IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND STRAIGHTENING, FIBRES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Newton, of Leeds, in the County of
York, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR
OPENING AND STRAIGHTENING, FIBRES."
Sealed the 2nd October 1868, and dated the 25th July 1868..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,, on
the 25th July 1868.
I, ROBERT NEWTON, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED..
MACHINERY FOR OPENING AND STRAIGHTENING FIBRES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the opening and straightening of fibres by
the use of endless sheets furnished with steel pins or combs, and so
arranged as to clear each other at the same time that they straighten
the fibres passed through the machine. The fibres for which the
machine is chiefly designed to operate upon are flax and hemp, tow,
jute, and waste silk. The fibre is fed into the machine between two.
endless sheets furnished with steel pins. From these sheets the fibre

page_text: is delivered to or stripped off by a rapidly moving endless sheet of
combs fitted with stripper laths which when brought into action push
the fibre from the combs on to an endless sheet of heckles; this sheet
of heckles carries the fibre to a pair of delivery rollers which clear the
pins of the heckle sheet and deliver the now opened and straightened
fibre out of the machine. Immediately below the feeding sheets a
porcupine gill or roller is situate for the purpose of taking up the ends
of fibre projecting from the teeth of combs and lashing it on to the
following combs. A rotary brush works in contact with this roller for
clearing the pins thereof.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
NEWTON, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Robert Newton, Her special licence that I,
the said Robert Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Robert Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR OPENING
AND STRAIGHTENING FIBRES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Robert Newton, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Newton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said 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 Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say)
:-
This Invention relates to the opening and straightening of fibres by
the use of endless sheets furnished with steel pins or combs, and so
arranged as to clear each other at the same time that they straighten the
fibres passed through the machine. The fibres on which the machine
is chiefly designed to operate are flax and hemp, tow, jute, and waste
silk. The fibre is fed into the machine between two endless sheets
furnished with steel pins. From these sheets it is delivered to or
stripped off by a rapidly moving endless sheet of combs fitted with
stripper baths which when brought into action push the fibre from the
combs on to an endless sheet of hackles; this sheet of hackles carries
forward the fibre to a pair of delivery rollers which deliver it in an
opened and straightened state out of the machine.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 shews in side elevation the
opening and straightening machine; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;
and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken through the middle of the
machine.
A, A, is the cast-iron framing which serves to support the various
working parts of the machine; B, B', are two endless sheets of steel
pins for feeding in the fibres. These sheets are carried by rollers
mounted respectively on the pairs of axles b, b, b', b'. One of the
axles of each pair turns in fixed and the other in adjustable bearings 6*,
which latter admit of the sheets being kept at their proper tension.
The sheets are driven in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 3, through a
train of spur gearing deriving its motion from the main driving shaft C,
as will be hereafter explained. D is an endless sheet of combs carried
by drums d, d, the axles of which turn in brasses adjustable vertically
in the bearings d', d², the latter of which is made adjustable to keep
the sheet of combs at tension. Below the sheet D is mounted the
hackle sheet E, the upper face of which is parallel, or nearly so, with
the under face of the comb sheet; this sheet E is carried by drums e, e*,
the axles e, e, of which turn in adjustable brasses in their respective
bearings e, e, the former of which is made adjustable to preserve the

page_text: 'tension of the hackle sheet. The relative positions of these sheets is
The
secured by the vertical adjustment of their respective brasses.
-fibres taken up by the combs are transferred to the hackle sheet by the
action of stripper bars as with which they are fitted. These stripper
'bars are constructed and operated in the usual way, that is to say, the
bars are carried by slotted plates or fixings d' attached to the comb
backs, and as the combs are brought round to take up the fibre from
the feeding sheets the strippers are kept back by means of segment
guides F affixed to the main framing. When the combs have passed the
segment guides the stripper bars are brought under fixed straight
guides Falso secured to the main framing, and by these they are
-pressed outwards until their edges are carried beyond the points of their
respective combs; the fibres therefore carried by combs will be thrust
off the points and transferred to the hackle sheet below. G, G, is a pair
of delivery rollers which serve to strip the fibre from the hackle pins and
-deliver it out of the machine. Immediately below the feeding sheet Ba
porcupine gill or roller H is situate for the purpose of taking up the
ends of fibre projecting from the teeth of the combs and lashing it on to
the following combs; a rotary brush I works in contact with this
roller for clearing the pins thereof.
I will now explain how rotary motion is transmitted from the driving
shaft C to the several moving parts of the machine, reference being had
to Figures 1 and 2, in the former of which Figures the red circles shew
the pitch lines of the gearing on the rear side of the machine, and the blue
-circles the pitch lines of the gearing on the opposite side of the machine.
The driving shaft C is provided with fast and loose pulleys for receiving a
strap from any suitable motive-power engine over the driving pulley:;
keyed also to this shaft is the spur wheel 1 which gears into a spur
wheel 2 keyed on the axle d of the large drum carrying the comb
sheet D, and thus serves to drive that sheet. A spur pinion 3 on the
same axle gears into and drives a wheel 4 carrying on its boss a pinion 5.;
this pinion 5 gears into and drives a spur wheel 6 mounted on a stud
axle carried by a slotted radius arm K, which has for its centre of motion
the drum axle e³. A pinion 7 on the boss of the wheel 6 gears into a
spur wheel 8 keyed on the axle e³, and thus serves to drive the hackle
-sheet E. Mounted in a second slotted radius arm K', having the axle e
for its centre of motion, is a stud axle which carries a spur wheel 9 with
a pinion 10 on its boss; into this pinion gears the spur wheel 8, and the
rotary motion derived therefrom is communicated by the wheel 9 through

page_text: a pinion 11 keyed on the axle of the lower delivering roller g to that
pair of rollers. The radius arms K and K' are each provided with
segment slots to receve clamping bolts projecting from the framing by
which the arms are held to the proper positions for bringing their
respective gear wheels into action. Returning now to the axle d, which
is driven directly from the main shaft C, I will trace the course of tho
gearing at the feeding end of the machine. Keyed to the opposite
end of the axle d to that which carries the wheel 2 is a pinion 12 (shewn
in blue in Fig. 1); this pinion gears into and drives an intermediate
wheel 13 which in its turn drives a wheel 14. On the boss of the
wheel 14 is a pinion 15 which gears into and drives a wheel 16 similarly
provided with a pinion 17; this pinion drives in like manner a wheel 18
carrying a pinion 19 which gears into a wheel 20 keyed on the axle 6 of
the adjustable roller carrying the feed sheet B, and thus serves to drive
that apron. Keyed on the near end of the axle 6 is a spur wheel 21
which through wheels 22, 23, and 24 serves to drive the upper feed
sheet. The gill or roller H is driven by the wheel 23 gearing into a
pinion 25 keyed on the axle of that roller. The brush I may receive
motion from a strap directly from the main driving shaft or otherwise, as
thought desirable.
It will now be understood that as the fibre is fed into the machine it
will be taken up and straightened and opened out by the rotating
combs, and being discharged therefrom by the stripper it will be carried
forward and delivered out of the machine ready for the next preparing
operation.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of " Improved
Machinery for Opening and Straightening Fibres, and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim, the arrange-
ment and combination of parts above described constituting my improved
machine for opening and straightening fibres.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
ROBERT NEWTON. (L.S.)