Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 8th Jan,
889
I FREDERICK WILKINSON of 13 India Buildings Cross Street Manchester in the
County of Lancaster Yarn Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to
be as follows:-
-
In revolving flat carding engines the traverse or travelling motion of the flats over
the stationary flexible bends or other supporting surfaces wears the ends of the flats
unevenly according to their hardness and thus great difficulty is experienced in main-
taining an accurate adjustment between the card clothing on the flats and that on the
main cylinder.
The object of my Invention is to minimise the wear on the ends of the flats and to
dispense with the usual operation of grinding their ends from time to time as now
customary.
In carrying my Invention into effect I employ an endless band or ribbon of thin
steel, aluminium bronze, or other suitable metal which lies on the flexible bend or
other supporting surface; near each end of the bend and elsewhere as required are
placed suitable pulleys or guides over or under which the band passes to and from the
bend as it is carried forward by the weight of the chain of flats the traverse of which
moves the band at its speed and thus reduces the friction on the ends of the flats to a
minimum. The endless band travels from the feed end to the doffer end of the engine
and returns round suitable guide pulleys or guides either below or above the flexible
bend or equivalent as may
be most convenient.
If desired the band may be driven by passing it between friction rollers geared
together or by other suitable means. This endless band or an independent one may
be used on the bracket which supports the flats while the clothing is being ground.
In the case of the carding engine for which Letters Patent No. 2366 were granted to
me on the 18th February 1886 I should need a band only on the brackets used for the
grinding operation.
It is obvious that similar bands would be required on each side of the engine.
Dated this 2nd day of March 1888

page_text: I FREDERICK WILKINSON of 13 India Buildings, Cross Street, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Yarn Agent, 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 :-
In revolving flat carding engines the traverse or travelling motion of the flats over
the stationary flexible bends or other supporting surfaces wears the ends of the flats
unevenly according to their hardness and thus great difficulty is experienced in main-
taining an accurate adjustment between the card clothing on the flats and that on the
main cylinder.
The object of my Invention is to minimise the wear on the ends of the flats and to
dispense with the usual operation of grinding or milling their ends from time to time
as now customary.
In carrying my Invention into effect I employ an endless band or ribbon of thin
steel aluminium bronze or other suitable metal which lies on the flexible bend or other
supporting surface; near each end of the bend and elsewhere as required are placed
suitable pulleys or guides over or under which the band passes to and from the bend
as it is carried forward by the weight of the chain of flats the traverse of which
moves the band at its speed and thus reduces the friction on the ends of the flats to a
minimum. The endless band travels from the feed end to the doffer end of the engine
and returns round suitable guide pulleys or guides either below or above the flexible
bend or equivalent as may be most convenient
If desired the band may be driven by passing it between friction rollers geared
together or by other suitable means.
An independent endless band may be used on the bracket which supports the flats
while the clothing is being ground. In the case of the carding engine for which
Letters Patent No. 2366 were granted to me on the 18th February 1886 I should
need a band only on the brackets used for the grinding operation.
It is obvious that similar bands would be required on each side of the engine.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings reference being had to the
figures and letters marked thereon.
Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations of parts of carding engines to which my improve-
ments are applied.
Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken through the side of a carding engine to
illustrate another application of my Invention.
Fig. 4 is a view illustrating the application of my Invention to the bracket which
supports the roller for grinding the clothing of the flats.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
Referring first to Fig. 1.-
a designates the main cylinder, b the engine bend, c the flexible bend, d the chain of
travelling flats and e the bracket which supports the roller f for grinding the clothing
on the flats d.
The above parts may be of the construction shown or of any other suitable.
construction.

page_text: The endless band g which I employ according to my present Invention is supported
on the flexible bend c from which it passes round a guide pulley over a second guide
pulley h¹ and returns round a third guide pulley 2 to the flexible bend c.
Either or
all of the guide pulleys may be adjustable so as to take up any slack in the endless
band g.
At present it is my intention to allow the weight of the travelling flats to carry
round the band g but if found advantageous or desirable the said band may be driven
in any. suitable manner as for example by passing it between a pair or pairs of rotating
friction rollers driven from any convenient part of the engine.
Fig. 2 illustrates substantially the same arrangement as that shown in Fig. 1 but in
this case the endless band g after leaving the flexible bend c is carried under over or
round the guide pulleys h h h h and above the flats and returns under the guide
pulley to the flexible bend c. The guide pulleys all or some of which may be
adjustable are supported upon brackets i¹² which also may be secured adjustably
to the engine bend b.
Fig. 3 illustrates the application of the endless band g to a carding engine in which
the flexible hende is placed inside the engine bend b. In this case also the band g
after leaving the flexible bend might be carried over the top of the flats d in a manner
similar to that indicated by Fig. 2 instead of returning over guide pulleys below the
flexible bend as shown.
The Drawings only show one side of a carding engine but it is obvious that my
Invention would be applied to both sides and although a flexible bend is shown as the
supporting surface for the flats I wish it to be understood that other supporting
surfaces may be employed.
The band g instead of being carried over separate guide pulleys might be attached
to the flats and travel with them and instead of securing the ends of the band
together to form an endless band one end or both ends of a band or ribbon might be
secured to a flat or flats.
Fig. 4 shows an additional endless band gapplied to the bracket e which supports
the roller which grinds the clothing on the Hats d. The band g' is guided by the
three pulleys h h h and its function is to diminish friction between the back of the
Hats and that part of the bracket which supports them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The use and application of an endless travelling band or ribbon between the
travelling flats and the flexible bend or other stationary supporting surface on each
side of a carding engine substantially as and for the purposes herein described.
2. The combination with travelling flats and flexible bends or equivalent stationary
supporting surfaces, of travelling bands or ribbons such as the endless hand g substan-
tially as and for the purposes herein described and as illustrated by the accompanying
Drawings.
3. The combination with the bracket which supports the grinding roller, of the
travelling band g substantially as herein set forth for the purpose specified.
4.--The several combinations of parts embodying my improvements in carding
engines substantially as and for the purposes herein described and as shown.
Dated thin 1th due of Dasambar 1000
H. B. BARLOW,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester,
Agent for Applicant.