AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR THE DIRECT SPINNING OF HEMP, FLAX, AND OTHER LIKE FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Ronald, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Merchant, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR THE
DIRECT SPINNING OF HEMP, FLAX, AND OTHER LIKE FIBROUS MATERIALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Ronald at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
December 1858.
I, JAMES RONALD, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE
FOR THE DIRECT SPINNING OF HEMP, FLAX, AND OTHER LIKE FIBROUS MATERIALS,"
to be as follows, (that is to say) :-
A machine constructed according to this Invention consists of an horizontal
band or chain, or, by preference, a pair of borizontal bands or chains, placed
one above the other, on which are mounted a number of gill teeth, the upper
and lower gill teeth of which intersect each other. These endless bands or
chains, which carry the gill bars, are stretched between two pairs of drawing
rolls and work upon pullies at each end. The sliver or slivers of fibre is or
are fed into the drawing rolls at one end, and then carried by the gills to the
drawing rolls at the other end. The fibre is delivered or cleared from the gill
pins by means of clearers, which are attached to the pullies on which the endless
bands work, and after passing through the second pair of drawing rolls it
is carried vertically down to the flyer head by which the twist is put in,

page_text: and as the yarn is formed it is taken up on a bobbin on the flyer spindle. It
is proposed to mount the upper drawing roll of the last or delivery pair of rolls
slightly in advance of the lower one, so that the upper roll may impinge on
the surface of the lower one a little in advance of the vertical line of its axis.
Motion is given to the first pair of drawing or feed rollers, and the endless
band or bands which carry the gill teeth by the driving shaft on which the
lower roller of the second pair of drawing or delivering rolls is mounted by
means of a worm motion shaft and bevil gear, the whole of which may be
thrown in and out of operation by clutch geer on the transverse horizontal
driving shaft upon which the lower delivery roller is mounted, the flyer and
so forth being actuated from below by means of suitable driving gear. The
gill teeth travel a little faster than the periphery of the first pair of drawing
rolls, and the second pair of drawing rolls are driven a little faster than the
gill teeth, so that there may always be a drawing action on the fibres during.
their passage through the machine.
To adapt this Invention to fine spinning, all that is required is to increase
the number of the endless bands or chains which carry the gill teeth, and,
apply an extra pair of drawing rolls for each additional band or pair of bands
used, and arranging them that the sliver may be carried in a direct or nearly
direct line from the first to the last pair of drawing rolls.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Ronald in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
June 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
RONALD, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant"
unto me, the said James Ronald, Her special licence that I, the said James
Ronald, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Ronald, my executors, administrators, and 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 lawfully 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 "AN Ix-

page_text: PROVED MACHINE FOR THE DIRECT SPINNING OP HEMP, FLAX, AND OTHER LIKE
FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
James Ronald, 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 James Ronald, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
A machine constructed according to this my said Invention consists of an hori-
zontal endless band or chain, or by preference a pair of horizontal endless bands
or chains, placed one above another, and on which are mounted a number of
gill teeth, the upper and lower gill teeth of which intersect each other. These
endless bands or chains which carry the gill bars are stretched between two
pairs of drawing rolls, and work upon pullies at each end. The sliver or
slivers of fibre is or are fed into the drawing rolls at one end, and then carried
by the gills to the drawing rolls at the other end. The fibre being delivered or
cleared from the gill pins by means of clearers, which are attached to the pullies
on which the endless bands work, and after the sliver has passed through the
second pair of drawing rolls, I carry it vertically down to the head of a flier,"
by which the twist is put in, and as the yarn is formed it is taken up on a
bobbin on the flier spindle. I prefer to mount the upper drawing roll of the
last or delivering pair of rolls slightly in advance of the lower one, so that the
upper roll may impinge on the surface of the lower one, a little in advance of
the vertical line of its axis. I communicate motion to the first pair of drawing
or feed rollers, and the endless band or bands which carry the gill teeth from'
the driving shaft through the axle on which the lower roller of the second pair
of drawing or delivering rolls is mounted by a worm motion shaft and bevil
gear, the whole of which can be thrown in and out of operation by clutch gear-
on the transverse horizontal driving shaft upon which the lower delivery roller
is mounted. The flier and so forth used to put the twist into the sliver to
form the yarn is actuated from below by means of suitable driving gear. I
arrange the machine so that the gill teeth travel a little faster than the
periphery of the first pair of drawing rolls, and the second pair of drawing
rolls are driven a little faster than the gill teeth, so that there may always be
a drawing action on the fibres during their passage through the machine.

page_text: To adapt this my said Invention to fine spinning, all that is required is to
increase the number of the endless bands or chains carrying the gill teeth,
and apply an extra pair of drawing rolls for each additional band or pair of
bands used, and arranging them that the sliver may be carried in a direct or
nearly direct line from the first to the last pair of drawing rolls.
That this my said Invention may be the more readily seen and understood,
I have hereunto annexed Drawings (made on a scale of 1 inches to the foot)
in partial illustration of the practical application of the same. Like letters and
figures marked thereon are used to denote similar parts.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of one modification of my improved machines;
Figure 2 is a partial front, view of the same. A, framework of the machines;
B, an elevated stage or floor upon which the upper portion of the machine is
supported; C, main shaft, which receives motion from a steam engine' or
other prime mover; D, driving pulley on main shaft, which, by means of:
E, a driving strap, gives motion to F, a driving pulley, on the axle of G, the
lower roller of the delivering drawing rolls; g, axle of the lower delivering.
drawing rollers; G', upper delivering drawing rolls; 9', axle of ditto; H, a
worm working into I, a worm wheel on the end of K, an horizontal driving
shaft; L, a bevel wheel on driving shaft K, which gears into M, a bevel
wheel on the end of the, transverse axle, which carries a revolving pulley, over
which the lower endless band works, and a driving wheel which gears into a
second driving wheel on the axle of a pulley over which the upper endless
band works; N, bevel wheel on the end of the horizontal driving shaft K, and
which gears into O, a bevel wheel, staked on to the axle of lower roller of the
first pair of drawing rolls; P & P₁, endless bands, which carry R, the gills;
S, the revolving rollers round which the endless bands work; T, set screws for
regulating the tension of the gill bar carrying bands (P & P¹); U, driving
wheel on main shaft (C), which gears into W, spur wheel, staked on to the end
of X, the driving shaft, which gives motion to the flyer spindles; Y, the flyers;
Z, bobbins on the flyer spindles, which take up the yarn as formed from the
sliver by the flyer. o, the clutch gear for throwing the drawing rolls and
endless bands in and out of operation; b, the clutch gear for throwing the
flyers, and so forth, in and out of motion; c, hopper-shaped guide spout for
slivers; d, sliver or fibre cans; e, the slivers; f, the formed yarn.
Haying now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention for improvements for the direct spinning of hemp, flax, and other
like fibrous material, and how I believe the same may be best carried into
effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise.
details or dimensions herein-before described and set forth, as the same may

page_text: be considerably varied without departing from the Invention; but what
I claim is,
First, the use of the two horizontal endless bands or chains with gills
mounted thereon, as herein-before described.
Secondly, mounting the bands or chains, carrying the gills between two
pairs of drawing rolls, that the fibre may be received from one pair of drawing
rolls, and delivered to the other, as herein-before described, or any mere
modification of the same.
Thirdly, driving the gills a little quicker than the periphery of the first pair
of drawing rolls, and the second pair of drawing rolls a little faster than the
gills, for the purpose of keeping tention on the fibre during its passage through
the machine, as herein-before described.
Lastly, the combination and arrangement of the various parts of the
apparatus herein-before described, or any mere modification of the same,
for the spinning of hemp, flax, or other like fibrous material, as herein-before
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Ronald, have hereunto set my
hand and affixed my seal, this Eighteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.
JAMES (L.S.) RONALD.