IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WINDING, REELING, WARPING, DOUBLING, TWISTING, AND SPINNING YARN OR THREAD
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Boyd and Thomas Alexander Boyd, of Shettleston,
in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WINDING, REELING, WARPING, DOUBLING,
TWISTING, AND SPINNING YARN OR THREAD." Partly a communication
from abroad by William Clark, of Newark, New Jersey, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Boyd and Thomas
Alexander Boyd at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th
January 1880.
16
JOHN BOYD and THOMAS ALEXANDER BOYD, of Shettleston, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineers. IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WINDING,
REELING, WARPING, DOUBLING, TWISTING, AND SPINNING YARN OR THREAD."
Partly a communication from abroad by William Clark, of Newark, New Jersey,
United States of America.
This Invention comprises various improvements which are generally applicable
to machinery for winding, reeling, or warping yarn or thread, or in which
winding is combined with doubling, twisting, or spinning; and the improvements
aro more or less developments or modifications of those described or referred
to in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to John Boyd, one of the present
applicants, and dated 21 July, 1879 (No. 2953).
In a doubling-winding machine made with some of the present improvements
the yarns or threads are drawn off cops at one side of the machine and off bobbins
at the other side. The yarns proceeding upwards from the cops first pass through
clearers, which are by preference of the improved kind hereinafter described, and
next turning over a guide rod proceed horizontally inwards to the curls of detector
levers, from which they pass over pulleys and through traverse guides to the
bobbins, which are driven by drums beneath them in the usual way. The detector
levers whilst arranged and acting as in some former arrangements, and combined
with a slip lever, in some modifications have their sensitiveness and quickness
increased by being made of wood so as to be extremely light. The curls or thread
guides made of wire are fitted at their inner ends, on which are also put rings or short

page_text: tubes of rubber, whilst at their opposite ends, which are shorter, ferrules or metal
tubes are applied for nicely balancing them. The metal tube may be screwed on,
or the end of the lever may be slit and have a piece of woollen fabric or other
elastic material inserted to spring out the sides so as to hold the tube in any
position in which it may be set. When a detector lever drops, through the
breakage or failure of its thread, the inner end encounters the driving drum
whereby its descent and its action on the stopping details are quickened and
enforced. With the view of compensating for irregularities in the tension of
each yarn or thread a frictional surface of flannel or other suitable material is
applied below the yarns or threads at the part where they are proceeding to
the curls of the detector levers. As long as the yarns or threads have sufficient
tension they proceed without touching the frictional surface as they hold up the
detector levers, but when any yarn or thread is slack its detector lever descends a
little, and the yarn or thread is thereby lowered into contact with the frictional
surface and a corresponding resistance or tension applied. This compensating
arrangement allows of very fine yarns or others being wound with the least
possible tension, the resistance applied to equalise the tension never acting excepting
to compensate for slackness. The arrangement also secures great uniformity in
the winding on of the separate ends of each set of yarns or threads, and thereby
contributes to the desired perfection of the doubling operation. It may be
applied to various machines, and whether the yarns or threads are drawn off cops,
bobbins, or reels.
When the yarns or threads to be wound are drawn off bobbins or holders which
rotate whilst unwinding a very simple and effective compensating arrangement
may be adopted, in which the tension pulls the bobbin or holder in the direction
in which the yarns or threads proceed. When the tension diminishes from any
cause the bobbin or holder moves back so that a flange on it, or a collar, or part
of the spindle carrying it bears against a stationary frictional surface, and thereby
increases the resistance to unwinding. In some modifications the spindle passes
through a slot at some distance above its bottom point, and situated so that in its
most forward position in such slot the spindle is not quite vertical, but tends by
the weight of itself and bobbin to move back when the tension is diminished.
The spindle may be free to rotate, or it may be prevented from rotating by having
a transverse knife edge at its bottom end, or by having its bottom end or an
intermediate point centered on the stationary pin. Or the spindle may be carried
in a tubular bearing piece centered on a fixed pin; and a counterweight may be
applied to the tubular bearing piece or to the spindle itself when the bobbin is
required to be in an inclined or horizontal position. The bobbin may be set
directly on the spindle or on a tube carried by the spindle, and the usual frictional
washer may be applied between the bobbin and the spindle collar, or it may, in
some cases, be dispensed with. The compensating arrangement may be applied to
yarns drawn off cops by arranging pulleys or barrels, round which the yarns are
passed in any of the modes herein before described for bobbins.
Any of the compensating arrangements hereinbefore described may be applied to
the bobbins off which yarn is drawn in warping machines, and in such applications
the part confining each spindle may be made with a slot to allow of the spindle
being turned down for taking off and putting on bobbins. Such slot may be
through the middle of the stationary friction piece or brake, and the bobbin will
have to be raised to get over that piece when the spindle is being turned up or
down.
In one modification of the improved clearers herein before referred to, a single
casting is formed with all the parts for two clearing slits excepting two adjusting
screws. The slits are cut in a flange or plate after the piece has been cast, and
the two slits can be formed at points nearer to or further from each other to the
The back or
extent of slots formed through the flange at right angles to the slits.
inner part of the casting consists of three parts, the middle part carrying the
middle part of the flange, the two lateral edges of which form the inner sides of

page_text: the two slits, and the two outer parts carrying the two outer parts of the flange
and being adjustable to vary the widths of the slits. Each outer part of the
casting is connected to the middle part by a loop of the metal extending at right
angles to the slit flange, and it is by drawing together or separating the two
sides of each loop by means of a screw pin that the adjustment of the width of slit
is effected. The relative position of the loops is such that they bend or unbend in
a manner to keep the sides of each slit parallel. The heads of the adjusting screws
are by preference in sunk recesses, or are otherwise such as to be movable only by
a key so that they cannot be easily tampered with. The same casting as that of
the clearers may conveniently be formed with the bearings for the detector levers
or their carriers.
In a second modification of the clearer any convenient number of slits are
formed in one casting, the main part of which is formed with all the right-hand
or all the left-hand sides of the slits, the other sides being upon parts connected to
the main parts by loops of metal. A single screwed spindle which is prevented
from turning is passed across all the loops, and nuts are screwed on it so as to bear
on a side of each loop, whilst another nut is screwed on it to bear on the other
side of the end loop, by screwing which last mentioned nut all the slits are
simultaneously adjusted in width.
A third modification of clearer is like the second, but a bar is used instead of a
screwed spindle for altering the slits simultaneously, being itself adjustable by a
screw, and being arranged to bear on a side of each of the metal loops by pins
having eccentric heads. The eccentric-headed pins are severally turned until the
slits are equalised, or ordinary set screws may be used for that purpose.
A fourth modification of clearer is for a single thread or yarn, and consists of a
small bracket formed with two parts for the two sides of the slit, and connected by
a metal loop at right angles to the slit part. A screw pin, the head of which is in
a recess or otherwise turnable only by a key, serves to draw together or separate
the sides of the loop and thereby alter the width of slit.
In all the modifications steel or other plates may be fixed on the castings to
form the sides of the slits if preferred.
In an arrangement in which winding is combined with doubling and twisting,
a modification of the spindle detector mechanism described in the earlier Specification
herein before referred to is combined with other improved parts. The spindle cords
of each sets of bobbins have small weights attached to them, and the detector
lever is formed with a pan across the inner end of it to receive any of the weights
that descends on the corresponding yarn or thread breaking or failing. The
detector lever is centered on a horizontally sliding piece having on it an inclined
steel catch plate which engages with a vertical catch plate on a vertical rod that is
pressed upwards by a spring or counterweight, but prevented from rising by the
catch plate on the horizontally sliding piece. When the detector lever turns by
the action on it of one of the spindle-cord weights a small arm on it moves into
the way of a rotating cam or wiper shaft, which acting on the lever through it
moves the horizontally sliding piece inwards. This takes the inclined catch plate
off the edge of the catch plate on the vertical rod, and this rod instantly rising its
catch plate acting on the inclined surface of the other one moves the horizontally
sliding piece further inwards, and so as to take the detector lever out of the way
of the cam or wiper shaft. When the vertical rod rises it stops the rotation of
the twisting spindle by shifting the driving cord to a loose pulley, and by applying
a brake to the fast pulley, and it also stops the drawing of the yarns or threads.
The drawing mechanism consists of two lower rollers which are continuously
driven, and which may extend along the entire side of a machine or any section
thereof. Above these two lower rollers there is for each set of yarns or threads a
separate third or upper roller driven through contact with the lower rollers and
the yarns or threads, and which serves by its weight to keep the yarns or threads
in driving contact with the lower rollers. Each upper or top roller is kept in its

page_text: place longitudinally by means of a grooved collar or boss formed on one end of it,
and which engages with a fork projecting up from one side of the head of the
vertical rod, hereinbefore referred to as being raised by a spring or counterweight
whenever the detector details operate. When the vertical rod is thus raised its
head which is between the two lower rollers, and may be covered with leather or
cloth, bears up against the underside of the top roller and raises that roller; it
also at the same time traps the ends of yarn or thread by gripping them up
against the top roller, and by thus holding them facilitates the readjustment of the
parts when about to restart the doubling, twisting, and winding action, and
prevents the twist from running back. The top roller being held or guided at one
end only, the yarns or threads can be very conveniently passed under the other end
into their places, and their entrance may be facilitated by tapering or bevilling the
entering end of the top roller.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said John Boyd and Thomas Alexander Boyd in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd July 1880.
JOHN BOYD and THOMAS ALEXANDER BOYD, of Shettleston, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WINDING,
REELING, WARPING, DOUBLING, TWISTING, AND SPINNING YARN OR THREAD."
Partly a communication from abroad by William Clark, of Newark, New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Our said Invention comprises various improvements which are generally
applicable to machinery for winding, reeling, or warping yarn or thread, or in
which winding is combined with doubling, twisting, or spinning, and the improve-
ments are more or less developments or modifications of those described or referred
to in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to John Boyd, one of the present
applicants, and dated 21 July 1879, (No. 2953).
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly and most readily understood, we will at once proceed to
particularly describe the various improvements comprised in it with the aid of two
Sheets of explanatory Drawings which are hereunto appended, and which are
hereinafter referred to, the same reference numerals being used to mark the same or
like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figure 1, on Sheet 1, of the accompanying Drawings is a transverse vertical
section of a doubling winding machine as made with a combination of some earlier
improvements with some comprised in the present Invention. In this machine the
yarns or threads are drawn off cops 1 at one side of the machine, and off bobbins 2
at the other side. The yarns proceeding upwards from the cops I first pass through
clearers 3, which are by preference of the improved kind hereinafter described, and
next turning over a guide rod 4 proceed horizontally inwards to the curls of
detector levers 5, from which they pass over pulleys 6, and through transverse

page_text: guides 7 to the bobbins 8 which are driven by drums 9 beneath them in the usual
way.
The detector levers 5 whilst arranged and acting as in some former arrange-
ments, and combined with a slip lever 10, 11, in some modifications, have their
sensitiveness and quickness increased by being made of wood so as to be extremely
light. One of these levers is shown enlarged in Figure 2. The curls 12 or thread
guides made of wire are fitted at their inner ends, on which are also put rings or
short tubes 13 of rubber whilst at their opposite ends, which are shorter, slit ferrules
or metal tubes 14 are applied for nicely balancing them. Figures 3, 4, and 5 of the
Drawings are views of a modification of the detector levers 5, in which instead of
being formed with a curl the wire thread guides 12 have fitted on a bend at their
outer ends a small cylindrical piece of glazed porcelain 15 formed with a guide
groove for the thread. Also instead of the metal tubes 14 there is a metal helix 16
which is held in place by a small stud or pin fixed into the wood. The helix is
made with its coils so close that it is strained when it is screwed so as to have the
stud between two coils, and it is adjusted by being screwed towards or from the
fulcrum as required, the tightness of the helix on the wood and the elastic grip of
the coils on the stud preventing it from slipping out of place. When a detector
lever 5 drops, through the breakage or failure of its thread, the inner end encounters
the driving drum 9, whereby its descent and its action on the stopping details are
quickened and enforced. With the view of compensating for irregularities in the
tension of each yarn or thread a frictional surface 17 of flannel or other suitable
material is applied below the yarns or threads at the part where they are proceeding
from the rails 4 to the curls 12 of the detector levers 5. As long as the yarns or
threads have sufficient tension they proceed without touching the frictional surface 17
as they hold up the detector levers 5, but when any yarn or thread is slack its
detector lever descends a little, and the yarn or thread is thereby lowered into
contact with the frictional surface 17 and a corresponding resistance or tension
applied. This compensating arrangement allows of very fine yarns or others being
wound with the least possible tension, the resistance applied to equalise the tension
never acting excepting to compensate for slackness. The arrangement also secures
great uniformity in the winding on of the separate ends of cach set of yarns or
threads, and thereby contributes to the desired perfection of the doubling operation.
It may be applied to various machines, and whether the yarns or threads are
drawn off cops, bobbins, or reels.
When the yarns or threads to be wound are drawn off bobbins or holders 2,
which rotate whilst unwinding, a very simple and effective compensating arrange-
ment may be adopted, in which the tension pulls the bobbin or holder in the
direction in which the yarns or threads proceed. When the tension diminishes
from any cause the bobbin or holder moves back, so that a flange on it, or a collar
or part of the spindle 18 carrying it, bears against a stationary frictional surface 19,
and thereby increases the resistance to unwinding. In some modifications which
ure shown in Figures 6 to 10, 12 and 14, the spindle 18 passes through a slot in a
plate 20 at some distance above its bottom point, and situated so that in its most
forward position in such slot the spindle is not quite vertical, but tends by the
weight of itself and bobbin to move back when the tension is diminished. The
spindle 18 may be free to rotate or it may be prevented from rotating by having a
transverse knife edge at its bottom end, as in Figure 8, or by having its bottom
end or an intermediate point centered on a stationary pin, as in Figures 9, 10, 11.
Or the spindle may be carried in a tubular bearing piece centered on a fixed pin, as
in Figures 12, 13, 14, or a counterweight 21 may be applied to the tubular bearing
piece, as in Figure 14, or to the spindle itself, as in Figure 11, when the bobbin 2
is required to be in an inclined or horizontal position. The bobbin 2 may be set
directly on the spindle 18 or on a tube carried by the spindle, and the usual frictional
washer may be applied between the bobbin and the spindle collar, or it may in
some cases be dispensed with. The compensating arrangement may be applied to
yarns drawn off cops 1 by arranging pulleys or barrels round which the yarns are
passed in any of the modes hereinbefore described for bobbins.

page_text: The bobbins, or pulleys, or collars, or parts of the spindle may be arranged so
that they are always or generally touching the frictional surface 19, in which case
they will bear with more or less pressure accordingly as the yarns are slacker or
tighter.
Any of the compensating arrangements herein before described may be applied to
the bobbins 2 off which yarn is drawn in warping machines, and in such appli-
cations the parts 20 confining each spindle 18 may be made with a slot to allow of
the spindle being turned down for taking off and putting on bobbins. Such slot
may be through the middle of the stationary friction piece or brake 19, and the
bobbin 2 will have to be raised to get over that piece when the spindle is being
turned up or down.
One modification of the improved clearers 3, hereinbefore referred to, is shown in
Figures 15, 16, and 17, which are a plan, a front view, and a side view. In it a
single casting is formed with all the parts for two clearing slits 3, excepting two
adjusting screws. The slits 3 are cut in a flange or plate after the piece has been
cast, and the two slits can be formed at points nearer to or further from each other
to the extent of slots 22 formed through the flange at right angles to the slits.
The back or inner part of the casting consists of three parts, the middle part 23
carrying the middle part of the flange, the two lateral edges of which form the
inner sides of the two slits, and the two outer parts 24, 25, carrying the two outer
parts of the flange, and being adjustable to vary the widths of the slits. Each
outer part 24, 25, of the casting is connected to the middle part 23 by a loop 26 of
the metal extending at right angles to the slit flange, and it is by drawing together
or separating the two sides of each loop by means of a screw pin 27 that the adjust-
ment of the width of slit is effected. The relative position of the loops is such that
they bend or unbend in a manner to keep the sides of each slit 3 parallel. The
heads of the adjusting screws 27 are by preference in sunk recesses, or are otherwise
such as to be movable only by a key, so that they cannot be easily tampered with.
The same casting as that of the clearers may conveniently be formed with the
bearings for the detector levers (5) and their carriers.
In a second modification of the clearers, shown in Figures 18, 19, 20, any con-
venient number of slits 3 are formed in one casting, the main part of which is
formed with all the right-hand or all the left-hand sides 23 of the slits 3, the other
sides 24 being upon parts connected to the main parts by loops 26 of metal. A single
screwed spindle 28, which is prevented from turning by having its end bent at a
right angle and entered into a notch in the casting, is passed across all the loops 26,
and nuts are screwed on it so as to bear on a side of each loop 26, whilst another
nut 29 is screwed on it to bear on the other side of the end loop, by screwing which
last mentioned nut 29 all the slits 3 are simultaneously adjusted in width.
A third modification of clearer, shown in Figures 21, 22, 23, with the slit plates
vertical, is like the second, but a bar 30 is used instead of a screwed spindle for
altering the slits 3 simultaneously, being itself adjustable by a screw 31, and being
arranged to bear on a side of each of the metal loops by pins 32 having eccentric
heads. The eccentric-headed pins are severally turned until the slits are equalised;
or ordinary set screws may be used for that purpose.
A fourth modification of clearer, shown in Figures 24, 25, 26, is for a single
thread or yarn, and consists of a small bracket 33 formed with two parts 24, 25,
for the two sides of the slit, and connected by a metal loop 26 at right angles to
the slit part. A screw pin 27, the head of which is in a recess, or otherwise turnable
only by a key, serves to draw together or separate the sides of the loop and thereby
alter the width of slit.
In all the modifications steel or other plates may be fixed on the castings to form
the sides of the slits if preferred, and in some cases the loop connection may be
made in separate parts, afterwards rigidly fixed together.
In an arrangement in which winding is combined with doubling and twisting, a 5
modification of our spindle-detector mechanism, described in the earlier Specification
herein before referred to, is combined with other improved parts. Figure 27 is a

page_text: transverse vertical section of this arrangement, and Figures 28 and 29 are a front
elevation and a plan of parts of it. The spindle cords 34 of each set of bobbins 2
have small weights 35 attached to them, and the detector lever 5 is formed with a
pan 36 across the inner end of it to receive any of the weights that descends on the
corresponding yarn or thread breaking or failing. The detector lever 5 is centered
on a horizontally sliding piece 37, having on it an inclined steel catch plate 38,
which engages with a vertical catch plate on a vertical rod 39 that is pressed
upwards by a spring 40 or counterweight, but prevented from rising by the catch
plate 38 on the horizontally sliding piece 37. When the detector lever 5 turns by
the action on it of one of the spindle-cord weights 35 a small arm 41 on it moves
into the way of a rotating cam or wiper shaft 42, which acting on the lever 5
through it moves the horizontally sliding piece 37 inwards. This takes the inclined
catch plate 38 off the edge of the catch plate on the vertical rod 39, and this rod
instantly rising its catch plate acting on the inclined surface of the other one moves
the horizontally sliding piece 37 further inwards, and so as to take the detector
lever 5 out of the way of the cam or wiper shaft 42.
When the vertical rod 39
rises it stops the rotation of the twisting spindle 43 by shifting the driving cord 44
to a loose pulley, and by applying a brake 45 to the fast pulley, and it also stops
the drawing of the yarns or threads. The drawing mechanism consists of two
lower rollers 46, 47, which are continuously driven, and which may extend along
the entire side of a machine or any section thereof. Above these two lower rollers
46, 47, there is for each set of yarns or threads a separate third or upper roller 48,
driven through contact with the lower rollers and the yarns or threads, and which
serves by its weight to keep the yarns or threads in driving contact with the
lower rollers. Each upper or top roller 48 is kept in its place longitudinally by
means of a grooved collar or boss formed on one end of it, and which engages with
a fork indicated by dotted lines in Figure 27, projecting up from one side of the
head 49 of the vertical rod 39, hereinbefore referred to as being raised by a spring
or counterweight whenever the detector details operate. When the vertical rod 39
is thus raised its head 49, which is between the two lower rollers 46, 47, and may
be covered with leather or cloth, bears up against the underside of the top roller 48
and raises that roller. It also at the same time traps the ends of yarn or thread by
gripping them up against the top rollers 48, and by thus holding them facilitates
the readjustment of the parts when about to restart the doubling, twisting, and
winding action, and prevents the twist from running back. The top roller 48 being
held or guided at one end only the yarns or threads can be very conveniently
passed under the other end into their places, and their entrance may be facilitated
by tapering or bevilling the entering end of the top roller.
Having thus particularly described the said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, we have to state that we do not restrict ourselves to the precise
details herein described or delineated, but that what we believe to be novel and
original and claim as the Invention secured to us by and in terms of the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The improved detector levers (5) made principally of wood, and as hereinbefore
described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying Drawings.
2. The arrangement for compensating for slackness of the yarn or thread wherein
a frictional surface (17, Figure 1), is placed so as to be touched by the yarn or
thread on its way from the bobbin or cop or reel to the detector lever when such
yarn or thread is slack, as herein before described.
3. The arrangement for compensating for slackness of the yarn or thread when
drawn off bobbins, wherein each bobbin moves by its own weight, or by an applied
weight, so that its flange or a boss or part of its spindle bears more or less against
a fixed frictional surface accordingly as the yarn or thread becomes slacker or
tighter, as herein before described.
4. The improved adjustable clearers, herein before described with reference to
Figures 15 to 26 of the accompanying Drawings, and more particularly the forma
tion of the two sides of a slit in the same piece of metal or on plates or parts

page_text: rigidly fixed together and made with a loop (26) uniting the parts, and adjusted by
a screw drawing together or separating the two sides of the loop, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
5. The improved combination of the parts of doubling, twisting, and winding
mechanism herein before described with reference to Figures 27, 28, 29 of the
accompanying Drawings.
6. The arrangement of the three drawing rollers (46, 47, 48,) of combined
doubling, twisting, and winding mechanism, the top roller being raised by a rod or
equivalent part moved by the stopping mechanism, so as to stop the drawing action
and at the same time, if desired, to hold the yard or thread ends up against the
said top roller, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 27,
28, 29 of the accompanying Drawings
7. The improved combination of detector details comprising the single detector
lever (5) arranged to be acted on by any of the weights (35), and centered on the
sliding piece (38) which it moves so as to disengage the holding catches on being
turned into the way of the wiper shaft (42), and by which it is subsequently moved
clear of such shaft, as herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Boyd, on behalf of myself and the said
Thomas Alexander Boyd, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty
first day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
eighty.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN BOYD. (L.S.)