IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Higgins, of Salford, in the County of Lan-
caster, Machine Maker, and Thomas Schofield Whitworth, of the sarie
Place, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Higgins and Thomas
Schofield Whitworth at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 11th April 1867.
We, JAMES HIGGINS, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Maker, and THOMAS SCHOFIELD WHITWORTH, of the same Place, Manager, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates, firstly, to machinery for performing that operation
usually termed opening. For this purpose we employ a series of annular or
spiral chambers within which are placed revolving instruments acting after the
manner of beaters. The material to be opened is placed in the machine near
the centre of rotation of the aforesaid instruments, and is driven forward by
them successively into increasing diameters, and is finally discharged at the
outward circumference, after which we also propose to form it into a "lap." The
above-mentioned cbambers we propose to provide with grids, through which

page_text: dirt or other extraneous matter may pass. We propose by preference to place
the said annular or spiral chambers in a horizontal position.
Our Invention relates, secondly, to those carding engines in which what are
commonly called flats are employed. In machines now in use which are
provided with automatic apparatus for effecting the stripping the operation
is dependent upon the speed at which the working parts are driven, whereas
according to our Invention the stripping of the flats is effected by mechanism
which may be separated from or connected with the driving power at any
desired periods. To accomplish this we propose to employ a clutch box or
fast and loose pulley or other similar known apparatus, one part of which is
connected to the driving parts and the other to the apparatus which acts upon
the flats. At determined periods a tappet arrives in contact with a lever, which
places the halves of the clutch box or other apparatus as aforesaid in gear,
and the flat is then raised into a position to be stripped. In order to vary
these periods of action we employ ordinary change wheels, by means of which
the said tappet comes into operation more or less frequently. The flats are
moved upward from the cylinder by sliding rods or racks, and are caused by
inclines to turn a quarter revolution, then in continuing their upward motion
they sweep along the stripping card or other such apparatus, and clear it of
the material previously deposited, after which they descend and are themselves
stripped; or we effect the clearing by a revolving brush or other such usual
apparatus. The sliding rods or racks are mounted upon frames, which as in
other machines turn upon the centre of the cylinder, and carry the aforesaid
stripping apparatus. Upon these frames is also mounted a grinding roller,
which is caused to revolve constantly, and when a flat has been stripped and
is passing downward to the cylinder its surface arrives in contact with the said
roller, and the wire is thereby ground. The flats on passing upward are
prevented from touching the grinding roller by inclines. At each end of the
flats we place projecting parts level with the points of the wire, and as the
said wire is ground away these pieces are also ground, and therefore remain
true to the acting surface of the flats. As the flats move upward and down-
ward when stripping or when being stripped the above-mentioned pieces press
against fixed plates, the surfaces of which are set a distance from the plane of
the stripping card, according to the extent to which it is determined the stripper
shall act. The above-mentioned pieces, which are ground away with the wire
of the flats, also serve as stops when moved into the carding position, and the
said flats therefore constantly assume the same positions. The slots into which
the ends of the flats project we form at an angle, which arrangement enables
us to effect their adjustment with one screw only. In order to economize

page_text: motive power in lifting the flats quickly we apply a balance weight thereto,
and this may be effected by the direct action thereof or by an intermediate
motion.
Another part of our Invention relates to a method of securing uniformity of
sliver as it is removed by the doffer comb of carding engines. For this purpose
we use the bulk or weight of the said sliver for regulating the quantity of
material which shall pass through the machine. According to one method
the sliver acts by its bulk or its weight upon a trumpet, which is thus shifted
according to the quantity of material passing through it, and by moving a strap
working on conical pullies, or in place thereof a sliding friction surface, causes
the doffer to rotate at a slower or quicker speed accordingly as the material is
deficient or in excess. By another method we connect the feeding apparatus
to the above-mentioned conical pullies or friction surface, and the quantity of
material delivered to the machine is regulated according to the requirements
of the sliver. In another arrangement we connect the feeding apparatus and
the doffer together by intermediate friction surfaces or conical pullies, and the
driver of these being acted upon by the sliver, as above described, will at the
same time cause an alteration in the speeds of these two parts of the machine.
Another part of our Invention relates to a method of raising the fibrous
material to the surface of the cylinder, the operation being that which is
usually performed by apparatus termed fancy rollers. To effect this we employ
a revolving disc armed with teeth, and which is caused to traverse along the
cards on the cylinder. To each side of this we connect a band of leather or
other flexible material, which fills up the space occupied by the disc in its
traversing motion, but which is wound upon rollers as the said disc moves
backward and forward. We have mentioned one disc only, but two or more
may be employed with bands between them.
Thirdly, our Invention relates to mules for spinning, and is an improvement
upon that arrangement for which Letters Patent were granted to us bearing
date September 24th, 1849, No. 12,785. According to the Invention therein
specified the mule carriage was mounted upon levers, which turned upon a
centre in such manner that the points of the spindles were carried below the
said centre of motion, and this necessitated a compensating arrangement for
enabling the said spindles to retain their proper angle in reference to the roller
beam. By our present Invention we dispense with the said compensating
apparatus, and place the centre of motion for the carriage beneath that situation
to which the points of the spindles descend, and by these means we are enabled
to keep them at the proper angle. Motion is given to the roller beam by a
pinion working in a rack, and upon the part which supports the said roller

page_text: beam we place bowls bearing against levers which extend from the aforesaid
centre of motion on the opposite side to that occupied by the carriage, and the
descent of these bowls with the roller beam acting upon the said levers imparts
motion to the carriage. Or instead of the lever attached to the carriage, as
aforesaid, we use a quadrant driven from a shaft, which also carries a pinion
for giving motion to the roller beam. Our former Patent above referred to
had special reference to a double mule, but we propose to apply, our present
Invention to single as well as double mules.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Higgins and Thomas Schofield Whitworth in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
HIGGINS, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, and THOMAS
SCHOFIELD WHITWORTII,, of the same Place, Manager, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James Higgins and Thomas Schofield Whitworth, Her special license
that we, the said James Higgins and Thomas Schofield Whitworth, our execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Higgins
and Thomas Schofield Whitworth, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, 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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING COTTON AND
FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition, amongst others, that we, the said
James Higgins and Thomas Schofield. Whitworth, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Schofield Whitworth, do hereby
declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
Our Invention relates, firstly, to machinery for performing that operation
usually termed opening, and is shewn at Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 of the accompanying
Drawings. At 1 is the framework of the machine provided with stationary
radial bars 2 and rings 3, which support a plate 4 furnished with annular
spaces 5 communicating with the spaces between the rings 3. Upon the
plate 4 are mounted a series of projections 6 arranged concentric to each other
but not carried round so as to form entire circles, they being discontinued at
certain positions so as to provide openings 7, 8, 9, 10, which successively com-
municate with the annular spaces 11, 12, 13. Each projecting part is formed
by a ring at top and another at bottom, between which are bars 14, as seen
at Figure 2, thus constituting grids, but the said grids may be formed in any
other ordinary manner; extending downward from each grid is a plate 15
following the curves thereof and reaching the plate 4, by which means com-
munication from one grid to another is cut off and another series of annular
chambers 16 is formed, to which the apertures 5 in the plate 4 are open;
the plates 15 are not shewn in Figure 2 in order to avoid confusion. Upon the
plate 4 is a casing 17 through which the driving shaft 18 of the machine
passes; upon this shaft are mounted radial arms 19, each of which on its
under side carries a series of teeth 20 projecting into the annular spaces 11,
12, 13, and the said arms terminate at their inward ends at a hollow boss 21,
which is the part of attachment to the driving shaft. Within the hollow
boss 21 are curved vanes 22, and above one side thereof is an opening 23 in
the case 17 communicating with a trough 24. At 25 is a casing which
encloses a cage similar to that ordinarily used in blowers, and at 26 is a fan
by which air is exhausted from the said cage as ordinarily practiced. At 27
is an apron to which a travelling motion is imparted in any convenient manner.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The cotton or other fibrous
material to be opened is placed in the trough 24 and pushed forward so that
it may fall through the opening 23 into the hollow boss 21; here it is acted
upon by the curved blades 22, wbich cause it to pass through the opening 7
into the annular chamber 11, where it is met by the revolving beaters 20 and
driven forward along the annular chamber 11, being at the same time thrown
outward by centrifugal action against the grid forming the outward boundary
of the said annular chamber, and through which grid dust and other such
impurities pass, and from thence through the aperture 5 to the floor within
the cased framing 1. The material is thus carried round until it arrives at
the opening 8, through which it is driven by centrifugal force after the manner

page_text: above described into the annuler chamber 12, through which it passes as
above described to be driven in like manner through the aperture 9 to the
annular chamber 13, and, finally, through the aperture 10 to the cage 25;
upon this cage it is collected after the usual manner, and the travelling
apron 27 carries it forward to be delivered into any receptacle, or to be wound
in a lap, if desired. Fig. 4 is a detached view of the revolving arms and
beaters, but another method of actuating the driving shaft is shewn, that
object being effected by friction surfaces 28 driven by a pulley 29.
Another part of our Invention relates to carding engines, and in which there
are several points of novelty, but we shall describe some of them in combined
operation, subsequently pointing out that which we claim as our Invention.
The machine now to be described is of that construction in which flats are used
and stripped by automatic arrangements. Figure 5 is a partial view of a carding
engine constructed according to our improvements; Figure 6, a plan view of
certain of the working parts; Figure 7, a cross section; and Figures 8, 9, 10,
11, detached views of certain parts. At 1, Figure 6, is a toothed wheel conti-
nuously driven from the doffer or other moving part of the machine; this wheel
is provided with one half of a clutch box 2 capable of sliding upon its shaft when
permitted to do so by elastic force of a spring 3, but it continuously imparts
motion to its shaft by means of a feather; at the other end of the said shaft is one
half 4 of another clutch box revolving with the said shaft by means of a feather,
but capable of being caused to slide thereon by the force of a spring 5; the
other halves 6, 7, of the clutch boxes run loose upon their shaft, the former
being fast with a cam 8, and the latter being fast with a toothed wheel 9 ;
but the said cam and wheel are loose upon their shaft. The half clutch box 6
is provided with a pin 10 which is capable of sliding therein, and one of its
ends extends to the face of the other half clutch 2; the other end of the said
pin 10 at certain times, and as shewn in Figure 6, bears against a stop 11, and
the spring 3 therefore cannot force forward the half 2 into gear with the
other half 6. In like manner the half clutch 7 is kept from its fellow half 4,
but in this instance there are four pins 12, 13, 14, 15, each of which in its
turn is in contact with a stop 16, as hereafter to be described. The stops
11, 16, are upon arms mounted so as to turn together upon a centre of
motion 17, and one of these arms extends beyond the said centre as at 18.
At 19 is a shaft driven from the doffer or other moving part of the machine,
and provided with a worm 20 taking into a worm wheel 21, which carries a
tappet 22 capable of arriving at intervals in contact with the part 18, whereby
the arm 18 may be turned upon its centre so as to lift the stops 11, 16, from
the pius 10 and 12, 13, 14, 15. The wheel 9 is in gear with a pinion 23

page_text: mounted upon a short tube 24 provided with a universal joint at the end of a
shaft 25, the other end of which carries a pinion taking into a circular mangle
rack 26, the axis of which is provided with a wheel 27 in gear with a
quadrant 28; this quadrant is formed upon an arm 29, the centre of motion 30
of which is concentric to that of the carding cylinder. The cam 8 before
mentioned is formed by a groove, within which is a pin extending from a
lever 31 capable of turning upon a fixed centre of motion 32; the other end
of this lever is furnished with a quadrant 33 brought at times into gear with a
pinion 34; as shewn in the Drawing it is not in gear, and there is at its end
a moveable spring tooth to facilitate the said gearing when it is required.
Upon the axis of the pinion 34 is another pinion 35 in gear with a rack 36
formed upon a bar capable of sliding upward or downward in guides; this
rack is in gear with a pinion 37, by which it communicates motion to another
rack 38 sliding in a slot formed in the arm 29. On the inside of the arm 29
(as seen at Figure 8) is a horn piece 39 mounted so as to be capable of turning
upon a centre, which extends through the slot in the arm 29 and is then
carried by the sliding rack 38; this horn piece carries a pocket 40, which when
rising, as hereafter to be described, receives the end of a flat 41, for which
purpose the said ends are made as shewn at Figures 9; at 42 is a shaft which is
the axis of the pinion 37 carried by the arm 29, and against which the horn
piece 39 occasionally arrives, as will hereafter be explained; upon the arm 29
is mounted a grinding roller 43 driven by means of a strap upon a pulley 44
on the axis of the carding cylinder, and above this roller, and also carried
by the arm 29, is a stripping card 45. At 46, 46*, is a lever mounted upon
a centre 47, but sufficiently tight to be retained in certain positions in which
it may be placed, and upon the part 46* is an incline 50 (see the detached
view, Fig. 10). The operation is as follows:-According to the position
shewn in Figs. 5 and 6 a stripped card has been placed in its working
position, and another has now to be removed for the same operation. We
will however premise that we remove every alternate flat when the apparatus
moves forward, and the others when it moves backward. The shaft 19
being driven by the doffer will, through the worm and worm wheel 20, 21,
bring the tappet 22 against the part 18, thus causing the arm 18 to turn
upon its centre 17 and lift the stops 11, 16, from the pin 10, and from one
of the other pins 12, 13, 14, 15. This having been done the springs 3, 5,
will force forward the wheel 1 with its clutch 2 and also the clutch 4,
whereby the two clutch boxes will be brought into gear. The wheel 9
will now be caused to revolve and communicate motion to the pinion 23, and
this in its turn will drive the mangle rack 26, whereby the quadrant 28

page_text: through the medium of the wheel 27 will be caused to move through a certain
space, and thus the cam 29 and parts which it carries will travel onward
until the pocket 40 shall have been brought under the flat next to be lifted
and stripped. It has been seen that the lifting of the stops 11, 16, has also
caused the cam 8 to revolve, it being fast with the clutch 6, and the groove
of the said cam will be carried along in the direction of the arrow, but the
part of the cam which first comes into operation is concentric, and the pin
therein will not therefore be moved. When, however, the cam 29 has been
brought into the position just mentioned, an excentric portion of its groove
will have arrived in contact with the pin on the lever 31, and the said
lever 31 will then be caused to turn upon its centre 32, so as to move the
quadrant 33 in the direction of the arrow, by which means the teeth thereof
will enter the teeth of the wheel 34, and the other wheel 35 on the same
axis will impart a downward movement to the rack 36, and this through the
medium of the pinion 37 will move upward the rack 38; the pocket 40
will then enclose the end of the flat, and a continued motion of the rack 38
will cause the part 39* of the horn piece to arrive in contact with the shaft 42,
whereby the said horn piece and with it the flat will be turned round one
quarter revolution, and its back will be forced forward by an arm 52, acted
upon by a spring 53. The rack 38 and consequently the flat continuing to
rise, a part 54 upon the latter will now arrive in contact with the incline 50,
which by forcing the flat a short distance back against the spring 53 will.
enable it to pass free of contact with the grinding roller 43, and a still further
motion of the flat will carry its wire in contact with the stripper 45, by
which means the latter will itself be stripped. The rotation of the cam 8
will now cause its groove to act upon the pin on the lever 31, so as to turn it
in the opposite direction to that above described, consequently the action of
the quadrant 33 will be reversed, and the wheels 34, 35, will cause the
rack 36 to move upward, and the other rack 38 to move downward, and
thus the flat will be drawn with it, its end being in the pocket 40, which at
this time is in a position at right angles to that shewn in Figure 8. In this
descent of the flat the first operation will be that it is stripped by the
stripper 45, the material falling over into a receptacle 55, after which it passes
in contact with the roller 43, which by its revolution effects the required
grinding. It has been seen that in order to prevent the flat being ground
when moving upward it was pressed back by the incline 50, but as it is to be
ground in its descent the incline must be moved from its path. This is
accomplished by the arrival of a stud 50 carried by the rack 38 in contact
with the end 46 of the lever, whereby the incline is turned upon its centre,

page_text: but when the flat has been ground then the stud 50* arrives in contact with
the end 46 of the lever, and turns the incline back again. The part 39 of
the horn piece now arrives in contact with the shaft 42, by which means it is
turned back a quarter revolution, and a further descent of the rack 38 causes
the flat to be deposited on the bend in its working position. Immediately after
the pins 10, 12, have been released as above described the stops 11, 16, fall by
their gravity into the position shewn, but the said pins will then have passed the
notches in the stops, and the operations above described are therefore allowed
to take place, but when these have been accomplished another of the pins 12,
13, 14, or 15 arrives in contact with the inclined end of the-stop 16, whereby
the said pin is pushed forward so as to disengage the clutch box 4; 7, and the
same thing takes place in reference to the pin 10 and clutch 2, 6, whereby
the several parts are brought into the position shewn at Figure 6, ready for
commencing the series of movements above described. These movements
will be repeated until the last flat has been lifted and stripped, by which time
the mangle pinion will have passed to the other side of its rack, and the
motion of the arm 29 will be reversed, so that it will travel back and allow
the lifting apparatus to act upon intermediate flats, which were not lifted in
the forward movement. The rack 36 is male of such weight as to counter-
poise the rack 38, when the weight of the flat is added to it. We have in
the foregoing description omitted one part of the apparatus for the sake of
making the general operation of the machine clear, and that we will now
describe. The flats, as before stated, are constructed with ends as shewn at
Figures 9, and upon the ends we place metal shoes 54, the surfaces of which
are ground away at the same time that the wire cards themselves are ground.
When the flats are moved up to be stripped, as above described, these shoes
are pressed by the spring 53 against a guage plate 60 carried by the arm 29,
and therefore always move along the stripper with the same degree of proxi-
mity, and when the flats are lowered to their working position the aforesaid
ground shoes constitute an unvarying gauge for adjusting them to the carding
cylinder. The gauge plate 60 is shewn detached at Figs. 11, and it will
be seen that it is formed with an opening 60*, through which the grinding
roller 43 projects sufficiently to reach the shoes 54, which can therefore
be ground, while a portion of their surfaces rests against the gauge plate 60,
which thus regulates the grinding as well as the stripping. We have spoken
of this grinding away of the shoes as being performed at every operation
of grinding the flats, but it may sometimes happen that the wires of the
said flats are not sufficiently ground away before a grinding of the cylinder
is required to render a reduction of the shoes necessary. In such cases the

page_text: grinding roller 43 may be the width of the wire only, and the shoes may be
brought to a new level when the cylinder is ground, but it will be evident that
in either case the surfaces of the shoes will throughout the series of flats bear
the same relative positions to the surfaces of the wire; and that they will therefore
be uniform ganges for the said wire. When the shoes are not to be ground a
filling piece may be placed in the aperture. By examining the operation of
the carding engine above described it will be perceived that the stripping of
the flats is effected by mechanism which is separated from and connected with
the driving power at periods during the travelling of the said mechanism along
the series of flats, the clutch boxes and parts connected therewith constituting
an intermittent motion, and further, that this intermittent motion may be
varied in periods of action by changing the pinion 21 or other wheel or pulley
in place thereof, whereas in machines now in use for stripping flats by auto-
matic apparatus that operation is dependent upon the speed at which the
working parts are driven. For the sake of simplicity we have above alluded
to one side of the machine only, but some of the parts are of course repeated
on the other side, as, for instance, the quadrant 28, the arm 29, the racks 36, 38,
the shoes 54, plates 60, and other parts which will readily be known.
At Figs. 12 and 13 we shew another application of this part of our Invention,
and will suppose that the arm or lever 61 is that which carries the stripping
apparatus arranged upon the plan known as Wellman's, and according
to which there is a pulley 62 upon the cylinder shaft which drives another
pulley 63, the axis of which carries a pinion 64 taking into a wheel 65,
and thus rotatory motion is imparted to a shaft 66, which effects the
removal of the flats, and this according to the usual plan is continuous.
According to our Invention, however, as before mentioned, the motion of
the shaft 66 is not to be dependent upon the motion of the machine, we there-
fore place the wheel 65 loosely upon its shaft, and upon it is one half 67 of a
clutch box, the other half 68 of which is upon a wheel 69 mounted on the
shaft 66 by means of a feather, and forced forward by a spring 71, the two
halves of the clutch box however being, excepting at certain intervals, kept
apart by the pin arrangement before described. The sliding pin in this case
rests against a lever 72 turning upon a centre 73. At 74 is a worm connected
to the wheel 65 and communicating motion to a wheel 75 through the worm
wheel and worm 76, 76*, and upon the wheel 75 is a pin which at intervals
arrives in contact with the lever 72, thereby causing it to turn upon its
centre 73, so as to liberate the sliding pin of the clutch, and then the two
parts of the said clutch box are geared by the spring 71, and the shaft 66,
which effects the raising of the flats, is caused to revolve.

page_text: Another part of our Invention relates to methods of securing uniformity of
sliver as it is removed by the doffer comb of carding engines. One method of
accomplishing this is shewn at Figs. 12 and 14. Behind the delivering rollers
we place a trumpet 80 mounted upon an arm 81 situate between two set
screws 82. The arm 81 projects from a lever 83 capable of turning upon a
centre 84 attached to the framework; at the inward end of the lever 83 is a
rod 85 extending downward to a short lever 86 connected by a rod to another
lever 87, the outward end of which is formed as a fork, and embraces an
excentric 88. Upon the axis of the lever 86 are mounted two drivers 89, 90,
situate in the same plane with a toothed wheel 91. The lever 83 carries a
weight 92, which balances the whole of the apparatus above described; on
the axis of the toothed wheel 91 is a strap guide 92*, the boss of which is
mounted upon a screw 93 and capable of acting upon a strap 94 passing over
a pair of cones 95, 96. One of these, that shewn at 95, is driven by the motive
power through the pulley 97, the other carries upon its axis a pinion 98 taking
into another 99, which drives a wheel 100, the axis thereof being provided
with a pinion 101 which drives the doffer. The excentric 88 is on the axis of
the wheel 99, and therefore imparts a vibratory movement to the lever 86 and
consequently to the drivers 89, 90, but in such manner that in ordinary working
they perform such vibrations clear of the wheel 91. But suppose a larger
quantity of material should be passing through the trumpet 80 than should be
the case, then the said trumpet, having more strain put upon it than is arranged
for, will be pulled towards the rollers 102, and will cause the lever 83 to turn
upon its centre 84, whereby the rod 85 will be raised and with it the lever 86,
and the shaft to which it is attached will be turned; consequently the driver 90
will be brought in contact with the wheel 91, and the next vibration caused
by the excentric 88 will bring the said driver to the wheel 91, causing it to
turn a portion of a revolution, by which means the screw 93 will also be turned
and the strap 94 will be traversed a certain distance along the conical pullies,
thus increasing the speed of the doffer and reducing the quantity of material
deposited thereon on a given area. In like manner should the quantity of
material passing through be reduced, the trumpet being deprived of tension
will fall back, and the other driver 89 will be caused to act upon the wheel 91,
which by turning the screw 93 in the opposite direction will shift the strap 94
so as to decrease the speed at which the doffer is driven, and increase the
thickness of material deposited on a given area.
Figs. 15, 16, and 17 shew another application of this part of our Invention.
In this instance the speeds of the doffer, the feed rollers, and the callender
rollers are simultaneously regulated by the bulk of material passed through

page_text: the machine. At 91 is the wheel, denoted by a similar number of reference in
Figs. 12, 14, and acted upon in like manner by the drivers 89, 90, but not
repeated in these Figures. Upon the axis of the wheel 91 is a pinion taking
into a segmental rack 102 formed upon a frame 108, which turns loosely on
the driving shaft 103*, and shewn detached at Fig. 18; upon this shaft is a
fast pinion 104, driving another 105, which is mounted on a short shaft 106
carried by arms 107, which extend from the frame 103. Upon the shaft 106
is a friction disc 108, situate between two pairs of discs 109, 109*, mounted
on shafts 110, 111, and one of each of these pairs is capable of sliding upon its
shaft and is forced towards the other by a spring not shewn in the Drawing,
the arrangement being in ordinary use. On the shaft of the disc 109 is a
pinion 113, which by means of the train of gearing 114, 115, 116, 117, gives
motion to the doffer. The shaft of the disc 109 also carries a pinion 118 which
drives a wheel 119 on the axis of the callender roller 120. The shaft 111
extends across the machine and thence by means of the train of gearing
shewn imparts motion to a shaft 121 leading to the feed rollers. When
motion is communicated to the wheel 91 as described in reference to Fig. 12,
the rack 102 will be turned in one direction or the other, and the frame 103
and arms 107 being thus caused to turn upon the shaft will cause the disc 108
to slide between the discs 109, 109*, thus accelerating the speed of one and
diminishing that of the other, by which means the sliver if deficient in quantity
will receive more material by an increased speed of the feed rollers and
diminished speed of the other, or the reverse of this will take place if the
sliver contain too much material. The movement of the frame 103 necessarily
carries with it the pinion 105, but as it turns upon the centre 103 it moves
around the pinion 104.
:
Another part of our Invention relates to a method of raising the fibrous
material to the surface of the cylinder, the operation being that which is
usually performed by the apparatus termed fancy rollers.
Fig. 19 represents this portion of our Invention in plan view, and it is also
shewn in Fig. 12, before referred to. The carding cylinder is shewn at 121,
in contact with the wires of which and penetrating them is a row of teeth
formed upon a pulley or disc 122; this pulley or disc is mounted loosely upon
a shaft 128, and is situated between two brackets 124, which, are capable of
sliding upon a bar 125, the said bar being formed with a longitudinal slit,
through which the teeth on the roller 122 project so as to reach the cards on
the cylinder. Upon the shaft 123 is a slot which receives a pin fixed on the
boss of the pulley or disc 122, and the said pulley or disc may therefore slide
upon its shaft, while it is at the same time caused to revolve by means of a

page_text: pulley 126 driven from any convenient source of motion; the shaft 123 is
formed hollow, and within it is another shaft 127*, the periphery of which is
cut with a screw in opposite directions, such as is ordinarily used for gaining
a traversing motion to and fro, and in this screw is a pin projecting from the
pulley or disc 122. To the brackets 124 are attached bands 127 of leather
or other flexible material, which at their other ends are connected to pullies
128, the axes of which carry other pullies 129 furnished with weighted cords
130, rotatory motion being communicated to the shafts 123, 127*, and at
different speeds by the pullies 126, 126*, the pulley or disc 122 will be caused
to revolve while it will at the same time be caused to travel to and fro by the
screw on the shaft 127 and carry its teeth through the wire cords of the
cylinder, thus gradually raising the dirt and other material to the surface of
the said cards. During this operation one of the straps 127 will be unwound
from its roller while the other is wound on by its weighted cord, and thus the
space on each side of the toothed pulley or disc 122 will be covered.
The next part of our Invention relates to the mule, and is an improvement.
upon that arrangement for which Letters Patent were granted to us, bearing
date September Twenty-fourth, One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine,-
Number 12,785. According to the Invention therein specified the mule.
carriage was mounted upon levers which turned upon a centre in such manner
that the points of the spindles were carried below the said centre of motion, and
this necessitated a compensating swivelling arrangement for enabling the said
spindles to retain their proper angle in reference to the roller beam when
spinning. By our present Invention we dispense with the said apparatus, and
place the centre of motion of the carriage beneath that situation to which the
points of the spindles descend when at their greatest distance from the roller
beam. Fig. 20 represents one mode of carrying out this part of our Invention.
The carriage is at 1 carried by toothed quadrants, one of which is at 2 turning
upon a centre at 3; in gear with the quadrant 2 is a pinion 4 on a shaft which
also carries another pinion taking into a rack 5 formed upon a sliding part
which carries the roller beam 6; at 7 is a spindle, and at 8 the front rollers.
Motion being communicated to the pinion 4 the roller beam and spindle rail
will be caused to approach each other, as described in the Specification of our
former Patent aforesaid, the spindle rail turning upon the centre 3, and owing
to the position thereof below the points of the spindles the proper angle for
spinning will be preserved, and we are therefore enabled to dispense with the
aforesaid swivelling of the rail.
In Fig. 21 the roller beam is moved as before by a pinion 4, but instead of
the toothed segment a curved lever 9 is provided, against which a bowl 10

page_text: upon the rack 5 acts as the roller beam descends, and thus the spindle rail is
caused to turn upon the centre 3. We have mentioned that according to this
part of our Invention the centre of motion is placed below the points of the
spindles when at the greatest distance from the roller beam, but it is obvious
that a little deviation from that position may be made without losing substan-
tially the improvement we effect.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be under-
stood that we claim as secured to us under the above in part recited Letters
Patent,
Firstly, the general arrangement of opening machine whereby the material
is received, cleaned, and delivered on the same horizontal plane, and as
applied to that purpose the series of annular chambers through which the
material is successively passed by revolving beaters; also furnishing such
chambers with grids to provide for the passage of dirt. In carding engines
we claim, firstly, effecting the stripping of the flats by apparatus which may be
put in and out of gear with the motive power at intervals during the tra-
versing of such apparatus along the series of flats; also the use of a change
wheel or pulley whereby the said apparatus may be caused to act at any
desired intervals.
Secondly, swivelling the flats one-fourth of a circle during the operation of
lifting them from the cylinder, and performing the operations of stripping and
grinding, or either of those processes, while in that position, by means of
apparatus attached to the carrying arm or frame.
Thirdly, the application of a roller for grinding the flats to the frame which
carries the parts for effecting the stripping, such frame moving for these
purposes from one flat to another.
Fourthly, the application of shoes to the flats, and which are ground away
with the wire to constitute gauges for regulating the stripping, the action of
the grinding roller, and for registering the position of the flat when carding.
Fifthly, the use of the two racks 36, 38, or equivalent arrangement, by
which the lifting apparatus becomes balanced.
Sixthly, and for the purpose above set forth, using the bulk or weight of
material passing from the machine to regulate the speed of the doffer or the
feed apparatus, or both of them.
Seventhly, and for the purpose stated, the employment of a pulley or disc
armed with teeth taking into the wire of the cylinder and travelling to and fro
along its breadth in combination with the flexible straps for filling in the
spaces on each side of the said pulley or disc.

page_text: In reference to mules constructed on the principle of our former Patent
aforesaid we claim dispensing with the swivelling apparatus for the spindles
and lowering the centre of motion on which the carriage turns so as to keep
them at the proper spinning angle.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Schofield Whitworth, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
THOMAS SCHOFIELD WHITWORTH. (L.S.)