Soutching Fibrous Materials.
Year: 1885

page_text: Soutching Fibrous Materials.
I SPENCER CRIGHTON of the firm of Crighton and Sons of the Castlefield Iron
Works, Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, do hereby declare
the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the machinery employed in the opening and cleaning of
cotton and other fibrous materials and particularly to the class of machines having
revolving beaters and provided with grids or gratings and used alone or in combi-
nation with other apparatus. In some cases the said beaters revolve upon vertical
axes as for example in the case of the machines now well known as Crighton's
openers the fibrous material say for example cotton being conveyed in an upward
direction by the action of the beaters and by the upward current of air induced
by such action. In such machines the object is to drive the dirt through the
grids with as little loss of useful fibre as possible. Previously to my invention
the passages for the escape of dirt through the grids have extended from front
to back of the grids in directions which have been tangential to some part of the
beater or to the path of motion of the cotton when revolving around the beater
axis. The object of my invention is to retard the escape of useful fibres whilst
permitting foreign matters to be discharged. To this end I deflect the said
passages downward or upward or both downward and upward or sideways that is
to say I decline or deflect the said passages from the directions which would be
tangential to the line of movement of the fibrous material around the beater axis.
Taking for example the case of a vertical opener these deflected passages may be
used for a part or for parts of the grid in conjunction with the ordinary passages
or be used throughout the grid and in some cases or in all cases in the grid
dish or otherwise in any position or to any extent found to be suitable. When the
passages incline downward the downward inclination may be decreased as the
passages become more remote from the top of the grid. The back of the passage
may be closed for the whole of its length so as to form a groove or recess or for a

page_text: distance from the upper end the back in some cases inclining outward from the top
toward the bottom of the groove or recess so that foreign matters are directed
downward as well as outward and escape through an opening at or near the bottom
of the groove or recess. I do not confine myself to the closing of any part of a
passage or to the downward deflection as the passage might be bent or curved
away from the tangential line so as to have the same effect in checking the dis-
charge of the fibres. By varying the inclination of the back of the passages or
the amount of deviation from a tangent at different points in the machine the
movement of air can be regulated so as to check the escape of fibres whilst not
obstructing the escape of foreign matters. My invention is also applicable in the
construction of openers or fibre cleaning apparatus having beaters revolving on
horizontal axes or on axes which are not vertical!
DUTTON & FULTON,
Agents.

page_text: Scutching Fibrous Materials.
I SPENCER CRIGHTON of the firm of Crighton and Sons of the Castlefield Iron
Works, Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Machine Makers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said 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:-
1
My Invention relates to the machinery employed in the opening and cleaning of
cotton and other fibrous materials and particularly to the class of. machines having
revolving beaters and provided with grids or gratings and used alone or in combi-
nation with other apparatus In some cases the said beaters revolve upon
vertical axes-as for example in the cases of the machines now well known as
Crighton's openers the fibrous material-say for example cotton-being conveyed
in an upward direction by the action of the beaters and by the upward current of
air induced by such action In such machines the object is to drive the dirt
through the grid with as little loss of useful fibre as possible. Previously to my
invention the passages for the escape of dirt through the grids have extended from
front to back of the grids in directions which have been tangential to some part
of the beater or to the path of motion of the cotton when revolving around the
beater axis The object of my invention is to retard the escape of useful fibres
whilst permitting foreign matters to be discharged. To this end I deflect the said
passages downward or upward or both downward and upward or sideways that is
to say I decline or deflect the said passages from the directions which would be
tangential to the line of movement of the fibrous material around the beater axis.
Taking for example the case of a vertical opener these deflected passages may be
used for a part or for parts of the grid in conjunction with the ordinary passages
or be used throughout the grid and in some cases or in all cases in the grid dish or
otherwise in any position or to any extent found to be suitable. My Invention is
also applicable in the construction of openers or fibre cleaning apparatus having
beaters revolving on horizontal axes or on axes which are not vertical.
In order that my Invention may be clearly understood I will describe the same
with reference to the accompanying drawings which are made to a scale of about
two inches to the foot. In sheet 1 of the said drawings Fig. 1 represents a vertical
section of an opener of the well known Crighton type constructed in so far as the
grids are concerned in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 represents a vertical
section, Fig. 3 a back view and Fig. 4 a cross section of one of the grids. The
views on Sheet 2 illustrate the application of my invention in the construction of
an opener having the beaters revolving upon a horizontal axis. In Fig. 1. a. a. are
the ordinary revolving beaters which are carried by the vertical shaft b, and
c. c. are the grids which are arranged around the beater axis so as to form a cage
in which the fibrous material-say for example cotton-is operated upon. At the
lower end of this cage is the part & which is ordinarily termed the dish.. The feed

page_text: .
passage through which the cotton to be opened enters the machine opens into this
dish and the cotton ascends therefrom and is acted upon by the revolving beaters
on its way to the delivery opening at the upper end of the casing as is well known
to those conversant with this type of opener. To avoid excessive elaboration in
the drawings the grids c. are represented only in section in Fig. 1. but a back view
of one of the grids appears at Fig. 3. In the machine as ordinarily constructed
the dirt consisting of particles of foreign matter disengaged from the cotton is
driven outward by the centrifugal action and escapes through the openings in the
grids in a direction which is tangential to the beater or thereabout as herein before
mentioned. As the cotton is driven against the grids by the blows of the beaters
there is a tendency for some of the cotton to pass out with the dirt this tendency
being restrained to a greater or lesser extent by the inflowing air which passes
through the apertures in the grids. In my Improved grids the backs of the
openings are closed or shielded by means of curved shells c¹ so that each slot or
opening becomes a groove as indicated in Fig. 4. which represents a cross section
taken on the line A. B. in Fig. 3. Each of these grooves opens out at the back of
the grid so as to form a mouth c² for the escape of dirt from the opener. In the
example these mouths are about horizontal but this formation may be varied as
indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. In Fig. 5 the lower end of one back shell does not
quite extend as far as the upper end of the next lower back shell the discharge of
matters being facilitated as compared with the formation shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
In Fig. 6 the backs overlap a little whereby the discharge of matters is checked to
a greater extent. I may use any or all of these formations in an opener so as
to regulate the action at different parts of the opener. I also obtain such regu-
lation by varying the sizes of the outlets or mouths as seen in Figs. 2 and 3.
With the same object I may also otherwise vary the formation of the back shells c'.
When the opener is at work the cotton passes in an upward direction as is usual
but owing to the formation of the grids any matters driven out of the cage are
compelled to pass in a downward direction as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1.
As the said matters can only leave the cage by being deflected from the course
taken by the main body of cotton passing through the machine-that is to say by
being deflected from a spirally upward tending course into a downward direction―
the passage of the light fibres of cotton is greatly checked so that the production
of waste is much lessened. By increasing or decreasing the facilities for the exit
of matters according to the indications given in Figs. 5 and 6 the quantities of
matters removed from the cotton may be increased or decreased as may be desired.
I may so shape the back shells as that they shall check but not entirely prevent
the direct escape of dirt. Fig. 7 illustrates such a formation. In this example each
back shell is slotted or otherwise the said shell is in two parts which do not quite
meet so that a portion of the dirt can escape more directly than in the case of
the grid first described the passage for the main body of air and dirt opening
downwards as in the case of the grid illustrated by Figs. 2 and 3. The dish d.
ordinarily cast in one piece is usually formed without outlets for dirt. According
to my invention I provide this dish with shielded or downward directing out-
lets dd. In place of the grids being formed in sections arranged around the axis
of the beater I may form them in horizontal rings fitting one upon another. In
sheet 2 Fig. 8 represents a vertical section of the cage of an opener of a formation
suitable for use in connection with beaters revolving upon a horizontal axis. For
such an application the regular formation of the grid which is represented in
Fig. 1 is not suitable owing to the fact that the cotton moves in an upward direc-
tion on one side of the axis and in a downward direction on the other as indicated
by the arrows, In order that the outlets for dirt may be deflected from the course
taken by the cotton I so form the said outlets on the two sides of the opener as
that on the one side the outlets are deflected sideways in the manner indicated in
Fig. 9 whilst on the other side the said outlets are deflected downward as indicated
in Fig. 10. Fig. 9 represents an outside view of a portion of the grid extending

page_text: on the left hand of Fig. 8 from e. to f. Fig. 10 being a corresponding view of the
part extending on the right hand from g. to f. In the left hand portion the outlet
passages are deflected sideways-that is to say in a direction at about right angles
to the course taken by the cotton. In the right-hand portion the dirt is ejected in
a direction about opposite to the direction of movement of the cotton. A portion
of the top of the cage is not provided with openings In some cases a larger
portion of the circumference of the cage may be free from openings especially in
the cases wherein my invention may be adapted to scutching machines. In cases
wherein the grid portion would be less than half the circumference of the cage it
would not be necessary to adopt both of the formations indicated in Figs. 9 and 10
with reference also to Fig. 8. I do not confine myself to the closing of the backs
of the outlet passages by means of the shells c' as the necessary deflections might
be obtained by bending or curving the passages away from the line which would
be a tangent to the course taken by the cotton Such a formation is indicated by
Fig. 10.
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 formation of the grids of machinery used in the opening or cleaning of
textile materials substantially as set forth and indicated hereinbefore and in and
by the accompanying drawings.
2. In a vertical opener for textile materials the outlets c³ opening downward
substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
3. In the grid of a vertical opener for textile materials the recesses enclosed by
the back shell c. and opening downward through the back of the grid substantially
as set forth and indicated.
4. In the grids of machinery for opening and cleaning textile materials the outlet
passages for dirt deflected from lines tangential to the course of such materials
around the beater axis substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth
and indicated.
The TALL
2