IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, FOR REVERSING THE DIREC- TION OF MOTION IN AND FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF MACHINES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
KNOWLES, of Little Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventeenth day of April, in the fifteenth year of Her
reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Knowles, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Knowles, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said John Knowles, my exors, admors, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England and Wales and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN MACHINERY
FOR PREPARING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES, FOR REVERSING THE DIREC-
TION OF MOTION IN AND FOR REGULATING THE SPEED OF MACHINES;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said John Knowles, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Knowles, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention
consists,-
First, in improved combinations of parts for stopping drawing frames or
other machines of the like nature when any of the slivers or rovings, with 5
which such machines are fed, break or otherwise cease to be supplied.
Secondly, in improved combinations of parts for reversing the direction
of motion in warping mills, or other machines requiring to be driven alter-
nately in opposite directions.
And, lastly, in improved combinations of parts to be used in combination 1
with the ordinary fly-ball governor for regulating the speed of steam engines
and other machines requiring regularity of motion.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will describe the means pursued by me, reference being had to the
accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, which are made to a scale of about 1
hree inches to one foot.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of part of a drawing frame, to
which one modification of my improvements is applied; Figure 2 is a plan;
and Figure 3 is a side view of the same. a, a, are the drawing rollers,
supported by the stands 6 and roller beam c in the usual manner; d, d, are a
pair of feed rollers, forming part of the stopping apparatus now known and
in use. The slivers or rovings with which the machine is fed are indicated
in red, and they are brought from the cans or from bobbins under the weights
e, from whence they pass over the small roller e¹, and then between the
rollers d, from which they proceed to the drawing rollers a. The weights e
are held in their places by the sliver or roving as it passes on to the roller e³,
and they are supported by the inclined rail f, or by a roller, if the same should
be found more convenient. Below the rollers d is a trough g, which is hinged
to a shaft g', and is furnished with a counterbalance to hold the trough in the
position shewn in the Drawing. Under the trough is a shaft h, to which a
continuous rotary motion is given from any convenient part of the drawing
frame. On the shaft h is fitted loosely the pulley h¹, and to it is fixed the
bevel pinion h. This pinion gears into a similar pinion h³, revolving on a stud
fixed at right angles to the shaft h. The pinion h³ gives motion to the pinion
h, which is also loose on the shaft h, and is furnished with a boss, to which
s fixed one end of the chain or cord i, the other end being attached to the
double elbow lever . As long as all the slivers or rovings continue to be

page_text: G
supplied the weights e remain in their places, being held up by the slivers or
rovings, and by the inclined rail f, or other equivalent. The trough 9 also
remains elevated, as shewn in Figure 1. The driving strap k remains on the
fast pulley ', as shewn in Figure 8, and the shaft h continues to revolve
,uninterruptedly. The pinion h is prevented from revolving by the chain i, and
by the stop piece , jointed to the lever i', and fitting on a stop pin in the roller
beam. As soon, however, as a sliver breaks or ceases to be supplied, the weight
which had before been supported by it, drops into the trough g, and causes
it to assume the position shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1; the under side of
the trough then comes in contact with and stops the pulley h¹, which had
before been revolving loosely on the shaft h, and by so doing the pinion * is
moved by the action of the pinions h³ and h³, as much round in the direction of
the arrow in Figure 1 as is required for drawing the chain i and acting on the
double elbow lever 1, which is thus made to remove the driving strap k from
the fast pulley k¹ to the loose pulley k³, and thereby to stop the machine. The
action of the above-described machinery is so sudden that the end of the
broken sliver has not time to be drawn between the rollers d before the
machine is stopped; consequently, the attendant can conveniently piece up
the broken. sliver and replace the weight e, when the machine is again ready
for starting.
In Fig. 4 I have shewn another modification of my improvements for
stopping drawing frames or other machines of the like nature. The principal
difference between this and the machinery above described consists in dispensing
with the rollers d, and conducting the sliver or roving direct from the weight
to the back drawing roller a. The trough g may in this case be made to act
on a pulley h', and the other parts in communication herewith, as above
described, or on the ordinary stopping apparatus now known and in use.
My improved machinery for reversing the direction of motion in warping
mills and other machines requiring to be worked in contrary directions is
represented in Figs. 5 and 6. In these views is a shaft, to which motion
is communicated from the steam engine or other motive power by a strap
and the pulley . m is another shaft, driven from the shaft by the pinion l',
carrier P, and pinion m'. These shafts constantly revolve in the same direc-
tion, and to them are fixed studs for the bevel pinions and m, which gear
into the pinions and m³, loose on the shafts 7 and m, but fast to the
friction pulleys 6 and me. The breaks n and o are united by the bar p, seen
in Fig. 6. They are now supposed to be free of the friction pulleys, but
they can be brought into contact with them when required by the attendant.
The pinions and m* also gear into the pinions and m³, which are both

page_text: loose on the shafts 7 and m, but fast to the spur wheels and m³, the former of
which is also fast to the pulley P, from which the motion is transmitted by a
strap to the warping mill or other machine to be driven. When the breaks
n and o are not in contact with the pulleys 7 and me no motion is transmitted
by the pulley, as all the wheels and pulleys except those marked l¹, m³, and
P, are loose on the shafts land m, but as soon as the break n is brought by
the attendant acting on the bar p against the pulley the motion of the
pulley is checked, and the pinion 1, in turning round the pinion P, imparts
motion to the pulley P. As soon as the attendant wishes to reverse the
direction of motion of the pulley he liberates the break n from the pulley,
and brings the break o in contact with the pulley me, and by so doing the
pinion m³ acting on the pinions m* and m' and wheels m³ and
pulley to revolve in the contrary direction.
causes the
My improved machinery for regulating the speed of machines is represented in
Figs. 7, 8, and 9 of Sheet 2. This machinery is chiefly applicable to regulate the
speed of steam engines, but may be advantageously applied to water wheels or
other first movers. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of part of a high-pressure con-
densing engine, working expansively, and of the improved machinery for regu-
lating the speed thereof. Fig. 8 is a front elevation; and Fig. 9 a plan view of
the same.
A is part of the side pipe of the engine, and B is the end of a rod,
which is moved up or down as the fly balls of the ordinary governor collapse or
expand in the ordinary manner. To the end of the rod B is fixed a clip B¹,
which is made of two pieces, and fits on the upper end of the boss of the
friction pulley C. This pulley turns round with the shaft C', being connected
with it by a key, but is raised or lowered on the shaft according to the action of
the rod B by the key in the pulley passing through a slot in the shaft. The
necessary motion is given to the shaft C¹ from the cam shaft D by a pair
of bevel wheels and a wheel and pinion, as shewn in Fig. 7, or in any other
convenient manner. Below the friction pulley C is a bevel pinion C*, fixed
on the shaft C', which gears into a wheel E, fixed on the shaft E'. On this
shaft is fitted loosely the friction disk E, to the back of which is fixed a bevel
pinion E³, gearing into another pinion E*, revolving on a stud fixed to the
shaft E. The pinion E* gears into the pinion E, also loose on its shaft, but
fast to another pinion E, which gears into the pinion F on the diagonal shaft
F. The friction disk E' is held in contact with the friction pulley C by a
spring, shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 8, placed in the bearing E, acting
against the end of the shaft E. Near the lower end of the diagonal shaft F¹
is fixed a bevel pinion F, gearing into a pinion G on the shaft G'. This shaft
has two bevel pinions G2, which gear into similar pinions I on the screws H',

page_text: see Fig. 9. These screws work in screw nuts at the ends of the cross bar H',
to which are jointed the two horizontal arms H³. The ends of these arms
enter between the cams D¹ and the flat ends of the valve rods D², shewn in
Figure 7, which, as they are raised by the cams, admit the steam to the
cylinder. Near one end of the shaft G¹ is a spur pinion G³, gearing into
another pinion I, revolving on a stud. These pinions have each a stop piece
attached to them, and the pinion G³ has two teeth more than the pinion I, the
object of which will be explained hereafter.
Having now enumerated the various parts constituting my improved
machinery for regulating the speed of machines, I will describe how they act
when in operation. The steam engine to be regulated is now supposed to be
revolving at its proper speed, and the friction pulley C is acting on the
friction disk E², and imparting to it a velocity equal to that of the shaft C'.
The pinion C³ causes the shaft E¹ to revolve at half the speed of the friction
disk E, and as the bevel pinion E' is caused to revolve twice round its own axis
by the action of the pinion E' during the same time that the shaft E¹ performs
one revolution, it is evident that no motion is communicated thereby to the
pinion E, nor to the screws H', and parts in connection with them. As soon,
however, as the engine begins to increase its speed, the balls of the ordinary
governor expand and depress the rod B with the friction pulley C. The
speed of the friction disk E is increased, but as the speed of the shaft
E' remains nearly the same as it was before, the pinion E' is taken partly
round by the action of the pinion E, and the screws H¹ are thereby moved
round in the proper direction for withdrawing the arms H³ from the valve
rods D, thereby allowing the cams D', as they revolve, to remain a less
time in contact with the arms H³, and by so doing the rods D³ are made
to shut the expansion valve sooner than before. If, on the other hand, the
speed of the engine diminishes, the collapsing of the fly balls of the governor
elevates the friction pulley C, and reduces the speed of the friction disk E³;
by so doing the pinion Es is moved in the reverse direction, and the screws
H' cause the arms H³ to advance towards the shaft D, consequently the
cams D' remain longer in contact with the ends of the arms H³, and allow
the expansion valves to remain longer open, in order to admit more steam
to the cylinder. The amount of motion given at one time to the shaft G¹
and screws H³ will vary according to the irregularity in the load of the
engine. In order to prevent the screws from being turned round so many
times that they would lock themselves fast by bringing the nuts in which
they work against either of the bearings of the screws, I have fixed the

page_text: stop pieces above referred to to the spur pinions Gs and I, and they are set
in such positions with respect to each other that their ends will, come in
contact before the screws have performed as many revolutions as would be
necessary to bring the screw nuts against the bearings of the screws. By this
means the various parts are prevented from binding themselves fast, the
screw nuts on the cross bar remaining near the end of the screw, and causing
the friction pulley C to slip on the disk E' until the engine regains its regular
speed. When the above described apparatus is required for regulating.
the quantity of steam admitted by the throttle valve instead of the expansion
valve I make use of the shaft N, shewn in. red, in Figure 8. This shaft is
put in motion by the pinion E, and is furnished above with a screw acting
on the swivel nut N¹, supported in the forked end of a lever N³, fixed on
the spindle of the throttle valve. I wish to remark, that the combination of
parts described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 may also be applied to
regulate the speed of machines, and the machinery described in reference to
Figures 7, 8, and 9 may be used for reversing the direction of motion in
warping mills or other machines..
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the best means
with which I am acquainted for carrying it into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that I do not limit myself to the precise arrangements of parts I have
shewn, so long as the peculiar character of my Invention be retained, but
what I do claim is,-.
First, the modes herein-before. shewn and described, for supporting the
weights e, when applied to drawing frames and other machines of the like.
nature for stopping the same.
Secondly, the application of a friction pulley and differential wheels in
combination with the machinery herein-before described for moving, the
driving strap from the fast to the loose pulley when any of the slivers or
rovings with which they are supplied break or otherwise cease to be supplied.
Thirdly, the improved, machinery herein-before, described with reference
to Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, for, reversing the direction of motion in and for
regulating the speed of machines or any combination of either or both of
them.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Knowles, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of October, One thousand eight
JOHN (LS.) KNOWLES.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twelfth day of October, in the
year of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid John Knowles came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.