1859-06-06 Patent No 1383 - James Ferrabee - Forming Bats of Fleece

A.D. 1859, 6th JUNE. N° 1383.                Machinery for Forming Bats of Fleece, &c.

LETTERS PATENT to James Ferrabee, of the Phoenix Iron Works, Stroud, in the County of Gloucester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR FORMING BATS OF FLEECE OR SHEET SLIVER, AND ALSO FOR FOLDING CLOTH AND OTHER FABRICS."

Sealed the 2nd December 1859, and dated the 6th June 1859.

PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Ferrabee at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th June 1859.

I, JAMES FERRABEE, of the Phoenix Iron Works, Stroud, in the County of 5 Gloucester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR FORMING BATS OF FLEECE OR SHEET SLIVER, AND ALSO FOR FOLDING CLOTH AND OTHER FABRICS," to be as follows:-

The chief object of this Invention is to take up the fleece or sheet sliver as it comes off the doffer of the carding or scribbling engine, and fold it in layers 10 to produce an endless bat, which may either be carried forward to undergo a further carding operation, or be used in the felting process. For this purpose I mount transversely upon the frame which carries the endless cloth or table intended to receive the bat of wool or other fibrous material, a compound vibrating frame immediately in the rear of the doffer, from which the sliver is 15 to be stripped. One portion of this frame has as its fulcrum the axle of a guide roller, and at its other end it carries a second roller parallel with the first. The axle of this second roller forms the fulcrum for the second part of the vibrating frame, which is fitted with pairs of antifriction rollers that run on

Page 2   A.D. 1859.-N° 1383.      Provisional Specification.

Ferrabee's Improved Machinery for Forming Bats of Fleece or Sheet Sliver, &c. parallel horizontal guides on the bat frame. This part of the vibrating frame is continued below the guides, and is slotted to receive a pin on an endless travelling belt, by the movement of which a backward and forward traverse is given to the vibrating frame, the parts of which being connected together like the butts of a hinge, open and close at every stretch. Two other 5 guide rollers, one a little below the upper guide roller, and the second a little above the antifriction rollers are mounted in the compound frame, and an endless cloth passes over these four guide rollers, and is kept at tension by springs acting on one or more of the guide rollers. As the sliver or fleece is stripped by the doffer comb, this endless cloth takes it up, carries it over the 10 frame, and leads it down between the pairs of antifriction rollers, which in turn serve to lay it on the table or endless travelling apron, layer upon layer, and thereby form the required thickness of bat. In order to ensure a width of fold equal to the length of traverse of the vibrating frame, I mount in rocking arms at either end of the bat frame a pair of rollers, over which is passed a 15 narrow band. These bands are intended as the delivering end of the vibrating frame recedes from them, to press on the laid fleece and prevent it following the movement of the vibrating frame. To allow of the fleece being laid under the bands, the compound vibrating frame is caused to lift the arms carrying the band rollers clear of the fleece as the antifriction rollers approach the band 20 rollers.

This arrangement of compound vibrating frame I propose also to apply to the folding of cloth and other fabrics. In this instance I substitute a descending table for the endless receiving apron, giving it a vertical motion, timed accord- ing to the thickness of material operated upon, and for the purpose of 25 maintaining the breadth of fold, I substitute fallers or presser bars for the pressing bands and rollers above mentioned.

SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by the said James Ferrabee in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th December 1859.

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES FERRABEE, of the Phoenix Iron Works, Stroud, in the County of Gloucester, Engineer, send greeting.

WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord One 35 thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her

Specification.   A.D. 1859.-N° 1383.

Ferrabee's Improved Machinery for Forming Bats of Fleece or Sheet Sliver, &c. reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James Ferrabee, Her special license that I, the said James Ferrabee, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Ferrabee, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree 5 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 FORMING BATS OF FLEECE OR SHEET SLIVER, AND ALSO FOR FOLDING CLOTH AND 10 OTHER FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Ferrabee, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 15 after the date of the said Letters Patent.

NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Ferrabee, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per- formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the 20 letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-

The chief object of this Invention is to take up the fleece or sheet sliver as it comes off the doffer of the carding or scribbling engine, and fold it in layers to produce an endless bat, which may either be carried forward to undergo a further carding operation, or be used in the felting process.

For this purpose I mount transversely upon the frame which carries the endless cloth or table intended to receive the bat of wool or other fibrous material, a compound vibrating frame immediately in the rear of the doffer from which the sliver is to be stripped, which frame by means of an endless band with which it is provided, and also a traversing carriage connected 30 therewith, will receive the fleece and deliver it in layers on to the travelling bat cloth.

In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in side elevation my improved arrangement of machinery for forming bats of fleece or sheet sliver; Fig. 2 shews in plan view the apparatus for folding the sheet sliver; Fig. 3 is an end 35 elevation, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the same; Figures 5 and 6, shew in sectional elevation and front view the traversing carriage on an enlarged scale.

A is the framing of the folding machine fitted with a railway for supporting the traversing carriage B. To this carriage and also to the framing A is

A.D. 1859.-N° 1383.   Specification.

Ferrabee's Improved Machinery for Forming Bats of Fleece or Sheet Sliver, &c. jointed a compound vibrating frame C, C, fitted with rollers c, c', e2, e. The axle of the roll c has its bearings in a bracket projection of the framing A, and forms the fixed fulcrum of the compound frame, the two parts C, C of which are jointed together at their upper ends by the axle of the roll c', which forms the moving fulcrum of the compound frame; c is a guide roller supported 5 by a spring attached to the frame C; and c is a similar guide roller, which together with the roller c has its bearings in the compound frame, the axle of this latter roll serves to connect the vibrating frame with the carriage B which is mounted on four wheels b, b, b, b; d is an endless band which passes round the rollers c, c', c2, e3, and is kept in tension by the latter 10 roller. The sides of the carriage B extend downwards and form supports for a pair of rock levers D, D, the use of which will be presently explained. In one of the sides of the carriage a vertical slot g is formed to receive a fixed stud or pin on the travelling belt or chain g', which is carried by a pair of pulleys k, k, having their bearings in the main framing A. The rock 15 levers D, D, turn on centre pins a, and are fitted with adjustable fingers e, e'; f, f', are adjustable stop pieces secured to the travelling carriage B by set pins, and forming together with the fingers e, e', loose bearings for a pair of pressing rollers. The rock levers D are connected to the upper part of the carriage by levers h, links h', and joint pins h. A vibrating bar h3, connects 20 the levers on the opposite sides of the carriage together (see Fig. 6); E, F, are inclined planes screwed to the rail G of the framing A, and adjustable thereon. These inclined planes are intended to rock the levers D, and thereby throw into and out of action alternately one of a pair of pressing rollers represented by the dotted circles H, H', which rollers serve to consoli- 25 date the fleece or sheet sliver as the laps are successively delivered on to the apron K to form the bat. The gudgeons of these rollers are shewn at i, i. L, L, are a pair of rolls for carrying the cross apron K on which the bat M is formed. Attached to and adjustable on the bar G' of the frame A is the incline plane 4, on which the pressing rolls H, H', alternately rest as they are 30 released from the travelling carriage B, the object being to relieve the bat of their pressure as they arrive at about the middle of the traverse of the car- riage. To the apron K for receiving the sheet sliver forming the bat, a slow traverse motion at right angles to that of the traversing carriage B, is com- municated from the driving shaft s by the belt pulleys, 7, and bevil 35 wheels,.

The roll e carrying the endless apron d, receives motion from the shaft s through the pulleys and belt t, t, and by means of the pulleys and belt u, motion is given to the travelling belt g', which drives the carriage B; N is

A.D. 1859.-N° 1383.

Specification. Ferrabee's Improved Machinery for Forming Bats of Fleece or Sheet Sliver, &c.

the doffer of the scribbler, and 0, 0, are stripping rolls which takes the fleece from the doffer.

On motion being communicated to the driving shaft s in any convenient way, the fleece from the doffer N is received on to and carried by the endless 5 apron d over the compound frame C, C', at an uniform rate, while the carriage B is carried to and fro by the belt g', its stud working for that purpose in the slot g of the carriage B. The fleece or sheet sliver will thus, without being subjected to any tension, be layed in alternate layers on the endless cross apron, which is moved continuously forwards by the gearing r, r', as shewn. 10 As the carriage B traverses to and fro to lay the sheet sliver over the endless

apron K, it takes with it alternately the rolls H, H1, from the outside to the middle of the bat M, which is being formed on the apron. Supposing the roll H1 to have been just brought in, the carriage will leave it (as shewn at Fig. 6) on the inclined plane q, dislodging the other roll H therefrom, the 15 fingers e1 of the levers D, D, being lifted, by reason of the pin a1 coming in contact with the adjustable inclined plane E, and thereby releasing the gudgeons of the roll from their loose bearings. The roll H will now be taken hold of by the levers D, and carried forward by the carriage to the opposite edge of the bat, and be returned to the inclined plane q, when its 20 gudgeons will be released from the fingers e of the rock levers by the pin a1 striking against the inverted incline plane F. By the rolls running up the inclined plane 9, their weight will be taken off the bat while they remain stationary, and thus they will offer no obstruction to the forward traverse of the bat. The motion which thus on the return of the carriage releases the 25 gudgeons i of the roll H, will ensure the gudgeons of the roll H1 being again caught by the fingers e1 of the rock levers D, and the roll H1 will thus be carried back and over the edge of the bat. As the operation of both rolls is the same, their combined action will be to compress the "bat" uniformly at the deposit of every succeeding layer of the fleece or sheet sliver. The bat 30 thus formed is carried continuously forward on the endless apron K, and may be either fed into a succeeding machine, or folded into a suitable receptacle, or wound upon a roll, or it may be hardened and felted, or otherwise disposed

of. The width of the bat it will be readily understood may be varied at pleasure, by increasing or decreasing the length of the traverse of the carriage 35 B, and its thickness may be varied by increasing or decreasing the speed of the apron K, provision being made for readily effecting the same. Fig. 7 is a Diagram plan, shewing the arrangement which I propose to adopt for a set of scribbling engines and condenser when the bat is required

to be fed continuously from scribbler to scribbler. In this Figure A, A', Ao, 

A.D. 1859.-N° 1383.Specification.   Ferrabee's Improved Machinery for Forming Bats of Fleece or Sheet Sliver, &c.

are the scribbling engines; B, B', the folding machines; and C, the con- densing engine. The wool or other material is fed to the scribbler A, and stripped from the doffer in the usual way, and carried to the folder (as shewn at Fig. 1). It is then laid by the folder at B in manner already described, and carried (at a right angle to the line of feed into that machine) to the second 5

machine A'. At B' it is again folded and carried (at a right angle to the line of feed into that machine) to the scribbling machine, whence it passes to the condenser C. The result of this mode of feeding is, better work, and more uniform threads or ropings, while a thorough mixing of the wool is insured. If desirable, two or more fleeces or short slivers from other scribblers may be 10

laid by the same folder, and materials of different color or quality may be separately scribbled and incorporated with the "bat." It is also sometimes desirable to form the attenuated sliver as it comes from the doffer into a thicker or narrower sliver before conducting it to the folding machine, which may be effected by any of the ordinary methods, and such sliver may be 15

formed into a continuous bat, layer upon layer, in the same manner as already described, or upon an apron running in the same direction as the feed apron of the scribbling engine, admitting of a set of engines being placed in a line one after another. When applying my compound frame for folding fabrics, I dispense with the 20

endless apron d, and also the rock levers and pressing rollers of the carriage D. Instead of the travelling apron K, I use a table to receive the folded material, and this table I so mount and operate, that it will sink gradually as the folded fabric accumulates thereon, using for that purpose screw shafts for carrying the table, which may be worked in their bearings in any well-known way of 25 actuating such shafts. The traversing carriage may, if desired, be actuated by an adjusting crank and measuring rod. For ensuring a regularity in the length of the lap, it may be desirable, when thick cloths are folded to employ the modification of carriage shewn at Fig. 8, wherein v, v1, are two leaves mounted on the lower extremities of the carriage, 30 the gudgeons of which leaves are fitted with an arm w. On the framing A two inclines are provided, at or near the extremities of the reach of the carriage, for the purpose of raising the leaves alternately free of the cloth which is being delivered to the table. These leaves will alternately ensure the folds extending a uniform distance on either side of the table, the one 35 acting during the forward and the other during the backward traverse of the Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of improved machinery for forming bats of fleece or sheet sliver, and also for folding cloth and other carriage.

A.D. 1859.-N° 1383.   Specification. Ferrabee's Improved Machinery for Forming Bats of Fleece or Sheet Sliver, &c.

 fabrics, 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 means herein-before described for taking from the doffer of the carding or scribbling engine the fleece or sheet sliver, and transferring it in layers 5 on to a travelling receiving cloth or table, for the purpose of forming a bat thereon.

Secondly, the application of the compound vibrating frame to the folding of cloth and other fabrics, as above explained.

In witness whereof, I, the said James Ferrabee, have hereunto set my hand and scal, the Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord

One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.

JAMES FERRABEE. (L.S.)

PATENT DIAGRAM

LONDON: Printed by GEORGE EDWARD EYRE and WILLIAM SPOTTISWOODE, Printers to the Queen's most Excellent Majesty. 1859.