IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR SIZING YARNS OR THREADS PREPARATORY TO WEAVING, AND ALSO TO SLUBBING AND ROVING FRAMES AND TO OTHER MACHINES
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Fletcher and William Carr
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on
the 15th June 1867.
We, JAMES FLETCHER and WILLIAM CARR, both of Blackburn, in the County
of Lancaster, Machinists, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR SIZING YARNS OR THREADS
PREPARATORY TO WEAVING, AND ALSO TO SLUBBING AND ROVING FRAMES AND TO
OTHER MACHINES," to be as follows:--
Firstly, our improvements consist in causing the yarn or thread to pass
through the size while subject to as little strain as possible by driving each
beam from which the yarn is drawn by friction or by frictional contact with a
roller or a traversing flexible or cloth, so as to deliver the yarn from them in
a state nearly free from tension; or this part of our Invention may be accom-
plished by drawing the yarn or thread off the beams by rollers geared with the
mechanism which winds the yarn upon the beam after it has been sized, the
said rollers delivering the yarn so as to pass into the size very nearly free
from tension.
Secondly, another part of our Invention relates to the mechanism for
measuring and marking the yarn, which may be applied to other measuring
purposes. The mechanism hitherto used is a roller of fixed and uniform
diameter.
Our improvements consist in employing a drum or roller formed by a series
of segments, bars, or surfaces, which can be expanded and contracted radially

page_text: at will by an arrangement of wedges, inclines, screws, or radiating arms, so
that the measure of the periphery of the drum or roller can be increased or
diminished to the greatest,nicety, and the marker regulated to act when
required without altering the gearing between the expanding drum or roller
and the marker. The spaces between the segments, bars, or surfaces may be
covered by thin metal strips secured to each segment, or the segmental drum
may be enclosed in an elastic cover formed of india-rubber cloth or other
suitable elastic material.
Another improvement consists in the application of counting apparatus or
mechanism for registering the length of yarn passing the measuring drum or
roller; this registering apparatus being driven by a band or belt, or by fric-
tional contact of a pulley with the periphery of the measuring drum or roller,
the said pulley driving or gearing with the registering mechanism.
Thirdly, our improvements relate to expanding pulleys suitable for in-
creasing or decreasing rotating speeds, such as are required in slubbing, roving,
and other machines, and to such pulleys as are constructed to expand their
segments by rotating one part of the pulley either in the direction or contrary
direction to that in which the pulley rotates when transmitting its motion;
and our improvements consists in arranging the pulleys so that the action of
a coiled spring friction retarding the motion, or the pull or strain of the belt
acted upon by the pulleys, will constantly tend to rotate one part of the pulley,
so as to expand or contract the segments of the pulleys as required, this action
being governed by an escapement arrangement similar to those in clocks and
watches, which will only permit movements at the time required by oscillating
a collar moveable endways upon the shaft or shafts of the pulley or pulleys.