IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN MACHINES USED FOR PREPARING TO BE SPUN COTTON, WCOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1846

page_text: JOSUE HEILMANN, of Mulhausen, in the Department du Haut Rhine,
in the Kingdom of France, Machine Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,
by Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the
ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Josué Heilmann, my exors,
adiiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privi-
lege and authority, that I, the said Josué Heilmann, my exors,
adiiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Josué Heilmann,
my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exer-
cise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN MACHINES
USED FOR PREPARING TO BE SPUN COTTON, WCOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS," in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that I, the said Josué Heilmann, shall cause a particular descrip-

page_text: i
tion of the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by
the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso I, the
said Josué Heilmann, do hereby declare the nature of my said Inven-
tion to consist, first, in giving to one or both of the rollers of a dressing
machine, on which cards or pins are fixed, or round which they pass on
a sheet, a reciprocating motion in addition to the revolving motion
which such card or pin surfaces usually have, so that by this combined
action the fibres of the material operated upon are placed in a position
nearer parallel to each other each time they are passed through the
dressing machine, and until they are in a fit state to be operated upon
by a combing or by a carding machine. Secondly, in a new combina-
tion of machinery for the purpose of combing cotton, as well as wool
and other fibrous materials, into which machine the fibres as they come
from the dressing machine are introduced in a lap, sliver, or fleece,
which is broken asunder, and the fibres are combed at each end, and
the long and short fibres are separated, the long ones being united in
one sliver, the short ones in another, and they are passed out of the
machine thus separated ready for drawing, roving, and other subsequent
operations.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, I shall in
further compliance, with the proviso in the said Letters Patent con-
tained, proceed to shew the manner in which the same may be per-
formed by the following description, reference being had to the
Drawings annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
In Sheet 1, Figure 1, is a vertical section, and Figure 2, a plan of
parts of a dressing machine with my improvements attached thereto,
represented full size. In Sheet 2, Figure 3, is a vertical section, and

page_text: Figure 4, a plan of parts of my improved combing machine. Figure 5,
represents a feeding apparatus applicable to the machine shewn .in
Figures 3, and 4. These machines are suitable for cotton, but when
wool or other materials of longer fibres than cotton are to be acted
upon by my improvements the machines are made on a proportionately.
larger scale. The same figures and letters denote the same parts
throughout the Drawings.
'
The worm I, and
This stud K, is
In Sheet 1, Figure 1, A is a part of the frame; B, is the bearer
attached to the frame which supports the brasses or steps in which the.
crank shaft works; C, is the crank shaft through which motion is given
to all parts of the machine. Upon the cranks of this shaft two collars D
each made in two pieces, are screwed, and allow the crank to run freely.
in them. On one of these collars a worm wheel E, is fixed, which takes
into a worm wheel F, on a short shaft G; upon this shaft a worm wheel
H, is keyed, which takes, into a worm I. This worm is fixed upon a
hollow cylinder, which carries a fork i, at one end, and this fork passes
half round a stud j, which is fixed on the frame A.
fork i, are placed upon a stud K, on which they turn.
supported by a bearing lever L, which lever loosely embraces the collars
D, and is moved by the crank shaft. The lower end of the lever L,
terminates in a rod which passes through a circular hole in a piece of.
metal attached to the lower part of the frame of the machine. M, is a
holder which is pressed upon the fibres by the spring N. A roller may
be used instead of the holder M. The levers L, L, also support tlie'
pivots of the feeding roller O, round which the endless feeding apron
works. Another roller, not shewn in the Drawings, parallel to the
roller O, supports the other end of this apron, and is supported by and
works upon a spring at each end, so as to keep the apron in a state of
tension. P, is a metallic tube, each end of which is fixed to one of
the collars D; a part of this tube is shewn in section, Figure 2,
marked P. The external surface of this tube, which I call the deli-
vering roller, is covered with pins or cards. Q, and R, are bearings
fixed to the frame which support the roller S; by its pivots passing each
through a circular opening in one of the bearers made for its reception.
The roller S, has a. number of planes-cut on its surface; on each of

page_text: these planes a small bar T, is screwed, which bar has a number of
teeth fixed on it; such bar and teeth are usually called gills, which gills
in this machine are twenty inches long. U, are metal flanges fixed on
the roller, one near each end. These flanges have slots cut in them
parallel to the teeth of the gills, each of which slot has a bar V,
capable of moving freely up and down in it, and between two of the
gills each bar extends across the roller, and is placed in corresponding
slots of the two flanges, and each end passes into an excentric groove W,
formed in the bearing for that purpose, so that when the roller S is
made to revolve those bars opposite to the delivering roller are passed
to the bottom of the slots by means of the excentric grooves, and
allow the teeth to enter between the fibres presented to them by the
furnishing roller, but underneath and on the opposite side of the roller
the outer edges of these bars are driven by the excentric groove
beyond the points of the teeth, and thereby push the fibres from.
between them. The roller S, is driven by toothed gearing from the
crank shaft. When the crank shaft is made to revolve, it causes the
delivering roller to advance as near to the drawing roller as is shewn
by the circular red line, see Figure 1, and to recede from that roller to
the position in which it is shewn also in Figure 1; and as the crank
gives motion to the bearing lever L, the end of the stud K, is thereby
made to revolve round the fixed stud j, and as the points of the
fork i, pass on each side of the stud j, and so embrace it, the hollow
cylinder on which the worm I, is fixed is made to revolve; and by
thus turning the worm I, the worm wheel H, the worm F, and
the worm wheel E, a slow circular motion is given to the deli-
vering roller. The relative speeds I have found useful for long
stapled cotton are for the crank shaft six hundred revolutions per
minute, for the delivering roller three revolutions per minute, for
the drawing roller forty-two revolutions per minute, and for the surface
of the feeding roller the same speed as the surface of the delivering
roller. The fibrous material, as it leaves the drawing roller, may be
lapped round a drum or formed into a sliver. In this Sheet I have only
shewn the delivering roller made to reciprocate, which is the arrange-
ment I prefer for carrying out this part of my Invention, but a

page_text: reciprocating motion may be given to the roller S, the object of giving
a reciprocating motion to the rollers P, S, being that the various
lengths of fibres may all be acted upon; and in giving reciprocating
motion to these rollers care is to be observed that the fibres which are
between should be kept as nearly as may be at a uniform stretch, such
as will be found to result from the machine, as shewn in the Drawing.
In Sheet 2, Figure 3, 1 is a roller beam; 2 is a bearer which carries
the feeding, the combing, and the drawing apparatus; 3 is a bearer
of the feeding apparatus, which has a vertical slot in it, through which
the screw 4 passes, and secures it to the bearer 2. There is a concave
curved surface on the inner side of the bearer 3, corresponding to a
convex surface, against which it is screwed, to enable it to be raised or
lowered for the purpose of varying the distance between the roller 6,
and 22, to suit fibres of different lengths. 5, is a guide plate on which
the cotton passes to the feeding roller 6. The guide plate is supported
on an axis 7. From one end of the guide plate is suspended a weight 8,
which presses the fibres on the other end against the feed roller 6. That
end of the guide plate which presses against the feed roller is covered
with leather. The guide plate may be altered in its inclination by the
screw 9. The feed roller is made to pass forward a portion of the
fibres of cotton, and then to stop for a short time, and hold that portion
to be combed, and its action is thus regularly intermittant. For long
fibres a bottom roller may be used in place of the guide plate. 10, is a
screw by which the feed roller may be regulated in its distance from
the combing roller 11. This roller is divided longitudinally into three
parts; the part marked 12, is fluted; the part marked 13, is covered
with leather; and the part marked 14, is furnished with gills, flanges,
slots, and bars, which bars take into excentric grooves attached to the
framing; and this part of the roller works in a similar manner to the
roller S, in Sheet 1. On one of the ends of the combing roller is
fixed a tappet 15, which acts against a friction roller 16, working on a
stud attached to the top of the lever 17. This lever at the lower end
is keyed on a shaft 18; upon this shaft is keyed a short lever 19,
which is attached by a chain to the bent lever 20. This lever works
upon an axis at 21, and carries a top roller 22, covered with leather,

page_text: and the bottom fluted roller 23. 24, is a hook pressing on the axis of
the top roller by means of the short bent lever 25, and the spiral spring
26, both of which are attached to studs on the lever 20. A spring 27,
fixed to the roller beam presses against the lower end of the lever 20,
and thereby keeps the friction roller 16, constantly against the tappet,
so that when that part of the tappet marked 15", is acting against the
friction roller, the top roller 22 is pressed against the fluted part 12
of the combing roller, by which it receives motion, and at the same.
time draws the fibres from between the feeding roller and guide plate,
and at the same time conveys them between itself and the bottom
roller 23, which it turns by contact. When that part of the tappet
marked 15b, acts against the friction roller, the bottom roller 23.
is pressed against the part 13 of the combing roller covered with
leather, by which motion is imparted to it, and the end of the lap
of fibres is by this and the top roller passed back to be acted upon by
the combing part 14, of the roller 11, during which time by the action
of that part of the tappet 15°, acting against the friction roller, the
rollers 22 and 23 are stationary. When that part of the tappet marked
14ª, is again acting against the friction roller, another short portion of
fibres which has been combed in front of the delivering roller and
guide plate is drawn between the rollers 22, and 23, in the manner
before described, and overlaps the ends of the short portion of fibres
previously drawn between those rollers; and as the drawing action of
the rollers is greater than their backing action, a continuous sheet or
sliver is thus formed in front of them. The burs and other extraneous
matters, and the short fibres extracted by the comb, are expelled from
between its teeth by the bars between the gills, and fall on the surface
of the roller 28, which is covered with leather, and are by it carried
and passed between that roller and the roller 29. The surface of the
rollers 28, and 29, have a forward and backward revolving motion given
to them, whereby they make the short fibres into a sheet or sliver. I
drive these rollers in such manner that they make about six inches sur-
face speed forward, and three inches surface speed backwards, for each.
revolution of the roller 11, preferring that the roller 28 should move in
the same direction as the roller 11, when the roller 11 is discharging. S

page_text: the short fibres on to the roller 28. The roller 28, is driven by the surface
contact of the roller 29, and the roller 29, by suitable gearing, which
I have not shewn in the Drawings, as any competent workman could
apply them without a detailed description. Figure 5, represents a
transverse section of another feeding apparatus applicable to the
machine described with reference to Figures 3, and 4, of Sheet 2.
The parts numbered 11, 12, 13, 14, and 22, and the mode in which
they act, have already been described with reference to Figure 3. 30, is
a fixed bar provided with two rows of pins, forming combs into which
the fleece is forced, and by which it is held during the drawing action
of the roller 22. 31, is a curved bar provided with a single row of
pins forming a comb; this bar hinges from a fulcrum 32, and penetrates
through the fleece from below. 33, is a flat bar, the lower edge of which
is padded and covered with leather; opposite to it is another bar 34,
fluted at the end next to the part covered with leather of the bar 33,
and forming with it a pair of pincers; the bar 34, is connected to the
lever 35, and vibrates from the moveable fulcrum 36.
There is a cam
or tappet 37, fixed on one end of the roller 11, and this cam acts upon
a roller 38, at the end of the lever 39, the fulcrum of which is at 39*.
The small lever 40, is secured to the comb 31, and takes into the space
left between the two pins 41, fixed into the bar 34. The lever 35, is
elevated and depressed by the action of a cam in connection with the
rod 42. The Drawing represents the parts of this feeding apparatus
in the positions the would relatively occupy when the combed part of
the fleece is being drawn forward by the action of the top roller 22,
against the fluted part 12, of the roller 11; and when another portion
of the fleece is required to be combed, the cam 37 acts upon the
roller 38, and moves the lever 39, which hinges from its fulcrum 39*,
and at the same time draws the pincers 33, and 34, in the direction
from which the fleece enters. As soon as the roller 38, has been
elevated to the extent of the cam 37, the pincers 33, and 34, are again
closed by the action of the rod 42, so as to hold the fleece fast, and
the pincers are then lowered so as to carry the portion of the fleece
they hold to be combed, after which they are raised so as to convey the

page_text: combed portion of the fleece under the drawing roller 22, as seen in the
Drawing.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be carried into effect, I do hereby declare that I
do not confine myself to the details so long as the peculiar character of
either of the machines be retained. But what I claim as of my In-
vention is, first, in the dressing machine, the combination of a recipro-
cating and revolving motion of card or pin surfaces, as shown and
<described.
And secondly, I claim the combination of a delivering, combing,
and drawing apparatus, and their mode of action, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof; I, the said Josué Heilmann, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
JOSUE (L.s.) HEILMANN.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourteenth day of July,
in the year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid Josué Heilmann came
before our said Lady the Queen, in Her Chancery, and acknowledged
the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained
and specified, in form above written. And also the Specification afore-
said was stamped according to the tenor of the statute made for that
purpose.