IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HEILMANN COMBING MACHINE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE HEILMANN COMBING MACHINE." A communication from abroad by
Albert Désiré Rodolphe Dujardin, of Lille, France.
Sealed the 19th December 1879, and dated the 27th October 1879.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th October 1879.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HEILMANN COMBING MACHINE." A
communication from abroad by Albert Désiré Rodolphe Dujardin, of Lille, France.
This Invention relates to improvements in the Heilmann combing machine, and
in order that the Invention may be more readily understood I have illustrated it in
the accompanying Drawings, and will proceed to describe it with reference thereto.
The same letters of reference are used to designate the same parts in all the
Figures.
The first part of the Invention consists in a device and combination of mechanism
having for object to draw the fibres which have been seized by the detaching
rollers wholly out of the top comb, and to protect or keep these fibres clear of the
teeth of the comb cylinder which would be liable to break any fibres they might
touch. This part of the Invention is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, in which F is a
rock shaft mounted in bearings, and E is one of two or more arms attached to said
shaft F and carrying a curved longitudinal blade or shield D; G is an arm also
fixed on shaft F and provided at its extremity with a friction roller K acted on by
a cam C, whereby the requisite movements are imparted to the blade D; H is a
spring attached at one end to a fixed point I, and at the other to the end of an
arm J, likewise fixed on shaft F, so as by its tension to keep the roller K against
the cam C; L is a brush fixed on the arms M in which the lower detaching roller
is mounted. The arms M are operated by a cain A acting on the friction roller N;
O represents the combed filaments; P, P', are the detaching rollers; Q is the endless
leather apron of lower detaching roller; R is the top comb; S, the comb segment;
and T, comb cylinder; U is the segment on the comb cylinder against which the
detaching rollers P, P', act. The following is the action:-During the first stage.

page_text: of the detaching (Figure 1) the blade D is held up in a position of rest by the
cam C so as to enable the detaching rollers P, P¹, to draw the fibres through the
comb R in the manner usual in the Heilmann and Schlumberger combing machines.
When the detaching rollers P, P¹, are lowered by their arms M to the position
Figure 2, the blade D is by the action of spring H lowered in front of said rollers and
thereby completes the detaching of the fibres which were still engaged in the teeth
of the top comb R. The blade D on arriving at its lowest position presses the fibres
against the brush L by which they are retained sufficiently to prevent them rising
with the blade D on its return to the position of rest, Figure 1. The cam C is of
such form as to ensure the upward and downward movements of blade D at the
proper moments. It will be seen from the position of Figure 2 how the blade D
serves to protect the combed fibres from the action of the cylindrical comb S.
The second improvement is illustrated in Figure 3, and relates to a brush applied
to the upper jaw of the nipper in such a way as to press the fringe or tuft of fibres
protruding from the nipper on to the teeth of the comb cylinder, and thus cause
the latter to penetrate completely through the fibres. V is the upper jaw of
nipper; W is the brush clamped to the jaw by the plate Z. The brush W is
intended to compel the teeth of the cylinder comb, upon which it tightly presses,
to penetrate completely through the fringe of fibres protruding from the nipper, as
shown in Figure 2. Without this brush it is impossible to bring the nipper
sufficiently close to the cylinder comb to ensure the teeth penetrating completely
through the fibres. The nipper brush is very narrow from front to back so as to
occupy a very limited space and necessitate but a very slight alteration in the
position of the top comb, otherwise it would lessen the production of the machine.
The brush is made of soft bristles which are held by their root ends in a longitudinal
sheath X of U section received in a rebate in the jaw. The points of the bristles
project beyond the edge of the jaw and are clamped thereto by a plate Z and binding
screws a. An adjustable metal bar or packing piece Y serves both for the plate Z
to bear against and to regulate the distance; the brush projects beyond the jaw and
at the same time prevent the brush being forced inwards.
The 3rd improvement is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, and, consists in an
arrangement of nipper in which both jaws are moveable on a common axis, so that
when the nipper is opened the lower jaw can be adjusted to move to any desired
position, and yet when the nipper is closed it cannot pass beyond a certain limit.
b is the lower jaw working upon a shaft c as a centre, and V is the upper jaw carried
by a pair of arms which are made fast on said shaft. An arm d loose on shaft c is
provided with a friction roller i and acted on by a cam B in order to operate the
upper jaw through a spring f and arm e keyed on said shaft c; g is a spring attached
at one end to a point h and at the opposite end to the arm d in order to keep the
friction roller in contact with the cam B. A spring k confined between a fixed
stop and an arm v which is in one with the lower jaw, presses the latter against
the upper jaw when the upper jaw closes down upon it to nip the fibres; m is a
screw stop passing through a fixed nut n for regulating the upward movement of
the lower jaw; p is a similar screw stop passing through another fixed nut q for
limiting the downward motion of the lower jaw. The spring f is stronger than
spring, and its interposition between arms d and e enables the upper jaw to
yield when slivers of excessive thickness come between the jaws, so that the lower
jaw having first yielded to the extreme limit allowed by its screw stop p the
upper jaw does not descend the whole distance to which it can be moved by the
cam B.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent
is,—
1st. In a Heilmann combing machine the employment of a blade or shield
operated as described, substantially as and for the purposes specified, and the com-
bination thereof and of its operative mechanism, substantially as shown and
described.

page_text: 2nd. The combination with the upper nipper jaw of a brush, substantially as and
for the purpose described, and of a clamping plate to secure the brush to the jaw,
substantially as shown and described.
3rd. The employment of a nipper having both jaws pivoted or moveable, and
combined substantially as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty seventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)