Spinning Spindles and Supports therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 21st Sept., 1889
QUALL DELE DI MUITIVATION.
Spinning Spindles and Supports therefor.
I, CLESSON ALZORA PRATT, of Fitchburg, in the county of Worcester, and State
of Massachusetts, United States of America, Mechanic, 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 :-
This invention relates to spindles for spinning cotton and the like, and the object
is to furnish a spindle that may be run with little power and at a high rate of speed,
to so construct the bearings that all wear, however slight, may be readily taken up,
and to so arrange the parts that they are not liable to get out of order from carelessness
in handling. A further object attained is to make the construction as simple and
inexpensive as possible, and such that any part becoming worn can be easily replaced.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is
an elevation partly in section of a spindle and bearings constructed in accordance
with my invention; Fig. 2, is a perspective view of a portion of the upper part of
the supporting case carrying the bolster bearing; Fig. 3, is a similar view of the
bolster bearing; Fig. 4, is a view of the oil guard surrounding the spindle inside of
the bolster bearing; and Fig. 5, is a top view of the spring bushing for retaining the
bobbin upon the spindle.
Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.
In the drawings, A, represents the supporting case attached to the rail of the
spinning-frame by means of a nut, a, working in a screw thread formed around the
shank of the case, and B, is the removable upper part of the case in which the bolster
bearing of the spindle is mounted. The removable portion or casing, B, is in the
form of a bollow nut of cylindrical form, which is attached to the bolster proper by
means of a screw thread formed around the lower portion thereof, which fits a corre-
sponding interior screw thread in the upper end of the case. The top part of the
casing, B, is closed by means of a nut, C, fitting therein, and through this nut, C,
and the bottom of the casing, B, are formed apertures, b, c, respectively, through which
the spindle, S, passes. The spindle is supported in the casing by a bolster bearing of
the following description:
Within the casing is the seat, D, consisting of a cylindrical sleeve, d, of considerably
greater diameter than the spindle, and supported in position by an annular flange, e,
extending at right angles outwardly from the lower edge thereof, and preferably closely
fitting the interior of the casing upon the bottom of which it rests, and to which it is
attached by means of screws or in any other desired manner. The interior of the
sleeve, d, is of a little larger diameter at the top than at the bottom, forming a tapering
or slightly conical inner surface. Within this seat, D, and resting against the inner
tapering surface, is the bearing sleeve, E, secured to the spindle, and having a down-
wardly extending portion,, similar to the sleeve, d, but of a size to fit easily therein,
and tapered to correspond therewith. This tapering surface forms the bearing surface
of the spindle. The bearing sleeve, E, is fitted and attached to the spindle by means
of an annular flange, g, formed at the upper edge of the bearing portion, and
having a sleeve, h, extending upwardly therefrom, and fitting closely around the
spindle. The nut, C, forming the top of the casing, B, is screwed down so as to bear
against the upper surface of the flange, g, and thus prevent the spindle from raising

page_text: in its bearing when in operation, the aperture in the center of the nut being of
sufficient size to allow the sleeve, h, to turn therein with the rotation of the spindle
without contact.
The interior of the casing around the outside of the sleeve, d, constitutes the oil
chamber, to which oil is supplied through the hole, i, and from which oil is supplied
to the bearing surface by means of holes, j. j, formed in the sleeve, d. These holes, j, j,
are preferably partially plugged with leather to prevent a too abundant supply of oil
to the bearing surface.
To prevent the oil from running down the spindle below the bearing, a guard,
consisting of a tube, F, is placed between the spindle and the bearing extending
upwardly within the same, and having an outside flange, k, which rests upon the
bottom of the casing, B. around the spindle aperture, by means of which it is held in
place. The interior of this guard sleeve is of sufficient size to allow the spindle to rotate
freely within it without coming in contact with the sleeve, and the space within the
sleeve, d, allows the tube to extend within the same without contact nearly to the
horizontal flange, y.
The bearing sleeve, E, is thus enclosed in a groove which at
all times contains sufficient oil for lubricating purposes, but prevents overflow upon
the spindle.
The shank of the casing, A, is made hollow, and in the lower end is mounted the
step support, G, adjustable vertically therein by means of suitable screw threads, as
at 1, 1. A nut, H, mounted upon G, and adapted to bear against the end of the shank,
serves to hold the same firmly in position when properly adjusted.
The lower end of the spindle is supported upon the upper end of the step support, G,
by means of a ball bearing, I, the ends of the support and the spindle being suitably
cupped to receive the same, as shown in Fig. 1, at m, m. By means of the ball bearing
and the adjustable step support, G, the bearing can be adjusted to any desired height
to suit the length of the spindle, and the spindle will always find its true center of
rotation. The space around the spindle in the interior of the. shank of the bolster
forms an oil chamber, by means of which the ball hearing is lubricated, and the oil
is supplied to this chamber by means of a duct, n, leading from the outside of the
bolster.
By means of the spherical form of the bearing the wear is equal on all sides, and
whatever wear there may be can be taken up by means of the screw thread upon the
bearing support, G. In the same manner, the wear upon the upper step bearing
can be taken up by tightening the nut, C, in the casing, B, the sleeve, h, of the
bearing, E, being a snug fit upon the spindle, the action of the nut is to force
the sleeve downwardly upon the spindle, and the nut may be then slightly loosened
to allow the spindle to rotate without excessive friction; while the parts E, and D,
are fitted loosely enough to admit sufficient oil between the bearing surfaces to
constitute a somewhat yielding bearing.
The whirl, K, is mounted upon the spindle between the two bearings and is partially
enclosed by the body of the supporting case.
A spring bushing, L, is fitted upon the spindle a short distance above the upper
bearing, and serves to hold the bobbin when the spindle is in operation.
It will be seen by the construction above described any wear of the parts can be
taken up, the wear is uniform in all parts, and if any part is injured or broken it
can be replaced at small expense. The construction of the bolster and supporting
case also permits the spindle to be removed from its bearings without the necessity
of removing the case from the spinning frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I am
aware of the Specification of Letters Patent No. 10025 of 1887 granted to Walter
Chatwod Burton and I wish it to be understood that I do not claim anything
described and claimed therein but what I do claim is:
The combination of the spindle, S, bearing sleeve, E, movable vertically thereon
and having horizontal flange g, and downwardly tapering bearing surface f, the seat D,

page_text: consisting of the upwardly extending sleeve d, having tapering inner and horizontal
upper bearing surface adapted to correspond with the bearing sleeve E, oil guard F,
surrounding said spindle within said bearing, the cylindrical case B, supporting said
seat and oil guard and having oil chamber surrounding and communicating with
said bearing surfaces, adjustable nut C, forming the top of said case, a ball step
bearing I, at the lower end of said spindle and a step support G, vertically adjustable
by means of screw threads formed thereon and on the interior of the bolster shank,
substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.
Dated this 4th day of May 1889.
CLESSON ALZORA PRATT.