Improvements in Carding Engines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 29th May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 28th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 29th Mar.. 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carding Engines.
I JOHN MUIR HETHERINGTON of the Vulcan Works, Pollard Street, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this
Invention to be as follows :-
My Invention relates to the Carding Engines which have the flexible bends brought
into position close to the annular faces on the main cylinder ends. Previously to a
former Invention of mine for which Letters Patent Number 9579 of the year
1886 were granted to me the flats had extended over the fixed bends at each
side of the engine to reach the flexible bends but by bringing the latter bends
close to the cylinder ends I greatly shortened the flats. Owing to the limited
spaces at the flat ends for the grinding faces and the chains and the preparations
for the attachment of the same the centres of convergent pressure of the chains
did not pass through the flexible bends. I have found that the effect of this
arrangement was that the strain upon the flats bent them toward the main cylinder to
a measurable extent and this I consider to be a disadvantage which I seek to
obviate. To this end I lengthen the flat ends so that they shall project beyond
the flexible bends sufficiently to bring the connecting chains outwardly beyond the
flexible bends whereby the strain of the said chains has the contrary effect to the
indication hereinbefore given-that is to say-the said strain has a tendency to
bend the flat outwardly from the main cylinder and thus to correct to some extent the
sag of the flats. The part which projects beyond the bend is either made to
correspond with the working face on the flat end or is undercut so as to clear
the flexible bend or is otherwise suitably shaped. In a modification of this con-
struction I reduce the outward projection of the flats so that the centre of
pressure of each chain shall fall within the width of the flexible bend or it might be
co-incident or nearly so with the inner edge of the said bend so long as the said
pressure shall not have the effect of bending the flats toward the main cylinder. In
such a case in order to lessen the extent of the outward projection of the flat end I
prefer to dispense with the guiding projections on the flat ends and to employ flanged
pulleys to carry the endless chain of flats at one end or at each end of the double chain
the flanges on the pulleys acting upon the extreme ends of the flats to adjust the
lateral position of the chain of flats.
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COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carding Engines.
I JOHN MUIR HETHERINGTON of the Vulcan Works, Pollard Street, Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Machine Maker 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 and accompanying drawings :-
My Invention relates to the Carding Engines which have the flexit le bends brought
into position close to the annular faces on the main cylinder ends. Previously to a
former Invention of mine for which Letters Patent Number 9579 of the year 1886
were granted to me the flats had extended over the fixed bends at each side of the
engine to reach the flexible bends but by bringing the latter bends close to the
cylinder ends I greatly shortened the flats. Owing to the limited spaces at the flat ends
for the grinding faces and the chains and the preparations for the attachment of the
.

page_text: same the centres of convergent pressure of the chains did not pass through the flexible
bends. I have found that the effect of this arrangement was that the strain upon the
flats bent them toward the main cylinder to a measurable extent and this I consider to
be a disadvantage which it is the principal object of my Invention to obviate. To
this end I lengthen the flat ends so that they shall project beyond the flexible bends
sufficiently to bring the connecting chains outwardly beyond the flexible bends
whereby the strain of the said chains has the contrary effect to the indication herein-
before given that is to say--the said strain has a tendency to bend the flat outwardly
from the main cylinder and thus to correct to some extent the sag of the flats. In a
modification of this construction I reduce the outward projection of the flats so that
the centre of pressure of each chain shall fall within the width of the flexible bend or
it might be co-incident or nearly so with the edge of the said bend so long as the said
pressure shall not have the effect of bending the flats toward the main cylinder. In
such a case in order to lessen the extent of the outward projection of the flat end I
prefer to dispense with the guiding recesses on the flat ends and to employ flanged
pulleys to carry the endless chain of flats at one end or at each end of the double
chain the flanges on the pulleys acting to adjust the lateral position of the chain of
flats.
The accompanying drawings furnish examples of the constructions and arrange-
ments of parts which I have adopted in the carrying into effect of my Invention. In
all the drawings a represents one end of a flat b is the flexible bend c the upper part of
the fixed bend and d a portion of the main cylinder the parts b c and d being
represented in section.
In all the drawings the flexible bend is brought close to the end of the main
cylinder so that the end of the cylinder just clears the inner vertical face of the
said flexible bend, this construction being in accordance with my former and herein-
before referred to Invention.
In Fig. 1 the flat is so proportioned as that the stud e projects beyond the outer
vertical face of the flexible bend so that the line of convergent pressure of the
chain which keeps the flats in contact with the flexible bend shall fall entirely
outside the said bend. In Fig. 1 the dotted arrow 9 indicates the centre line of the
said pressure and also the direction of its action.' It will be apparent that such
pressure will not tend to bend the central part of the flat inward toward the cylinder
but on the contrary the tendency of the pressure will be to move the centre of the
flat away from the cylinder. Such tendency may be very slight but it is obvious
that it will be preferable to the first named tendency. A back face is provided at
the bottom of the recess h at each end of the bar as in the ordinary form of flat
this back face bearing upon the carrier pulleys when the flats are passing into and
out of work as is usual.
Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate a modification in the formation of the flat. In this
example the recess h and the isolated projection a' which appear in Fig. 1 are
dispensed with and the end of the stud e is screwed into the thickened end of the
back rib upon the flat bar. The flat end is not provided with the recess referred
to in connection with Fig. 1 so that means have to be provided for supporting the
flats upon the carrier pulleys. For this purpose the end of the flat is continued
beyond the head of the stud in the form of an extension a² this extension bearing
upon the carrier pulleys when the chain of flats is passing partly around the same
as indicated in Fig. 3 wherein i represents one of the carrier pulleys in section.
Each pulley is provided with a flange which checks lateral deviation of the
chain of flats. As the back faces in this example are outside the chain the latter
would have the effect upon the flats during the grinding operation which I wish
to avoid supposing the flats to be ground from such faces." I prefer however to
grind the flats from the working faces in accordance with one of the methods which
constitute the subject matter of Letters Patent Numbers 2642 and 16,157 of the
year 1887 which have been granted to me so that the chains have the same effect
upon the flats in the periods both of working and grinding.
In Figs. 4 and 5 the formation of the end of the bar is modified so as to provide

page_text: a back surface or face k as indicated in Fig. 6 which is an end view of the bar in
each case.
In these examples the bar is formed without the extension a³ and the
back face k comes in contact with the carrier pulleys as indicated in Fig. 7. In
this example the carrier pulley is also formed with a flange which is made deep
enough to act upon the outer end of the stud 9 to restrain lateral deviation as
clearly indicated in the drawing. The example illustrated by Figs. 5 and 7 differs
from the other examples in that the chain is brought partly over the flexible bend
so that the centre line of the strain about coincides with the outer vertical face of
the flexible bend. The flats formed as indicated in Figs. 4 to 7 may be ground
according either to the old or to the modern system as preferred.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare, that what I
claim is :-
1. The combinations of parts constructed arranged and acting as and for the
purpose set forth and indicated.
2. A chain of carding engine flats formed and arranged in relation to and in
combination with the flexible bend 6 which is situated in relation to the cylinder d
substantially as set forth and indicated.
3. The carding engine flat bars of the formations substantially as indicated in
Figs. 2 to 7 of the drawings hereto in combination with flanged carrier pulleys as
set forth.
4. The carding engine flat bars having the end formation indicated in Figs. 4 to 7
of the drawings hereto.
Dated this 97th do of Wah1000
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.