Improvements in Self-acting Mules and Twiners.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 18th May, 1900-Accepted, 26th May, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Self-acting Mules and Twiners.
I, JOSEPH MOORHOUSE, of 200, Belgrave Road, Oldham, Mill Manager, do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to improve the driving of self-acting mules
and twiners and has special reference to the regulation of speeds requisite for
spinning and backing-off," and to the economical use of bands, pulleys and
space in and about the headstock.
According to my invention I employ upon the rim shaft the usual backing-off
friction cones and a grooved pulley similar to the ordinary rim-band pulley.
The usual fast and loose pulleys on the rim shaft 1 dispense with. Upon the
counter-shaft I arrange fast and loose pulleys, and between such pullys an
intermediate pulley carried by a sleeve, which loosely fits the counter-shaft,
upon which the loose pulley is mounted, and to which is connected the usual
taking-in pulley. Also upon the counter-shaft I arrange a grooved pulley
similar to the one on the rim shaft aforesaid. Around this grooved pulley on the
counter-shaft and the pulley on the rim shaft, also around the several carrier
pulleys on the mule headstock, frame and carriage, I pass an endless rope.
The effect of this combination is that as soon as a driving strap is applied to
the fast pulley on the counter-shaft and spinning is designed to take place, the
driving of the mule is direct from the counter-shaft. Immediately the operations
of "backing-off," and taking-in" are designed to take place, the driving belt
is moved off the said fast pulley on to the immediate pulley and partly onto the
loose pulley or wholly on to the loose pulley, from which moment the rim shaft
pulley ceases to be driven by the counter-shaft pulley, has its motion arrested
and reversed by the backing-off frictions, and, through the medium of the band,
effects the backing-off.
Upon the operation of "backing-off" being completed and taking-in "
being effected the driving strap is moved back on the fast pulley, and with such
movement the driving again becomes direct from the counter-shaft.
By changing the size of the grooved pulley on the rim shaft the speed of
backing-off may be varied without affecting the speed of the cam shaft, and
without affecting the speed of the grooved pulley on the counter-shaft for
spinning, whilst by changing the size of the counter-shaft pulley the speed of
the spindles in spinning may be varied without affecting the speed of the rim
pulley in backing-off.
In lieu of mounting the intermediate pulley on a sleeve I may key it direct on
to the counter-shaft and employ a loose driving pulley connected to or formed
in one with, the grooved pulley. I may also apply the pulleys to any other
shaft suitably speeded.
A further feature of my invention consists in the use of two or more sets of
backing-off friction cones on the rim shaft adapted to engage and disengage

page_text: simultaneously, or, as, and when required, in order to give a more powerful
friction in very high speeds, and a diminished friction for lower speeds.
Dated this 21st day of October 1809
improvements in sen-acting mules and Twiners.
I, JOSEPH MOORHOUSE, of 200, Belgrave Road, Oldham, near Manchester, Mill
Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement -
↑
This invention has for its object to improve the driving of self-acting mules
and twiners and has special reference to the regulation of speeds requisite for
spinning and backing off and to the economical use of bands, pulleys and space
in and about the headstock.
According to my invention I employ upon the rim shaft the usual backing-off
friction cones and a grooved pulley similar to the ordinary rim band pulley. The
usual fast and loose belt pulley on the rim shaft I dispense with. Upon the
counter-shaft. I arrange fast and loose belt pulleys, and between such pullevs an
intermediate pulley. This latter is carried by a sleeve which loosely fits the
counter-shaft, upon which the loose belt pulley is mounted and to which is
connected the usual grooved taking-in pulley. Also upon the counter-shaft
I arrange a grooved pulley similar to the pulley on the rim shaft aforesaid, and
around this grooved pulley on the counter-shaft, and the pulley on the rim shaft,
also around carrier pulleys on the mule headstock, frame and carriage and a
pulley on the tin-roller shaft I pass an endless rope.
.2
Around the fast, loose or intermediate belt pulley I pass a driving strap, and
when spinning is designed to take place such strap lies around the fast pulley
and partly over-laps the intermediate pulley, and the driving of the mule
spindles is direct from the counter-shaft via the grooved pulleys and endless
band. When the operation of backing-off is designed to take place the driving
belt is moved off the said fast belt pulley on to the intermediate pulley and partly
on to the loose pulley, thereby ceasing to drive the said pulleys and band, and
driving the sleeve and taking-in pulley, and by the rim shaft
having its motion simultaneously arrested and reversed by the usual backing-
off frictions, driving the said band, pulleys and spindles in a reverse direction
for backing-off. Upon the operations of "backing-off." and "taking-in" being
completed the driving strap is moved back on the fast belt pulley and the
driving again becomes direct from the counter-shaft. By changing the size of the
grooved pulley on the rim shaft the speed of backing-off may be varied without
affecting the speed of the grooved pulley on the counter-shaft for spinning,
whilst by changing the size of the counter-shaft pulley the speed of the spindles
in spinning may be varied without affecting the speed of the rim pulley in
backing-off.
In lieu of mounting the intermediate and taking-in pulleys on a sleeve I may
key them direct on to the counter-shaft and employ a loose belt pulley con-
nected to, or formed in one with the grooved band pulley.
On the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 illustrates a side elevation of the head-
stock of a mule and overhead counter-shaft with my invention applied thereto.
Fig. 2 illustrates a side view of the pulleys and bands.

page_text: Fig. 3 illustrates the belt pulleys, belt, taking-in pulley and sleeve on the
counter-shaft, and the bearings of such shaft in section.
Fig. 4 illustrates a modification.
Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate certain details in plan and elevation.
To the rim shaft (A) I apply the usual backing-off friction cones (B) and (C).
To the said shaft and outside the headstock I also apply a, by preference, three
grooved pulley (D). To the counter-shaft. (E) I apply a fast belt pulley (F), a
fast band pulley (G), and a loose sleeve (H). Upon this sleeve I key or fix a
narrow belt pulley (1) and band or taking-in pulley (J). Also upon such sleeve
I mount a loose pulley (K), and the three pulleys (F), (I) and (K) lie side by
side as illustrated.
Around the pulleys (1) and (E), and carrier pulleys (L), (M), (N), (O) and (P),
also the pulley (Q) on the tin-roller shaft (A) I pass an endless rope band (S),
the tension of which is regulated by the adjustment of pulley (M). Around the
pulley (J) and pulley (J) on the mule headstock connected with the taking-in
mechanism I pass a band (T).
Around the pulley (F), (1) or (K) I pass the driving strap (U) which under
the traverse of a strap guider (V) is designed to traverse on and off the pulleys (F),
(I) and (K) as hereinafter described.
During the outward run of the mule carriage, and whilst spinning is designed
to take place, the said strap lies partly on pulley (F) and partly on pulley (I),
and the motion thereby imparted is then transmitted to the spindles, via shaft (E),
pulley (G), band (S), and pulley (D). Such motion is, by preference, also trans-
initted, via pulley (I), sleeve (H), pulley (J) and band (1) to the "taking-in
mechanism, to keep such mechanism in motion ready for the time when the
changes require to take place.
"
When the mule carriage reaches the end of its outward run and backing-off"
is designed to take place, the strap (U) is moved off the pulley (F) until it is
on the pulley (I), and partly on to the loose pulley (K), as partly shewn in Fig. 1,
thereby ceasing to drive the pulley (F) and band (S), and driving only the
pulley (I), sleeve (H), pulley (J), band (T), and, with the backing-off frictions
engaging simultaneously with such change and reversing the rotation of the
rim shaft and the band (S), effecting the reversal of the spindles for backing-off.
When backing-off" is completed and the carriage has made its inward
run the strap (U) is moved back again on to the pulley (F) and again drives the
spindles, via pulleys (G) and (D) and band (S).
By the substitution of a pulley of larger or smaller diameter for the pulley (D)
it will be seen that the speed of the spindles in backing-off may be varied
without varying the speed of the spindles in spinning, and that by the substitution
of a pulley of larger or smaller diameter for the pulley (E) the speed of the
spindles in spinning may be varied without varying the speed of the spindles
in backing-off. In such way I allow for the humoring of the speeds in a simple
manner to suit requirements.
The means I employ for operating the strap guider (W) are, by preference,
similar to those described in my previous Application for Letters Patent
No. 20442 A.D. 1899, and also shewn in Figs. 1, 5 and 6 of the accompanying
drawings.
In lieu of the arrangement of pulleys shewn in Figs. 1 and 3 I may employ
the arrangement shewn in Fig. 4, in which pulleys (F) and (G) are loose upon
the counter-shaft, but are connected together by the sleeve (H) and the pulleys (I)
and (J) are keyed direct to the counter-shaft. The lateral movements of the
strap (U) in this arrangement are the same as in the arrangement shewn in
Fig. 3, but in an opposite direction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1-In means for operating self-acting mules and twiners, the arrangements

page_text: and combinations of pulleys on the counter-shaft as herein described, a driving
strap for imparting movement thereto, a strap guider for traversing the said
strap, means for operating such guider, a grooved interchangeable pulley on
the rim shaft, an endless rope band passing around the said grooved pulley on
the rim shaft and a like pulley on the counter-shaft, around carrier pulleys on
the mule headstock, mule frame, mule carriage and the tin-roller shaft, and all
combined and operating, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth
and illustrated on the accompanying drawing.
2: In means for operating self-acting mules and twiners, an interchangeable
grooved. pulley on the counter-shaft, an interchangeable grooved pulley on the
rim shaft, an endless rope band passing around both such pulleys, and carrier
pulleys on the mule headstock, mule frame, mule carriage and tin-roller shaft
around which such band also passes, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth and illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
4713
1
1000
JOSEPH MOORHOUSE.
By John G. Wilson & Co., Fels. I.P.A.,
Manchester.