Improvements in Self-acting Spinning Mules and Twiners.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 8th June, 1896-Accepted, 11th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Self-acting Spinning Mules and Twiners.
We JOHN MCQUEEN of the Firm of John Hetherington & Sons Limited, of the
Vulcan Works, Pollard Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Makers, and GEORGE Ross of the same place, Manager, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our said invention relates to self-acting spinning mules and twiners for spinning
yarns.
To
As is well known to those acquainted with this type of spinning machinery, the
carriage has its speed reduced during the stretching operation which takes place at
or towards the end of the draw. In the spinning of fine yarns, especially, where
owing to the extra twist required the speed of the carriage relatively to the speed
of the spindles is not great, the requisite reduction of the carriage speed during
the stretching brings down the progress of the carriage to a very low rate.
obviate this necessity and thereby save time, we propose to so speed up the tin
roller shaft that the speed of the spindles is increased to any desired extent during
the stretch and twisting thereby enabling the carriage to be moved faster and the
To effect
twisting more expeditiously effected than would otherwise be the case.
this we apply a differential motion to the mule arranged in the following manner.
The tin roller pulley runs loosely on the tin roller shaft and is flanked on each side
by a system of spur wheels. On one side, one of the spurs is fixed on the tin
roller shaft; on the other side the spur is formed in one with or is secured to a
bevelled friction clutch-half running opposite to a corresponding friction clutch-
half, stationary but capable of being slid towards and from the revolvable clutch-
half first referred to.
The spur which is fixed upon the tin roller shaft gears with a pinion carried on
a stud passing through the tin roller pulley, the other end of the stud on the
opposite side of the pulley carrying another pinion which gears with a wheel
broad enough to gear with both the said pinion and the clutch-half spur. The
spur which is fixed upon the tin roller shaft carries also a ratchet toothed clutch-
half, gearing with a similarly toothed clutch-half which slides loosely on the tin
roller shaft. This sliding clutch-half is moved by a clutch lever in and out of
gear with the half on the spur and a tail on the sliding clutch-half connects it to
the tin roller pulley. Thus when the two latter clutch-halves are in gear and the
pulley is driven (the bevel clutch-halves being then apart) the tin roller shaft runs
at the same speed as the pulley. On the other hand when the ratchet tooth
clutch-balves are moved apart and the bevel clutch-halves are brought together
(thereby holding the running bevel clutch stationary) an increased velocity is
imparted to the tin roller shaft without any change in the speed of the pulley, the
said increased velocity being due to the differential driving speeds of the gear
wheels or spurs and pinions carried on the tin roller shaft and pulley. The
operation of our invention will now be clearly understood. When the carriage is
on its outward journey the toothed clutch-halves are in gear and the friction bevel
clutch-halves are apart, the tin roller shaft then running at the same speed as the
pulley. When towards the end of the traverse the carriage is slowed down and
the stretching and twisting commences, the clutch levers are automatically
operated so as to throw the toothed clutch-halves apart while bringing the

page_text: stationary sliding bevel clutch-half up against the revolving bevel clutch-balf
so as to biake and stop the same, whereupon by means of the gearing already
described, the speed of the tin roller shaft is doubled or increased in any desired
proportion, causing the spindles to effect the twisting at this point at a much
higher rate of speed. By providing for the changing of the centres and sizes of
the aforesaid differential speed transmitting gear the increased speed of the
spindles may be adjusted to any desired pitch.
Dated the 6th day of September 1895.
Improvements in Self-acting Spinning Mules and Twiners.
We JOHN MCQUEEN of the Firm of John Hetherington & Sons Limited, of the
Vulcan Works, Pollard Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Makers, and GEORGE ROSS of the same place, Manager, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement and
accompanying drawings
1
Our said invention relates to self-acting spinning mules and twiners for spinning
yarns.
As is well known to those acquainted with this type of spinning machinery, the
carriage has its speed reduced during the stretching operation which takes place
at or towards the end of the draw. In the spinuing of fine yarns, especially where
owing to the extra twist required the speed of the carriage relatively to the speed
of the spindles is not great, the requisite reduction of the carriage speed during
the stretching brings down the progress of the carriage to a very low rate.
obviate this necessity and thereby save time, we propose to so speed up the tin
roller shaft that the speed of the spindles is increased to any desired extent during
the stretch and twisting, thereby enabling the carriage to be moved faster and the
twisting to be more expeditiously effected than would otherwise be the case.
To
To effect this we apply a differential motion to the mule arranged in a manner
which will be more apparent from a consideration of the annexed sheet of
illustrative drawings and the following description.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1 on the right side of the fig.
Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig. 1.
The tin roller pulley a which is driven by the usual band or bands a runs loosely
on the tin reller shaft and is flanked on each side by arrangements of differential
tooth gearing. On the left hand side of Fig. 1, the spur wheel c is fixed on the tin
roller shaft while on the right hand side the spur wheel d is secured to or formed
in one with a bevelled friction clutch half e mounted loosely on the tin roller shaft b
and running opposite to a corresponding friction clutch halff also mounted loosely
on the tin roller shaft but kept from revolving by a stud y bolted to the frame g
and projecting through the face of the clutch balff. The stationary clutch half f
is capable of being slid towards and from the revolvable clutch-half e and practically
acts as a brake at times to arrest the rotation of the clutch half e.
The spur
wheel which is fixed upon the tin roller shaft, gears with two pinions h h carried
on studs i i¹ which pass through the tin roller pulley a the opposite ends of the
studs on the other side of the pulley carrying pinions jj which gear with
intermediate wheels k k each broad enough to gear with both the pinion j and

page_text: The spur wheel c
the spur wheel d fixed on or forming part of the clutch half e.
which as has been said is fixed on the tin roller shaft has formed on its side a
ratchet toothed clutch half c¹ capable of gearing with a similarly toothed clutch
half which is mounted loosely on the tin roller shaft and can be slid in and out
of gear with the clutch half c. Studs m project from the side of the tin roller
pulley a and engage with eyes formed on the clutch half 1. The studs m
therefore act as drivers to revolve the clutch half at the same speed as the tin
roller pulley and when the clutch half is pushed by the lever n into gear with the
clutch half c the revolving motion of the clutch half is imparted to the clutch
half c' and therefore to the spur wheel c and tin roller shaft b. Thus when the
parts are in the position indicated in Fig. 1, i.e. with the clutch halves c' and lin
gear, and the clutch halves e and apart or out of gear, it will be seen that the tin
roller shaft runs at the same speed as the pulley a, the differential gearing being then
idle and having no effect. Should it be desired however at any time to increase
the speed of the tin roller shaft for the purposes set forth in the foregoing part of
this specification, the spindle o which carries the clutch levers n n' is slid in the
direction of the arrow Fig. 1 (preferably by automatic contact with some fixed
stop) thereby causing the clutch levers n n to move the clutch half out of gear
with the clutch half c', at the same time bringing the stationary clutch half
against the revolving clutch half e. This has the double effect of releasing the
clutch half c and spur wheel c from the driving influence of the clutch half 7,
while at the same time the advance of the stationary clutch half has the effect of
braking and holding the clutch half e, the spur wheel d thus becoming a fixed and
stationary wheel. The revolution of the tin roller pulley a of course continues, the
broad faced intermediate pinions k k rolling in gear with the fixed spur d and
driving the pinions jj the studs of which transmit motion to the pinions h h on
the other side of the pulley. These pinions in their turn drive the spur wheel c
which being fixed on the tin roller shaft b causes the latter to revolve. The
required increase of speed of the tin roller shaft is obtained by the differential
sizes of the gearing on each side of the tin roller pulley. It will be evident that
this increase of speed may be varied as required by the use of change wheels in
the gearing. For example the studs of the intermediate pinions k k might be
made adjustable on the tin roller pulley so that by introducing pinions of greater
or less diameter the altered speed of the tin roller shaft can be likewise adjusted
to requirements. We may remark that although we have described and shown
the pinions, j and k as duplicated, such duplication is not necessary, although we
are of opinion that it conduces to steadier and better running.
up
When the mule
The operation of our invention will now be clearly understood.
carriage is on its outward journey the toothed clutch halves c¹ and are in gear
and the friction bevel clutch halves e, f are apart, the tin roller shaft then
running at the same speed as the pulley. When towards the end of the traverse
the carriage is slowed down and the stretching and twisting commences the spindle o
is automatically slid by some fixed stop so as to throw the toothed clutch halves
apart while bringing the stationary bevel clutch half up against the revolving
bevel clutch half so as to brake and stop the same, whereupon by means of the
gearing already described the speed of the tin roller shaft is increased in any
desired proportion, causing the spindles to effect the twisting at this point at a
much higher rate of speed.
We do not confine ourselves to the precise details shown and described. For
instance instead of the toothed clutch c¹any other suitable form of clutch might
be used and otherwise the details might be varied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is.
The improved means for increasing the speed of the spindles of self-acting mules

page_text: and twiners during the stretching operation at the end of the draw, substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated.
Dated the 6th day of June 1896.
For the Applicants,
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5 John Dalton Street, Manchester, Chartered Patent Agents.