IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FUSES, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Frederick James, of Salford, in the
County of Lancaster, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FUSES, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED
THEREIN.
"
'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Frederick
James at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 1st August 1872.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK JAMES, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for ." IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FUSES, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED
THEREIN," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in coating the core of a fuse with two or more
coverings of yarn and tape; or of yarn, or tape, or alternate layers of yarn
and tape, the whole being performed at one operation by self-acting
machinery, instead of being done at separate times as heretofore.
The machinery consists of a creel supporting the bobbins on which
the yarns forming the core of the fuse are wound, and the bobbins for

page_text: the yarn which is carried through the hopper to facilitate the delivery
of the gunpowder or other explosive compound; also of two or more
revolving discs carrying the bobbins on which the yarn or tape is wound,
which yarns or tape are paid round the centre core of the fuse alter-
nately in opposite directions to give it additional strength, and to
prevent the escape of the gunpowder or other explosive compound.
The bobbins containing the yarn or tape that is wrapped round the core
are acted upon by springs to prevent them overrunning.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Frederick James in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
FREDERICK JAMES, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Frederick James, Her special
licence that I, the said George Frederick James, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Frederick James,
my executors, 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,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FUSES, AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Frederick
James, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing,
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
"

page_text: the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and im-
mediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Frederick James, 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) :-
My Invention consists in coating the core of a fuse with two or more
coverings of yarn and tape, or of yarn, or tape, or alternate layers of yarn.
and tape, or with wire; the whole being performed at one operation
by self-acting machinery, instead of being done at separate times as
heretofore.
The machinery consists of a creel supporting the bobbins on which
the yarns forming the core of the fuse are wound, and two or more.
discs with bobbins for the yarn, tape, or wire forming the covering of
the fuse.
:
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily.
carried in operation, I will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation; Fig. 2, a section;
Fig. 3, a plan of the upper part; and Fig. 4, a plan of the lower part of
my improved machinery for manufacturing fuses.
a, a, are the frame sides which are connected together by the top
stay and by the plates c and d. In the centre of the plate c is fixed
the hollow stud c¹ supporting the disc e, in which are fixed six or other.
convenient number of skewers or studs for the bobbins e¹ on which the
yarn, tape, or wire is wound, forming the first covering of the fuse,
and the plate d is also provided with a hollow stud d¹ for supporting
the disc, which is provided with skewers for the bobbins f¹ containing
the yarn, tape, or wire forming the second covering of the fuse.
I wish to remark here that although I have only shewn two discs
with bobbins, I do not intend to limit myself to that number, as three
or even more sets of bobbins may be employed to increase the number
of layers of yarn, tape, or wire that is wound on the fuse; but in all
cases it is necessary that the dises should revolve alternately in contrary
directions.
The funnel 9 contains the gunpowder or other explosive compound
forming the centre of the fuse, this funnel is supported by the angle

page_text: bracket g which can be set to any required height, and is a guide
placed below the spout of the funnel and fixed to the bracket h¹, the
height of which can also be regulated by a set screw, as shewn.
The yarns forming the core of the fuse are wound on bobbins i, i,
supported in the creel j which is fixed near to the machine, as shewn
in Fig. 2. The yarn from the upper bobbins is taken through a guide
in the frame side and thence into the hopper g; these yarns pass through
the gunpowder or other explosive compound and assist in carrying it
forward into the centre of the fuse, and the yarn from the other bobbins
of the creel after passing through holes in a guide plate fixed to the
frame side are taken through holes in the circumference of the small
plate g² fixed to the spout of the funnel, and then through the taper
hole in the guide h. The yarns forming the centre of the fuse are
distributed evenly around the gunpowder or other explosive compound
by the holes in the plate g³, and after passing together through the
guide h they are bound together by the yarns, tapes, or wires from the
bobbins e', which are guided by the wires e³ in passing from the bobbins
to the core of the fuse, the fuse thus partially made then passes down
the hollow stud c', and before it arrives at the hollow stud d' it is
covered in the same manner but in the contrary direction by the yarns,
tapes, or wires on the second set of bobbins f¹, and from thence it
passes to the third or more sets when more that two sets are employed.
In order to give the required drag or friction to the bobbins e¹ and ƒ¹,
each bobbin is provided with a spring f², see Fig. 4, which acts on the
surface of the lower part of the bobbin. The fuse after leaving the
second or last set of bobbins is taken under the guide rollers / and 1,
then over the roller m, from which it is taken one or more times round
the drum n, the surface of which is roughened to draw the fuse through
the machine. After leaving the roller m or drum n the fuse is wound
on the bobbin o, which is driven by the friction of the roller o³. The
fuse is wound evenly over the surface of the bobbin by the guide o¹,
which is connected to the double screw o² by a T shaped pin, or in any
other convenient manner.
The requisite motion is given to the various parts of the machine
from the driving shaft p, on which is the pulley p¹ which by a twisted
strap gives motion to the short shaft q, and on this shaft is a pulley q¹
for driving the pulley 3, which is fast on the boss of the disc f which

page_text: supports the lower set of bobbins f¹. On the driving shaft p is also
fixed a mitre pinion for driving the upright shaft r, on which is a
pulley ¹ for driving the pulley e² keyed on the boss of the upper disc e
with the bobbins e¹. To the upper end of the shaft r is fixed a worm 7.2
for driving the drum n, around which the fuse is wound, and by which
it is drawn through the machine. On the driving shaft p is also fixed
a pulley which by means of a strap gives motion to the friction roller o³
by which the bobbin o is driven, and the bobbin imparts motion to the
double screw by a strap or band and pulleys.
By means of these improvements the core of the fuse with the
explosive compound in the centre is covered with two or more layers
of yarn, tape, or wire, and the finished fuse is wound on a bobbin at one
operation, thereby effecting a great saving in the space required for the
machine, and greatly increasing the production.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described a con-
venient manner of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that
the number of yarns forming the core of the fuse, and the number of
bobbins containing the yarn, tape, or wire for the coverings, and the
gearing for driving the same may be considerably varied. I must also
remark that I do not claim the use of one revolving disc with bobbins
of yarn or tape for applying the first covering to the core of the fuse,
as such a disc has before been used for that purpose; but what I do
claim is the use of two or more discs with bobbins of yarn, tape, or wire,
for applying two or more coverings to the cores of fuses in succession, as
shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Frederick James, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of January, One