IMPROVED MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING THE FLEECE IN CARDING ENGINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas James Smith, of the Firm of Robertson,
Brooman, and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London,
Patent Agents, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS OF AND
APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING THE FLEECE IN CARDING ENGINES."-A com-
munication from abroad by the Company or Society Jean Baptiste
Marée and Varlet, Manufacturers, of Remilly (Ardennes).
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas James Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th February 1872.
I, THOMAS JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and
5 Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MEANS
OF AND APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING THE FLEECE IN CARDING ENGINES," to be as
follows:-
-

page_text: Several systems have been attempted for cutting or dividing into
ribbons or slivers the fleeces or bats, after they have been acted upon
by the rollers or cards in carding machines, by substituting in the latter
an arrangement of continuous card instead of the ordinary interrupted
ona
The apparatus which forms the subject of this invention is in con-
nection with a system which is based upon the employment of rotating
circular blades or discs which cut the fleece as it proceeds from the
combing cylinder.
In this Invention, in order to separate and support the circular cutting
blades, rollers of a special form are employed comprising two types of
different diameters; these rollers are alternated upon two parallel
shafts, so that each little roller of one of these shafts is in relation
with a large roller upon the other shaft, the junction of the discs or
blades being made nearly at the level of the peripheries of the large.
rollers upon which the ribbon or sliver when cut remains stretched.
The side faces of the rollers present concave or convex curves, which
have the effect of bending the contiguous blades, and thus permit their
perfect adjustment at the point where the fleece is cut. Recesses or
hollows are formed upon the faces of the large rollers to allow sufficient
play to the part of the blades which curve at the point of junction;
these hollows may receive a packing or lining of some flexible material,
which softens the junction of the blades and fills up the space. The
rollers and blades are adjustable and will remain fixed upon the shafts
which turn in contrary directions through any convenient gearing.
The separated fleece preferably passes upon two rollers, against which
they are gently pressed by rubbers, which are also in contact with the
large rollers of the cutting apparatus, and are thus cleaned during the
progress of the work. The continuous bat delivered by the combing
cylinder is thus divided into ribbons or slivers in a very exact and regular
manner without waste and perceptable wear of the apparatus, the
ribbons being divided into, say, two series rolled round separate reels.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas James Smith in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th August 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of
166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas James Smith, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas James Smith, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas James Smith,
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 MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR DIVIDING THE FLEECE IN CARDING.
ENGINES," (a communication to me from abroad by the Company or
Society Jean Baptiste Marée and Varlet, Manufacturers, of Remilly
(Ardennes), upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
James Smith, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas James Smith, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
Several systems have been attempted for severing or dividing fleece

page_text: or bats, after they have been acted upon by the rouers or Carus in
carding machines, into ribbons or slivers by substituting in carding
machines an arrangement of continuous card instead of the ordinary
interrupted one.
The apparatus whichs forms the subject of this Invention is in con-
nection with a system which is based upon the employment of rotating
circular blades or discs which sever the fleece as it proceeds from the
combing cylinder.
In this Invention, in order to separate and support the circular
dividing blades, rollers of a special form are employed comprising two
types of different diameters. These rollers are alternated upon two
parallel shafts, so that each little roller of one of these shafts in in
relation with a large roller upon the other shaft, the junction of the
discs or blades being made nearly at the level of the peripheries of the
large rollers upon which the ribbon or sliver when divided remains
stretched. The side faces of the rollers present concave or convex
curves, which have the effect of bending the contiguous blades, and thus
permit their perfect adjustment at the point where the fleece is divided.
Recesses or hollows are formed upon the faces of the large rollers to
allow sufficient play to the part of the blades which curve at the point
of junction; these hollows may receive a packing or lining of some
flexible material which softens the junction of the blades and fills up the
space.
The annexed Drawings show the form and arrangement of the
principal parts of the dividing apparatus which forms this Invention.
Figures 1 and 2 are side and face views of the apparatus when
arranged behind a carding machine; Figure 3 shows on a large scale
a portion of the two parallel shafts, each with a couple of rollers and the
alternate discs.
Each of the large rollers a, a, has its sides, which are slightly concave,
prolonged by hollowings b, b, and which allow to the dividing blades c, c,
shown in blue ink, the play necessary in order to bend into contact with
the corresponding blades c', c¹. The blades c¹, c³, are placed against
the small rollers d, d, the sides of which are formed slightly convex. It
follows from this arrangement that, as seen in Figure 3, at the point of
junction the blades c, c, placed against the large rollers contract inwards,

page_text: whilst the other blades c¹, c², placed against the small rollers are pressed
outwards, which brings about an adjustment suitable for the delicacy
required in dividing filamentous materials. The rollers and blades are
adjustable and will remain fixed upon the shafts A and B which turn in
contrary directions through any convenient gearing.
Instead of a pressure screw the shafts may be screw threaded, in
which case the rollers themselves play the part of nuts.
The separated fleece passes upon two rollers g, g', against which they
are gently pressed by the rubbers f. f, which at the same time come
into contact with the large rollers a, a, of the dividing apparatus, and
are thus cleaned during the progress of the work. The continuous bat
delivered by the combing cylinder h is thus divided into ribbons or
slivers in a very exact and regular manner without waste and perceptable
wear of the apparatus, and the ribbons are divided into, say, two series
rolled round two or a greater of reels k, k¹. By the use of this apparatus
a greater, finer, and better production than heretofore is obtained
from the carding machine.
It should be observed that the large rollers a, a, may be made in two
parts, viz., the part x, x, (see Figure 4) having for its diameter the
diameter of the little rollers d, d, and the second part y, y, smaller in
width than the first, and united to it by means of a claw z. In this
case the parts y, y, are narrower than the parts b, 6, of the large rollers
before described, in order to allow more play to the blades c, c¹. The
action of these rollers and blades remains the same, and the surface of
the parts y, y, still serve to support and conduct the sliver of wool after
it has been divided by the blades.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
1st. The construction and arrangement of the rollers and of the blades
or discs and their combination with one another, substantially as
described and shown.
2ndly. Rendering the blades or discs flexible and automatically
adjusting by means of grooves or hollowing upon the large rollers, as
described and shown.

page_text: 3rdly. The construction and arrangement of the rubbers so that they
act upon the rollers as described and shown.
And, 4thly. The general construction and arrangement of the
apparatus, substantially as described and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas James Smith, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of August One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-two.