IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES FOR SPINNING
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James. Apperly, Cloth Manufacturer, and William
Clissold, Engineer, both of Dudbridge, in the County of Gloucester, for
the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
FOR SPINNING."
Sealed the 2nd June 1857, and dated the 4th December 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Apperly and
William Clissold at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 4th December 1856.
WO, JAMES APPERLY, Cloth Manufacturer, and WILLIAM CLISSOLD, Engineer,
both of Dudbridge, in the County of Gloucester, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR. PREPARING FIBROUS SUB-
STANCES FOR SPINNING," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel mode of delivering the sliver from one
preparing machine to another, and so making the preparation process con-
tinuous, while at the same time the uniformity of the prepared sliver is
ensured.
In applying our Invention, we prefer to lay the sliver diagonally in parallel
serpentine rows on the feed apron of the preparing machine; but it: may also
be laid across the apron at right angles to the line of progress of the apron,
or a smooth fixed table immediately in front of the rollers may be used to
receive the sliver, the pressure of each succeeding line or row delivered on to

page_text: such table serving to press the sliver forward under the bite of the rollers.
The sliver as it leaves the first preparing machine of the series is passed to a
travelling guide mounted on a horizontal guide bar that extends across the
feeding table or apron. In the frame which supports this bar two pullies are
mounted, and over these an endless cord or strap runs for giving motion to the
travelling guide or sliver layer. A stop on this cord enters a vertical slot in
the travelling guide, and thus serves to connect it with the cord. Suitable
gearing is employed for imparting rotary motion to the pulleys, which as they
revolve will impart a reciprocating motion to the travelling guide, and cause it
to lay the sliver over the apron, the simultaneous forward traverse of the apron
permitting of the sliver being laid in parallel lines as the guide moves back-
wards and forwards in its frame. In order to retain the sliver on the feed
cloth or table in parallel lines of equal length, and at a proper tension, a
tumbling lever or finger is provided at opposite ends of the apparatus to
receive the lap or turn of the sliver formed by the return traverse of the
guide. These fingers retain the sliver at tension until tripped up by the action
of the travelling guide; they then fall, and are prepared to receive a fresh lap
or turn of the sliver.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Apperly and William Clissold in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 4th June 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
APPERLY, Cloth Manufacturer, and WILLIAM CLISSOLD, Engineer, both of
Dudbridge, in the County of Gloucester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
James Apperly and William Clissold, Her special license that we, the said
James Apperly and William Clissold, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said James Apperly and William Clissold,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for " IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PRE-

page_text: PARING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES FOR SPINNING," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said James Apperly and William Clissold, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Apperly, on behalf of myself
and of the said William Clissold, do hereby declare the naturo of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being bad to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):-
.
This Invention relates to a novel mode of delivering the sliver from one
preparing machine to another, and so making the preparation process con-
tinuous, while at the same time the uniformity of the prepared sliver is
ensured.
In applying our Invention, we prefer to lay the sliver diagonally in parallel
serpentino rows on the feed apron of the preparing machine; but it may also
be laid across the apron at right angles to the line of progress of the apron,"
or a smooth fixed table immediately in front of the rollers may be used to
receive the sliver, the pressure of each succeeding line or row delivered on to
such table serving to press the sliver forward under the bite of the rollers.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews in plan view the feeding end
of a preparing engine, with our improved mechanism for laying the sliver
formed in the first machine on to the feed apron of the next machine; Fig. 2
is a front view of the mechanism, shewn detached; and Fig. 3 is a cross
section. The feed apron is composed, by prefereuce, of a series of belts or
bands a, a, which pass over rollers b, b, c, c, mounted in suitable bearings,
carried by the main framing; d, d, is a frame of cast iron, which extends
across the feed bands diagonally, and is secured to the main framing. This
frame & carries the operating parts, by which the sliver is laid in parallel lines
across the bands or feed apron. In the upper part of the frame d is mounted
a guide rod e, which is capable of receiving a short endway motion for the
purpose to be presently explained. The rod e carries a travelling guide f
which is free to move from side to side of the preparing machine. By
referring to Fig. 8 it will be seen that the guide f is formed of angle iron.
and provided at top with eyes to receive the guide rod e. At its lower end it
carries a pair of bowles g, which run over the face of the frame d, and in front

page_text: of these rollers is fixed an eye h, through which the sliver or roping passes
before it enters the bite of the rollers. In the guide fa vertical slot is formed
to receive a stop pin i, carried by an endless band k, which band passes over a
pair of pulleys 1, 1, mounted on adjustable stud axles affixed to the frame d.
Jointed to the front of this frame d is a pair of trip levers or fingers m, m',
over the ends of which the sliver is intended to be lapped or distended, for the
purpose of ensuring equal lengths in the serpentine lines of sliver deposited
upon the bands a, a. At that end of the frame d nearest the feed rollers of
the engine an elastic presser or finger n is provided, which, as soon as the laid
sliver is freed from the trip lever m', will move inwards, and press the end of
the lapped sliver forwards, so as to ensure its taking its proper position on the
feeding bands. This finger n is mounted loosely on a rod o, pendent from an
arm projecting from a stop p on the guide rod e. A coiled spring surrounds
the rod o, and one of its ends is fixed thereto, while its free end bears against
a pin projecting from the finger n, and thereby gives it a tendency to move
inwards. At the other end of the guide rod e is a stop q. which when struck
by the travelling guide as it completes its course in the direction of the arrow,
Fig. 2, will cause the rod e to slide in its bearings, and move the finger n into
.the dotted position of Fig. 1. The finger will then bear against the lever m',
and be ready to act on the sliver, and press it inwards immediately on the
rising of that lever. In order to prevent the coiled spring from acting,
excepting when the finger is in its advanced position, a spring or bearing
piece is attached to the back of the finger, which spring or bearing piece
moves over a projection on the frame d, as shewn in the partial plan view,
Fig. 4, and while in contact therewith keeps the finger in the drawn position
of Fig. 1. The trip levers are raised alternately by the guide f in its back-
ward and forward traverse coming into contact with their under edge, and thus
the sliver is released from their hold. The driving of the belt k is effected by
the bevil gear r, which receives motion through a pulleys from a band from
a pulley on the axle of one of the feeding rollers or other suitable part of the
engine.
By reference to the diagram, Fig. 5, which shews a set of engines provided
with our improved mechanism, the mode in which we propose to carry out the
preparing process will be readily understood. The girl in attendance weighs
out the wool or other staple to be operated upon, and lays it, as usual, on the
feed cloth of the first machine A. The staple then passes through the ma-
chine, and is doffed as a rope or sliver, and discharged thence through a
trumpet mouth. The sliver then falls on to a creeper composed of distended
bands, to which the motion is communicated from any convenient part of the

page_text: adjoining mechanism, and by means of these travelling bands the sliver is
conducted to the second machine.
In Fig. 1 this creeper is shewn in plan view on an enlarged scale, in order
that its construction may be understood. The sliver, which is delivered in coils
on the bands, passes slowly forward; and is taken up by the traversing guide, -
and laid by it on the feeding bands or apron of the second machine (B, Fig. 5).
The feed rolls of this machine in their revolution take the staple simultaneously
from all the diagonal lines of sliver presented to them, and thus any inequality
in the thickness of any one sliver will be distributed diagonally over the carded
surface, and consequently the inequality in tho feed will be lost. The sliver
formed by the doffing comb at the end of the second machine B is passed out
of the machine in like manner through a trumpet mouth, and allowed to fall
into a second creeper of like construction to that shewn at Fig. 1. The sliver
is thus taken up by a second arrangement of feed mechanism precisely similar
to that above described, and delivered into the feeding bands of the third
machine C. When the staple has passed through this machine it is doffed
into sliver, which may then be passed through condensers, as indicated at
Figure 5, or may be removed to the billy to be prepared for spinning.
Having thus described in detail the construction of our improved arrange-
ment of mechanism for feeding sliver to carding engines, and explained
generally the course we adopt in carrying out the operation of preparing the
fibrous substances for spinning, we will now proceed to explain more minutely
the action of our improved mechanism. The sliver or roping having been
tbreaded through the eye of the travelling feeder, and passed into the bite of
the roller g, g, and rotary motion having been imparted to the band k through
the bevil gearing, as explained, the feeder f will be driven along the rod e by
the stop pin i, which plays up and down in the vertical slot of the feeder, and
the rollers g, g, running over the face of the frame d will be caused to rotate,
and deliver the sliver in parallel lines over the feeding bands. As the feeder f
arrives at the position indicated by the red lines at fit will raise the lever m,
and disengage it from the sliver, and it will then strike against the stop g, and
give the rod e an endway motion to the left hand. This movement will bring
the finger n into the dotted position of Fig. 1, where it will rest against the
lever m. On the return movement of the feeder f it will have a fresh lap of
sliver on the end of lever m, and passing forward will raise the lever m² clear
of the sliver. The finger m will then (pressed by the coiled spring) turn in
the end of the sliver, and at the next movement it will be moved back out of
action to the position shewn at Fig. 2, by the feeder lifting, first, a hinged
catch t (which drops on to a pin projecting from the stop p. and thus holds

page_text: fast the rod e), and then striking the stop p and sliding the rod e in its
bearings. A repetition of these movements, coupled with the continuous
progressive motion of the bands or travelling aprons, will cause the sliver to be
delivered to the feed rolls of the engine in compact parallel lines, as indicated
by Fig. 1, and thus a perfectly even feed will be secured to a set of preparing
machines by the assistance of but one attendant.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "improved machinery
for preparing fibrous substances," and explained the manner of carrying, the
same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent we claim the means herein described for laying roping
or sliver in parallel lines on the feed bands, aprons, or tables of preparing
machines.
In witness whereof, I, tho said James Apperly, have bereunto set my
hand and seal, the Second day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
JAMES APPERLY. (L.S.)