Year: 1897

page_text: I, JULES DEVALLÉE, of 60, Rue Watt, Roubaix (Nord), in the Republic of France,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in gill-frames or spreaders.
In gill-frames or spreaders of ordinary construction which are made of considerable
width to obtain as large an output as possible so that the heckle-bars or fallers have
to be very long, stoppages frequently occur in the working as the fallers bend in
The ends of the fallers then
consequence of the pull constantly exerted upon them.
no longer engage with the traversing-screws perpendicularly to their axes, but
inclined thereto so that frequently either the hardened screw-thread breaks or the
ends of the fallers or heckle-bars themselves break off. It also frequently happens
that the said fallers or heckle-bars break at the middle. To obviate this disadvan-
tage by simply strengthening the fallers in the middle would not appear to be
suitable as the said fallers follow one another in quick succession and therefore a
thickening at any part would not be possible.
it.
According to this invention the above disadvantage is obviated by bending or
cranking the fallers at the middle, the said bent or cranked portion extending in a
direction opposite to that in which the faller tends to bend under the pull exerted on
As all the fallers receive the same bend, the bent portions fit into one another so
that the successive fallers are not prevented from following one another in quick
succession. The bending or cranking acts effectively in the opposite direction to
the bending which ordinarily occurs so that the fallers can withstand the pull
exerted upon them and still remain straight. By this means breakages of the fallers
or of the screws are quite avoided.
By bending or cranking the fallers in the above described manner, another
advantage is obtained. In gill-frames or spreaders of ordinary construction it was
necessary to provide guide-springs on both sides of the fallers between the drawing-
roller and the faller or heckle-bar next to it, which springs guided the falling heckle-
bar from the upper to the lower screws. By employing fallers with the central bend
or cranked portion as above described a single guide-bar can be employed instead of
the two guide-springs, which bar fits into the bent or cranked portion of the foremost
heckle-bar or faller. This central guide-bar also serves as a support for the faller
in contact with it, which is subjected to a considerable lateral pull. By my inven-
tion I also obtain the advantage that the lateral notches for the usual guide-springs
can be dispensed with so that the fallers are made considerably more durable and
strong for this reason alone.
In a gill-frame made according to my invention the fallers or heckle-bars, which
are traversed forwards and backwards by screws in the usual manner are strongly
supported by the central guide-bar at the point in their path at which they are
subjected to the greatest pull. The guide-bar is advantageously fitted to a cross-
br of the frame of the machine and provides the necessary guide for the fallers as
they drop. A second central guide-bar can also be provided opposite the first guide-

page_text: bar for guiding the fallers as they rise, which said bar is preferably arranged upon a
spring.
'Dated the 13th day of May 1897.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
improvements in Gill-frames or Spreaders.
I, JULES DEVALLÉE, of 60, Rue Watt, Roubaix (Nord), in the Republic of France,
Engineer, 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 relates to improvements in gill-frames or spreaders.
In gill-frames or spreaders of ordinary construction which are made of considerable
width to obtain as large an output as possible so that the heckle-bars or fallers have
to be very long, stoppages frequently occur in the working as the fallers bend in
consequence of the pull constantly exerted upon them. The ends of the fallers then
no longer engage with the traversing-screws perpendicularly to their axes, but
inclined thereto so that frequently either the hardened screw-thread breaks or the
ends of the fallers themselves break off. It also frequently happens
that the said fallers break at the middle. To obviate this disadvan-
tage by simply strengthening the fallers in the middle would not appear to be
suitable as the said fallers follow one another in quick succession and therefore a
thickening at any part would not be possible.
According to this invention the above disadvantage is obviated by bending or
cranking the fallers at the middle, the said bent or cranked portion extending in a
direction opposite to that in which the faller tends to bend under the pull exerted on
it.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference to
the accompanying drawing in which:-
'
Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating the present construction of fallers:
Figure 2 is a similar view shewing my improved construction:
Figure 3 is a front elevation of a gill-frame having my improvements applied
thereto:
Figure 4 is a sectional side view:
Figure 5 is a part plan.
a is the drawing roller, g, g the lower and h, h the upper traversing screws. b, bare
the fallers each of which is formed with a V-shaped bend e at its middle as clearly
shewn in Figure 2.
As all the fallers b receive the same bend, the bent portions e fit into one another
so that the successive fallers are not prevented from following one another in quick
succession. The bending or cranking acts effectively in the opposite direction to
the bending which ordinarily occurs so that the fallers can withstand the pull
exerted upon them and still remain straight. By these means breakages of the
fallers or of the screws are quite avoided.
By bending or cranking the fallers in the above described manner, another
advantage is obtained. In gill-frames of ordinary construction (Figure 1) it was
necessary to provide guide-springs on both sides of the fallers 6 between the drawing-
roller a and the faller next to it, which springs guided the descending faller from the
upper to the lower screws. By employing fallers with the central bend or cranked
portion e as above described a single guide-bar d can be employed instead of the two

page_text: guide-springs, which bar d fits into the bent or cranked portion e of the foremost
faller b. This central guide-bar d also serves as a support for the faller in contact
with it, which is subjected to a considerable lateral pull. By my invention I also
obtain the advantage that the lateral notches f (Figure 1) for the usual guide-springs
can be dispensed with so that the fallers are made considerably more durable and
strong for this reason alone.
In the construction of a gill-frame shewn in Figures 3 to 5, the fallers b, which are
traversed forwards and backwards by the screws h and g in the usual manner, are
strongly supported by the central guide-bar d at the point in their path at which
they are subjected to the greatest pull. The guide-bar is advantageously fitted to a
cross-bar or girder k of the frame of the machine and provides the necessary guide
for the fallers as they drop. A second central guide-bar o can also be provided
opposite the guide-bar d for guiding the fallers as they rise, which said bar o is
preferably arranged upon a spring p.
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:-
1. Gill-frames or spreaders wherein the fallers are bent or cranked at the middle
in a direction opposite to that in which they tend to bend, for the purpose of prevent-
ing curvature thereof substantially as herein before described.
2. Gill-frames or spreaders of the kind described in Claim 1 and wherein a guide-
bar for the descending fallers is arranged immediately behind the drawing-roller
and fits into the bend in the foremost faller, substantially as herein before described.
3. The improved gill-frame hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 3 to 5
of the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 27th day of Januar 1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.