IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ROPING FOR MAKING VARIEGATED OR CLOUDED YARN
Year: 1884

page_text: I ARTHUR WILLIAM LOVELL REDDIE of the Office for Patents 66 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ROPING FOR MAKING
VARIEGATED OR CLOUDED YARN to be as follows:
The object of this invention is to effect the deposit on the lap on a carding
machine, of tufts or locks of fibrous material of a colour or colours different from
that of the lap for the purpose of producing ropings which are variegated in colour
or clouded
To this end the invention consists in a novel "attachment for carding engines
and similar machines for treating fibrous materials, which attachment may by
easily adjustable devices, be thrown into and out of action as desired.
The apparatus constituting this "attachment" for carding engines, consists of a
horizontal shaft journalled in suitable standards and arranged above the "worker "
of the carding engine.
Upon this shaft and near its ends are secured flanges or discs provided with two
or more radial arms. Journalled in bearings disposed around the discs are two or
more horizontal spools filled with variously coloured fibrous material and carried
in bearings at the ends of the radial arms are a corresponding number of feed rolls.
Means are provided for rotating the shaft, and the spools are so connected there-
with that by its rotation the series of spools will revolve around the said shaft as
an axis. This rotating frame may be called a "carrier." The feed rolls above
named are positively driven by any suitable means and as they rotate draw off the
ropings from the spools and feed them in locks or tufts to the "worker" as they
sweep past it.
The spools are rotated only by the drawing off action of the feed rolls, and means
are provided such as pressure springs and thumb screws for preventing their
accidental rotation.
A convenient way of positively driving the feed rolls is by means of coned
pullies and a driving belt one cone being on the carding cylinder shaft and the

page_text: other on a sleeve which is loose on the shaft of the "attachment" and is provided
with pullies over which pass bands to pullies on the feed rolls.
When the said sleeve and its shaft are driven at the same speed no rotation will
be given to the feed rolls and consequently there will be no drawing out of the
ropings on the several spools, and the "attachment" will be inoperative.
•
If however the belt be shifted on the cone pulleys so that the said sleeve is
driven faster than its shaft the feed rolls will rotate and draw off the ropings from
the spools at any required speed.
The "worker" seizes the locks or tufts of different colours thus successively and
intermittently presented by the feed rolls as they sweep over it in their revolution
around the shaft of the "attachment," and works in or incorporates the said tufts or
locks with the lap on the card. This incorporation is further assisted by the usual
"fancy" and doffing rolls.
In order to ensure the feed rolls properly drawing off the ropings from the spools
and holding them securely so that the "worker" shall only seize and tear off the
protruding tuft presented to it, a series of jaws carried by arms pivotted to the ends
of the radial arms at each end of the "attachment" are provided.
Catches or hasps and suitable stops are provided for exactly regulating the
position of the concave face of the jaw with respect to its feed roll, and when
necessary the jaws can be swung back clear of the feed rolls. The ropings of the
several colours are drawn from each spool between the adjacent feed roll and its
pressure jaw. The feed rolls are covered with card clothing or otherwise roughened,
to ensure a good grip on the ropinga
In the yarns spun from these ropings the changes from one colour to another
will be very gradual and not abrupt and the tints or colours in the clouded or
variegated cloth woven from the yarn will be so blended and shaded into each
other as to produce a very beautiful soft effect differing materially from the speckled
appearance of ordinary mixed goods.

page_text: I, ARTHUR WILLIAM Lovell RedDIE of the Office for Patents 66 Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ROPING for
MAKING VARIEGATED OR CLOUDED YARN and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
.
The object of this invention is to effect the deposit on the lap on a carding
machine, of tufts or locks of fibrous material of a colour or colours different from
that of the lap, for the purpose of producing ropings which are variegated in colour,
or clouded.
The invention consists in the combination with the main cylinder and the
"worker" of a carding engine of novel means of supplying the tufts or locks of
different colours to the worker, and in novel means of varying as desired the
quantity of different coloured material supplied to the worker so that the variegating
or clouding of the lap and ropings produced therefrom will be more or less
pronounced or conspicuous.
In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 represents an end view of a portion of the
main carding cylinders of a carding engine with one of its workers and the doffers,
and this attachment applied to it; Fig. 2 represents a transverse section of the
attachment alone; Fig. 3 represents a front view of the attachment and a worker,
and a dotted out-line of a portion of the carding cylinder; Fig. represents a
detail sectional view hereinafter described, and Fig. 5 represents a piece of the
variegated roping from which yarn is to be spun.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
A designates the main cylinder of a carding or rotary card, provided with a
shaft A, and B designates the last worker, C designates a "fancy" adapted to
operate in connection with the card, and D D¹, designate two doffers. We have
also represented two sets of rubbing rolls D' D³.
All these parts are arranged and rotated in the usual manner, and need not to be
modified when our attachment is applied to the card.
Arranged above the worker B and journalled in suitable standards B¹, is a
shaft E, extending, parallel with the worker and having secured upon it near its
ends, flanges or heads E', and in said flanges or heads are journalled a circular series
of spools F.
The shaft and flanges or heads constitute a carrier for the spools. Four of these
spools are here shewn, but a lesser or greater number may be employed if desired.
Two or more spools will constitute a circular series.
The several spools F, carry or have wound upon them ropings of different.
colours.
The shaft E has a pulley a, secured at one end and is rotated by a belt a¹ from a
pulley a', on the shaft A', of the cylinder, as best shown in Fig. 3.
By the rotation of the shaft E, the circular series of spools is revolved about the
said shaft as an axis.
The heads or flanges E' may consist of discs or plates with arms, b, projecting
radially from them as here shown.
In the arms b, near their outer ends are journalled feed rolls G, and as the shaft E
is rotated, said feed rolls are carried in succession past and almost in contact with
the worker B. The spools F are rotated only by drawing or feeding the ropings.
from them.

page_text: The pivots at one end of the spools F are supported in bearings f, in the head or
flange E¹, and said bearings contain springs which tend to press the spools outwards.
The pivots are the other end of the spools are supported by thumb screws f' and
by adjusting the said screws the friction on the pivots may be graduated, so that it
will require the pull of the feed rolls G, on the ropings to turn the spools, and so
that they will not turn 'accidentally.
The feed rolls are rotated positively as shall now be described.
Upon the shaft E is a sleeve H, shown in Fig. 3, and in the detail view Fig. 4,
which is capable of rotation independently of the shaft, and upon the outer portion
of said sleeve is secured a cone pulley H. On the adjacent end of the cylinder
shaft A' is secured a reversely arranged cone pulley H' and motion is transmitted
from it to the pulley H' and leeve H, by a belt H³.
On the inner end of the sleeve H are pulleys c, corresponding in number to the
-spools F employed, and on the adjacent ends of the shafts of the feed rolls G are
secured pulleys c¹ which are connected by belts c³ with the several pulleys c.
The pulleys c, may be separated from each other and secured side by side on the
sleeve H, or they may be formed by a number of grooves in a solid block or hub, as
shown in the detail view Fig. 4.
Gearing may be substituted for the pulleys c c¹ and belts c².
The mechanism for rotating the several feed rolls is best shown in Figs. 1 and 3.
Adjacent to each feed roll G is arranged a jaw, d, having a concave face, the
radius of which is slightly greater than the radius of the feed roll G, and which
extends the whole length of the roll. Each jaw, d, is supported by arms d', which
are fulcrumed on a rod d³, supported in the heads or flanges E¹ and the jaw may
be swung entirely away from the feed roll when desired, as indicated by dotted
lines in Fig. 2. Each jaw when swung into its normal position contiguous to its
feed roll may be secured by a spring catch or hasp d³, on the jaw, against movement
away from the roll; and the distance of its face from the face of the roll may be
controlled by an adjustable stop. The stop here shown consists of a screw-threaded
stem or rod, d³, upon which is placed a nut, and the spring catch or hasp d³ always
holds the projection d', down upon this nut. By varying the position of the said
nut the distance at which the face of the jaw stands from the face of the feed roll
may be varied.
The ropings of the several colours are carried from each spool F between the
adjacent feed roll G, and its jaw d, and as the feed roll is covered with card clothing
or otherwise toothed or roughened, it will, when rotated on its axis, draw the
ropings from the spool. Not only does the jaw act in conjunction with the roll to
produce the feed of the ropings, but the jaw and roll have such a hold on the
roping that only the portion of roping protruding beyond the jaw will be torn off
or detached when caught hold of.
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As the shaft E is rotated the feed rollers G are carried past the worker B and
the latter catches and detaches the protruding locks or tufts of roping and delivers
them to the lap upon the cylinder.
The circular series of spools is constantly rotated about the shaft E and if the
belt H³ is on those portions of the cone pulleys H, H, which bear the same
relation to each other in circumference as do the pulleys, a a³, the sleeve H will be
rotated at exactly the same speed as the shaft on which it is loosely placed and
will transmit no rotation about their axes to the pulleys c¹. Consequently there
will be no feeding or drawing out of the ropings on the spools F.
When the belt H³ is adjusted into the position above described, the attachment
will be inoperative and the card may be used in the ordinary way.
If the attachment is to be used, the belt H' must be shifted so as to drive the
sleeve H faster than the shaft E and the feed rolls G will then each have a rotation
on its axis and will draw forward the ropings from the spools. This rotation of
the feed rolls may be varied, as desired and by such variation in speed, we enable
the degree of variation in colour to be regulated.

page_text: The circular series of spools is rotated continuously and the rotation of the several
spools on their axes is also continuous: The worker B takes or licks the tufts or
locks of different colours from the spools at intervals and in succession, and works
or incorporates them into the lap on the card A. The incorporation of these tufts
or locks is also facilitated by the "fancy" C, and by the doffers D, D', by which
the variegated ropings are taken from the card. Fig. 5 represents a portion of one
of these ropings as well as it can be shown in black and white.
In the yarns spun from these ropings the changes from one colour to another
will be very gradual, and not abrupt, and the tints or colours in the clouded or
variegated cloth woven from the yarn will be so blended and shaded into each
other as to produce a very beautiful soft effect, differing materially from the speckled
appearance of ordinary mixed goods.
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
1. The combination with the main cylinder and the "worker" of a carding
engine, of a rotary carrier, mechanism for rotating it, a circular series of spools
carried by it, and devices for drawing or feeding roping from the said spools; and
presenting it to the action of the "worker," substantially as and for the purpose
herein described.
2. The combination with a main cylinder and a worker of a carding engine, of a
rotary carrier, mechanism for operating it, a circular series of spools carried by said
carrier, feed rolls for drawing ropings from said spools, also carried by said carrier,
and mechanism for rotating said feed rolls and causing them to present the ropings
to the action of the " worker, substantially as and for the purpose herein
described.
M
8. The combination with a main cylinder and a worker of a carding engine, of a
rotary carrier, mechanism for operating it, a circular series of spools, and feed rolls
for drawing or feeding ropings therefrom, all carried by said carrier, and variable
operating mechanism for imparting rotary motion to said feed rollers on their own
axes, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
4. The attachment for a carding engine comprising a carrier, a circular series of
spools carried thereby, feed rollers for drawing or feeding ropings, also carried by
said carrier, and provided with pulleys, a sleeve on the shaft of the carrier provided
with pulleys, and belts extending from the sleeve pulleys to the roller pulleys, all
combined and adapted to operate, substantially as herein described.
5. The combination of the shaft E, heads or flanges E', spools F, feed rollers G,
jaws d, and devices for supporting them, sleeve H, pulleys c and o¹ and belts c³, all
substantially as described."
6. The combination of the shaft E, heads or flanges E', spools F, feed rollers G,
jaws d, and adjustable devices for supporting them at different distances from the
faces of the rolls, the sleeve H, the pulleys c, c¹, and belts c³, all substantially as
described.
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30th .
1 2004