine;
Figure 2 is a transverse section; Figures 3, 4, and 5 show some of the
parts separately.
a, a, is the frame of the machine, carrying the bearings of the axes or
rollers 6, 6, 4, and 6, which the two sheets of fallers encircle;
6*, 6*, are the drivers, which engage with and drive the sheets of fallers;
c, c, are the fallers; and c¹ the teeth upon them; d, d, are the triangular
tappets; and d', d, their bosses; e, e, are the straight guides fixed upon
the frame a; the upper one is adjustable to compensate for wear;
ex, ex, are the guides, which control the rise of the fallers on the
entrance side. One of these guides is shown separately by the Figures 6.
The tappets & have fingers d* formed upon them, which first come in
contact with the guide, and by bearing against its surface e¹* in this way
the faller is controlled as it rises until the side of the triangular tappet
itself comes to bear against the guide surface at e**, and immediately
after the boss d' enters between the straight guides e. f.f, represent
the links which connect the fallers into an endless sheet; ġ, g, are the
rollers between which the fibre passes on to the teeth of the first chain;
h, h, are skeleton rollers, which rest by their own weight upon the fibre
and press it into the teeth; k¹, k*, k³, k', and k³ are the drawing-off
rollers. The machine is driven by a belt passing around a pulley on the
axis of the roller *. A spur wheel k* on this axis drives an intermediate
wheel gearing with a wheel 6** on the axis of the roller 6*, around
which the second or fast running sheet of fallers passes. The roller b³,
encircled by the same sheet of fallers, has on its axis a pinion 68* driving
the intermediate wheel m, on the same axis with which is the pinion m²,
and this drives the spur wheel 6** on the axis of the roller 6³, which is
encircled by the slow running chain.

page_text: What I claim as my improvements in machinery for heckling or pre-
paring hemp and other fibres is, the combination of the fallers, tappets,
bosses, and guides, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Dunch Frost, have here-
"
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.