Improvements in Grinding the Card Teeth upon the Flats of Carding Engines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 31st Mar., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Grinding the Card Teeth upon the Flats of
Carding Engines.
I, CARL ARNOLD CAFLISCH of Toess in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
According to this invention, the flats carrying the cards, which are driven in
the usual way, are brought into contact with inclined surfaces before the teeth are
presented to the grinding roller. These surfaces carry lugs or projections against
which the edge of the travelling flat strikes, so that the inclined surface travels
with the flat, and the flat is thus maintained in the inclined position during the
grinding operation.
The inclined surfaces consist of wedge shaped blocks connected to links of a
chain, and the backs of the blocks slide in contact with a fixed guiding surface
carried by the framing.
The blocks are pushed against this surface by means of weighted levers.
The grinding mechanism is carried by adjustable brackets attached to the
frame of the carding engine, so that when it is not desired to grind the teeth,
the brackets are raised, and the grinding mechanism is thrown out of gear.
11
1001
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Grinding the Card Teeth upon the Flats of
Carding Engines.
I, CARL ARNOLD CAFLISCH of Toess, in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland,
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 :---
For the cleaning and teasing out of cotton, after the same has been passed
through the scutching machines, carding engines with travelling flats
employed.
are
These flats, which are of cast iron accurately finished off on their under sides,
are provided with teeth by means of cards in the usual way, and they are
attached at each end to an endless chain by means of pins passing through the
link joints of the chains and lugs on the flats, so that the flats follow the forward
movement of the two chains, and at the same time are capable of a limited rocking
motion on the said pins.
These flats rest, when at work (by their two ends), on curved bars, and are
moved (with the chains carrying them) slowly above, and in the same direction as
the rapidly rotating carding cylinder, by which means the cotton is drawn between
the closely-placed teeth of the carding cylinder and those of the "flat" clothing,
and thereby "teased."
These flats travel usually over the "entry guide" onto the carding cylinder, and
retire from the cylinder over the "exit guide," i.e., the doffer, and they are then
led back again to the entry guide over guide rollers situated above the carding
engine, during which part of their movement their card teeth are pointing upwards.
While in this position, the teeth of the "clothing having been first freed fron
the accumulated impurities by means of combs and brushes, are, when necessary,
3

page_text: re-ground, this operation being effected by means of a rapidly-rotating cylinder
coated with emery.
The above-described arrangements may differ in more or less important par-
ticulars in individual machines, but generally speaking are all well known.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 is an elevation of parts of a carding engine with my invention adapted
thereto.
Fig. 2 is a section of the apparatus taken on or about the line A, B of Fig. 1,
and Fig. 3 is a section (at right angles to the axis of the cylinder) taken on the
line C, D of Fig. 2.
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are respectively a side elevation, a plan, and an end view of
two members of the grinding chain.
Fig. 7 shews in diagrammatic form, and in natural size, the end view of a flat,
and a portion of carding drum with the teeth of the card clothing in working
position, and Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the position of the parts during the
grinding operation.
In order to be able to grind the upper surface of the "flat" clothing (i.c., teeth)
in the proper manner, the surfaces and 3 (sec the diagram Fig. 7) on the under
side of the flats, are generally so formed that they will be (at both ends of each
flat) parallel with, and equidistant from, the line drawn along the teeth of
the flats, and the flats rest on these surfaces ³ ³ while passing under the emery
roller during the grinding operation.
The production of these surfaces with the requisite exactitude, offers certain
difficulties, and for any unequal wearing of the working surfaces, x, x³, there is no
available remedy.
It is better, during the grinding operation, to allow the flats to rest on the
surfaces and ², that is, upon the surfaces on which the flats slide while at work,
because any unequal wear of these surfaces may be compensated for, when grinding
the teeth, so that by this means the inclination and distance of the surfaces, or
line a³, with respect to the working surfaces x¹, a², will always be the same.
Now it is the object of the present invention to provide means for supporting
the flats on the working surfaces x¹, a², during the grinding operation, for the
reason above referred to. During the carding operation, the chain of flats moves
on a curved path, or way, and concentric with the drum c, as indicated in Fig. 1,
but the "straight line "working surface a³, 4, of the card clothing or teeth, will
occupy a position tangential to the cylinder face ., ., starting from the point.³,
so that the point, that is, the opposite side of the flat, will be slightly raised, the
object being to allow space for feeding in the cotton to the apparatus. It follows,
therefore, that the straight line, at the side a³, must be further from a than
from at the side, while, on the other hand, the surfaces, will be equi-
distant radially from the surfaces, of the cylinder covering; in other words,
the line of the points of the teeth, instead of being parallel with the line of
the surfaces, will, if sufficiently prolonged, meet on the side
It will be evident, therefore, that in grinding the teeth of the flats x,
they cannot be allowed to travel on their working surfaces and 22, but there
must be inserted between these surfaces ',, and the straight surface they travel
on, while the teeth are being ground, wedge-shaped pieces or bodies which will
move with the flats, and raise the working surface so much nearer the grinding
drum, as to give, at 4, the desired distance or "clearance" from the carding
cylinder C.
These wedge shaped pieces are attached to a chain of about 15 links or
members, two of which are shown at Figs. 4, 5, and 6 in full size. y y represents
a link or member, and y', y², y³, y', is the wedge piece, which is thicker at y', y³ to
the desired amount (about 1 millimeter) than at y², y. During the operation of
grinding, the surface ¹ of the flat e lies upon the part y' of the wedge, and the
surface of the flat upon the part 2 of the wedge, whilst the flat part y³y of
the wedge, is traversed over a straight or horizontal plane. At the end y',
a

page_text: small lug or projection is provided, adapted to engage with the flats as they pass
into contact with the wedges, by which means the so-called grinding chain is
automatically traversed.
The link piece y is formed in one piece with the wedge, the two parts being
separated by a neck y. Each link is formed with a fork y at one end, and a
tongue y' at the other, and this tongue fits into the fork of the next link, to which
it is connected by a loose pin y³, the several links, fifteen or more, forming an
endless chain.
The operation during the grinding process is shewn in the diagram Fig. 8, on a
somewhat enlarged scale.
Referring now to Fig. 1, a a represent two portions of the endless chain of
flats.
The lower portion of this "flat" chain is represented as it travels during
the carding operation (from right to left) over the curved bars a', and the upper
portion as (after the teeth are cleaned from the waste) it returns (from left to
right) under the grinding cylinder to the entry side. During this operation,
each flat travels over a grinding surface, upon which it rests on the surfaces 'x8,
and which brings it, during its progress, into contact with the grinding chain y Y.
Shortly before the wire teeth of the "card" clothing touch the grinding cylinder b,
the lugs of the flats (Figs. 7 and 8) mount a cam face formed on the short
arm of a lever. The longer arm ³ carries a weight, which acts to raise the
flats from the surface onto the wedge face of the grinding chain, and at the
same time raises the wedge, and presses the Hat side against an overlying straight
guiding surface, Fig. 3. By these means, the flats are held fast in the desired
position whilst being ground, and compelled to travel in a straight line under the
rapidly-rotating emery cylinder, so that the teeth of the covering surface are
ground in the direction of the straight line 2³¹, Figure 7.
It is evident that by corresponding alterations of the guiding surface 64, and of
the surfaces y³, y' on the wedges, either a convex or a concave surface for the card
clothing can be produced.
Every flat, during the grinding operation, lies on a separate wedge, and against
the projection y¹ thereof, so that as the flat travels beneath the grinding roller, a
fresh link or member y of the grinding chain will be constantly moved forward to
receive the next "flat" by the movement of the "flat" chain a, the grinding
chain passing round suitable guide rollers c² 3 (see Figs. 1 and 3).
The separate links or members of the grinding chain, with the wedges, should
be carefully and accurately finished, in order to obtain the desired result.
When the grinding of the "flat" teeth is not required, the emery cylinder b,
the chain y, y', and the weight 64, can be removed, and the flats will then work in
the ordinary way.
The whole grinding apparatus is carried on brackets d, bolted to the side
frame e of the carding engine, and radially adjustable thereon by regulating
screws d'. These brackets also carry the lower guiding surfaces 2, and the bracket
bearings d for the axle of the emery cylinder b. These bracket bearings d² are
provided with tightening and adjustable screws d³ and d', to regulate the exact
distance that the grinding cylinder shall be from the flat teeth.
The upper guiding surface 64 is provided with a downward extension 7, through
which it is fastened (by means of a screw) to the bracket d. At its top, this
extension has two horn-like lateral prolongations, on which are bolted the bearings
for the guide rollers c² c³.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for grinding, in situ, the teeth of the "flats" of carding engines,
the means for presenting the teeth to the grinding roller in the proper position, such
means consisting in an endless chain, each link of which carries a wedge-shaped
piece provided with a projection, adjustable guiding surfaces & to guide the

page_text: to
wedges during the grinding operation, and counter-weighted cam-face levers b³,
press the flats with their wedges against the guiding surfaces, the movement of the
endless band being caused by the movement of the flats themselves, all substantially
as herein set forth.
2. In apparatus for grinding the teeth of "flats," the use of wedge-shaped pieces
having projections, and adapted to be automatically inserted between the contact
surfaces of the "flats " and guiding surfaces, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
3. The apparatus for grinding the teeth of flats on carding engines, constructed,
arranged, and operating, substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 21st day of March 1892
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.