Process and Apparatus for Combing or Opening and Removing Im- purities such as Burrs, Noil, and the like from Fibrous Material, such as Wool, Mohair, Cashmere, Alpaca, Camel Hair, and the like, and for Sorting the same according to their Quality.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 30th May, 1899-Accepted, 12th Aug., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Process and Apparatus for Combing or Opening and Removing Im-
purities such as Burrs, Noil, and the like from Fibrous Material,
such as Wool, Mohair, Cashmere, Alpaca, Camel Hair, and the like,
and for Sorting the same according to their Quality.
I, CHARLES DELERUE, of 5, Rue Fosse aux Chènes, Roubaix, Nord, France,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a process and apparatus for treating the separate
fibres of filamentous materials such as wool, mohair, alpaca, cashmere, camel
hair and the like for removing therefrom impurities such as short and foreign
hairs, noil, burrs and the like.
The essential feature of the apparatus consists in the use of a brush revolving
at very high speed in contact with a cylindrical comb revolving at a lower speed
the points of whose teeth are sloped forward and so arranged as to be readily
deprived of the fibrous or other material carried thereby.
Thus all the material is carried away by the brush which in its turn throws
the same off by centrifugal action. The heavy particles of such materials are
at once projected to a distance while the remaining fibre, suspended in the sur-
rounding air is deposited at a less distance.
The brush is enclosed in a casing so constructed that at one side thereof there
is provided a recipient for the heavy material (burrs, coarse hairs, noil or felted
portions &c.) while on the opposite side is a large hollow revolving cylinder
having a wire gauze surface forming a sieve through which the air propelled
by the brush passes in an inward direction while the matter carried along thereby
is intercepted by and adheres to the surface forming a continuous fleece. The
cylindrical comb being charged in a continuous manner, is made by a special
device to push the material to the points of the teeth whence it is delivered on to
the brush.
The machine for operating in the above described manner is constructed as
follows.
An endless travelling apron conveys the fibrous material to be treated to a
pair of feed rollers which feed it on to a cylindrical revolving comb, which carries
it round through 180° and then delivers it to the next cylindrical comb which
revolves in the contrary direction. For this purpose the cylindrical combs are
constructed as follows.
Each row of teeth of the comb parallel with the axes passes through a loose
transverse bar that can slide thereon from a position next the base of the teeth
to one next the points thereof. The ends of these bars have studs or rollers en-
gaged in fixed cam grooves so arranged that the bars, at one point of the revolu-
tion, namely that where the comb receives the fibres, are drawn inwards while at
the diametrically opposite point the bars are in the extreme outward position so
as to have pushed the material on the comb to the points of the teeth, from
which they are taken by the next comb.

page_text: Any desired number of cylindrical combs are arranged side by side in this
manner, delivering the material from the one to the other and at the same time
subjecting all the fibres to an effectual combing action. From the last of these
combs the fibre is taken by a brush and delivered in another cylindrical comb
from which the material is taken by the before described brush revolving at a
high speed which throws the heavy impurities into a receptacle whence they are
drawn off by a suction fan through a channel and delivered wherever required.
The lighter portions on the other hand are thrown by the brush into a conduit
at the end of which is the before described revolving wire gauze cylinder; the
air current produced by the revolving brush passes through the cylinder which
retains the fibres on its surface in the form of a fleece.
This is carried round by the cylinder to a point where the fleece is seized by a
brush which delivers it on to another cylindrical comb, and from this the material
is again taken by another rapidly revolving brush, operating as the first des-
cribed one and again throwing off any heavy impurities and delivering the fibre
to another wire gauze cylinder.
In this way the operation may be repeated any number of times that may be
required for entirely freeing the fibres of impurities and presenting the same
in the form of a perfectly combed fleece, which may either be taken as such from
the last wire gauze cylinder or it may be taken by another rapidly revolving
brush which propels the fibres singly with force into a sorting chamber where
the different kinds of fibre will be deposited at varying distances corresponding
to their different degrees of fineness, thus becoming sorted in a very perfect
manner.
The above described train of brushes, combs and wire gauze cylinders may
either be arranged with their axes horizontal, or with vertical axes. In the
latter case the unpurified material is delivered by a travelling apron on to a large
revolving comb on a horizontal axis which carries it round to a rapidly revolv
ing brush operating as before described and by which the partially purified
material is thrown into a conduit leading it to a perforated cylinder.
From this the fleece is drawn off by means of one or more suction fans which
deliver it to vertically arranged feed rollers; these feed the material on to verti-
cally arranged combs from which it is again taken by vertically arranged
brushes that effect the further separation from heavy impurities, and the pro-
pulsion of the fibres against vertically arranged gauze cylinders, from which
they are again taken by a comb and delivered to a brush, and so on as before.
Dated this 19th day of November 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Process and Apparatus for Combing or Opening and Removing Im-
purities such as Burrs, Noil, and the like from Fibrous Material,
such as Wool, Mohair, Cashmere, Alpaca, Camel Hair, and the like,
and for Sorting the same according to their Quality.
I, CHARLES DELERUE, of 5, Rue Fosse aux Chènes, Roubaix, Nord, France,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what man-
ner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a process and apparatus for treating the separate
fibres of filamentous materials such as wool, mohair, alpaca, cashmere, camel

page_text: hair and the like for removing therefrom impurities such as short and foreign
hairs, noil, burrs and the like.
The essential feature of the apparatus consists in the use of a brush revolving
at very high speed in contact with a cylindrical comb revolving at a lower speed
the points of whose teeth are sloped forward and so arranged as to be readily
deprived of the fibrous or other material carried thereby:
Thus all the material is carried away by the brush which in its turn throws
the same off by centrifugal action. The heavy particles of such materials are
at once projected to a distance while the remaining fibre, suspended in the sur-
rounding air is deposited at a less distance.
The brush is enclosed in a casing so constructed that at one side thereof there
is provided a recipient for the heavy material (burrs, coarse hairs, noil or felted
portions &c.) while on the opposite side is a large hollow revolving cylinder
having a wire gauze surface forming a sieve through which the air propelled
by the brush passes in an inward direction while the matter carried along thereby
is intercepted by and adheres to the surface forming a continuous fleece. The
cylindrical comb being charged in a continuous manner, is made by a special
device to push the material to the points of the teeth whence it is delivered on to
the brush.
I shall describe my invention referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section Fig. 1 its continuation, Fig. 2 is a transverse
section drawn to an enlarged scale of one of the combs.
Fig. 3 is a side view partly sectional and Fig. 4 is a plan of a modified form
of machine.
Referring first to Figs. 1, 1 and 2.
The material to be treated is fed by a travelling apron a to the combs b, pass-
ing from one to another, and winding only on their upper sides. On each comb
are bars c, one fitted to slide radially along each longitudinal row of needles.
The rounded ends d of each bar travel in quasi elliptic paths on each side of
the comb, these paths being such that the bars are at the base of the needles
when they receive the fibres and move out beyond the points pushing off the
fibres. The combs are driven at such speeds as to draw the fibres into parallel
positions so as to constitute a sliver. Between and above the combs b are other
similar combs provided with needle bars, these serving to transfer the fibres
from one comb to the next. On the last comb acts a cylindrical brush which
delivers the material on to a second brush i provided with needle bars which
deposits the material on to the first clearing comb, as shewn in Fig. 5.
needle bars one of which is shewn in Fig. 6 are mounted to slide on rods radial
to the brush and reciprocate along these rods so as to allow the needles to free
themselves from the material as the comb seizes it.
The
A
The rapidly revolving comb is a fluted cylinder on the ridges of which are
fixed almost tangential small needles projecting 3 or 4 millimetres. This comb
clears the fibres of impurities such as burrs and noil, and is cleared by a brush m
having at least twice the surface speed of so that it clears itself by centrifugal.
force from the material which it takes from /. The heavy impurities are pro-
jected into the receptacle n and are blown out and conveyed to a box at the
side of the machine by a current of air brought by a pipe and propelled along
the bottom of n. This current is produced by any suitable fan or blower.
casing retains the air current produced by the brush m and directs it with
the fibres suspended in it on the wire gauze periphery of a hollow cylinder q
which revolves at a speed suited to the thickness of the layer deposited on it.
A brush receives the fibres pressed by the air off the cylinder and delivers
them to the next comb 1. The arrangement of combs and brushes with air cur-
rents is repeated several times until the cleared fibre is delivered at s into a
receptacle or removed as roving.
By dispensing with the last cylinder 7 so that the fibres are merely blown into

page_text: a large chamber the fibres can be graded, the fine light fibres being projected
to a greater distance than the heavier and coarser fibres.
The modified machine shown at Figs. 3 and 4 may have in its first part
brushes like i with radially sliding bars or merely two feed rollers followed by
a pair of brushes to lay the fibres lengthwise before they are caught by the comb t
which separates the burrs and noil before it is stripped by the brush. This
brush projects the material on to the wire gauze periphery of a hollow cylin-
der which as it turns, carries the sliver to two bustle fans a of which Fig. 7
is a side view and Fig. S a plan and these revolving very rapidly by centrifugal
force and currents propel the material on to the feed rollers y (of which Fig. 9
is a section and Fig. 10 a sectional plan) of each of the two trains of mechanism
which consist of repetition of combs t and brushes in casings . The material
is carried by the air current to the rollers y at the mouth of each casing and
deposited on bristles arranged in rows on these cylinders, the air passing through
the slots y between the rows, and from the rollers y the material is delivered
on to the combs and so on until it is finally delivered cleared from impurities.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The herein described process for combing and opening wool or other fibre
and clearing it from burrs noil and other impurities by subjecting it to the suc
cessive action of a number of trains each comprising a cylindrical comb, a cylin-
drical brush which clears the comb and clears itself by centrifugal action, and
a wire gauze cylinder on which the fibres are deposited and from which they are
fed to the next train.
2. The construction of rotating combs with bars radially sliding along their
needles substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 20th day of Max 1800
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.