IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR MACHINES FOR COMBING SILK WASTE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Alfred Barlow, of the Firm of H. B. Barlow, of
Manchester, Patent Agent, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR
MACHINES FOR COMBING SILK WASTE." A communication from abroad by
Jean Pierre Casimir Brenier, of the Firm of Brenier & Co., of Grenoble,
Isere France. Machine Makers.
Sealed the 28th May 1880, and dated the 17th December 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Alfred Barlow at the
Office of the Cominissioners of Patents on the 17th December 1879.
CHARLES ALFRED BARLOW, of the Firm of H. B Barlow, of Manchester, Patent
Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR MACHINES FOR COMBING SILK WASTE.”
A communication from abroad by Jean Pierre Casimir Brenier, of the Firm of
Brenier & Co., of Grenoble, Isere, France, Machine Makers.
This Invention consists, first, in certain self acting machinery for opening &
closing the clamps or stocks; &, secondly, in driving all the moving parts of the
machine from the centre.
The levers for opening & closing the stocks form toggle joints; one end of each
pair of levers is jointed to the revolving drum, & the other end is connected to
the sliding bush by which the stocks are opened & closed. The toggle joint is
actuated by curves & inclines fixed to the main frame of the machine. The sliding
bushes above referred to act on wooden traverse pieces, which are furnished with
blocks of india rubber or other springs to give the requisite elasticity to compensate
for any irregularity in the feed of fibers in the stocks.
The main drum is driven from the central axle by a strap & pulley & by two
worms & worm wheels, & by a pinion gearing into an internal wheel & the
combing cylinders, & driven by straps & pulleys from the central axle, on which
the hollow axle of the main drum revolves. By this means one strap from the
countershaft transmits motion to the whole combing machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Alfred Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
June 1880.
CHARLES ALFRED BARLOW, of the Firm of H. B Barlow, of Manchester, Patent
Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR MACHINES FOR COMBING SILK WASTE."
A communication from abroad by Jean Pierre Casimir Brenier, of the Firm of
Brenier and Co, of Grenoble, Isere, Franco, Machine Makers
This Invention consists, first, in certain self-acting machinery for opening and
closing the clamps or stocks of circular combing machines; and, secondly, in driving
all the moving parts of such machines from the centre.
And in order that the Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
The
In ordinary circular combing machines it is customary to place the fibres in the
clamps or stocks of a large drum, and to tighten up these stocks by hand
fibres thus placed at the upper part of the drum are acted upon by the combing 1
cylinders and brushes placed at the lower part of the machine.
The attendant feeds the stocks, changes the ends of the stricks of fibres, replenishes
the stocks, and opens and closes them by hand without stopping the main drum,
that is to say, if he is sufficiently expert to do so.
The object of my Invention is to dispense with hand labour for opening and 2
closing the stocks, and to make these operations self acting, thus relieving the
attendant from a considerable part of his labour, and allowing him to devote his
attention to other obiecte
Fig. 1 is an end view, partly in section, of a circular combing machine con-
structed according to these improvements, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of
the same. A is the main driving shaft, which is driven by a strap on the pulley B,
and C is the loose pulley. At the other end of the shaft A is keyed the pulley D,
which drives the first and second combing cylinders. The third and fourth combing
cylinders are driven from the pulley E. I wish to remark here that the machine
is shewn with four combing cylinders, but the number may be varied according to
the nature of the fibres to be combed. F is a hollow axle revolving in bearings in the
frames G, and supporting the main drum H with the stocks or clamps. The hollow
axle F is provided with brass or other bushes, which serve as bearings for the shaft A.
The pulley I keyed on the shaft A transmits motion to the main drum H in the
direction of the arrow J by means of a second pulley, shewn in Fig. 1, and by two
worms and pinions and by a pinion gearing into the internal wheel J fixed to the
drum. The cross bars K fixed to the main drum resist the pressure of the stocks
when they are tightened up by the movable cross bars L. The number of sets of
stocks on the main drum can be varied, as usual. M and N are the tightening up
levers for the stocks; they are jointed together at O by a stud, on which is a
bowl P. Q are the studs of the movable cross bar K acting on the levers N, and
Rare the studs of the levers M fixed on the ends of the main drum H. It is
evident that by acting on the bowl P to bring the levers M and N in a straight
line the stocks are tightened up, and that by forcing the bowl p outwards the stocks
are opened. The motion is given to the bowls P by curved inclined surfaces placed
at each end of the main drum. The line T in Fig. 1 represents the incline that
acts on the bowl P from the points a to b to tighten up the stops. The studs U
act as stops to prevent the levers M, N, bending inwards. The curve V is concentric
to the main shaft A to hold the stocks closed while the fibres are being combed,
and the curve W is to unfasten the stocks after combing. These curves T, V, W,

page_text: are shewn in section in Fig. 2, and they are fixed to the inside of the frames by
bolts or otherwise. L' is a wooden cross bar in two pieces, against which the press
levers act. These cross bars are made with oval grooves to receive india rubber or
other springs, which give the required elasticity to the pressure on the stocks, and
allow for a little inequality in the thickness of the tufts of fibres.
The mode of operation is as follows -The tightening up of the presses commences
As soon as the bowls P come in contact with the inclined surfaces T at the point a,
and it increases gradually until they reach the point b, when the tightening up is
complete, and the levers M, N, form a straight line between Q and R. From b to T
the bowl is pressed towards the centre until it rests against the stops U, which are
placed so that the joint O is about three eighths of an inch within the straight line Q, R.
The pressure is kept up in this position, but from T the concentric curve V
commences, and extends from c to d, after which from d to f the opening takes
place. The bowls do not touch the curve V, the only object of which is to keep
the stocks tight when from any unforeseen cause the joint should open. The bowl
reaches the curve W, which effects the opening of the stocks between the points g
and h, and holds them open in the position m from h to k. At this point the bowl
leaves the curve W to follow the tightening curve T, and these operations are
repeated for every revolution of the main drum.
Having thus stated the nature and particulars of the Invention, communicated
to me by the said Jean Pierre Casimir Brenier, I declare that I claim,--
First. The self acting machinery, shewn and described, or any modification
thereof, for opening and closing the clamps or stocks of circular combing
machines.
Secondly. The elastic compensating apparatus marked L' for the purpose
described; and
Thirdly. Driving all the moving parts of circular combing machines from the
centre, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Alfred Barlow, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and
eighty.
C. A. BARLOW. (L.S.)