IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES AND TWINERS FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM HENRY RHODES of Rainforth Street, Dickenson Road, Longsight in
the County of Lancaster, Machinist do hereby declare the nature of my Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES AND TWINERS FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON
AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES to be as follows :-
This invention relates to that class of machinery used in spinning and doubling
cotton and other fibrous materials known as "self-acting mules" and "twiners,"
the objects of the invention being to lessen (by about one half) the distance over
which the spindle carriage has to travel, and consequently to diminish in a
corresponding degree the labor of the attendant. I propose in consequence to call
my improved apparatus a "Semi-mule or a "Semi-twiner" as the case may be.
The headstock of the mule or twiner with its rim shaft and other appliances are
constructed and arranged in the usual manner.
"
The spindle carriage and spindles are also constructed and actuated in the
ordinary way.
•
The roller beam with the drawing rollers and creel are also supported at intervals
upon frames or spring-pieces as usual, but instead of the feet of these spring-pieces
being fixed to the floor, the lower part of each spring-piece is extended in the form
of a long foot or bridge, raised some inches above the floor and supported at each
end on a wheel or roller running along a rail fixed to the floor.
Underneath this extended foot or bridge, and also underneath the frame of the
carriage is a horizontal shaft running parallel to the carriage and mounted in fixed
bearings attached to the floor. This shaft is actuated by suitable gearing connected
to and driven by the rim-shaft on the headstock.
'
On this horizontal shaft are fixed a series of spur-wheels or pinions (one to each
spring-piece) each gearing with a toothed rack fixed to the extended foot of the
spring-piece, so that as this shaft revolves first in one direction and then in the
other, it causes all the spring-pieces (and with them the roller beam and creel) to
move alternately outwards from, and inwards to, the headstock.
The driving mechanism above referred to is so arranged that the spindle carriage
and the roller beam travel simultaneously in opposite directions; that is to say, as

page_text: the spindle carriage approaches the roller beam when winding on the yarn, the
roller beam also at the same time comes forward to meet it; and as the carriage
recedes in spinning or twisting, the roller beam recedes also from the carriage at
the same speed.
It will be evident that by these means the spindle carriage will only be required
to move half the usual distance for each "stretch" and consequently the attendant
will only have to travel half the distance to and fro for piecing, and hence the labor
of attending to a pair of mules or twiners will be greatly reduced. In addition to
which only half the time will be occupied by cach "stretch" and hence both
labor and time are economized, and at the same time the production will be
proportionably increased.
Dated this fourth day of January 1884.

page_text: I WILLIAM HENRY RHODES of Rainforth Street Dickinson Road Longsight in
the County of Lancaster Machinist do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES AND TWINERS FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON
AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES 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 to that class of machinery used in spinning and doubling
cotton and other fibrous materials known as "self-acting mules" and "twiners
the objects of the invention being to lessen (by about one half) the distance over
which the spindle carriage has to travel, and consequently to diminish in a
corresponding degree the labor of the attendant.
I propose in consequence to call my improved apparatus a "semi-mule" or
"semi-twiner" as the case may be.
Such being the nature and object of my said invention I will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be performed or carried into
practical effect and in order that the same may be clearly understood I have
annexed hereunto a sheet of drawings illustrative thereof and have marked the
same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof.
Fig 1. in the annexed drawing is a plan view and Fig. 2 an elevation of so much
of a self-acting mule as is necessary to illustrate the application of my invention
thereto.
a, a, is the end framing of the headstock and b, b is the spindle carriage.
The headstock a, a with its rim shaft c, c and other appliances are constructed
and arranged in the ordinary manner, except as hereinafter mentioned.
The spindle carriage b, b and spindles are also constructed and actuated in the
ordinary way.
The roller beam d, d with the drawing rollers e, e and the creel f, f are also
supported at intervals upon frames or spring pieces g, g as usual, but instead of the
feet of these spring pieces being fixed to the floor, the lower part of each spring-
piece is extended in the form of a long foot or bridge g*. g* raised some inches
above the floor, and supported at each end on a wheel or roller h, h running along
a rail i, i fixed to the floor. Underneath this foot or bridge g*, g* and also
underneath the frame b, b of the carriage is a horizontal shaft kk running parallel
to the carriage b, b and mounted in fixed bearings attached to the floor.
This shaft k, k is driven by the following means-On the inner end of the rim
shaft is a spur pinion m which by means of spur gearing n, n drives a bevel
wheel o, o which by the train of gearing p, p drives an inclined shaft q, q at the
lower end of which is a friction cone 1, 2 which when in gear drives the shaft k, k
by a pair of bevel wheels 7, r.
This cone is thrown into and out of gear at the proper intervals by the cam
sbaft.
On the horizontal shaft k, are fixed a series of spur wheels or pinions 8, 8 (one
to each spring piece) each gearing with a toothed rack t, t fixed to the extended
foot g*, gx of the spring piece so that as this shaft revolves first in one direction
and then in the other (as hereafter described) it causes all the spring pieces g, g and
with them the roller beam d, and creel ƒ, to move alternately outwards from and
inwards to the headstock a, a.
The end pieces u, u sliding on the headstock and carrying the ends of the roller
beam c, d are also provided with racks t*, t* in which gears spur pinions **,
8*

page_text: driven also from the shaft k, k by means of the upright shaft v, vand mitre
wheels l
In the drawing the spindle carriage b, b and the roller beam d, d are represented
at their nearest point as they would be on the completion of the winding on.
Just before the spindle carriage b, b commences to go out, the friction cone 1, 7 is
thrown into gear, and the worin x, x fixed on the shaft k, k (see Fig. 1) winds up
the cords w, w attached to the spindle carriage (one near each end) and at the
same time the pinions 8 s acting on the racks t, t cause them to move the roller
beam d, d simultaneously outwards in the opposite direction away from the spindle
carriage b, b, at the same time that the cord w, w¹ is unwound from its worm x', 1
which effects the "squaring" of the carriage.
"
When the spindle carriage b, b and the roller beam d, d have reached the end of
their "stretch as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. as the spindle carriage b, b
commences to return to "wind on" the friction cone 1, 1 is thrown out of gear
simultaneously with the stopping of the drawing rollers, and the pull of the spindle
carriage on the cords w, w will cause them to unwind from their worms x, x and so
turn the shaft k, k round in the reverse direction and by means of the pinions 8, 8
and racks t, t will move the roller beam d, d back to meet the spindle carriage b, b.
The spur pinion y, y for actuating the drawing rollers slides (with the roller
beam) along a feather on the shaft z, z.
Thus it will be evident that the driving mechanism above described is so
arranged that the spindle carriage b, b and roller beam d, d travel simultaneously
in opposite directions: that is to say, as the spindle carriage approaches the roller
beam, when winding on the yarn, the roller beam also at the same time comes
forward to meet it and as the spindle carriage recedes in spinning or twisting, the
roller beam recedes also from the carriage at the same speed.
And by these means the spindle carriage will only be required to move half the
usual distance for each "stretch" and consequently the attendant will only have to
travel half the distance to-and-fro for piccing, and hence the laber of attending to a
pair of mules or twiners will be greatly reduced.
In addition to which a shorter time will be occupied by each "stretch," and
bence both labor and time are economized and at the same the production will be
proportionately increased.
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 first
The particular construction and arrangement of mechanism whereby the spindle
carriage and the roller beam of a mule or twiner are caused to approach to, and to
recede from, each other simultaneously in a horizontal direction, substantially in
the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth and described and illustrated
by the drawings annexed and Secondly I claim the horizontal shaft, fitted with
toothed pinions 8, 8 and worms x, x in combination with the movable roller
beam d, a fitted with toothed racks t, t.
Dated this 3rd day of October 1884