IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR OPENING, CLEANING, AND PREPARING COTTON, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS TO BE SPUN
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Conlong, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
Ireland, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR OPENING, CLEANING, AND PREPARING COTTON, AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS TO BE SPUN."
Sealed the 31st May 1864, and dated the 5th December 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Conlong at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
December 1863.
I, JAMES CONLONG, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland, Manager,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR OPENING, CLEANING, AND PREPARING COTTON AND
OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS TO BE SPUN," to be as follows:
This Invention relates to an improved method of clothing cylinders and flats
or segments intended to act against such cylinders, and also for an improved
mode of fastening the said clothing to the cylinder flats or segments of
machines used for opening, carding, and cleaning cotton, silk, flax, wool and
other fibrous substances, and also for more effectually opening the hard waste
and tares of such substances, and consists in making the clothing of a series
of combed bars or sheets placed on the periphery of the cylinder and on the
face of the flats or segments next to the cylinder and parallel to the axis
thereof. The said bars or sheets are fixed or placed in a series of V grooves,
such grooves being formed by a series of bars bolted, screwed, or otherwise

page_text: fastened to the cylinder and running parallel with its axes, or the grooves
may be cut in the cylinder, and this improved system of clothing is applicable
to either wood or iron cylinders, When bars are used to fasten the teeth to
the cylinder, their edges are bevilled to correspond with the teeth, which may
be made of steel or other suitable metal. The said teeth are made in the
form of an inclined plane or wedge, the lower part or bottom side being in the
form of a segment of a circle corresponding with the cylinder, and in flats or
segments to correspond with those to which the teeth are fastened. The
thickness of the teeth is to be regulated according to the work to be done,
the same as in wire clothing, the finer plates to be used when finer combs are
required, and coarser ones when stronger teeth are required. The outer ends
of the teeth are made in the shape of a V to correspond with the grooves
formed by the plates, or the said grooves may be formed by cutting them in
the cylinder. The teeth are placed in the grooves alternately; when the teeth
are of a less pitch than four to the inch they are placed one full and one blank
tooth or fill plate, and in fine combs of more than the said pitch the teeth are
'made with a shoulder at each side, the shoulder forming a segment of a
circle corresponding with the height or depth of the fastening plate or the
depth of the groove cut in the cylinder. The cylinders are made with rims
on each end, one fast and the other loose, of a sufficient depth to correspond
with the plates, the loose rings to be fastened by set screws or other suitable
When fastening plates are used, or where the grooves are cut in the
cylinder, the teeth are placed in the grooves the width of the cylinders; for
fine work the teeth are placed in succession, but for coarse work a filling up
plate is used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Conlong in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
CONLONG, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland, Manager, send 3
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant s
unto me, the said James Conlong, Her special license that I, the said

page_text: James Conlong, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said James Conlong, 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 "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR OPENING, CLEANING, AND PREPARING
COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS TO BE SPUN," upon the condition (amongst.
others) that I, the said James Conlong, 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, 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 James Conlong, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to an improved method of clothing cylinders and flats
or segments intended to act against such cylinders, and also for an improved
mode of fastening the said clothing to the cylinders, fats, or segments of
machines used for opening, carding, and cleaning cotton, silk, flax, wool and
other fibrous substances, and also for more effectually opening the hard waste
and tares of such substances, and consists in making the clothing of a series
of combed bars or sheets placed on the periphery of the cylinder, and on the
face of the flats or segments next to the cylinder and parallel to the axis
thereof. The said bars or sheets are fixed or placed in a series of V grooves,
such grooves being formed by a series of bars, bolted, screwed, or otherwise
fastened to the cylinder and running parallel with its axis, or the grooves may
be cut in the cylinder, and this improved system of clothing is applicable to
either wood or iron cylinders. When bars are used to fasten the teeth to the
cylinder, their edges are bevilled to correspond with the teeth, which may be.
made of steel or other suitable metal. The said teeth are made in the form
of an inclined plane or wedge, the lower part or bottom side being in the form
of a segment of a circle corresponding with the cylinder, and in flats or seg-
ments to correspond with those to which the teeth are fastened. The thick-
ness of the teeth is to be regulated according to the work to be done, the
same as in-wire clothing; the finer plates to be used when finer combs are
required, and coarser ones when stronger teeth are required. The outer ende

page_text: of the teeth are made in the shape of a V to correspond with the grooves
formed by the plates, or the said grooves may be formed by cutting them in
the cylinder. The teeth are placed in the grooves alternately, and when the
teeth are of a less pitch than four to the inch they are placed one full and one
blank tooth or fill plate, and in fine combs of more than the said pitch the
teeth are made with a shoulder at each side, the shoulder forming a segment
of a circle corresponding with the height or depth of the fastening plate or
the depth of the groove cut in the cylinder. The cylinders are made with
rims on each end, one fast and the other loose, of a sufficient depth to corre-
spond with the plates, the loose rings to be fastened by set screws or other
suitable means. When fastening plates are used, or when the grooves are
cut in the cylinder, the teeth are placed in the grooves the width of the
cylinders; for fine work the teeth are placed in succession, but for coarse work
a filling up plate is used.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the Figures
and letters on the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a
longitudinal section of an opening, cleaning, and preparing machine, in which
the main cylinder, segment below it, and also the licker-in cylinder are clothed
according to my Invention; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, with part in section;
Fig. 8, an enlarged section of part of the cylinder and clothing; Fig. 4, a
detached view of one of the fill plates; Fig. 5, a transverse section of the licker-
in cylinder drawn about half size, and Fig. 6, a plan of part of the same.
In Figs. 1, 2, and 3, a represents a transverse section of the periphery of
the cylinder, to which is applied my improved clothing employed for opening
and breaking up fibrous materials, and in Figs. 5 and 6, a represents a trans-
verse section of the licker-in cylinder, which is also mounted with my improved
clothing. Each cylinder is turned on its face, and across it there are dove-
tailed grooves or slots 6 concentric with the axis, the form of the grooves or
slots corresponding with the form of the teeth soles c, which soles are formed
with a shoulder for carding purposes; but for coarse opening purposes they
are plain, having fill plates d, Figs. 3 and 4, of the same form as the teeth
soles introduced between the sides of the said soles, the pitch and thickness of
the teeth being regulated by the work required to be performed by such
clothing. The grooves or slots are cut in the face of the cylinder, or strips
with bevil edges are fastened to the cylinder to form dovetailed grooves or
slots for the teeth, as shewn at e, Fig 8, and at the extreme ends of the
cylinder there are fill and tightening plates f, 9, Fig. 6, which plates are
fastened by set screws to the cylinder, the cylinder being bored and the holes
tapered for receiving the screws. The fill plates f at one end are all put on.

page_text: tight, and one row of the clothing or teeth is then fitted into its corresponding
groove, and when one row of teeth come to the other end of the cylinder, one
of the end fill plates g is put on and a cramp applied to press the teeth firmly
together, and its set screw is now put through the plate and screwed home
and the cramp taken off. These operations are repeated until the whole of
the grooves are filled with teeth and the cylinder is clothed, and although the
fill and tightening plates are shewn only in Fig. 6, the same plan is adopted
with the main cylinder a, Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The teeth of the opener are set
at an angle of ninety degrees on the face, and for carding at forty-five degrees.
The machines for carding or opening are actuated and receive motion in the
usual way.
In adopting the improved clothing to the flats or segments h, Fig. 1, the
bars are made of cast or wrought iron, or any other metallic substance, and
grooved, and the teeth placed into the groove, as in the case of cylinders and
flats or segments applied, and in all cases the teeth may be made of steel, iron
case hardened, or made of any other suitable material. In those machines
where dirty waste or cotton is broken up and cleaned spaces or grids are left
in the flats or segments beneath the cylinder.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be understood
that I claim the system of clothing cylinders and segments or flats for carding
and opening purposes with steel or other metallic teeth of the shape or form
shewn in the accompanying Drawings, or thereabouts.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Conlong, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 30th day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
JAMES CONLONG. (L.S.)