IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR GRINDING AND SHARPENING FINE WIRE CARDS FOR CARDING ENGINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, ARTHUR WILLIAM LOVELL REDDIE of the Office for Patents 66 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR GRINDING AND SHARPENING
FINE WIRE CARDS FOR CARDING ENGINES and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The present invention relates to improvements upon the machine for which
Letters Patent were granted to the present applicant bearing date 15th December
1881, N° 5491.
In the specification of that Patent an improved method of grinding and sharpening
the teeth of wire cards or strips used in carding engines, and improved apparatus
to be used for such grinding and sharpening operations are described.
According to the present invention the machine has been still further improved,
and its construction simplified.
In the improved machine the rollers are so arranged relatively to their
respective rest blocks, and each roller and its rest block is so arranged relatively to
the other roller and its rest block, that the card strip shall pass in a direct straight
course from one roller to the other and leave the said rollers at precisely the same
angle, or as nearly as possible at the same angle. By this arrangement of parts
the necessity for deflecting the card strip over guide rollers or equivalent devices
placed between the grinding rollers is obviated, and the point of each tooth is
formed of two equal sides, or in other words the length of ground part is equal at
both sides and the back of each tooth or wire. Again in this machine the means
formerly employed for pressing the teeth through the strip in order to make room.
for the grinding action of the roller against the subsequent rows of teeth are
dispensed with, and no special rollers are employed to restore the rows of teeth
into their normal position; this restoring being done by the slanting face of the
rest-block over which the strip passes for the next grinding operation.
As already stated the strip of card cloth in the present construction of the
machine is drawn between the two grinding rollers in a straight line instead of
being deflected downwards and upwards as described and illustrated in the
Specification above referred, to which former arrangement proves to be rather
inconvenient in practice.

page_text: In the present arrangement the two grinding rollers shewn in the drawing
may be preceded by one or more rollers in the same machine for bringing the
blunt teeth to one uniform length before pointing such teeth, or this process of
bringing the teeth to uniform length may be executed in a separate machine.
The improved machine, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, consist
mainly of two grinding rollers m and n. Each roller is provided with .spiral
grooves on its periphery, the spiral of the one roller running from right to left, and
that of the other roller from left to right as in the Specification of the former
patent above referred to. The supports of these rollers are however not each
perpendicular to the bed plate as in the previous machine, but are mounted in a
more or less slanting position with respect to each other and to the bed plate, so
that the strip of card cloth leaves the roller m at exactly the same angle as it
leaves the roller n and moves in a straight course between the said rollers. As the
roller m with its spiral grooves running in one direction shapes the single teeth or
wires on one side and one half of the back of the teeth or wires only, and as the
roller with its spiral grooves running in the other direction, shapes the same
teeth or wires on the other side and one-half of the back; it follows, that the
length of the grinding action on the different sides of the teeth or wires must be
equal with the two rollers m and n if the strip is drawn or passes underneath both
rollers at equal angles thereto.
It is for this reason that one or both of the supports K for the two rollers m, n
are mounted in a slanting or inclined position.
The supports are provided each with.a screw and hand wheel x, by which means
the bearings of the two rollers may be brought into juxtaposition and directly
adjusted with reference to their respective rest blocks a over which the strip passes.
The supports are provided with semicircular guards or shields 7, provided with a
series of small baffle plates which catch the particles of dust arising from the
grinding operation. The course of the strip between the two rest blocks a is a
perfectly straight one.
From the foregoing it will be understood that the angle at which the strip is
presented to the grinding rollers will be the same or nearly the same as in the
specification above referred to, while the traverse of the said strip being in a right
line from one rest block to the other, the construction of the machine will be greatly
simplified.
It will be obvious that this result is obtainable not only from the adjustment of
the rollers to the rest blocks, but of the adjustment of the rest blocks to the rollers,
the essential point being to obtain a convergence of the planes cutting the axis of
each grinding roller and the edge of its respective rest block.
Each rest block a with its accompanying devices is mounted parallel to the
support of the adjacent roller respectively, and each rest block is mounted upon a
horizontal screw o which may be turned in its bearings by a handwheel o¹ so as to
shift the said rest blocks endways this provision being convenient when it is found
desirable to expose the passing card strip to another part of the grinding rollers, if
the one part has become somewhat blunt or worn.
Each rest block a is provided with a spindle s suitably mounted in proper
bearings thereon which spindle is threaded partly left-handed and partly right-
handed and upon cach threaded part a guide plate v is mounted, so that the two
-guide plates may be screwed towards each other or apart from each other;
these plates are intended to guide the card strip between them, and by means of
the above arrangement the guide plates can be adjusted to receive and guide card
strips of various widths.
These guide plates with their adjusting parts will travel with and upon the rest
block if the latter be shifted endways by means of the screw o and handwheel o¹.
At the rear end of the machine a drum u covered with cloth or felt is mounted
in suitable bearings. This drum is rotated by a worm-wheel, worm, bevil wheels
and step pulley or cone, from any convenient shaft of the machine. This drum is
intended to wind up the card strip and thereby to draw the same through the

page_text: machine against the grinding action of the rollers m and n with a speed suitably
proportioned to such grinding action. In order to press the card strip against the
cloth or felt cover of the drum u, a roller t is arranged to bear against the surface
of the roller u. This pressure roller t is mounted in a forked lever which under
the influence of a spring gives to the roller t a tendency to approach and keep in
contact with the drum u.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In a grinding machine for pointing the teeth of wire card strips by means of
two grinding rollers with right and left hand spiral grooves, mounting the said
rollers and their respective rest blocks the one to the other in the manner and for
the purpose above set forth.
2. Making the rest blocks with their guides vv adjustable endwise for the
purpose of presenting the teeth of the card strip to a fresh part of the grinding
rollers.
3. Fitting to adjustable rest blocks expanding and contracting guides vv to suit
the various widths of card strips presented to the action of the machine.
Dinted the oth
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.