IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Combe at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th November
1866.
I, JOHN COMBE, of Starbeck, in the County of York, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in an improved arrangement of flyer and
bobbin in which the flyer is continued round the bobbin so as to form a frame
revolving on two tubular pivots projecting from the upper and lower ends of
the flyer. The lower tubular pivot carrying the driving pulley embraces a
tubular stud fixed on the spindle rail, the lower part of which is formed with
a cup to retain the oil round the bottom end of the tubular pivot which rests
in the cup and revolves freely round the tubular stud. The upper tubalar
pivot of the flyer revolving in a socket fixed to the framing is made large
enough to allow the fibrous material to pass through it, and the side of the flyer
carries guides of glazed delf or glass, over which the yarn passes, and through
a hole in the side of the flyer and on to the bobbin. The bobbin is carried.
on a pin which is attached by a hinge joint to the top of the flyer, on which
pin the bobbin is made to ascend and descend by the rising and falling of a
tube which slides within the tubular stud and carries a button on its top end,

page_text: on which the bobbin rests, this bobbin being made of such a diameter as will
give the requisite amount of drag to the bobbin, which will increase with the
increasing weight of the bobbin as it is filled with yarn. The hinge-jointed
pin which receives the bobbin is made of such a length as to clear the button
on which the bobbin rests when the traverse tube is in its lowest position, and
at its lower end is formed into a pivot which fits into and revolves freely in a
socket formed in the top of another pin which slides freely within the traverse
tube and is retained in its position by a catch lever at its lower end when the
flyer with the bobbin in its place is in operation. When the bobbin is filled
the flyer is stopped, and, by moving the catch lever the locking pin is depressed
so as to release the bobbin pin and allow it to move on its binge joint so that
the full bobbin can be pulled off the pin and replaced with an empty one,
then by moving the catch lever the locking pin is caused to rise so as to retain
the bobbin in position within the flyer ready for operation. The lower ends
of the traverse tubes are fastened by screws to a series of horizontal bars, to
which a rising and falling motion is communicated by arms projecting from a
rocking shaft which is actuated by means of a heart wheel to which a slow
motion is given from. the cylinder shaft by means of worms and worm wheels,
these horizontal bars being provided with holes through which the locking pins
which retain the bobbin pins in position pass to the catch lever by which they
are actuated, which are situated below the horizontal bars to which the traverse
tubes are attached.
My Invention consists, secondly, in an improved arrangement of cylinder,
tension pulley, and catch lever in which the top of the cylinder is placed on a
level with the middle of the whorl or driving pulley of the flyer, and a tension
pulley, the top of which is on the same level, so placed between the flyer
pulley and the driving cylinder that when the catch lever to the lower arm
of which the tension pulley is attached is depressed the driving tape passing
round the flyer pulley over the top of and round under the cylinder and over
the tension pulley and returning round the flyer pulley will be in such a state
of tension as to communicate motion to the pulley and flyer, but when the catch
lever is released so as to allow the tension pulley to recede from the cylinder
and towards the flyer pulley the tape will be so relaxed that the flyer and
pulley will be stopped in their rotation.
My Invention consists, thirdly, in arranging at the back and towards the
top of the flyers a series of bars to which a horizontal motion is given to and
from the flyer top by an excentric wheel actuating a rocking shaft provided
with arms connected with these bars, which bars are provided with moveable
catches which in their lowest position are so placed-in relation to the retaining

page_text: catch of the flyer driving apparatus above described that the advance of the
moving bar in the direction of the flyer top will cause the catch which the
moving bar carries to liberate the catch lever which carries the tension pulley
and so stop the spindle. In front of and a little above the moving bar
described I place a light horizontal wire or tube delicately hung in vibrating
levers provided with projecting weighted arms which determine the horizontal-
wire or tube in a direction away from the yarn as it is passing down the
tubular top of the flyer during the operation of spinning. The light horizontal
wire or tube carries at its foremost end two horizontal wires which in their
advance strike against the yarn being spun, one wire immediately above the
flyer top and the other wire sufficiently above the lower wire to pass clear
through between two other wires fixed in front of the yarn, so placed that the
strength and tension of the yarn being spun will prevent the advance of
the horizontal wire or tube, the inner end of which in its turn will oppose
the advance of an upright arm attached to the catch of the moving bar
previously described, and delicately balanced with a weighted arm, so that the
catch of the moving bar will miss the upright arm of the retaining catch and
so allow the flyer to continue its rotation in the operation of spinning; but in
case a separation has taken place among the fibres above the flyer top then
the two wires attached to the light horizontal wire or tube will pass forward
clear over the flyer top and between the two wires fixed above it, and so
allow the catch of the moving bar to liberate the retaining catch of the catch
lever and so stop the flyer.
My Invention consists, fourthly, in retaining the rove during the operation
of spinning by means of three rollers, to two of which a continuous rotation is
given, the rove being retained and delivered by the interposition of a third
roller in contact with the other two, and this intermediate roller I connect
with an arm of the retaining catch above described, so that the releasing of
that catch, and consequent stoppage of the flyer, will withdraw the intermediate
roller from its juxtaposition with the other two, and so stop the delivery of
the rove simultaneously with the stoppage of the flyer.
My Invention consists, fifthly, in using a double set of drawing and pressing
rollers in the operation of spinning, the peripheries of the two drawing rollers
being cut away in spaces to a reduced diameter alternating with portions of
the full sized periphery of the roller, and the pressing rollers being retained by
a stop from closing on the space of reduced diameter. These drawing rollers
are placed to clear each other next to the flyer top, and they are so geared
together that when the reduced spaces in the one are opposite the pressing
roller belonging to it the full portion of its fellow roller will be in action with

page_text: the pressing roller belonging to it, and vice versa, the effect of which will be
that a portion of the twist communicated by the rotation of the flyer will be
allowed to pass above the nip of the drawing rollers alternately, and tend to
prevent a separation taking place among the fibres of the rove where under
the operation of being drawn it is attenuated to the greatest degree.