CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING, SPINNING, AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1861

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edward Lord and Robert Whitaker
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on
the 9th January 1861.
We, EDWARD LORD, of Todmorden, in the County of York, Machine
Maker, and ROBERT WHITAKER, of the same Place, Mechanic, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING, SPINNING, AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
The first part of our Invention is applicable to slubbing frames and other
machines used in preparing, spinning, and doubling, in which spindles with
flyers, bobbins, or spools revolve beyond the bearings. It is well known that
these spindles work up and down, or to and fro, in order that the slubbings,
rovings, or yarn may be distributed evenly on the bobbins or spools, and that
heretofore these spindles have revolved at an uniform speed; now our improve-
ments consist in giving a variable speed to the spindles, which speed is greatest
when the spindles project least from the collar or bearing, and slowest when
they project most from the collars; by this means the spindles can be made
to perform a greater average number of revolutions without vibration than is
now attainable. One mode of accomplishing this is by driving the machines
by cones, the strap of which is traversed to and fro by levers, pinions, and
rack connected to the traversing rail, but the mechanism may be considerably
varied.
The second part of our Invention is applicable to all machines used in

page_text: preparing and spinning in which drawing rollers are employed, and it consists
in altering the distances between the drawing rollers simultaneously throughout
the whole length of the machine. The back and intermediate drawing rollers
revolve as usual in bearings connected to the stand, but each of these bearings
is provided with a diagonal groove fitting on an inclined plane attached to a
bar extending the entire length of the drawing rollers; this bar has at one end
a screw and nut, or other suitable appliance by which it can be moved to and
fro endwise, and thereby made to alter the distance between the drawing
rollers according to the length of fibre under operation. We wish to observe
that when this part of our Invention is applied to machinery for preparing
and spinning cotton the mechanism may be considerably varied, but as the
same object has been attempted in machinery for preparing flax, hemp, and
tow, we intend to limit our claims when applied to those purposes to the
machinery described.
The last part of our Invention is applicable to slubbing and roving frames,
or other machines that are fed with slivers, slubbings, or rovings, and partly
to machines for spinning, and it consists in improved arrangements of parts
for stopping the supply when one of the slivers, slubbings, or rovings with
which the machine is fed breaks or ceases to be supplied. One mode of
accomplishing this is by causing the slivers, slubbings, or rovings to pass under
a hooked plate placed above a fixed rail, then under the wings projecting
from a pair of tumbler levers, and then through a grooved guide rail to the
drawing rollers. So long as both slivers, slubbings, or rovings continue to be
supplied the hooked plate and tumbler levers remain up, but when one breaks
the tumbler lever that had been held up by it drops on the hooked plate and
brings it down on the rail, thereby stopping the further supply of the other;
by this means the supply of both slivers, slubbings, or rovings is cut off, and
what are technically called " singles," are prevented. Another mode of
accomplishing this is by causing the slivers, slubbings, or rovings to pass
under a roller. which is held up so long as the supply is regular, but which
drops when one of the ends breaks, thereby stopping both, as before described.