CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR CARDING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Alfred Dobson of Bolton in the County of
Lancaster Machine Maker and William Isherwood Bromiley of the same place
Foreman for an Invention of CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR
CARDING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Alfred Dobson
and William Isherwood Bromiley at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents on the 3rd November 1883.
BENJAMIN ALFRED DOBSON, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Maker, and WILLIAM ISHERWOOD BROMILEY, of the same place Foreman
'CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR CARDING COTTON AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS"
The first part of our invention refers to an arrangement for casing in that
portion of the carding engine between the doffer and the cylinder, and it consists
in using cast iron or other material to fill up the space between the cylinder and
the doffer.
This piece is left hollow on its upper surface for the purpose of leaving more
room for strip and fly, and we dispense with the wooden or tin mould or filling up
piece.
The form and method of fixing and means of adjusting this pieco comprise the
novelty.
On the pedestals of the doffer is a "boss" which is turned, upon which fits a
strong radial arm which in its turn is connected with the said casing or other
making up piece combined so that the whole works radially round the center of
the doffer and is adjusted to the wire of the cylinder by an adjusting screw on the
bend framing. The said casing or making up piece may be otherwise arranged
either upon circular bearings cast with or separately fixed to the bend framing, or
may be moved or adjusted on horizontal bearings similarly fixed or any other
suitable arrangements.

page_text: There is a handle or handles in the front portion of the casing or making up
piece which enables the operative to pull forward the whole arrangement and
thereby lay clear the space between the cylinder and doffer for setting or other
purposes. Our present idea is to make this in cast iron or other material: for the
purpose of separating the air current between the cylinder and doffer, we apply a
thin steel blade at the extremity of this piece which descends almost to the point
of contact of the cylinder and doffer.
We also have an improved method of setting, regulating, and arranging the two
back knives or casing between the cylinder and licker-in, and between the cylinder
and flats upon one fixing on each side, which are cut or turned truly to the radius
of the cylinder, or planed or cut at right angles to the centre line of the cylinder,
or any suitable arrangement on radially planed portions on the bend framing upon
which the brackets holding the two back knives or casing are fixed, giving a true
notion to the centre of the cylinder; the bracket holding the flat carrier wheel at
that end of the flats has also a radial fixing, and can only be moved nearer to or
farther from the cylinder centre, and thus the distance between the licker-in and
flats being constant, no up or down regulation of the two knives or casing is
necessary but the concentric fixing or other arrangement can be adapted for
regulating the position of the knives or casing to the cylinder wire.
Another part of our invention consists in an improvement for driving the
revolving flats of carding engines, which consists in placing the driving about the
centre of the flexible bend, which regulates the. position of the flats to the cylinder
and placing between the upper and lower flats a large star wheel which gears into
the projections of both the upper and lower flats and drives both, thus dividing the
strains which in carding engines with a large number of flats become of serious
importance as affecting wear and tear and the strains on the flexible bend. The
same improvement can be applied to drive as described for both top and bottom
flats together, or separately, and another part of our improvement consists in an
improved method of cleaning and stripping the flats. In this case we dispenso
with the ordinary flat stripping brush and replace it by an automatic stripping
motion and waste box above or at the turning of the flats; at the doffer end is
fixed a cross shaft bung upon an oscillating arm carrying a board or flat made of
any suitable material covered with stripping wire.
This is caused by an eccentric or other motion to oscillate backward and forward
and when being driven backward is lifted up an incline or by other means out of
contact with the wire of the flats, but in being driven forward enters into the wire
of the flats and strips them, and at the extremity of its stroke encounters the
clearing flat which first is cleared by the stripping flat and then in returning the
stripping flat will clear itself, thus keeping the wire of the top flats and the
oscillating stripping flat constantly cleaned when in contact. This may be varied.
This arrangement may also dispense with the present stripping comb for the
revolving flats as well as the flat stripping brush and answer for both comb and
stripping brush.
Another portion of our improvements consists of a method of fixing and
regulating the grinding fixings and stripping brush fixings for the cylinder in order
to make them suitable for either grinding rollers or stripping brushes of different
diameters and also to avoid lifting of the parts covering the doffer and this portion
of the cylinder and being able to effect the two operations in less space, which
consists of a planed slide fixed to the bend framing at right angles to the radius or
other suitable position, upon which slide the fixings containing the steps for the
grinding roller and stripping brush.
'
These fixings are adjustable to and from the cylinder by means of proper setting
screws or any other suitable means for adjustment. It is intended to be arranged
that when at the bottom of its travel and resting on the planed portion prepared
for it, the two fixings on each side of the carding engine are parallel and square.
with the centre of the cylinder shaft in which position they can be fixed without
vibration by means of a handle and lock screw, or any other suitable arrangement,

page_text: Each fixing on either side of the Card is furnished with a handle working on a
stud and with a suitable lever acting against the bottom of the moving slide.
The length of this lever is arranged according to the length of movement
required or this can be otherwise adjusted. Below the fixing which carries the
grinding roller is fixed on either side of the card a.fixing for carrying the stripping
brush, thus when the grinding roller is required to be put in position for grinding
the cylinder the slide is bearing on the planed portion at the bottom and
consequently it is with the greatest accuracy that the grinding roller is placed in
position, and to place the stripping brush in position the lock screw is slackened
and the handle turned to raise the loose slide to its highest, or necessary position
in the slide on either side of the Card and then the lock nut tightened it is found
that the stripping brush fixing is in exactly the proper position for the use of the
brush according to its diameter. This arrangement may also be varied either by
having the grinding fixing and brush fixing separately adjusted on a disc radiating.
on a pivot, or may be arranged to have the two fixings sliding together or.
separately but in the same radial line, or may be adjusted by means of eccentrics
or other suitable arrangement.
A further portion of our improvements consists in the method of arranging the
Bweeps or making up pieces at the ends of the cylinder and doffer in such a way as to
allow a perfect selvage to the edge of the sliver. We surround the cylinder and doffer
completely or partially (which may be clothed with wire up to its extreme outer
edge) with a turned and polished ring of any suitable material either in one piece,
or in sections as may be most convenient. This circular ring has at its bottom side
an adjusting screw and an overlapped joint so that by tightening the scrows the
circumference of the ring may be diminished or increased in accordance with the
wear of the wire, thus keeping its outside diameter always in the same proportion
as that of the wire.
With a view of having a perfect arrangement between the doffer and the
cylinder we apply a segment arm attached to the cylinder pedestals or axis and
containing setting screws to set nearer to or further from the cylinder centre and to
receive if necessary and support the making up arrangement between cylinder and
doffer, and also between the licker-in and flats.
We are also enabled, if desired to fix the two knives or casing between licker-in
and flats to the circular segment instead of to the special fixing on the bend
framing, this circular ring also maintains the under-casing, and also may replace
the present flexible bend upon which the top flats travel and are set to the cylinder
By this means we are enabled to have exact concentricity in all the covers, flats,
making up pieces and under casings in connection with the carding engine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Benjamin Alfred Dobson and William Isherwood Bromiley in the
Patent Office on the 3rd May 1884.
BENJAMIN ALFRED DOBSON, of Bolton in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Maker and WILLIAM ISHERWOOD BROMILEY, of the same place, Foreman
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR CARDING COTTON AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
The first part of our Invention illustrated on Figs. 1 and 2 refers to an
arrangement for casing in that portion of the carding engine between the doffer a

page_text: and the cylinder b, and consists in using a casing or filling up piece c of cast iron
or other material to fill up the space between the cylinder and the doffer. This
piece c is left hollow on its upper surface for the purpose of leaving more room for
strip and fly and we dispense with the wooden or tin mould or filling up piece.
The form and method of fixing and means of adjusting this piece c comprise the
novelty.
On the pedestals of the doffer is a boss d which is turned, upon which fits a
strong radial arm e, which in its turn is connected by screws cc' with the said
casing c, or other making up piece and combined so that the whole works radially
round the centre of the doffer a and is adjusted to the wire of the cylinder by an
adjusting screw f on the bend framing g. The said casing or making up piece c
may be otherwise arranged either upon circular bearings cast with or separately
fixed to the bend framing or may be moved or adjusted on horizontal bearings
similarly fixed or any other suitable arrangement.
Fig. 2 illustrates one modification of this part of our Invention. In this
⚫ modification there is a metal plate h at each side of the doffer a in which are slots
for adjustment through which pass bolts g¹g to secure the plate to the bend
nose g.
The making up piece c is fitted so as to slide on the edge of the plates / which
are concentric with the doffer a and as the wire wears the plate is inoved nearer
to the cylinder b by the set screw f and the making up piece c slides nearer to the
cylinder b; stops on the inner ends of the plates h keep the piece c from sliding
too far.
We attach a hinged cover i shown open in dotted lines to the making up piece
which when open allows the cylinder to be ground by the grinding roller j.
There is a handle or handles in the front portion of the casing or making up picco
which enables the operative to pull forward the whole arrangement and thereby
Jay clear the space between the cylinder and doffer for setting or other purposes.
Our present idea is to make this in cast iron or other material and for the purpose
of separating the air current between the cylinder and doffer we apply a thin steel
blade cat the extremity of this piece c, which descends almost to the point of
contact of the cylinder and doffer.
Our improved method of setting, regulating and arranging the two back knives
(see Fig. 3) or casing between the cylinder b and licker-in b¹ and between the
cylinder and flats upon one fixing on each side, which fixings are cut or turned
truly to the radius of the cylinder or planed or cut at right angles to the centro
line of the cylinder or any suitable arrangement. The fixing is connected to the
bend by an adjusting screw m, by which it is moved nearer to or farther from the
cylinder b: the knife is held by a bolt n through which passes an adjusting
screw o by which the knife is moved nearer to or farther from the flat above it: a
similar adjusting screw may be used to regulate the knife. The bracket p
holding the flat carrier wheel at that end of the flats is a radial fixing on radially
planed portions on the bend framing upon which the brackets 7 holding the two
back knives or casing are fixed, giving a true motion to or from the centre of
the cylinder and can only be moved nearer to or farther from the cylinder centre,
and thus the distance between the licker-in and flats being almost constant very
little regulation of the two knives or casing is necessary. When setting the card
the knife is regulated by the screw o to the proper height and the knife k¹ is
similarly regulated. When the wire becomes worn the screw m suffices to regulate
simultaneously the distance of the knives from the cylinder.
Another portion of our Improvements shown on Figs. 3, 3 and 4 consists of
a method of fixing and regulating the grinding fixings and stripping brush fixings
for the cylinder in order to make them suitable for either grinding rollers or.
stripping brushes of different diameters and also to avoid lifting of the parts
covering the doffer and this portion of the cylinder and being able to effect the two
operations in less space which consists of a planed slide v fixed to the bend framing
at right angles to the radius or other suitable position upon which slide v are the

page_text: fixings v carrying the steps for the grinding roller j and stripping brush .
These fixings are adjustable to and from the cylinder by means of proper setting
screws or any other suitable means for adjustment. It is intended to be
arranged that when at the bottom of its travel and resting on the planed portion
prepared for it, the two fixings on each side of the carding engine are parallel and
square with the centre of the cylinder shaft in which position they can be fixed
without vibration by means of a handle and lock screw wor any other suitable
arrangement. Each fixing on either side of the card is funished with a handle wi
working on a stud and with a suitable lever acting against the bottom or in a slot
of, the moving slide v². The length of this lever is arranged according to the
length of the movement required or this can be otherwise adjusted. Below the
step which carries the grinding roller j is fixed on either side of the card a step ³
for carrying the stripping brush j', thus when the grinding roller is required to
be put in position for grinding the cylinder, tho. slide is bearing on the planed
portion at the bottom see Fig. 3 and consequently it is with the greatest accuracy
that the grinding roller is placed in position, and to place the stripping brush in
position the lock screw w is slackened and the handle w¹ moved to raise this loose
slide v' to its highest, or necessary position or against stop pieces on the slide v on
either side of the card and when the lock nut w is tightened, it is found that the
stripping brush fixing is in exactly the proper position see Fig. 4 for the use of the
brush according to its diameter. This arrangement may also be varied either by
having the grinding fixing and brush fixing separately adjusted on a disc or
segment v radiating on a pivot see Fig 3ª on which view w¹ is a lever for raising
the segment v¹ into the position in which it is shown: 22 are stop pieces and wis
a lock screw or the fixing may be adjusted by means of eccentrics or other
suitable arrangement.
Another part of our Invention illustrated by Fig. 5 consists in an improvement'
for driving the revolving flats of carding engines; which consists in placing the
driving pulley q about the centre of the flexible bend which regulates the position
of the flats to the cylinder and placing between the upper and lower flats and
midway between the flat carrier bowls a large star wheel r which is driven by
worms and worm wheels from the pulley g as usual and gears into the projections
of both the upper and lower flats and drives both, thus dividing the strains which
in carding engines with a large number of flats becoine of serious importance as
affecting wear and tear and the strains on the flexible bend. The same improve-
ment can be applied to drive as described for both top and bottom flats together or
separately and another part of our improvement shown also on Fig. 5 consists in
an improved method of cleaning and stripping the flats. In this case we dispense
with the ordinary flat stripping brush and replace it by an automatic stripping
motion (and a waste box not shown on Fig. 5) above or at the turning of the Hats:
at the doffer end of the cylinder is fixed a cross shaft a from which hangs an
oscillating arm & formed in two parts connected by a pin 82 working in a slot
carrying a board or flat t made of any suitable material covered with stripping.
wire. This is caused by an eccentric u (which may be driven from the cylinder
shaft) or other motion or the levers al may be driven by crank and connecting rod
or eccentric from the pulley q which would ensure uniformity of action to oscillate
backward and forward and when being driven backward the stripping flat tis
Jifted up a hinged incline t' or by other means out of contact with the wire of the
flats but on being driven forward enters into the wire of the flats and strips them,
and at the extremity of its stroke encounters the clearing flat which first is
cleared by the stripping board or flat t and then in returning the stripping flat t
will clear itself thus keeping the wire of the top flats and the oscillating stripping
fiat constantly cleaned when in contact. This may be varied. This arrangement
may also dispense with the present stripping comb for the revolving flats as well
as the flat stripping brush and answer for both comb and stripping brush.
A farther portion of our improvements consists in forming the sweeps or making

page_text: up pieces (or a substitute for the same) at the ends of the cylinder and doffer in
such a way as to allow a perfect selvage to the edge of the sliver.
We completely or partially surround the cylinder and doffer (which may be
clothed with wire up to their extreme outer edge) with a turned and polished
ring a, see Figs 6 and 7 of any suitable material either in one piece or in sections
(which may be of different diameter) as may be most convenient. This circular
ring may be secured by setting arms radially to the cylinder shaft or by snugs and
set screws in radial slots in the framing or other equivalent appliances and the
ring has at its bottom side an adjusting screw &² and an over-lapped joint so that
by tightening the screw the circumference of the ring may be diminished or
increased in accordance with the wear of the wire, thus keeping its outside
diameter always in the same proportion as that of the wire. With a view of
having a perfect arrangement between the doffer and the cylinder we apply a
segment arm y see Fig attached to the pedestals or axis on each side of the
cylinder b and containing setting screws y¹ to set nearer to or farther from the
cylinder centre and to receive if necessary and support the making up arrangement
between the cylinder and doffer and also the knives or casing k k¹ between the
licker-in and flats. The circular ring also maintains the under casing and also
may replace the present flexible bend upon which the top flats travel and are set
to the cylinder. By this means we are enabled to have exact concentricity in all
the covers, flats, making up pieces and under casings in and connected with the
carding engine.
Having stated the nature of our Invention and described the manner of
performing the same
We declare that we claim
1. The combination of a making up piece with the radial arms e, and the
combination of a making up piece with the plates h, substantially as herein
described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.
2. The bracket & for carrying the knives k³ and the fitting of the said knives
on one bracket as herein described with reference to Fig. 8.
3. The method of and mechanism for moving the bearings vª and v³,
substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth and as shown on
Figs. 3, 3 and 4.
4. Placing the driving of the flats of carding engines at or near the middle of
the flexible bend, substantially as and for the purposes herein described with
reference to Fig. 5.
5.-The improved method of and mechanism for cleaning the revolving flats of
carding engines, substantially as herein described and as shown on Fig. 5.
6. The adjustable ring a, as and for the purposes herein set forth.
7. The segment y as and for the purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Benjamin Alfred Dobson for myself and on
behalf of the said William Isherwood Bromiley have hereunto set my hand and seal
this thirtieth day of April One thousand eight hundred and eighty four.
REN ALF DORSON
(1.91