IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING MACHINERY FOR FLAX, HEMP, JUTE OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Reynolds of Linfield Foundry, Belfast in the
County of Antrim for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING
MACHINERY FOR FLAX, HEMP, JUTE OR OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Reynolds at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th April 1883.
JAMES REYNOLDS of Linfield Foundry, Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING MACHINERY FOR FLAX, HEMP, JUTE, OR OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIAL,"
My Invention relates to the screw-gills of spreading, roving, and drawing frames
used in the preparation or drawing of flax, tow, hemp, jute, or other fibrous
materials, and it has for its object to effect the cleaning of the gills whilst the
machine is in operation.
The Invention comprises two methods of effecting this object, 1*t by reversing
the Faller bars or Gill bars on their return motion and cleaning the gills by fixed
or rotary brushes; 2nd by providing brushes on the backs or undersides of the
Fallers or gill bars and making the gills during their return motion on the lower
slides clean themselves against the brushes affixed to the Fallers on the upper
slides.
The improvements for carrying the first mentioned method into effect relate to
means whereby the Fallers, either immediately on being transferred from the upper
to the lower slides, or at a point in their motion along the lower slides, shall be
reversed so as to turn the gills downwards into a proper position for being cleaned
by fixed or rotary brushes mounted in suitable positions beneath the lower slides
and shall be again turned half round so as to return the gills to their upward
direction for operation on the fibrous material, either at a point in their motion
along the lower slides or immediately before being retransferred to the upper
slides.
I will first describe the means of effecting the reversing and righting operation
during the backward motion of the fallers. At a point in the length of the bottom
screw there is formed a V shaped recess or enlargement of groove of the screw,
of
such form and dimensions as to admit of the faller head (which is engaged in the
groove of the screw thread in the usual manner) turning half round therein. This
reversing operation is or may be effected by a curved stop or tooth projecting in
the path of the upper part of the faller head so as to prevent its further backward
ID 21

page_text: progress in conjunction with a tappet or cam on a revolving shaft mounted beneath
the lower slides, which tappet or cam strikes the lower part of the faller head and
carries it backward, thus causing it to turn around the curved stop or tooth into a
horizontal position, the stop and tappet being situated in a proper position relative
to the enlargement or recess in the screw. The turning operation is then completed
by the screw itself which by its continued revolution carries the faller into the
reversed position between its thread and the back part of the tooth. As the now
reversed fallers travel backwards along the bottom slide, their gills may be
thoroughly cleaned by the application of a fixed or revolving brush or brushes
conveniently situated for this purpose. The turning of the fallers upside down also
facilitates the cleaning by loosening fibres, dust, &c. When the gills have been
sufficiently cleaned, the fallers may be restored to their usual position at any
convenient point in the screw, in the same way by means which are duplicates of
those above described, or by the means hereafter described.
In order to reverse the faller immediately it drops from the top screw into the
bottom slide, the receiving point of the bottom screw is constructed with an
enlargement of the groove of its thread to admit of the turning of the faller head
in it and the pitch of the thread at this point is elongated or made coarser than
the pitch of the other part of the screw with which it gradually merges, and an
upwardly projecting tooth is formed on the latter in front of which the faller head
drops, and a suitably shaped lever actuated by a cam or other means, is mounted in
such position as to press against the upper part of the faller head and carry it over
the above mentioned tooth which prevents backward motion of the bottom or
under part of the fuller head. By this means the faller is turned into a horizontal
position and the reversing is then completed by the point of the screw coming into
contact with the under edge of the faller close to the inside of the front block
whereby it is guided into the thread of the screw.
To return the faller to its normal upward position on arriving at the back end
of the lower screw, the bottom slide may be formed with an inclined plane at its
back end up which the fallers move, and a downwardly projecting stop or tooth
is situated in the path of the top edge of the faller head, and a weighted toothed
lever hangs in such position as to press on the fallers, and the bottom screw is
cut so as to admit of the faller, on meeting the tooth, being guided by the hanging
lever into a horizontal position on the bottom slide. The turning operation is
then completed by a scroll or portion of a screw (which is left handed, or the
reverse of the thread of the bottom screw itself) cut or fixed on the bottoin
screw, the back ruler being suitably curved at its lower part to permit of this
turning motion instead of being straight as usual. The ordinary tappet or cam on
the bottom screw now elevates the faller, thus righted or restored to its normal
direction, to the top slide. To prevent the fuller sliding back into the recess formned
in the bottom screw for the egress of the faller, a projecting lip or guard is provided
along the edge of the inclined plane for a portion of its length, this guard coming
between the faller head and the first row of gill pins.
Whichever arrangement of turning devices be employed, the faller heads are
rounded on their edges, bottom and top, so that the corners may not impede the
turning operations.
In carrying out the second method of cleaning the gills without reversing them
as above described, brushes are applied to the bottom or underside of the fallers, so
that as the fallers travel along the top slide, the brushes thus attached thereto will
brush or clean the gills travelling in the opposite direction along the bottom slide,
whilst the brushes attached to the fallers which are travelling along the bottom
slide, are themselves cleaned in turn by a fixed revolving or travelling comb or
combs.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Reynolds in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th October 1883.
JAMES REYNOLDS, of Linfield Foundry, Belfast in the County of Antrim
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING MACHINERY FOR FLAX, HEMP, JUTE, OR OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIAL
"
My Invention relates to the screw-gills of spreading, roving, and drawing frames
used in the preparation or drawing of flax, tow, hemp, jute, or other fibrous
materials, and it has for its object to effect the cleaning of the gills whilst the
machine is in operation, in a more effectual way than has hitherto been possible.
The Invention comprises two methods of effecting this object, 1 by reversing
the Faller bars or Gill bars on their return motion, and cleaning the gills by fixed
or rotary brushes; 2nd by providing brushes on the backs or undersides of the
Fallers or gill bars and making the gills, during their return motion on the lower
slides clean themselves against the brushes affixed to the Fallers on the upper
slides.
The improvements for carrying the first mentioned method into effect, relate to
means whereby the Fallers, either immediately on being transferred from the upper
to the lower slides, or at any convenient point in their motion along the lower
slides, shall be reversed so as to turn the gills downwards into a proper position
for being cleaned by fixed or rotary brushes mounted in suitable positions beneath
the lower slides and shall be again turned half round so as to return the gill's to
their upward direction for operation on the fibrous material either at a point in
their motion along the lower slides or immediately before being retransferred to
the upper slides.
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood, I have illustrated
it in the accompanying drawings, and I will proceed to describe it in detail with
reference thereto.
Figures 1 to 6 illustrate the means of effecting the reversing and righting of
the fallers during their backward motion, Figure 1 being an inside elevation of the
lower screw and the slides at one side of a screw-gill or other machine used in the
preparation of flax, &c, and showing the fallers in cross section, Figures 2 and 3
similar views of the reversing and righting mechanism illustrating the commence-
ment of the said operations. Figure 4 is a cross section showing the cams and
revolving brushes for turning and cleaning the fallers and gills. Figure 5 is a
longitudinal and. end view of the top slide, and Figure 6 a longitudinal view of
the screw separately. Figures 7 and 8 illustrate the means of effecting the
reversal of the fallers immediately on their being transferred from the upper to
the lower slides and of righting them immediately before they are re-transferred
to the upper slides, Figure 7 being an inside elevation of the screws and slides
with the reversing and righting mechanism applied, the fallers being shown in
cross section, and Figure 8 a cross section of the lower slide on line 1-1 Figure 7.
Figure 9 is an end view of the faller head having the edges or corners rounded off
to facilitate turning. Figure 10 is a longitudinal view and figure 11 an end view
of one of the fallers or gill bars provided with brushes on the back thereof for
carrying out the second method of cleaning the gills without reversing them. The
same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all these figures.
I will first describe the means of effecting the reversing and righting operation
during the backward notion of the fallers. Referring to Figures 1 to 6, A is the
upper slide, B the lower slide, and C the lower screw at one side of the machine
(the upper screw being omitted) it being understood that those at the opposite

page_text: :
side of the machine are similarly constructed, and that the construction and
operation of the machine of whatever kind it may be, to which the Invention is
applied, remains unchanged except as hereafter described. The screws are mounted
and operated in the ordinary way, and at a point in the length of the bottom
screw C there is formed a V shaped recess D in the screwthread forming an
enlargement of the groove of the screw of such form and dimensions as to admit of
the heads of the fallers (which are engaged in the groove of the screwthread in
the usual manner) turning half round therein.
This reversing operation is or may be effected by a curved stop or tooth E
projecting in the path of the upper part of the faller head so as to prevent its
further backward progress, in conjunction with a tappet or cam G on a revolving
shaft H mounted beneath the lower slide B. This stop or tooth projects
downwards from the under side of the upper slide A on which it may be forged
or fixed, and the said stop and the tappet shaft are situated in a proper position
relative to one another and to the enlargement or recess in the screw to produce
the desired action, K Ķ¹ are the faller bars. The cam or tappet works alongside
of the lower slide B, which has a recess cut in its side if necessary for the cam to
work in, and its operation is so timed that as the upper edge. of each faller head
.in succession meets the said stop or tooth E the tappet G strikes the lower part of
the faller head and carries it backward as shown in figure 2 thus causing it to
turn around the curved stop or tooth E into a horizontal position as shown in
figure 1. The faller bead being thus engaged in the V shaped recess D the
turning operation is then completed by the screw O itself which by its continued
revolution causes the faller head to roll completely round the point of the stop or
tooth E thus carrying the faller into the reversed position between the screw
thread and the back part of said tooth. L is a brush carried on the same shaft H
as the cam or tappet and revolving at a speed suited to the coarseness or fineness
of the gill pins operated which speed may be the same or faster or slower than
, that of the cam shaft, and whereby the fallers and the gill-pins may be cleaned in
the Act of turning them. In addition to these brushes on the tappet shaft the
now reversed fallers K' as they travel backwards along the bottom slide may have
their gills thoroughly cleaned by the application of a fixed or revolving brush or
brushes L' conveniently situated for this purpose. The turning of the fallers
upside down also facilitates the cleaning by loosening fibres, dust &.
When the gills have been sufficiently cleaned, the fallers may be restored to
their usual position, at any convenient point in the screw C in the same way by
means which are duplicates of those above described; and which are represented
in figures 1 and 3 and are indicated therein by the same letters of reference as
before with the addition of an asterisk. K* represent the fallers restored to
their normal position or the fallers may be righted at the end of the screw by the
⚫ means hereafter described.
Referring now to figure 7 in order to reverse each faller immediately it drops
from the top slide A onto the bottom slide B, the receiving point of the bottom
screw is constructed with an enlargement D of the groove of its thread to admit
of the turning of the faller head in it and the pitch of the thread at this point is
elongated or made coarser than the pitch of the other part of the screw with which
it gradually merges. An upwardly projecting tooth N is formed or fixed on the
lower slide B between which and the front block or die plate O the faller head
.drops and by which the faller head is held up above the level of the lower slide B
.as shown. A suitably shaped lever J actuated by a cam P or other means is
mounted in such position as to press against the upper part of the faller head and
carry it down over the above mentioned tooth which by preventing backward
motion of the bottom or under part of the faller head causes the faller head to roll
over on it. The lever J is pivoted on a stud j. in the bottom slide B and works
through a slot in the front block O. It has a tail piece ¹ which is acted on by the
cam and is weighted so as to fall out of the way of the next succeeding faller
immediately the tail piece escapes from the cam.

page_text: By this means the faller is turned into a horizontal position and the reversing
is then completed by the point c or beginning of the coarse or elongated thread of
the screw coming into contact with the under edge of the faller close to the inside
of the front block O whereby the faller is turned completely over and the faller
head is guided into the groove of the screw.
To return the faller to its normal upward position on arriving at the back end
of the lower screw C, the bottom slide B may be formed with an inclined plane b
at its back end up which the fallers move and the under edge of the top slide is
also inclined parallel to such inclined plane and terminates in a downwardly
projecting stop or tooth E situated in the path of the top edge of the reversed
faller heads
A weighted toothed lever R is pivoted loosely at r to the inside of the upper
slide A and has a downwardly projecting tooth r which lever presses on the
fallers, and the thread of the bottom screw is cut away at c¹ so as to admit of the
faller on meeting the tooth E as it is carried backwards by the rotation of the
screw being guided by the hanging lever R into a horizontal position on the
bottom slide as shown. The turning operation is then completed by a Scroll S or
portion of a screw (which is left handed, or the reverse of the thread of the bottom
screw C itself) cut or fixed on the bottom screw C. This scroll comes under the
leading edge of the faller head and turns it around the tooth thus bringing the
gills uppermost. T is the back ruler which is suitably curved at its lower part to
permit of this turning motion instead of being straight as usual. The ordinary
tappet or cam on the bottom screw (not shown) now elevates the faller, thus
righted or restored to its normal direction, to the top slide A. To prevent the
faller sliding back into the recess c¹ formed in the bottom screw for the egress of
the faller, a lip or guard 6¹ is provided, which stands up along the inner edge of
the inclined plane for a portion of its length, this guard coming between the faller
head and the first row of gill pins. K' represent the fallers in the inverted
position in the thread of screw C.
Whilst in this position the gills are cleaned by rotary or fixed brushes or both
LL' mounted on cross shafts in any suitable position beneath the bottom slides
and driven from any convenient shaft
I may use either of the herein described modes of reversing the fallers in
conjunction with either of the modes of restoring the fallers to their normal
position.
Whichever arrangement of turning devices be employed, the faller heads k are
rounded on the edges, bottom and top as shown in figure 9 so that the corners may
not impede the turning operations.
In carrying out the second method of cleaning the gills without reversing them
as above described, brushes W are affixed to the bottom or underside of the
fallers K as shown in figure 10, so that as the fallers travel along the top slide, the
brushes attached thereto will brush or clean the gills X of the fallers travelling in
the opposite direction along the bottom slide, said fallers being in their usual
unreversed position whilst the brushes W attached to the fallers which are travelling
along the bottom slide, are themselves cleaned in turn by a fixed, revolving or
travelling comb or combs Y figure 11
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is:
1. A screw gill preparing machine wherein the faller bars or gill bars are
completely inverted on or after entering the lower screws and are caused to
perform their return motion or a part, thereof in the inverted position and wherein
brushes are so arranged as to act on the gills whilst in the inverted position
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. In a screw gill preparing machine the construction and employment of screws
for the return motion having one or two enlargements of the groove of the screw
for enabling and assisting the turning half round of the faller heads, in

page_text: combination with means of imparting such half turn motion to the fallers for the
purpose specified.
8. In a screw gill preparing machine the particular combination of the
enlargement of the screw groove for permitting and assisting in the turning half
round of the faller heads, the cam, and the stop or tooth for effecting the half turn
of the fallers, substantially as herein described and shown in the drawings for the
purpose specified.
4. In a screw gill preparing machine the construction and employment of screws
for the return motion having an enlargement of the screw groove at the receiving
end for enabling the faller heads to be turned half round therein in combination
with means substantially as herein shown and described for turning the fallers as
and for the purpose specified.
.
5. In a screw gill preparing machine the construction combination and
arrangement of the inclined slide, the tooth or stop, the pressing down lever, the
recess in the screw thread and the reverse scroll for effecting the return motion of
the inverted fallers to their normal position substantially as shown and
described.
6. In a screw gill preparing machine wherein the fallers are not inverted
during their return motion the mode of cleaning the gills by means of brushes
affixed to the undersides of the faller bars so that the brushes of the fallers which
are in work Act on the gills of the fallers which are out of work the brushes and
gills moving in contrary directions, substantially as specified.
7. In a screw gill preparing machine the combination of brushes on the backs
or undersides of the faller bars for cleaning the gills during their return motion as
herein specified, of a comb or combs for cleaning the brushes in turn substantially
as shown and described.
In witness whereof I the said James Reynolds, have hereunto set my hand and
seal this fifteenth day of October A.D. 1883.