Improvements in Feeding Machines for Feeding Cotton or other Fibrous Material to Openers, Scutchers, or Carding Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 24th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 24th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 24th Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Feeding Machines for Feeding Cotton or other
Fibrous Material to Openers, Scutchers, or Carding Machines.
I THOMAS RODGERSON MARSDEN of 3 Barlow Street, Oldham, in the County
of Lancaster, Foreman Machinist, in the employ of Messrs. Platt Brothers and
Company Limited of Oldham, Machinists, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :—
The object of my invention is to arrange the feeding machine so that the fibre
shall be well opened and delivered in regular quantities on to the feed lattice of the
machine to be fed.
I employ the usual hopper in which I mount an endless travelling lattice and an
endless travelling spiked sheet. The endless lattice forming the bottom of the
hopper carries the fibrous material against the spiked sheet which may be placed
in a vertical or inclined position. Above the top part of the spiked sheet 1 place
a spiked cylinder which is carried by a suitable fixing which is mounted so as to be
free to swivel to a slight extent on the shaft forming the centre of the stripping
cylinder. The stripping cylinder which is provided with blades of leather or
other material is mounted so as to strip the cotton from the spiked lattice so that it
may fall upon the feeder of the machine to be fed. The spiked cylinder is placed
so that it can be stripped by the stripping cylinder which strips the endless spiked
sheet. By mounting the spiked roller on its movable support the distance between
the teeth of the spiked cylinder and the teeth of the endless spiked sheet can
be varied at pleasure thus enabling the quantity of cotton carried forward by the
endless spiked sheet to be regulated. The vertical or inclined spiked sheet carries
the fibrous material out of the hopper and up to the spiked cylinder which revolv-
ing in a contrary direction to the endless spiked sheet opens the fibrous material
carried forward by the spiked sheet on its way to the machine to be fed. The
spiked cylinder carries a small quantity of material forward which is stripped by
the stripping cylinder already referred to as having blades of leather or other
material. The stripping cylinder may also have in addition to the blades of leather
spikes or pins.
I also employ a stripping roller to strip lumps of material from the spiked
cylinder. The spiked cylinder which is swivelled on the centre of the stripping
cylinder is raised or lowered by the "regulator" forming part of the machine to be
fed or it may be operated by the rising and falling of a roller resting on the cotton
fed on the lattice of the machine to be fed.
66
"
In carrying out my invention I drive the vertical or inclined lattice from the
regulating roller" of the machine being fed. In cases where a regulator'
is not used I drive the vertical or inclined lattice from the feed roller of the machine
to be fed.
Instead of the spiked cylinder I sometimes use a spiked lattice which is arranged
to be raised and lowered in the same manner and for the same purpose as the spiked
cylinder.
Dated this 23rd day of May 1855.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street Manchester, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Feeding Machines for Feeding Cotton or other
Fibrous Material to Openers, Scutchers, or Carding Machines.
I THOMAS RODGERSON MARSDEN of 3 Barlow Street, Oldham, in the County
of Lancaster, Foreman Machinist, in the employ of Messrs. Platt Brothers and
Company Limited, of Oldham, Machinists, 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: :-
The object of my invention is to arrange the feeding machine so that the fibre
shall be well opened and delivered in regular quantities on to the feed lattice of
the machine to be fed.
I employ the usual hopper in which I mount an endless travelling lattice and an
endless travelling spiked, sheet. The endless lattice forming the bottom of the
hopper carries the fibrous material against the spiked sheet which may be placed in
a vertical or inclined position. Above the top part of the spiked sheet I place a
spiked cylinder which is carried by a suitable fixing which is mounted so as to be
free to swivel to a slight extent on the shaft forming the centre of the stripping
cylinder. The stripping cylinder which is provided with blades of leather or other
material is mounted so as to strip the cotton from the spiked sheet so that it may
fall upon the feeder of the opener, scutcher or carding machine to be fed.
The spiked cylinder is placed so that it can be stripped by the stripping
cylinder which strips the endless spiked sheet. By mounting the spiked roller
on its movable support, the distance between the teeth of the spiked cylinder
and the teeth of the endless spiked sheet can be varied at pleasure, thus
. enabling the quantity of cotton carried forward by the endless spiked sheet
to be regulated. The vertical or inclined spiked sheet carries the fibrous
material out of the hopper and up to the spiked cylinder, which, revolving
in a contrary direction to the endless spiked sheet, opens the fibrous material
carried forward by the spiked sheet on its way to the machine to be fed. The
spiked cylinder carries a small quantity of material forward which is stripped
by the stripping cylinder already referred to as having blades of leather or other
material. The stripping cylinder may also have in addition to the blades of
leather, spikes or pins. I also employ a stripping roller to strip lumps of material
from the spiked cylinder. The spiked cylinder which is swivelled on the centre of
the stripping cylinder is raised or lowered by the "regulator" forming part of the
machine to be fed or it may be operated by the rising and falling of a roller resting
on the cotton fed on and carried forward by, the lattice of the scutcher, opener or
other machine to be fed.
a
In carrying out my invention I drive the vertical or inclined lattice or spked
sheet from the "regulating roller" of the machine being being fed. In cases where
"regulator" is not used I may drive the vertical or inclined lattice or spiked
sheet from the feed roller of the machine to be fed. Instead of the spiked cylinder
I sometimes use a spiked lattice which is arranged to be raised and lowered in the
same manner and for the same purpose as the spiked cylinder.
To render my invention clearly understood I will now proceed to describe the
same in detail, reference being had to the annexed three sheets of illustrative'
drawings.
Fig. 1 (Sheet 1) represents in side elevation the general arrangement of a feeding
machine made in accordance with my invention. The hopper or space for containing
the cotton to be fed is situated between the sides A of the machine and is indicated
by B. The board a forms the front of the hopper; the travelling lattice 6 moving
in the direction of the arrows, forms the floor of the hopper; and the spiked sheet c,
travelling in the indicated direction, constitutes the back of the hopper. In my

page_text: Provisional Specification I referred to the spiked sheet c as being arranged either
vertically or at an angle. In practice I have found it is more advantageous to have
it in an inclined position. I therefore arrange the spiked sheet c with a forward
rake or inclination as shown in Fig. 1 and as more clearly indicated by the diagram
Fig. 2. In some cases I dispense with the hopper front a and extend the lattice b
to any required distance, the cotton or textile fibre being carried by the lattice up
to the spiked sheet. This extension of the lattice might be enclosed on either
side by fences C shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 4. This arrangement would
prove convenient in certian situations where the cotton would otherwise have to be
carried some distance before being placed in the hopper.
By the forward inclination or rake of the spiked sheet c the tendency to variation
of feed existing under the different conditions of a nearly empty and a full hopper,.
is greatly reduced.
The endless travelling lattice supported on pullies dd and forming the bottom
of the hopper, carries the cotton or other fibrous material in the hopper against the
spiked sheet c, carried on pullies e e¹ the said spiked sheet being raked or inclined
forward for the indicated reasons. At the upper end of the spiked sheet c, I place
a spiked cylinder h (revolving in the direction of the arrows) the bearings of which
are carried in side levers f. The side levers are pivotted on the shaft g¹ of the
stripping cylinder 9 which rotates in the indicated direction, and which is so
situated as to strip both the spiked cylinder and the spiked sheet c.
periphery of the stripping cylinder is furnished with blades h¹ of leather which
beat and strip the fibres from the cylinder h and the spiked sheet c, the stripped
fibre passing down the shutej to the travelling feed aprons in connection with
the scutcher or opener
or other machine to which the fibrous material is
being fed.
The
Behind the cylinder I place a smaller spiked roller k (revolving as indicated)
to remove lumps or irregular portions of fibre from the cylinder h.
The fibre thus removed from the cylinder is stripped back into the hopper by a.
stripping roller revolving in the direction of the arrow. The aforesaid parts are
driven from a shaft m operated from the regulator.
A bevel wheel n on the end of the shaft m operates a corresponding bevel pinion
on an upright shaft o and a bevel wheel o' on the shaft o drives a wheel on the end
of the shaft of the upper carrying drum e' of the spiked sheet c. Thus the spiked
sheet c is operated.
Suitable gearing is placed between the shaft e and the shafts of the spiked
cylinder and the stripping cylinder 9, so that these shall be driven from the
shaft e. To prevent the toothed wheel of the spiked cylinder from being lifted
out of gear with the wheel on the shaft e when the side levers are moved so
as to increase the distance of the spiked cylinder from the spiked sheet, I place
an intermediate wheel a between these two wheels. The intermediate wheel
is mounted on toggle joint links p which keep the intermediate wheel & always
in gear with the respective driving and driven wheels and thus prevent discon-
Any other suitable means might however be adopted to obtain the
desired end viz. that of keeping the three shafts always in driving connection with
each other.
nection.
A driving pulley on the end of the shaft g' is connected by means of a crossed belt
to a pulley fixed on the shaft of the stripping roller which is thereby driven. A
toothed wheel on the shaft of the stripping roller 1 gears with and drives another
toothed wheel on the shaft of the spiked cylinder k. These belt and gear connections
are not however shown in the drawings.
The regulation of my improved feeding machine is effected in two different
modes, each mode having its distinctive feature. In the first place when I drive
the spiked sheets c from the regulator shaft m as described, I thereby secure the
"even-ing" or regulating of the feed. But in addition to this I also provide for
varying the thickness of the opener lap. The means for regulating the said
thickness, consist in arrangements for raising and lowering the spiked cylinder h

page_text: away from or closer to the spiked sheet c. This I do by providing cams p² to
support the ends of the side levers f. According to the position of the cams p¹ which
are carried on the shaft 6, the side levers, and consequently the spiked roller h are
raised or lowered.
The shaft 6 with the cams p'are shown in side view at Fig. 3. To turn the
cams I arrange a worm wheel on the end of the shaft 6 which engages with a
worm t on a short shaft carried in a bracket u bolted to the side of the hopper.
A hand wheel on the end of the short shaft is used to turn the shaft and operate
the worm gearing and so rotate the cams whereby the side levers fare raised or
lowered. The spiked cylinder h can thus be supported or set at any required distance
from the spiked sheet c and the amount of fleece passing between the sheet and the
roller is regulated so as to determine the thickness of the opener lap. Instead of the
cams and worm gearing I might use the simpler means of set screws 8 which also
appear in Fig. 1.
In the second instance when the spiked sheet e is driven at a constant velocity
from any suitable source, I provide for automatic "even-ing" or regulating of the
fleece, and this I do by raising and lowering the spiked cylinder / automatically
through connections operated from the regulator or from a roller resting on the
cotton feed carried forward by the lattice 8. The means I have designed to carry
this into effect are illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings (Sheets and 3). I
extend the side levers f towards the machine being fed and connect them to a
shaft or other part controlled by the regulator, or by the aforesaid regulating
roller.
When the side levers are controlled from the regulator, I bring a rock shaft g,
from the regulator, this rock shaft receiving its motion from the belt fork of the
regulator so as to vibrate up and down to a certain extent. Upon the rock shaft I
fix a lever wo (see Fig. 5) which is connected to a link y by a lever pivotted on the
bridge bracket 1. An adjustable rod 2 connects the lever z to the cross bar f' of the
side levers f.
It will thus be seen that the movements of the shaft q will result in moving the
side levers fand therefore raise and lower the spiked cylinder h so that the evenness
or regularity of the fleece is thereby maintained, irrespective of the speed of the
spiked sheet c.
The other mode of automatically governing the spiked roller / from a roller
resting on the cotton feed, is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. I arrange a
roller 3 to rest upon the cotton feed on the lattice s. This roller is connected
by an adjustable rod 4 to the cross bar f¹ of the side levers f as in the former
instance.
If the thickness of the cotton feed on the lattice should vary, the roller 3
rises or falls and correspondingly moves the side levers f and the spiked roller h.
Thus the thickness of the fleece passing between the spiked roller and the spiked
sheet c is regulated by the thickness of the cotton feed being carried by the lattice
to the scutcher or opener.
As an equivalent for the adjustable stop cams p¹ or set screws 8 already described
with reference to Figs. 1 and 3 for determining the thickness of the opener lap, I
employ a union nut or other suitable means to lengthen or shorten the rod 2 or the
link 4 in Fig. 1.
It will be evident that instead of the spiked cylinder a spiked lattice might
be employed capable of being raised and lowered in the same manner and for the
same purpose as the spiked cylinder. The auxiliary roller k and stripper / are
also carried by the side levers f and therefore move in unison with the spiked
cylinder h.
The operation of my improved feeding apparatus is as follows. The cotton or
other fibrous material is thrown into the hopper B or upon the lattice b, and the
travelling lattice b carries it against the spiked sheet c which lifts the cotton to the
spiked cylinder h.
Here the cotton is broken and opened to a certain extent by the revolving

page_text: cylinder, and the quantity of cotton delivered is also regulated by the adjustment
of the cylinder has hereinbefore described. The bulk of the fibre is carried on by
the spiked sheet c to the stripper g, but a portion is also carried round by the
cylinder h. Any lumps which may adhere to the cylinder h are broken up by the
smaller spiked roller k and any fibre removed by the roller k is stripped therefrom
by the stripper and returned to the hopper B.
The main stripper g acts upon both the spiked cylinder and the spiked sheet c
and strips the cotton into the shute ; down which it slides to the travelling feed
aprons which conducts the cotton to the scutcher, opener or other preparing machine
with which my improved feed apparatus is being worked.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is.
1. The combination of parts forming my improved feeding apparatus arranged,
constructed and operating substantially as described and as illustrated in the annexed
drawings.
2. In feeding machines such as are hereinbefore referred to, the combination with
a spiked sheet c of a spiked cylinder carried in a frame or on side levers which is
or are radially pivotted upon the axis of the revolving stripper g and capable of
adjustment relatively to the spiked sheet by manual or automatic means, so as to
vary the bulk of the feed, the whole arranged and operating substantially as
hereinbefore described and shown.
3. The combination with an overhanging travelling spiked sheet such as c of a
spiked cylinder h an auxiliary spiked roller k and a stripper the said cylinder,
roller and stripper being carried in a swivelling frame or on side levers f
pivotted upon the axis of the stripper 9 and arranged to act upon both the spiked
cylinder and the spiked sheet, substantially as hereinbefore described and as
illustrated.
g
Dated this 23rd day of February 1894
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.