Method of fixing card clothing to carrier cylinder

A method of fixing card clothing onto a carrier cylinder which has a slot in an outer surface, the card clothing comprising:

• (i) an elongate strip of resilient material having opposed ends which abut one another when the card clothing is wrapped around the carrier cylinder;
• (ii) wire carding teeth carried by the elongate strip of resilient material, and projecting from one side thereof so as to form a substantially uniform distribution of carding teeth throughout the outer surface of the carrier cylinder;
• and (iii) an elongate formable into a closed loop carrier web secured to the elongate strip and having opposed ends which each project longitudinally beyond a respective end of the elongate strip, the method comprising the steps of:
• forming the card clothing into a closed loop with the opposed ends of the elongate strip of resilient material abutting one another and the opposed ends of the carrier web projecting inwardly of the closed loop alongside one another, the carrier web being formable so as to be wrapped around the carrier cylinder;
• fitting the opposed ends of the carrier web into an elongate U-shaped clip which is defined when viewed in cross-section by a pair of leg portions and a base portion from which the leg portions depend, the ends of the carrier web being received between and gripped by the leg portions along at least part of a length of the ends;
• and
• locating an end of the elongate U-shaped clip in the slot in the cylinder at one end of the slot and sliding (i) the clip along the slot so that the base portion extends along the slot, and (ii) the closed loop of the card clothing onto the outer surface of the carrier cylinder, the card clothing being fixed onto the carrier cylinder by means of clamping the ends of the carrier web by means of the elongate U-shaped clip.