IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR DRAWING AND PREPARING SILK, COTTON, WOOL, FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR DRAWING AND PREPARING SILK,
COTTON, WOOL, FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."-A com-
munication from Mr Antoine Louis Warnery, of Lyons, in the Empire
of France, Manufacturer.
Sealed the 22nd May 1857, and dated the 12th March 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th March 1857.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR DRAWING AND
PREPARING SILK, COTTON, WOOL, FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to
be as follows:
The object of this Invention of improved machinery for drawing and pre-
paring silk, cotton, wool, flax, hemp, and other fibrous substances is to work
up and prepare for the after operations of combing and spinning the short or
waste fibres of these substances. This object is effected by means of cylindrical
combs provided with teeth of such degrees of fineness as may be required,

page_text: according to the nature of the material to be operated upon. The rough
or unprepared fibres are placed upon an endless travelling cloth, which conveys
them to a pair of drawing rollers, around one of which passes an endless band,
strap, or apron of leather or other suitable material, which also partially
envelopes or covers the comb cylinders, being kept in contact therewith by
means of suitable guide rollers. The fibres are, by means of the drawing
rollers and their endless leather or other band, pressed on to the points of the
teeth of the comb cylinders, and are consequently partially drawn out and
straightened thereby. The fibres are removed from the comb cylinders by
means of taking-off rollers, which conduct them to and between another roller
and endless band or apron, and from thence to another set of rollers, and
ultimately out of the machine in the form of a sliver.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR DRAWING AND PREPARING SILK, COTTON,
WOOL, FLAX, HEMP, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," being a communication
from Mr Antoine Louis Warnery, of Lyons, in the Empire of France,
Manufacturer, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under 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

page_text: 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 William Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention of improved machinery for drawing and
preparing silk, cotton, wool, flax, hemp, and other fibrous substances, is to
work up and prepare for the after operations of combing and spinning the
short or waste fibres of these substances. This object is effected by means of
cylindrical combs provided with teeth of such degrees of fineness as may be
required, according to the nature of the matérial to be operated upon. The
rough or unprepared fibres are placed upon an endles travelling cloth, which
conveys them to a pair of drawing rollers, around one of which passes an
endless band, strap, or apron of vulcanized india-rubber, leather, or other
suitable material, which also partially envelopes or covers the comb cylinders,
being kept in contact therewith by means of suitable guide rollers. The
fibres are, by means of the drawing rollers and their endless leather or other
band, pressed on to the points of the teeth of the comb cylinders, and are con-
sequently partially drawn out and straightened thereby.
The fibres are removed from the comb cylinders by means of taking-off
rollers, which conduct them to and between another roller and endless band or
apron, and from thence to another set of rollers, and ultimately out of the
machine in the form of a sliver.
The Figures in the accompanying Drawing represent a "spreader," with
two comb cylinders suitable for preparing long fibres of silk.
Fig. 1 represents an elevation of that side of the machine where the driving
pullies are situated; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a partial
vertical section, shewing the working parts of the machine in contact with the
fibres to be operated upon; Fig. 4 shews an arrangement in which three card
cylinders are employed; and Fig. 5 also represents an arrangement with three
card cylinders, the only difference being that a greater number of tension rollers
are employed.
A is the framework of the machine; B, the main driving shaft, furnished
with fast and loose pullies U, U; C is a lever (provided with a counterweight
T), and having its fulcrum at E, (Fig. 1,) by which the requisite pressure is put
the cylinder above by means of the draw rod M and saddle piece N;
F, F, F, (Figures 3, 4, and 5,) are the card cylinders; G, (Fig. 1) is a slotted..
upon

page_text: bracket, in which the shaft H of the delivery or feed roller a is capable of
moving up and down; ;b and c (Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4) are rollers for conducting
the fibres to the card cylinders by means of the endless band K, which passes
under the roller b', and thence over the tension roller d', and rollers
f¹ and g¹.
The operation of this machine is as follows:-The fibrous substance to be
operated upon is fed into the machine by the endless feed apron on the roller a',
and follows the course of the endless band or cloth K, by which it is pressed
into the teeth of the card cylinder F¹ (Fig. 3), from this cylinder it passes
under the roller f to the second card cylinder F, from which it is taken
by the drawing rollers c, d, e. I would here observe, that the small roller
g, over which the endless band passes above the second card cylinder F,
and near the presser roller e, has for its object to prevent the fibres from
being carried back by the endless band instead of to the drawing rollers.
After being consolidated by means of the drawing rollers c, d, e, the sliver is
deposited upon a second endless band o, o, by which it is conducted under the
smooth roller f, over the roller g, and between the rollers h and i to the
rollers k, l, by which it is finally conducted out of the machine. Motion is
communicated to the main shaft B from any prime mover by means of the
driving pulley U (Figures 1 and 2). This shaft carries, first, the toothed
wheel 1, which, by means of an intermediate wheel 2, transmits motion to the
wheel 3 of the roller c; second, the toothed wheel 1, which taking into an
intermediate wheel 2¹ gives motion to the wheel 31 of the roller d. The
toothed wheel 4 upon the roller c communicates motion to the roller by
means of the intermediate gearing 5, 6, 7, and 7. The toothed wheel 8, upon
the axle of the roller c, gives motion by means of an intermediate wheel to the
toothed wheel 9 on the shaft of the roller h. The toothed wheel 10, at
the other end of the shaft of the roller h, gives motion to the wheel 12 of the
rollers k, l, by means of the intermediate wheel 11. The toothed wheel 13
(Fig. 3), on the shaft of the roller b', gears into the wheel 14 on the shaft of
the roller a¹, carrying the endless feed apron. The toothed wheel 15 (Fig. 3),
on the shaft of the cylinder b¹, gears into the wheel 16 on the shaft of the card
cylinder F; which wheel 16, by intermediate gearing 18, communicates
motion to the wheel 19 on the shaft of the card cylinder F, as seen best in
Fig. 3. Figures 4 and 5 represent arrangements in which three card cylinders
are employed. In Fig. 4, the endless band K is provided with a small
roller f, which is mounted in such a position as to press the endless band
against the card teeth of the second and third card cylinders F, F', or only
against the cylinder F, according to the pressure required to be put upon the

page_text: sliver to be drawn. In the arrangement shewn in Fig. 5 these presser rollers
are mounted in pairs instead of singly, as shewn at e¹, e¹, f¹, f¹, for the purpose
of guiding the sliver during its passage from one card cylinder to the other,
and to facilitate its consolidation by diminishing its friction or pressure against
the india-rubber band. With the exception of these modifications the
arrangements represented in these two Figures are similar to that shewn in
Figures 1, 2, and 3.
In the foregoing description I have in. Figures 1, 2, and 3 shewn and
described an arrangement of apparatus suitable for operating upon fibres of
from half an inch to an inch in length, but for fibres of greater length a
greater number of card cylinders may be employed, as shewn in Figures
4 and 5, where three are represented, or if considered desirable a larger
number may be employed. I would also observe, that the parts must be some-
what modified, according to the nature of the material to be operated upon
and the work to be performed; for instance, the cards may vary in fineness,
and the card cylinders and drawing rollers be of different diameters, and set at
different distances from each other.
Having now described this Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, I desire it to be understood that what I claim as the Invention
secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent is, the use and
application of the card cylinders above shewn and described, and of the endless
band or cloth of vulcanized india-rubber, leather, or other suitable material,
whereby the sliver to be drawn is lapped closely on to the card cylinders, and
conducted from one cylinder to the other for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Ninth day of September, in the year
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)