Improvements in the Construction of Modern Beetling Machines for Textile Fabrics.
Year: 1896

page_text: Comelade On
Date of Application, 22nd Oct., 1896
2007*
Date of Application, 22nd Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 12th July, 1997 Accepted, 14th Aug., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Modern Beetling Machines
for Textile Fabrics.
WILLIAM FLECK REYNOLDS of the Belfast Machine Works, Belfast, Co. Antrim,
Manager, and WILLIAM NICHOLSON BROWN, of Larne, Co. Antrim, Mill Manager,
de hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
These improvements relate, firstly-To a new method of supporting and rotating
the discs which carry the Beams or Rollers upon which the fabric under operation
in such machines is wound: Secondly:-To an improved construction of the
Plungers and Plunger Guides used in these Machines.
In modern Beetling machines the Rollers, or Beetling Beams, are mounted in
discs, a disc being placed at each end of the machine and furnished with suitable
provisions for the Beam gudgeons to revolve in. These discs are connected by a
disc shaft to which they are firmly fastened & are, with their shaft, capable of
being rotated in their bearings, or blocks, so that any one of the set of rollers
mounted in them may be brought into the line of oneration of the beetles.
The practice hitherto has been to effect a change in the position of any roller
by revolving the disc shaft and discs from one end of the machine only. Owing
to the extreme length and weight of the rollers or beams in the larger make of
these machines excessive torsional strain is set up by this method: to relieve this
strain we apply suitable gearing to both ends of the disc shaft, or to both discs,
such gearing being driven from the same or separate shafts as we find most con-
venient: we thus effect simultaneous or synchronous motion in the discs and
reduce the torsional strain to a minimum. Further, we introduce into the seatings
or disc blocks, upon which the discs rotate and rest friction rollers or balls; these
are so placed that when the discs are at rest their external surfaces are out of
contact with the outer surfaces of the discs. Prior to rotating the discs we raise
the friction rollers or balls by means of levers, screws or hydraulic cylinders, so
far that the discs bear upon them only; contact between the discs and their
normal bearings or seatings ceasing. After the discs have been so far rotated that
the desired alignment of any roller or beetling beam has been attained they are
allowed to sink upon the broad bearing surfaces of their seatings and so take the
impact of the beetles or hammers without injury. We wish it to be understood
that we do not confine ourselves to the introduction of the above described friction
bearings into the ordinary disc blocks only, but may apply them to the discs at
other convenient or suitable points.
Secondly. The plungers and plunger guides employed in these machines being
of cylindrical cross section very little wear at either end of the rods connecting
them to the actuating cranks permits the plunger to rotate, more or less, around its
own axis as it travels in its guide: this partial rotation is transmitted to the
hammer or beetle fastened to the plunger end and two evils arise, one being that
owing to the necessarily contracted pitch or distance apart of the hammer centres
the hammers strike each other in their working; the other being, that the hammer

page_text: faces meet the fabric under operation at an angle to the axis of the roller upon
which the said fabric is wound and so damage it.
To obviate both these evils we employ plungers and plunger guides of square
or other polygonal cross section so that it becomes impossible for the plungers to
rotate or twist at any part of their travel.
Dated this Twenty-first day of October 1896.-
WILLIAM FLECK REYNOLDS.
WILLIAM NICHOLSON BROWN.
Improvements in the Construction of Modern Beetling Machines
for Textile Fabrics.
WILLIAM FLECK REYNOLDS, of the Belfast Machine Works, Belfast, Co. Antrim,
Manager, and WILLIAM NICHOLSON BROWN, of Larne, Co. Antrim, Mill 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:
These improvements relate, firstly-To a new method of supporting and rotating
the discs which carry the Beams or Rollers upon which the fabric under operation
in such machines is wound: Secondly:-To an improved construction of the
Plungers and Plunger guides used in these Machines.
In modern Beetling Machines the Rollers or Beetling Beams, are mounted in
discs, a disc being placed at each end of the machine and furnished with suitable
provisions for the Beam gudgeons to revolve in. These discs are connected by a
disc shaft to which they are firmly fastened and are, with their shaft, capable of
being rotated in their bearings, or blocks, so that any one of the set of rollers
mounted in them may be brought into the line of oneration of the beetles.
The practice hitherto has been to effect a change in the position of any roller
by revolving the disc shaft and discs from one end of the machine only. Owing
to the extreme length and weight of the rollers or beams in the larger make of
these machines excessive torsional strain is set up by this method: to relieve this
strain we apply suitable gearing to both ends of the disc shaft, or to both discs,
such gearing being driven from the same or separate shaft as we find most con-
venient: we thus effect simultaneous or synchronous motion in the discs and reduce
the torsional strain to a minimum. Further, we introduce into the seatings or
disc blocks, upon which the discs rotate and rest friction rollers or balls; these
are so placed that when the discs are at rest their external surfaces are out of
contact with the outer surfaces of the discs. Prior to rotating the discs we raise
the friction rollers or balls by means of levers, screws or hydraulic cylinders, so
far that the discs bear upon them only; contact between the discs and their
normal bearings or seatings ceasing. After the discs have been so far rotated that
the desired alignment of any roller or beetling beam has been attained they are
allowed to sink upon the broad bearing surfaces of their seatings and so take the
impact of the beetles or hammers without injury. We wish it to be understood
that we do not confine ourselves to the introduction of the above described friction
bearings into the ordinary disc blocks only, but may apply them to the discs at
other convenient or suitable points.
Secondly. The plungers and plunger guides employed in these machines being
of cylindrical cross section very little wear at either end of the rods connecting
them to the actuating crank permits the plunger to rotate, more or less around its
own axis as it travels in its guide, this partial rotation is transmitted to the

page_text: hammer or beetle fastened to the plunger end and two evils arise, one being that
owing to the necessarily contracted pitch or distance apart of the hammer centres
the hammers strike each other in their working; the other being, that the hammer
faces meet the fabric under operation at an angle to the axis of the roller upon
which the said fabric is wound and so damage it.
To obviate both these evils we employ plungers and plunger guides of square
or other polygonal cross section so that it becomes impossible for the plungers to
rotate or twist at any part of their travel.
Referring to the annexed sheet of drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical section of so
much of a Beetling Machine as is necessary to illustrate our improvements relating
to the rotating and supporting of the discs. Fig. 2 is an elevation of part of a
Ietling Machine. Fig. 3 is a plan, partly in section, of the same Machine
illustrating one of our methods of applying that part of our invention relating to
turning both discs simultaneously. Figs. 4 and 5 are a side and end elevation
respectively, of our improved form of plunger. Figs. 6 and 7 are a side and end
elevation respectively of our improved plunger guide for the said plungers to
work in.
The same letters refer to the same parts in the different views shewn:
a, are the rollers or beetling beams, b, the discs containing and supporting them,
e, the disc blocks carrying the dises and contained rollers or beans, , is the disc
shaft upon which the discs, b, are keyed, e, are worm wheels fastened on the disc
shaft outside or beyond the discs :-
Hitherto it has been usual to revolve the disc shaft, discs and contained rollers
from one end of the machine only by means of one worm wheel keyed upon that
end of the disc shaft at which the turning power was applied; in order to carry
out the first part of our invention we fit a second worm wheel to an extension of
the dise shaft at the other end of the machine and couple it to the above mentioned
worm wheel by means of the cross shafts f, worms, g, connecting shaft, h, and
worm wheels i, the latter appearing only in Fig. 2. It is evident that when the
driving pulley k, fastened to shaft, h, is revolved the cross shafts, f, participate
in its motion, which motion is conveyed through them to the worm wheels and
disc shaft, upon which these worm wheels are keyed, simultaneously.
We wish it to be understood, we do not confine ourselves to the application of
such turning gear to the dise shaft directly, but may apply it to the discs them-
selves by means of suitable gearing cast on or fitted to these discs. To reduce the
friction created by turning the dises, with their contained heavy rollers, in their
seats, we introduce into suitably formed recesses in these seats friction rollers or
halls, 1, Figs. 1 and 2, capable of being pressed against the edges of the discs with
sufficient force to raise them slightly from their seats and so take their weight;
we mount these rollers or balls in levers, m, which turn about the centres, », in
the framing of the machine and are raised or depressed by means of the
handwheel, o, and screw, p, working in a nut fastened to the lever at q.
Instead of raising the discs off their seats by this arrangement we employ the
fellowing in cases where the application of hydraulic pressure is found more
convenient, we fasten to the framing of the machine hydraulic cylinders, r, the
rams of these cylinders are furnished with friction rollers or balls which are
applied to the discs as shewn at points, s, or we introduce one such cylinder into
the seating or disc block, e, or form it in this seating.
Figs. 4 and 5 are different views of our improved plunger which we make square'
in cross section instead of cylindrical as has been the practice hitherto.
Figs. 6 and 7 are different elevations of the plunger guide in which these plungers
work; it is plain that these plungers caunot revolve around their axis while they
travel to and fro through their guides and are thus independent of the wear in
their actuating connecting rods, as are also the hammers or beetles which are
rigidly fastened to them so that all danger of the hammers striking against each
other is removed and the proper direction of travel of the said hammers is secured
and maintained.

page_text: We wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the use of
plungers of square cross section only but may construct them of any other
polygonal cross section which we may find more convenient than the square,
fitting suitably formed plunger guides to them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
1. The use in Modern Beetling Machines for textile fabrics of turning gear
applied to both ends of the disc shaft, or to both discs, whether such turning gear
is driven at each end from the same or separate shafts.
2. The use in Modern Beetling Machines of friction rollers or balls applied to
the edges or faces of their discs, by means of levers, hydraulic cylinders, or other-
wise, in such a manner that the said balls or rollers may carry the weight of these
discs at such times as the discs and their contained rollers are being revolved.
3. The use in Modern Beetling Machines of plungers of square or other
pclygonal cross section.
4. The use in Modern Beetling Machines of suitably formed plunger guides for
the reception of plungers of square or other polygonal cross section.
Dated this Ninth day of July 1897.
WILLIAM FLECK
REYNOLDS.
WILLIAM NICHOLSON BROWN.