Improvements in Combing Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1897-Accepted, 8th May, 1897
CONTLEIE OF DUIFICATION.
Improvements in Combing Machines.
We, SAMUEL SMITH, of No. 221 Andover Street, City of Lawrence, in the County
of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the United States of America,
Engineer, and WALTER ALLEN LEIGH, of Main Street near Cottage Street, North
Chelmsford, in the Town of Chelinsford, in the County of Middlesex, in said common-
wealth, Overseer, do bereby declare the nature of this invention and in what'
manner the same is to bo performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to combing inachines such as are used in combing wool
and similar fibros, in which machines the fibres are dabbed or beaten by quick blows
of a brush on to teeth or pins arranged in two sets placed close together, which sets
of teeth are then separated, a part of the fibres adhering to each set, the fibres from
each comb or set of teeth being subsequently drawn through the teeth and united
to form the combed "top," the shortest fibres or "noil" being retained by the
combs.
Such of the fibres as are not properly dabbed into the combs cannot be properly.
combed. Usually on starting the machine, the combs begin to separate before the
dabbing brushes have attained their maximum speed and before the fibres are fully
ongaged with the teeth.
The object of this invention is to set the dabbing brushes in operation before the
combs begin to move, and to stop the combs before the brushes are stopped.
In the accompanying drawing, our invention is represented as applied to the well
known "Noble comb" in which an outer revolving circular comb runs nearly
tangentially to two smaller revolving inner circular combs so that some of the teeth
of the smaller combs are approaching and others are receding from the teeth of the
larger comb at all times when the machine is in oporation.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of such parts of a Noble comb provided with our inven-
tion as are necessary to the understanding of said invention, the combs being in
vertical section ;
Fig. 2, an enlarged front elevation of the driving pulleys, the main driving shaft,
from which the combs receive their motion, the dabber-driving shaft, pulley and
belts and belt-shipping fork, the main driving belt being in section;
Fig. 8, a vertical section, on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2, across the main shaft..
dabber-driving shaft and belt-shipping fork, showing in side elevation the pulleys and
belting.
The frame A, vertical hollow posts a a, supporting the main shaft B, the bevel
gears b bon said main shaft, engaging other bevel gears cc on the vertical shafts CC,.
spur gears c' con said vertical shafts, connected by the intermediate compound spur
gears D D to two other spur gears ee on other vertical shafts E E, other spur
gears e'e', fust on said shafts E E, and engaging intermediato spur gears g g which in
furn engage circular racks or gears ff on the smaller inner combs F F, the larger
comb H, having an internal annular gear or rack ongaged by the gears fl;
these parts are all of the usual construction and operation, the combs, by the
connecting shafts and gears, above described, being put in operation simultaneously
with the main shaft.
Brackets a¹ a', on the posts a a, support horizontal shafts I I carrying band
pulleys ii and eccentrica (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1) give motion to
the eccentric strap or ring and to the eccentric rod, pivoted to the shank of
the dabbing brush J and cause the dabbing brush to have a vertical reciprocating
'

page_text: movement at the points of contact of the large comb H with the smaller combs FF,
all in the usual manner, except that the shafts I I are usually driven by belts
directly from the main shaft, while we drive said shafts II from a counter-
shaft K. by belt L connecting the pulleys and other pulleys & A, fast on said
countershaft.
The countershaft K is supported above said main shaft and turns in suitable
stands a' a', preferably, cast on or otherwise secured to the usual enlarged heads a*a*
of the hollow posts a a.
The main shaft B is provided with a fast pulley band with a loose pulley 6ª, in
the usual manner, except that the face of said loose pulloy is herein shown much
wider than that of the fast pulley ', instead of being of the same width, and the
countershaft K is also provided with a fast pulley and with a loose pulley, the
face of the pulley being much wider than the face of the loose pulley, the com-
bined width of the pulleys equalling that of the pulleys 6' 6'. The pulleys
of the countershaft are driven by a belt from the pulleys of the main shaft B
and said pulleys b' bare driven by a main driving belt M which rides or runs on
the belt (Fig. 3) and both these belts Mare together shifted by the belt-shipping
bar N, provided with a belt fork n which receives both bolts just as the main driving
belt is commonly shifted, said shipping bar sliding in the usual manner in straps a¹ a³
secured on the hollow posts a a.
It is evident that when the running belts Mare together shifted from the loose
pulleys to the fast pulleys Uk, the belt will run on to the fast pulley of
the countershaft K and set said countershaft and the dabbing brushes in motion before
running on to the fast pulley 6 of the main shaft B and setting the combs in motion,
also that when these belts are shifted in the opposite direction, said belts will leave the
fast pulley b' on the main shaft before leaving the fast pulley of the countershaft,
so that the dabbing brushes will continue to move at full speed after the combs
nearly or quite stop.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
―
1. The combination of the combs and dabbing brushes of a combing machine,
a main shaft and intermediate mechanism for driving said combs, a countershaft and
mechanism connecting the same and the main shaft for driving said brushes, and
comprising a fast pulley and a loose pulley on each of said shafts, the combined width
of the fast pulley and loose pulley on each shaft being equal to that of the fast pulley
and loose pulley on the other shaft and the fast pulley on the countershaft being
wider than the fast pulley on the main shaft, a belt connecting the pulleys of said
shafts, and a main driving belt running on said first named belt, as and for the
purpose specified.
2. The combination of the combs and dabbing brushes of a combing machine, a
main shaft and intermediate mechanism for driving said combs, a countershaft and
mechanism connecting the same and the main shaft for driving said brushes, and
comprising a fast pulley and a loose pulley on each of said shafts, tho combined width
of the fast pulley and loose pulley on each shaft being equal to that of the fast pulley
and loose pulley on the other shaft and the fust pulley on the countershaft being wider
than the fast pulley on the main shaft, a belt connecting the pulleys of said shafts,
a main driving belt running on said first named belt, and shifting mechanism for
simultaneously shifting said belts, as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this Twelfth day of February A D 1896
SAMUEL SMITH,
WALTER A. LEIGH,
By Herbert Haddan & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.