IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SPINNING ROPE YARNS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Wilson, of Belfast, and James Barbour, of Belfast,
in the County of Antrim, Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINES FOR SPINNING ROPE YARNS."
ealed the 10th July 1877, and dated the 11th January 1877.
'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Wilson and James
Barbour at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th January
1877.
SAMUEL WILSON, of Belfast, and JAMES BARBOUR, of Belfast, in the County of
Antrim, Ireland. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SPINNING ROPE YARNS."
This Invention consists of a series of improvements in what are known as
horizontal spindled spinners for rope yarns, wherein the sliver to be drawn and
twisted is fed over chain gills to which a variable motion is given according to the
thickness of the material under treatment.
The usual method of controlling the motion of the gill sheet is by condensing the
sliver as it leaves the gill sheet by rollers or tubes, and the thickness of the sliver
therein regulates the speed of the feeding or gill sheet. This is defective inasmuch
as the irregularity in the sliver must have passed from the varying speed gill sheet.
into the rollers or gauging tube before the alteration is made to correct it, the means
we employ for this purpose being a set of feeding rollers to supply the sliver to the
gill sheet, and to these feeding rollers a varying speed is given according to the
thickness of the material between them by means of a differential wheel, cones, or
other suitable mechanism. By this arrangement an uniform speed of sheet is
obtained and so a regular supply of sliver to the flyer to be twisted is obtained.
For this purpose we use a flyer with hauling pullies instead of drawing rollers, and
to prevent the twist running on to the gills on the feed chain we introduce a
peculiar contrivance that lays the fibres as they are being twisted and imitates with
increased efficiency the action of the hand spinner. This is done by passing the
sliver through a pair of racks with a groove cut in the direction of their
length or across the teeth; these racks intersect each other, and the two
grooves in the opposite teeth form a sort of irregular tube down the centre through
which the fibre being twisted passes, the upper rack or intercepter being pressed into
the spaces of the lower or fixed rack by a weight, or weight and lever, the twisting
point of the yarn always being between these intersecting racks or intercepters,
D...All

page_text: and so a smooth and round yarn is obtained comparatively free from "hairs” and
with a brilliant surface.
The variation in the drag on the bobbin is done by a tension pulley on the drag
belt, which tension pulley or pullies are changed in position according to the
diameter of the bobbin on which the yarn is being wound.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Samuel Wilson and James Barbour in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th July 1877.
SAMUEL WILSON, of Belfast, and JAMES BARBOUR, of Belfast, in the County of
Antrim, Ireland. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SPINNING ROPE YARNS,"
This Invention consists of a series of improvements in what are known as
horizontal spindle spinners for rope yarns, wherein the sliver to be drawn and
twisted is fed over chain gills to which a variable or intermittent motion has
hitherto been given according to the thickness of the material supplied thereto.
Our Invention relates,―
Firstly. To the obtaining of the result commonly secured by varying the speed of
the gill sheet by the use of driving gear which will enable us to vary the speed of
the rollers which supply the fibres to the sheet.
Secondly. To the use in place of drawing rollers set between the gill sheet and
the flyer of an "interceptor" of peculiar construction for preventing the twist
imparted to the yarn by the flyer from running back to the fibres on the gills.
Thirdly. To the use of an adjustable tension pulley travelling with the drag
pulley on the bobbin socket for regulating the drag upon the bobbin.
The manner in which these improvements are carried out will be understood
from the following description, reference being had to the Drawing annexed, in
which the same figures and letters of reference always apply to the same parts.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation shewing the general arrangement of the improved
machine wherein expanding conical pullies are used for varying the twist and draft
given to the material.
Fig. 1 shews the application of the tension pulley to the drag belt.
Fig. 3 shews the arrangement for varying the speed of the feed rollers, and
Figures 4, 5, and 6 are details of the interceptor, Fig. 4 being a view of the end
next the flyer, Fig. 5 a longitudinal section through the centre, and Fig. 6 a front
view with the conductor or bell-mouthed tube removed.
.
To vary the speed of the feed rollers a that supply the sliver or untwisted fibre
to the gill sheet b which as before stated runs at an uniform speed we drive the
feed rollers from this gill sheet through a system of gearing technically known as a
jack wheel c. On the shaft b¹ which carries the back roller of the chain gill b is a
pinion 6 gearing into a socket wheel 63 on the shaft a² of the lower feed roller a,
but free to turn thereon. On the other end of the socket is fixed the first bevil
wheel c¹ of the jack wheel c which carries the intermediates c³, and gives motion to
the bevil a fast on the feed roller shaft a¹; so long as the bevels c² in the jack
wheel c'do not revolve around the shaft a¹ an uniform speed is given to the feed
rollers a, but whenever a thick portion of the sliver passes between the feed rollers
then the upper roller rises, and by means of the rods or hangers a³ and crank
lever a connected therewith liberates the jack wheel c, and the bevil wheels c² held
fast by the tail of the crank lever a' and allow the bevel wheels c² to run round the
shaft a¹, and so lessen the speed of the feed rollers a until the thick part of the
sliver has passed from between them when the upper or pressing roller falls, and
allows the crank lever a* again to bear against the jack wheel c and hold it
stationary when a uniform speed will be again given to the feed rollers a.
The second portion of this Invention consists of a peculiar contrivance called an
"

page_text: interceptor which prevents the twist in the yarn from running on to the gill sheet b
from the flyer d when stationary drawing rollers are not used. This contrivance
consists of a pair of rack-like clamps, the teeth e of which intersect each other and
have each a V shaped nick cut in them, so that when put together they form a sort
of irregular tube through which the fibre passes whilst being drawn and twisted.
The first two or three teeth e of each clamp are connected together by a centre web,
so that the two surfaces come together and so form a nip or bite when the upper
set of teeth are pressed down upon the lower ones. These teeth may be all in one
piece, but we prefer them to be put separately into a sort of frame e¹, the whole
being pressed together by a packing e2 of Indian rubber or other suitable elastic
material, so that whilst the yarn is passing between these teeth e, it is subject to a
rubbing action as the twist is going on and the fibres are layed, and so the action
of the hand spinner is imitated with increased certainty of action. The upper part
of the interceptor is readily removed when necessary for the purpose of "piecing
up" the end or clearing away the debris which is apt to accumulate when working
green hemp, being attached loosely to the weighted lever ƒ that applies the
pressure.
To vary the drag upon the bobbin d¹ we use a tension pulley g carried by an
arm g¹ attached to the carriage h that traverses the drag pulley i and bobbin d¹
backwards and forwards endwise, this tension pulley g being raised or lowered by
the attendant as occasion requires during the filling of the bobbin d¹.
The traverse of the carriage his effected as usual by means of a pinion receiving
its motion through a worm and worm wheel actuated by the main driving shaft,
and which pinion gears into a mangle rack attached to the under side of the
carriage.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of improvements in machines
for spinning rope yarns, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent, we
claim,―
First. The means above described for transmitting a variable motion to the
feeding rolls from the gill sheet roller.
Secondly. The use of the interceptor above described for preventing. the twist
produced by the flyer from running back to the sliver on the gills.
Thirdly. The use of the adjustable tension pulley arranged as above described for
acting upon the drag belt of the bobbin.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Barbour, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-seven.
JAMES BARBOUR. (L.S.)