A New or Improved Purifying and Opening Machine for Cotton and Cotton Waste.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 17th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Purifying and Opening Machine for Cotton and
Cotton Waste.
A communication to me from abroad by G. JOSEPHY'S SUCCESSORS, of Bielitz, in the
Empire of Austria.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Up to the present time the preparation of cotton before carding has been effected
by means of openers, blowers and spreaders, in addition to which lately the express
carding engine of Risler has proved of considerable value as a preparatory machine.
The object of the latter, is especially to remove all scales and grains from the cotton,
and it has achieved a certain, but incomplete success, being absolutely impossible
to clean very bad and dirty waste from tlie mass of filth contained in it.
The principal drawback to the express-carding engine, and to the blowers which the
former most resembles, is the way in which the material is forced by a stream of air
to make its passage through the machine, that is to say by the so called ventilation or
current of air. The regulation of this current of air must be altered for each different
material, and this being very difficult and unreliable leads to inconveniences well
known to all experts, and in consequence of which the material is often stopped
completely in its passage and the machine itself brought to a standstill.
The express carding engine, and the blowers, must be made to communicate with a
large dust chamber, from whence a high dust chimney conveys the air and the dust
away. These circumstances render more difficult the mounting and general arrange-
ment of this kind of machine and particularly of the express carding engine which,
if intended to work reliably must not discharge into one dust chamber common to
several machines, but must have a dust chamber to itself or at least a separate dust
chimney. Moreover, the express-carding engine, the exterior of which most resembles
the new machine which forms the subject of the present invention, is only useful for
superior materials and is far surpassed by the present invention both as regards
quality and quantity of the product, as shewn by the result of trials made at the
same time with both machines, the new machine having produced from two to five
times as much, and cleaned certain very bad waste such as blowings, etc., perfectly,
which was only partly or very incompletely done by the express carding engine.
The essential advantage and the most prominent feature of the present machine
consist in the fact that it operates without any ventilation or air current whatever,
and that the material is kept moving by the rotation of the purifying cylinders
only. At the same time the construction and the working of the machine are as
simple as they are efficacious.
The charge which reaches the table of the machine either loose or in laps passes
under a safety roller which is intended to protect the hands of the workman from
being caught by the feed cylinders before it enters between the latter and is
conveyed by them to guide rollers and bars from which the material is taken by
the first cleaning drum or cylinder which being provided with a properly formed
toothed wire covering, spreads the said material in thin layers and forces it against
backing-off knives which are arranged round its circumference. These knives may
be adjusted more or less closely to the cylinder and may also be altered during the
working of the machine by a hand wheel and screw and they are thereby fitted to the
different materials operated on.
By means of the backing-off knives the solid impurities such as scales and grains
present in the material are beaten out of it with force, whilst the material is held

page_text: fast by the fine toothed coating of the drum or cylinder the latter rotating at about
800 revolutions per minute.
The impurities fall into a receptacle below from whence they can be removed as
desired.
From the first drum the purified charge passes to an intermediate drum and is led
from it to the second principal cleaning drum whilst those fibres still containing
impurities are held fast in the wire covering of the intermediate drum this coating
being much finer than that of the first cleaning drum. The intermediate drum is
like the first drum provided with a set of moveable backing-off knives placed quite
close to it, and by means of these knives the impurities which may still remain in the
material are beaten out of it, and fall into a compartment below separated from the
one first described by a division.
The material purified by the intermediate drum passes like that of the first drum to
the second cleaning drum, which is also provided with a very fine and compact
covering of toothed wire, and rotates at about 1200 revolutions per minute. By it
the parts of the cotton which have hitherto been penetrated but slightly by the
covering of the two previous drums are somewhat carded, and at the same time turned
over so that the upper layer first lies closely upon the drum and the lower one comes
to the top; it thus being rendered possible for a small backing-off cylinder rotating
with very great speed above the cleaning drum to beat the cotton again so that the
impurities, if by chance any are still to be found in the upper layer, are removed and
thrown out of the machine.
A stripping-off knife placed between the two principal cleaning drums prevents the
material from being again taken up by the first drum.
Behind the second cleaning drum an educting cylinder is arranged furnished with
strong radial leather strips. By this cylinder the material is loosened from the drum
and thrown with force against revolving delivering cylinders whereby all impurities
which may still be found there in the form of dust will be removed and fall through
a sieve surrounding the lower part of the second cleaning drum and the educting
cylinder into the compartment below.
The working of the machine is therefore characterized by a continued and forcible
process of carding and beating, whilst the passage of the material through the
machine and its delivery are entirely performed by the motion of the parts of the
machine itself.
It will be clearly understood (1) that the passage of the material can scarcely
undergo any interruption; (2) that in this way a much greater quantity of material
may be cleaned and purified than is possible to perform by means of a ventilator, and
current of air; (3) that the opening and purifying of the material must be much
more efficacious and complete than was formerly the case when using other engines
of the kind.
Of course the feeding of the improved machine may also be done with several
double laps, and the quantity of the feed may be regulated by a feed regulator. Also
the delivery of the purified material may be effected by means of a winding device,
and in form of laps, instead of by the delivering cylinders described.
The advantages offered by the improved machine are therefore:
(a). Avoiding of ventilation or air current, dust chamber, and dust chimney, and
consequently of all the inconveniences attending them.
(b). Simple and accurate construction, the different parts being accessible from all
sides.
(c). Greatly increased production.
(d). Complete purifying of the material from all impurities contained in it.
(e). Availability of the machine for all materials, pure cotton as well as for all, even
the dirtiest, waste.
Dated this 20th day of January 1890.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Purifying and Opening Machine for Cotton and
Cotton Waste.
A communication to me from abroad by G. JOSEPHY'S SUCCESSORS, of Bielitz, in the
Empire of Austria.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be perforined to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying drawing, that is to say :-
Up to the present time the preparation of cotton before carding has been effected
by means of openers, blowers and spreaders, in addition to which lately the express
carding engine of Risler has proved of considerable value as a preparatory machine.
The object of the latter is especially to remove all scales and grains from the cotton,
and it has achieved a certain but incomplete success, it being absolutely impossible to
clean very bad and dirty waste from the mass of filth contained in it. The principal
drawback to the express carding engine and to the blowers which the former most
resembles is the way in which the material is forced by a stream of air to make its
passage through the machine, that is to say by the so called ventilation or current of
air. The regulation of this current of air must be altered for each different
material and this being very difficult and unreliable leads to inconveniences well
known to all experts and in consequence of which the material is often stopped
completely in its passage and the machine itself brought to a standstill.
The express carding engine and the blowers must be made to communicate with
a large dust chamber from whence a high dust chimney conveys the air and the dust
away. These circumstances render more difficult the mounting and general arrange-
ment of this kind of machine and particularly of the express carding engine which if
intended to work reliably must not discharge into one dust chamber common to
several machines but must have a dust chamber to itself or at least a separate dust
chimney. Moreover the express carding engine the exterior of which most resembles
the new machine which forms the subject of the present invention is only useful for
superior materials and is far surpassed by the present invention both as regards
quality and quantity of the product as shewn by the result of trials made at the
same time with both machines. The new machine having produced from two to
five times as much and cleaned certain very bad waste such as blowings, etc.
perfectly which was only partly or very incompletely done by the express carding
engine.
The essential advantage and the most prominent feature of the present machine,
consist in the fact that it operates without any ventilation or air current whatever, and
that the material is kept nioving by the rotation of the purifying cylinders only. At
the same time the construction and working of the machine are as simple as they are
efficacious.
The accompanying drawing is in illustration of the invention,
Figure 1 being a longitudinal section through the machine, and
Figures 2 and 3 a side view and plan (on a larger scale) of the backing-off
knives.
The charge which reaches the table of the machine either loose or in laps passes
under a safety roller a which is intended to protect the hands of the workman from
being caught by the feed cylinders b, ', before it enters between the latter and is.
conveyed by them to guide rollers and bars c, c', from which the material is taken by
the first cleaning drum or cylinder which being provided with a properly formed
toothed wire covering spreads the said material in thin layers and forces it against the
backing-off knives e, e¹, e³, etc, which are represented on a larger scale in Figures 2:

page_text: and 3. These knives may be adjusted more or less closely to the cylinder d and may
also be altered during the working of the machine by a hand wheel and screw and
they are thereby fitted to the different materials operated on. By means of the
backing-off knive sthe solid impurities such as scales and grains present in the material
are beaten out of it with force, whilst the material is held fast by the fine toothed
coating of the drum or cylinder d, the latter rotating at about 800 revolutions per
minute. The impurities fall into a receptacle ƒ below from whence they can be
removed as desired. From the first drum d the purified charge passes by an interme-
diate drum g and is led from it to the second principal drum h whilst those fibres
still containing impurities are held fast in the wire covering of the drum g, this
coating being much finer than that of the first cleaning drum d. The intermediate
drum g is like the first drum d provided with a set of backing-off knives i, ¹, etc
movable by a hand wheel placed quite close to it, and by means of these knives the
impurities which may still remain in the material are beaten out of it and fall into
a compartment below (k) separated from the first described receptacle f by a
division.
The material purified by the intermediate drum passes like that of the first
drum d to the second cleaning drum h which is also provided with a very fine and
compact covering of toothed wire and rotates at about 1200 revolutions per minute.
By it the parts of the cotton which have hitherto been penetrated but slightly by the
covering of the two previous drums d and g are somewhat carded and at the same
time turned over so that the upper layer first lies closely upon the drum h and the
lower one comes to the top, it thus being rendered possible for a small backing-off
cylinder rotating with very great speed above the cleaning drum to beat the cotton
again so that the impurities if by chance they are still to be found in the upper layer
are removed and thrown out of the machine.
A stripping-off knife m placed between the two principal cleaning drums d and h
prevents the material from being again taken up by the first drum d.
Behind the second cleaning drum han educting cylinder n is arranged furnished with
strong radial leather strips. By this cylinder the material is loosened from the drum h
and thrown with force against revolving delivering cylinders o and p, whereby all
impurities which may still be found there in the form of dust will be removed, and
fall through a siever surrounding n and h, into the compartment k.
The working of the machine is therefore characterized by a continued and forcible
process of carding and beating, whilst the passage of the material through the machine
and its delivery are entirely performed by the motion of the parts of the machine
itself.
It will be clearly understood,
1. That the passage of the material can scarcely undergo any interruption.
2. That in this way a much greater quantity of material may be cleaned and
purified than is possible to treat by means of a ventilator and current of air.
3. That the opening and purifying of the material must be much more efficacious
and complete than was formerly the case when using other engines of the kind.
Of course the feeding of the improved machine may also be done with several
double laps and the quantity of the feed may be regulated by a feed regulator. Also
the delivery of the purified material may be effected by means of a winding device
and in form of laps, instead of by the delivering cylinders o and p described.
The advantages offered by the improved machine are therefore:
(a) Avoiding of ventilation or air current, dust chamber and dust chimney, and
consequently of all the inconveniences attending them.
(b) Simple and accurate construction the different parts being accessible from all
sides.
..
(c) Greatly increased production.
(d) Complete purifying of the material from all impurities contained in it.
(e) Availability of the machine for all materials, pure cotton as well as for all, even

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The machine for purifying and opening cotton and cotton waste, constructed
and working without a ventilator, substantially as herein described and shewn.
Dated this 17th day of October 1890.
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.