Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 12th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 2nd Dec., 1899
We, THOMAS RODGERSON MARSDEN, Manager with Messieurs Platt Bros. & Co.
Ltd., of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Machinists, and PLATT BROS. & Co.
LIMITED, of Oldham aforesaid do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our said invention relates to carding engines and has reference_more_par-
ticularly to the stopping and starting of such carding engines. As is well known
carding engines are driven by means of a belt driving a fast pulley fixed on the
cylinder shaft, a loose pulley adjoining being provided to receive the belt when
it is necessary to stop the card. To facilitate the traverse of the driving belt it
has been provided with a belt fork capable of being slid upon a guide rod or
rods carried by a bracket secured to the fixed bend of the cylinder or other fixed
part of the machine.
Previous to our invention the sliding belt fork has been operated from the side
of the card.
In modern practice however it has become customary with revolving flat carding
engines to place the cards in such close proximity side by side that the space left
between the cards is so restricted as to render it extremely dangerous, by risk
of contact with revolving parts, for the attendant to pass between the cards in
order to effect the shifting of the belt from the fast pulley to the loose one or
vité versu.
The object of our invention is to provide each end of the carding engine with
a readily accessible means for starting and stopping the card thus obviating the
necessity for the attendant to pass between neighbouring cards for this purpose.
In carrying our invention into effect we provide the side of the carding engine
at which the driving pulley is situated with a horizontal shaft mounted in,suit-
able bearings carried by or secured to the frame of the machine.
the shaft is provided with a lever or handle arranged so that it can be readily
grasped and be thus under the control of the attendant either at the "taker in "
or delivery end of the card.
Each end of
Upon the shaft is mounted a bevel pinion gearing with a bevel pinion carried
on the end of a vertical shaft mounted in suitable bearings in the frame of the
engine.
The upper end of the vertical shaft is provided with a crank connected to a
link which link is also pivotted to the boss or other part of a belt fork sliding
on a stud, bracket, or other suitable guide. This stud, bracket or other suitable
guide is carried by and is secured to the flange of the fixed bend or other suitable
fixed part of the frame. By operating the handle at either end of the card the
horizontal shaft is rocked in its bearings correspondingly rotating the vertical
shaft by means of the pinions. The crank and attached link thus actuate the
sliding belt fork so as to shift the driving belt from the fast to the loose pulley
or vice versi as required.
We do not limit ourselves to this arrangement of operating the belt fork by
means of the vertical shaft as these may be varied.
To suit the varying angles of the driving belt, the belt fork bracket or other

page_text: support may be bolted or secured to any portion of the flange or other part of
the fixed bend of the carding engine.
The
As a modification instead of operating the sliding belt fork by means of a
crank and link as described, we might provide the boss or other part of the fork
with rack teeth adapted to gear with a pinion mounted on the vertical shaft.
rotation of the vertical shaft through the pinion and rack would thus effect the
sliding of the belt fork.
In addition to obviating the necessity for the attendant to pass between neigh-
bouring cards with consequent risk of injury, the invention provides special
facilities at either end of the carding engine for stopping the same in cases of
emergency.
A second part of our invention relates to the belt shifting forks of carding
engines.
To grind the flats of revolving carding engines it is necessary to reverse the
direction of revolution of the cylinder shaft. The driving belt is therefore removed,
crossed, and then replaced. By this operation the rotation of the carding engine
cylinder is reversed.
In carrying out the removal and replacing of the belt the belt fork at present
must be shifted bodily which involves some considerable trouble and risk. To
obviate the necessity for this we hinge the arms or other part of the belt fork
so that the arms may be readily removed from contact with the belt by being
turned up.
By this removal the belt guide presents no obstruction to the removal of the
belt.
Stops are provided to limit the radial circular movement of the belt fork arms
so as at times to embrace the driving belt and at other times to be free from the
driving belt.
We do not confine ourselves to hinging both arms of the belt fork as if desired
only one of the arms may be hinged. Or we may form the arms in any con-
venient way so as to be able to remove them from contact with and control of the
driving belt. This may be effected by making the arms to slide telescopically
or by other equivalent means.
It will be understood that our improvements in the method of starting and
stopping carding engines, and the hinging of the belt fork arms may be used
either in conjunction or separately.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carding Enginer.
We, THOMAS RODGERSON MARSDEN, Manager with Messieurs Platt Bros. & Co.
Ltd., of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Machinists, and PLATT BROS. & Co.
LIMITED, of Oldham aforesaid do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying drawings:-
-
Our said invention relates to carding engines and has reference more par-
ticularly to the stopping and starting of such carding engines. As is well known
carding engines are driven by means of a belt driving a fast pulley fixed on the
cylinder shaft, a loose pulley adjoining being provided to receive the belt when
it is necessary to stop the card. To facilitate the traverse of the driving belt it
has been provided with a belt fork capable of being slid upon a guide rod or

page_text: rods carried by a bracket secured to the fixed-bend-of-the-carding-engine or other
fixed part of the machine.
Previous to our invention the belt sliding fork has been operated from the side
of the card.
In modern practice however it has become customary with revolving flat carding
engines to place the cards in such close proximity side by side that the space left
between the cards is so restricted as to render it extremely dangerous, by risk
of contact with revolving parts, for the attendant to pass between the cards in
order to effect the shifting of the belt from the fast pulley to the loose one or
vice versa.
Under one part of our invention our object is to provide each end of the card-
ing engine with a readily accessible means for starting and stopping the card
thus obviating the necessity for the attendant to pass between neighbouring cards
for this purpose.
And in order that our invention may be completely understood
attached hereto two sheets of explanatory drawings.
we have
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of, our invention shown in conjunction with so much
of a carding engine as is necessary for the comprehension of our invention.
Fig. 2 is an end view thereof partly in section.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the essential parts of our invention.
Fig. 4 is a detail view on an enlarged scale.
Figs. 5 to 7 on Sheet 2 illustrate a modification of our invention.
In carrying our invention into effect we provide the side of the carding engine A
at which the driving pulley a is situated with a horizontal shaft mounted in
suitable bearings provided by brackets c carried by or secured to the frame of
the machine. Each end of the shaft is provided with a lever or handle d or
it might be a hand wheel secured to the shaft and arranged so that it can be
readily grasped and be thus under the control of the attendant either at the
taker in or delivery end of the card as will be apparent from an inspection
of Fig. 1.
"
Upon the shaft is mounted a bevel pinion e gearing with a bevel pinion f
carried on the end of a vertical shaft g the lower end of which is mounted in
bearings provided by one of the brackets e secured to the frame of the engine.
The upper end of the vertical shaft g is provided with a fixed crank connected
to a link which link is also pivotted to the boss j or other part of a belt fork k
sliding on a squared stud / or on a bracket, or other suitable guide. The method
of carrying or securing the stud 7, bracket or other suitable guide is shown more
clearly in the enlarged sectional plan view Fig. 4, as follows.
A bracket m bolted to the flange n of the fixed bend of the carding engine A is
provided with a boss m¹ bored out for the reception of the rounded end of the
square stud /.
This rounded end of the stud also carries loosely a boss o
provided with a bearing of for the upper end of the vertical shaft g. A set screw /
secures the rounded end of the stud 7 to the boss m¹.
By operating the handle d or hand wheel at either end of the card the hori-
zontal shaft is rocked in its bearings correspondingly rotating the vertical
shaft by means of the bevel pinions ef. The crank and attached link thus
actuate the sliding belt fork so as to shift the driving belt 7 from the fast to
the loose pulley or vicé nered as required.
We do not limit ourselves to this arrangement of operating the belt fork by
means of the vertical shaft as this may be varied.
To suit the varying angles of the driving belt, the belt fork bracket m or other
support may be bolted or secured to any portion of the flange or other part of
the fixed bend of the carding engine as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.
The proper angle of the belt fork k relative to the angle of the belt is readily
obtained by slackening the set screw p, and turning the rounded end of the
squared stud upon which the belt fork slides, within the boss m'.
As a modification instead of operating the sliding belt fork by means of a

page_text: crank and link as described, we might provide the boss or other part of the fork
with rack teeth adapted to gear with a pinion mounted on the vertical shaft. The
rotation of the vertical shaft through the pinion and rack would thus effect the
sliding of the belt fork. This arrangement is shown in Figs. 5 to 7 Sheet 2.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the arrangement, Fig. 6 an elevation, and Fig. 7 a
detail view. The belt fork carrier is provided with a rack s as more clearly
shown in Fig. 7.
The racks gears with a pinion secured to the upper end of the vertical
shaft g. To prevent the racks being thrust out of engagement with the pinion t
the boss o carrying the bearing ol for the upper end of the vertical shaft g is
formed with ways or a slide o in which slides the rack s.
In addition to obviating the necessity for the attendant to pass between neigh
bouring cards with consequent risk of injury, the invention provides special
facilities at either end of the carding engine for stopping the same
emergency.
cases of
A second part of our invention relates to the belt shifting forks of carding
engines.
To grind the cylinders of revolving carding engines it is necessary to reverse the
direction of revolution of the cylinder. The driving belt is therefore removed,
crossed, and then replaced. By this operation the rotation of the carding engine
cylinder is reversed.
In carrying out the removal and replacing of the belt the belt fork at present
must be shifted bodily or removed from the engine, which involves some consider-
able trouble loss of time and risk. To obviate the necessity for this we hinge
the arms or other part of the belt fork at u as shown in the drawings so that the
arms may be readily removed from contact with and control of the belt by turn-
ing the arms on the hinge as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1.
By this arrangment, the belt fork does not interfere with the removal of the
belt for reversing the cylinder for grinding purposes.
Stops are provided to limit the radial circular movement of the belt fork arms
so as at times to embrace the driving belt and at other times to be free from the
driving belt.
We do not confine ourselves to hinging both arms of the belt fork as if desired
only one of the arms may be hinged.
It will be understood that our improvements in the method of starting and
stopping carding engines, and the hinging of the belt fork arms may be used
either in conjunction or separately.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1) The improved means for shifting the belt forks of carding engines consist-
ing of a horizontal shaft operated by means of handles or hand wheels from either
end of the carding engine to rotate by bevel gearing a vertical shaft carrying a
crank adapted by means of a link attached thereto and the sliding belt fork to
shift the belt fork on the rotation of the vertical shaft substantially as described
and shown.
2) The modified method of sliding the belt fork by means of a rack and pinion
substantially as described and illustrated in Sheet 2 of the drawings.
3) Hinging the arms of the belt forks of carding engines in the manner, for
the purposes and substantially as described and illustrated in and by the accom-
panying drawings.
1000