Improvements in Roving Machines and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 19th June, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Roving Machines and the like.
I, WILLIAM COPELAND PEIRCE, of 185 Indiana Avenue, in the City of
Providence, County of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, United States of
America, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
In roving-machines, also called speeders, by which the initial twist is put into
the carded and drawn-out fiber to prepare the same for use in the spinning-
machines, usually two rows of spindles, provided with flyers at their upper ends
and supported in step-bearings at their lower ends, are rotated by gears driven
from two parallel shafts at the lower ends of the spindles. The step-supports for
the spindles, the driving shafts and gears for driving the spindles are supported on
a lower fixed rail, but the bolsters, the bobbins, the two driving shafts and the
gears for driving the bobbins are carried by the vertically-reciprocating rail and
are moved up and down. by a rack and pinion.
In such roving-machines, or speeders, the weight of the reciprocating rail and'
all the parts carried by the rail has been heretofore, as much as possible, counter-
balanced by weights, but this counter-balance-weight could only counter-balance
the weight of the reciprocating parts of the machine and did not counterbalance
the varying load of the sliver on the bobbins which, owing to their great number
and usually great length, added materially to the weight carried by the recipro-
cating bolster-rail as the yarn-load gradually increased. When the balance-weights
were sufficient to counterbalance the mechanical parts, then the continually-
increasing yarn-load required a constantly-increasing power to lift the bolster-rail
and parts supported by the same, as well as additional power to support these parts:'
and regulate the gradual descent. When the balance-weights were adjusted to
counterbalance the bolster-rail and the parts supported by it, with say one-half of
the ultimate yarn-load,. the conditions were not much better because the true
counterbalance was only reached when the bobbins were half filled, all that
could be effectually counterbalanced was the bolster-rail and the reciprocating
parts connected therewith.
The object of this invention is to so construct a roving-frame, a flyer-frame, or
speeder, that the reciprocating parts and the constantly-varying yarn-load will at
all times counterbalance themselves.
Another object of the invention is to perfectly counterbalance the reciprocating
bolster-rail of a roving-frame, a flyer-frame, or a speeder, without the use of
counterweights.
And another object of the invention is to secure rigidity in the bolster-rail of
long roving-frames, flyer-frames, or speeders, by the use of one or more pairs
of bolster-rails.
The invention consists in constructing the roving-frame, or speeder, with two
separate bolster-rails.
The invention further consists in connecting the two, or a multiple of two,
bolster-rails with the reciprocating-mechanism so that one bolster-rail and the parts
connected therewith, including the yarr-load, will counterbalance the other.
And the invention further consists in the peculiar and novel construction and
Price 8d

page_text: mechanism by which the bobbins on two separate bolster-rails are driven at
varying speed from one end of the machine, as will be more fully set forth
hereinafter.
As far as I know, I am the first to invent and construct a speeder, or roving-
machine, in which the bobbins and driving-mechanism for the same, including the
varying yarn load, were constantly counterbalanced without the use of counter-
balance-weights. I do not wish to confine myself to the construction and arrange
ment herein shown and described, but have elected to show in the drawings and
describe in the specification a construction which I have found, in practice, effective
and satisfactory for demonstrating the utility of my invention.
Figure 1 is a front view of a speeder showing the right-hand section of the
bobbins at the upper traverse when winding on the bottom of the bobbins and
the left-hand section at the lower traverse, winding on the top of the bobbins; the
figure is contracted lengthwise by cutting out the portions of the speeder between
the first two and the last two spindles of each section.
Figure 2 is a rear view of the driving end of a speeder.
Figure 3 is a rear view of the speeder condensed lengthwise, the portion on the
left-hand of the figure showing the end of the first section, the middle portion
the beginning of the second section and the right-hand portion the end of the
second section.
Figure 4 is an end view of the driving-head of the speeder, the end-plate
or cover being removed to more clearly show the gears contained in the end-
frame.
Figure 5 is a transverse section of the speeder near the end of the first part of
the machine.
Figure 6 is a side view of the rack used in the first part of the machine to
operate the bolster-rail.
Figure 7 is a side view of the rack used on the second part of the machine.
Similar numerals and letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all
the figures.
In the drawings A designates the head-frame at the driving end of the machine;
B the opposite end-frame; C one of the intermediate frames; D the drawing-rolls;
F. F. the flyers secured to the upper ends of the spindles; G, G, the bobbins;
H the step-rail; I the reciprocating bolster-rails.
For the purpose of more clearly describing the invention and to enable those
versed in the art to distinguish the new from the old, I wish it to be understood
that the first half of the machine, extending from the driving end to the middle of
the length of the machine, may be constructed and operated in any manner
heretofore used in the construction and operation of this class of machines, and
that the second half may also be constructed in any desired manner, provided the
bolster-rails and the mechanism for driving the bobbins of the two halves are
separated so that while one bolster-rail is ascending the other descends and vice
versa, and the weight of one bolster-rail and parts carried by it will be counter-
balanced by the weight of the other bolster-rail.
I have designated in the drawings the first half of the machine, extending from
the head-frame A to the middle of its length, as "a," and the other half, extending
from the middle to the end-fra.ne B, as "b," and use this designation for the two
halves of the machine.
All the spindles in both sections a and b are supported in step-bearings preferably
secured to the step-ail H which extends the whole length of the machine. Each
spindle is provided with a bevel-gear 1 which engages with a bevel-gear 2 on the
shaft 3 for the front row of spindles, or on the shaft 4 for the rear row of spindles ;
these shafts 3 and 4 extend the whole length of the machine.
The bolster-rails of both sections a and b are provided with brackets forming
the bolster-supports for the spindles and the supports for the shafts 5, a collar 6
turns on the bolster and is connected with the bobbin G,-a skew-gear forms part
of the collar 6 and engages with a skew-gear 7 on one of the two shafts 5.
"

page_text: Both the bolster-rails, I-I, have secured to them the brackets 8-8,-in section a
the brackets 8 are secured to the racks 9*, shown in Figure 6, while in section b
the brackets 8 are secured to the rack-frame 10%, shown in Figure 7.
-
-one
The mechanism for operating the first half, or section a, of the machine is the
usual mechanism used for driving the spindles and bobbins of roving-machines.
The driving-shaft 11 has, on the outside of the head-frame A, the tight and loose
pulleys 12, the shaft extends into the frame and has secured to it the gear 13
which, through an intermediate gear, communicates motion to the gear 14 secured
to the shaft of the upper cone-pulley 15,-a gear on the shaft of the upper cone,
shown in broken lines in Figure 2, communicates motion to the drawing-rolls,
of the gears of the compound-gears 16 is secured to the driving-shaft 11, and to
the sleeve 17 of the compound the gear 18 is secured which communicates motion
through the usual set of gears, journaled in a swinging-frame, to the shafts 5-5
by which the bobbins are driven, the large gear of the compound 16 is connected,
through the pinion 19 and connecting-gears, with the cone 20 which is driven by
means of the belt 21 from the cone 15,-the usual shipper-mechanism is used for
regulating the variation of the speed of the bobbins. On the shaft carrying the
pinion 19 is secured a beveled pinion which gears with the bevel gear 23 on the
end of a vertical shaft at the lower end of which the beveled-pinion 24 connects
with one or the other of two bevel-gears secured to the shipper-shaft 25 the
longitudinal notion of which is controlled by the cop-building mechanism. The
long pinion 26, through the change-gear 27 and the gears indicated in broken lines
in the head-frame A, transmits the alternately right-hand and left-hand motion of
the shipper-shaft 25 to the pinion-shaft 28 and the pinions of this shaft engage
with the racks 9 to impart the reciprocating motion to the bolster-rail I and the
bobbins in section a of the machine.
The pinion-shaft 28 extends through the whole length of the machine and
imparts reciprocating motion to both the bolster-rails, but the rack 9* is in front
of the pinions and the rack of the rack-frame 10° is in the rear of the pinions, so
that the weight of the bolster-rail I, the bolsters, the bobbins with their varying
loads and the bobbin-driving mechanism of the section a is supported on one side
of the pinions and the shaft 28 to which they are secured, and the bolster-rail I
of section b, with its fixed as well as its varying load, is supported on the opposite
side of the pinions and the shaft 28, the weight of one counterbalancing the other.
As above described, any of the usual forms of mechanism used to drive the
bobbins of a roving-frame, or speeder, may be used to drive the bobbins of section a
of my improved machine. The mechanism selected to show the application of
my invention, shown in the drawings and herein before sufficiently described to
enable one skilled in the art to understand the same, contains as one of its essential
elements the sleeve 17 of the compound 16, from this sleeve 17 through the gear 18
and a train of gears, journaled in what is usually termed the "swing;" motion is
imparted to the bobbins of section a; to transmit this motion with the variations in
speed to the bobbins of section 6, I place on the sleeve 17 the gear 29 which is an
exact duplicate of the gear 18, I support a back-shaft 30 in suitable bearings and
extend the same through the length of section a and into section b of the machine,
-to this back-shaft 30 1 secure the gear 31 which, like the gear 29, is an exact
duplicate of the gear 18 and engage it with the gear 29 on the sleeve 17 of the
compound, and on the same back-shaft 30 in section 6 secure the gear 32 so as to
mesh with the gear 33 on the short shaft 34 which is the pivotal support of the
"swing" 35 indicated in broken lines in Figure 5. As the gears 31, 32 and 33
are all of the same diameter and have the same number of teeth as the gear 18,
the gear 33 moves at exactly the same speed and in the same direction as does the
gear 18. From the gear 33 the motion is transmitted through the usual gears
journaled in the "swing," or swinging-frame, 35, as indicated in broken lines in
Figure 5, to the shafts 5-5 from which the bobbins are driven. The "swing," or
swinging-frame, 35 is in all respects like the "swing" 35' shown in Figure 2
pivotally connected with the driving-shaft 11 close to the head-frame, and both

page_text: swing up and down with the bolster-rail, transmitting motion to the bobbins of
both the sections a and b and at the same speed, both sections being controlled by
the same speed-changing mechanism.
The spindles are driven usually at a constant speed from the driving-shaft 11 to
which, within the head-frame A, the gear 36 is secured which engages with the
gear 37 and transmits the motion to the gear 38 on the shaft 4 by which the rear
row of spindles are driven, and the gear 38 engages with the gear 39 on the shaft 3
by which the spindles of the front row are driven.
The bolster-rails I of both sections and the step-rail H with the driving-gears
connected with these rails are enclosed in the casings 40 provided with the doors 41,.
each one of these doors giving access to the driving-gears connected with two
spindles.
The modern tendency is to lengthen out spinning and similar machines so as to
increase their production. In many instances it becomes important to extend the
roving-machine, or speeder, across the whole width of a mill, and in such cases it
is desirable to place the main driving-shaft on one side so as to leave the rest of
the room free from all obstructions. In the old form of these machines the bolster-
rail was required to extend the whole length of the machine and the machine could
not be materially lengthened without increasing the dimension and the weight of
the bolster-rail. A machine constructed after my invention may be made of any
desired length and two, four, or more, sections, each of moderate length, used and
connected with the back-shaft, so that the bolster-rails of one-half the number of
sections in the machine will counterbalance the bolster-rails of the other half of
the number of sections, all the bobbins in the longest machine will be driven from
one end of the machine and the changes in speed of all the bobbins will be
regulated by the speed-regulating mechanism in the first section next to the
driving-head of the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
Claim 1. In a machine, of the nature herein described, the combination of the
following instrumentalities: A series of spindles, step-bearings for the spindles,
mechanism for rotating the spindles, flyers supported on and rotated by the spindles,
two reciprocating bolster-rails supporting the bobbins, mechanism for operating
the two bolster-rails, and connections between the two bolster-rails and operating-
mechanism; whereby the weight of one bolster-rail and the varying load carried
by the same is counterweighted by the other bolster-rail, as described.
2. In combination, a roving-machine divided lengthwise into two sections each
section provided with a bolster-rail and bobbin-driving mechanism, and mechanism
for traversing the bolster-rails and bobbins, whereby when the bolster-rail and
bobbins of one section are moving upward to lay the roving on the bobbins the
bolster-rail of the other section is moving downward and the weight of the bobbin-
driving mechanism of one section counterbalances the weight of the reciprocating
part of the other section, as described.
3. In combination, a roving-frame divided lengthwise into two sections each
section provided with a bolster-rail and bobbin-driving mechanism, traversing
mechanism for moving the bolster-rails in opposite directions, and two swinging
gear-trains whereby motion is transmitted from the speed-controlling mechanism to
each of the two sections of the machine, as described.
4. In combination, a roving-machine provided with a spindle-driving and speed-
controlling mechanism, two bolster-rails, two sets of bobbin-driving mechanism one
supported on each bolster-rail, two swinging gear-trains, for transmitting motion
from the speed-controlling mechanism to the bobbin-driving mechanism, carried by
each bolster-rail, and mechanism, substantially as described, for reciprocating the
two bolster-rails in opposite directions, whereby the weight of one bolster-rail and
the bobbins carried by the same is counterbalanced by the other bolster-rail and

page_text: its load and rotary motion is imparted to the bobbins of both sections, as
described.
5. In a roving-machine, the combination of the following instrumentalities:.
Drawing-rolls for drawing out the roving, spindles supported in stationary step-.
bearings, flyers supported on the spindles, two separate bolster-rails, a series of
bolsters and bobbins carried by each of the two bolster-rails, racks secured to each.
of the two bolster-rails, mechanism for imparting motion to the spindles and bobbins,.
and a pinion-shaft provided with pinions engaging with the racks secured to one of
the two bolster-rails on one side and with the racks on the other bolster-rail on the
opposite side, whereby the weight of one bolster-rail, the bobbins carried by it and
the varying weight of the load on the bobbins are counterbalanced by the other
bolster-rail, the bobbins carried by it and the load on the bobbins, as described.
6. In a roving-machine, the combination with the frame of the machine, the
drawing-rolls, the spindles, the flyers, the bobbins and the mechanism for operating
the spindles, of the two independent bolster-rails I, the racks 9ª connected with
one of the bolster-rails, the rack-frame 10" connected with the other bolster-rail,.
and the pinion-shaft 28 provided with pinions engaging with the racks of one-
bolster-rail at one side and the racks of the other bolster-rail at the opposite side,.
whereby the two bolster-rails and the bobbins carried by them are reciprocated in.
opposite directions, as described.
7. In a roving-machine, the combination with the driving-mechanism, of the-
back-shaft 30, the gear 31 engaged with a gear on the sleeve 17 of the compound,.
the gear 32, and the gear 33 secured to the shaft 34; whereby motion is transmitted
from the compound at one end of the machine to a distant part of the machine and
the bobbin-driving mechanism may be operated through the swing gears at points.
far apart under the control of the speed-changing mechanism at the driving-end of
the machine, as described.
8. In a roving-machine, the combination with the driving-mechanism, the cop.
building mechanism, the pinion-shaft 28, the back-shaft 30, the shaft 34, and gears
connecting the sleeve of the compound with the shaft 34, of two separate bolster--
rails each provided with mechanism for driving the bobbins supported by the rail,.
and two swing trains of gears connecting the driving-mechanism supported by one
bolster-rail with the main driving-mechanism and the driving-mechanism on the
other bolster-rail with the shaft 34; whereby all the bobbins of a machine using
two separate bolster-rails may be driven at the same speed from one end of the
machine, as described.
9. In a roving-machine, in combination, drawing-rolls for drawing out the sliver,
two rows of spindles, flyers supported and operated by the spindles, stationary step-
bearings for the spindles, gears on the spindles, the shafts 2 and 4 and gears secured
to them for driving the spindles, a series of independent bolster-rails extending
along the front of the machine between the spindles, bolsters secured to the bolster-.
rails, mechanism for driving the bobbins supported on each holster-rail, a driving
and cop-building mechanism having as one of its elements a pinion-shaft extending
the length of the machine, racks connected with one-half of the series of bolster-.
rails engaging with pinions on one side of the pinion-shaft and racks connected with
the other half of the series of bolster-rails engaging with pinions on the other side.
of the pinion-shaft, a back shaft and connections from the back shaft with the
swing train of gears transmitting the motion to the bobbins on one-half of the series.
of bolster-rails and the swing train of gears transmitting motion to the bobbins on
the other half of the series of bolster-rails; whereby any desired length of frame
may be driven from one end and the series of bolster-rails may be balanced without.
the use of weights, as described.
10. In a roving-machine, the combination with the spindles, the flyers, the
bobbins and the mechanism for driving the same, the pinion-shaft 28, the back-
shaft 30 and gears connecting these shafts with the driving-mechanism, of two.
separate bolster-rails 1-1, the racks 9 and brackets 8 connecting the racks to oue-
of the bolster-rails, the rack-frames 10 and brackets 8 connecting the same to.

page_text: the other bolster-rail, and two swinging trains of gears connecting the bobbin-
driving mechanism of both the separate bolster-rails with the speed-changing
mechanism; whereby the bobbins carried by the two bolster-rails, although
reciprocating in opposite directions, are driven at the same variable speed, as
described.
Dated thin 10th 1
ր
T
1007
WILLIAM COPELAND PEIRCE.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.