IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Conlong, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, and James Robertshaw, of Manchester, in the same County,
Merchant, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Conlong and James
Robertshaw at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th
February 1881.
JAMES CONLONG, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and
JAMES ROBERTSHAW, of Manchester, in the same County, Merchant. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE DYEING, SIZING, AND
WRINGING OF HANKS."
Our Invention relates to improvements in a former Invention for which Her
Majesty's Royal Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, in the
year One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine, and numbered 4477, have
been granted to one of us. In the said former Invention a series of rollers or fallers
are employed to rotate the banks through the dyeing or sizing matter, by which
means the hanks are dyed or sized, rotary motion being imparted to the rollers by
means of worms and worm-wheels.
Our present Invention has for its object in the first place to provide the said
rollers with additional and supplementary cylindrical rollers for the purpose of
keeping the hank stretched out while it is being dyed or sized, the object being to
prevent the hank "
curling."
To this end we mount each said supplementary roller on a short shaft bolted to
an arm or bracket fixed to the top of the vat. The rotating rollers may be of a
square or hexagonal form in cross section, and are formed with flanges on each end,
suitably inclined from their periphery to the roller in order that the hanks may be
easily slipped on or off. The lower rollers need not rotate, and are mounted in the
vat below the level of the dye or size. The arm or bracket carrying the lower
roller may be formed of two parts, each part being slotted and sliding on each, the
Dminn e21

page_text: other being adjusted and secured together by a bolt or bolts passing through them.
The bank to be dyed or sized is passed around the top and bottom rollers.
The Invention relates in the second place to the employment of spur gearing in
lieu of worms and worm wheels for rotating the rollers, being specially applicable
for sizing. To this end we mount a spur wheel of a comparatively large diameter
on the end of each roller shaft of a sizing machine, being driven from a spur wheel
on a second shaft through an intermediate. In this case the driving spur wheel is
mounted on the shaft of the rotating hook, on the end of which a driving pulley is
fixed.
The Invention relates in the third place to the employment of friction
gearing to the wringing of hanks after being dyed, sized, scoured, or otherwise
treated. In one arrangement two friction plates or discs are formed with long
bosses, and mounted on the revolving hook shaft. One disc is fixed and the other
caused to slide on the said revolving hook shaft, being actuated by a friction clutch
and connected levers in the following manner :-A lever is carried under the vat,
on which an adjustable weight is placed; a second lever connected to one end of
the first named lever is carried at the back of the vat, and connected with a bell
crank lever, which actuates the friction clutch and slides the movable friction plate
into or out of contact with the fixed plate. The other end of the weighted lever
is acted upon by a foot pedal at the working side of the vat. When it is desired
to wring the hank placed on the hooks the foot pedal is allowed to drop, which
action brings the moveable friction plate into contact with the fixed plate, which
remains in contact until the wringing of the hank is completed, when the moveable
plate slips and the hank untwists by its own reaction on the hook, the amount
of bight or adhesion of the friction plates being regulated and adjusted by the
weight on the lever.
In another arrangement we mount on the revolving hook shaft a friction pulley
driven by a belt from a second pulley, and we cause the belt to be pressed against
by means of a roller or other suitable appliance by the means hereinbefore described
for actuating the moveable friction plate employed to actuate and press the roller
against the belt. When the hank is twisted up it overcomes the pressure of the
roller against the belt, and causes the belt to slacken and slip on the pulley, and
the hank untwists by its own reaction on the rotating hook.
Other modifications and arrangements may be employed, the novel feature of
this part of our Invention being the employment of friction gearing to effect the
wringing of hanks.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Conlong and James Robertshaw in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th August 1881.
JAMES CONLONG, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and
JAMES ROBERTSHAW, of Manchester, in the same County, Merchant. << IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE DYEING, SIZING, AND
WRINGING OF HANKS."
Our present Invention consists in the first place in providing each roller on
which the hanks are suspended with an additional roller for the purpose of keeping
the hanks opened out to prevent them "curling" during the dyeing or sizing
operation. The said roller is mounted within and near the bottom of the vat, and
may be fixed or rotated as may be required.
The Invention relates in the second place to improvements in the means employed
for driving the said hank-rollers, being specially applicable when sizing hanks. To
this end we mount on the end of each hank-roller shaft a spur wheel of a com-
paratively large diameter, which spur wheels gear each with the other, being driven
from a spur wheel keyed on the boss of the driving pulley. By these means the
bank rollers can be rotated at a comparatively greater speed than when driven by
worms and worm wheels.
The Invention relates in the third place to the employment of self-acting
friction mechanism for wringing the hanks after they have been dyed or sized. On
the front of the vat a hook formed with a square shank is carried by a bracket, in
which it is permitted to slide. To the shank of this hook a chain supporting a
weight is attached, which weight rides over an anti friction pulley carried by a
bracket. On the back side of the vat a revolving hook formed with a long shank is
carried by a bracket bolted to the vat. In one arrangement the said hook is
actuated by a worm keyed on a horizontal driving shaft gearing into a worm-
wheel mounted on the hook shank. The said horizontal or worm shaft is driven
by belt pullies, and the worm wheel runs loose upon the shank of the rotating
hook; the driving connection between the said hook and worm wheel is obtained
by means of a friction clutch formed of two plates, one of which is keyed onto the
hook shank and the other fixed to the worm wheel. By means of a system of
levers, one of which is weighted, the friction plates are forced together.
foot pedal mounted on front of vat moves the friction plates apart when
depressed.
A
In another arrangement the bracket carrying the revolving hook is formed or
cast with an arm, one end of which is turned to receive the boss of a driving pulley
which works loosely thereon. An annular groove is turned on the boss of the said
pulley to receive a clip to engage and disengage the said friction plates by means
of a bell crank lever acting through a system of levers and foot pedal on front of
machine. On the boss of the said pulley a spur wheel is keyed, which when the
pulley is driven transmits motion to the spur wheels on the hank roller shafts.
The said driving pulley is cast or formed with a friction plate on its face which
gears with a second friction plate keyed on the end of the hook shank when the
plates are forced together.
In another arrangement we mount on the revolving hook shank a friction pulley
driven by a belt from a second pulley, and cause such belt to be pressed against by
means of a roller or other suitable appliance which, when the hank is twisted up,
overcomes the pressure of the roller against the belt and causes it to slip. Other
modifications and arrangements may be employed, the important feature of our
Invention consisting in the application of frictional wringing mechanism to the
wringing and dyeing or sizing of hanks.

page_text: And in order that the Invention may be better understood, we have caused to be
appended hereunto three Sheets of Drawings marked with letters of reference,
corresponding marks indicating the same parts. Referring to the said Drawings
Figure 1 represents a front view of a sizing machine, and Figure 2 a transverse section
of the wringing mechanism. Figures 3 and 4 are the rollers for rotating the hanks
through the dye or size. Figure 5 represents a modification in the friction
mechanism shown applied to the hank rollers. The hank rollers a are carried by
an arm b bolted to the back side of the vat A. The rollers are rotated at a suitable
speed by means of the spur gearing c keyed on the shafts d, and are driven from
the spur wheel e keyed on the boss of the driving pulley f, over which a belt g is
carried. The said hank rollers a are constructed of copper and preferably of a
hexagonal form in cross section with suitable plane or bevilled flanges fitted on
each end, the object being to obtain a good hold on the hank B and to allow of its
being readily slipped off the rollers a. Each said roller is provided with an
additional roller i mounted within the vat A in order to keep the hanks opened
out and prevent them "curling" during the dyeing or sizing operation. The
additional rollers may be fixed, as shown by Figure 3, or caused to revolve with tho
upper rollers, as indicated by Figure 4.
When the hanks have been sufficiently dyed or sized they are removed from off
the rollers a and the superfluous dye or size wrung off. The wringing mechanism
(indicated more clearly in Figure 2) consists of a hook j formed with a square shank /
which slides in a slot in the bracket . The chain m is connected to the under part
of the said hook shank k and supports the weight n which rides over the anti
friction pulley o carried by the lug p. The action of the weight is to pull back
and prevent the shank of the hook j being drawn in too easily when the hank is
being twisted up by the rotating hook. On the back side of the vat a bracket q
bolted to the vat is cast or formed with an arm r, through the centre of which the
shank of the revolving hook s passes. The said arm r is turned to receive the boss
of a driving pulley f which works loosely on the arm, and on the said boss an
annular groove t is turned, into which a clip connected with a bell crank lever fits.
The other end of the said bell-crank lever is connected with a system of levers, one
of which is weighted, and is acted upon by a foot pedal, as described when referring
to Figure 5. On the boss of the said driving drum fa spur wheel e is keyed; this
wheel transmits motion to the train of spur wheels c on the hank rollers. The said
driving pulley f is cast or formed with a friction plate u, and on the end of the
hook shank s a second and corresponding friction plate vis keyed. The faces of the
said friction plates are preferably grooved to increase their friction when in contact.
By placing the foot on the pedal on front of machine the clip which fits into
the annular groove t causes the boss of the friction plate u to slide sufficiently on
the turned part of the arm r, which action moves the friction plate u out of contact
with the friction plate v. On releasing the foot pedal the said clip moves the
boss and consequently the friction plate u into contact with the plate v, and the
friction plates u and vare thus forced together, the amount of friction between the
plates being adjusted by a weight on the lever carried under the vat.
с
In another arrangement the revolving hook is actuated by a worm on the
horizontal driving shaft, gearing with a worm wheel which runs loose on the hook
shank. The driving connection between hook and worm wheel is obtained by
means of two friction plates, one of which is keyed to the hook shank and the
other fixed to the worm wheel. By a system of levers, one of which is weighted,
the friction plates are forced together. When the hank is twisted up the resistance
it gives to further wringing causes the friction plates to slip, and the hank re-acts
on the hook and untwists itself and is ready to be removed by the attendant.
In another arrangement we mount on the revolving hook shank a friction
pulley driven by a belt from a second pulley, and we cause the belt to be pressed
against by means of a roller or other suitable appliance, which when the hank is
twisted up overcomes the pressure of the roller against the belt and causes it to
slip.

page_text: Other modifications and arrangements may be employed, the important feature
of our Invention consisting in the application of frictional wringing mechanism to
the wringing of hanks.
Figure 3 represents an arrangement in which the bottom roller i is made a
fixture, being carried by an arm or bracket formed in two parts 1 and 2 and
arranged to be adjusted. The part 1 is formed with a collar 3 and is fitted on the
shaft d; the part 2 is formed with a collar and is fitted on the end of the bottom
roller . Vertical slots are formed in the said parts 1 and 2, and are adjusted by
raising or lowering the part 2 and screwing up the nut 4. In Figure 4 the lower
roller is formed with a shaft which passes through the vat side and is rotated by
the spur wheel c¹.
Figure 5 represents the application of friction mechanism to the rotating rollers a,
and has for its object to stop the rotation of the roller in order to allow the hank
to cool a little before removal, which is required after rotating the hanks through
boiling size or liquid. In this case a bracket 1 cast or formed with a collar 2 and
arm 3 is bolted to the back of the vat and carries the roller shaft 4. The arm 3
is turned to receive the boss of the spur-wheel 5 which works loosely thereon.
An annular groove 6 is turned on the said boss to receive pins formed on the end
of the bell-crank lever 7. The said spur-wheel is cast with a friction plate 8 on
its face, and on the end of the roller shaft 4 a second friction plate 9 is fixed. To
the lower end of the said bell-crank lever 7 a long lever 10 is connected by a stud;
the lower end of this lever is connected by means of a stud with the lever 11
carried under the vat and supported by the bracket 12. On the last named lever
a weight 13 is mounted, which weight can be slid on the lever and adjusted nearer
to or further from the fulcrum of the lever 11, in order to force the friction plate 8
cast with the spur wheel 5 against the friction plate 9 to a greater or less degree,
as may be required. The inner end of this lever is connected by the link 16 to a
bracket 12 formed with a slot to receive a stud for carrying the foot pedal 14. A
catch 15 is connected to the bracket by means of a stud, and acts to keep down the
foot pedal 14 when the rotation of the rollers a are to. continue. "When it is
required to stop the rotation of the said rollers and allow the hank to cool, the
catch 15 is knocked-off the pedal 14, and the weight 13 on the lever 11 acting on
the bell-crank lever through the said levers, causing the friction plate 8 to slide on
the turned part of the arm 3 and press against the friction plate 9 and stop the
rotation of the roller a. When more than one roller is employed a like arrange-
ment is applied to each roller, so that when one roller is stopped the other may be
rotating.
8
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The hanks B are placed on the
rollers a, or when two rollers are used on the rolls a and i; motion is imparted
to the rollers, which rotate the bank or hanks suspended thereon through the dye
or size a sufficient number of times. The hanks are then removed and placed on
the hooks j and 8. The shank of the hook j is allowed to slide a little, and the
hook s is rotated. A catch on front of machine is knocked-off, and a weight on
the lever acts on the friction clip fitted in the annular groove t on the arm r, which
forces the friction plate u into contact with the friction plate v, and the two plates
and hooks are rotated by the driving pulley f until the bank is sufficiently wrung;
the resistance it gives to further wringing causes the friction plate u to slip, and
the wringing ceases. The attendant then places his foot on the pedal on front of
machine, and the hook s is then free; the twisted hank then re-acts on the hook
and causes it to turn back a few revolutions, and thus allows of the easy removal
of the hank.
•
Having now described and indicated the nature of our Invention, and some
arrangements for carrying the same into practical effect, we would have it to be
distinctly understood that we claim,―
First. The combination of top and bottom rollers, the former of which are
rotated, and the latter may be stationary or may be rotated, substantially as
described, and as illustrated in the Drawings.

page_text: Secondly. The manner and means for rotating the said rollers, substantially as
described.
Thirdly. The combination with and employment of the indicated or other form
of friction méchanism to a hank dyeing, sizing, or wringing machine, substantially
as described, and as illustrated in the Drawings.
Fourthly. The employment of friction mechanism of the indicated or other
suitable form to stop the rotation of the hank rollers when required, substantially
as described and illustrated in the Drawings.
And, Lastly. The manner and means for actuating the friction mechanism, as
illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Robertshaw, for myself and on behalf
of the said James Conlong, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Twenty sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty one.
Signed and sealed by the
said James Conlong and
James Robertshaw. in the
presence of
HUGH G. GRANT, M.C.M.S.A.,
Of the Firm of Messrs. Bosshardt & Grant,
Patent Solicitors,
Hopwood Avenue,
Manchester.
JAMES ROBERTSHAW. (L.S.)