CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES FOR CARDING COTTON, WOOL, SILK, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Evan Arthur Leigh, of the City of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES FOR CARDING COTTON, WOOL, SILK, OR
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,"
Sealed the 26th August 1878, and dated the 28th February 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Evan Arthur Leigh
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 28th February 1878.
I, EVAN ARTHUR LEIGH, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
6 Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CARDING ENGINES FOR CARDING COTTON, WOOL,
SILK, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists:—
-

page_text: Secondly. In arranging flats of carding engines so that they can all be
set together on both sides of the engine at the same time whether they
be travelling or stationary self-stripping flats.
Thirdly. In arranging doffers and takers-in of carding engines so
that both ends may be accurately set up to the main cylinder at the
same time, whereby they can always be kept parallel.
Fourthly. In dispensing with the coupling chains of travelling self-
stripping flats and attaining greater accuracy in the flexible bend.
In the first place, by preference, I make each engine bend of a cast-
irou ring or disc so that it can be turned up accurately. This ring 1
supports the roller pedestals or flats on its upper side, and the under
casing at the bottom. It is about the same diameter as the cylinder,
with a set off about four inches wide, which projects about an inch, more
or less, at the greatest diameter, and has a hole about fourteen inches
diameter through the middle, with a flange projecting about six inches. 1
The top set off has V shaped grooves out in it into which the roller
pedestals fit; these grooves are cut in a line radiating from the centre of
the main carding cylinder. The roller pedestals are all of an exact length,
and each terminates in an inclined plane at the bottom end, which rests
upon another inclined plane cut like the teeth of a circular saw upon a 2
wheel, ring, or segment supported upon the pap or flange in the centre
of the bend. The main cylinder pedestal is turned at the bottom so as
to fit concentric into the hole in the bend. The rings or segments, which
have as many inclined planes cut upon their peripheries as there are
carding roller or flat pedestals to support, are held in their places by 2
connecting rods, one on each side of the engine, which connect them to
an eccentric shaft that stretches across the framing; upon one end of
this eccentric shaft is placed a worm wheel, into which a worm takes
that is fixed upon a small vertical shaft; the top of this small vertical
shaft is squared, or otherwise, for a setting key, so that when the S
eccentric shaft is turned it acts upon the inclined planes by the
connecting rods, and the rollers or flats are brought down or raised up
simultaneously on both sides of the carding engine. The roller pedestals
have each a bolt or set screw passing through them which screws them
firmly to the engine bend after they are set. The clearer pedestals or 86
brackets are by preference fixed upon the roller pedestals and adjusted
by set screws. The clearers are set on the doffer side or back of each
roller so as to pass the cotton on direct from the roller to the cylinder,

page_text: leaving the rollers baro at the top so that they can be brushed out or
ground whilst the engine is at work, in a somewhat similar manner to
that described in the Specification of my Patent dated Sixteenth August,
1870, No. 2267. Instead of having the carding rollers running at
gradually accelerated speeds, as therein described, I drive them in the
ordinary way, with a small clearer to each; and instead of having the
radial arms supported on the cylinder pedestals I support them on
the flange cast on the centre of the band before described.
The doffers and takers-in are set both ends at once by an eccentric shaft
and connecting rods to each, which act upon the pedestals. For engines
having travelling flats I have a segment of a ring or flexible bend
passing over standards fixed in the place of the roller pedestals, abovo.
described, on each side of the engine; these segments are turned parallel
to a proper diameter and thickness, and are fixed firmly to the standards
at one end only. The weight of the flats keep the flexible bends down
to the standards or supports so that perfect accuracy is obtained in their
varying diameter as the cards wear down.
In carding engines having travelling flats I dispense with the coupling
chain heretofore employed and cause the flats to moved in a grooved
casting mounted over the flexible bend.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Evan Arthur Leigh in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EVAN
ARTHUR LEIGH, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, send greeting. .
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Evan Arthur Leigh, Her special licenso
that I, the said Evan Arthur Leigh, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Evan Arthur Leigh, my executors,

page_text: diameter through tho middle, with a flange projecting about six inches.
The top set off has V shaped grooves cut in it, into which the roller
pedestals fit. These grooves are cut in a line radiating from the centre
of the main carding cylinder. The roller pedestals are all of an exact
length, and each terminates in an inclined planè at the bottom end,
which rests upon another inclined planó cut like the teeth of a circular
saw, upon a wheel, ring, or segment supported upon the pap or flange
in the centre of the band. The main cylinder pedestal is turned,
at the bottom so as to fit concentric into the hole in the bend. Tho
rings or segments, which have as many inclined planes cut upon their
peripheries as there are carding rollers or flat pedestals to support, aro
held in their places by connecting rods, one on each side of the engine,
which connect them to an eccentric shaft that stretches across the
framing. Upon one and of this eccentric shaft is placed a worm whoel,
into which a worm takes that is fixed upon a small vertical shaft. The
top of this small vertical shaft is squared or otherwise for a setting key,
so that when the eccentric shaft is turned it acts upon the inclined
planes by the connecting rods, and the rollers or flats are brought down
The
or raised up simultaneously on both sides of the carding engine..
roller pedestals have each a bolt or set screw passing through them,
which screws them firmly to the engine bend after they are set. The
clearer pedestals or brackets are by preference fixed upon the roller
pedestals and adjusted by set screws. The clearers are set on the doffer
side or back of cach roller, so as to pass the cotton on direct from the
roller to the cylinder, leaving the rollers bare at the top, so that they
can be brushed out or ground whilst the engine is at work in a somewhat
similar manner to that described in the Specification of my Patent dated
Sixteenth of August One thousand eight hundred and seventy, numbered
2267. Instead of having the carding rollers running at gradually acco-
lerated speeds, as therein described, I drivò them in the ordinary way with
a small clearer to cach, and instead of having the radial arms supported
on the cylinder pedestals I support them on the flange cast on the centre
of the bend before described, the doffers and takers-in are set both ends
at onco by an eccentric shaft, and connecting rods to each, which act
upon the pedestals. For engines having travelling flats I have a segment
of a ring or flexible bend passing over standards fixed in the place of the
roller pedestals above described on each side of the engine. Those
segments are turned 'parallel to a proper diameter and thickness, and are
fixed firmly to the standards at one end only. The weight of the flats

page_text: keep the flexible bends down to the standards or supports, so that perfect
accuracy is obtained in their varying diameter as the cards wear down.
In carding engines having travelling flats I dispense with the coupling
chain heretofore employed, and cause the flats to move in a grooved.
casting, mounted over the flexible bend.
This Invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, with the figures and letters of reference
marked thereon.
My improvements for arranging the rollers of carding engines, so that
they can be set on both sides of the engine all at once in a superior
manner to that described in the Specification of my Patent, dated
Sixteenth of August One thousand eight hundred and seventy, are
represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, Fig. 1 being a right-hand side elevation of
a roller carding engine built in accordance with this Invention; Fig. 2,
a left-hand side clevation of the same; and Fig. 3, a section through the 1
middle a, a.
Figs. 1 and 2 represent the side framing a', a', the circular bend
firmly scrowed to the framing; b, the main cylinder; c, the doffer; d,
the licker-in; e, e, e, the carding rollers; and f. f. f, the clearers. The
rollers e, e, e, aro mounted on pedestals g, g, g, which slide in grooves 2
cut on the face of the circular bends a', a', in lines radiating from the
centro of the cylinder. The pedestals g, 9, 9, are bevilled off at the
bottom, and rest on a disc whcel -i, i, at each side which is cut with
inclines, as shewn. The disc wheels i, i, work on the lower flanges a³ of
the circular bends, as shown in section, Fig. 3, and are moved by rods 2
and eccentrics, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These eccentrics are keyed
on a shaft which passes under the cylinder, and at one end this shaft
has a worm wheel keyed upon it into which the worm it takes, and is
actuated by a vertical shaft &, which is squared or otherwise at the top
for a setting key.
8
In order to set the rollers closer to the cylinder on both sides alike it
is so arranged (by preference) that by turning the vertical shaft ; to the
right the disc wheels are brought downwards, which allow the pedestals
to come down the incline after the setting bolts are slackened, and by
turning the shaft to the left they are raised up from the cylinder. The 35
rollers e, e, are stripped by small clearers f.f, sct in front of them.

page_text: These clearers are supported by lover pedestals gª, as seen in Fig. 2 (and
in the enlarged views, Figs. 4 and 5). Theso lever pedestals rest on
vertical supports g³ in the side clevation Fig. 2, back view Fig. 4, and.
section Fig. 5, and are moved sideways by set screws g', g', and verti-
cally by set scrows g, the pedestals forming compound levers. By this
arrangement the roller pedestals carry the compound levers which
support the clearers, and consequently when the rollers are set closer or
farther from the cylinder the clearers move with them, and the arrange-
ment of the set screws g* acting upon the vertical levers g³, and the top
set screw g³ acting upon the roller pedestal allow of particular adjust-
ment of the clearers when necessary.
The arrangement for setting the doffer c and licker-in & both ends at
onco is shewn at 1 and lª, Figs. 1 and 2, by eccentrics fixed on the ends
of a shaft to each respectively passing through the framework, and
actuated by a worm and wheel, as described, for setting the rollers. On
theso eccentrics connecting rods work, which pass through smugs cast
on the bottom of the pedestals, as shown. The rollers aro brushed out
or ground by a brush or grinding roller m mounted on the top of the
radial arms n, which rest on the samo paps cast on the fixed circular
bends as the setting wheels 6, 6, and are actuated to and fro by a manglo
motion n', as shown in Figs. 1 and 8. By placing the small clearers on
the doffer sido of the rollers the cotton is passed direct through the
engine without being carried over the tops of the rollers, consequently
the brush or grinding roller, as the caso may bo, can act upon them
whilst the engine is working, the ordinary covers being unnecessary; as
by this arrangement the rollers can be got sufficiently close to cach
other as to cover the cylinder.
bl
↓ The feed rollers are set up both ends at once by a shaft which goes
across the framing. This shaft is squared at one end for a setting koy,
and has bovel wheels upon it, as shewn at o, o, Figs. 1 and 2, which
work into bevel wheels on the small horizontal shafts o¹, but in this caso
instead of the eccentrics the small horizontal shafts o' are screwed at the
ends and pass through snngs attached to the feed roller pedestals o³.
The brush or grinding roller is set (both ends at
arrangement of bevils and scrows, are seen at o, p.
or doffer requiro grinding the grinding rollers are
and q', as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Theso podestals are keyed upon shafts,
as shown af g³ and g³, and are set closer or farther from the cylinder or
once) by a similar
When the cylinder
fixed in pedestals q

page_text: doffer by the vertical rods q' and ', which pass through sockets fixed
on the engine bend, and actuated by nuts, as shewn at q' and q'.
When a dirt roller is used under the licker-in the pedestals are
mounted on levers r, Figs. 1 and 2, the ends of which levers rest
upon an eccentric shaft r¹, which stretches across the engine. This
eccentric shaft is actuated by a worm and wheel, and a small ver-
tical setting shaft, as seen at r³. It will thus be seen by the above-
described arrangement that all the points that require setting can be
done both ends at once by the machinery described, and I prefer to have
it so arranged that by turning a setting key to the right all the carding
points are brought nearer to each other, and by turning to the left the
reverse. The circular bends a' being made in the form of a ring, with a
small flange, and turned up true, is well adapted for fixing an under
casing to the engine. The brackets g¹ carry a moat box and straight
edge, which is set to the main cylinder whenever the rollers are set by
reason of the bottom of the brackets having each an incline that rests on
another incline cut on the disc wheel i, i. The incline has only half
the fall of the other inclines which adjust the roller pedestals, because it
is only required to provide for the wear of the main cylinder cards.
My improvements in flat carding engines are represented in Figs 6
and 7, in which a, a, represents the framing; a', a', a circular bend
firmly screwed thereto; b, b, the main cylinder; c, the doffer; d, the
licker-in; and e, a carding roller stripped by the licker-in. The apparatus
for setting the doffer, licker-in, and grinding rollers is similar to that
employed in the roller engine before described.
and
8
The method of setting the flats is as follows:-A flexible bend a is
mounted over the fixed circular bend a¹ on each side of the cylinder, and
rests on the top of the pillars a¹. These pillars or standards are by
preference circular in form, and fit loosely in holes drilled through the
fixed bends. They are about one and an eighth inch in diameter,
have a recess turned out at the top to receive the flexible bend. Each
pillar has a taper groove cut on the bottom side to rest on the inclines s
cut on the setting rings or discs i, i, which are moved by similar machi-
nery to that shewn in the roller card before described. The flexible
bends are made by preference from segments of a ring of cast iron, 3
which is turned parallel. These segments are each fixed firmly at their
lower ends to the first pillar, and rest loosely on all the other pillars,

page_text: which allow them to be stretched out by the weight of the flats resting
upon them, so that when the pillars are lowered for setting the flats they
accommodate themselves to the wear of the wire. My next improvement
is in dispensing with the bushed chain usually employed in coupling up
flats in carding engines having revolving flats. This I effect by allowing
the ends of the flats to work in a partially grooved casting # at each
side, and they are actuated by rag wheels t, t, keyed upon the driving
shafts &,, which pass across the engine, as shown, front and back.
The whole series of flats form an endless string, and pass over the top of
the upper bonds or castings u, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, one on each
side of the engine. The upper bends & have each a broad leg, which fits in
grooves cut in the stationary circular bends, and rest on an incline u³,
fixed upon the setting rings i at each side, so that when the flats are set
down or up the upper bends u are regulated in the same way as the
flexible bends, thereby ensuring practical uniformity. After setting, the
upper bends are firmly held by the screw bolts u³.
"
In order to effect the smooth travelling of the flats over the flexiblo
bend, over the upper bend, and through the quick curves at the ends, it
is necessary that the ends of the flats have four different ourves cut upon
them, as shown about full size in Fig. 8, one to cach circle. They can
be ground or brushed out while at work by a roller or bush m, Fig. 0,
set in a similar manner as before described. The flats aro stripped by
the oscillating combo, actuated by the eccentric wo, which works loosely
on the front shaft which drives the flats, and is driven by the band o'
from the doffer. The flats may be driven in the usual manner by chains
and chain wheels, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 6, or by gearing, if
proferred.
at the end.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
and the manner in which tho samo is to be performed, I desire it to bo
understood that I claim,―
First. The method shewn and described of arranging the rollers of
carding engines, so that they can bo set on both sides of the ongine at
oncc.

page_text: carding engines, so that they can all be set together on both sides of tho
engine at the same time.
Thirdly. The method shewn and described of setting the doffers, lickers-
in, fced rollers, dirt, and grinding rollers at both ends at once.
Fourthly. The method shewn and described of dispensing with the 5
usual coupling chain in carding engines having travelling flats.
And, fifthly. The improved flexible bend, as shewn and described, by
means of which greater accuracy is attained than heretofore.
In witness whereof, I, the said Evan Arthur Leigh, havo here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of July, in the year 10
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
EVAN ARTHUR LEIGH. (L.S.)
Signed, scaled, and delivered by the
within-named Evan Arthur Leigh,
in the presence of
G. SEPTIMUS HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.