Improvements in Carding Machines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 26th Oct., 1888
Improvements in Carding Machines.
I, WILLIAM HENRY BECK, of 115 Cannon Street, in the City of London, Consulting
Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention relates to improvements in carding machines, the object of
which is to remove the thistles from wool or other fibrous material, previous
to the carding operation, in a more effectual manner than has been effected heretofore.
The removal of thistles previous to the carding operation is usually effected by
delivering the wool, for example, through a feeding apparatus to a roller furnished
with saw teeth, called in French, Roule ta bosse, which roller presents the wool to
one or more beaters turning at a great speed in a direction opposite to that of the
toothed roller. The thistles, which are brought by the toothed roller below the
beaters, are for the most part removed from the wool and projected to a distance by
the said beaters; but it often happens that a thistle becomes hooked on to one of the
teeth of the roller, and is carried forward by it, which explains why, notwithstanding
the action of the beaters, so many thistles are found in carded wool.
According to the present invention, the toothed roller and beaters are employed,
but the beaters are caused to rotate in the same direction as the toothed roller,
and two rigid blades are placed one in front of, and the other behind, the beaters,
tangentially to the toothed roller and at such a distance from one another that the
action of the beaters can take place in the space between them. By these means
the wool is raised and the thistles instead of being hooked on to the teeth of the
roller, are projected against the front blade and forcibly separated from the wool,
which latter is drawn away beneath the said front blade by the toothed roller.

page_text: In order to secure complete rigidity of the two blades, and means of adjusting
them, they are connected together at their two ends so as to form a kind of trough,
in which the beaters revolve in close contact with the toothed roller, at the, point
where the space between the two blades occurs.
In the Drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 is an elevation of part of a carding
machine with the invention applied thereto; Figure 2 is a corresponding partial plan;
and Figure 3 a detail plan of part of the trough, in which the beaters revolve.
A is a feed apron, on which the wool to be carded is spread, and by which it
is conducted to the feed rollers B, B1, B2, B3, each successive pair of which rotates
faster than the preceding pair, thereby effecting a preparatory drawing out of the
wool to facilitate its seizure by the toothed roller and the disengagement of the thistles.
To assure the seizure of the wool by the toothed roller the upper most of the last
pair of feed rollers is covered with an L-shaped blade placed between the said feed
roller and the toothed roller, whereby the wool is forced to spread itself out on the
surface of the latter.
Cis the toothed roller furnished with saw teeth, or other suitable covering, and
turning in the direction of the arrow.
D is the beater roller, or thistle clearer, turning in the direction of the arrow
marked thereon, that is to say, in the same direction as the roller C.
EE are two blades between which the beater roller D revolves. These two blades,
connected together at their ends for the sake of rigidity, constitute the trough above
mentioned. They may be arranged, if preferred with suitable means of adjustment
whereby the distance between them can be increased or diminished at pleasure.
It will be understood by reference to the Drawings, that the edges e e¹ of the
trough E E may be adjusted as close as possible to the toothed roller C, that the
beater roller D may also be adjusted as close as may be required to the toothed
roller C and to the edges e e¹ of the blades E E, that the wool passing under the
blade E will not be affected by the beater, hut, that when it reaches the open part
between e and e¹ it will be raised by the said beater, that the thistles will be detached
from the wool and driven away thereby and that they will quit the blade without
getting hooked on to the toothed roller which will move away from them. In passing
under the blade E¹, the wool, which has been raised will be pressed anew against the
toothed roller C.
In some cases the blade E may be employed alone without the blade E.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carding Machines.
1, WILLIAM HENRY BECK, of 115 Cannon Street, in the City of London, Consulting
Engineer and Patent Agent 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, reference being had to the accompaning three sheets
of Drawings and to the letters and figures, marked thereon, that is to say
:-
This invention relates to improvements in carding machines, the object of which is
to remove the thistles from wool or other fibrous material, previous to the carding
operation, in a more effectual manner than heretofore.
The removal of thistles previous to the carding operation is usually effected by
delivering the fibrous material, wool for example, through a feeding apparatus to a
roller furnished with saw or other teeth and called in French Roule-ta-bosse which
roller presents the wool to one or more beaters turning at a great speed in a direction
opposite to that of the toothed roller. The thistles, which are brought by the toothed
roller below the beaters, are for the most part removed from the wool and projected
to a distance by the said beaters; but it often happens that a thistle becomes hooked
on to one of the teeth of the roller, and is carried forward by it, which explains
why, notwithstanding the action of the. beaters, so many thistles are found in carded
wool.
According to the present invention the toothed roller and beaters are employed as
usual, but the beaters are caused to rotate in the opposite direction to that of the
toothed roller, that is to say so that the parts of the beaters and toothed rollers acting
on the wool or other material move in the same direction, and two more or less rigid
blades are placed ono in front of, and the other behind the beaters, tangentially to
the toothed roller, and at such a distance from one another that the action of the
beaters can take place in the space between them. By these means the wool is raised
and the thistles, instead of being hooked on to the teeth of the roller, are projected
against the front blade and forcibly separated from the wool, which latter is drawn
away beneath the said front blade by the toothed roller.
In order to secure complete rigidity of the two blades, and means of adjusting them,
they are connected together at their two ends so as to form a kind of trough, in
which the beaters revolve in close contact with the toothed roller, at the point where
the space between the two blades occurs.
In the Drawings hereto annexed Figure 1 is an elevation of part of a carding
machine with the invention applied thereto; Figure 2 is a corresponding partial plan,
and Figure 3 a detail plan of part of the trough in which the beaters revolve.
A is a feed apron on which the wool to be carded is spread, and by which it is
conducted to the feed rollers B B B B³, each successive pair of which rotates faster
than the preceding pair, thereby effecting a preparatory drawing out of the wool to
facilitate its seizure by the toothed roller, and the disengagement of the thistles. To
assure the seizure of the wool by the toothed roller the upper most of the last pair of

page_text: feed rollers is covered with an L shaped blade placed between the said feed roller and
the toothed roller, whereby the wool is forced to spread itself out on the surface of
the latter.
C is the toothed roller furnished with saw teeth, or other suitable covering, and
turning in the direction of the arrow.
D is the beater roller, or thistle clearer turning in the direction of the arrow
marked thereon but at a greater circumferential speed than that of the roller C; for
example, with the beater roller D and toothed roller C proportioned as in the
Drawings the beater roller D may be arranged to rotate say forty times as fast as
the roller C.
EE are two blades between which the beater roller D revolves. These two blades,
connected together at their ends for the sake of rigidity, constitute the trough above
mentioned. They may be arranged, if preferred, with suitable means of adjustment
whereby the distance between them can be increased or diminished at pleasure; for
example, they may be arranged to slide and to be secured in any required position
on the plates which connect them together without affecting their rigidity.
It will be understood by reference to the Drawings that the edges e e¹ of the
trough E E may be adjusted as close as possible to the toothed roller C, that the
beater roller D may also be adjusted as close as may be required to the toothed
roller C and to the edges e e¹ of the blades E E1, that the wool passing under the
blade E will not be affected by the beater but that when it reaches the open part
between e and e it will be raised, that the thistles will be driven against the front
blade, will be thereby detached from the wool and driven away by the beater, and
that they will quit the blade without getting hooked on to the toothed roller which
will move away from them. In passing under the blade E the wool which has been
raised will be pressed anew against the toothed roller C.
In some cases the blade E may be employed alone without the blade E, as for
example when it is necessary to employ more than one set of beaters in order to
remove large thistles.
It will be understood from the above description that the essential features. of the
apparatus consist in causing the acting parts of the beater roller or thistle clearer and
of the toothed roller to move in the same direction, and in the application of two
sufficiently rigid blades placed in a horizontal plane tangential to the toothed roller,
and at a distance apart dependent upon the diameter of the beater roller, so that the
wool, drawn forward by the toothed roller, passes under the first blade which exerts a
slight pressure upon it, preventing it from being drawn forward by the beaters, but
when a thistle has passed this first blade it rises up, and is met by the beaters which,
without altering its direction, projects it on to the second blade. This combined
action of the beaters and blades effects the detachment and separation of the thistle
from the wool; the thistle being afterwards conducted into a box which prevents it,
in the usual way, from falling into the carding machine.
Figures 4 to 9 illustrate arrangements for carrying the invention into practical
effect. Figure 4 is an end view, Figure 5 a corresponding plan, shown broken near
the middle to save space in the Drawing, Figures 6, 7, and 8 are cross sectional
elevations taken respectively on the lines 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6 of Figure 5; and
Figure 9 is a cross sectional elevation of a modification of the arrangement first above
described.
On the frame of the carding machine, or on any other suitable support, and
in any suitable position, are fitted the sole plates X on which are fixed the vertical
standards T, T, T, T. These four standards carry the blades E E which cover the
upper part of the toothed cylinder C.
The blades E E (Figure 8) which are formed of a single piece of metal the ends of
which are of the sections shown in Figures 6 and 7, are fixed and adjusted in place by
the adjusting nuts. As shown in the Drawings the standards TT are divided,
and hinged at t in order to allow of the removal of the blades EE from over the toothed
roller by rotation on the hinges as shown by dotted lines in Figure 4. This removal
of the blades is easily effected by unscrewing the upper nuis & from the standards T T
12

page_text: and turning the whole of the parts composing the blades E E¹ and the beater roller D
on the hinges t² of the standards T until the piece E E¹ comes to bear upon the
brackets T formed on the said standards.
The ends of the piece in which the blades E E¹ are formed carry the plummer
blocks or bearings P P¹ in which the journals of the shaft D of the beater roller D
revolve. These bearings are formed with stems of cylindrical or other suitable section
fitting into holes of similar section in the piece E E¹, so that, by means of screws V V₁,
the heads of which are grooved to receive the plates K (Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
and 10) fitted and bolted below the piece E E', the said bearings P P may be raised
or lowered so as to adjust accurately the position of the beater roller D with reference
to the toothed roller C. When the bearings P P have been accurately adjusted they
are secured in place by means of the set screws 0.0'.
The working edges e e¹ of the blades E E' may be formed of thin steel plates M M¹
which can be changed and sharpened as required.
The blades E E and the beaters D being properly adjusted and firmly secured in
place the carding machine is set in motion; the usual wool comes under the
blade ME, where it is slightly compressed, it then passes on to e¹, and any thistles
contained in it spring up there and are immediately-seized by the beaters D which
drive the thistles against the edge el of the blade M'E' which prevents them from
following on with the wool, and separates them definitely therefrom, projecting them
over the blade into a box or receptacle N or N¹ Figure 6) intended to receive all
foreign bodies removed from the wool.
Several of these apparatuses may be mounted on the same carding machine, and
the diameters of the rollers and beaters may be varied according to circumstances
without departing from the principle of the invention, which consists in the arrange-
ment of the blades E E' in connection with the tootlied roller C, and the beaters D
the adjacent parts of which move in the same direction.
Figure 9, which illustrates a modification of the arrangement above described,
shows the false blades E Eshaped concentrically to the beaters D, and provided with
steel blades M M¹ which may be removed and replaced easily when necessary. The
blade E' has the thistle box or receptacle N connected to it.
The arrangement of the blades E E¹ on the adjustable standards T T allows of
adjusting the said blades accurately to the toothed roller. The application of the
blades E El concentrically to the toothed roller C, so as to surround it to a certain
extent, gives great facility for adjusting the said blades. Mounting the beater roller D
in the bearings P P', which can be raised or lowered at pleasure and secured in place,
allows of the distance of the said beater roller D from the toothed roller C being
accurately adjusted. The application of the steel plates M M to the blades or false
blades E E affords a simple and economical means of changing, modifying or replacing
the working blades so as to maintain the apparatus in perfect working order. It also
allows of giving a certain degree of flexibility to the front blade M. The arrangement
of the blades EE on pivoting standards T T affords a means of completely exposing
the toothed roller C for the purpose of examining, replacing or sharpening its toothed
mounting or clothing. By arranging the apparatus on sole plates X it can readily be
adapted to any desired part of the carding machine, as the sole plates alone require
to be adapted, as to form and dimensions, to the part of the carding machine to
which it is intended to apply the apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
First In a carding machine, the feed rollers B, B1, B2, B3, the toothed roller C,
the beater roller or thistle clearer D and the adjustable blades E E¹, combined,
arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the
Drawings hereto annexed, and for the purpose specified.
Second In a carding machine the feed rollers B, B1, B2, B3, the toothed roller C,
the beater roller or thistle clearer D and a single adjustable blade E¹, combined,

page_text: arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the
Drawings hereto annexed and for the purpose specified.
Third The blades E E¹ placed between the toothed roller C and the beater roller
or thistle clearer D, constructed so as to be concentric to the said toothed roller C,
or to the beater roller or thistle clearer D, and provided, or not, with removeable
steel plates forming the working parts of such blades, as herein before described, and
illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
Fourth-The devices for supporting the blades E E, for adjusting the same to or
from the toothed roller U, and for enabling the said blades, and the beater roller
or thistle clearer D to be turned aside clear of the said toothed roller C, such devices
consisting of the rigid screwed supports T, the screwed and hinged supports T, and
the adjusting nuts, combined and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described,
and illustrated in Figures 4 to 9 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
Fifth The devices for adjusting the beater roller or thistle clearer D to or from
the toothed roller C, constructed and arranged as hereinbefore described, and
illustrated in Figures 4 to 10 of the Drawings hereto annexed.
Dated this 20th day of September 1888