IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING MANILLA AND OTHER FIBRES."
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Barbour, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING
AND SPINNING MANILLA AND OTHER FIBRES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Barbour at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th December 1877.
JAMES BARBOUR, of Belfast, in the County Antrim, Ireland. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING MANILLA AND OTHER FIBRES"
These improvements consist, firstly, of a novel means of correcting the inequalities
of the sliver delivered from the gills of spinning frames and preparing machines;
and, secondly, of an arrangement for regulating the drag on the bobbins.
The irregularities in the sliver are corrected by means of one or more pairs of
drawing or testing rollers, placed between the gills and the flyer of spinning frames,
and between the gills and the delivery rollers of preparing machines. To these
testing rollers a varying rotary motion is communicated in such a manner that as a
thicker portion of sliver is presented to them their speed is increased, thus giving to
the thick portions of the sliver an increased draft. This is carried out by means of
a friction driving wheel attached to one of these drawing or testing rollers, and
which is driven by contact with two friction drivers going at different surface speeds
When a thick portion of sliver passes between these drawing or testing rollers,
the friction driving wheel is relieved from contact with the slow-going or retarding
driver, and is driven quicker by being at the same time pressed into closer contact
with the quick-going driver, and thus the thick parts of the sliver are reduced by
being subjected to an increased draft. The further to ensure the equalizing of the
sliver, the varying speed of the drawing or testing rollers is communicated to the
retaining gills in an inverse ratio, that is to say, as the rollers increase in speed the
gills proportionably diminish in speed, and thus present a less quantity of sliver to
the rollers to be elongated.
The second part of this Invention consists of an arrangement for regulating the
drag on the bobbins in such a manner that an uniform or nearly uniform tension

page_text: on the yarn may be obtained during the filling of the bobbin. This is carried out
by connecting the bobbin with an expanding fan or other suitable contrivance that
requires more power to propel as the speed increases; thus, as the bobbin fills,
there is not merely the increased drag caused by the quicker speed at which the fan
is driven by the bobbin, but the fan blades increase in efficacy by acting further 5
from the centre, and thus the required increase of drag on the bobbin is obtained as
it fills.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Barbour in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th June
1878.
JAMES BARBOUR, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING MANILLA AND OTHER FIBRES."
This Invention relates, firstly, to a novel means of correcting the inequalities in
the thickness of the sliver delivered from the gills of spinning frames and preparing
machines; and, secondly, to an arrangement for regulating the drag on the
bobbins.
The irregularities in the sliver are corrected by means of one or more pains of
drawing or testing rollers, placed between the gills and the flyer of spinning frames
and between the gills and the delivering rollers of preparing machines. To these
testing rollers a varying rotary motion is communicated in such a manner that as a
thicker portion of sliver is presented to them their speed is increased, thus giving to
the thick portions of the sliver an increased draft.
In the accompanying Drawing,
Fig. 1 is a general view of the horizontal spinner for rope yarns, to which the
Invention is primarily applicable, and Figures 2 and 3 illustrate on an enlarged
scale the means for varying the draft on the sliver, Fig. 2 showing an end elevation,
and Fig. 3 a front elevation of the drawing rollers and the driving gear in connection
therewith.
a, a, represent a pair of drawing or testing rollers, which are placed between the
gills and the flyer of spinning frames, and between the gills and the delivery rollers
of preparing machines. These rollers are mounted in bearings, which are free to
slide în guides in the framing, and they are pressed together by means of coiled
springs which yield to allow of the passage of an increased thickness of sliver passing
between the drawing rollers When this occurs, it is required to increase the draught
of the rollers, and it is for this purpose that the means for driving the rollers, to be
now explained, is adopted. These rollers a, a, are connected together by spur
gearing, and keyed to the axle of the lower of these rollers is a friction driving wheel b.
This wheel b gears with two friction drivers 61, 62, running at different surface
speeds. On the shaft b** of the friction driver 6' is keyed a spur pinion c, which
gears into the wheel c¹ on the end of chain shaft c³, and rotary motion is thereby
transmitted from the chain shaft c to the friction driver b'. The shaft 6* is fitted

page_text: with a band pulley, and the shaft b** of the friction driver b is also fitted with a
band pulley, but of smaller diameter than that on the upper shaft. An endless band
passing round these pulleys serves to transmit rotary motion from one shaft to the
other, and to drive the lower shaft 6* at a greater speed than the upper shaft was
driven.
When a thick portion of sliver passes between these drawing or testing rollers a,
the rollers a will be forced further apart, the effect of which will be to press the
friction driving wheel b out of contact with the slower driving pulley b¹ and into
contact with the quicker driving pulley b²; thus the thick parts of the sliver aro
reduced by being subjected to an increased draught.
In order to obtain an uniform tension on the yarn, or nearly so, during the filling
of the bobbin, I connect the bobbin through its traversing socket with an expanding
fan, which, as the speed increases, will require a greater expenditure of power to
propel it, and will thus put an increasing drag upon the bobbin.
The position in which this fan is situated is indicated at d, Fig 1, and the
construction of the fan is clearly shown in the enlarged views at Figures 4 and 5,
Fig. 4 being a side view of the fan, fitted to its sleeve shaft, and Fig. 5 a cross
section of the same.
In these Figures & is an open disc or wheel plate, keyed to a sleeve d',
which is mounted loosely on a driving shaft g. The wheel plate is slotted radially
to receive the fan blades d, which are free to slide in the radial slots. These blades
are connected to the sleeve by means of link rods ds which permit of their moving
out from the axis of rotation of the fan by centrifugal action. To counteract this
motion of the blades a sliding plate e is fitted to the sleeve d', and behind this plate
is placed a coiled pressure spring, which is confined between the plate and the hub
of a band pulley f keyed to the end of the sleeve d. This pulley f is connected by
a band f¹ (see Fig. 1) to a pulley ƒ on the traversing socket of the bobbin carrier,
and by this means rotary motion is communicated to the expanding fan.
It will now be understood that as the tendency of the bobbin is to increase in
speed as it fills, the speed of the fan will be also proportionately increased. The
result of this will be to cause the blades to fly out, and thereby offer a gradually
increasing resistance to the driving power exerted upon the fan, and consequently
to put an increasing drag on the bobbin as it fills.
As the speed of the bobbin is reduced and the rotation of the fan diminished, the
coiled spring, which has yielded to the back pressure of the plate e put upon it by
the fan blades, will expand, force back the plate e, and thereby press the fan blades
inwards; thus the diaineter of the fan, as represented by the blades, will enlarge or
diminish in exact relation to the varying speed of rotation of the bobbin.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in Machinery
for Preparing and Spinning Manilla and other Fibres," and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent I claim,―
First. The means above described, with reference to the accompanying Drawing,
for correcting the inequalities of the sliver delivered from the gills of spinning frames
and preparing machines.
Secondly. The means above described for regulating the drag on the bobbins of
spinning frames.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Barbour, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
JAMES BARBOUR. (LS)