Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 25th May, 1887.
Specification Accepted, 1st July, 1887.
I, ARTHUR MCDONALD, of Springfield Massachusetts, United States of America
Inventor, 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 Spinning Machines and pertains to improved band devices
for running the spindles thereof, to means for reversing the motion of the spindle
driving shaft, and for governing the tension of the spindle driving band, and the
invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the spindle driving
devices and the devices governing the band tension, all as hereinafter fully described,
and pointed out in the claims.
In the drawing forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of
portions of the frame of a spinning machine having applied thereto spindle-driving
and reversing mechanism constructed according to my invention. Figure 2 is a
perspective view of the devices which govern the tension of the spindle band, and is
hereinafter fully described.
In the drawing, 2, indicates portions of the frame of a spinning machine, and 3, the
bolster-rail thereof. A shaft 4, having suitable bearings in said frame parts, 2 has
fixed thereon a series of grooved pulleys, a, which serve to drive the spindles, 5, as
below described.
Portions of the central part of the frame 2, extend rearwardly, as shown, and are
provided with boxes, 15, in which the driving shaft 8, of the machine runs, actuated
by a suitable belt applied to a driving pulley 9, fixed on said shaft.
Said driving shaft, 8, is provided with a longitudinal groove, 14, and has thereon
two beveled gears, 10 and 12, in each of the hubs of which is a set screw 13. Said
set screws pass through one side of said hub and their points enter the said groove 14,
thereby securing said beveled gears on said shaft, so that they rotate therewith,
and said groove provides means for moving said gears on the shaft so that either one
of them may be brought into engagement with a pinion on the end of the intermediate
Price 1

page_text: shaft, 7, which is hung in suitable bearings connected with said frame, 2, and a pinion
on the opposite end of said shaft, 7, engages with a beveled gear, e, on the said
spindle driving shaft 4. With the beveled gears 10 and 12, in the positions on the
shaft 8, shown in Figure 1, the shaft 4 and the spindles 5, are rotated in one direction,
but their direction of rotation is reversed by loosening the set screw of gear, 12, and
moving the latter out of engagement with said pinion on the shaft 7, and by moving
the gear 10, into engagement with said pinion and securing said gear in that
position.
The above described simple means for reversing the rotation of the spindles of
spinning machines is of great convenience, practically, for reversing the twist of yarns
and is easily manipulated.
The said grooved pulleys a are provided on the spindle driving shaft, 4, for driving
the spindles, instead of the usual drum, for the reason that the spindle-band adheres
better to said pulleys than to a drum and consequently said band can be run with said
pulleys under a more moderate tension, thereby avoiding such strain upon the spindle
bearings as creates an inconvenient friction and increases the power required to drive
the machine.
Instead of using a driving pulley, a, and a separate band connected therewith and
with each spindle, I employ the series of pulleys, a, as shown, and a single endless
band 17, of any suitable material, which engages with a guide pulley, 6, at each end
of that part of the frame 2, in which each series of spindles, 5, is located, as shown,
said band passing alternately around the whirrs, c, of the spindles, and said pulleys, a,
as shown, said driving band being then carried around an idler-pulley, 20, which
rotates by said band on the band tension devices, 16, which are secured on any
suitable support at the rear of the driving shaft, 4.
The said band tension devices are illustrated in Figure 2, and they consist of a
metallic box, 18, having a projecting part d, which provides means for attaching it to
said support, in which box is a rack 19, which is adapted to slide longitudinally
therein and on which is pivoted the said idler-pulley 20. A shaft, 22, passes through
said box 18, to one side of said rack, and has a pinion 21, thereon which engages with
the latter. A spiral spring 23, is coiled around said shaft, 22, and one end thereof is
attached to the box 18, and one end to said shaft. When the band 17, is placed on
the idler-pulley 20, the latter, together with the rack 19, is drawn towards the
driving shaft 4, thereby more or less winding up the spring, 23, on the shaft 22, by
means of the engagement of the pinion 21, with said rack, and consequently when the
rack is freed, said spring operates to draw it in a direction from said driving shaft
thereby tightening the driving band, 17, and causing it to so remain, the spring, 23,
constantly acting to cause the rack 19, to so move as to take up any slackness which
may be occasioned by the stretching of the driving band.
The above described means for driving the spindles of a spinning frame by an
endless band combined with suitable mechanism for taking up the slack occasioned by
the stretching of said band and for maintaining, substantially, an unvarying tension
between the driving shaft and the spindle whirrs, obviates many inconveniences
which arise from the use of single bands, as for instance: The time required for the
frequent tying up of the ends of broken single bands on a machine and frequently
replacing old by new ones, and consequent stoppage of the machine while such
changes and repairs are being made, and the variable tension which always exists
among the many bands of the machine when the spindles are banded up singly,
whereby the twist which the various single-banded spindles impart to the yarn is far
from uniformn, whereas by the use of the above described endless band a uniform
twist is produced by all the spindles which are run thereby.
The driving band, 17, is run in the direction shown, between the whirrs, c, of the
spindles and the pulleys, a, that is to say, crossed in the rear of each whirr, in order
to give the band a contact with as much of the periphery of each whirr as possible in
order to permit of running the driving band as slack as may be, to obviate undue
friction between the spindles and their bearings by lateral strain.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :
1. The spindles, 5, provided with the usual whirrs, c, the shaft, 4, having thereon
the driving pulleys, a, the guide pulleys 6, the endless spindle driving band 17, passing
around said guide pulleys, driving-pulleys, and spindle whirrs, combined with the
idler-pulley 20, and its supporting devices consisting of the rack, 19, the shaft 22,
having a pinion engagement with said rack, and the spring 23, substantially as set
forth.
2. In combination, the driving shaft having thereon suitable spindle-driving
pulleys, the spindles, 5, provided with suitable whirrs, the guide pulleys 6, the idler-
pulley 20, and an endless driving band, 17, engaging with said idler-pulley and
passing around said guide-pulleys, driving pulleys, and spindle whirrs, substantially
as set forth.
3. The spindle driving shaft, 4, provided with the gear e, the driving shaft 8,
having a groove, 14, therein, the shaft 7, having a geared engagement with said
gear e, combined with the gears, 10 and 12, on said shaft, 8, either one of which may
be engaged with a pinion on said shaft, 7, substantially as set forth.