Improvements in Machinery for Lapping or Covering Wire with Cotton, Silk, Jute, or other Fibrous Material.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 9th Nov., 1889
[Communicated from abroad by CARL DEMUTH and EDMUND DEMUTH, both of Vienna,
in the Empire of Austria.]
Improvements in Machinery for Lapping or Covering Wire with
Cotton, Silk, Jute, or other Fibrous Material.
I THOMAS CRITCHLEY BARRACLOUGH of 8 King Street, Manchester in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :--
This improved machine for lapping or covering continuous lengths of wire with
cotton, silk, jute or other fibrous material-is designed to give off a larger per-
centage or yield of work than heretofore found practicable and to render this class
of machine as independent as possible of manual labour and attention. These
objects are attained in a simple and practical manner and principally by means of
an automatic stopping device applied to each section of the machine as hereinafter
described.
The advantages of this arrangement are that each individual section of the machine
stops instantly and automatically whenever a spool or bobbin becomes empty and
whenever one of the winding threads or strands breaks. The machine is so constructed
that all its parts operate with certainty and regularity and can be readily examined
-no skilled labour is needed in running the machine or in overlooking the same,
owing to the adoption of the stopping device whilst the machine is capable of being
driven at a greater speed than hitherto and still of producing faultless work.
Furthermore the constructive improvements including novel lubricating arrangements
and drawing rollers, are such as to render it particularly durable in all its parts and
calculated to protect the wire in course of being lapped or covered.
By simply exchanging a few parts various sizes of wire, from thin to thick, can
with equal facility be lapped or covered on the same machine.
..
On the accompanying drawing Fig. 1. is a front and Fig. 2 an end view of the
improved wire covering machine in both of which several parts are shewn in section.
Fig. 3. is a detail illustrating the mode of fixing the releasing lever p. Fig. 4.
illustrates a front and side view of the releasing lever I provided with the disengaging
weight n. Fig. 5. shews a front view and plan of a portion of the automatic
releasing mechanism. According to requirements two or more standards or frames
preferably of cast iron are connected together by means of longitudinal bars A¹
rods A2 and angle irons A³ to form the framework of the desired length. The central
cross bar A+ of each standard carries a bearing for the shaft J running the length of
the machine and upon which shaft are keyed the friction discs 1. The number of
these discs corresponds with the number of sections or divisions of the machine while
the grooved disc pulleys 2 with the sleeves 5 and the screw threaded or worm
sleeves 6 are loosely mounted thereupon and can be fixed in any convenient position
along the said shaft J by means of suitable collars. The sleeve 5 has fixed upon its
periphery two long keys upon which the grooved disc pulley can be worked to and
fro by means of the forked arm 4 gearing within its peripheral groove. The disc
pulley 2 is thus arranged to revolve with the sleeve 5 and the worm sleeve 6 but is
capable of sliding along the sleeve 5. The disc pulley 2 is recessed on one side and
filled in with a leather or other frictional disc 3 firmly secured thereto and is further
furnished in close proximity with the shaft and as clearly shewn in the drawing with
an annular projection or rim and the friction disc 1. is provided with a corresponding
circular recess which it easily one into the other as illustrated-a few perforations
being made through the back of the recess to the outside to allow of the escape of
any surface oil running off after having lubricated the sleeve 5 and grooved disc

page_text: pulley 2 and thus preventing the friction disc 1 and the leather disc 3 becoming oiled
or greasy.
The speed pulley H is mounted at one end of the shaft J and the other end of
the same shaft is provided with a crank disc J¹ for operating the mechanism for
automatically distributing the covered wire upon the receiving reels G. For the
reception of the bare wire the spool A is employed while the roller D serves to guide
the wire. The drawing rollers E mounted upon a shaft M serve for pulling and
guiding the wire through the machine. The said shaft M is carried by the
bearings OO which are fixed upon the longitudinal bars O'. Motion is imparted to
the shaft M by the worm wheel L which gears with the worm sleeve 6. The receiving
reels G obtain their motion from the grooved wheel N being driven by an endless
cord passing round the guiding rollers P, Q, and over the grooved pulley S. The
automatic distribution of the covered wire upon the receiving reels G is effected by
the rod F to which a to and fro motion is imparted by the ratchet wheel W.
Through the ratchet wheel W slides a round shaft upon the periphery of which are
cut across each other a right and left hand screw thread or groove these threads or
grooves running at both ends into one another and operating the reversal of the
motion by means of a pivoted heart-shaped cam working in the said grooves. Over
the grooved disc pulley 2 passes an endless driving cord K leading to the hollow
spindle wharve C and over the pulley R as well as over the opposite hollow spindle
wharve B whereby the two spinning discs are set in motion and are revolved in
opposite directions to one another. The axis of the pulley R is adjustable in a slot
and hence the driving cord K can always be tightened. The parts of the automatic
stopping device (see Figs. 1 & 2) consist of a small hinged levere mounted upon
each spinning disc of the two double levers fg (see Fig. 5) of the releasing
weight (see Fig. 4) which is connected by means of a cord with the two above
mentioned levers g, g, and of the two levers k, p-the whole of these parts being
provided for each separate section of the machine.
A section
The action of this improved wire-covering or lapping machine with its automatic
stopping devices may be described as follows:-As each machine consists of a larger
or smaller number of sections but all of which have precisely the same action it will
be sufficient to describe the mode of operating one section in order to understand
the operation of the entire machine. After the two spools containing the desired
covering yarns or strands have been placed upon the corresponding pins of the
spinning discs and the tension has been regulated by the tension spring used for
that purpose the bare wire carried upon the reel A is drawn-through the two
hollow spindles a¹, thence passes over the guiding rollers D and at least once
around the draw roller E when its end is fixed to one of the taking up reels G. The
ends of the covering yarns or strands are drawn through eyes formed in the small
hinged levers e e and through the guiding levers d and fixed to the wire.
of the machine thus prepared is set in motion in the following manner. The main
shaft J of the machine with the friction disc 1 fixed thereon is set in rotation-If
now the lever p is moved to the left hand side until the same links in at 7 (see
Fig. 3) the groove disc 2 with its circular leather surface 3 will be pressed by the
forked arm 4 against the rotating and plain dise 1 and will receive a corresponding
revolving motion consequent upon the friction thus exerted upon its rotating surface
and thus the whole mechanism of the section will be set in motion. When the
lever pis moved to the right hand side the grooved disc pulley 2 is removed from
contact with the friction disc i and the mechanism of the section concerned comes to a
stand still. The two spinning discs rotate in opposite directions the one to the
other and wind the covering fibrous material round the wire in a spiral direction as
the drawing roller E exerts a uniform pull and the taking up reel G takes up as
much of the covered wire as runs off from the feeding reel A in the shape of bare
wire the uniform distribution of the wire upon the delivery reels G being effected
by the distributing rod F. An important feature in the machine is the automatic
disconnecting device which operates as follows:-When a covering yarn or strand
breaks or a spool becomes empty the hinged lever ceases to be held in position by

page_text: the tension of the threads and becomes accordingly released when owing to the
centrifugal force of the rotating spinning dises the said lever e assumes a position
perpendicular to the axis of rotation and hence is in the plane of rotation whereby
it will strike the small lever f below the corresponding spool disc and so turns the
same to an angle of 90° in consequence of which the second part g of this lever is also
set in motion and descending presses the weight suspended by a cord to the said
lever in a downward direction within the slot of the lever the said weight being
thereby caused to move between a projection m of the rotating grooved can and the
lever and thus the latter is pressed backwards. The connecting rod o fixed to the
lever p and likewise to the top of the lever K causes the former to be raised and
released from the projection -the said lever p being now free is drawn by the
springs to the right hand side and hence the grooved disc pulley 2 becomes
separated from the friction dise 1 and the whole mechanism of the section is brought
instantly to a stand still-In order to set this mechanism in motion again it is necessary
to repair the broken thread or to replace the empty spool by a full one. As the
small lever f, g has been reversed owing to the automatic stoppage having taken
place, it is necessary to replace the same in its original position-The vertical lifting
rod is used for this purpose being provided at its lower part with a small cross piece
serving to return to its normal position the reversed lever which is now held by the
springy (see Fig. 5). This lifting rod serves the two spinning dises as it places
alternately either lever in position or both levers at the same time by simply lifting the
said rod. Two or more spools can be arranged upon a spool disc provided that each
spool is furnished with a hinged lever.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
The improved construction and arrangement of wire covering or lapping machine
provided with automatic disconnecting gear in which the stoppage of each covering
and winding section of the machine is ensured whenever a breakage occurs in the
winding threads or strands or a spool becomes empty by a lever mounted upon the
spinning discs and held by the tension of the threads and which tension being
removed causes the release of a friction coupling substantially as and for the purpose
herein before described and illustrated on the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 27th day of Santambar 1880
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Office, 55, Market Street, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.