IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CARDING, OPENING, STRAIGHTENING, AND PREPARING TO BE SPUN Tow AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS.
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Greenwood, John Batley, and Jacob
Dockray, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machine Makers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CARDING, OPENING,
STRAIGHTENING, AND PREPARING TO BE SPUN Tow AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS.'
"
Sealed the 4th June 1858, and dated the 8th April 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Greenwood,
John Batley, and Jacob Dockray at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 8th April 1858.
We, THOMAS GREENWOOD, JOHN BATLEY, and JACOB DOCKRAY, of Leeds, in
the County of York, Machine Makers, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CARDING, OPENING,
STRAIGHTENING, AND PREPARING TO BE SPUN Tow AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
to be as follows:-
Our Invention of "Improvements in Machinery for Carding, Opening,
Straightening, and Preparing to be Spun Tow and other Fibrous Materials,"
relates to a novel arrangement of certain of the parts of carding engines,
whereby the material to be operated upon is fed on to the cylinder and doffed
off, either partially or wholly, without the intervention of intermediate pairs of
rollers generally known as workers and strippers. The consequence of thus
operating upon the fibrous material will be that the fibres will be effectually

page_text: opened and straightened with an economy of machinery and time and of
material.
The object of our Invention may be effected in various ways, all, however,
involving the same principle. By one plan the substance is fed on to the
working cylinder by a pair of rollers, which hold it while the fibres are being
opened, straightened, or carded, and then the material is removed from the
working cylinder by a suitable doffing apparatus. Should one working of this
kind not be sufficient for some fibres, the material may be conveyed from
the doffer to a second pair of holding feeding rollers, which will present it a
'second time to a working cylinder, and so on to a third or more working
cylinders, as may be found requisite, after which it may be doffed finally and
removed.
Modifications of the above consist in adapting to one large cylinder several
sets of feeding rollers and doffers, either combined with workers and strippers
'or not.
It will be obvious to practical men that these arrangements must be
modified to suit different materials, and that for some purposes it will be
advantageous to apply a gill drawing apparatus to some of the arrangements
above mentioned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
the said Thomas Greenwood, John Batley, and Jacob Dockray in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th October 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
GREENWOOD, JOHN BATLEY, and JACOB DOCKRAY, of Leeds, in the County of
York, Machine Makers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Thomas Greenwood, John Batley, and Jacob Dockray, Her special
license that we, the said Thomas Greenwood, John Batley, and Jacob Dockray,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Thomas Greenwood, John Batley, and Jacob Dockray, our executors; adminis-
trators, 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

page_text: of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CARDING, OPENING, STRAIGHT-
ENING, AND PREPARING TO BE SPUN TOW AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Greenwood, John Batley,
and Jacob Dockray, 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 Thomas Greenwood, on behalf of
myself and of the said John Batley and Jacob Dockray, do hereby declare the
nature of our 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, reference being bad to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
Our Invention of "Improvements in Machinery for Carding, Opening,
Straightening, and Preparing to be Spun Tow and other Fibrous Materials,"
relates to a novel arrangement of certain of the parts of carding engines, whereby
the material to be operated upon is fed on to the cylinder, and either partially
or wholly carded, opened, drawn out, and straightened without the intervention
of several pairs of the intermediate rollers generally employed and known as
workers and strippers. The consequence of thus operating upon the fibrous
material will be that the fibres will be effectually opened and straightened with
an economy of machinery and time and of material. The object of our
Invention may be effected in various ways, all, however, involving the same
principle.
By one plan the fibrous substance is fed on to the working cylinder by a
pair of feeding rollers, which hold it while the fibres are being opened,
straightened, or carded by the main cylinder alone, without the intervention of
any intermediate working and stripping rollers, and then the material is
removed from the working cylinder by a suitable doffing apparatus. Should
one working of this kind not be sufficient for some fibres, the material may be
conveyed from the doffer to a second pair of holding feeding rollers, which will
present it a second time to another working cylinder, and so on to a third or
more working cylinders as may be found requisite, after which it may be doffed
finally and removed.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn views of various arrangements
of parts, whereby the object of our Invention may be effected.

page_text: Fig. 1 is a plan view, and Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a carding engine
and its accessories arranged according to our Invention, and shewing as much
of the principal working parts as will illustrate one of the arrangements of our
improvements in carding machines. a is the endless feed cloth upon which
the material to be carded is spread; b, b, are the feeding and holding rollers,
which, together with the "licker-in" cylinder c, will conduct and supply the
material to be operated upon to the main cylinder d; the doffer cylinder is
shewn at e, and f is the doffing comb, which is worked in the usual manner;
9,9, are the delivery rollers, provided with the usual conductors and angular
plate for conducting the slivers to a second pair of feed rollers h, h, and
"licker-in" i, of another large working cylinder j, which is also provided with
a doffer k, and doffing comb 1. The carded fibre is finally doffed on to a plate
*, and is conducted by the delivery rollers m, m, to a can or other receptacle.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of another arrangement of parts for carrying
out our improvements in carding machines. In this arrangement there is
only one large working cylinder, around which are arranged two or more sets
of feeding rollers and doffers, with two pairs of intermediate working and
stripping rollers. This arrangement will be found convenient for low qualities
of tow or fibre which contain any considerable proportion of extraneous
matters. a is the endless feed cloth; b, b, the feed rollers; c, the "licker-in;"
d, the large working cylinder; d', d, d', d', are two pairs of ordinary workers
and strippers, which are used for the more effectual cleaning of the fibre; e is
a doffing cylinder, and f the doffing comb, worked in the ordinary manner.
A polished plate e¹ is placed below the doffing comb to receive the sliver, and
support it while being conducted to a second set of feed rollers b', ', which are
also provided with a "licker-in" c; two other doffing cylinders c³, e², with
their doffing combs e, e, are also adapted to another part of the large
cylinder d, and are provided with pairs of delivering rollers g, g.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a modification of the above arrangement of
our improvements in carding machines, but in which the intermediate working
and stripping rollers are dispensed with. a is the endless feed cloth; b, b, the
feed rollers; c, the "licker-in;" d, the main cylinder; e, the doffing cylinder;
f, the doffing comb; e', a polished plate for the sliver to pass over; b³, b', are
a second pair of feeding and holding rollers to conduct the sliver a second time
to the main cylinder d; the "licker-in" for the second feed is seen at c', and
,, are two doffing cylinders with the usual doffing combs e, e, as in Fig. 3;
and g, g, are the delivery rollers.
It will be obvious to practical men that these arrangements must bo
modified to suit different materials, and that for some purposes it will be

page_text: advantageous to apply a gill drawing apparatus to some of the arrangements
above mentioned.
Fig. 5. is a plan view, and Fig. 6 a sectional elevation, of part of a carding
machine, somewhat similar in arrangement to that shewn in Figures 1 and 2,
but with a gill drawing apparatus attached. a is the endless feed sheet; b, b,
the feeding and holding rollers; c is the "licker-in;" d is the main cylinder;
e, the doffing cylinder, with the usual doffing comb f; e¹ is a plate, over which
the carded sliver passes to the feed rollers h, h, of a second cylinder; is the
"licker-in" to this second cylinder, and k is the dofling cylinder, with the
usual doffing comb 7 adapted thereto, whereby the sliver is doffed on to the
plate, from whence it is taken by the delivery rollers m, m, and conducted
to a rotary or other gill », and a pair of drawing rollers 0, 0, draw out the
sliver from the gill and lay it on the sliver plate o*, from whence it is taken
by the delivery rollers p, p, and deposited in the can or other receptacle, as
shewn in the Drawing.
Having now described our Invention of "Improvements in Machinery for
Carding, Opening, Straightening, and Preparing to be Spun Tow and other
Fibrous Substances," and having described various arrangements of machinery
whereby our Invention may be carried into effect, we would wish it to be
understood that we do not mean or intend to confine ourselves to the precise
arrangement or construction of parts herein shewn and described, as they may
doubtless be varied without departing from the nature and object of our Inven-
tion, and it will be evident to all practical men that different fibrous materials
require somewhat different treatment and mechanical arrangements for effect-
ing the desired object. In conclusion, we claim the mode herein shewn and
described of treating tow and other fibrous substances, whereby the fibres
thereof may be more effectually carded, opened, straightened, and prepared for
spinning than heretofore.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Greenwood, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Eighth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
(L.S.) THOMAS GREENWOOD.