IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SPINNING FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th October 1883. Communicated
to him from abroad by Elisha Spurr Ormsby, of Brooklyn, New York United
States of America.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SPINNING
FIBROUS MATERIALS [A communication to him from abroad by Elisha Spurr
Ormsby, of Brooklyn, New York United States of America]
"
This invention relates to the nippers or nipper heads usually employed in the
spinning machine known as the "Jenny" used for spinning rope yarn and certain
kinds of twine. In such machines the nipper or nipper head is mounted upon a
regulating lever, which controls the speed of the chain of gill pins which deliver
the sliver to the yarn.
The said invention consists partly in the combination, in a nipper head, of two
nippers placed one in advance of the other in the nipper head and through both of
which the sliver passes, whereby the fibre of the sliver is more effectively
straightened before the twist takes place, and is brought into better condition for
twisting. These two nippers are so constructed that the first nipper, or the one
through which the sliver first passes, is capable of yielding or opening by a
movement of one of its jaws or members in the direction of the length of the
sliver, so as to straighten the fibres; while the second nipper is capable of yielding
or opening by a movement of one of its jaws or members in a direction transverse
to the length of the sliver. The springs whereby the two nippers are closed are
preferably of such relative strength that the first nipper will open more easily than
the second.
The said invention also consists partly in the combination, in a nipper head, of a
nipper composed of two jaws or members one of which is capable of a yielding
movement in a direction transverse to the length of the fibres, an adjustable spring
or weight acting upon the said yielding jaw or member, a scale, and an index or
hand connected with the said movable jaw or member for indicating the extent or
variations of its movement, and thereby enabling the operator to readily ascertain
what size of yarn is being spun. If the yarn is too large, more pressure is given to
the second nipper.

page_text: The said invention also consists partly in the combination, in a nipper head, of a
nipper having two members or jaws with flat faces, and one of which has a
continuation of gradually changing form from the flat surface, to a rounded or
concave surface and then to a V-shaped surface. From the flat faces of the nipper
jaws or members, the sliver passes over or through the rounded or concave portion,
and then through the V-shaped portion, being subjected to a twisting action
meanwhile; by making one of the members or jaws with a face of the form
specified, the manufacture of round, smooth and evenly twisted yarn or twine is
facilitated.
The said invention also consists partly in various novel details of construction
and combinations of parts hereinafter described.
The nipper head comprises two principal parts, one of which parts is rigidly
secured to the upper end of the regulating lever, which controls the speed of the
chain of gill pins that delivers the sliver to the nipper; and the other of which
parts is movable or adapted to yield relatively to the first part, and independently
of any movement of the nipper head, as a whole, with the regulating lever.
The part of the nipper head which is rigidly secured on the regulating lever,
comprises a stock-piece, which may be of cast metal, bolted to the top of the
regulating lever, and a trumpet-mouth with a throat through which the sliver
passes. The movable or yielding part of the nipper head comprises a block, slide,
or piece which is adapted to slide or move in a direction lengthwise of the sliver in
a slideway in the stock-piece.
The said slide or block is, provided with tongues or ribs and the slideway is
provided with gibs, which overlap the tongues and secure the slide or block in the
slideway.
In the adjacent faces of the slide and stock are secured pieces of steel or other
suitable material which form the members or jaws of the first nipper, and between
which the sliver passes: The first member or jaw of the nipper is fixed, but the
second member or jaw is capable of yielding, as it is secured' in, and' moves with,
the slide.
The second member or jaw is held in place adjacent to the first member or jaw
by a spring which is attached at one end to the stock and at the other end to a
screw-threaded rod, which passes loosely through a hole in a piece attached to, and
constituting a part of, the slide or block. The threaded. rod has upon it a nut
whereby the tension of the spring, may be regulated.
The movement of the second member or jaw towards its fellow, is limited by an
adjustable stop, which may consist of a screw adjustable in the slide and abutting
against the end of the stock.
The slide or block has a vertical slot or mortise extending through or partly
through it, and it carries both the members or jaws of the second nipper. The
lower member or jaw consists of a steel plate or piece secured in the slide and
having a portion of reduced width. The upper member or jaw consists of a
vertically movable plunger which is, forked at its lower end, so as to straddle a
portion of the lower member or jaw. The bottom, of the fork is. curved in a
direction. lengthwise of the sliver so that the sliver may enter readily between it
and the top of the lower member or jaw; but the adjacent faces of the two said
members or jaws are flat or straight in a direction transverse to the length of the
Bliver. A portion of the face of the lower member or jaw just in advance of the
upper member or jaw is rounded or concave, and beyond the said rounded or
concave portion is another portion which is of V-shaped transverse section.. The
last nip on the sliver is between the upper and lower members or jaws and there
the twist produced by the flyer. commences. The varying form of the face of the
lower member or jaw from the flat portion to the rounded or concave portion and
the V-shaped portion gradually changes the sliver from an approximately square
form to a round yarn or twine; and, by this formation of the lower member or jaw,
I am enabled to produce very smooth, round and uniform yarn or twine superior to
that produced heretofore.

page_text: Mounted upon the block or slide is a spring-case containing a spring the ends of
which fit upon buttons or thimbles one of which fits the end of a plunger and the
other of which receives the end of a set-screw. The said screw is fitted to the
upper closed end of the spring-case so that by turning the screw the tension of the
spring may be varied; and after adjustment the screw may be held by a jam-nut
in any well known manner. The upper or movable jaw or member yields by
compressing the said spring, and therefore by adjusting the screw the nip of the
members or jaws may be varied as desired.
The upper or movable member or jaw has a pin extending laterally through it
and provided with a roller or bowl, and upon the stock is a cam, with which the
roller or bowl comes in contact as the slide moves back or yields, whereby the
upper or movable member or jaw is moved away from its fellow. Consequently,
when any large place in the sliver comes into the first and second nipper, the second
member or jaw yields and the slide moves back against the force of the spring and
at the same time raises the upper member or jaw against the force of its spring.
The first mentioned spring should be adjusted so as to yield before the second
spring.
A pointer or hand is pivotted to the slide or block and is forked so as to embrace
the pin in the upper member or jaw. The said hand indicates on a scale the rising
and falling movement of the upper member or jaw, and the extent of opening of
the nipper may be ascertained readily. If the attendant notices that the nipper is
producing too thick or large yarn or twine, he adjusts a screw and puts more
tension on the second spring and thereby produces a stronger nip; but if he sees
that the yarn or twine is too small he loosens the screw and lessens the tension of
the said spring.
To enable the slide or block to be drawn back for the purpose of introducing the
Bliver, I provide a lever acting through a rod or stem on a piece which forms a part
of the slide. When the slide is pushed back as far as is desirable, the said lever is
caught and retained by a latch which is provided with a shoulder for engaging
with the lever. When the latch is raised the slide is returned to its former position
by its spring.
In this nipper head the sliver passes through two nippers which bite it at a little
distance apart and by their action straighten the fibres and enable a better quality
of yarn or twine to be produced.
This nipper head may be substituted for the ordinary nipper on the regulating
lever, and it is therefore easily applied to existing spinning machines.
The upper or movable jaw or member of the first nipper, being capable of
yielding in a direction lengthwise of the fibre, is very effective in straightening the
tbres without offering too much resistance, and is less liable to scrape back the
fibre so as to make tow and gather lumps than is a nipper the movable jaw or
member of which is capable of yielding in a direction transverse to the length of the
fibre and through which the sliver is first passed. I do not limit myself to the
particular construction described as many of the novel features of this invention
may be embodied in nipper heads of other forms of construction.