Year: 1885

page_text: I, NORMAN FRASER, of the firm of Douglas Fraser and Sons, Wellgate Works,
Arbroath, in the County of Forfar, North Britain, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to plaiting machinery of the kind described in the
Specification of Patent N° 2632 of 1881, and has for its object to improve parts
of the machinery and to render it capable of effecting varieties of plaiting
operations.
In carrying out the present Invention the tubes or guide arms which lead the
strands alternately above and below the shuttle or box which receives the plaited
material and moves in a circular race, are worked by links connecting them to
radial rocking shafts which have crank arms at their inner ends acted on by a
cylindrical grooved cam having a central vertical axis. The groove in the cam
surface makes two turns, crossing itself at one point, to suit the opposite move-
ments of the tubes or guide arms at alternate revolutions. There may be three or
more tubes or guide arms in the circle, or there may be three or more pairs of such
tubes or guide arms in the circle, the two of each pair turning about the same axis,
but having the arms to which the actuating links are connected placed oppositely
so that when one tube or arm moves up the other moves down and vice versa.
The shuttle or receiving box is driven by means of pinions on the upper ends of
spindles having on their lower ends pinions in gear with an internally toothed ring
turning with the cam herein before referred to.' Guide eyes or pulleys are provided
for leading a strand or combination of strands down to or up to the plaiting centre
or strands both down to and up to that centre to serve as a core for the plait to
be formed on when additional substance is required. Instead of the plaiting
strands being led through tubes they may be led through guide eyes fixed to the
arms; and these arms need not extend so far inwards towards the centre as in
the machinery described in the earlier Specification hereinbefore referred to. The
shuttle or receiving box may be fitted with a bobbin or with a cop spindle and
with mechanism for turning the same to wind up the plaited material as it is
formed.

page_text: The improved machinery is suitable for plaiting fibrous or other flexible
materials such as strands, threads, yarns, slivers, or bands, of hemp, jute, cotton,
straw or other vegetable substances, of silk, woollen, or other animal substances, of
asbestos or slag wool or similar substances, also metallic bands or wires or any
combinations of these substances.
I, NORMAN FRASER, of the firm of Douglas Fraser and Sons, Wellgate Works,
Arbroath, in the County of Forfar, North Britain, Manufacturer, 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, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to plaiting machinery of the kind described in the
Specification of Patent N° 2632 of 1881, granted to me, and has for its object
to improve parts of the machinery and to render it capable of effecting varieties of
plaiting operations.
Plaiting machinery as made with my present improvements is shown on the two
accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings, figures, 1, and 2, on sheet, 1, being
'a plan and a vertical section; whilst figures, 3, to 8, on sheet, 2, show parts and
modifications and will be hereinafter specially referred to. In these drawings the
same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts wherever they
are repeated.
The machinery shown in figures, 1, and 2, is constructed for plaiting together
three strands each strand consisting of a single thread or of any number of threads.
The strands are led through guide tubes, 11, to a central guide eye, 12, and the
plaiting is effected by vibrations of these guide tubes, 11, combined with the
continuous revolution about a vertical axis of what has been termed a shuttle
because of its passing alternately over and under the strands like the shuttle of an
ordinary loom passing alternately over and under the warp threads. The shuttle
of the plaiting machine does not however deliver weft like a weaving shuttle, but
on the contrary, receives the combined strands as they become plaited together,
being provided with mechanism for taking up the plaited material as it is produced.
In the machinery shown in the drawings a bobbin, 13, is provided upon which the

page_text: plaited material is taken up; and because of this the shuttle does not require to be
in the form of a box or hollow casing such as is shown in my earlier Specification
hereinbefore referred to. The shuttle, which term may be retained for convenience,
is now in the form of a plate, 14, carrying the bobbin, 13, the central guide-eye
piece, 12, and the take-up gearing which will be hereinafter described.
In carrying out the present Invention according to one modification the guide
tubes or arms, 11, which lead the strands alternately above and below the shuttle
plate, 14, which receives the plaited material and moves on a circular race or
guide, are worked by links, 15, connecting them to radial rocking shafts, 16, which
have crank arms, 17, at their inner ends acted on by a cylindrical grooved cam, 18,
concentric with the central vertical axis of the machine. The links, 15, have their
lower ends jointed on crank arms, 19, on the outer ends of the radial rocking
shafts, 16, and their upper ends are jointed to crank arms, 20, on rocking
shafts, 21, on which the guide tubes or arms, 11, are fixed. The upper and lower
rocking shafts, 21, 16, for each guide tube, 11, are carried in bearings in detached
standards, 22, one of which with the parts carried by it is shown separately in
figure, 5. Each strand passes through an outer guide eye, 23, in an arm fixed to
the standard, 22, and then through a slit in a pin, 24, fixed in or formed on the
end of the rocking shaft, 21, and so placed that the strand enters the slit at the
centre of the rocking shaft. After passing through the slit in the pin, 24, each
strand passes into its tube, 11. The groove in the cam surface, 18, forms two
convolutions round the cam crossing itself at one point (as shown in figure, 4;
which is a partly sectioned elevation) to suit the opposite movements of the tubes
or guide arms, 11, at alternate revolutions. Each crank arm, 17, is fitted with a
cod piece, 25, to work in the groove of the cam, 18, this cod piece being formed
with a pin which is held in an eye in the crank arm, 17, and which allows it to
turn in passing from the upper part of the groove to the lower part and vice versa
whilst its length insures its going correctly at the part where the groove crosses
itself,
The shuttle or receiving plate, 14, is driven by means of three pinions, 26,
formed on the upper ends of tubular spindles, 27, mounted on studs, 28, and
having formed on their lower ends pinions, 29, which are in gear with an internally
toothed ring, 30, formed in the same piece with the cam, 18, bereinbefore referred
to. This piece, 30, 18, is mounted upon a central vertical stud, 31, which is fixed
in the bed plate, 32, of the machine; and it is driven by means of a pair of bevil
wheels, 33, from a horizontal shaft, 34, provided with a driving pulley, 35. The
studs, 28, of the pinions, 26, 29, are fixed in a flange formed on the upper end of
the central stud, 31; and on their upper ends there is fixed by screws a circular
plate, 36, which carries and guides the shuttle plate, 14, and to which there is
fixed by a central screw a central plate, 37, made with a flange overlapping a
flange formed at the central eye of the shuttle plate, 14, so that this plate is
prevented from rising out of its place. Figure, 3, is a plan showing some of the
parts just referred to but with the shuttle plate, 14, supposed to be removed. The
plates, 36, and 37, are formed with three notches into which the strands descend,
each when the shuttle plate, 14, has to pass over it, and in figure, 4, the section is
taken as though passing through a notch on one side.
The take-up bobbin, 13, which is carried on a horizontal stud, 38, fixed to the
shuttle plate, 14, is turned by means of a pinion, 39, fixed to its inner disk and
driven by a spur-wheel, 40, on a spindle, 41, this spurwheel, 40, being driven
frictionally by means of a rubber ring, 42, which can be more or less pressed against
it by a nut screwed on the end of the spindle, 41. The spindle, 41, is driven by
means of a worm wheel, 43, fixed on it and having in gear with it a worm, 44, on
a vertical spindle, 45; and this vertical spindle, 45, is driven by means of a spur-
wheel, 46, gearing with teeth formed round the circular plate, 36, on which the
shuttle plate, 14, rests and turns. The spindles, 41, and 45, are carried by the
shuttle plate, 14; and the revolution of this plate causes the spurwheel, 46, to be

page_text: turned in consequence of being rolled round the teeth of the circular plate, 36,
which is stationary. A traverse-motion guide arm, 47, is worked by means of a
worm, 48, on the spindle, 41, of the take-up gear, this worm gearing with a worm-
wheel carried by a stud, and having fixed to it a cam, 49, which acts on a lever at
one end of a rocking spindle, 50, whilst a lever, 51, at the other end of this rocking
spindle is connected by a link, 52, to the traverse-motion guide arm, 47. The
plaited material passes as it is plaited through the central guide eye, 12, thence
round the lower one of two guide pulleys, 53, to a pulley, 54, on the end of the
horizontal spindle, 41. This pulley, 54, consists of a disk-shaped part and a
bevilled ring, the latter being fixed by a nut screwed on the end of the spindle, and
being easily changed for rings of different sizes to suit the rate of take up considered
best in each case. From the changeable pulley, 54, the plaited material returns to
one of the guide pulleys, 53, and thence proceeds by guide pulleys, 55, and 56, to
a guide pulley, 57, at the end of the traverse-motion arm, 47, which last leads it on
to the take-up bobbin, 13.
Guide eyes or pulleys may be provided for leading a strand or combination of
strands down to or up to the plaiting centre or central guide eye, 12, or strands
may be led both down to and up to that centre, in the directions indicated by the
dotted lines, 58, 59, in figure, 2, to serve as a core or cores for the plait to be
formed on when additional substance is required. For the strand or strands
passing up to the central guide eye holes may be drilled through the central
stud, 31, and through the screw which holds down the top central plate, 37.
There may be three or more tubes or guide arms (11) in the circle, or there may
be three or more pairs of such tubes or guide arms in the circle, the two of each
pair being arranged as shown in figure, 6, and turning about the same axis, but
having the crank arms, 20, to which the actuating links, 15, are connected placed
oppositely so that when one tube or arm, 11, moves up, the other moves down and
vice versa.
Figures, 7, and 8, are elevations at right angles to each other showing a modi-
fication of the parts for actuating the tubes or guide arms, 11. The crank arm, 17,
which is acted on by the cam, 18, is formed on the inner end of a tubular boss, 60,
carried on a stud fixed to the standard, 22, and this tubular boss, 60, has formed
or fixed on its other end a toothed sector, 61, which gears with a toothed sector, 62,
(taking the place of the crank arm, 20,) and fixed or formed on the rocking
shaft, 21, which carries the tube or guide arm, 11.
Instead of the strands being led through tubes, 11, they may be led through
guide eyes fixed to the arms; and these arms need not extend so far inwards
towards the centre as in the machinery described in the earlier Specification
herein before referred to. The shuttle or receiving plate may be fitted with a
bobbin as shown or with a cop spindle, and with mechanism for turning the same
to wind up the plaited material as it is formed.
The improved machinery is suitable for plaiting fibrous or other flexible materials
such as strands, threads, yarns, slivers, or bands of hemp, jute, cotton, straw, or
other vegetable substances, or silk, woolen, or other animal substances, of asbestos
or slag wool or similar substances, also metallic bands or wires, or any combinations
of these substances.
The yarns, threads, or other materials may be drawn into the plaiting machinery
in any convenient way from cops, bobbins, spools, reels or the like, or off balls or
hanks, or out of cans or other receptacles. Where each strand is composed of
several threads which have to be separate and not twisted together as in the case
of strands to be plaited to form candle wicks, the threads may be drawn separately
off cops or bobbins arranged on a frame at one side of the machine, and are by
preference passed over and under rods to receive tension, or they have tension
given to them, in any convenient way, as equally and uniformly as possible. All the
threads, or all for each strand are by preference finally passed round a single roller
by the action of which their tension is rendered very uniform.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1 The arranging or combining together of the parts of plaiting machinery
substantially in the improved manner herein before described, and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
2-The working of the tubes or guide arms which lead the strands alternately
above and below the horizontally revolving shuttle or shuttle plate by means of a
single central grooved cam acting on radial rocking shafts connected to the tubes or
guide arms by links or equivalent means substantially as herein before described.
3-The arranging of pairs of the tubes or guide arms substantially in the
manner hereinbefore described with reference to figure, 6, of the accompanying
drawings.
4-The driving of the shuttle plate or plait receiver by means of pinions and
internally toothed rings arranged substantially as hereinbefore described.
5-The fitting of the shuttle plate or plait receiver with a bobbin or cop
spindle to wind up the plaited material and mechanism for actuating the same
substantially as hereinbefore described.
6-Combining cores with the plaited material by means substantially such as
are hereinbefore indicated.