Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application. 11th Nov., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 13th Aug., 1900-Accepted, 10th Nov., 1900
CILARLES STODART MCCONNAN, 305, Edge Lane, Liverpool, Rope Maker, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention may be used for flyers employed in spinning and twisting and
in cordage manufacture and for the spinning, twisting or the liko operation of
any material in which the fibres of that material are strong enough for the pur-
pose to be described.
The invention will however be described for a flyer used in the spinning of
rope yarn, which will serve to illustrate my invention.
In this invention, the bobbin is not traversed but the flyer reduced to about
one half its usual length and the manner in which the yarn is traversed up and
down the flyer arm, so as to wind the yarn equally on to the bobbin, constitutes
the main principle of this invention.
The flyer is understood to consist of the usual end discs with journals, held
together with two arms and nuts in the usual way. As I have said, with this
invention, said flyer arms are reduced to about one half their usual length and
secured to the end discs in the usual way, thus the flyer also is about one half
its usual length. Either or both of these shortened flyer arms have a right and
left hand traverse scrow cut on their outside diameters and for a suitable amount
of their length. A bush or ring then, either solid or in halves, fits loosely on to
the outside of the traverse screw formed flyer arm. This bush or ring then, has
part of its outside circumference cut with teeth similar to those in a worm wheel
or this worm wheel may be a detached piece held to the bush or ring in any
suitable way. Said bush or ring also holds at a suitable point or points a traverse
web or tongue or traverse webs or tongues, running in the said right & left hand
traverse thread on the flyer arm. This bush or ring will preferably be in halves
dovetailed together or otherwise held and preferably said worm wheel will be a
detachable piece and fixed firmly to aforesaid bush. That portion of said bush
receiving said worm wheel may be reduced on its outside diameter for this pur-
pose and the opposite end of this bush receiving said traverse web or tongue, will
be thicker at this part and a hole drilled inside the bush to receive the usual pin
end of the traverse web. Or the traverse web and worm wheel may be fixed to
this sliding bush or ring in any other monuer and as found suitable. The outside
of this bush is turned true and receives a split cover, in halves, and so shaped
as to suitably contain the described bush together with the traverse tongue and
the worm wheel. At the same time the described bush is capable of turning freely
inside this cover and on the traverse screw formed flyer arm and said traverso
tongue working freely in the right and left hand thread cut as described on the
outside of the flyer arm. The ends of the cover also will be capable of sliding
To one half of said cover, on its
easy on the traverse screw formed flyer arm.
outside. two suitably shaped bosses or lugs are cast or fixed and these bosses are

page_text: bored out to receive a turned pin. Centrally between these two bosses a worm
pinion screw thread is cut on this turned pin. This turned pin with worm thread
is held by said bosses or lugs at right angles to the traverse screw formed flyer
arm. One end of this pin receives a small guide pulley or sheave, which corre
sponds to the usual guide pulley or sheave generally fixed rigid to the centre of
the present used long flyer arms and over which the yarn passes to the hobbin.
That portion of said turned pin held by said lugs on which said worm pinion
thread is cut will be larger in diameter than that portion of the pin held by
said luge, and so that, a hole or slot being cut out or formed in the said half cover
carrying said bosses or lugs and between said bosses or lugs and so that the worm
pinion thread on said turned pin will engage with the worm thread of the de-
scribed worm wheel fixed to the described bush fitting loosely on the traverse
formed Alver arm. A light turned rod or guide of any suitable section is fixed
close to and lengthways with the traverse formed flyer arm and beld to each end
disc of the flyer, preferably in the same manner as the dyer arms are fixed viz. by
screwing the ends of the same and holding with nuts. To one half of the cover
or both halves of the cover, a lug or lugs are cast or formed and so shaped as to
slide on this rod or guide as the cover slides on the traverse screw formed flyer
arm. The purpose of the rod or guide is to retain the described cover holding
said pin with worm thread and guide pulley in one position and to retain the
yarn passing over said guide pulley from pulling the cover over. The manner in
which this traverse movement is performed, will now be described. The yarn
passing from the capstans, runs over a guide pulley held on a pin at one end of
the flyer arm in the usual way and then passes over the described guide pulley
to the bobbin. Now. the described guide pulley will have its groove so formed
that the yarn whilst running over its periphery, will also drive it and rotate the
aforesaid turned pin. This turned pin, will in turn, by means of its worm
thread drive at a slower speed the aforesaid worm wheel, which, being fixed to
the described bush will rotate it also at the same speed as itself. And the de-
scribed bush in turn, holding the traverse web or tongue working in the right
and left hand traverse screw on the flyer arm, will, as it rotates cause said
traverse tongue to move along said traverse screw on the flyer arm. Thus, the
bush will rotate loose in the described cover or carrier and as the traverse tongue
moves along the traverse screw on the flyer arm, will also move along the Baid
cover or carrier holding the said guide eheave and the whole will thus be moved
up and down the traverse screw formed flyer arm and the yarn will be wound
equally along the bobbin. The carrier or cover at the same time, being pre-
vented from turning on the traverse formed flyer arm by means of the said guide
rod on which it works and thus causing said guide pulley to move up and down
the length of the traverse of the traverse screw formed flyer arm, in a straight
line. In carrying my invention into effect, I may vary the same as follows, if
found to be desirable, thus, the described guide pulley fixed to the carrier may
be made cone shape or other suitable shape and the yarn taken several times round
said guide sheave, in order to more effectively drive the same, if necessary, and
hence to more effectively work the described traverse movement on the flyer arm.
Or, to this end, this guide sheave may be split and a suitably shaped spring
attached to said pin and so as to always keep the groove of the guide sheave
pressed on to the yarn so that the yarn will more effectively grip the guide
sheave when passing over it. Or, to this end, the groove of this guide sheave
may be filled with leather or other material forming a more effectual driving
surface for the yarn than metal. Or I may employ two guide sheaves, each
with one or more grooves, fixed to the carrier and the yarn taken once or several
times round both said guide sheaves and then to the bobbin. In this instance
wherein two guide sheaves are employed, one may be attached to a pin and worm
thread as described and the other guide sheave fixed loose on a pin attached to
the carrier or held to the carrier or flyer arm in any suitable way and so as to
run loose as the yarn passes over it and serving merely as a guide to enable the

page_text: yarn to be taken several times or only once round the guide sheave driving the
described traverse movement on the flyer arm. Or, I may employ more than two
such guide sheaves and the yarn conducted round these guide sheaves in a manner
to most effectually drive the described traverse movement on the flyer arm and
thence conduct the yarn to the bobbin in the usual way. Another modification
would be to take the yarn from the guide sheave fixed at the flyer end to the
described guide sheave on the carrier, thence back to a second groove in the said
fixed guide sheave and thence back to a second groove in the guide sheave
attached to carrier, and thence the yarn would run to the bobbin. That is, the
described guide sheave or sheaves may be of the most suitable form or material
to receive the yarn, may have one or more grooves and the yarn led over them
in the most effectual manner for the purpose of driving the described traverse
movement. I may also employ a separate cord or cords or the like to drive this
traverse movement, on the flyer arm, as well as or instead of the yarn, said
separate cord being conducted over the guide sheaves in any way as described and
introduced through the flyer end, in any suitable manner.
The invention may
also be varied, if found desirable, forming a right and left hand traverse screw
on the described guide rod guiding the carrier and retaining the usual plain flyer
arm and operating the traverse movement in any manner as described but on
the guide rod instead of on the flyer arm. The flyer arms may with advantago
be hollow, and the right & left hand traverse thread cut either on the hollow
or usual solid flyer arm or on the hollow or solid guide rod, may be lightened
by cutting out as much metal as possible in the wide part between the threads,
and so that the flyer arm or guide rod will be as light as possible. It will be
obvious from the foregoing description, that these shortened Hyers may be run at
a higher speed than present long #yers and consequently the output of the machine
much increased, also that the present used long Hyers may be fitted with this in-
vention, thereby enabling a bobbin twice the present size to be used and therefore
enabling twice the present quantity of yarn to be wound on to one bobbin.
The two arms in the flyer may be both fitted with this traverse movement and the
yarn taken over either. Or one arm only may be fitted with this traverse move-
ment, and the opposite arm made heavier or weighted so as to balance the extra
weight of the carrier, bush, worm and guide on the opposite arm.
Another advantage of this traverse movement is, that in making new machines,
the present traverse motion for traversing the bobbin in the flyer, may be alto-
gether dispensed with, and as my described traverse movement on the flyer arm
has few parts and much fewer than the present used traverse motion for working
the bobbin, a direct saving will be attained by the use of my herein described
traverse motion, as well as enabling the speed of the shortened flyer to be much
increased and consequently the output also considerably augmented.
Instead of the described guide rod for retaining the carrier in one position; a
ring may envelope the flyer arms and slide on them and attached to a carrier on
one arm and a plain sliding bush on the opposite arm or fixed to a carrier as
described, on both the arms and so as to retain the carrier or carriers in one
position. It is understood that the flyer arın, having the right and left hand
traverse thread cut on its outside surface, is a fixture and held to the flyer end
discs in the same manner in which present used plain flyer arms are fixed and
held or in any other suitable manner. that is, the flyer arm, in this invention,
as well as performing the same functions as the present used plain flyer arms,
that is to hold the end plates of the flyer together, also performs the function
of a traverse for the traverse web or tongue, by means of the said traverse thread
cul on its outside surface. Again, said traverse web or tongue, instead of being
held to the described ring or bush sliding on the traverse formed flyer arm, may
be held directly or indirectly by the described worm wheel and the described bush
may if convenient, be dispensed with, in which case, the worm wheel, holding
the traverse web or tongue will itself turn and slide loosely on the traverse screw
formed flyer arm. It is understood of course, that the traverse formed flyer armı

page_text: being a fixture relatively to the flyer end plates, the said traverse web or tongue
runs in the right and left hand traverse thread cut on the surface of the flyer arm,
and at the same time as the described worm wheel either with or without said
bush or ring, is rotated in the manner described and as the same said worm wheel
with or without said bush or ring together with the described carrier or holder
with guide pulley all together slide up and down the traverse screw formed flyer
arm, substantially and in the manner and for the purpose herein fully described.
Dated this Tenth day of November 1899.
I, CHARLES STODART MCCONNAN, of 305, Edge Lane, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Rope Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention may be used for flyers employed in spinning and twisting and in
cordage manufacture, and for the spinning, twisting or the like operation of any
material in which the fibres of that material are strong enough for the purpose to
be described. 1 consider my invention most applicable to cordage manufacture,
principally to the forming of rope strands and rope making and very suitable for
making heavy cords and the like.
The invention will be described for a flyer used in the spinning of rope yarn,
which will serve to illustrate my invention.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a horizontal flyer showing the application
of my invention;
Figure 2, a cross section on an enlarged scale of the device for traversing the
guide pulley;
'
Figure 3, a longitudinal section thereof; and
Figure 4, a plan;
Figure 5, a detail view of a modification of the yarn guide pulley;
Figures 6 and 7, my invention applied to a traverse ring.
My improvement is applied to apparatus of that kind in which the bobbin is
not traversed, but the pulley or other device which conducts the yarn to the
bobbin is made to move backwards and forwards longitudinally with the bobbin
axis, and thus wind the yarn thereon. The manner in which the pulley is
traversed so as to wind the yarn equally upon the bobbin constitutes essentially
my invention. The flyer consists of the usual end discs A with journals, hold
together by two arms B B secured by nuts at ends in the usual way. Either or
both of these shortened flyer arms B B' which are fixtures in the end discs have
a double screw b cut on their outside diameters for the requisite amount of their
length that is to say they have each a right hand helical thread formed thereon,
and also a left hand helical thread intersecting with the right hand one. C is
a sleeve or carrier either solid, or in halves, having a rotary bush D fitting and
capable of sliding easily on the traverse screw b. This bush D is secured in
place by a shoulder d near one end, and by a nut d and washer at other, so that
it cannot separate from the sleeve. E is a traverse web or tongue mounted in
and secured by means of nuts e in a split boss on the bush D, said web or tongue
engaging in the threads of the traverse screw so that the bush. on being

page_text: rotated will travel to and fro along the screw and set up a traversing movement
of the carrier, the web being elongated so as to enable it to pass in the right
direction at the point where the threads intersect. The right and left hand threads
join each other at the ends and are thus continuous so that when the journey of
the bush in one direction is completed by the arrival of the tongue at the ends of
the threads, the journey in the reverse direction is commenced and so on. A
worm wheel (indicated by its pitch circle F) is firmly secured to, and concentric
with, the bush D. G is a bracket on carrier C on which there is mounted a
traverse spindle g, and on this traverse spindle, there is mounted a worm H which
engages in the worm-wheel F. At one end of the spindles is a yarn guide
pulley or sheave I, made solid with correctly shaped groove to enable the
material to properly grip it, which conducts the yarn to the bobbin. On the
carrier or sleeve C there is cast or otherwise formed a lug K so shaped as to
slide on the rod k as the sleeve slides to and fro on the traverse screw b. This
rod k is fixed in close proximity to and parallel with the flyer arm B, and held to
each end disc of the flyer, preferably in the same manner as the flyer arms are
fixed, namely, by screwing the ends of same and holding with nuts. The purpose
of this rod or guide is to resist the pull of the yarn and to hold and retain the
carrier with its yarn guide in the required position. It forms however no
obstacle to the carrier moving backwards and forwards longitudinally the length
of the bobbin, or its rotating with the flyer arms concentrically around the bobbin.
O are the usual hauling pulleys for drawing the yarn into the flyer. I propose
to make the carrier and inner loose bush and perhaps other parts of aluminium
or the alloy of aluminium and magnesium so as to have the weight of my troverse
motion at a minimum, lightness being essential on account of the high speed I
may run this flyer. N is the yarn or other material being twisted. If both the
flyer arms be threaded and fitted with carriers, the flyer is counterbalanced, one
side being no heavier than the other. If however only one flyer arm be threaded,
then in that case the unthreaded is counterweighted so as to balance the other
arm and its traversing device.
The mode of action is as follows: :―
The yarn N passing from the capstaus runs over guide pulley L mounted on a
pin at one end of the flyer arm B in the usual way, and then passes over the
aforesaid guide pulley I to the bobbin M. Now this pulley has its groove i so
formed that the yarn whilst running over its periphery will also drive it and
impart to the aforesaid spindle y a rotary motion. This spindle will in turn by
means of its worm II drive at a slower speed the aforesaid worm wheel F which
being fixed to the bush will rotate it. The bush holds the traverse web or
tongue E that works in the continuous threads of the right and left hand traverse
screw on the flyer arm, and thus as the bush is rotated by the guide pulley it
moves to and fro along the screw on the flyer arm traversing the carrier C with
its yarn guide pulley longitudinally with it, and thereby traversing the yarn on
the bobbin, so that it will be wound equally along the latter. The carrier itself
with its yarn guide is prevented from being dragged over by the pull of the yarn
by means of the guide bark and lug K, (or ring R as hereindescribed in connec-
tion with Figures 6 & 7) or other convenient means, while the bush D is free
to rotate inside the carrier, thus ensuring that the guide pulley shall move up
and down longitudinally of the traverse screw in a straight line. It will be
seen therefore from the above description that the motion of the pulley I to and
fro longitudinally of the flyer distributes the twisted material equally along the
bobbin, and thus motion is produced not by any revolution of the right and
left-hand screw, which in my invention is held perfectly stationary, but by the
running of the yarn or other material itself. Gearing is detrimental to high
speeds, and by this invention, there being no genring required to drive the
traverse screw, I am able to secure a higher speed, and, furthermore, the machine
is considerably simplified, and is much shorter in length than in cases whero
the bobbin is made to travel in the direction of its axis. In Figure 5 a modifica-

page_text: tion of the yarn guide pulley is shown. This is used in case the material being
twisted is so fine that it will not drive my traversing mechanism on solid pulley 1
of itself. This consists of the pulley I split at it and provided with a spring I'
which can be adjusted by means of a thumb nut Q, thus enabling the requisite
grip between the yarn and the pulley to be obtained. If desired, there may
be more than one groove in pulleys I and L and the yarn or other material taken
several times backwards and forwards over the pulleys, thus ensuring the driving
of the traverse motion by the running of the yarn, or instead of pulley L having
two or more grooves a loose pulley with grooves can be provided on the carrier
adjacent to the pulley I, and the yarn taken several times from pulley I to said
adjacent pulley loose on the carrier before being conducted to bobbin B in which
case pulley would have one groove only.
Instead of using the guide rod for holding the carrier in position, I may
employ a traverse ring R arranged with my traverse motion as shown in
Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings, wherein the same letters of
reference apply to the same or like parts throughout. M the bobbin, S the
spindle, B and 13 the flyer arms, one of which is plain and the other B
formed with a right and left hand screw with continuous threads. The carrier C
is fitted in a sleeve r at one side of ring R and secured in place by a nut c',
while inside the carrier is the bush on the flyer arm B, and on this bush is
secured the worm wheel F. 1 is the yarn guide pulley, N the yarn or other
material being wound. The opposite side of ring R has mounted within its
sleeve an eccentric bush on the plain flyer arm B. This eccentric bush
allows for adjustment, as if the arms 13 or B expand owing to centrifugal force,
and the ring is travelling on the middle portion of the flyer, the bush T being
loose, said bush turns automatically partly round, and adjusts itself, preventing
the ring R from jamming on the flyer arms, and permitting the easy sliding of
the ring R, that is to say, the point at mid length of each flyer arm will of
course expand the most and all points along each half length of the flyer arm
will gradually expand less until the ends of the flyer arm are reached where there
will practically be no expansion due to centrifugal force, and it will be clearly
understood the object of this eccentric bush is to provide a self adjusting means
whereby this above described varying expansion along the flyer arm may be
automatically compensated for, in order to avoid the ring R being wedged on
the flyer arms and this bush is kept in position by means of a nut cover U. If
necessary a spring may be fixed between the eccentric bush T and the sleeve in
which it is fitted in such manner that when the ring is in that position where the
flyer arms do not expand, namely the ends, the ring will be automatically re-
turned back to its normal position and adjust itself continually according to the
position of ring R on the flyer. The eccentric bush T and its containing sleeve
are of such a length and weight as to counterbalance my traverse movement on
the opposite side of the flyer.
It will be readily understood that my traverse motion as herein before described
may be applied with advantage to existing machines.
The following modifications can be introduced into the invention:—
The guide pulley I on carrier may be cone shaped or any other suitable shape,
and the yarn if necessary taken several times round it in order to more effectually
drive the same. and hence to more effectually work the traverse movement of
the flyer arm. The groove of this guide pulley may be fitted with leather or other
material, forming a more effectual driving surface for the yarn than metal. The
right and left-hand traverse screw may be on the guide rod which guides the
carrier instead of on the flyer arm B. In such case the usual plain flyer arms are
used, and the traverse movement is operated in the manner described, but on the
guide rod instead of on the flyer arins. The Hyer arms may if desired be made
solid or hollow. The traverse web or tongue instead of heing mounted in the
manner previously described may be held directly or indirectly by the worm
wheel F, and the bush D may even be dispensed with, in which case the worm

page_text: wheel holding the traverse web or tongue will itself turn and slide loosely on
the screw threaded flyer arm.
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 what
I claim is:-
--
1. The improvement in apparatus for spinning or twisting yarns or other
material, of that kind in which the guiding pulley which conducts the material
to the bobbin is mude to move backwards and forwards along the flyers by means
of a right and left-hand screw with continuous threads, the said improvement
consisting in so arranging the guiding pulley for the yarn or other material and
the parts in which it is mounted, that its to and fro motion for winding the
material on the bobbin is produced, not by any revolution of the right and left-
hand screw which in this invention is held stationary, but by the running of
the material itself over the periphery of the pulley in such manner as to rotato
it, and thus set up by means of suitable gearing in connection with the screw,
the traversing movement, substantially as described.
2. A rotary flyer whose flyer arms are secured as fixtures in the end rotary
discs, and one or both of which are formed with a right and left hand traverse
screw with continuous threads, in combination with a carrier having a rotary
bush fitted on said screw (or on each if there be two screws) and in which thero
is a traverse web engaging with the threads of the screw, so as to travel the
carrier to and fro along the same, a device for preventing the carrier rotating
on the axis of the screw while allowing free rotation of the bush, and a pulley
mounted on the carrier in the periphery of which the material runs in such
manner as to rotate it, and thus sei up, by means of mechanism which gears
said pulley to the bush, the required traversing movement, substantially as
described.
3. The combination with the traversing device set forth in Claim 2 of a traverse
ring surrounding the bobbin and guided by the traverse arms, said ring being
EO arranged as to equally counterbalance the flyer so as to prevent one side being
heavier than the other, substantially as described.
4. The device for adjusting the traverse ring on the flyer arms and prevent it
jamming, substantially as set forth.
5. The arrangement of guide pulleys with two or more grooves, round which
the yarn or other material is taken back and forth two or more times, in such
manner as to enable the material to obtain grip thereon, and set up by the running
of the material itself the requisite rotation substantially as described.
G. A modification of the invention set forth in Claim 2 which consists in dis-
pensing with the right and left-hand traverse screw threads on the flyer arms,
and in forming said threads on the guide rod & which guides the carrier, in
combination with means for operating the traverse movement on the guide rods
instead of on the flyer arm substantially as described.
7. The traversing or building devices for flyers constructed, arranged and
operating substantially as herein before described with reference to and shown in
the drawings annexed.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London.