Improvements in and in the Manufacture of Wire 'Card Clothing.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Nov., 1894-Accepted, 29th Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and in the Manufacture of Wire 'Card
Clothing.
We, FREDERICK WILKINSON, of 13 India Buildings, Cross Street, Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Yarn Agent, and THOMAS STROVER TURNBULL, of
District Bank Chambers, Manchester aforesaid, Solicitor, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in wire card clothing, and consists chiefly
in chilling or hardening and tempering the points of the wire teeth after they have
been set in the foundation, so as to produce card clothing with wire teeth having
carding points of high temper and shanks and bases of comparatively soft or low
temper.
In carrying our invention into effect we first fill up the interstices between the
wire teeth on the card clothing to the required height with sand or any other
suitable granulated or powdered substance or material which will readily absorb
heat. We then subject the uncovered tips or points of the wire teeth to the action
of heat applied by a clear smokeless flame or otherwise as convenient and we
prefer to travel the card clothing or filletting whilst the exposed tips or points of
the wire teeth are being heated although if more convenient the flame or other
source of heat might be traversed over the wire teeth.
In order to further prevent the bases or shanks of the wire teeth from becoming
unduly heated when heat is applied to their points we propose to employ in
addition to the sand or other material or substance on the face of the clothing as
described some means for cooling and maintaining a uniformity of temperature at
the back of the foundation. For example we may have a hollow casing, through
which cold water or other cooling liquid is constantly circulating, on the other side
of the clothing and in contact therewith exactly opposite to the point at which the
the heat is applied to the tips or points of the teeth.
As soon as the tips or points are heated to the required temperature we then by
means of a hopper or any other suitable appliance cover them completely with
damp sand or other like material or otherwise chill the tips or points as for
example by means of a jet or spray of cooling fluid. The card clothing is subse
quently brushed or otherwise suitably treated in order to remove the sand etc. and.
clean the teeth.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1894.
H. B. BARLOW & GILLETT,
Agents for Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in and in the Manufacture of Wire Card
Clothing.
We,
FREDERICK WILKINSON, of 13 India Buildings, Cross Street, Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Yarn Agent, and THOMAS STROVER TURNBULL, of
District Bank Chambers, Manchester, aforesaid, Solicitor, 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:—
Our invention relates to improvements in wire card clothing, and consists chiefly
in chilling or hardening and tempering the points of the wire teeth after they
have been set in the foundation, so as to produce card clothing with wire teeth
having carding points of high temper and shanks and bases of comparatively soft
or low temper.
In carrying our invention into effect we first fill up the interstices between the
wire teeth on the card clothing to the required height with a suitable substance or
material which will readily absorb heat. We then subject, the uncovered tips or
points of the wire teeth to the action of heat after which the tips or points are
chilled.
And in order that our invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect we will describe the accompanying sheet of drawings reference being had to
the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section,
and Fig. 3 is a plan (with some of the parts omitted) of a convenient construction
of machine for hardening the tips or points of wire card teeth.
In those views, a designates the strip or fillet of wire card clothing which is
conducted through a tank b over a roller c under a card clothed or other suitable
roller d up over a small roller e down under a second card clothed or other suitable
roller and out of the tank b over a roller g. The fillet a is drawn through the
machine in any convenient way as for example by driving the second card clothed
roller which is effected as shown by the gears f¹ff the last being mounted on
a shaft on which is fixed a worm wheel h³ driven by a worm i¹ on a shaft i which
is driven by means of the grooved pulley or in any other suitable way. The
tank.b is nearly filled with mercury which in practice we find to be the most suitable
substance to employ as it is a good conductor of heat, it does not adhere to the wire
teeth or to the foundation, and it is clean and easy to handle. The fillet a as it
travels through the tank 6 is preferably wholly immersed in the mercury except at
the point where it passes over the roller e, where the tips or points only of the
wire teeth are allowed to appear above the level of the mercury as clearly shown
in Fig. 2.
To regulate the depth of immersion at this point the roller e is mounted in
bearings in an adjustable bracket e which can be raised and lowered by two
wedges j connected together and moved to and fro on the edges of the tank 6 by a
thumb screw k. The roller'e is of small diameter so as to open out and expose the
tips or points of the wire teeth to the action of a flame of high temperature
directed upon them at this point. This flame is obtained from a series of atmo-
spheric gas burners which are pivoted on a stud m and are supplied with gas and
air through the pipes . The burners can be adjusted by means of a screwed
rod n' and nut n to regulate the direction of the flame and its action on the exposed
tips of the card teeth. The card clothing being in motion and the mercury
being a rapid absorber of heat the high temperature imparted to the, tips or

page_text: points is not communicated to the shanks and bases of the teeth which therefore
remain practically at the same temper;.
; whereas the tips or points after exposure
to the flame being immediately submerged in the mercury are rapidly chilled and
hardened.
To maintain the mercury as far as practicable at one uniform temperature it is
necessary to keep it constantly circulating, and this may be effected in a variety of
ways as for example by means of an Archimedean screw o which is driven by a
worm and worm wheel from a band pulley p. The lower end of the screw o lies in
a well 6 and the screw o raises the mercury from this well 6' and discharges it
again through an opening in the side near the top of the tank b and preferably close
to where the teeth are chilled. The mercury in the tank boverflows through an
opening in the end of the tank and falls into a tray b' in communication with the
well. Instead of or in addition to this circulation many other devices for cooling
the mercury may be employed as for instance, by circulation in a coil of pipes
placed in a tank of cold water or otherwise in any convenient manner..
To free the card clothing from any mercury that might possibly remain upon it
a revolving or oscillating wiper shaft or jigger q may be fitted outside the tank b
BO as to agitate the fillet a and cause any mercury still present to run back into the
tank.
We have shown and described what we believe to be a convenient arrangement
of parts and the most suitable method of and means for carrying into effect our
invention the essential feature of which consists as already stated in chilling or
hardening and tempering the tips or points only of wire card teeth after the teeth
have been set in the foundation of the card clothing or filletting and preferably
after they have been ground whereby we obtain card clothing the wire teeth of
which have carding points of high temper while the shanks and bases remain of
comparatively soft or low temper.
We wish it to be clearly understood however that we do not intend or wish to
limit ourselves to such arrangement or to the particular method of and means
herein specified as various modifications and alternatives might be employed without
departing from the essential feature of our invention as above defined, for example,
although we prefer to use mercury as being the best material known to us for the
purpose we might employ any other suitable substance such as granulated or
powdered material which would rapidly absorb heat and at the same time would
not injure the wire teeth or the foundation fabric.
Again instead of a flame supplied through the arrangement of atmospheric
burners heat may be applied electrically or by means of a blast from a jet or by a
highly heated cylinder or roller or in any other convenient and suitable way; also
instead of, or as well as, travelling the card clothing or filletting whilst the
exposed tips or points of the wire card teeth are being heated previously to
being chilled the flame or other source of heat might be traversed over the
teeth.
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. The herein described improvements in wire card clothing which improve-
ments consist essentially in chilling or hardening and tempering the tips or points
only of the wire teeth after the teeth have been set in the foundation and preferably
after they have been ground whereby wire teeth with carding points of high temper
are produced while the shanks and bases remain of comparatively soft or low temper
substantially as herein set forth.
2. The use and application of mercury in a process of chilling or hardening and
tempering the points only of wire teeth after the teeth have been set in the
foundation of the card clothing substantially as herein set forth.
3. The combination and general arrangements of parts constituting a convenient

page_text: construction of machine for carrying. into effect the improvements in wire card
clothing substantially as herein: set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1894.
H. B. BARLOW & GILLETT,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for Applicants.