IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CARDING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carl Pieper, Civil Engineer, of Dresden, Saxony, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CARDING WOOL AND
OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL" A communication from Peter Ludwig Klein,
residing at Werden, on the Ruhr, Prussin.
Sealed the 28th October 1876, and dated the 2nd May 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carl Pieper at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd May 1876.
CARL PIEPER, Civil Engineer, of Dresden, Saxony. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MA-
A communi-
CHINERY FOR CARDING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL."
cation from Peter Ludwig Klein, residing at Werden, on the Ruhr, Prussin.
The object of my Invention is to improve carding machines for wool and other
fibrous materials in such a manner as to make them act on the fibres to the
requisite amount only for opening them and laying them parallel, but without
causing any unnecessary tearing and abrasion of the same, so as to allow a finer
and stronger thread to be spun out of such fibres, especially if they are originally
weak and short, as in "shoddy," "mungo," and other similar materials.
In the common carding machines a series of carding-rollers or workers, and of
clearing rollers or strippers is placed around the upper part of the main cylinder.
By this arrangement, however, the greater part of the fibre is carded too much, and
even to an injurious extent, before the rest is completely opened and laid parallel.
To avoid this re-carding, I remove the workers and strippers, with the exception of
one pair (but two or more pairs may be retained), and I arrange in place of those
which have been removed a number of combs. These combs consist of ledges of
wood or other suitable material, into which are fixed one, two, or more rows of teeth,
by preference of steel. The fineness and closeness of these teeth has to be adapted
to the quality of the material to be wrought, and they are to be placed radially
to the main cylinder. The combs retain all knots, pieces of yarn, and such like,
until they have been completely defibrated by the card teeth of the main cylinder,
and subsequently the single pair of rollers (worker and stripper) serve to distribute
the fibres more equally so as to obtain a uniform fleece.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Carl Pieper in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 31st October
1876.
•
CARL PIEPER, Civil Engineer, of Dresden, Saxony. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MA-
CHINERY FOR CARDING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS." A communica-
tion from Peter Ludwig Klein, residing at Werden, ou the Ruhr, Prussia.
The object of this Invention is to improve carding machines for wool and other
fibrous materials in such a manner as to make them act on the fibres to the requisite
amount only for opening them and laying them parallel, but without causing any
unnecessary tearing and abrasion of the same, so as to allow a finer and stronger
thread to be spun out of such fibres, especially if they are originally weak and
short, as in shoddy, muungo, and other similar materials.
In the common carding machines a series of carding rollers or workers, and of
clearing rollers or strippers, is placed around the upper part of the main cylinder.
By this arrangement, however, the greater part of the fibres is carded too much,
and even to an injurious extent, before the rest is completely opened and laid
parallel. To avoid this re-carding the workers and strippers are removed, with the
exception of one pair (but two or more pairs may be retained), and in place of those
which have been removed a number of combs are arranged. These combs consist
of ledges of wood or other suitable material into which are fixed one, two, or more
rows of teeth, by preference of steel. The fineness and closeness of these teeth has to
be adapted to the quality of the material to be wrought, and they are to be placed
radially to the main cylinder. The combs retain all knots, pieces of yarn, &c., until
they have been completely defibrated by the card teeth of the main cylinder,
and subsequently the single pair of rollers (worker and stripper) serves to distribute
the fibres more equally so as to obtain a uniform fleece.
On the carding machines which have hitherto been in use wool, the waste of
spinneries, shoddy, and other fibrous materials are wrought in the following manner :-
An endless travelling lattice brings the wool to the feed rollers, which deliver it
to the main cylinder; after that it is taken up by the carding rollers or workers,
and then stripped off from these by the clearing rollers or strippers, to be returned
to the main cylinder. All these rollers and the cylinder are fitted with cards (card
clothing). The wool having passed the last worker is lifted to the points of the
carding teeth of the main cylinder, in order to be taken off by the doffer, from
which the comb detaches it in form of a fleece. The wool is opened and carded
between the main cylinder and the workers, but being continually returned from
the one to the other the carding which it receives is not to be sufficiently regulated
and may amount to more than what is desired. This circumstance is of special
disadvantage if the fibres of the wool are short and of inferior quality, as in
"shoddy," "mungo," &c., the fineness and strength of the yarn to be spun out
of the same being impaired by too much carding. For remedying this defect the
inventor has made various experiments on the present carding machine, and he has
found that the best manner to effect the desired purpose, that is, to produce a com
paratively fine yarn out of inferior material without decreasing its strength, is to
place the strippers as close as possible to the cylinder, and to let them run at the
same circumferential speed as the workers. This conformity of speed prevents the
tleece of wool from being torn between the workers and the strippers, so that it is
carried on in an unbroken state. The diminution of speed of the strippers causes the
wool, &c., to enter a little deoper between the card teeth of the main cylinder, thereby
preventing it from being carded several times by the same worker, which invariably
renders it to short.
From the foregoing it will be perceived that for producing a fine and strong
thread it is of the highest importance to prevent a re-carding of those fibres which
have been sufficiently opened, and for the purpose of attaining this object more

page_text: fully than by the common carding machine, altered in the manner explained, a
carding machine involving a new principle has been designed by the inventor.
This machine is represented on the annexed Sheet of Drawings. Fig. 1 being
a side elevation with the cover and other known parts removed, and the Figs. 2
and 3 representing the combs 2 of Fig. 1.
In the machine, as shown in the Drawing, only one worker b and one stripper b¹
have been retained, whilst the other workers and strippers of the common machine
are replaced by a number of combs 2, 2, 2, &c. If preferred, however, two or more
workers and strippers may be used, and they may be arranged in any other place
or places on the main cylinder. The other parts of the machine are the same as in
the ordinary carding machine. The combs 2 consist of ledges of wood or other
suitable material, provided with one, two, or more rows of teeth or needles, by
preference of steel, the fineness, shape, and length of which has to be adapted to
the quality of the wool, &c. It is of advantage to make the combs of different
fineness, so that those nearest to the feed rollers are provided with the coarsest
teeth or needles, and that the teeth of the following combs successively become
finer. This arrangement is adapted far better to the nature of the raw material
than that of the common carding machines, as by the same the separation of the
fibres is carried out progressively. The number of combs in a machine may amount
to thirty. The teeth of the combs are arranged radially to the main cylinder, or
they may be fixed at an incline if preferred, and their points should be placed as
close to the card teeth of the cylinder as the nature of the raw material permits,
but without touching these teeth. By preference the combs are fixed immovably
in their places; but for some kinds of material it may be advantageous to impart
to them a certain motion, reciprocating in any direction or revolving or otherwise,
or such movable combs may be combined with fixed ones. The wool or other
material being spread out on an endless travelling lattice is caught by the feed
rollers 1 and 1', Fig. 1, and delivered to the main cylinder a. This cylinder, the
worker b, the stripper b₁, the fly c, and the doffer d, are fitted with cards as
usual. The wool on being carried forward is combed or carded between the card
teeth of the main cylinder and the teeth of the combs 2, the latter retaining all the
knots, threads, and other parts of the material not yet opened until they have been
defibrated by the action of the main cylinder and all the fibres laid parallel between
the teeth of the latter. After this they cannot again be caught up by the combs,.
and consequently they are not exposed to any unnecessary and deteriorating re-
carding. The worker b, which the fibres liave yet to pass, merely serves to equalize
the fleece of wool, and it is therefore not placed as close to the main cylinder as usual.
The wool having been cleared from the worker band returned to the cylinder by the
stripper b', is then acted upon by the fly c, the doffer d, and the comb, in the samo
manner as in other carding machines. By the described combing and carding
machine, in the first instance the advantage is obtained that the wool or other
fibrous material is operated upon only as much as is actually required for completely
separating the fibres and laying then parallel between the teeth of the main
cylinder, but without exposing them to any unnecessary tearing or abrasion. The
fibres will therefore preserve their original length much more than in the ordinary
carding machines, and a finer and stronger yain can be spun out of the same. This
is especially of advantage if the fibres are originally short and weak, as in shoddy,
&c. A second advantage is that the teeth of the combs do not become clogged by
the material on account of their elasticity even if the combs are fixed immovably
in their places. In consequence the time and labour which the cards require for
cleaning is saved and far less material is wasted, so that the return on the raw
material is increased. In the third instance the teeth of my combs do not become
dull from working as the card teeth do, but on the contrary they become finer and
sharper, consequently no time or labour is required for sharpening them, and they
will last longer than the others. Finally, broken teeth may be replaced in the
combs with much greater facility, and consequently with less expense, than in the
card clothing.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same may be performed or put in practice,
I hereby declare that 1 claim the herein described "Improvements in Machinery
for Carding Wool and other Fibrous Materials," wherein the following are impor-
tant points or features:-
1. The system and the construction of the combs as shown in the accompanying
Drawing and as described.
2. The application of the beforesaid combs to the ordinary carding machines
instead of the workers and strippers, as shown in the accompanying Drawing
and as described.
3. The application of moving combs only, or of a combination of moving and
fixed combs, to the ordinary carding machines, instead of the workers and strippers
as specified.
4. In a carding machine the combination of one pair or several pairs of workers
and strippers with a number of fixed combs, or of moving combs only, or with
fixed and moving combs together as and for the purpose specified.
5. In a carding machine the application of combs according to one the different
systems specified, the teeth of which combs vary in fineness, shape, and length, or
in any of these qualities as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Carl Pieper, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-six.
CARL PIEPER. (L.S.)