and other similar manufactures.
Year: 1886

page_text: and other similar manufactures.
I THOMAS CRITCHLEY BARRACLOUGH of Upper Chorlton Road, Whalley Range
Manchester in the County of Lancaster 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 relates particularly to that class of machines used in making
"Interlocked cord or rope" in which the yarns forming the strands are changed
from one strand to another in the process of twisting thereby interlocking the strands
with each other.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1. shews a front, elevation of the improved
machine. Fig. 2. shews on a larger scale a vertical section of the operating part
of the machine excepting the take-up motion taken through the line ab. in Fig. 3.
Fig. 3. is a top view of the plate A. shewing the spool carriers partly in section.
Fig. 4. is a top view of the plate B. shewing the lower disc b. and radial plate g. that
supports them.
In all the views A. is an annular plate made with gear teeth o. o. on its inner edge
which teeth are at certain intervals substituted by inverted V. shaped projections
numbered 1 to 9. The plate B. (Fig. 4.) is made like the plate A. except that instead
of having gear teeth it has V. shaped notches made on its inner edge at certain
intervals agreeing with the points or projections 1 to 9 in plate A (Fig. 3.). The
two plates A. B. are secured to each other at a certain distance apart by means of
studs or bolts and the top plate A. is fastened at each side to the standards a. b.
extending up from the table C. A round opening nearly the size of the plates A. B.
is made directly under the plates in the table C. and concentric with them
(see Fig. 2.). A bar d. is placed across this opening in the table C. and fastened to

page_text: the table at each end. A hole in the middle of this bar forms a bearing for the
hollow shaft f. which also has another bearing on the bar e² below. A plate g;
consisting of a centre and three radial arms equi-distant from each other is secured
to the hollow shaft f. and a bevil gear h. is also made fast to the same shaft below the
bar d. for the purpose of driving it. A hollow vertical stud 1. is secured in the end
of each arm of the plate g. and two discs a¹ b' are fitted to turn on the top of each of
these studs. The discs a¹ b' are made fast to each other at the same distance apart
that the plates A. B. are and the upper disc a' of each pair has gear teeth made in its
periphery agreeing with the teeth o. o. in the plate A. The studs l. l. are so placed in
the arms of the plate g. that the teeth of the disc a' shall engage and run in the teeth
of the plate A. The lower disc b¹ of each pair is made just large enough to have its
periphery meet the inner edge of the plate B. and has V. shaped notches made in
its edge agreeing with the notches e¹e in the plate B. A guide plate N. is made
fast to the hollow shaft f. at such a distance from its top that the plate will come
about midway between the plates A. B. in height. The plate N. has semi-circular
openings made in it agreeing with the discs a' and is placed so that such openings,
which are larger than the disc, shall be concentric with them. The improved spool
carrier used in the plates and discs consists of a centre piece shewn in section in
Fig. 2. one side of which where it comes between the plate A. and disc a¹ is made in
the shape of one of the teeth of the plate A. and is recessed in on the opposite side so
as to fit on one of the inverted V. shaped points 1. 2. &c. of the plate A. and when in
position serves as a tooth of that plate as seen in Fig. 3. in which some of the
carriers are shewn in section just above the plate A. When the carrier leaves the
point in the plate and goes around a disc it fits closely between two of the teeth as
seen in Fig. 3. That part of the carrier which stands between the plates A. B. is
made round and has a friction roll j. (Fig. 2.) fitted to turn on it and run against
the edge of the guide plate N. and the dogs v. v¹. Below the friction roll j. the
carrier centre is made diamond shape to fill the spaces made when the V. shaped
notches e in the plate B. and the disc 6 come together (see Fig. 4.). A cross bar t.
is attached to the carrier centre just below the plate B at one end of which is a
spindle r. to hold the spool p. and at the other end of the bar a small rod y. is placed
to hold a tension device. A small hole is made in the lower end of the rod y. through
which the thread s¹ passes from the spool p. and another hole near the upper end of
the rod which guides the thread after it has passed the tension device to the hole
through the centre of the carrier (see Fig. 2. in section). On the top of the carrier
is a device for taking up the slack made in the thread between the top of the carrier
and the finished cord when the carrier leaves the plate A. and passes in around one
of the discs a¹. It consists of an arm c¹ attached to the carrier just above the plate A.
on the outer end of which a lever i. is pivoted near its centre. One end of this lever
is made just long enough to swing through a notch made in one side of the carrier
so that when the end of the lever is in the notch a hole in its end will agree with the
hole through the centre of the carrier. An involute spring 9. (Fig. 2.) is put on the
pivot of the lever i. under the arm c¹. The inner end of the spring is made fast to
the pivot and the outer end is held by the hub of arm c¹. The head of the pivot has
ratchet teeth cut in it into which a pawl c (Fig. 3.) pivoted to the lever i. catches to
hold it. This arrangement is for the purpose of increasing or lessening the tension of
the spring by winding it up on the pivot or unwinding it. The tension of the
spring q. exerted through the pivot and pawl c. causes the perforated end of the
lever i. to swing away from the carrier centre and draw out any slack of the thread
made above the carrier. A stud d' is put on the underside of the end of the
lever i. to bear against the cam plate a' which is fastened to the top of the stud 1.
and is so shaped as to give a positive tension on the thread by moving the lever i.
more or less at any particular point in the course of the carrier around the disc a'.
The guide plate N. has a pair of dogs v.v¹ for each pair of discs a' b₁ pivoted to
it to govern the course of the carriers. The dogs serve to lengthen out the
curved points of the plate N. to support the carriers in the plates A. B. and discs a¹¹.
The dogs v. v. change the courses of the carriers from the plates A. B. to the

page_text: discs a¹¹. A plate F consisting of three prongs is placed loosely in the shaft f.
and lies on the top of the plate N. (see Fig. 3.). The ends of the prongs are forked
and one part of each fork lies, back of the end of one of the dogs v. whilst the other
part of each fork projects over the edge of the plate N. towards the disc a¹ so as to be
pushed back when a carrier passes it, and operate the dog v. in one direction by the
other part of the fork. The dogs v. are operated in the other direction by the
carrier pushing against the inner ends of the dogs as they pass by them. The
position of the dogs when it is desired to twist the cord in the other direction is
changed by putting the dogs v. in the places of the dogs and the latter in the
places of the dogs v. and both the dogs and plate F. are turned the other side up.
Any of the "feed" or "take-up" motions for braiding or cordage machines
may be used with the mechanism above described. The one shewn in the drawings
consists of a horizontal shaft R. held in bearings on the upper ends of the standards
a b. to which shaft is secured the grooved pulley o' placed on the middle of the
shaft so that its front edge will be over the centre of the plate A. A vertical shaft
J. connects the shaft R. with the driving shaft L. by means of the bevil gears ; at
the top of the shaft J. and a worm gear fast on the lower end of the same shaft
which engages with a worm secured to the driving shaft L. When the carriers are
not between the plate A. B. and the discs a¹¹ they are held in their places between
the teeth of the discs a' or on the points of the plate A. by the friction rolls j.j
(Fig. 2.) which bear against the edge of the plate N. and also against the dogs v. v
where the plate N. does not reach. This plate N. where it partly surrounds the
disc a' supports the friction roll for the same purpose.
y.
To operate the machine the spools of thread p. p. are placed on the carrier spindles
and the threads s¹ carried through the hole in the lower end of the bar
thence up
over the tension device through a hole in the upper part of the same bar to a holo up
through the centre of the carrier. The thread passes through the hole in the lever i.
near the top of the carrier and from the top of the carrier to the centre up over the
hollow shaft f. where being joined together they are carried up around the grooves in
pulley o' and off to a reel. Motion is then given to the upright shaft f. through the
driving shaft L. and the bevil gears h. h by a belt on the pulleys T. With the shaft f.
revolves the plate g. carrying the studs 1. 1. with the discs a¹ b'also the plate Ñ.
carrying the dogs v. v¹ and the plate F.
As the discs a revolve around the common centre in the direction shewn by the
arrows on plate N. their teeth engaging in the teeth of the stationary plate A. causes
them to revolve in the direction shewn by the arrows in the discs a¹. This causes the
discs a¹ to transfer the carriers from one point in the plate A. to another point in the
same plate one third of the circle away each carrier in this transfer passing inside of
two others. As all the discs operate in a precisely similar manner one only is taken
for description in order that the action may be more readily understood.
Referring to Figs. 2. and 3, the carrier that was on the point 9. of plate A. is shewn
in the disc a' and as its friction roll j. presses against the tail of the dog v. it causes
the other end of the same dog to move over towards the disc a¹ and keep the carrier
at the point I on the plate A, which has just been around the disc in the plate A.
When the carrier in the disc al has reached the opposite side its roll will press against
the prongs of the plate F. on that side and push it back causing the other part of the
prong to push the tail of the dog v. towards the disc a¹ and move the other end of the
dog under the plate A. as shewn by the dotted lines. By this time the disc a¹ by
revolving around the common centre will have arrived opposite the point 2 in plate Å
and the dog in the position just described and shewn by the dotted lines will
transfer the carrier on point 2 from the plate A to the disc a' and when this last
carrier has arrived at this place in the disc that occupied by the carrier from the
point 9 this latter carrier will be deposited at point 3 in like manner to the carrier at
point 1 already described.
The dogs serve as extensions to the points of the guide plate N. for when a
carrier in a disc a' comes to one of these dogs the friction roll simply pushes it back
so that the curve of its inner edge becomes a continuation of the circle of the plate N.

page_text: around the disc and being held in this position by a pin in a recess at its end it holds
the carrier up firmly to the disc until it reaches the plate A. after which it is held in
the plate A. by the outer curve of the dog v. until it is reached by the plate N.
When the plate N. has passed and another of the dogs v¹ reaches the carrier the dog
is pushed in until the curve of its outside forms a continuation of the outer circle
of the plate N. and in this position holds the carrier firmly in the plate A. until the
disc a' reaches it.
It will be seen by this that the carriers are held firmly at all times either on the
points in the plate A. and notches in the plate B. or in the discs a¹ 61 by their friction
rolls resting against the edge of the guide plate N. or the dogs v. v. The greatest
difficulty to be overcome in machinery for this purpose is to obtain the necessary
tension on the threads forming the strands without increasing the strain on the spool
carrier so as to interfere with its freedom of motion and consequently with the speed
of the machine. By placing the spools below the points of supports of the carrier
and bringing the delivery of the thread from the carrier down nearly to the plate that
supports it and by putting a friction roll on the carrier to run against the plate N.
and dogs as aforesaid, this difficulty is entirely overcome and I am enabled to apply
all the tension on the thread up to its breaking point without interfering with the
motion or speed of the carriers.
By means of the lever i. and spring q. the slack of the thread when the carrier
passes in around the disc a' is quickly taken up at the highest speed for light work
and for heavy work the cam plate a will operate the lever i. so as to take up the slack
and keep a positive equal strain on the thread at all times and the tension may be
increased at any point if desired by increasing the size of the cam at that place. The
outward motion of the dogs v. is made positive by the plate F thereby avoiding one
of the uncertainties which limit the speed of machines having springs to move the
dogs in one direction. The shape and position of the carrier when on one of the
points in the plate A. is the same as that of one of the solid teeth of that plate and it
serves as such being held in place by the point and also prevented turning by the
diamond shape of the part held between the plate B. and disc b¹ in the V. shaped
notches (see Fig. 4).
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this Invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as my
improvements in machinery for the manufacture of cords and ropes &c, is
1st. The employment of an independent spool carrier having the spindle which
holds the spool placed below the point at which the carrier is held and operated
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2nd. The combination with a spool carrier of the arm c, lever i, pivot h¹ and
spring q. substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
3rd. The combination of the spool carrier, arm c, lever i, cam plate a² and stud l.
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
4th The combination of the plates N, F, dogs v. v and spool carrier with the
plate A. dises a¹ and studs b. all mounted and operating substantially as herein-
before described.
5th. The improved arrangement and construction of spool carrier shaped on one
side at the place where the plate A. holds it like a tooth of that plate and having an
inverted V. shaped recess in its opposite side in combination with the plate A. having
teeth cut away to fit the said inverted V. shaped recesses, disc a¹ and studs
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
JOHN G. WILSON,
Agent for the Applicant.