CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER Looms
Year: 1847

page_text: HOLGATE'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HOLGATE, of Spring Hill, within Burnley, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton
Spinner & Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the eleventh year of Her
reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-
seven, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Holgate, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that I, the said George Holgate, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said George Holgate, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England and Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER Looms;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said George Holgate,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said George Holgate, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention of

page_text: "Certain Improvements in Power Looms," to "consist, firstly, in the construc-
tion and application of a new and improved break, for the purpose of stopping.
such looms when required, in a more [ready and effectual manner than is
effected by the breaks generally in use; and secondly, in the construction and
arrangement of a new and improved movement for the purpose of imparting
a varying or differential rotation to the cloth beam on to which the woven
fabric is placed in power looms, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed and carried into effect, will be seen by reference to the annexed
Drawing, and the following description thereof.
•
In the Drawing the same letter or figure of reference denotes the same part
throughout, and the scale, to which the Drawing is made, is marked thereon.
Referring to the Drawing, Figure 1 represents an end view of part of a
power loom; Figure 2 à front view, Figure 8 an end view, seen in the
opposite direction to Figure 1; and Figures 4, and 5, are plans of the Figures
1, and 3, under which they are placed. In the whole of those Figures I have
only introduced such parts of the ordinary power loom as were required to
explain the nature and application of my Invention; the first part of which,
or that which relates to the break, I shall now proceed to describe. Referring
to Figure 3 and 5, A represents the fast and loose pullies (placed. on the
crank shaft of the loom), over which the driving strap passes in the ordinary
manner, and B is the fly wheel, which can only be seen at Figure 3. En-
compassing the fly wheel B are two breaks C and D, formed as segments of a
circle concentric with the fly wheel B. These breaks C and D, are lined with
leather; and move on a stud E, on one side of the fly wheel, being held free of
the fly wheel by means of the studs e, e, moving in the slots provided in the
breaks C and D, as best seen at Figure 3. The lever F, and the cross piece
on which the studs e, e, are placed, are firmly connected and supported on a
fixed fulcrum at G, so that by vibrating the lever F, up or down, the breaks
C and D are opened or closed, and the pressure on the fly wheel when closed,
being equal in both directions, no strain is caused on the fly wheel shaft.
Suspended from the lever F, by means of a pin or stud on which it moves, is
the leg or support H, which, resting on the upright prop K, holds the lever F
in the elevated position seen at Figure 3. In this position; the breaks C and
D are free of the fly wheel B; but as soon as the leg H is drawn off the
prop K, the lever F falls along with it, and the breaks C and D are closed on
the fly wheel B. The foot lever L moves on its fulcrum at l, and is connected
with the lever F by the rod n, so that by depressing the lever Lat the end n; n
it will elevate the lever F, and the weighted end I of the leg. 1, forcing i
on to the prop K; it remains in the position seen at Figure 3, till it is again

page_text: withdrawn. I would here remark, that this first part of my Invention, which
relates to the break for stopping when the weft breaks, is here used in. con-
junction with an Invention generally known as Kenworthy's weft motion;. by
which, when the weft breaks, or is absent between the weft fork and the grate,
the horizontal lever, upon which the weft fork is fixed, is drawn forward and
discharges the upright spring, called the loom handle, which traverses the
driving strap on to the loose pulley. That horizontal lever (of Kenworthy's,)
having the leg a fixed to it, see Figure 3, simultaneously pushes forward
the sliding bar N in the direction of the arrow; this sliding bar N draws
forward the leg H, and drawing it from the support K, the lever F falls,
and closes the breaks C and D on the fly wheel B, whereby the motion
of the loom is arrested, and the action of the breaks C and D, acting con-
centrically in the stopping of the loom, there is very little liability to strain the
crank. To stop the loom when the shuttle traps or is in the shed, or other-
wise absent from the shuttle boxes, without damage to the warp, the slide N is
made to discharge the breaks, in the manner.before described, by the projection
d, fixed to the sliding frog m³, behind the projection 6, fixed to the slide N
(see Figures 8 and-5), so. that when the stop-rod finger (in consequence of
the absence of shuttle from the shuttle boxes.) strikes against the frog m',
and forces it in the direction of the arrow, the projection d, striking against
the projection 6 on the slide N, discharges the breaks, as before. described.
But to make the stoppage of the loom more sudden and perfect, and to
prevent traps in. addition to the action of the breaks C, D,I apply the stud or:
projection S, placed in the inner side of the fly wheel (see Figure 3.), .which.
revolves free of the lever F, except when the shuttle traps; but in that.case
when the stop-rod finger o forces forward the frog m' in the direction of the.
arrow, and discharges the leg H, as described, the lever f is made, to traverse.
the flail g over the opening by the side of the lever. F, by means of a pro-
jection from the frog m¹ (see Figure 5), when the stud S, coming in .contract.
with the flail or slide g, effectually.stops the motion of the loom. Referring.
to Figure 3, 1 f represents a strong spring, fixed on the underside of the lever
F, for the purpose of relieving the .concussion when the stud S..comes in.
contact with the flail g, as described; but this spring 1f may be either. fixed on
this lever F, as represented, or to the framing.of.the:loom, and this mode of
stopping, by means of tho stud S on the fly wheel, can be used oither in con-
junction or separate from the breaks C.and D. By pressing with the foot.on
the lever N at m (see Figure. 3), the .breaks C, D, are relieved; the lever H
replaces itself upon the support K, and the respective parts arė: put in a
position, so that the loom may be set again in motion.

page_text: The second part of my Invention, or that which relates to the differential
movement of the cloth beam, so as to compensate by a decreased speed for the
increasing circumference caused by the cloth as it is woven, is effected as
follows: In Figure 1, 2, and 4, T represents the cloth beam of the loom,
provided with the ordinary train of gearing for its rotation, which proceeds
from the ratchet wheel t, impelled by the catch or dog V, gathering one or
more teeth at each vibration of the lever X, with which it is connected, and
the vibration of this lever X, on its fulcrum at Y, proceed from what is com
monly called the monkey tail Z, being a small projection from the arm of the
lay or slay. W is a catch to hold on the ratchet wheel while the catch V is
gathering the tooth. Now it is obvious that if the fulcrum Y of the vibrating
lever X was stationary, the traverse of the catch V and the amount of teeth
gathered in the ratchett would be alike at each vibration. But the fulcrum
Y is supported on a lever i, which moves freely on its fulcrum at p, and carries
.the roller g at its opposite extremity. This roller q is also supported on the
other side of the loom by a similar lever, as seen at Figure 2, and is held. firm
against the underside of the cloth beam by the counter-weight of the lever i
and its appendizes; so that as the cloth accumulate, and depresses the roller
'9, the opposite end of the lever i is elevated, and the distance between the
fulcrum Y and the monkey tail or projection Z increased, which necessarily.
decreases the amount of vibration of the lever ✗, and consequently the
amount of teeth gathered on the ratchet wheel t, by which a decreasing rota-
tion of the cloth beam T is effected in proportion as it increases in cir-
cumference by the accumulation of the woven cloth.
Having now described the nature of my Invention of certain improve-
ments in power looms, together with the manner in which the same may be
performed and carried into effect, I do not claim as my Invention any of
the ordinary or well-known parts of such looms as have been referred to for;
the purpose of rendering the description of my Invention, and the manner in
which it is to be applied to such looms, better understood;-but I do claim,
Firstly, the break and its appendages for the purpose of stopping the loom,
as herein-before described, and any modification thereof, by which a concentric
clip or pressure is applied to the fly wheel for such purpose, together with that
part of my Invention described as being brought into action to make the stop-
page of the loom more perfect, by means of the projection or stud S on the.
fly wheel, either as described in its direct action upon the breaks C and D, or
its use by fixing. the spring, now fixed to the lever F, to the side of the loom,.
and using the breaks as an aucillary, and not as a principal, as described. .
And, secondly, I claim the construction and application of a mechanical

page_text: arrangement, as set forth and described, by which the increasing circumference
of the cloth beam is caused to produce a proportionate decrease in its own
rotation, all which being, to the best of my knowledge and belief, new, and
never before practised in that part of Her Majesty's Dominions called England,
I deliver this as my true and faithful Specification of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Holgate, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of May, in the year of our Lord One
Enrolled the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.