Year: 1897

page_text: I, TAYLOR BURROWS, of 88, Upper Kennington Laue, London, S.E., Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to gill boxes and is more especially designed for use in
preparing ramie filasse or flax or the like for combing although my present im-
provements may be used for any other purposes to which they are applicable.
In the ordinary gill boxes or preparing machines as used for wool the drawing
roller has the usual endless leather or sheet of leather or other material as in the
ordinary gill boxes with a pressing roller or rollers above it and these draw out
the material through the pins of the gills.
Also in the ordinary preparer there is a second endless sheet which is carried
on two other rollers and which runs or works close up to the drawing leather and
around this second endless sheet or lapping apron the material is caused to be
carried and so formed into a lap which latter is taken off from time to time when
the necessary quantity is collected or removed therefrom in any suitable manner.
The fibrous material as same is drawn off from the gills is subjected only once to
the pressing action of the drawing rollers and for wool this is sufficient as the
fibres (wools) are free from each other and the object is merely to parallelise them.
Now with fibres such as ramie, flax, hemp, etc., the fibres (bunches) are more or
less adherent to each other even when ungummed and bleached and the ordinary
grill box preparer as above described does not open out the mass sufficiently for
the subsequent operation of combing.
According to my present invention I cause the material to pass again and again
between the drawing rollers (which may advantageously be heavy fluted rollers)
and I effect this by causing the endless lap sheet to encircle the pressing roller
so that as the fibrous material is tapped upon said lap sheet thereby the lap thus
formed runs continuously between these drawing off rollers (and is crushed and
softened by same) and this has a very beneficial effect I have found upon the fibrous
material (such as ramie, flax, hemp, etc) and opens said material so that it is in
a specially advantageous condition (being especially open and free) for combing
easily.
By my present invention many advantages are obtained some of which are
referred to above besides which I obtain a high yield in long fibre and avoid or
reduce injury to the combing mechanism in the subsequent operation of combing.
Dated this 2nd der of March 1897
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Gill Boxes.
I, TAYLOR BURROWs, of 88, Upper Kennington Lane, London, S.E., Engineer,
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:-
I'
This invention relates to that class of machines known as gill boxes for opening
and preparing fibres preparatory to combing and is designed more especially for
treating vegetable fibres such as flax, hemp, china-grass, or the like.
The advantages obtained by the present invention are principally in the softening
of the material as it is drawn from the gills or teeth and lapped on to an endless
sheet or belt which is made to run over and encircle one of the drawing rollers
(a second and similar endless sheet or belt running over and encircling the
other drawing roll), so that the flax or other fibre is between the top
and bottom sheets or belts and as it is lapped around one of the sheets consequently
(by the continuous running between the drawing rollers under pressure) is softened
and opened and parallelised.
The gills which have a surface speed superior to the feed rollers or porcupine
feed clear away the greater part of the straw and impurities from the fibre fed on
and the straw etc. falls under the machine at the same time the fibre is opened
and lashed by the pins or teeth of the gills and so prepared for being drawn out
into a sliver ready for the combing machine which latter will separate the long
spinnable fibres from the short or noil.
For clean long scutched flax which requires only opening up and drawing into
lap or sliver one or two pairs of ordinary feed rollers are good but where tow in
its tangled form is to be treated a porcupine roller working in a dish (which may
be preceded or followed by a pair of feed rollers) is advantageous.
And in order that this invention may be easily understood I will proceed to fully
describe same with reference to the drawings hereunto annexed.
Fig. 1 is an end elevation (i.e. looking in the direction of the arrow 1 Fig. 2).
of a gill box machine having the present improvements applied thereto and
constructed and arranged to act according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 2-2 Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a local detail view showing the modified arrangement for feeding the
fibre to the gills.
A is the frame or support.
B B are an ordinary pair of feed rollers which are mechanically revolved in
the usual or any suitable manner and B is the ordinary feeding apron passing
round one of said rollers B¹.
CC are the gills-same being ordinary screw gills of the well-known character
and arranged and acting as is well understood and therefore it is not necessary
to further illustrate same or more fully describe same here.
If desired these screw gills may be made to advance at an increasing speed by
means of variable screws which impart the advancing motion to said gills.
D is a dabbing brush-extending across the full width of the gills-said brush
being carried on the arm D¹ fixed to a shaft D2-journalled in bearings carried on
the frame A.
D³ D are cranks or arms extending from the opposite ends of said shaft D² to
which they are rigidly fixed or only one arm D³ or D' may be used.

page_text: EE are eccentrics or cams (slowly revolved by connection with some working
part of the machine) whereby said arms D3 D are caused to reciprocate said
shaft through part of a revolution and consequently the brush D is raised and
lowered into the teeth or pins of the gills and thus dabs the fibre into same and
ensures the fibrous material being pressed right into said teeth or pins at a position
close un to the feeding rollers.
FG are the drawing rollers-revolved from the main driving shaft (not shown)
of the machine in the usual or any suitable manner.
His the upper endless sheet or belt passing round the upper drawing roller F
and the idle adjustable roller F¹.
I is the lower endless sheet or belt-passing round the lower drawing roller G
and the idle adjustable roller G¹.
The roller Fi is journalled in sliding blocks J which latter are adapted to slide
in or on the supports and are adjustable thereon by means of the set screws J
while the roller G is similarly arranged ciz.: is journalled in the slide blocks i
adanted to slide on the support K' and adjusted by means of the set screws K² and
thus the endless sheets or belts (which may advantageously be of leather) can be
respectively stretched or adjusted as desired.
A is an idle presser roller (carried by the arms M¹) resting against the belt H
as the latter passes round the upper drawing roller F and thereby guiding the
fibres downwards in between the belts H and I.
NN are the ordinary set screws for adjusting the pressure on the drawing
rollers FG.
The drawing rollers FG may advantageously be fluted and said rollers FG have
a peripheral speed considerably greater than the speed of advance of the gills C
the advance of the latter in turn being much quicker than the peripheral speed
of the feed rollers B B'.
The operation is as follows:-
The fibres are drawn out and opened and (after being acted on by the gills C) are
led between the endless sheets HI and are formed into a lap around the endless
sheet H on which the fibres are continuously wound up and as this lapped fibre
passes round and round it is repeatedly pressed between the drawing rollers FG
and is consequently softened and very beneficially acted upon.
When a sufficient quantity of the fibre has accumulated on the belt H it is
separated by pulling on same by hand and removed; and on another machine is
drawn out into a continuous sliver in readiness for the combing machine; or may
be otherwise removed or treated in any desired manner.
In the modification shown in Fig. 3--the porcupine roller X (in combination and
acting in conjunction with the dish Y) is introduced between the feed rollers BB
and the gills C in order to first open and straighten the fibres before they are acted
on by the gills C and at same time to allow the longer fibres to slip unbroken
through the porcupine teeth of said roller X.
**
Instead of the screw gills C being used as illustrated the present invention may
be carried into practice in combination with rotary gills" (i.e. teeth or gills
mounted on endless chains) or endless aprons may be used covered with teeth and
arranged act in place of and similarly to the screw gills C.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In gill boxes the employment of two endless sheets or belts such as H and I
mounted on and carried round by the drawing rollers F and G of said machine
lapping the fibre on one said belt as said fibre is drawn from the gills or teeth and
then subjecting said fibre while lapped on said belt to the repeated action (pressure)
of said drawing rollers by passing said lapped fibre repeatedly between said rollers
substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

page_text: 2. The herein described improvements in or relating to gill boxes arranged and
operating substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of January 1898.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
31, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.