IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING AND TREATING OR PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Todd, of Bridge of Weir, in the County
of Renfrew, North Britain, Mill Manager, for the Invention of " IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING AND TREATING
OR PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 27th October 1859, and dated the 29th August 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Todd at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th August 1859.
I, DAVID TODD, of Bridge of Weir, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Mill Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING AND TREATING OR
PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to the so arranging and constructing carding engines
or machinery used for the carding, treatment, or preparation of fibrous
materials of various kinds, but especially cotton, that great loss by waste of
material is prevented, whilst the carding and straightening of the fibres is
performed in a manner superior to the existing practice. In fitting up carding
engines for cotton in this way the whole of the lower part of the engine
beneath the main carding cylinder from the "licker-in" or feeding roller to the

page_text: "doffer" is covered in with narrow adjustable metal bars arranged in a frame
or otherwise so as to conform to the periphery of the main cylinder in the most
exact manner. These bars are disposed transversely to the carding engine or
parallel with the axis of that cylinder. They are preferred to be triangular in
transverse section, being placed with a flat side inwards and quite parallel
with each other, and with their contiguous edges close together, about one-
eighth or three-sixteenths of an inch only being left between them at each end
of the set of covering bars, that is, at the "licker-in" end and the "doffer "
end, there is a covering shield to connect them with the "licker-in" and
doffer respectively, and thus form a complete bottom cover. Carding engines
fitted in this way work up all the really available fibres, and allow nothing but
positively useless waste to escape through the interstices of the bars, and thus a
great saving in material is effected. At the same time the edges of the
bars assist very materially in strengthening the fibres, and hence the carded
material is very superior in quality.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Todd in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th
February 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
TODD, of Bridge of Weir, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Mill
Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said David Todd, Her, special license that I, the said David Todd,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
David Todd, my executors, administrators, or 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 " IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CARDING AND TREATING OR PREPARING
FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
David Todd, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in

page_text: what nianner 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 David Todd, 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 accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to the so arranging and constructing carding
engines or machinery used for the carding, treatment, or preparation of fibrous
materials of various kinds, but especially cotton, that great loss of waste of
material is prevented, whilst the carding and straightening of the fibres is per-
formed in a manner superior to the existing practice. In fitting up carding
engines for cotton in this way, the whole of the lower part of the engine beneath
the main carding cylinder from the "licker in" or feeding roller to the "doffer "
is covered in with narrow adjustable bars of metal or other material arranged
in a frame or otherwise, so as to conform to the periphery of the main cylinder
in the most exact manner. These bars are disposed transversely to the carding
engine or parallel with the axis of that cylinder. They are preferred to be
triangular in transverse section, being placed with a flat side inwards and quite
parallel with each other, and with their contiguous edges close together about
one-eighth or three-sixteenths of an inch only being left between them. At
each end of the set of covering bars, that is, at the "licker in" end and the
"doffer" end, there is a covering shield to connect them with the "licker in "
and doffer respectively, and thus form a complete bottom cover. Carding
engines fitted in this way work up all the really available fibres, and allow
nothing but positively useless waste to escape through the interstices of the
bars, and thus a great saving in material is effected. At the same time
the edges of the bars assist very materially in straightening the fibres, and
hence the carded material is very superior in'quality.
And in order that my said Invention of "Improvements in Machinery or
Apparatus for Carding and Treating or Preparing Fibrous Materials" may be
properly understood, I shall now proceed to describe the several Figures
on the explanatory Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto appended, for the
purpose of showing certain modifications under which my improvements may
be júdiciously carried out in practice, that is to say:—
Figure 1 on the accompanying Drawings is a sectional elevation of one
modification of a carding machine, having my improvements applied thereto;
Figure 2 is a plan of the same with the main carding cylinder removed;

page_text: Figure 3 is an elevation of a portion of the details drawn to an enlarged scale;
and Figure 4 is a vertical section corresponding to Figure 3.
The framing A of the carding machine is arranged in the ordinary manner,
so also is the main carding cylinder B. At the part immediately below the
feeding rollers or "licker-in" C, there are bolted to the top rail of the framing
inwardly projecting brackets D. To these brackets is riveted a metal plate E,
which extends along the engine parallel to the main cylinder, the surface of
the plate E being curved to conform to its periphery. The ends of the plate E
are bolted to a segmental frame F, which is fitted at each end of the carding
engine. The segmental frame at each end of the carding cylinder, is by pre-
ference made in two parts, the inner ends abutting against each other as
shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings. The frame is made of
cast iron, and it has laterally projecting pieces, which are slotted for the con-
venience of attaching it to the framing of the carding engine, and of accurately
adjusting it to the main cylinder B. The inner surface of each of the seg-
mental frames F, next the cylinder, is formed with rectangular notches or
recesses in it, as is more clearly shown in the enlarged views, Figures 3 and 4
on the accompanying Drawings. Into these recesses, are fitted a series of bars.
of metal or other material G, these bars, are by preference of a triangular
figure in transverse section, as is shown by the coloured parts in Figure 4:
The bars G are arranged with their flat surfaces next the cylinder B, and they
are disposed so as to leave a space of from one-eighth to three-sixteenths of an
inch between the contiguous bars. The ends of the bars G are made of a
rectangular figure so as to fit into the recesses in the supporting segmental
end frames F, as shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying Drawings.
In this way the lower part of the carding cylinder B is enclosed by the series
of parallel bars, which extend nearly half way round the cylinder as shown in
Figure 1. Above the bars G on the doffer side of the engine is fitted a
curved plate H, which is carried by the brackets I, that are bolted to the
framing of the engine, corresponding to the arrangement of the curved plate E
on the opposite side. The curved plate H is made much deeper than the
plate E, so that it extends nearly up to the doffer J, and forms a curved shield
to prevent any waste of the fibrous material before reaching the doffer. In
this way as the cotton or other fibrous material to be carded is carried into
the engine by the rotatory action of the "licker-in" rollers C. it is carried
round by the main cylinder B in the direction of the arrow. The rotatory
action of the cylinder B carries the fleece of fibrous material over and in con-
tact with the bars G, which has the effect of effectually separating from it the
dust and small refuse particles. These waste matters pass through the inter-

page_text: stices between the bars G, and fall on to the floor beneath. In this manner
every portion of the useful fibrous material is delivered in a clean and thoroughly
carded state on to the doffer J, and a considerable saving in the material is
thus effected.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery or apparatus
for carding and treating or preparing fibrous material, as herein-before
described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the system or mode of carding, treating, or preparing fibrous
materials, by the aid of machinery or apparatus, in which the dust and refuse
particles are separated from the useful fibrous materials, by means of the
mechanical arrangement herein-before described and delineated in the accom-
panying Drawings.
Third, the application to and use in carding machinery or apparatus of
the mechanical arrangement for separating dust and refuse matters, as herein-
before described and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere
equivalent therefor.
Fourth, the application and use in machinery or apparatus for carding and
treating or preparing fibrous materials, of a bottom or under cover composed
of transverse bars, or otherwise so formed as to present open and solid por-
tions alternately for the purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Todd, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty.