IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Alfred Barlow of the Firm of H B Barlow
of Manchester in the County of Lancaster Patent Agent for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES"-Communicated to him from
abroad by Monsieur Victor Lenoir of Paris-France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Alfred Barlow at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th June 1882.
CHARLES ALFRED BARLOW of the Firm of H. B. Barlow, of Manchester in the
County of Lancaster Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES
A communication to me from abroad by Monsieur Victor Lenoir, of Paris, France.
"
This Invention relates to mules for spinning wool and cotton, the object being
to change at will the direction of rotation of the horizontal drums and thereby
avoid the delay caused by altering the bands on the spindles when it is desired to
reverse the direction of the twist.
In performing this Invention the drum shaft is divided near the end on which
is the driving wheel or pulley and on each divided end a grooved pulley is fixed,
a small space being left between the two ends of the shaft and the pulleys; in line
with these pulleys is fitted on a stud a pulley with two grooves. When a right
hand twist is required the two grooved pulleys on the drum shaft are fastened
together by bolts or screws, a washer being placed between them. When a left
hand twist is required the bolts or screws are withdrawn and a crossed band is
passed from the first pulley on the one part of the drum shaft over one groove of
the stud pulley and an open band from the other groove of the stud pulley passes
over the pulley on the other part of the drum shaft. The stud of the stud pulley
may be moved in a slot toward or. from the two grooved pulleys to regulate the
tension of the bands passing over them.
Instead of pulleys bevel wheels may be fixed at the divided ends of the drum
shaft and these bevel wheels may be secured together when a right hand twist is
required or when a left hand twist is required one bevel wheel may impart
a reversed motion to the other through a bevel pinion that can be moved into or
out of gear with the bevel wheels.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Alfred Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th December 1882.
CHARLES ALFRED BARLOW of the Firm of H. B. Barlow, of Manchester in the
County of Lancaster Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-ACTING MULES."
A communication to me from abroad by Monsieur. Victor Lenoir, of Paris, France.
This Invention relates to mules for spinning wool or cotton, the object being to
change at will the direction of rotation of the horizontal drums and thereby
avoid the delay caused by altering the bands on the spindles when it is desired
to reverse the direction of the twist,
In performing this Invention the drum shaft is divided near the end on which
is the driving wheel or pulley and on each divided end a grooved pulley is fixed,
a small space being left between the two ends of the shaft and the pulleys. In
line with these pulleys is fitted on a stud a pulley with two grooves. When a
right hand twist is required the two grooved pulleys on the drum shaft are
fastened together by bolts or screws, a washer or washers being placed between
them and the shaft may then be driven in the usual manner. When a left hand
twist is required the bolts or screws are withdrawn and a crossed band is passed.
from the first pulley on the one part of the drum shaft over one groove of the stud
pulley, and an open band from the other groove of the stud pulley passes over the
pulley on the other part of the drum shaft. The stud of the stud pulley may be
moved in a slot towards or from the two grooved pulleys to regulate the tension
of the bands passing over them.
Instead of pulleys bevel wheels may be fixed at the divided ends of the drum
shaft and these bevel wheels may be secured together when a right hand twist: is
required; when a left hand twist is required one bevel wheel may impart a
reversed motion to the other through a bevel pinion that can be moved into or out
of gear with the bevel wheels.
And in order that this Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings reference being
had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of part of a self-acting mule to which this Invention
is applied. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same partly in section and Fig. 3 is a plan of
part of a mule in which bevel gears are used instead of bands for carrying out this
Invention.
The driving shaft is made in two parts b and c divided at a; on the part b
(on which is the driving wheel, not shown) is keyed the pulley P and on the part c
is keyed the pulley P¹.
"
The shaft 6 turns in a bearing on the beam or girder A fixed to the carriage.
. On each of the feet B is fixed a support C in which is a slot to receive the
square end of the stud d on which stud is mounted the pulley D. The square
of the stud d forms a nut in which takes the screw e on which is a hand-wheel v
by which the band or bands passing round the pulley D may be tightened.
In order to turn the shaft b to the right the pulleys P and P¹ are screwed
together by the two bolts f f¹ washers being placed between the pulleys where
the bolts pass through: Motion may then be imparted to the shaft in the usual
manner.
In order to turn the shaft 6 to the left the bolts ƒ ƒ are withdrawn, a crossed
hand is need the nullew Pl and over one groove of the nulley D and an open

page_text: band is passed from the other groove of the pulley D over the pulley P and by
this means the motion of the shaft 6 may be reversed.
Instead of the pulley D with two grooves and two bands a single crossed band
passing over guide pulleys may be used to reverse the motion of the shaft b.
On Fig. 3 the driving shaft is made in two parts b and c divided at a as before
described on the part 6 is fixed the bevel wheel E and on the part c is fixed the
bevel wheel E¹. On the beam or bracket A¹ is mounted the stud h on which is
fitted the bevel pinion F which may be moved into gear with the wheels E and E¹
or withdrawn from them. The stud h is secured in the desired position by bolts g
which pass through a slot in the bracket A¹
When a right hand twist is required the pinion F is moved away from the
wheels E and E¹ which are secured together (after a washer or washers has been
placed between them) by the bolts ff and the shaft is driven as usual.
When a left hand twist is required the washer and the bolts ƒ ƒ¹ are with-
drawn, the pinion F is moved into gear with the wheels E El and the motion is
reversed.
Having stated the nature of this Invention and described the manner of per-
forming the same I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the
details given as they may be varied or modified and
I declare that I claim.
Making the driving or drum shaft in two pieces, and connecting them by bands
or gearing in order to reverse the motion of the spindles, substantially as shown
and described.
In witness whereof I the said Charles Alfred Barlow have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twelfth day of December One thousand eight hundred
and eighty-two.
CHARLES ALFRED BARLOW (L.S.)