IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Greenwood, of Leeds, in the County of
York, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Greenwood at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 8th June 1870.
I, THOMAS GREENWOOD, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR DRAWING WOOL, SILK, FLAX, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements on the intersecting screw gill
machinery for which I obtained Letters Patent in conjunction with
James Warburton, November 3rd, 1851. In order to facilitate the
cleaning of the gills or combs I now provide a facile means for removing
from the machine the fallers or bars which carry them. To this end

page_text: instead of casting the guides over which the fallers travel in one piece,
and providing therein space for receiving the traversing screws, I form
the guides of detached bars, which are affixed to the side frames by
vertical and horizontal screws, and I cast spaces in the side frames to
receive the traversing screws. By simply removing either the top or
the bottom guides access can be had to the top or the bottom fallers,
which may then be lifted out of the machine without disarranging any
other parts of the machine.
Another improvement consists in removing the retaining rollers which
deliver the fibre to the gills, and substituting therefor an endless sheet or
apron. This apron overlies a fixed table which gives it support, and
allows a roller (at the delivery end) to bear upon the fibre and compress
it before it reaches the gills. The apron passes over a small tension
roller near the gills, and it is thus enabled to bring the fibres close up to
the bite of the gill pins. The axle of the back roller or driven roller is
carried by rocking arms which hold the apron at tension by means of
a weighted chain connected with a transverse rock shaft to which the
arms are keyed.
As an improvement in the fallers, with the view of increasing their
strength, I rebate the faller the length of the gill to receive a flange
cast on the gill, and form therewith a flush joint; then by solder and
transverse rivets, or either means, I fix the gills securely to their fallers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Greenwood in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th December 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
GREENWOOD, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Greenwood, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Greenwood, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Greenwood, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: 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 DRAWING WOOL, SILK, FLAX, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Greenwood, my
exccutors 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Greenwood, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
This Invention relates to improvements on the intersecting screw
gill machinery for which I obtained Letters Patent in conjunction with
James Warburton, November Third, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-one. In order to facilitate the cleaning of the gills or combs I now
provide a facile means for removing from the machine the fallers or
bars which carry them. To this end instead of casting the guides over
which the fallers travel in one piece, and providing therein space for
receiving the traversing screws, I form the guides of detached bars
which are affixed to the side frames by vertical and horizontal screws,
and I cast spaces in the side frames to receive the traversing screws.
By simply removing either the top or the bottom guides access can be
had to the upper or lower fallers, which may then be removed without
disarranging any other parts of the machine.
Another improvement consists in removing the retaining rollers which
deliver the fibre to the gills, and substituting therefor an endless sheet
or apron. This apron overlies a fixed table which gives it support and
allows a roller (at the delivery end) to bear upon the fibre and compress
it before it reaches the gills. The apron passes over a small tension
roller near the gills, and it is thus enabled to bring the fibres close up
to the bite of the gill pins.

page_text: As an improvement in the fallers with the view of increasing their
strength I rebate the faller the length of the gill to receive a flange
cast on the gill and form therewith a flush joint; then by solder and
transverse rivets or either means I fix the gill securely to their fallers.
These several improvements are illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of an inter-
secting screw gill machine with my improvements applied thereto;
Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same; and Fig. 3 is a cross section
of the improved gill and faller drawn on an enlarged scale.
In Fig. 1 A is the feed table supported by the framing of the machine.
Over this table runs the endless apron A¹ which is held at tension by
means of the rollers a, b, c. Close adjacent to the roller a is the inter-
secting screw gill apparatus B, the gills of which receive the fibres to
be drawn from the apron A¹ and ´carry them forward to the drawing
rollers C, C, from these rollers the fibres pass between the conducting
rollers D, D, and thence through the condensing tube E to the con-
densing rollers F which pass the fibres out of the machine.
Motion is communicated to the apron A¹ from the driving shaft G,
through a train of gearing 1, 1, the last wheel of which train is keyed
on the axle of the tension roller b, which works in fixed bearings in the:
side frames of the machine. 6¹ is a side roller carried by sliding bearings
and set immediately below the roller b, the object of this lower roller is
to nip the apron A¹ and thus to ensure its travelling by friction of
contact with the roller b. To maintain an elastic pressure screws b²
are provided, by turning which the roller 6¹ may (by means of the
springs 68) be tightened up at pleasure. In order to keep the A¹
apron
at tension the roller c is mounted in a swinging frame H, which is itself
carried by a slide H' bolted to the main framing; this slide is capable
of receiving a traverse motion to adjust its position on the side frames,
this traverse is effected by means of screws H², the tightening bolts
which connect it with the framing being first slackened before operating
the screws, thus the roller c may be advanced or drawn back at pleasure
to suit the length of the apron. In order to maintain the tension of
the apron a weighted chain h is attached to the lower end of the
rocking frame H, and led over a guide pulley h¹ mounted on the framing.
The drag of this pendent weight (not shewn in the Drawing) will have a
tendency to hold back the upper end of the rocking frame H, and thus
through the roller c keep an equable strain on the apron A'.
The

page_text: roller a is made of small diameter so as to bring the fibres as near as
possible to the bite of the gill pins. Before the fibres reach the gills
they are somewhat compressed by means of a roller a¹ which runs
loosely in guides formed in the side frames and turns by friction of
contact with the passing fibres.
In addition to the advantage already mentioned consequent on the use
of the feeding apron in lieu of the ordinary feed rollers, viz., that the
fibres are delivered close up to the gills, I am enabled to reduce the
relative length of the fallers, no room being now required for the gearing
necessary for driving the feeding or retaining rollers. By referring to
Fig. 2 a mode of constructing the machine so as to facilitate the taking
out of the gills for the purpose of cleaning them is shewn. B¹, B¹, are
the side frames or castings for receiving and supporting the traversing
screws B' which operate the gills or fallers B³. Attached to these side
frames or castings are the guides for the fallers. These guides consist of
bars I, I, the top and bottom ones being L shaped in cross section, and
held in place by vertical screws i, i; the other guides are simple straight
bars held in place by horizontal screws i. The advantage of using these
detachable guides will be very evident, for when it is desired to clean the
gills it will only be necessary to withdraw the screws which hold the
L shaped bars in their place, and the upper or lower rows of gills will be
free to be lifted or dropped out of the machine, and the inner rows can
then by working the traversing screws be lifted or lowered as the case
may be from their guides, and similarly removed from the machine.
By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the fallers B³ are rebated on
one face to an extent equal to the thickness of a flange which projects
from the gill B'; the gill and faller I connect together by means of
solder or rivets, or by the two plans combined, and I thus form a
stronger faller than has heretofore been obtained by the use of a
corresponding weight of metal.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention for "Improvements
in Machinery for Drawing Wool, Silk, Flax, and other Fibrous Sub-
stances," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent, I claim,―
First. Forming the guides for the gill fallers of detached bars, in the
manner and for the purpose above described.

page_text: Secondly. Substituting for the retaining rollers which deliver the
fibres to the gills an endless sheet or apron. mounted and operating in
the manner above described.
Thirdly. Constructing the fallers in the manner and for the purpose
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Greenwood, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Sixth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
THOMAS GREENWOOD. (L.S.)