IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Lord, of Todmorden, in the County of
York, Machine Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
"
Sealed the 5th May 1868, and dated the 18th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Lord at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th November 1867.
I, EDWARD LORD, of Todmorden, in the County of York, Machine Maker
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in an improved combination of machinery particularly
adapted for opening and cleaning cotton, but which may be applied for
opening and cleaning other fibrous substances. The machinery consists of a
horizontal beater revolving rapidly within a circular grid, the grate bars of
which are capable of adjustment at one or both ends, so as to increase or
reduce the space between the grid and the beater, particularly at the feeding
end of the machine; the grate bars are moved by a plate with spiral grooves
into which their ends enter, and this plate is turned round in either direction

page_text: by a pinion and wheel, or other equivalent agents may be adapted to move
the grate bars. The fibrous substances are drawn into and through the
circular grid by a fan, and a certain space is left between the end of the grid
and the case of the fan to allow the fibrous substances escaping with the dirt
to be drawn into the fan. The fibrous substances are deposited by the fan on
to a longitudinal grid, and are drawn forward and passed between two per-
forated cylinders in which a partial vacuum is formed by a fan; the fibrous
substances thoroughly opened and cleaned are then delivered on to a creeper
and formed into a lap, or they are otherwise disposed of.
I wish to remark that the improved grid with the arrangement for expanding
or contracting the bars may be applied to other machines for opening and
cleaning fibrous substances; the distance between the beater and the grid is
varied according to the length of fibre or other peculiarity in the fibrous
substance to be operated upon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Lord in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
LORD, of Todmorden, in the County of York, Machine Maker, send
grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Edward Lord, Her special license, that I, the said Edward Lord,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward
Lord, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
POR OPENING AND CLEANING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Lord, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed;

page_text: 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 Edward Lord, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
My Invention consists in an improved combination of machinery particularly
adapted for opening and cleaning cotton, but which may be applied for
opening and cleaning other fibrous substances. The machinery consists of a
horizontal beater revolving rapidly within a circular grid, the grate bars of
which are capable of adjustment at one or both ends, so as to increase or
reduce the space between the grid and the beater, particularly at the feeding
end of the machine; the grate bars are moved by a plate with spiral grooves
into which their ends enter, and this plate is turned round in either direction
by a pinion and wheel, or other equivalent agent may be adopted to move the
grate bars. The fibrous substances are drawn iuto and through the circular
grid by a fan, and a certain space is left between the end of the grid and the
case of the fan to allow the fibrous substances escaping with the dirt to be
drawn back again into the fan. The fibrous substances are blown over a
longitudinal grid aud pass between two perforated cylinders in which a partial
vacuum is formed by another fan; the fibrous substances thoroughly opened
and cleaned are then delivered on to a creeper which drops them on to the
floor, or are formed into a lap either immediately or after passing through one
or more beaters.
I wish to remark that the improved grid with the arrangement for expanding
or contracting the bars may be applied to other machines for opening and
cleansing fibrous substances; the distance between the beater and the grid is
varied according to the length of fibre or other peculiarity in the fibrous
substance to be operated upon.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation I will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an end view, Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section,
and Figure 3 is a transverse section of the improved opener.
a is a horizontal beater revolving within the circular grid b, the bars of
which are stationary at the delivery end being supported in the ring c fixed to
the fiaming but capable of adjustment at the smaller or feeding end to vary the
distance of the grid from the beater according to the nature or quality of the

page_text: fibres to be opened. The end of the grate bars pass through slots in
the circular plate d, shewn full size in section in Figure 4, and between this
plate and the end frame is the plate or disc e on which a spiral rib is cast,
which rib takes into openings in the ends of the grate bars b. The disc e is
cast with teeth on its circumference, and into these teeth the pinion f gears;
this pinion is fixed to a short shaft passing through the end frame, and to the
outer end of the shaft is fixed the handle g; by turning this handle the disc e
is turned round also, and in so doing the spiral rib acting on the ends of the
grate bars causes them to expand or contract circumferentially and simul-
taneously, thereby increasing or reducing the distance of the grid from the
spokes of the beater according to the length of staple or other requirements
of the fibrous substance under operation. The fibres are supplied to the
machine through the opening h, and they are drawn through the beater by
the fan i which is fixed to the axle of the beater, and which is of sufficient
force to draw the fibres from a considerable distance through grated trunks
when the opener is far removed from the mixing room. The fan i delivers
the opened fibres on to the diagonal longitudinal grid j and they are carried
forward by the perforated cages k and 7, in which a partial vacuum is formed
by the fan m in the usual manner. The fibres after passing between the
cages and are deposited in the form of a fleece on to the creeper n, which
deposits the fleece on to the floor, or conveys it to a lap machine, or to one or
more beaters either provided with lap rollers or not. The ring c supporting
the end of the grate bars 6 is placed at some distance from the framing and
the orifice leading into the case of the fan i, is somewhat contracted, by which
arrangement the fibres that may have passed with the motes, seeds, anu other
impurities through the circular grid bare drawn back by the fan and delivered
with the rest on to the grid j.
I wish to observe here that although the larger or delivery end of the
grid b is shewn stationary, and only the smaller end provided with an apparatus
for expanding and contracting the grate bars, I also propose to make the
grid so that both ends may be adjusted.
The various parts of the machine are driven from the axle of the beater by
the worm or spiral wheel al gearing into the wheel o on the shaft o¹, to which
is fixed the pulley o² for driving the pulley mi on the shaft of the fan m; the
small pulley m² on this shaft drives the pulley p to which is fixed the pinion p¹
gearing into the wheel on the shaft of the cage 1, and the cages k and I are
connected by the wheels k¹ and ¹ as usual. The wheel ¹ also drives the
pinion gearing into a pinion on the roller 2 of the creeper n.
The improved grid babove described may also be applied to other descriptions

page_text: of machinery for openingand cleaning cotton and other fibrous substances, and
in which the beaters are placed horizontally, as shewn, or vertically.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim,―
First. The general combination and arrangements of the parts forming my
improved machine for opening and cleaning fibrous substances, as shewn and
described.
Secondly. The application of a circular expanding and contracting grid to
the beaters of opening and cleaning machines as shewn and described.
Thirdly. The peculiar mode of supporting the circular grid surrounding the
beater of machines for opening and cleaning fibrous substances, whereby
the fibres escaping with the motes or other impurities are drawn back and
recovered.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Lord, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of May, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-eight.
EDW. LORD. (LS.)