IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN MULES FOR SPINNING
Year: 1885

page_text: I GEORGE LEONARD of 17 Cobden Street, Halliwell Road, Bolton in the
County of Lancaster, Spinning Overlooker, do hereby declare the nature of my
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN MULES FOR SPINNING,"
to be as follows :-
My invention relates to machinery well known as self-acting mules for spinning
cotton and other fibrous substances, made by Messrs. Platt, Brothers and Co.
"Limited"; Asa Lees and Co. "Limited," both of Oldham, and others to which
my said improvements may be applicable, and is designed for the purpose of
regulating and maintaining an uniform speed between the carriages of a pair of
mules, to prevent both being in or out together and allow the minder time to
attend to each mule when the carriage is coming out, by which an increase in speed
and production can be obtained.
This I accomplish by attaching to the ordinary drawing up rod of each mule
a rod mounted in suitable fixings secured to the mule room floor, and extending
into the race of the opposite mule carriage. The outer end of this rod is provided
with a catch or projection on which operates a swinging "pawl" and locks the
same when the ordinary drawing up rod is thrown back, which takes place when
the mule carriage has run in. On the underside of each mule carriage are mounted
suitable levers and stops disposed to operate alternately when the carriage is
travelling in both directions. One of these levers operate a vertical arm or lever
attached to the said "pawl" as the carriage of the opposite mule is coming out
and lifts the "pawl" from the catch or projection on the rod attached to the
ordinary drawing up rod, thus releasing the arrested carriage to allow it to
or run in to receive the yarn onto the spindles.
go up
When the mule carriage carrying the lever that released the "pawl" from the
catch or projection on the rod attached to the ordinary drawing up rod of the other
mule has completed its outward travel or stretch it is locked too, at which point it
remains until released by the lever on the underside of the other mule carriage in
making its outward travel or stretch, after which it makes a backward movement
or what is termed going up, when the other mounted lever and stop reverses the
pawl" and lever to their original position so as to be ready to lock the opposite
mule carriage when the full travel or stretch is reached, and so on continuously;
"

page_text: each mule being locked by the movement of the opposite mule, and released by the
mule carriage before its outward travel is completed.
The "pawl" and lever are in each case mounted on a centre disposed in a fixing
secured to the floor. The levers and stops underneath each mule carriage are
mounted on a fixing provided with a slot for the purpose of adjusting and regu-
lating the position of the said lovers and stops to release the drawing up rods
according to the speed required or the counts being spun.
EDMUND CHADWICK,
Applicant's Agent.
Improvements in Apparatus Employed in Mules for Spinning.
I GEORGE LEONARD of 17 Cobden Street, Halliwell Road, Bolton in the
County of Lancaster Spinning Overlooker, do hereby declare the nature of my
Baid Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN MULES FOR
SPINNING," and in what manner the same is to be. performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
My invention relates to machinery well known as self-acting mules for spinning
cotton and other fibrous substances, made by Messrs. Platt, Brothers & Co.
"Limited"; Asa Lees & Co. "Limited," both of Oldham,, and others to which
my said improvements may be applicable, and is designed for the purpose of
regulating and maintaining an uniform speed between the carriages of a pair of
mules to prevent both being in or out together and allow the minder time to
attend to each mule when the carriage is coming out, by which an increase in
speed and production can be obtained.
This I accomplish by attaching to the ordinary drawing up rod of each mule
a rod mounted in suitable fixings secured to the mule room floor, and extending
into the race of the opposite mule carriage. The outer end of this rod is provided
with a catch or projection on which operates a swinging "pawl" and locks the
same when the ordinary drawing up rod is thrown back, which takes place when
the mule carriage has run in. On the underside of each mule carriage are mounted
suitable levers and stops disposed to operate alternately when the carriage is
travelling in both directions. One of these levers operate a vertical arm or lever
attached to the said "pawl" as the carriage of the opposite mule is coming out
and lifts the "pawl" from the catch or projection on the rod attached to the
ordinary drawing up rod, thus releasing the arrested carriage to allow it to go
up or run in to receive the yarn onto the spindles.
When the mule carriage carrying the lever that released the "pawl" from the
catch or projection on the rod attached to the ordinary drawing up rod of the other
mule has completed its outward travel or stretch it is locked too, at-which-point it

page_text: #F
remains until released by the lever on the underside of the other mule carriage in
making its outward travel or stretch, after which it makes a backward movement
or what is termed going up, when the other mounted lever and stop reverses the
pawl" and lever to their original position so as to be ready to lock the opposite
mule carriage when the full travel or stretch is reached, and so on continuously;
each mule being locked by the movement of the opposite mule, and released by the
mule carriage before its outward travel is completed.
The "pawl" and lever are in each case mounted on a centre disposed in a fixing
secured to the floor. The levers and stops underneath each mule carriage are
mounted on a fixing provided with a slot for the purpose of adjusting and regu-
lating the position of the said levers and stops to release the drawing up rods
according to the speed required or the counts being spun.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of so much of a pair of mules as is necessary to illus-
trate my invention-Fig. 2 is a part front view of mule carriage shewing the
method of mounting the operating levers and stops-Fig. 3 is an enlarged view
of the underside of mule carriage and its connections for operating on the drawing
up rod and Fig 4 is a front view of same.
To the ordinary drawing up rod A of each mule is attached the sliding rod B
mounted in the fixings C secured to the mule room floor. The sliding rod B extends
into the race of the opposite mule carriage D. The outer end of the sliding rod B
is provided with the catch or projection E on which operates the "pawl" S on the
lever G; the "pawl" locking the same when the ordinary drawing up rod A and
sliding rod B are thrown back in the direction indicated by the arrow, which takes
place when the mule carriage has run in. On the underside of each mule carriage D
are mounted the levers H and J disposed to operate on the levers G and G¹ when
the mule carriage is travelling in both directions. When the mule carriage D is
making the outward run the lever H strikes the lever G¹ and liberates the "pawl "S
from the catch or projection E on the sliding rod B, thereby releasing the arrested
mule carriage on the opposite side which allows it to commence to make its inward
run to receive the yarn on the spindles before the mule carriage D has completed
its outward run. When the mule carriage D has completed its outward run it is
locked in a similar manner by the catch or projection E on the sliding rod B from
its own mule disposed on the other side of the headstocks L to that shown in Fig. 1,
at which point it remains until released in a similar manner by a lever on the
underside of the opposite mule carriage corresponding with the lever H in making
its outward run. As the mule carriage makes the inward run the lever J strikes
the lever G and reverses it to its original position, placing the "pawl" S in posi-
tion for locking the opposite mule carriage when the outward run is completed,
and so on continuously, first one side operating and then the other; each mule
carriage being locked and released by the movement of the other. The levers H
and J are provided with the stops a and b respectively and disposed to allow of
their operating on the levers G and G in alternate movements of the mule carriage.
To ensure the levers H and J operating the stops a and b come in contact with
the underside of the fixing O secured to the underside of the mule carriage. The
levers G and G and "pawl" S are mounted on the centre M disposed in the
fixing N secured to the mule room floor.
The levers H and J and stops a and b underneath each mule carriage are
mounted on the fixing O provided with the slot P, the latter being for the purpose
of adjusting and regulating the position of the levers H and J to release the rods A.
and B according to the speed required or the counts being spun.
In adapting my invention to mules wherein the band pulleys V are dispensed
with the fixing O is constructed with the slot P extending full across the width
of the carriage as shown in Fig. 5, by which a wider range of regulation can be
obtained.

page_text: 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 construction, combination, and arrangement of apparatus for causing one
mule carriage of a pair of mules to control or regulate the movement of the opposite
carriage, so that they shall always work alternately and leave a convenient distance
between each mule carriage for piecing up, substantially as described and as shown
on the drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
2. The use of the fixing O with the slot P for the purpose of adjusting and
regulating the movement of the mule carriages according to the speed required
or the counts of yarn being spun, substantially as described and shown on the
drawings.