Improvements in Apparatus for Grinding Flats in Carding Engines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 30th May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Grinding Flats in Carding
Engines.
A communication by JAMES CORWIN POTTER, of Pawtucket, in the County of
Providence and State of Rhode Island, United States of America, Manu-
facturer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E. of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6 Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham
in the County of Warwick and 322, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
In the operation of grinding card flats, it has been the custom either to support
the flats upon a guide or bearing which enters that one of the two seatings with
which the flats are provided at each end, known as the "grinding seating"; or to
press them up against the under face of a guide (the bearing face of which may be
fashioned to impart the desired surface to the flats), and in this case the "working
seating" of the flats-or the seating which travels over the "bend" when the flats
are doing their work-is that which is pressed against the guide.
Both of these plans are open to objection in that they do not effectively take
into consideration and provide against the differences in grinding brought about
by wear of the "working seatings," due to their frictional contact with the "bend"
over which they travel when doing their work in the carding engine.
It is the object of this invention to obviate this objection and to provide a
mechanism by which the flats will be ground with the utmost accuracy and
uniformity.
To this end, as heretofore has been done in one of the known plans above
alluded to, the "working seating" of the flat is pressed up against a guide. But the
guide in this mechanism instead of being stationary is freely movable vertically or
in a direction towards and away from the grinding roll; and it has a bearing of
the same curvature as the "bend," so that the flat in traveling along the guide
follows for that distance a path which is the counter part of that in which it travels
over the "bend." With this movable guide, an actuating pattern cam or former
is combined, by which the guide is actuated and controlled in its movements in
such manner that as the flat traverses the guide the latter will he moved so as to
impart to the toothed face of the flat a surface of the desired conformation. It is
this combination of the guide freely movable to and from the griuding roll with
an actuating pattern cam or former therefor which mainly characterizes this
invention.
To enable those skilled in the art to understand and use this invention, it will
now be described more in detail by reference to the accompanying drawings, after
which those features of the mechanism or apparatus will be pointed out in the
claims which the inventor believes to be new and of his own invention.
In the drawings:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of so much of a revolving flat carding engine as
needed for the purpose of explanation, with a portion of the grinding bracket and
staud removed, so as to expose the parts behind;

page_text: is a plan view with the nats removed;
Figure 4 is an enlarged end view of a flat;
Figure 5 is an elevation of that part of the grinding stand and bracket which is
removed in Figure 1.
The mechanism is represented on one side of the engine, the other side of course
is provided with a similar mechanism.
on which
A is a portion of the frame of the card and A' is the usual "bend
the flats E rest and over which they move in doing their work. Each flat, at each
end, has a "working seating" e, and a "grinding seating" e.
B is the grinding bracket stand secured to the frame A, and supporting the
adjustable grinding bracket C, in which rests the grinding roll D. The grinding
stand also carries the adjustable bracket C' for the burnishing roll.
The flats as they pass towards and away from the grinding roll are supported
upon pulleys Q and R. The first named of these revolves upon a fixed cross
shaft which extends between and connects the two grinding stands on opposite
sides of the engine and acts as a stay rod. The block or pulley R is mounted in
and carried by a bracket S adjustably secured to the frame of the engine.
J is the guide piece, which, as bereinbefore stated should be freely movable to
and from the grinding roll, to which end it is in the present instance fulcrumed
upon the shaft T, which like shaft Q extends between and connects the two
grinding stands B on opposite sides of the engine and acts as a stay rod. This
piece J has the part K which overhangs the ends of the flats to be ground and up
against which the "working seatings" e of the flats are pressed and held as
hereinafter described. This part K, which constitutes the guide proper has a
bearing face of absolutely the same curvature and radius as that of the "bend "A"
upon which the "working seatings" bear when the flats are carding.
The movements of the guide to and from the grinding roll are controlled by a
pattern cam or former whereby as each flat is ground from heel to toe, the gradual
lift of the guide and consequent rise of the flat, needed in order to accurately grind
the slanting face of the flat is obtained. This former or pattern cam consists in the
present instance of a cam wheel H, formed with a number of cams h, and keyed or
otherwise suitably fixed on a cross shaft G, mounted to revolve in bearings in some
suitable part of the machine-in this instance in the grinding stands B. This
shaft is rotated in such manner that it will revolve a distance equal to one cam h,
during the time that any one flat is passing beneath the grinding roll. To effect
this result is fixed on the shaft at each end, a cog or star wheel F having teeth
equal in number to the cams or cam lifts h, and so fashioned and located that these
teeth will engage, in rack and pinion fashion, the lugs or bosses e 2 on the flats.
In this way the cam shaft G is revolved by and moves in perfect unison with the
flats. At the point where the cams h meet the guide piece J, the latter is provided
with a steel bearing pin L to resist wear and reduce friction.
It is necessary that during the movement of the guide occasioned by the action
of the cams, the flats should be held up against the guide proper K, and to this end
a presser is provided which is mounted ou and carried by the guide piece J. The
pressing device in the present instance consists of a weighted lever O fulcrumed
between its ends at o, on a cross rod o' which, extends between and connects the
guide pieces J on opposite sides of the engine. In the end of the shorter arm of
the lever is fulcrumed the presser M, which is fast upon a cross shaft m, taking its
bearing in the two levers O on opposite sides of the machine and carrying a
presser M at each end.
The presser is formed and positioned so as to enter the grinding seating el of the
successive flats and the action of the lever O is to squeeze or press the flats
between the guide K and the presser M, whatever may be the movement of the
guide piece J.
To prevent the presser M from following the movement of the flats it has a
hook-shaped end m which catches over a retaining pin N, projecting from the
inner face of the guide piece J.

page_text: Such being the construction and organization of the parts the mode of operation
is as follows:
The pulleys R-one on each side of the machine-are lowered until the weight
of the flats comes on the guide pieces J sufficiently, to cause the latter to bear with
the requisite pressure upon their cams h. Now as the flats move along, they, by the
engagement of the lugs e 2 with the star wheels F, revolve the cam shaft G and
consequently the pattern cam or former H. As each flat passes beneath the
grinding roll, the cam h appropriate to it will gradually lift the guide piece J and
consequently the flat. The shape of the cam is such that the conjoint forward
movement of the flat and the lifting motion of the cam will combine to retain the
grinding point, or point at which the grinding roll meets the wire face of the flat
always in the same plane, notwithstanding the slant of that face from heel to toe.
At the time the flat passes beyond the grinding roll, the cam appropriate to that
flat passes beyond the bearing piu L and the guide piece J at once drops upon the
succeeding cam h, into position for the commencement of the grinding upon the
following flat.
After the grinding operation has been completed the working parts are relieved
from strain and wear by raising the pulleys R so as to take off from said parts the
weight of the flats, and then lifting the lever O on each side of the machine.
The first effect of lifting the lever is to lower the presser M and thus remove the
pressure from below upon the flats. By this time the lever will have brought up
against the pin N or some other suitable stop on the guide piece J, and con-
sequently further lift of the lever O will have the effect of raising it and the guide
piece J bodily upon the axis T as a fulcrum. In this way the guide proper K will be
lifted out of contact with the flats, and the guide piece J, raised out of contact with
the pattern cam or former H, and thus there will be no pressure of the working parts
upon either the flats or the cams. The movement of the lever O is stopped before
it is raised high enough to bring the pressure into contact with the flats, the
ends of the latter passing freely about midway through the space of clearance now
existing between the presser and the guide; and the lever by any suitable catch or
detent is sustained in this position, until the parts are again to be called into
operation.
"
The inventor prefers that the presser M shall bear not against the face of the
"grinding seating e, from end to end, but against a central rib f, thereon
arranged so that it shall be in a line, which if prolonged would pass midway
between the two ends of the "working seating," which as usual is hollowed out
between these points. In this way the flat is enabled to adapt itself more surely
and accurately to the face of the guide proper K.
In conclusion the inventor wishes it to be understood that he does not confine
himself to the structural details herein described for manifestly the same can in
many respects be widely varied by the skilled mechanic without departure from
the spirit of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In mechanism for grinding flats in carding engines a guide piece freely
movable towards and away from the grinding roll and provided with a guide
proper having its under face, along which the working-seatings of the flats travel,
of the same curvature as that of the bend over which the said working-seatings
travel when the flats are carding, a pattern cam or former, and operating mechanism
therefor, for actuating, and controlling the movements of said guide piece, and a
presser whereby the flats are held pressed up against the guide-proper during the
movements of the guide piece substantially as aud for the purposes herein before
set forth.
2. In mechanism for grinding flats in carding engines,
2
guide piece freely

page_text: movable towards and away from the grinding rolls and provided with a guide-
proper having its under face of the same curvature as that of the bend over which
the flats travel in carding, in combination with the flats, an actuating pattern
cam or former, connected to and moved by said flats, and a presser whereby the
flats are held up against the guide-proper during the movements of the guide piece,
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
3. The guide piece freely movable to and from the grinding roll, and having a
guide proper, in combination with a presser for holding the flats up against said
guide proper, a pattern can or former for actuating said guide piece, a shaft on
which said pattern cam or former is mounted, a cog wheel on said shaft, and the
revolving flats formed to engage and rotate said cog wheel, substantially as and for
the purposes herein before set forth.
4. In mechanism for grinding flats in carding engines, and in combination, a
guide piece movable to and from the grinding roll, and provided with a guide
having its under face of the same curvature with that of the bend over which the
flats travel in carding; means whereby said guide piece is caused to gradually rise
as the grinding of each flat progresses and then to drop to its original position;
and a presser whereby the flats are held up against the guide during the
movement of the latter, substantially as and for the purposes bereinbefore
set forth.
5. In mechanism for grinding flats in carding engines, the combination of a
pivoted guide piece movable upon its axis to and from the grinding roll, a presser
mounted on and carried by said guide piece and acting to hold the flats up against
the guide face on said guide piece, and mechanism whereby said guide piece is
caused to move towards and away from the grinding roll at the times and in the
manner substantially as herein before set forth.
6. The pivoted guide piece movable upon its axis to and from the grinding roll,
and mechanism whereby said guide piece is caused to move intermittently and at
the proper time, towards and away from said roll, in combination with a pressing
lever carried by and fulcrumed in said guide piece, and a presser mounted on and
carried by said lever, for holding the flats up against the guide face on the guide
piece, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
7. In mechanism for grinding flats in carding engines, the combination of the
pivoted guide piece J provided with guide proper K, the lever O fulcrumed in
said guide piece, the presser M carried by said fever, the pattern cam H, its shaft
and cog wheel F, and the revolving flats adapted to engage and rotate said
cog wheel-under the arrangement and for joint operation, substantially as
hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 27th day of April 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.