IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND OPENING FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND OPENING FIBROUS
MATERIALS." A communication from abroad by Chester Ammidown Dresser,
of Southbridge, Massachusetts, United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th July 1881.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING
AND OPENING FIBROUS MATERIALS." A communication from abroad by Chester
Ammidown Dresser, of Southbridge, Massachusetts, United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for preparing crude and
dirty staple for lapping machines, the object being to open and cleanse the fibrous
material by means which will more thoroughly accomplish the cleansing and leave
it much less broken and consequently much less injured, and also much more
nearly in a paralleled state than is practicable in the machines heretofore in
common use.

page_text: and the arms D, D¹, are all made and arranged in the usual manner, with the
exception that the roll B is made with an outer covering of some yielding material,
the outer surface having such a texture that the staple will slightly adhere to it.
This roll B, which I term the receiving roll, is so adjusted in relation to the
compression roll A that the two surfaces shall be distant from each other to the
extent of one fourth of an inch or more, this distance being varied according to the
quality of the staple to be acted upon.
The separator or grid (Figures 1 and 2) consists of a series of bars K, K, which
are connected at their ends to the pieces H, H; the ends of each of the said bars K
have round bearings or axles, which pass into the end pieces H, H, as shewn, so
that each of these bars is adjustable about its axle. Several of the upper bars K
have attached to their ends arms M, M, which are pivoted to the link N operated
by the link N¹ and lever P; this lever P has its fulcrum at P'. By this device or
arrangement of parts the bars K, K, may be adjusted on their axle as desired, so
that the spaces between them may be made wider or narrower, and the angle
of deflection due to their flat sides may also be varied. This adjustment is
accomplished in the following manner, that is to say-When the handle of the
lever P is pressed down, the opposite end of the latter raises the link N¹ nearly
vertically; this link N' in turn raises the link N, and the latter the outer ends
of the arins M, which in turn move the bars K upon their pivots, so as to change
materially the course of the air currents passing between the said bars, as is shewn
in dotted lines in Figure 4. By an opposite movement, that is to say, by raising
the handle of the lever P, I produce the opposite movement of the bars K, the
position of the said bars shewn in Figure 1 being their normal or usual position.
This position of the said bars, however, requires to be changed to adapt them to
the more perfect treatment of wet or damp fibre, or of long or short staple, or
in accordance with the humidity of the atmosphere where the machine is in
operation.
I wish it to be understood that all of the bars K above named as well as the
deflector L are in the path of air currents, applied in a well known manner. With
this adjustment of the bars K upon their axles it also becomes necessary to adjust
the grate or grid as a whole both toward and away from the beater. The difference
in the staple with regard to length, humidity, cleanliness, and other conditions
necessitates adjustment of the grid with respect to the said-beater.
To effect this adjustment of the said grid the end pieces H, H, are connected to
the main frame so as to move freely thereon, and the said grid is operated by the
levers R, R¹, as will now be explained. The lever R is secured upon the sleeve or
outside shaft Y, and the lever R¹ is secured upon the enclosed shaft U. The sleeve
or outside shaft passes through and is secured to clamps W, W, which have arms
w, w, that play within sleeves T, T. The inner shaft U has secured to it arms S, S,
working in proper slots in the outer shaft V, and to the inner ends of these arms
S, S, are pivoted one end of the links S¹, S₁; the other ends of these links are
pivoted to the end or frame pieces H, H. The upper ends of the sleeves-T, T, are
also pivoted to the pieces H, H. Therefore, as will be readily seen, a movement
of the lever R¹ acting by and through the shaft U moves the parts S, S', which
carry up the sleeves T, T, and raise the separator frames and their bars. By the
movement of the lever R the frame and its bars are moved in and out upon the arc
of a circle, the shaft V representing the centre of the same.
By these means as will be perceived the separator as a whole is adjustable,
vertically or nearly so, and also laterally, while its separate elements the bars K. have
their independent adjustments.
The form, arrangement, and function of the bars K, K, in the separator will be
readily understood from the following explanation:-
A number of the upper bars of the separator are pivoted as above set forth, so
that they may be turned about their axes. As each of these bars has three flat
surfaces a b, bd, da, and three acute or sharp angles, it will be seen by reference
to Figure 4, that even a slight turning of the said bars so that they may occupy

page_text: the positions indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 4, will cause a great difference
in their effect upon the directions and amount of the air flowing between or about
them, and also a great difference in their effect upon the foreign matter or dirt
that is being beaten from the staple. With this arrangement a practically perfect
and accurate control of the currents of air and of the falling dirt can be effected.
The grid and pieces H, H, are each provided with a flat strip Z of leather, india-
rubber, or similar material for the purpose of making a tight joint between the
parts H and the side A² of the machine (see Figure 5). This strip is fastened in
position by a metallic plate z¹ and screws (see Figures 4 and 5). By the use of
this strip Z, I am enabled to fit my improved grate or grid to machines of different
widths without any work except simply trimming with a knife or shears the
projecting edge of the said strip, it being originally made wide enough to fit
the widest machines.
In Figure 6 I have shewn a modified form of the grid-bars K, K, that is to say,
the sides ab and ad of the bar, are plain or flat surfaces, while the side bd is
concave as shewn. By making these bars with the outer surface bd concaved, I
obtain a better result than can be obtained with bars having a plain surface for
the reason that the particles of dirt falling in the direction of the arrow X, will
upon striking the concaved surface bd, be deflected and conducted away at a
greater angle to the perpendicular than if they struck upon a plain inclined surface,
the dirt is therefore carried farther away from the point of greatest wind-pressure
which is near the line a d.
Having thus described the mechanical parts of my Invention I will now proceed
to more clearly set forth its principles of action.
In connection with the two rolls A and B, I arrange any of the well known
beating devices, the beater being adjusted to the receiving roll so as to allow of an
accumulation of staple upon the receiving roll B; when this accumulation on the
said roll B is so great as to come in contact with the compressor-roll A and into
the field of action of the beater arms D, D', the action of the beater will draw the
staple from the thick yielding and slightly tenacious mass at E; by this
arrangement it will be readily understood that the staple is much less liable to be
broken by the action of the beater than in case it is drawn directly from between
two inflexible feed-rolls as by the ordinary methods.
This drawing of the staple from the accumulated staple on the roll B by the
beater is effected by the united action of the beater which comes in frictional
contact with the staple, and the effect caused by the strong current of air flowing
in the line of motion of the said beater. By my improvements the staple is
formed by the action of the beater arms D, D', into a thin fluttering apron E
extending a considerable distance below the receiving roll B, while in this condition
its entangled dirt is blown or beaten out by an air current. The action of the beater
continually detaches from the lower edge of this apron E the cleansed staple, which
is delivered with its fibres much longer and inore nearly parallel than can be done
by the machines in common use.
I wish it to be understood that this machine may be used with or without a
suction fan for drawing in currents of air between the bars K. If used with a
suction fan the currents of air drawn in are to a certain extent met by the
currents of air proceeding from the beater, and there should be such an adjust-
ment of the separator as a whole or of its bars or of both as will preserve such
an equilibrium of air currents between the bars as to permit dirt and other
extraneous matter to fall out by momentum and gravity and yet retain the fibre
from escape and loss.
If no suction fan is used it will be essential to remove the separator a very
considerable distance from the path of the beaters and to so adjust the bars K as
to leave but narrow openings between them; the result will be that the currents
of air produced by the beater will be so slight at the openings between the bars
that the dirt and other foreign matter will be expelled between the bars by
momentum and gravity while the fibre will not pass through or be lost.

page_text: .
Having thus, fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it
understood that I claim,-.
First. A separator grate or grid provided with the bars K in combination with
suitable mechanisin whereby the entire grid or its bars may be adjusted as and
for the purpose specified...
Second. The combination with the said adjustable grid of the deflector L,
substantially as above set forth.
Third. The adjustable grid or separator provided with the independently pivoted
bars constructed substantially as described with reference to Figure for the
-purpose sepecified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.