IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS TO BE SPUN
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Ward, of Blackburn, and Rhodes Greenwood,
of Whittle-le-Woods, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING FIBROUS
MATERIALS TO BE SPUN."
Sealed the 10th October 1861, and dated the 12th April 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Ward and
Rhodes Greenwood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 12th April 1861.
We, JOSEPH WARD, of Blackburn, and RHODES GREENWOOD, of Whittle-
le-Woods, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING
FIBROUS MATERIALS TO BE SPUN," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to self-acting stop-motions for the carding engine and
the drawing frame. At the front part of the carding engine we attach a,
horizontal lever to the barrow shaft by means of a chain and pully. At the
opposite end of the said horizontal lever we fix a vertical rod to the height of
the drawing rollers, over the top of which rod the sliver passes, keeping it in.
its proper position, but if the sliver or a portion of it breaks, the vertical rod
is set at liberty, and rises up, thereby acting upon the horizontal lever,
and communicating motion to the barrow shaft, and stop the doffer and feed.
rollers. We place a sliding weight on the horizontal lever, by which we can
regulate the amount of pressure to the vertical rod to the strength of the

page_text: sliver. To the drawing frame we attach a cross lever to the framing under
the roller beam, which cross lever passes under the roller beam to the back of
the frame; at the end of this cross lever we fix a vertical rod slightly bent or
turned over, which the sliver passes to the tube leading to the can or coiler.
We adjust the fulerum of the said cross shaft so as to make it very sensitive
or casily acted upon, so that if the sliver or a part of it breaks, the cross lever
is liberated, and acts upon the eccentric spoon-motion shaft, and stops the
motion of the frame.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Ward and Rhodes Greenwood in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 12th October 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
WARD, of Blackburn, and RHODES GREENWOOD, of Whittle-le-Woods, in the
County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Iler
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Joseph Ward and Rhodes Greenwood, Her special licence that we, the
said Joseph Ward and Rhodes Greenwood, our executors, administrators,"
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Joseph Ward and Rhodes Green-
wood, our 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 MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR PREPARING FIBROUS MATERIALS TO BE SPUN," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Joseph Ward and Rhodes Greenwood,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Joseph Ward and Rhodes Green-
wood, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer
tained in and by the following statement (that is to say):--
This Invention relates to self-acting stop motions for the carding engine
and drawing frame. At the front part of the carding engine we attach a
horizontal lever to the barrow shaft or lever, by means of a chain and pulley
in connection with a catch. At the opposite end of the said horizontal lever
there is fixed a vertical rod to the height of the drawing rollers, over the top
of which rod the sliver passes, and keeps the horizontal lever in one position,
but if the sliver or a portion of it breaks, the vertical rod is set at liberty, and
rises up, bringing with it that end of the lever to which it is connected, and
depressing the other end, which, by means of the chain, relieves the catch, and
allows the barrow shaft to be lowered, so as to stop the doffer and feed rollers.
On the horizontal lever there is a weight, which can be shifted to and fro as
desired in order to regulate the amount of pressure given to the vertical rod
according to the strength of the sliver. To the drawing frame we attach a
number of cross levers working on studs or fulcrums fixed to the beam of the
framing. There is one cross lever to each can or coiler, and its fulcrum is
adjusted so as to make it very sensitive or easily acted upon. The said cross
lever passes under the drawing rollers to the back of the frame, and has a
chain and weight connected to it, and its other end is bent or shaped so that
it may press against the front or back of the sliver in its passage to the
calender rollers above the can or coiler. To the eccentric shaft we fix an arm
or projection at such distance from the weighted end of the lever that the two
can come in contact, unless prevented by the sliver holding the lever. If the
sliver or a part of it breaks the lever is liberated, and acts by means of the
weight upon the aforesaid arm or projection, and holds the eccentric shaft,
which thereby stops the motion of the frame in the usual manner.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which Figs. 1 and 2
are front and side elevations of part of a carding engine having our improved.
mechanism for stopping the doffer and feed rollers if a sliver should break;
and Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged views of detached parts; Fig. 5 is a transverse
section of part of an ordinary drawing frame having our improvements
attached; and Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are enlarged views of detached parts.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, the barrow shaft or lever is represented at a, and
jointed to it is a short lever b, formed as at c with a step or detent, which rests
upon the support or projection & when the pinion e, Figs. 1 and 2, is in gear
with the doffer wheelf, for giving motion to the drawing rollers g. To the
short lever b, and consequently with the barrow lever a, there is connected by

page_text: the chain a horizontal lever i, having at the end a vertical rod j, which is
bent, as at k, in order to clear the shaft 7, the top of the rod being between the
drawing rollers g and under the sliver m as it passes onwards to the coiler n.
On the horizontal lever there is the balance weight o, which can be shifted as
required, and held fast by a set screw. The lever i is so balanced that the
pressure of the sliver upon it maintains it in one position, but if the sliver or a
portion of it breaks, the vertical rod j is set at liberty, and rises up, bringing
with it that end of the lever to which it is connected, and depressing the other
end, which, by means of the chain, acts upon the short lever b, and pulls back
the step or detent c from the projection d, and thereby allows the barrow shaft
or lever to fall down, and bring the pinion out of gear with the doffer wheel,
and stops the doffer and feed rollers, and thereby prevents any waste; this
self-acting mechanism performing an operation which has hitherto been done
by hand. When required the vertical rod j is held down by the catch or
holder. This arrangement may be modified by causing the sliver to keep
up the vertical rod instead of holding it down, and thus reverse the action of
the horizontal lever, in which case the weight would be placed on the opposite
side of the fulcrum, and the end of the lever opposite to the vertical rod con-
nected to the short lever b. If the sliver should break, the vertical rod is
lowered, and the other end of the lever raised, which lifts the short lever b,
pulls back the step or detent from the projection, and allows the barrow lever
to be lowered.
In Fig. 5, representing our improvements in the drawing frame, p is one of
the end frames of the machine; 7, the drawing rollers; , the beam or table;
s, the eccentric shaft; t, the calender rollers; and u, the can or coiler. In
order to stop the motion of the frame when a sliver breaks, we employ for
each sliver a cross lever v, shewn enlarged in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, working on
the pin or fulcrum w fixed to the beam r, and passing under the drawing
rollers to the back of the frame, where it is connected to the weight a by the
chain y passing over a guide pulley. The other end of this cross lever is bent
or curved upwards and sideways, as at , and its extreme end is shaped as
at a', so that it may press against the front of the sliver which passes against
it in its passage to the calender rollers above the can or coiler u. To the
eccentric shaft s is fixed a projection or arm b', of such length that the
weighted end of the lever can come in contact with it and hold it fast, unless
prevented, there being one arm or projection for each cross lever. When
there is no breakage, the sliver holds back the lever, and prevents any contact
with the projection, but if the sliver or a portion of it breaks, the weight pulls
the lever against the arm or projection, and holds the eccentric shaft, and stops

page_text: the frame in the usual manner. The fulcrum of the cross lever is placed in
any desired position, and the weight varied, so as to adjust this self-acting
movement to slivers of any degree of fineness. It is evident that the form of
the bend of cross lever depends on which side of the sliver the fulcrum is
placed, if it is opposite to that shewn in Fig. 7, then the curves or bends are
reversed. Instead of causing the cross lever to press against the front of the
sliver, as shewn in the Figures, it may be made to press against the back of
the sliver, in which case the positions of the weight connected to the lever and
the arm or projection on the eccentric shaft are arranged accordingly.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be
understood that we claim as our Invention, and which to the best of our
knowledge and belief has not been bitherto used within the realm, the
improved self-acting stop motions for the carding engine and the drawing
frame, as berein described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Joseph Ward and Rhodes Greenwood,
have hereunto set our bands and seals, this Tenth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
RHODES GREENWOOD. (L.S.)
Witness to the signature of the said
Joseph Ward,
JOSEPH SCHORAHI.
Witness to the signature of the said
Rhodes Greenwood,
E. J. HUGHES, Patent Agent,
Manchester.