IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBRES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Goorge Foster Bell and William Bell, of Burnley, in the
County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR
SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND OTHER FIBRES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Foster Bell and
William Bell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th June
1878.
GEORGE FOSTER BELL and WILLIAM BELL, of Burnley, in the County of Lan-
caster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND
OTHER FIBRES."
The object of this Invention is to dispense with the rim band which is now
employed for driving the tin cylinder or roller, such tin cylinder by means of smaller
bands driving the spindles.
Our improvements consist in the employment of a horizontal shaft placed at right
On this
angles to the tin cylinder, and having a groove or feather formed therein.
shaft is placed a bovil wheel, gearing with a bevil wheel on the shaft of the tin
cylinder.
When this horizontal shaft is set in motion, the bevil wheel thereon drives the
bevil wheel on the tin cylinder shaft, communicating motion thereto, and at the
same time the bevil wheel on the horizontal shaft is capable of sliding thereon by
means of a key, so as to allow for the backward and forward traverse of the carriage
carrying the spindles.
A spiral spring is placed on this horizontal shaft to assist the bevil wheel in
sliding thereon.
Motion is given to the horizontal shaft by means of strap or other means from the
rim shaft of the headstock of this class of machinery.
By this means the machine is simplified in its construction, the rim bands are dis-
pensed with, and one of the frequent causes of fire in these machines is avoided.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said George Foster Bell and
William Bell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th January 1879.
GEORGE FOSTER BELL and WILLIAM BELL, of Burnley, in the County of Lan-
caster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MULES FOR SPINNING AND DOUBLING COTTON AND
OTHER FIBRES."
The object of this Invention is to dispense with the rim band which is now
employed for driving the tin cylinder or roller, such tin cylinder by means of smaller
bands driving the spindles.
In some unules the tin cylinder is not employed, but in place thereof is a driving
shaft, upon which at intervals are bevil wheels which drive other bevil wheels fixed
to the bottom of vertical shafts, carrying drums which drive a number of spindles
by means of ordinary driving bands. Our Invention of course applies to such mules,
and in the following description the term driving shaft must be understood to refer
either to this shaft or to the tin cylinder shaft.
Our improvements consist in the employment of a horizontal shaft placed at right
angles to the spindle driving shaft, and having a long groove or feather formned
therein. On this shaft is placed a bevil wheel gearing with a bevil wheel on the
spindle driving shaft.
When the horizontal shaft is set in motion the bevil wheel thereon drives the
bevil wheel on the spindle driving shaft, communicating motion thereto, and as the
bevil wheel can slide on the horizontal shaft, the two are always in gear, contact
being secured by means of brackets fixed to the carriage.
In the accompanying Sheets of Drawings Fig. 1 represents sectional elevation of
a mule at the headstock, the parts of which are shewn in full elevation; Fig. 2 is a
plan view of Fig. 1.
A is the spindle driving shaft, on which is the bevil wheel B, which gears with
another bevil wheel C on the horizontal shaft D, the key groove of which is indi-
cated by a thick black line. The centres of the two shafts not being in the same
plane, the teeth of the bevil wheels are skewed, as shewn in the Drawing.
The boss of the wheel C is provided with a flange c formed by turning down the
intermediate portions of the boss, and over this smaller part passes the bracket E,
attached to the carriage F, by which the wheel C is traversed to and fro upon the
shaft in company with the wheel B.
The carriage also carries another bracket G, which oncircles the shaft, the space
between which bracket and the wheel C is occupied by a spiral spring H. During
the "run out" of the carriage the spring assists the wheel Ċ to travel on the shaft
by loosening the key when it gets locked in the key-bed.
It will be understood that by means of a "key" the bevil wheel C is capable of
revolving and at the same time sliding upon the shaft D.
To allow the spring to act, a little space or "play" is
or flanges c and the bracket E. A loose collar I is placed
the wheel C.
left between the collars
between the spring and
Motion is given to the shaft D by means of strap J from a pulley on the rim
shaft K.
By our Invention the machine is simplified in its construction, the rim bands are

page_text: dispensed with, and one of the frequent causos of fire in buildings where these
machines are employed is avoided.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Foster Bell, for and on behalf of myself
and the said William Bell, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-.
fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-eight.
G. F. BELL. (L.S.)