IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES
Year: 1885

page_text: We LUKE WOODWARD and FREDERICK CHADWICK of Lee Works Nottingham
in the County of Nottingham Machinists do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES to be as
follows:
"
"
This Invention has for its object improvements in circular knitting machines
and relates to the means employed for winding up the work as it is produced in
such machines.
The work is wound on to a roller mounted horizontally in a frame suspended by
a vertical pivot carried in a fixed bearing at a distance above the needle head and
concentrically therewith.
The
In order to rotate the frame at the same speed as the needle head and at the
same time to cause the winding up roller to rotate slowly to wind up the work we
employ a spindle carried up through the work from the centre of the head.
upper end of this vertical spindle we form with arms extending horizontally from
it which arms at their ends rise up between two horizontal bars at the bottom
of the suspended frame. The work passes up between these bars and so to the
winding up roller.
In this way when the needle head is rotated the suspended frame will rotate
with it.
In order to cause the winding up roller to rotate slowly at the same time on its
own axis we mount loose upon one end of the axis of the roller a toothed wheel
and cause this wheel to drive the axis through a friction spring.
The toothed wheel we cause to be driven by intermediate wheels from a
horizontal axis at the top of the suspended frame on which axis is a bevil wheel
gearing with a bevil wheel fixed around the bearing in which the axis of the
suspended frame is supported.
When the knitting frame is made without any fixed disc or wheel plate within
the interior of the cylindrical head, the vertical spindle above mentioned may
be carried up direct from the bottom of the cylindrical head but when there is a
fixed disc or wheel plate within this head then we mount the lower end of the
vertical spindle in a bearing at the centre of the disc or wheel plate and we drive
the vertical spindle at the same speed as the needle head by fixing gear wheels on
to the lower end of the spindle and on to the centre of the head and by causing
both these wheels to gear with wheels fixed on a short upright spindle carried by
the disc or wheel plate.

page_text: Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
We LUKE WOODWARD and FREDERICK CHADWICK of Lee Works Nottingham
in the County of Nottingham Machinists 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 improvements in circular knitting machines
and relates to the means employed for winding up the work as it is produced in
such machines.
The work is wound on to a roller mounted horizontally in a frame suspended by
a vertical pivot carried in a fixed bearing at a distance above the needle head and
concentrically therewith.
In order to rotate the frame at the same speed as the needle head and at the
same time to cause the winding up roller to rotate slowly to wind up the work we
employ a spindle carried up through the work from the centre of the head. The
upper end of this vertical spindle we form with arms extending horizontally from
it which arms at their ends rise up between two horizontal bars at the bottom
of the suspended frame. The work passes up between these bars and so to the
winding up roller.
In this way when the needle head is rotated the suspended frame will rotate
with it.
In order to cause the winding up roller to rotate slowly at the same time on its
own axis we mount loose upon one end of the axis of the roller a toothed wheel
and cause this wheel to drive the axis through a friction spring.
The toothed wheel we cause to be driven by intermediate wheels from a
horizontal axis at the top of the suspended frame on which axis is a bevil wheel
gearing with a bevil wheel fixed around the bearing in which the axis of the
suspended frame is supported.
When the knitting frame is made without any fixed disc or wheel plate within
the interior of the cylindrical head, the vertical spindle above mentioned may be
carried up direct from the bottom of the cylindrical head but when there is a fixed
disc or wheel plate within this head then we mount the lower end of the vertical
spindle in a bearing at the centre of the disc or wheel plate and we drive the
vertical spindle at the same speed as the needle head by fixing gear wheels on to
the lower end of the spindle and on to the centre of the head and by causing both
these wheels to gear with wheels fixed on a short upright spindle carried by the
disc or wheel plate.
The drawings hereunto annexed show an ordinary circular barb needle knitting
frame fitted with apparatus for winding the work up as it is produced on to a roller
in the manner above described.
Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section to show the driving gear.
Figure 2 is an end clevation mostly in section and Figure 3 is a plan in section
of the machine on a larger scale.
A is the needle cylinder driven by gear wheels B B. Fast on the axis of the
cylinder A is a toothed wheel C which drives C fast on a short axis D-on this
axis is fast another wheel C, which drives a wheel C fast on a spindle E which is

page_text: concentric with the cylinder A.-The bearings for the short axis D and spindle E
are both carried by a piece F' secured to the fixed disc F called the inside wheel
plate. G is the frame carrying the roller H on to which the work is wound. The
frame G is suspended by a vertical pivot I which is vertically above the centre of
the needle head.
At the lower end of the frame are the two bars J up between which the work
is led. The spindle E rises up through the centre of the tubular work and at its
upper end carries arms E¹ the ends of which rise up between the bars J and so
rotate the frame G at the same speed as the needle head.
K is a toothed wheel loose upon one end of the roller H-K¹ is a spring fast
upon the end of the roller-its ends bear against the side of the toothed wheel K.
The toothed wheel K is driven through an intermediate wheel L from a pinion M¹
on an axis M mounted in bearings at the top of the frame-on this axis is also a
bevil wheel M which gears with a fixed bevil wheel N which is concentric with
the pivot I. The roller H is in this way rotated on its own axis whenever the
frame G is rotated and is rotated at sufficient speed to wind the work up on to
itself when the roller is empty that is when no work has been wound up on to it.
Afterwards as the work accumulates upon the roller the wheel K continues to
revolve at the same speed but the roller turns more slowly the ends of the friction
spring then sliding over the face of the toothed wheel K. The tension maintained
upon the work can from time to time be regulated by varying the compression of
the friction spring by turning the thumb nut O. When sufficient work has been
wound up on to the roller the work is partially unrolled from the roll and is then
cut off close up to it-the spindle of the roll is then withdrawn and the roll taken
away. The end of the work remaining in the machine is then again secured to a
roller placed on to the spindle and the machine started to make another roll
of work.
When the knitting machine is made to work with latch needles and when con-
sequently no fixed inside wheel plate F is required the lower end of the vertical
spindle E may as before stated be secured directly to the needle head or
cylinder A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. The combination of apparatus for winding up the work produced on circular
knitting machines substantially as described.
2. Driving winding up apparatus used for winding up work produced on
circular knitting machines by means of a spindle concentric with the needle head
and revolved by it either directly or by interposed gear such spindle being carried
up through the interior of the cylinder of work which is being produced substan-
tially as described.