IM- PROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BATTS OR SLIVERS OF FIBRE FOR FELTING PURPOSES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Bywater, of the Sweet Street Foundry, Holbeck,
Leeds, in the County of York, Machine Maker, and Stephen Berry, of Westgate,
Cleckheaton, in the said County of York, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BATTS OR
SLIVERS OF FIBRE FOR FELTING PURPOSES."
Sealed the 15th September 1877, and dated the 4th April 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Bywater and
Stephen Berry at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th April
1877.
WILLIAM BYWATER, of the Sweet Street Foundry, Holbeck, Leeds, in the County
of York, Machine Maker, and STEPHEN BERRY, of Westgate, Cleckheaton, in the
said County of York, Mechanic. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR
THE PRODUCTION OF BATTS OR SLIVERS OF FIBRE FOR FELTING PURPOSES."
The object of our Invention is to facilitate the production of batts or slivers of
various lengths and widths, as may be required for the purpose of felting into
fabric for use as carpeting, skirting cloths, table covers, or for feeding scribblers,
carders, and for other uses. For this purpose we employ two revolving sheet
rollers with a canvas or other suitable sheet. One end of this sheet is connected
to one roller, and the other end of it to the other roller, and these rollers have
motion given to them, so as to cause them by self-acting means alternately to
travel in one direction, and then in the opposite direction; and in these motions
of the sheet it receives the fibre as fed to it from the carding engine, alternately
lapping and rolling the sliver to the extent desired for the thickness required.
According to the self-acting reversing arrangement, we adopt, motion from the
feeding engine to the rollers and sheets is by a bevel pinion operating a pair of
bevel pinions travelling loosely on, but either of which is capable of clutch con-
nection with the shaft for giving motion by its gear to the rollers and aprons in the
direction desired alternately. The clutch is alternately operated by pins or pro-
jections from a travelling rack operating on the stud of a rocking T lever with

page_text: other studs capable of being acted on to facilitate motion by a weighted lever arm;
but this may bo varied.
We do not confine ourselves to the use of only one sheet for forming such batts
or slivers for felts or feeds.

page_text: they work loosely upon the side shaft d; is a forked lover which is supported to
swing loosely upon the pivot k³, and at its outer ond is formed as a T or with two
arms carrying studs and, whilst its stem is provided with a stud k³, which
passes into a groovo or neck formed for it in the clutch g; is a weighted lever
which is capable of swinging loosely upon the pivot ¹, and which lever works
between the studs and ³ on the forked or T ended lever k, and by being caused
to fall alternately upon the studs and k³ causes the stud k on the lever to move
the clutch g, alternately to release it from clutch g', and cause it to gear with g³ or
vice versa; m is a rack supported so as to be capable of sliding in the casting n;
o is a spur wheel working on a stud, and having its teeth geared with the teeth of
the rack m. The wheel o has connected with it a worm whoel p, which is acted
upon by worm 9 on the side shaft d. The rack m carries on its upper surface two
studs m² and m², the positions of which are capable of adjustment; these studs come
alternately in contact with the stud on the lever l; r is a travelling sheet to
conduct the fibre to the batt sheet 8.
The working of the apparatus is as follows:-The weighted lever 7 whilst at
rest upon the stud³of the forked lever k, in the position indicated by Figure 1,
causes the clutch to goar with clutch g³, and the wheels f¹, f², ƒ³, f, operating
to cause the cross shaft e to revolve then by means of the bevil wheels h³, h³, acting
upon the clutch g, the side shaft d and surface rollers 61, 62, 63, 64, will also revolve
in a direction for the rollers 61 and 62 to take up the sheet and batt whilst the other
rollers 6s and baro giving out. During this time the worm q is acting upon the
rack m through the wheels o and p to slowly move it forward until the stud m²
comes in contact with the stud on the weighted lever 1 to raise that lever & until
it just passes the perpendicular, when it falls upon the stud on forked lever k.
This lever then by means of stud k' acting in the groove of the clutch g releases
the clutch g from the clutch g, and gears it with the clutch g, thus causing the
direction of motion of the side shaft d and the rollers b¹, 62, 63, 6, to be reversed.
The studs m¹ and m² on the rack m can be moved and fixed nearer together or
further apart, in order to adjust their times of action to produce a shorter or a longer
batt. The rollers 2, 2, may be used to prevent the licking up of the felt sliver when
the sliver is lapping off the roll at the lapping off end.
Having thus described our Invention, and means we adopt in carrying the same
into effect, we would have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the
precise arrangements of parts as shown and described, as the same may be varied
without departing from the peculiar character of the Invention; but what we do
claim is the arranging or combining parts forming apparatus for the production of
batts or slivers of fabric for felting purposes, whereby the direction of motion
of the parts is capable of being reversed alternately by self-acting means, sub-
stantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bywater, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
WILLIAM BYWATER (L.S.)