Improvements in Carding Engines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Oct.,
1898
Complete Specification Left, 12th July, 1899--Accepted, 12th Aug., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Carding Engines.
I, ELIJAH ASHWORTH, of the Moss Brook Works, Collyhurst, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My said invention relates to improvements in carding engines and has reference
more particularly to the doffers of such carding engines and also to means for
starting and stopping the card. Owing to the high speeds at which the doffers
are now driven it is found desirable to reduce the speed of revolution of the
doffer when the web or sliver breaks so as to give the attendant time to piece
up the broken end and prevent an undue amount of sliver accumulating.
Several attempts have been made to accomplish this which have usually taken
the form of a slow motion which the attendant could bring into action when
required so that the speed of the doffer is reduced until the broken web has been
pieced. A great disadvantage of such methods however lies in the fact that
attendants are liable, after piecing, to omit starting the doffer again at its normal
speed, thus causing loss of production owing to the reduced speed of the doffer,
The
which reduction in speed is not very apparent at a casual observation.
object of my invention is to provide a ready and simple means of reducing the
speed of the doffer without the liability to loss of production owing to inattention
of the attendant, and in addition a secure method of shifting the driving belt
of the cylinder from the fast to the loose pulley or vice versa.
Under one part of my invention I provide the attendant with a ready means
of shifting the driving belt of the cylinder from the fast to the loose pulley
so that the speed of the doffer is reduced owing to the gradual stoppage of the
card. This also provides a safe means of starting and stopping the carding
engine. To effect this I provide, the driving strap of the cylinder with a fork
capable of being slid in suitable guides secured to a bracket bolted to the flange
of the fixed bend of the card. The belt fork guide can be readily rotated in the
bracket when required to suit the forks to the angle of the driving belt.
The flange of the bend exists in most types of carding engines but where it is
wanting an auxiliary flange could be bolted to the bend or frame. To slide the
fork so as to bring the belt from the fast to the loose pulley on the cylinder
shaft or vice versa I provide the fork with a boss within which revolves a spindle
formed with a quick screw thread. A screw pin carried by the boss engages
with the screw thread. On an extension of the bracket which is bolted to the
flange of the fixed bend I mount a toothed quadrant operated by a lever, the
quadrant engaging with a toothed wheel running loose on a boss or collar formed
on the fork guide. This toothed wheel in turn meshes with a pinion secured to
the screw threaded spindle so that when the quadrant is operated the screw
threaded spindle is revolved and the belt fork thus slid in the guides to bring the
belt from the fast to the loose pulley or vice versa as desired. As a modification
of this method of revolving the screwed spindle I may provide the fork guide
with an internally and externally toothed wheel running loose on suitable bearings

page_text: formed on the guide, the external teeth gearing with the toothed quadrant whereby
the toothed wheel is revolved communicating motion to the pinion secured to the
screwed spindle which is arranged to gear with the internal teeth.
I also provide means for readily operating the toothed quadrant and for
securing the bracket carrying the fork guide to any required position on the
flange of the fixed bend to accomodate the belt fork to any angle or position
which the driving belt may assume to the card.
To effect this I provide the flange of the fixed bend with a metallic strap
arranged to slide in guides upon the flange.
If necessary, suitable means may be provided to reduce the frictional contact
of the strap upon the flange. To this strap I loosely secure the lever of the
toothed quadrant when the guide bracket of the belt fork has been secured to
the flange. At the doffer end of the carding engine I mount a shaft in bearings
provided by suitable brackets, carrying a lever or handle at its outer end and a
bével pinion at the other end which gears with a curved rack secured to the strap
on the flange of the fixed bend.
When it is desired to reduce the speed of the doffer for piecing a broken
sliver, the operator by turning the lever through about half a circle revolves
the bevel pinion thus sliding the rack and with it the metallic strap upon the
flange of the fixed bend. The lever of the toothed quadrant being secured to
this strap the screwed spindle is revolved thus sliding the fork and shifting the
belt upon the loose pulley and reducing the speed of the doffer by the gradual
stoppage of the card. When the piecing of the sliver has been effected the reverse
rotation of the lever by the operator again effects the shifting of the belt on the
fast pulley and the normal speed of the doffer is resumed.
An important feature of my invention lies in the fact that if the attendant
omits to reverse the lever to restart the card after piecing, the entire stoppage of
the card follows and quickly recalls his attention to the fact. I do not confine
myself to this method of operating the sliding band or strap whereby the quadrant
lever is actuated as this may vary. For instance the strap could be slid upon
the flange by means of a handle secured to the strap, or I might provide toggle
links one of which could be secured to the strap and the other to a fixed stud,
and operate the same by a sliding shaft which could be extended along the full
length of the carding engine so as to be actuated from either end.
A pivotted lever, one end of which is secured to the circular band or carrier,
could also be employed to actuate the band or the pivotted lever could be
provided with a toothed quadrant to engage with teeth upon the band.
In some cases the strap or band could be dispensed with and the belt fork
guides be secured to a suitable bracket or part of the bend or frame the gearing
being operated directly without the intervention of the strap.
It will be understood that this method of obtaining a reduced speed of the doffer
is applicable also for use in the starting and stopping of the carding engine.
As a second part of my invention I arrange to reduce the speed of the doffer
at the required times without interfering with the driving of the carding engine.
To effect this I retard the speed of the doffer by applying a frictional braking
surface to some suitable part of the mechanism through which the doffer is
driven or by which the driving of the doffer would be affected. A convenient
method of doing this is through the "barrow" pulley which is driven by a belt
from a pulley on the "taker in" shaft. A. suitable brake shoe is loosely mounted
upon a stud secured to the framing of the card. The brake shoe is operated by a
treadle at the doffer end of the carding engine through a suitable arrangement of
levers connected to a rock shaft so that on the attendant depressing the foot
treadle the brake shoe is brought to bear with any required degree of pressure
against the barrow pulley and thus retard the speed of the doffer. On the atten-
dant releasing the treadle the brake is removed by means of a spring or the like
so that the normal driving of the doffer is resumed without any attention on the
part of the attendant. To accomodate the brake shoe to the varying positions

page_text: of the "barrow" pulley when different change wheels are used, the brake
shoe is capable of being rocked on a central pivot by the slackening of a nut so
that as the barrow pulley is raised or lowered the surface of the brake shoe can
be brought to correspond with the periphery of the pulley, and be secured in
this position by the nut. I do not limit myself to applying a brake surface to
the barrow pulley to retard the speed of the doffer as the method of effecting this
may be varied. For instance I might mount a pulley upon the axis of the doffer
cylinder and apply a brake thereto as described with reference to the barrow
pulley, or I might apply such a brake surface to any moving part of the carding
engine through which the doffer cylinder is driven, or to any moving shafts or
parts by means of which the driving of the doffer could be affected.
•
I may also employ a suitable brake band or strap instead of a brake shoe or
block.
I, ELIJAH ASHWORTH, of the Moss Brook Works, Collyhurst, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, 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::
My said invention relates to improvements in carding engines and has reference
more particularly to the doffers of such carding engines and also to means for
starting and stopping the card. Owing to the high speeds at which the doffers
are now driven it is found desirable to reduce the speed of revolution of the
doffer when the web or sliver breaks so as to give the attendant time to piece
up the broken end and prevent an undue amount of sliver accumulating.
Several attempts have been made to accomplish this which have usually taken
the form of a slow motion which the attendant could bring into action when
required so that the speed of the doffer is reduced until the broken web has been
pieced. A great disadvantage of such methods however lies in the fact that
attendants are liable, after piecing, to omit starting the doffer again at its normal
speed, thus causing loss of production owing to the reduced speed of the doffer,
which reduction in speed is not very apparent at a casual observation. The
object of my invention is to provide a ready and simple means of reducing the
speed of the doffer without the liability to loss of production owing to inattention
of the attendant, and in addition a secure method of shifting the driving belt
of the cylinder from the fast to the loose pulley or vice versa.
And in order that my invention may be readily understood I will now describe
the same with reference to the accompanying four sheets of drawings.
On Sheet 1.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan thereof partly in section.
On Sheet 2.

page_text: Un Shееt 4.
Fig. 8 shows another modification.
Under one part of my invention I provide the attendant with a ready means
for shifting the driving belt of the cylinder from the fast to the loose pulley
so that the speed of the doffer is reduced owing to the gradual stoppage of the
card. This also provides a safe means of starting and stopping the carding
engine. To effect this I provide the driving strap a of the cylinder, shown
in dotted lines in Fig. 1, with a fork b capable of being slid on a suitable
guide c secured to a bracket & by means of a bolt d which bracket is bolted to the
flange e of the fixed bend f of the card. By slackening the nut 2 of the bolt d
the belt fork guide c can be readily rotated in the bracket d when
required to suit the forks to the angle of the driving belt. The
flange of the band f exists in most types of carding engines but where
it is wanting an auxiliary flange could be bolted to the bend or frame. To slide
the fork b so as to bring the belt a from the fast to the loose pulley on the
cylinder shaft or vice versa I provide the fork b with a boss 61 within which
revolves a spindle g formed with a quick screw thread g¹. This arrangement
is shown more clearly in Figs. 3 to 5. A screw pin h carried by the boss engages
with the screw thread g¹. On an extension d³ of the bracket d, which is bolted
to the flange e of the fixed bend f, I mount a toothed quadrant operated by a
lever the quadrant i engaging with a toothed wheel k running loose on a boss
or collar formed on the fork guide c. This toothed wheel in turn meshes
with a pinion m secured to the screw threaded spindle g so that when the quad-
rant is operated the screw threaded spindle is revolved and the belt fork b
thus slid upon the guide c to bring the belt from the fast to the loose pulley
or vice versa as desired.
A modification of this method of revolving the screwed spindle is shown in
Figs. 6 and 7 Sheet 3. The fork guide c is provided with an internally and
externally toothed wheel running loose on a boss c¹ and against a flange c²
formed on the guide c. The external teeth gear with the toothed quadrant i
whereby the toothed wheel is revolved communicating motion to the pinion m
secured to the screwed spindle g which pinion is arranged to gear with the
internal teeth.
The screwed spindle g is carried by the boss c¹ of the guide c and the boss 61
of the fork b.
A pin h secured to the boss 61 of the fork engages as before with the screw
thread on the spindle g.
I also provide means for readily operating the toothed quadrant i and for
securing the bracket & carrying the fork guide c to any required position on the
flange e of the fixed bend f to accomodate the belt fork 6 to any angle or
position which the driving belt may assume to the card.
To effect this I provide the flange e of the fixed bend f with a metallic strap n
arranged to slide in guides n secured at intervals upon the flange.
The lever j of the toothed quadrant i, when the guide bracket of the belt fork
has been secured to the flange, is disposed between projections o on the strap n
so as to be operated thereby. At the doffer end of the carding engine I mount a
shaft in hearings provided by suitable brackets 1 21 carrying a lever or
handlo at its outer end and a bevel pinion at the other end which gears with
a curved rack s secured to the strap on the flange e of the fixed bend f
When it is desired to reduce the speed of the doffer for piecing a broken
sliver, the operator by turning the lever g through about half a circle revolves the
bevel pinion r thus sliding the rack s and with it the metallic strap n upon the
flange of the fixed bend. The lever j of the toothed quadrant i being operated by
the strap n the screwed spindle g is revolved thus sliding the fork 6 and shifting
the belt upon the loose pulley and reducing the speed of the doffer by the
gradual stoppage of the card. When the piecing of the sliver has been effected

page_text: the reverse rotation of the lever by the operator again effects the shifting of the
belt on the fast pulley and the normal speed of the doffer is resumed.
An important feature of my invention lies in the fact that if the attendant
omits to reverse the lever to restart the card after piecing, the entire stoppage of
the card follows and quickly recalls his attention to the fact. I do not confine
myself to this method of operating the sliding band or strap whereby the
quadrant lever j is actuated as this may vary. For instance the strap could
De slid upon the flange by means of a handle secured to the strap as shown in
dotted lines in Fig. 1.
A handle t could also be secured to the strap n at the taker in" end of the
card.
It will be understood that this method of obtaining a reduced speed of the
doffer is applicable also for use in the starting and stopping of the carding
engine.
in some cases the strap n could be dispensed with and the lever j operated
by hand.
As a second part of my invention I arrange to reduce the speed of the doffer
at the required times without interfering with the driving of the carding engine.
To effect this I retard the speed of the doffer by applying a frictional braking
surface to some suitable part of the mechanism through which the doffer is
driven or by which the driving of the doffer would be affected. A convenient
method of doing this is through the "barrow" pulley which is driven by a
belt u from a pulley on the taker in" shaft as shown in Fig. 8. A suitable
brake shoe is secured to a lever v¹ loosely mounted on
framing of the card.
stud secured to the
To operate the brake shoe v I provide a lever w secured to or forming part of
the lever v.
The lever wis connected by a rod or link w¹ to another levere secured to a
rock shaft by means of a screw a³.
The rock shaft a¹ is mounted in suitable bearings provided by brackets y and
extends along the doffer end of the card. At the end of the rock shaft near
the "
coiler" the rock shaft is provided with a lever y¹ to which is connected
a foot treadle z.
On the attendant depressing the foot treadle the brake shoe v is brought to bear
with any required degree of pressure against the barrow pulley u and thus retards
the speed of the doffer. On the attendant releasing the treadle the brake is
removed by the weight of the parts, or a spring may be employed to effect this,
so that the normal driving of the doffer is resumed without any attention on the
part of the attendant. To accomodate the brake shoe to the varying
positions of the "barrow" pulley u when different change wheels are used as
shown in dotted lines, the brake shoe v is capable of being rocked on a pivot
by the slackening of the nut 1 so that as the barrow pulley iu is raised or
lowered the surface of the brake shoe can be brought to correspond with the
periphery of the pulley, and be secured in this position by the nut z¹. I do not
limit myself to applying a brake surface to the barrow pulley to retard the speed
of the doffer as the method of effecting this may be varied. For instance I
might mount a pulley upon the axis of the doffer cylinder and apply a brake
thereto as described with reference to the barrow pulley.
Or I might apply such a brake surface to any moving part of the carding
engine through which the doffer cylinder is driven, or to any moving shafts or
parts by means of which the driving of the doffer could be affected."
I may also employ a suitable brake band or strap instead of a brake shoe or
block.
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) As means for slowing the doffers of carding engines to effect the piecing

page_text: of a broken sliver, or for stopping and starting the card, the employment of a
belt fork slid upon a guide by means of a screw threaded spindle operated by
gearing substantially as described and shown.
2) The arrangement and combination of parts comprising the improved means
for shifting the belt forks of carding engines for the indicated purposes substan-
tially as described in Sheets 12 and 3 of the drawings.
3) As means for slowing the doffers of carding engines for the indicated
purpose, retarding the revolution of the doffer by means of a braking surface
actuated by the attendant and released on his withdrawing from the machine in
the manner and substantially as described and illustrated in Sheet 4 of the
drawings.
Dated this 11th day of July 1899.
j
For the Applicant,
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester.