Improvements in Drag Devices for Bobbing of Drawing and Spinning Frames
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Drag Devices for Bobbing of Drawing and Spinning
Frames,
I, SAMUEL SMITH, of 116, Foster Street, City of Lawrence, in the County of
Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the United States of
America, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this 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 drag devices for bobbins of drawing and spinning
frames.
This invention is applicable to the bobbins of so-called gill-boxes, drawing-
boxes, weigh-boxes, finishing-boxes and flier-spinning frames for worsted, flax
and other long fibres, and to any machines in which a flier and spindle are used
to twist sliver, slubbing or yarn and in which the bobbin loosely surrounds the
spindle and is rotated only by the pull of the ribbon or string of fibres delivered
by the flier.
In the open drawing and flier-spinning of worsted and other long fibres this
rotation of the bobbin is retarded by frictional contact with the lifter-plate or
copping-plate, on which the bobbin rests, and it is customary to put washers of
cloth or leather on said plate around the spindle and under the bobbin and to
vary the diameter of these washers to increase or diminish their retarding or
dragging effect upon the bobbin, a washer of a diameter as large as the head
of the bobbin dragging harder than a smaller washer.
If there is not drag enough on the bobbin the slubbing or yarn will be
snarled, because the bobbin will be turned too far and by jerks, by the action of
the flier, and if there is too much drag on the bobbin the slubbing or yarn will
be broken or pulled apart.
When the bobbin is empty, it is more easily turned; when the bobbin is
nearly full, its increased weight increases the friction on the washer and it is
turned with difficulty. Besides, the bobbin must turn faster when nearly full
and when the friction is greatest because the speed of the flier is uniform, and
an amount of slubbing or yarn which would reach entirely around the empty
barrel of the bobbin will reach only a short angular distance on the circum-
ference of the nearly full bobbin, and if the speed of the bobbin were not
increased as the bobbin is filled the slubbing or yarn would be broken by the
flier.
Again, evidently, friction between the bobbins and the washers must depend
partly on the weight of the empty bobbins and the smoothness or roughness of
the surface of the bobbin which comes in contact with the washer and that great
care must be used in selecting for the same machine bobbins as nearly as
possible of the same weight and with heads unbroken and unscarred, if any
approximation to uniformity of product is expected.
It is impracticable to stop the machine to adjust the friction or even to adjust
the friction for each bobbin every time a new set of bobbins are to be filled.
The objects of this invention are to keep the retarding friction on the bobbins

page_text: more nearly uniform while the bobbins are being filled, to enable the friction
devices to be more quickly and accurately adjusted and to render the operation
of said friction-devices independent of the smoothness or roughness of the bobbin
heads.
These objects I accomplish by applying the retarding friction, not directly to
the bobbin, but to a plate which supports and turns with said bobbin and which
is itself so supported that the increasing weight of the bobbin, while being
filled adds very little to the retarding effect or friction upon said plate.
In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a pair of spindles,
provided with whirls and fliers, the spindle-supporting rails, the copping-plate
or lifter-plate and bobbins, together with my improved drag-device; Fig. 2, a
vertical, central section of said drag-device on the line 22 in Fig. 3, with parts
of the copping-plate, spindle and bobbin and the supporting tube and adjusting
and securing nuts in front elevation; Fig. 3, a plan of the drag-device and a
horizontal section of the spindle, the bobbin-supporting plate or friction-plate
being broken away to show the anti-friction balls; Fig. 4, a plan of the bottom
of the supporting tube and friction-plate.
The step-rail A, the copping-plate or lifter-plate B, the top-rail C, the
spindle D, the flier E, secured to and rotating with the spindle 1), are of the
usual construction, as used in spindle-gill-boxes and flier spinning frames; the
lifter-plate B, having a vertical traverse to lay the stubbing or yarn, delivered
from the lower end of one of the arms e of the flier E, upon the bobbin F. The
two-headed bobbin or spool F is also of the usual construction, except as here-
inafter stated. The spindle D and attached flier E are driven in the usual
manner by a belt on a whirl d, secured to the spindle. The bobbin F loosely
surrounds the spindle and is rotated only by the pull of the slubbing or yarn
carried by the Hier and is ordinarily retarded, as above stated, by frictional
contact with a washer of suitable material, as cloth or leather, which rests upon
the lifter-plate in contact with the lower head f of the bobbin.
I insert a vertical tube G in the lifter-plate B, said tube being vertically
adjustable as by means of an external screw-thread g, with which it is provided
and which engages a corresponding thread in the hole in said lifter-plate.
When the tube G is properly adjusted it is locked in place by a check-nut H
which is turned on said tube up against the under side of said lifter-plate.
Above the plate B the tube G is provided with an external flange g which
supports the friction-plate or bobbin-supporting plate I, the top of said plate I
being as high as the upper end of said tube G. The friction between the plate I
and flange is very slight being diminished by anti-friction balls J, arranged
in a circular groove in the top of said flange and holding said plate out of
contact with the top of said flange.
A flange on the under side of the friction plate I surrounds the flange gl and
said plate is retained on the flange g¹ by any convenient means, as by pins i
which pass through the flange i below said flange g' to prevent said friction-plate
from being accidentally lifted off from the flange and the balls from being
displaced.
The friction-plate I is provided on top with upwardly extending pins
which enter corresponding holes f in the under side of the lower bobbin-head f
causing said friction-plate to turn with said bobbin.
It will be seen that the friction between the plate I and the flange g¹ is very
slight and is not greatly affected by the amount of slubbing or yarn on the
bobbin and that with this device the smoothness or roughness of the lower
bobbin-head has nothing to do with the drag of the bobbin.
The necessary friction is applied to the plate I by a pad K, preferably in the
form of a ring, of suitable material, as leather, cloth or felt, (Fig. 2) which is
arranged in a friction-cup L, surrounding the tube G below the flange gl and
plate I, and having an internally-threaded central hole 7 which engages the
screw on said tube, so that said cup may be raised by turning it on said tube,

page_text: to press the pad K more or less firmly against the plate I. When properly
adjusted, the cup L is secured in place by the check-nut M which turns on the
tube G against the under side of said cup..
The flange is preferably of the shape externally of an inverted frustum of a
cone and the internal shape of the pad K is such as to fit said flange i, it being
found that the friction can be more effectually applied with this construction
than when the top of the pad is flat and horizontal and applied to a similar
surface on the bottom of the flange i.
It will be understood that the tube G, friction-plate I, cup L and nuts H M
are concentric with the spindle and that said tube G is out of contact with said
spindle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination of a friction-plate, adapted to support a bobbin and to be
rotated by the rotation of said bobbin, a friction-device adapted to press upon
said plate, and means of varying the pressure of said friction-device upon said
friction-plate.
2. The combination of a lifter-plate, provided with a threaded hole, a tube,
externally threaded and turning in said hole and provided with a flange, and a
friction-plate, supported on said flange and adapted to support a bobbin and to
be rotated by the rotation thereof.
3. The combination of a lifter-plate, provided with a threaded hole, a tube,
externally threaded and turning in said hole and provided with a flange, a
friction-plate supported on said flange and adapted to support a bobbin and to be
rotated by the rotation thereof, a friction-cup, having a central screw-threaded
hole to engage the thread on said tube and a suitable pad, arranged in said
cup below said friction-plate.
4. The combination of a tube, provided with a flange, an annular friction-
plate, supported on said flange and having a downward extension which reaches
below said flange, and locking means secured to said extension below said
flange to retain said friction-plate on said flange.
5. The combination of a tube, provided with a flange, having an annular
groove in its upper surface, anti-friction rolls, arranged in said groove, a friction-
plate surrounding said tube and resting upon said rolls and adapted to support
a bobbin and to be rotated by the rotation thereof, and means of preventing said
friction-plate from being lifted off from said rolls.
6. The combination of a tube, provided with a flange, an annular friction-
plate, mediately supported on said flange, and having a downward extension,
externally shaped like the frustum of an inverted cone, a cup, concentric with
said tube and arranged below said friction-plate and adjustable on said tube,
and a pad, arranged in said cup and internally shaped to fit said extension.
Dated this 15th dose of Naramkom 1900
SAMUEL SMITH,
By Herbert Haddan & Co.,
Agents to Applicant,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.