IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORDS, ROPES, AND CABLES, AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN, APPLICABLE ALSO TO SPINNING, WINDING, AND TWISTING FIBROUS AND FILAMENTOUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORDS, ROPES, AND CABLES, AND IN MACHINERY
EMPLOYED THEREIN, APPLICABLE ALSO TO SPINNING, WINDING, AND TWISTING
FIBROUS AND FILAMENTOUS SUBSTANCES."-A communication from abroad
by Jean Antoine de Maniquet, of Paris, France.
Sealed the 18th September 1863, and dated the 25th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said
said Richard Archibald
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 25th March 1868.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORDS, ROPES, AND CABLES, AND IN
MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN, APPLICABLE ALSO TO SPINNING, WINDING, AND
TWISTING FIBROUS AND FILAMENTOUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
According to the present manufacture of ropes and cords, if in a rope
composed of, say, from 4 to 5 strands, there be one or several of different
thickness and of unequal torsion, the strain borne by the entire rope
becoming equally spread over each strand, the weakest will break first, con-
sequent upon its want of resistance comparatively with the others. Each
strand will thus break successively.

page_text: By the method of manufacture the subject of the present Invention, the
total strain is spread proportionally over each strand according to the thick-
ness and the torsion thereof, the result is that the rope is capable of supporting
its maximum tension without breaking.
The manufacture, according to the present Invention, is divided into three
distinct operations, spinning, winding or warping, and twisting, which are
performed in two machines, hereafter described, viz., a spinning machine,
which performs also the winding and warping, and a twisting machine.
First operation, spinning.-The spinning and winding machine consists of
a frame carrying a main shaft, on which fast and loose pulleys are set. This
shaft carries also two toothed wheels of different diameters, one of which
gears into a pinion on a second shaft which extends beyond the frame of the
machine and acts as a spindle, on which bobbins for carrying the yarns or
strands are placed. The other wheel on the main shaft gears into a pinion on
a socket or hollow shaft, through which the spindle shaft passes. This hollow
shaft carries a flyer in the shape of a frame outside and around the spindle;
while the spindle and the flyer are made to revolve in the same direction, they
do so at different speeds for the purpose at the same time of giving torsion to
the yarn or strand and of winding it upon the bobbin. The hemp or fibre for
forming the strand is kept stretched at the farther end of the flyer, and
becomes twisted by the flyer making about 500 revolutions a minute. The
strand passes under a friction roller at the farther end of the flyer, over
another roller on one of the sides of the flyer, then over a third roller inwards
towards the spindle, on which two spring or similarly acting nippers are
fitted. During the revolution of the flyer and spindle at one-half of the revo-
lution one and at the other half the other nipper is brought into action, so as
to seize and release the strand at the proper moment, whereby sufficient
tension is exerted on it; on becoming released the strand passes upwards over
another roller on the side of the flyer, then over another roller down on to the
bobbin on the spindle. As soon as one bobbin is full it is removed, and an
empty one is substituted for it.
Second operation, warping.-The warping of the spun strand is effected in
a machine precisely similar to that last described, but of larger proportions.
The bobbin, charged with the strand, is placed upon the spindle of the
machine, which imparts a regular torsion to it before being subjected to the
twisting machine.
Third operation, twisting.-I proceed to describe the twisting machine,
supposing a rope of four strands is to be produced:-The machine consists
of a central and main flyer and spindle, on which a drum for carrying the

page_text: finished rope is fixed. Four minor flyers carrying bobbins set horizontally or
at right angles to the main spindle are arranged round it, and the whole of
the flyers and the main spindle are made to revolve by toothed and bevil gear.
Each strand is subjected to torsion in passing from the head of the small
flyers, and is carried over a large grooved pulley, there being one such pulley
fixed to a frame carried over and revolving with each of these minor flyers;
from these pulleys the strands pass through a guide, on issuing from which
the whole of the strands become united in one, either by themselves alone or
round a central core supplied from a bobbin placed for the purpose. When
the rope or cable is being formed, that is, when the main spindle and flyer
work, each of the strands, according to its torsion or size, becomes more or less
elongated; the thickest is first placed on the core, if there is one, then the strand
next smaller, and so on for all the strands, this is supposing there be inequality
in the strands. Thus a rope or cable is formed, all the parts of which are
equally distributed in proportion to the resistance they are capable of affording.
When all the strands are equal in diameter and torsion they become twisted
together and form a strong and even cable. The rope becomes twisted and
wound upon the drum on the main spindle in a similar manner to the winding
of the strands upon their spindles, as before explained.
Although I have mentioned more particularly ropes and cables, yet the
Invention applies equally to the spinning, winding, and twisting, or either or
any two of these operations to be performed upon silk, cotton, or other fibrous
or filamentous material.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as 1, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CORDS, ROPES, AND CABLES, AND IN
MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN, APPLICABLE ALSO TO SPINNING, WINDING, AND
TWISTING FIBROUS AND FILAMENTOUS SUBSTANCES," (communicated to me from
abroad by Jean Antoine de Maniquet, of Paris, France,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
This Invention is based upon the proportional resistance of the strands com-
posing the cord, rope, or cable, according to their thickness or torsion, that is to
say, that if in a rope composed of 4 or 5 strands, and manufactured according
to the ordinary method, there be one or several of different thickness and of
unequal torsion the strain borne by the entire rope being equally spread over
each strand the weakest will break first consequent upon its want of resistance
comparatively with the others. Each strand will thus break successively, at
the resistance offered by the entire rope is no longer sufficient to resist the
strain exerted upon it.
By the method of manufacture which forms the subject of this Invention,
the wholo strain is, on the contrary, spread proportionally over each strand
according to its thickness and torsion. The result is that the rope is capable
of exerting its maximum tension without breaking.
The manufacture, according to the present Invention, is divided into three
distinct operations, vidclicit, spinning, winding or warping, and twisting. These
three operations are performed in two machines, hereafter described, videlicit, a
spinning machine, which performs also the winding and warping, and a twisting
machine. These two machines will be well understood on reference to the
accompanying Drawings,

page_text: Figure 1 is a plan of the spinning machine; Figure 2 is a sectional elevation
of the twisting machine; Figure 3 is a horizontal section of the twisting
machine taken at the top of the mechanism for driving the flyers; Figures 4
and 5 are details on a larger scale of the different arrangements I apply to the
flyers for nipping.
First operation, spinning machine.-This machine is mounted on frames
a, a, of cast iron, wood, or other material united by cross bars b. On tho
frames a bearings c, c', d, d', are fixed, in which shafts f, g, are free to revolve.
The main shaft f carries two pulleys h, h', one of which is loose; inside the
frame is a toothed wheel i which gears into a pinion j fixed on the shaft g of
the spindle D. A second toothed wheel k fixed on the shaft f gears into a
pinion on the socket m of the flyer n. The flyer being one of the chief
features of this Invention will be described hereafter in all its details, and
according to the different methods of mounting it. The pinion ; which drives
the spindle D and the pinion which drives the flyer being of different
diameters proportional to the wheels i and k, the wheels turn in the same
direction but at different speeds. The object of this arrangement is to impart
at the same time a twist to the strand and to wind it upon the bobbin E, as
will be explained in the description of the flyer and its operation. The hemp
for forming the strand is kept stretched at F, and becomes twisted by the
flyer n, which makes five hundred revolutions a minute. The strand then
passes under a grooved roller G, then over another grooved roller H and a
third grooved roller I. On leaving the roller I the strand is nipped between a
grooved cap J and a hinged nipper u on the socket K. The nipper u carries
two rods L, to which rollers are attached abutting interiorly against an
excentric ring M fixed on the rail of the flyer n. Springs v pressing upon the
nippers u, u', cause them to press against the cap J. Tho cap J is threaded
as represented in Figures 2, 4, and 5, in order that its position may be regu-
lated according to the thickness of the strand. The flyer in revolving carries
with it the excentric ring M, which by pressing upon one or other of the
rollers L opens first the nipper u, then the nipper u'. The strand is in turn
seized by one of these nippers, and released by the other as the flyer and
spindle revolve; it thus receives sufficient tension to allow of its passing over
a pulley N, and over one of the rollers o, o, o, which facilitates its winding on
one of the compartments of the bobbin or drum E. When the bobbin E is full
it is removed by unscrewing the bolt P, and an empty one is substituted for
it. The nipping apparatus may be varied, as shown, for instance, in Figures
1, 2, 4, and 6. In the apparatus shewn at Figures 2 and 4, the nippers u, u',
have substituted for them slides carrying rollers L', L', which pass under the

page_text: cam J', and the nippers of each slide are pressed upon by springs, as already
explained. Or a socket R (see Figure 5) widened at bottom may be made
to oscillate round the spindle S. This socket is kept pressed against the
grooved cap J by the roller L fixed on the end of a strong spring T. Or the
spring may be placed under the cam or excentric ring, but in that case
the excentric would push the lever or nipper from above instead of acting
from below as before. The object of these different arrangements is to retain
the cord at a given moment nipped between the cap J and the appliance for
pressing, in order to obtain the necessary tension.
Second operation, warping.-The warping of the spun strand is effected in
a machine precisely similar to that above described, but of larger proportions.
The bobbin carrying the spun strand is placed on the spindle of the machine,
which imparts to it a regular torsion before being submitted to the twisting
machine.
Third operation, twisting.-This machine consists of a circular or polygonal
frame A, supported on four or six cast-iron feet. The circumference is
divided into four parts, on each of which is a drum B of sheet iron fixed to
the frame A by rivets, or by any other mode of attachment. The two bottoms
of the drums are formed by plates o cast with the frame and strengthened by
ribs. In the centre of the frame is a vertical shaft p supported by bearings
and collars; it is prolonged above the frame and forms the spindle D, or
rather the axis of the drum E. On the shaft p a large toothed wheel 7 is
fixed concentric with a bevil wheel r, which receives motion from another
bevil wheels on a horizontal shaft t, on which the driving pulleys h, h¹ arc
fixed. Outside the frame and on the same shaft t there is a toothed wheel Q,
which through the wheel R' actuates the wheel U on a horizontal shaft t'.
This shaft is similar to the shaft t, with the exception of the driving pulleys;
it carries a bevil wheel s' in gear with the bevil wheel r', in a piece with a
large toothed wheel p' on the socket m of the flyer n. Four small flyers are
arranged round the central spindle to receive the spun and warped strands.
The flyers and spindles are arranged, as has been already mentioned, for the
spinning and warping machine, and carry drums or bobbins E' placed hori-
zontally, from which all the strands for forming the rope or cable proceed.
Each strand on leaving the flyer n' is subjected to torsion, and passes over a
large pulley V, and then through a guide or "twizzle." On leaving the
twizzle the strands become united in one, either by themselves alone or round
a central core X, as seen in Figure 2. When the rope or cable is being
formed, that is to say, when the large central flyer n and the drum E work,
cach of the strands, according to its torsion or size, becomes more or less

page_text: elongated, the thickest becomes first placed on the core, if there is one, then
the strand next larger, and so on for all the strands, this is supposing there be
inequality in the strands. Thus a rope or cable is formed all the parts of which
are equally distributed in proportion to the resistance they are capable of
presenting. When all the strands are equal in diameter and torsion they
become twisted together and form a strong and even cable. The rope
becomes twisted and wound upon the drum on the main spindle in a similar
manner to the winding of the strands upon the bobbins as before explained.
The twisting machine may be arranged horizontally, that is to say, the three
or four spindles which carry the strands may be placed at a distance of, say,
six or seven feet from the twisting spindle which is in the front and may be
worked by a driving shaft or by pulleys. The chief object of the large pulleys
is to facilitate the passage of the twist of the strand, which, when it has once
entered the groove of the pulley, cannot be again diverted until it arrives at
the twisting spindle; this is an essential feature in this Invention.
This Invention is not limited exclusively to the manufacture of ropes and
cables, it may also be applied to the spinning, winding, and twisting of hemp,
flax, jute, cotton, wool, silk, and all other fibrous and filamentous substances.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, the manu-
facture of cords, ropes, and cables, and the spinning, winding, and twisting of
fibrous and filamentous substances, substantially in manner and by machinery
constructed and operating as herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of September,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
K. A. BRUUMAN.
(L.S.)