Improvements in Spinning Mules.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spinning Mules.
I SAMUEL GREEN Bank House, Roaches, Mossley near Manchester, Cotton
Mill Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention is an adaptation of the "dash pot" principle, in connection with
spinning mules, to the purpose of preventing the rebounding or springing out of
mule carriages from the rollers at the finish of the inward run of mules, a fault
common to mules, causing breakage and thin places in the yarn, especially at the
ends of mules, and one of the causes of snarles, directly, because the twist runs
into the thin places in the yarn, forming snarles, and indirectly, because the minder
in the endeavour to avoid breakage and straining of yarn by carriage rebounding,
allows too much slack yarn between rollers and spindle points to start the outward
run of mule with.
The apparatus, two of which are required for a mule, one near each end, is
secured to the floor underneath the carriage, when the carriage is close to the
back stops.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1. is an elevation, and Fig. 2. a plan, of the
apparatus with cover or lid removed in Fig. 2.
B is an iron box or oil well, about half full of heavy bodied refuse oil when at
work.
P is an iron plate fitting easily the lower or working part of box, and having
with its arm A, a centre of motion in stud C.
In the stud D, passing through arm A, is the centre of motion of a catch
lever E, which is held up against a projection F, of the arm A, by a spring S.
Attached to the mule carriage in front, is a bar projecting underneath the
carriage, which bar, when carriage terminates the inward run, depresses and passes
over the catch E, and is caught by it.
At this point the apparatus begins to operate, by opposing to whatever tendency
there is in the mule carriage to rebound, the resistance offered by atmospheric
pressure to the plate p, which plate can only lift and yield to the force of the
rebound of the carriage against the catch E, according to the rate at which the oil
in the box B can pass below the plate p, which rate is regulated by holes in the
plate p, bored and tapped for setscrews, to be inserted or removed according to
flow of oil required.
The resistance offered to the rebound of mule carriage, is only instantaneous and
does not delay the carriage.
The catch E, while moving outward with mule carriage, has also a downward move-
ment which allows the carriage bar to clear it, and then the plate p settles by its
own weight, bringing the catch E in position for the next inward run of mule,
when the operation is repeated.
Dated this 22nd dox of Mar 1895.

page_text: Improvements in Spinning Mules.
I SAMUEL GREEN of Park View, Lees Road Mossley near Manchester Cotton
Mill Manager (late of Bank House Roaches Mossley) 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 :-
This invention is an adaptation of the dash pot principle in connection with
spinning mules, to the purpose of preventing the rebounding or springing out of
mule carriages from the rollers at the finish of the inward run; a fault common to
mules, causing breakage and thin places in the yarn, especially at the ends of mules,
and one of the causes of snarls, directly because the twist runs into the thin,
strained places in the yarn, forming snarls, and indirectly because minders in the
endeavour to avoid breakage and straining of the yarn, allow too much slack yarn
between rollers and spindle points to start the outward run of mule with.
The apparatus, two of which are required for a mule, one near each end, say
between second and third slips, is secured to the floor underneath the carriage when
carriage is close to the back stops.
In the drawings left with the Provisional Specification Fig. 1 is an elevation and
Fig. 2 a plan of the apparatus with cover or lid removed in Fig. 2.
B is an iron box or oil well about half full of oil when at work, P is an iron
plate fitting easily the lower or working part of box, and having with its arm A a
centre of motion in stud C.
In the stud D passing through arm A is the centre of motion of a catch
lever E which is held up against a projection F of the arm A by a spring S.
Attached to the mule carriage in front is a bar projecting underneath the carriage,
which bar, when carriage terminates the inward run, depresses and passes over the
catch E and is caught by it.
At this point the apparatus begins to operate by opposing to whatever tendency
there is in the mule carriage to rebound, the resistance offered by atmospheric
pressure to the plate p, which plate can only lift and yield to the force or impact
of the rebound of the carriage against the catch E according to the rate at which
the oil in the box B, can pass below the plate p, which rate is regulated by port
holes H in the plate p bored and tapped for setscrews to be inserted or removed
according to flow of oil required.
To explain this operation let it be supposed that a sufficient force be applied to
the catch E by the rebounding of a mule carriage against it, to lift the plate p
without any oil being allowed to pass from the upper side to the lower side of the
plate during the lifting of the plate. It is obvious that in that case, the cubic space
under the plate would be increased, and the increase of space would be a vacuum;
with the result that the plate p, which is 5 inches square would sustain atmospheric
pressure expressed in pounds by 5 × 5 × 15 = 375 and the effect of this pressure
would be more than doubled in the catch E and would exceed 375 x 2 = 750 lbs.
because in the arm A there is a leverage of more than two to one.
In the plate p, however several holes are bored to allow the oil to escape from
the upper side to the lower side of plate during the lifting of the plate by the force
of a mule carriage against the catch E, at commencement of outward run of
carriage.
Now it will be evident that the amount of resistance offered by the catch E to
the impact of a mule carriage against it, will depend upon the size and number of
holes in the plate p, and upon the density or body of the oil; in other words upon
the freedom with which the oil can escape from the upper side to the lower side

page_text: of plate, while the plate is lifting and yielding to the impact of the mule carriage
against the catch.
Having fixed upon a certain kind of oil and upon a certain size of holes in the
plate, it only remains to regulate the amount of resistance by the number of holes
open, and as the holes are tapped for setscrews it is merely necessary to increase
the number of holes by removing a setscrew to facilitate the escape of oil from the
upper to lower side of plate when less resistance is desirable; or to diminish the
number of holes by inserting a setscrew to check the escape of oil when it is
required to increase the amount of resistance.
The adjusting of the apparatus therefore consists in fixing upon the number of
holes to be open in the plate p, which are necessary and not more than necessary to
allow the oil to escape from the upper side to the lower side of the plate, during
the lifting of the plate, by the force of the carriage against the catch E, without
offering material resistance to the carriage when commencing its outward run at
the proper speed.
When thus once adjusted, although the apparatus offers no material resistance to
the normal rate of outward movement of a mule carriage, which affords time
for the escape of oil from upper to lower side of plate; yet any increase in the
rate of outward movement of carriage against the catch resulting from a rebound,
meets with correspondingly greater resistance and is retarded, the carriage
proceeding on its outward run at the normal rate according to the limit which has
been fixed for the rate of escape of oil from upper to lower sides of plate; because
the escape of oil through the holes in the plate is a question of time and but slightly
affected by an increase in the force of a rebound of a mule carriage against the
catch, and whatever be the force or momentum of the rebound of a carriage against
the catch E short of 750 pounds which is an ample limit, such rebound would be
counteracted by this apparatus which constitutes a fluid buffer automatically
controlling the rate of movement of a mule carriage at commencement of outward
run and so preventing the rebounding or jerking out of the carriage to the
detriment of yarn.
The resistance offered to the rebound of the mule carriage is only instantaneous
and ceases with the lifting of the plate p from its seat, which allows a free flow of
oil, and therefore the outward traverse of the carriage is not delayed.
The catch E while moving outwards with mule carriage has also a downward
movement which allows the carriage bar to clear it and then the plate p settles by
its own weight, bringing the catch E into position for the next inward run of the
carriage when the operation is repeated.
This invention contributes to an increase of production of yarn by removing
the necessity for taking the mule in gear slowly, and so losing time as a precaution
against rebounding of carriage, and consequent damage to yarn.
This invention lends itself to economy of power by removing the necessity for
taking the mule in gear slowly, because when a mule is allowed to go in gear more
freely, that is, when not too much checked or restrained by scroll bands, the
winding finishes with the tin rollers and spindles running more quickly and
consequently less power is absorbed in overcoming their inertia and getting up the
speed for the outward run of mule each draw.
Also in the transmission of less power in starting out the mules each draw, there
is less wear and tear of strapping and rim banding, less liability for straps to slip
and so lose time, and less liability for rim bands to slip and make weak yarn for
want of twist.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
The adoption of the dash pot principle; using a fluid substance as a buffer for
receiving the impact of a mule carriage when rebounding at the end of the inward
the amount of
L
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page_text: escapement of the fluid through vent port or ports, an arrangement by which the
resistance corresponds to the varying momentum of the rebounding of a mule
carriage; being slight when the impact is slight and greater when the impact is
greater.
Dated this 13th day of February 1896