IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING ROPE AND YARNS OF HEMP AND OTHER FIBRES." OTHER COARSE
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Barbour, of Belfast, Ireland, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING ROPE AND
YARNS OF HEMP AND OTHER FIBRES."
OTHER COARSE
Sealed the 11th July 1876, and dated the 21st January 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Barbour at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st January 1876.
JAMES BARBOUR, of Belfast, Ireland. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
SPINNING ROPE AND OTHER COARSE YARNS OF HEMP AND OTHER FIBRES."
These improvements relate to what are known as "horizontal spinners," for rope
and other coarse yarns, and consist in the application of the expanding pullies for
the purpose for regulating the speed of the usual feeding sheet, which sheet is com-
posed of a series of hackles or gills on an endless chain, over which the sliver or
untwisted fibre is fed. This sliver is liable to be irregular in its bulk, and the
object of this Invention is to correct these irregularities by giving a variable motion
to this feeding sheet according to the thickness of the sliver passing between the
drawing rollers. There are various methods of securing this result, but none are
equal to ensuring the quickness and certainty of action that is attainable by using
the expanding pullies, which are caused to run at a high velocity and so are
rendered particularly sensitive in their action, and being easily controlled or varied
in diameter the pressure on the drawing rollers between which the sliver passes to
be twisted is not unduly increased.
Another part of this Invention consists in the use of a treadle for relieving the
weight on the pressing rollers and facilitating the operation of piecing the end
when it breaks. The connection of the weight to the drawing rollers instantly
connects them to the mechanism which controls the diameter of the expanders that
gives a variable speed to the feeding sheet.
By these improvements a much more regular yarn can be produced from the
same sliver than has hitherto been obtained, and the machine is easier driven and
attended to, the mechanism being simplified.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Barbour in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st July 1876.
JAMES BARBOUR, of Belfast, Ireland. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
SPINNING ROPE AND OTHER COARSE YARNS OF HEMP AND OTHER FIBRES."
These improvements relate to what are known as horizontal spinners for rope
yarns, and consist,―
Firstly. In a novel method of varying the speed of the feed sheet or endless
chain of pin bars.
And, Secondly. In means for relieving the weight on the pressing rollers and
facilitating the operation of piecing the end when it breaks.
The first mentioned object I attain by the application of double conical expanding
pullies whose diameter varies according to the rise or fall of the drawing rollers,
and by which the speed of the feed sheet is varied so as to equalize the size of the
strand or thread. The method in which this is accomplished will be understood
from the Drawings herewith and the following description, wherein the same letters
of reference always to the same parts.
Fig. 1 is a plan or top view on two levels of a horizontal spinner; Fig. 2 is a
half transverse section, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the
machine.
The sliver or untwisted fibre is supplied to the machine from cans or bales, and
is taken up by the pins on rods of feed sheet A, from which it passes through a
bell-mouthed conductor B, where it is reduced in breadth to pass between the
drawing rollers C, C¹, the lower one of which is grooved to receive the upper one,
whose bearings are carried by levers D which rise or fall as the sliver passing
between the rollers C, C', is thick or thin; the motion of these levers D on their
fixed centres E serves to impart a variable traverse motion to the feed sheet in
the following manner:-Attached to the free ends of the levers D is a cross bar, to
which is connected a pendant rod G, the lower end of which is secured to bell-
crauk levers X keyed on the rocking shaft H; attached to this shaft H is a link h,
which is connected by a coupling pin to the horizontal rock lever I, the extremities
of which act upon the expanding conical pullies F, F¹, by the plungers J sliding
into the ends of the shafts K, where they are fixed to their respective expanding
cones F, F, by a pin working through a slot or mortice L; the driving cone shaft M
receives its motion by a belt N from the driving pulley O, and communicates a
varying speed by a round band P to the driven cone F¹, whose speed is thus varied
as the driving and driven cones change their diameters; the driven shaft Q which
carries the belt pulley R gives off the variable motion it receives by the belt S to
the pulley T, and thence by suitable gearing to the feeding sheet A, which is made
to go slower as the drawing rollers C, C₁, become wider apart, and this regulates
the size of the thread or strand before it is twisted.
The second improvement in the machine consists in removing the pressure on
the drawing rollers C, C¹, by the application of an open headed lever rising from its
bearing on the connecting rod G by means of a pedal V on the rocking shaft H,
the pedal lever U being pressed down by the foot of the attendant outside the
framing at V; the levers X, X, all rise together with the back balance weights Y
and so relieve the levers D that carry the drawing rollers C from pressure, allowing
them to be lifted upwards to get at the thread or strand passing from the rollers C
or feed sheet A to the flyer and bobbin when an end happens to break.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
Machinery for Spinning Rope and other Coarse Yarns of Hemp and other Fibres,"
and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim as my
Invention,―
First. The arrangement of mechanism above described for giving a varying speed
to the feed sheets of horizontal spinners.

page_text: And, Secondly. The pedal arrangement worked by the foot of the attendant for
relieving the pressure on the drawing rollers of horizontal spinners, substantially as
and for the purpose above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Barbour, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, the 17th day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-six.
JAMES BARBOUR. (L.S.)