IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING OR TWISTING FLAX, HEMP, JUTE, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hugh M'Entee Ward, of Loop Bridge Mills,
Ballymaconaghy, County of Down, Ireland, for the Invention of
“IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING OR TWISTING FLAX, HEMP,
JUTE, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 9th August 1870, and dated the 9th May 1870.
..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hugh M'Entee Ward
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,.
on the 9th May 1870.
I, HUGH MENTEE WARD, of Loop Bridge Mills, Ballymaconaghy,
County of Down, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING OR TWISTING FLAX,
HEMP, JUTE, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:
1
It is well known that in ordinary spinning frames, especially those
where the material is spun or twisted wet, a great amount of waste is
caused when an end or thread breaks by the sliver or material to be

page_text: :
spun or twisted lapping round the drawing or delivery rollers, and which
waste is difficult to remove.
Now the object of my Invention is to remedy these defects by stopping
the supply of rove or material to be spun or twisted whenever the end
breaks. In order to effect this object I mount the back or top pressing
rollers (which are arranged in pairs as usual) loosely on their axles, and
by means of an arrangement of levers applied to each roller, but held
out of action by the thread while at tension, I cause either roller of
each pair to be thrust out of contact with the back or top retaining
roller against which it works when the thread leading therefrom breaks.
Thus the delivery of sliver will be instantly arrested without interfering
with the action of the other retaining and drawing rollers of the spinning
frame. At the same time pressure is put on the broken thread or
sliver to prevent its passing down or forward by friction of contact with
the back or top retaining roller. The axles on which the loose pressing
rollers are mounted are severally carried by a saddle as usual, which
holds its axle at the middle of its length. To prevent its turning I flatten
the axle at this part on its upper and lower sides and cause the saddle
to grip the flattened sides. The rollers I mount by preference on
flanged bosses which I fit to the axle so as to prevent their turning,
and I secure the rollers on their bosses by pins or nuts. The parts
of the axle that are to receive the bosses I turn down to the form of a
double cone and the bosses when pinned to the axle in a line with the
meeting bosses of the cones will, while they are prevented from turning,
be free to rock thereon. This allows of one end of the axle being
thrust back to throw either pressing roller out of action without
disturbing the position of that at the other end of the axle with respect
to its driven retaining back or top roller.
.
+
Any approved arrangement of levers may be used for pushing back
the pressing rollers and holding them out of action when the thread or
sliver is broken. For example,.a crank lever rocking on a fixed fulcrum
and carrying an arm that will embrace the end of the axle of the pressing
rollers may be used. Supposing a weighted lever with a catch at the
weighted end to be mounted on, the lower end of this crank lever and
be sustained in position by the tension of the thread, if this thread
break the lever will fall, and. its catch coming into contact with a
reciprocating or a rotating catch bar (having a rapid motion) may be

page_text: drawn down and with it the crank lever, which acting on the arm that.
is made to embrace the pressing roller axle will thrust the axle forward.
and cause it to press back the roller and hold it clear of the driven
fluted back or top retaining roller, against which it works. The effect
of the stoppage of the pressing roller is, as will be well understood, to.
prevent the material under operation from accumulating on the front
or drawing roller, or its pressing boss. These will consequently be
easily kept clean and not liable to damage as at present by the pickers.
of the attendants when removing the waste material. The wear and
tear of the rollers will also be materially lessened.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Hugh McEntee Ward in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th November 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HUGH
M'ENTEE WARD, of Loop Bridge Mills, Ballymachaghy, County of
Down, Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Ninth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Hugh M'Entee Ward, Her special licence
that I, the said Hugh M'Entee Ward, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Hugh McEntee Ward, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term' therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING OR TWISTING 'FLAX, Hemp, Jute, and·
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Hugh M°Entee Ward, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, 'should particularly. describe and ascertain the nature of the said ·
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
.
.

page_text: cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters.
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Hugh M'Entee Ward, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :-
:-
It is well known that in ordinary spinning frames, especially those :
where the material is spun or twisted wet, a great amount of waste is
caused when an end or thread breaks by the sliver or material to be spun
or twisted lapping round the drawing or delivery rollers, and which
waste is difficult to remove.
Now the object of my Invention is to remedy these defects by stopping
the supply of rove or material to be spun or twisted whenever the end
breaks. This I effect by removing the sliver or roving from the bite of
the top or feed rollers, and simultaneously with this operation securing.
the loose end, so that the tendency of the rollers to draw it forward by
friction of contact will be effectually removed.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in sectional elevation so
much of a spinning frame as will serve to illustrate the mode of putting
out of action the pressing rollers, when it is desired to release the sliver
from the bite of the feed rollers, and Fig. 2 shews the mode of mounting
the pressing rollers in pairs, so as to admit of either being put out of
action without interfering with the action of the other roller.
A, A³, are the top feed rollers, A being the retaining, and A¹ the
pressing fluted rollers, and B, B¹, are the fluted drawing or delivery
rollers; O is a grooved or trough-shaped guide bar, which guides the
slivers to the bite of the rollers A, A¹, and which by a slow endwise
motion traverses the slivers laterally, so as to distribute the wear caused
by the friction of the sliver over the face of the rollers. I avail myself
of the presence of this bar, as will be presently explained, to hold fast
the loose end of a broken sliver, and prevent its being drawn down and
lapped, and entangled upon its retaining roller. At a, a, is shewn one
of the axles on which the pressing rollers A¹ are mounted. These axles.

page_text: are severally carried by a saddle a², as usual, which holds its axle at the
middle of its length. These rollers A' are mounted loosely on their
axles and to prevent the turning of the axles, I flatten them at the
middle on their upper and lower sides, and cause the saddle to grip
the flattened sides. The rollers I mount by preference on flanged
bosses a³, which I make fast to the axle by swivel pins a*, as shewn at
Fig. 2, so as to prevent their turning, and I secure the rollers on their
bosses by a screwed flange or collar a³ or its equivalent. The parts of
the axle that are to receive the bosses are turned down to the form of a
double cone as at a', and the bosses when pinned to the axle in a line
with the meeting bases of the cones will, while they are prevented from
turning, be free to rock thereon. This allows of either end of the axles
being thrust outwards to throw its pressing roller out of action without
disturbing the position of the roller at the other end of the axle with
respect to its driven retaining roller.
Any approved arrangement of levers may be used for pushing the
pressing rollers out of action when the thread or sliver is broken, but
that which I prefer is shewn in Fig. 1, where D is one of a series of
pendent levers pivotted to brackets D¹ carried by the transverse bar E
which forms part of the main framing of the machine. Jointed to the
upper
end of each of these pendent levers is a forked arm F; that
embraces one end of the axle of the pressing rollers; jointed to the lower
end of each pendent lever D is a rock bar D³, which carries at its
forward end a guide, pin, or roller d, over which the sliver passes on its
way to the flyer. A forward extension of the upper end of each lever D
bears upon the tail end of a short lever G, which is pivotted to bracket
pieces G³ secured to the face of the longitudinal bar E. This lever G
carries a weighted extension H, which is formed with a wedge-shaped
projection for dropping into the guide bar C. Beneath this wedge-'
shaped piece, when the same is elevated as shewn in the Drawing, the
sliver passes on its way to the drawing rollers, and the wedge-shaped
piece is made sufficiently broad to permit of the lateral traverse of the.
sliver without that sliver getting out of line therewith. The rear end of.
the rock bar D³ is weighted to give it a tendency to fall into the dotted.
position, but it is retained in the drawn position by the tension of the.
sliver; I is the ordinary rocking bar which is intended when the bar D*
falls to the dotted position to strike its weighted end and drive it
forward.
.

page_text: From the above description it will be understood that when a thread
breaks, the bar D' being thereby released will fall. within reach of the
rocking bar I, and will thereby be driven forward by that bar. The
impetus thus given to the bar D³ will cause the pendent lever D to rock
on its fulcrum, and thereby thrust forward the forked arm F, and push
its roller A¹ out of action, at the same time the pendent lever D will
release the weighted rock lever G, and allow the wedge-shaped projection
of the weight H to fall into the groove of the trough bar C, and hold
the thread firmly. This forward thrust of the arm F by forcing that
end of the axle with which it is connected outwards will cause it to
rock and press back the adjacent roller, only holding it clear of the
driven fluted retaining roller, against which it works. Thus on the
breaking of a sliver not only will the rollers cease to draw it forward,
but the nip of the falling weight will effectually stop the feed, and all
tendency of the material under operation to accumulate on the drawing ]
rollers B, B¹, will be removed. In order more effectually to stop the
supply of sliver when the thread is broken I mount on the extremity
of the lever D a tumbling catch D³, which as the lever is thrust into
a forward position will catch on to the fixed bar E, and retain the
lever in the position it has assumed and clear of the depressed weighted 2
lever G.
.
When the attendant has pierced the broken thread he has to disengage
the catch D³, and the pendent lever with its rock bar will then take the
position shewn in the Drawing, thus restoring the roller A¹ to its usual
position against its corresponding roller and holding the weighted lever G 2
clear of the sliver, when the spinning will proceed as before. Thus
the drawing rollers will be easily kept clean, and not liable to damage
as at present by the pickers used by the attendants in removing the
waste material. The wear and tear of the rollers will also be materially
lessened.
.'
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
in Machinery for Spinning or Twisting Flax, Hemp, Jute, and other
Fibrous Substances," and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim,-
First. The means above described whereby one of a pair of pressing
feed rollers may be thrown out of action when a sliver or thread breaks
without interfering with the action of its fellow.
3

page_text: Secondly. The arrangement above described for securing the broken
end of a thread or sliver.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hugh M'Entee Ward, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Seventh day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.