IMPROVEMENTS IN DOUBLING FRAMES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Knowles, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Mill Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DOUBLING FRAMES,"
Sealed the 26th November 1869, and dated the 15th June 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Knowles at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th June 1869.
I, THOMAS KNOWLES, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Mill Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DOUBLING FRAMES," to be as follows:-
When yarn is to be doubled or twisted together it is now usual to
wind two or more threads on a bobbin and then to put this bobbin into
the creel of the doubling machine. If two-fold yarn be wanted then two
threads are wound together on these bobbins, but if three, four, or five-
fold be required then such number of threads are wound together on
each bobbin before being put into the cree! of the doubling frame. The
[Price 8d.]

page_text: bobbins are supported in the creel by what are called creel pegs. These
pegs do not revolve, but the bobbins turn as the yarn is drawn off them
From these tobbins the threads of yarn on each bobbin are conducted
into a trough containing water for "wet" doubling, but for "dry"
doubling they are guided to the ordinary rollers without passing through
water, and from these rollers to the usual spindle and flyer to be
twisted together, thereby producing what is commonly called "doubled
yarn." In many cases the bobbins from these machines are taken
to another machine, and the threads from two, three, or more of such
bobbins are again twisted together to form a thread.
Now my improvement consists in causing the threads to be twisted on
each side of the rollers; by which means the production is materially
increased, because every twist given to the threads before passing the
rollers diminishes the quantity they require afterwards. To accomplish
this the bobbins on which the threads to be twisted are wound instead
of being placed on pegs in the creel, and simply drawn therefrom,
are placed on a rotating spindle with a flyer mounted thereon, by
which means twist is given to the threads as they are drawn off the
bobbin, and before they pass between the rollers a second twist is
given in the ordinary manner by the flyer which winds the thread
on the bobbin in front of the rollers. Instead of a spindle and flyer a
ring and traveller or other suitable equivalent may be employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Knowles in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 15th December 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
KNOWLES, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Mill Manager,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third 1 year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Knowles, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Knowles, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Knowles, my executors,

page_text: administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, aud
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DOUBLING FRAMES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas Knowles, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I; the said Thomas Knowles, 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 (that is to say):
:-
When yarn is to be doubled or twisted together it is now usual to
wind two or more threads on a bobbin and then to put this bobbin
into the creel of the doubling frame. If two-fold yarn be wanted then
two threads are wound together on these bobbins, but if three, four, or
five-fold be required then such number of threads are wound cogether on
each bobbin before being put into the creel of the doubling frame. The
bobbins are supported in the creel by what are called creel pegs. These
pegs do not revolve, but the bobbins turn as the yarn is drawn off them.
From these bobbins the threads of yarn on each bobbin are conducted
into a trough containing water for "wet" doubling, but for "dry
doubling they are guided to the ordinary rollers without passing through
water, and from these rollers to the usual spindle and flyer to be twisted
together, thereby producing what is commonly called "doubled yarn."
In many cases the bobbins from these machines are taken to another
machine, and the threads from two, three, or more of such bobbins are
again twisted together to form a thread.
Now my improvement consists in certain improved combinations of
machinery for doubling or twisting the yarns or threads on each side of
the rollers. To accomplish this the bobbins on which the yarns or
threads to be twisted are wound are placed on a rotating spindle with a
flyer mounted thereon, by which means twist is given to the threads as

page_text: they are drawn off the bobbin, and before they pass between the rollers
a second twist is given them in the ordinary manner by the flyer which
winds the thread on the bobbin in front of the rollers. Instead of a
spindle and flyer a ring and traveller or other suitable equivalent may
be employed.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
Figure 1 is an end elevation, and Figure 2 a front view of a doubling
frame constructed according to my improvements; Figures 3 and 4 are
detached portions of the same.
In Figures 1 and 2, a, a, are the end frames; b, b, the rollers, and c
the trough containing water placed under the rollers b; these parts are
made in the usual manner. The yarn or thread to be twisted is wound
as usual on the bobbins d, see also Figure 3; these bobbins are con-
nected to the spindles e by a key and groove, by which means the
bobbins are at liberty to move endwise to and fro on the spindles, but
when the spindles rotate the bobbins are carried round with them. The
spindles e are supported in bearings in the rails f,f; four of these rails
are shewn in the Drawing, but the number may be increased or reduced
according to the number of spindles required. The flyers g are mounted
loose on the spindles e, a stud on the flyer fitting into a hole in the end
of the spindle, but are connected thereto by a spring key, the head of
which takes into a groove in the boss of the Hyer. The spindles e are
driven by pulleys on the shaft and bands passing over wharves on the
spindles or other suitable gearing. To the flyers g are attached the
wharves g¹, the band g2 is at one end fastened to the hook or stud g³, it is
passed alternately over and under the wharves in succession, and at its
other end is attached to the vertical arm of the elbow lever g*, the
horizontal arm of which is provided at one end with a weight go, and at
the other end with a counterbalancing arm. When the machine is in
operation the weight g is moved close to the fulcrum of the elbow
lever g to slacken the band, thus preventing it from retarding the flyers,
but previous to stopping the machine the weight 5 is moved towards the
end of the lever g4 to tighten the band g² against the wharves g; the
friction thus produced tends to overcome the momentum of the flyers g;
or the lever g may be connected to the starting rod in such a manner

page_text: that when the frame is stopped the band is tightened against the
wharves. The band is tightened according to the amount of drag
required on the flyer.
I wish to remark that the apparatus for applying friction to the flyers
may be varied.
The yarns or threads from the bobbins d are taken under a guide
roller in the trough c, then around the rollers b, then over a guide
roller j, the circumference of which is directly over the axes of the
vertical spindles k, oue of which is shewn detached in Figure 4;"
these spindles are stationary, being fixed in the bottom rail l, and the
flyers m, by which the twisted yarn or thread is wound on the bobbins n,
are each provided with a sturi fitting loose in a socket or hole in the
upper end of the spindles k. The bobbins n rest upon the boss of the
skew pinions o fitting on a tube p¹ fixed in the bolster rail p, which is
raised and lowered in the ordinary manner, the pinions o and bobbins n
are turned round by the shaft q and skew wheels 7'. This gearing for
driving the bobbius 2 is similar to that employed in the ordinary jack
frames. I fix to each of the flyers m a grooved pulley m¹, a weighted
cord passes partially round these pulleys to produce a slight drag to
regulate the speed of the flyers, the weight suspended to this cord must
be varied according to the thickness of the yarn or thread to be doubled.
When the yarns or threads are being drawn off the bobbins d by the
rollers 6 the tension of the yarns or threads causes the bobbius d to
traverse slowly to and fro on the spindles e, the yarns or threads forming
a slight angle from the bobbin to the end of the flyer leg. This to-and-
fro motion of the bobbin tends in a great measure to prevent breakages,
as it prevents the acute angles that would be formed if the bobbin and
flyer were at all times in the same relative positions.
In doubling or twisting heald yarn with thirty-two ends the mode of
operation is as follows:-Eight single yarns are wound in the ordinary
manner on each of the bobbins d, the ends from four of these bobbins
each being twisted as the yarn is drawn off are brought together through
the trough c around the rollers b, and over the guide roller j, from which
the doubled yarn passes to the flyer m, by which the final twist is given
before the yarn is wound on the bobbin n. It is evident that the number
of feed bobbins d and the number of single yarns wound upon each may
be varied to the required extent according to the nature of the doubled
yarn or thread to be produced, and that instead of placing the spindles

page_text: containing the yarn to be doubled one above the other, as shewn, two or
more spindles may be placed horizontally, as shewn in the diagram,
Figure 5, or in any other suitable position.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the
mode of performing the same, I would remark that I am aware that
various machines have been made or devised in which it has been
proposed to twist threads on each side of the rollers, but the same have
not been successfully brought into use; I therefore wish it to be under-
stood that I do not claim giving twist to yarns or threads on each side
of the rollers generally, but limit my claim to the improved combinations
and arrangements of machinery herein-before set forth and described for
effecting that object, and particularly the use of a key on the spindle and
a groove in the bobbin, by which means the bobbin while it is made to
rotate with the spindle is left at liberty to traverse to and fro thereon as
the threads are drawn off, and the mode of connecting the flyer to the
spindle, as shewn best in Figure 3.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Knowles, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.
THOMAS KNOWLES. (L.s.)