Patent GB-118722-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Spread-boards for Flax and other Long Staple Fibres.
IPC: D01B1/32
Filed: 1917-10-20
Abstract: 118,722. Greeves, J. & T. M., Eves, J. V., and Foster, J. Oct. 20, 1917 Gill boxes and frames.-The stricks of flax are spread by an operative upon one or more smooth plates or pans, which are held in a stationary position for that purpose, and intermitttently moved forward to deposit the stricks upon the feed-lattice of the spreadboard. In the form shown in Fig. 3, tlnree plates 29 are carried by disks 1, 2 journaled in brackets 3, and rotated intermittently by a segment-wheel 5, spur-wheel 6, and gearing 11, 13. A Geneva stop device 7. 8 locks the wheel 6 for a fraction of its revolution. The plates 29 are attached to bars 15, 16, 17 having trunnions 18 projecting through bearings in the disk 2 and carrying arms 23 with rollers 24, 25 in different planes adapted to contact with cams 26 and 27, and 28 respectively. These cams are carried by the brackets 3. At the other end, the bars have trunnions projecting through bearings in the disk 1 and carrying loose wheels 31 gearing with a stationary wheel 32. The wheels 31 are clutched to the trunnions against the action of a spring by a cam 30. The combined action of the rollers 24, 25 bearing on the cams 26, 27, 28, and of the gears 31 which intermittently rotate the bars 15, 16, 17, is to cause the plates 29 to occupy an horizontal position whilst the disks 1, 2 are stationary, and to maintain them in such position for rather more than onethird of a revolution, then to cause them to take up a vertical position, and finally to turn them right over and deposit the flax upon the feed-lattice 66 of the spread board. The flax is held upon the plates 29 by grippers 39, 40 connected together by gears 45, 46. The grippers 39 carry arms 43 with runners 38 and arms 42 with runners 41. The revolution of the disks 1, 2 carries the runners 38 against a lever 37, and opens the grippers, allowing the operative to lav the flax upon the plate 29. By moving a handle 36, the lever 37 is caused to release the runner 38 and to the grippers to fall upon the flax. They are raised again to allow the deposition of the flax upon the feed-latttice 66 by the engagement of the runner 41 with a cam 65. The flax is laid upon the lattice by the plate 29 moving forward from under it. The end hanging down in front of the lattice is held thereon by a roller 47 carried by arms 58, 61 controlled by cams 48, 53. The arms 61 are pivoted to the arm 58, and the roller 47 is pressed against the feed-lattice by springs 63 The roller 121 of the feed-lattice is carried in journals un a cross-stay connecting the brackets 3, 4, and the lattice can be tightened by adjusting the gables 117 carrying the brackets 3, 4, on a, slide 124, Fig. 1, by screws 126. The speed of the mechanism for laying the flax upon the spreadboard lattice may be varied to give as long a dwell as possible to allow the operative to place the flax upon the plates and to make the depositing and the returning movements of the plates as fast as possible. The surface speeds of the lattice and of the spreadboard rollers are kept in unison with the speeds of the laying-mechanism. The laying- mechanism and the spreadboard 70, Fig. 1, are mounted upon a platform 71 and are driven from the overhead shaft 72. The spreadboard is driven by cone pulleys 76, 77 and a chain 79. The position of the belt on the pulleys can be adjusted by a. screw 81 moving the belt-forks 82, 83. The laying-mechanism is driven from a cone pulley 78 on the same shaft as the pulley 77, by a second pulley 84, a chain 87, and a train of gear 92, 94, 98, the last gear being on the shaft 99 carrying the segment gear 5. The speed of the laying- mechanism is varied by adjusting the belt on the cone pulleys and by the change-pinion 92. The shaft 72 is driven through one or other of the fast pulleys 101 or 110, Fig. 1<a>. When the flax is spread upon the plate, the operative depresses the treadle 100 and places the belt on the fast pulley 101 to drive the shaft at a high speed. The second belt is then on the loose pulley 104. To change to low speed, the cam 105 depresses the lever 106 and operates through the rod 107 to place one belt on the loose pulley 111 and the other on the fast pulley 110. The belt-forks are carried by slides controlled by a pin 102 on a slide carrying one fork working in a. slot in a slide carrying the second fork. To stop or start the machine, handles 112 - - 115 control the movements of the slides. The plates upon which the flax is spread may be carried by a cam-operated pendulum member or by a sliding member carried by rails and moved by a cam. lever, and link. In these cases the plates merely oscillate, and no turning-over mechanism is required.