arns or Threads.
Year: 1887

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by JOSEPH IMBS, of 6, Rue Meissonnier, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Engineer.]
I arns
or Threads.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman 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:
:-
In certain processes of the manufacture of woollen or worsted yarns or threads or
other like textile materials and even cotton apparatus is employed provided with
endless bands or rubbing leathers which in addition to a continuous travelling motion
around rollers receive an alternate or reciprocating traversing motion relatively to
each other.
These apparatus are chiefly employed in practising what is known as French
drawing and in condensers in the manufacture of woollens and worsteds.
Each rubbing leather travels around a pair of rollers rotating on two parallel axes
an upper pair of axes being employed for all the upper leather and a lower pair of
axes being employed for all the lower leather.
The ribbons or slivers are passed between the upper and lower leathers and are
carried forwards by the continued rotation of the rollers and leathers. At the saine
time each pair of axes together with the leathers thereon requires to slide rapidly with
an alternating or reciprocating motion in a longitudinal direction upon the supports
or bearings for a certain distance in such a manner that when one pair of axes is
Die Q31

page_text: moving in one direction the other pair moves in the opposite direction and vice versa.
These sideway movements of the upper and lower pairs of axes taking place simul-
taneously in opposite directions are necessary in order that the ribbon or roving may
be rolled or rubbed by the leathers as it is carried forwards.
This rapid sliding reciprocating movement in opposite directions of the two pairs of 5
axes has heretofore been produced under most primative conditions requiring a very
great motive power and producing incessant shocks which are always objectionable in
mechanics. These disadvantages are more evident in proportion as the machines are
made longer and for a greater number of threads (it is known that in rubbers
for treating wool each pair of bands or leathers should not carry more than one or at
the most two threads). The strain which the alternating motion of these rubbers
produces on existing machines is such as to render it necessary to make certain parts
of the mechanism (such for example as the cranked shaft and connecting rod or
pitman of the best specimens of modern drawing or condensing machines of a size
and strength that would compare with a steam engine of several horse power.
Moreover the violent shocks which this said existing mechanism produces are such
that in an establishment containing a number of the best machines of the class referred
to the noise produced by the heavy and clumsy action of the rubbers is perfectly
deafening.
This great straining and these shocks and the great expenditure of motive power
resulting therefrom are not caused by mere defective workmanship modern machines
of this class being on the contrary constructed with great care and attention to details
varying of course according to the maker. The great strains and shocks result as
I will hereinafter explain from a cause which has not heretofore been thought of
namely neglect of the true principles of mechanics which should govern the relations
of the alternate working of the various parts.
Without making any alteration either in the nature of the acting parts of the
rubbers ordinarily employed or in the nature of the movements of these parts my
foreign correspondent has devised certain novel arrangements whereby he is enabled
to completely eliminate the causes of these injurious resistances and shocks in the to
and fro motion of the rubbers. A considerable economy in motive power and wear
and tear is thereby effected in machines wherein such rubbers are employed and the
said machines are enabled to do more work and to be driven at a higher speed than
heretofore.
These novel arrangements are not mere details of construction or workmanship as
the details of construction may be varied in many ways. The said arrangements are
on the contrary principles from a mechanical point of view of a different and rational
distribution of the forces and resistances in the mechanism of ordinary rubbers.
By one arrangement the axis of the rollers are combined with their points of support
in a particular manner hereinafter described. By a second arrangement the two
pairs of axes are also combined in a special manner likewise hereinafter described
with the motive agent which imparts to them their. reciprocating motion.
frames or
"
The object of the first of the two principles of improvement is to remove the
pressure which so greatly impedes the reciprocating sliding action. This principle
consists in causing the strain of the tension of the leathers to be borne by parts which
are moveable with the axis instead of by fixed bearings or supports upon which the
reciprocating sliding movement takes place--According to this invention the stretching
tendeurs" supporting the axes a a¹ of the upper pair of rollers can be
made adjustable relatively to each other in a horizontal direction so as to enable the
axes of the rollers to be set as far apart as required in order to obtain the requisit
" tendeurs" are connecte
tension of the leathers and the said stretching frames or
together in such a manner as to form with their axes of their rollers a rigid rectangl
or frame whose rigidity is altogether independent of the supports upon which it rest
Thi
and slides. The same arrangement applied to the lower pair of axes a a.
principle of construction may evidently be carried out in practice in various way:
For example the shafts or axes of the rollers may revolve in bearings or recesses i

page_text: the extremities of horizontal supports of any suitable form either in one piece or in
two pieces adjustably connected together by bolts or screws passed through corre-
sponding elongated holes or slots in the said supports which in the case of the upper
pair of rollers for example rest upon any flat round or other suitable surface S' upon
5 which they can slide to and fro or partake of the requisite reciprocating horizontal
motion for the purpose of rubbing or rolling the wool or cotton between the leathers.
By this system of construction the conditions under which the mechanism has to
work are entirely changed and the great strain of the leathers in a horizontal direction
is entirely and solely supported by the adjustable and moveable stretching frames or
" tendeurs" hereinbefore described-As these tendeurs" niove with the rollers tho
driving mechanism is no longer called upon to move (by thrust or traction)
independent axes or shafts turning heavily with great friction in their bearings but is
simply required to actuate the frame or rectangle constituted by the axis of the rollers
and the adjustable supports hereinbefore described which moves bodily or as one piece
and slides upon its support with no more friction than that resulting from its actual
weight. It will be readily understood that this improvement in the method of
effecting the reciprocating motion in no way interferes with the continuous rotary
motion of the rollers which motion takes place in the adjustable and sliding bearings
or supports absolutely as if the axes were stationary and. the shafts rotated in stationary
bearings under the usual pressure.
The second principle of improvement has for its object producing the alternate or
reciprocating motion of the two frames or pairs of roller axes without the possibility
of shocks. This principle consists in causing the reciprocating motive agent to
produce the lateral or sliding movement of the frames or rectangles constituted by the
roller axes and their supports as aforesaid in one direction only the said frames being
moved in the opposite direction by two groups of springs so arranged that the
pressure or stress of one group balances that of the other relatively to the motive force
as hereinafter more fully explained with reference to drawings This arrangement
presents important advantages compared with the method usually adopted heretofore
consisting in attaching the ends of the axes of the rollers by a jointed connection to a
reciprocating device acting by direct thrust and traction alternately an arrangement
which is open
to serious objections the changes in the direction of the force transmitted
by the said device being the cause of the rapid wear and of the shocks or "knocking"
to which the joints are liable.
In the improved machinery or apparatus constructed according to this Invention
in improved arrangement of loose boss pressing rollers is also employed as hereinafter
lescribed and the machine is provided with a stop motion capable of being operated
by the most slender or delicate slivers. The mechanism connected with the receiving
cans is also improved and means are provided for removing the finished slivers from.
he cans with facility as hereinafter explained.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the annexed
heets of drawings whereon the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
all the corresponding figures.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings represent in plan and elevation
espectively a set of rubbing feathers arranged according to this Invention and
gure 3 is a vertical section showing one of the stretching frames in elevation.
Figures 4 and 5 represent details connected with the improved method of imparting
e sideway motion to the rubbing leathers and figure 6 is a form of support hereinafter
escribed.
Figures 7 and 8 represent in longitudinal section and in plan the general disposition
the improved machine and figures 9-10 represent particular details hereinafter
scribed.
As shewn more clearly in the section figure 3 the axes a' a' (of the upper pair of
llers for example) are connected by stretching frames or "tendeurs" consisting of two
rts rigidly connected together and moving with the axes being fitted with this

page_text: object on necks formed upon the said axes-Previously to being bolted together the two
parts & are adjusted in such a manner as to extend or stretch the leathers c' on the
rollers to the requisite extent―The two axes a¹ a¹ thus form with the stretching
frames b¹ and the leathers c¹ a rigid rectangle or frame whose cohesion and rigidity
may be
are independent of the supports Supon which it rests and slides. Whatever
the form or mode of constructing the stretching frames and the supports S¹ the
conditions as regards the resistance to be overcome in producing the reciprocating
sliding action are now entirely changed-The frame a' a¹ b₁ c¹ may be supported by
the parts made in the form of flat sliders resting on flat supports s¹ as indicated
in the drawing or the said parts may be provided with holes and be arranged to slide
upon supporting bars passed through the said holes or any other flat round or other
suitable form of support upon which the requisite sliding motion can take place may
be employed and the axes themselves may work on supports of the ordinary kind as
indicated in figure 6 which should be employed at certain distances only to bear and
guide the improved frame. The form of construction may vary considerably and is
merely a detail of secondary importance provided that the frame a' a' b¹¹¹ is formed
with the stretching frames b₁₁. Under these conditions the strain of the leathers
and the horizontal pressure (amounting in a large machine with ten leathers to about
3000 pounds) exerted by the said leathers upon the axes a a¹ is borne entirely by
the said frames and the frame a¹ a¹ b¹¹ c¹ moves bodily with the axes on the
supports S without any friction beyond that resulting from its mere weight. The
frame of the axes a a of the under leathers c are arranged and act in a similar
manner to the corresponding parts, connected with the upper leathers as will be readily
understood on referring to the drawing.
The improved method of producing the sideway movement of the leathers according
to the second principle of improvement hereinbefore described is likewise illustrated
in Figures 1 and 2. The motive device employed for this purpose consists as usual
of a three armed lever vibrating on a fixed centre or axis t placed at equal distances
from the planes of the two pairs of roller axes a a a¹ a-This lever receives a
vibrating or oscillating motion in any suitable manner such for example as by the action
of a connecting rod or pitman W figures 2 and 5 operated by a crank not shown in
the drawing. This lever is not attached in any way either directly or indirectly to the
roller axes and is not called upon to exert both thrust and traction but produces upon
the rollers a pushing or thrusting action only or else a pulling or tractional action
only by the intervention of any suitable intermediate mechanism the two pairs of axes
(upper and lower) being moved in the opposite direction by springs r r. på al.
The form or construction of the lever or oscillating device (v) and of the inter-
mediate parts transmitting the thrust or traction to the upper and lower axes may be
varied in many ways in either case-In the arrangement illustrated by way of
example a three armed lever is employed and produces a thrusting action only-One
arm of the lever is jointed to the reciprocating rod or pitman by which motion i
imparted to the lever and the other two arms are provided with anti friction rollers gg
bearing against transverse plates' supported on rods or bars a³ (figure 4) sliding
horizontally in suitable guides or supports X. The other extremities of these sliding
rods or bars carry other transverse plates ZZ' bearing against the ends of the axes o
shafts of the rollers carrying the leathers and mounted in adjustable sliding support
as hereinbefore described-The opposite extremities of the said shafts or axes bea
against two transverse plates y y carried on bars or rods d sliding longitudinall
and horizontally in suitable guides or supports D in a similar manner to the bars
rods a carrying the plates acted on by the lever arms as aforesaid. Helical
coiled springs placed upon the bars or rods d d¹ press against the transvers
plates yy and tend to push all the upper and lower rollers towards the lever -Whe
this three armed lever is operated in such a manner as to push the lower pai
of rollers with the leathers to the left for example the springs at the opposi
extremities of the axes a.a of these lower rollers are thereby compressed. At th
same time the springs acting on the axes a¹ of the upper pairs of rollers expa
""
=

page_text: and transmit through the axes of these rollers (which they tend to push over to the
right) to the upper arm of the lever at a point above the fulcrum t nearly all the
force required to compress the lower set of springs r. The frames aa bb c c and
aa¹ bbc c¹ constituted by the roller axes with their leathers and the adjustable
supports are thus caused to reciprocate or move bodily to and fro between the lever or
actuating device and the reacting springs being constantly pressed in one
direction against the said actuating device and being consequently incapable of
receiving any shock when the direction of their reciprocating movement is changed.
Nevertheless the upper and lower set of springs employed for this purpose do not
absorb even momentarily any extra power as the strength of one set of springs
balances that of the other through the actuating device or lever (v) oscillating on a
fulerum (t) between two forces both operating in the same direction-It is evident
that in place of employing an actuating device or lever to act by thrusting or pushing
and springs acting by compression the same result may be obtained by means of an
actuating device or lever exerting a pulling action in combination with springs acting
in a similar manner in the opposite direction. This modification as well as any
variations that may be introduced in the arrangement of the intermediate parts are
merely details of construction of secondary importance but the combination wherein
two frames constituted as herein before described capable of sliding easily are placed in
relation with a reciprocating actuating device and with springs reacting against the
said device as herein before explained constitutes a characteristic and novel principle
in connection with the rubbers of machines used in the manufacture of woollen or
worsted or other threads or yarns.
French drawing machines with rubbing leathers are often provided with an inter-
mediate supplementary loose roller axis placed inside the upper endless leathers
between the axes a¹ a¹ so as to increase by its pressure the reciprocal friction of the
upper and lower leathers-Of course such intermediate axes can be used if preferred
and do not change anything in the arrangement herein described. The form of the
parts C and S has only to be modified in consequence so as to receive this supple-
imentary axis which put with liberty between the traverse pieces ¹y' may be able to
effect its pressure on the leathers following at the same time the alternative motion of*
the axes a a¹.
Sometimes only one set of endless leathers is used with a large plain leather roller
working with it instead of the second set of endless leathers. The herein described
improvements can be employed with advantage in combination with this arrange-..
ment also.
I will now proceed to describe various improvements in the general arrangement
and construction of the complete machine which improvements are particularly
applicable in cases where the machine is provided with cans for receiving and con-
taining the slivers and (as is very advantageous for the simplifying of the machine)
each such can receives several slivers either temporarily or permanently united. It is
not possible, in this case to take advantage as regards the entire machine of all the
speed which the improved arrangement of rubbing leathers hereinbefore described
would admit of and it is even impossible in general to obtain a perfect product with
such a machine without coupling with the following conditions which have never been
fulfilled heretofore in drawing apparatus working with cans.
First. The machine should be provided with a stop motion connected with the
sliver at each stage of the drawing that is to say not only at the first or large rubber,
but also at all the succeeding heads. This is very difficult owing to the slivers which
are simply rubbed becoming by degrees finer and finer and at last becoming so
delicate (especially when dealing with cotton fibre) that they are incapable of operating
the stop motions ordinarily employed.
Second. The slivers proceeding from the same pair of pressing rollers must not be
united or doubled in the same can as an accidental injury produced by one of the
pressing rollers would then exist in all the two or four slivers united in the same can
this being one of the chief defects in the French drawing frames or "Rota frotteurs"
as heretofore employed with cans.
..

page_text: Third. It is necessary to be able to press the sliver into the receiving cans without
straining the sliver and cylindrical cans are always preferable. The old epicicloidal
distributing and pressing arrangement of plain drawing frames which has been
applied to French drawing frames or Rota fratteurs is very injurious to fine slivers
owing to the friction to which the contents of the can are exposed and the irregular
strain that is put on the sliver which is pulled with less force at the moment when in
turning its direction of motion is the same as that of the can than at the moment when
the direction of motion is opposite to that of the can.
Fourth. It is necessary that after the drawing is completed the product shall be
capable of being removed from the cans in order to be taken to the spinning machinery
the necessity of transporting an immense number of cans, being thereby avoided.
According to this invention these conditions are complied with by means of the
improved arrangements hereinafter described with reference to figures 7, 8, 9 and 10
of the accompanying drawings. Figure 7 represents a longitudinal section of the
machine all those parts not essential to the explanation of the invention being omitted
and Figure 8 is a corresponding plan of a portion of the machine. Figure 9 drawn to
a larger scale is a detail of the improved stop motion.
The stop motion employed in the present instance requires to be extremely light and
yet sufficently powerful to act with certainty. With this object a lever or tumbler L
figures 7, 8 and 9 of suitable strength is suspended or balanced on a pivot at its lower
end between two bars R. so as to be almost in a condition of unstable equilibrium. The
bars Rare notched at E for the reception of the sliver and the lever presses very
lightly and almost imperceptibly on the length of sliver between the said bars but
directly this support fails the slightest angular displacement of the lever throws its
centre of gravity to one side and the lever falls with a progressively increasing force
so that a projection L' with which it is provided at its lower extremity is caused to
protrude at the lower side of the bars R and presents an obstacle at the path of an
ordinary oscillating picce B which stops the machine in the usual manner.
After passing the stop motion the slivers engage between the drawing cylinders or
rollers three pairs of which are shewn in the drawing. The pressing or top rollers are
arranged in a special manner so that each sliver is subjected to the drawing action of
pressing rollers independent of the corresponding rollers acting on the next or adjacent
slivers. A separate pressing or top roller is provided for each sliver on all
the fluted rollers. In order to obtain this result in the most simple manner
cach top roller acts on a single sliver and is mounted on the loose boss principle
that is to say is loose upon its axis. By these means Nos. 1 and 4 can
be arranged on the same axis (see figure 8) the pressure of which is distributed to
both rollers. Both top rollers being loose on their axes are enabled to act as
independently as if they belonged to separate machines. The pressing roller No. 2 is
similarly combined with the pressing roller No..5, 3 with 6, 7 with 10 and so on.
consequence of this arrangement the adjacent threads or slivers are not liable to
present the same defects and may be united or doubled as if they were independent of
each other.
In
The threads or slivers then pass between the rubbing leathers and are united in twos,"
threes fours fives etcetra between callender rollers D D. Below these rollers there is a
short vertical tubular guide F arranged excentrically relatively to the cylindrical can P
standing under it. This can is placed upon a plate G turning on a centre in a boss on a
support H. The plate G and the can P do not rotate continuously as is customary and
do not put any twist into the slivers. They describe only one revolution to right and
left alternately. To accomplish this a pinion I attached to the plate G is operated by
a rack J extending along the whole width of the machine and shifted to and fro by a
vertical lever Q pivoted at Sa swinging or oscillating motion being imparted to the
said lever by means of a cam T driven by an endless screw or worm on a shaft X.
A cam receiving slow rotary motion from toothed gearing not shown in the
drawing causes bell crank levers 0 to oscillate at intervals upon a centre or shaft C.
These levers are connected by rods Kworking in suitable guides with a horizontal bar
carrying pressers Y there being one presser to each can." These pressers are of a

page_text: crescent shape in plan and partly surround the guides F. The sliver proceeding from
the lower end of this guide and running down is distributed uniformily in the interior
of the alternately revolving can so as to fill the can regularly and the presser
intermittently enters the can and presses down the coils successively at all points. In
the last drawing a bobbin or holder Z having a flange or disc at its lower end
corresponding with the internal dimension of the can and provided with a stem M
extending to the upper end of the can is placed inside the latter. The filling and
pressing then proceed precisely as though the stem were not present and when the
can is full the full bobbin can be drawn out without losing its shape.
With regard to the pressing or top rollers it should be observed that loose boss top
rollers have heretofore been employed only for the last or delivering fluted roller with
a view to diminishing the lubrication required and the wear of the axis and that with
the present special and totally different object it is necessary to employ them on at
least two rows of fluted rollers following the first fluted roller and to use each such top
roller for one sliver only. The same object might be attained by various other less
convenient methods. For example with loose boss top rollers acting on two slivers the
odd and even slivers may be crossed as indicated in figure 10 so as to cause two or four
odd slivers to go into one can and two or four even slivers to go into the next can.
With regard to the bobbins placed in the cans at the last drawing it is evident that
the same arrangement is applicable to oval cans such as are sometimes employed for
cotton.
The hereinbefore described methods of uniting slivers proceeding from independent
drawing rollers and of receiving these slivers in an alternately or continuously rotary
can provided with an excentrical tubular guide and with an intermittently descending
presser may be employed even in plain drawing machines without the french rubbing
leather apparatus.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of this Invention and
the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
First. In a drawing and condensing machine employed in the manufacture of
wollen worsted, cotton or other yarns or threads an arrangement wherein the bearings
of the rollers carrying the rubbing leathers are caused to partake of the sideway or
alternative reciprocating motion of the said rollers substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Second. In a drawing, and condensing machine employed in the manufacture of
wollen, worsted cotton or other yarns or threads the employment of springs reaching
upon the axes of the rollers of the rubbing leathers for the purpose of pushing or
pulling the said rollers in one direction in producing their reciprocating movements
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the
accompanying drawings.
Third. In French drawing machines, (rota frotteurs,) employed in the manufacture
of woollen, worsted, cotton or other yarns or threads, the employment of loose boss top
rollers acting on a single sliver or with a crossing or other arrangement whereby the
slivers received in the same can are made independent from each other and taken from
different pairs of rollers, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
Figures 7, 8 and 10 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth. In French drawing machines or rota frotteurs, employed in the manufacture
of woollen, worsted, cotton or other yarns or threads, the employment of a stop motion
wherein a relatively heavy but delicately poised tumbler or lever in a state of unstable
equilibrium is supported by a short length of sliver between two bars substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 10 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Fifth. In French Drawing machines (or rota frotteurs) employed in the manufacture
of woollen worsted cotton and other yarns or threads, the arrangement of a cylindrical
can having a rotary motion in opposite directions, alternately, an excentric distributing
guide and an intermittently acting presser substantially as hereinbefore described and
Ilustrated in Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying Drawings.

page_text: Sixth. In French Drawing machines, or rota frotteurs, employed in the manufacture
of woollen, worsted, cotton and other yarns or threads, the employment of discs or
plates placed in the bottoms of the cans and connected to a central rod or stem for the
purpose of removing the contents of the can after the final drawing substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figure 7 of the accompanying Drawings.
Seventh. In plain drawing machines, the methods of uniting slivers, proceeding
from independent drawing rollers and of receiving these united slivers in an alternately
or continuously rotary can provided with an excentrical tubular guide and with an
intermittently descending presser, as herein described.
1004