Improvements in Machines for Making Cords or Ropes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 20th June, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Making Cords or Ropes.
I, THOMAS BROWN DOOLEY, of 407 Highland Avenue, Malden, in the County of
Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for TMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR
MAKING CORDS OR ROPES, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
It is the object of my invention to provide a machine upon which rope may be
made with greater rapidity than heretofore, and which machine shall, at the same
time, be certain in its operation, convenient of use, and occupy a minimum amount
of space upon the floor of a mill.
My invention comprises improved mechanism for twisting a series of cords into
strands, drawing away the said strands and twisting or laying the same up into a
rope, and finally drawing away the rope so made and spooling the same for
shipment and sale by the trade.
The invention comprises various improvements which will be described in detail
hereinafter and then particularly pointed out in the claims appended to the general
description.
Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings and the letters, signs, and figures
of reference marked thereon, forming a part of this Specification, the same letters
and marks of reference indicating the same parts and features, as the case may be
wherever they occur.
Of the drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of that portion of the machine that is con-
trived to twist the cords into strands and draw the same away or forward to
be laid up into a rope, but two fliers and adjunctive mechanism being shown, the
third flier, which should have a place beyond the lower flier in the figure being, for
the sake of clearness of illustration, omitted.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the portion of the machine devised to lay
the strands up into a rope and to spool the same.
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3, 3 of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is an end view of the Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.
Figure 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the machine portrayed in
Figure 1 and
Figure 6 is a view of the opposite side thereof,
Figure 7 being a section through line 22 of Figure 5.
Figure 8 is an enlarged view of one side and
Figure 9 a like view of the opposite side of the rope drawing mechanism.
Figure 10 is a longitudinal section view of Figure 8.
Figure 11 is a transverse sectional view, through line X X of Figure 8 and
Figure 12 is an enlarged view of the spool (for the finished rope) and its details.
The various parts comprising the machine are supported by a suitable frame a,
and all of the moving parts derive motion from the driving pulley b fixed upon the
outer end of the shaft c.
Attached to the shaft c, adjacent to the pulley b, is a gear wheel d which
engages and drives similar gear wheels e, each of which imparts motion to a group
of devices for twisting a plurality of cords into a strand and drawing away or
forward such strand to be faid up with other strands into a rope.
The several strand forming mechanisms are the same in structure and function,
so that a description of one will suffice for a description of all.
In the present machine there may be supposed to be three strand forming

page_text: devices, though a greater number might be employed. as will appear obvious
to those skilled in the art.
Each gear wheel e is affixed to a shaft
with and drives the outside flier frame y.
which extends forward and is connected
In the rearward portion of the outside flier frame y (see Fig. 1.) is journalled a
short shaft h, upon the outer end of which is fixed a gear wheel which meshes
with a gear wheel loose on the shaft and to the inner end of the shaft his fixed
a gear wheel which meshes with a gear wheel secured to the rearward end of the
inner flier frame m. The gear wheel has a worm wheel n connected with it,
which worm wheel is engaged and driven by a worm o on the outer end of a
shaft p.
The inner end of the shaft is provided with a worm wheel y which is
engaged and driven by a worm on the shaft c, all as is clearly illustrated in
Fig. 3.
g
With this construction and arrangement of devices the outside flier frame will
be driven by the gear wheel e in one direction, and the inside flier frame m will,
through the medium of the gear wheels ijkl, be driven in the opposite direction,
the worm wheel turning wheel in a direction opposite to that of the movement
of the outside flier frame, in order to secure a proper timing of the parts and
a mathematically correct twist in the strands.
The inside fier frame may be provided with any desired number of cord
bearing spools, from which cords are led and properly guided in the frame
to the head, where they are twisted into a strand which is carried and properly
guided by the outside flier frame to the strand drawing mechanism.
The nose or forward end w of the flier frame g is provided with a pinion which
engages a pinion on a shaft, provided with worms a¹ which engage and drive
worm wheels (Figs. 1, 5 & 7), each of which worm wheels is affixed to a
shaft upon which a gear wheel d¹ and a roll & are loosely arranged, and to
the opposite end of which is affixed a gear wheel f¹ engaging a gear wheel g¹ on the
end of a shaft, upon which latter shaft is secured a roll and a gear wheel,
the latter engaging and driving gear wheel and roll e¹ connected therewith
as shown in Fig. 7.
By this construction and arrangement of parts the rolls may be driven at
the same speed, and by changing and varying the size of the gears f³ ³ the speed
at which the rolls are driven may be varied.
In Figs. 5 and 6 the shafts 7' are journalled in bars a pivoted at one end to the
main frame A., and are each connected at their other ends with the said main frame
by rods tapped into the main frame, and having rubber or other springs
interposed between the bars at and the heads of said rods (Figs. 5 and 6),
so that the rolls may be pressed toward each other by a yielding pressure, thus
allowing knots or other inequalities which may occur in the rope to pass between
the said rolls.
The strands are led forward through the nose around and between and back
and forth from one set of rolls e¹ to the other, and the said strands are by this
means positively drawn down or forward, enabling them to be led through the
nose of said draw-down mechanism to the strands up into a rope n¹.
The rope laying head ¹ (Fig. 1) is of common form and is actuated by a pulley
driven by a belt o' running over a pulley fixed upon a shaft pl which is driven
through the medium of gearing connected with the shaft c.
From the rope laying head the rope is led to the drawing away mechanism,
which is actuated by a gear wheel 7 on the shaft p, the said gear wheel g¹ meshing
with and driving a gear wheel which has connected with it a bevel gear' wheel
which engages and drives a bevel gear wheel t' having a gear wheel secured to
its inner side. The said gear wheel u' engages and drives a gear wheel vi affixed
to one end of a shaft w¹ (Figs. 1, 89 and 11), to the opposite end.of-which shaft w¹
:s affixed a gear wheel a¹.
A conical roll y' and a gear wheel 2 is arranged to turn loosely on the
suait 10'.

page_text: The gear wheel meshes with and drives gear wheels a² a secured to shafts b² b³,
to which shafts are affixed conical rolls and gear wheels dd, which latter
gear wheels engage and drive gear wheels and roll y¹ connected therewith. In
this way the roll y' and rolls may be driven at the same rate of speed, and by
changing and varying the size of the gears ¹ a² a² the speed at which the said
rolls y care driven may be varied.
The rope is led from the rope laying head to, around, and between the
rolls y, and by the said rolls is drawn away in a positive manner, and is carried
forward to the traversing carriage and by the latter laid in close coils upon the
spool, as shown in Figs. 1 and 12.
The spool is arranged in a flier frame y', which is rotated by a gear wheel h³
meshing with and driven by a gear wheel 2 on the shaft p'. The spool is driven
in the same direction as the flier frame, though at a slower rate of speed, to
secure the winding of the rope on the spool, by a pulley on the spool shaft, which
pulley has motion communicated to it by a belt running over a pulley on the
end of a shaft m³, the other end of the shaft m² being provided with a pulley n²
receiving motion from a belt. o running over a pulley connected with the gear
wheel r
Should there be a tendency to rotate the spool 2 faster than the delivery of
rope thereto will permit, the belts k and o will slip on the pulleys over which they
pass and so compensate for such unequal tendency of operation, or other suitable
friction mechanism may be provided for this purpose.
In Fig. 12, the spool sleeve is provided with gear teeth, or it may be a gear
wheel, y, which engage and drive a pinion on the shaft s on which there is a
worm gear t² engaging and operating a worm on one end of a shaft u², the opposite
end of the said shaft u being provided with a worm which engages and rotates a
worm wheel e fast on a shaft w². The shaft with a double worm groove-that
is, one worm groove running in one direction and another in the opposite direction,
with which worm groove the carriage is connected in such manner as to traverse
the same back and forth in a well known way, and so lay the rope on the spool as
before described.
The spool is connected with a sleeve, through which sleeve, as ako
through the axle of the spool there extends a shaft y'. The pulley j³ is affixed to
the sleeve x³.
The outer end of the shaft y² is grooved, into which groove the latch may be
placed. The said latch is pivoted at one end to the pulley and is secured at
the other end to a stud a by a spring actuated bolt & or other suitable means.
The shaft y is provided on its outer end with handles c³, (Fig. 1) so that after it
is unlatched from the pulley it may be withdrawn from the axle of the spool and
the shaft to remove a filled spool, and be moved back into place and latched to
the pulley to secure an empty spool in the flier so that the said spool, which is
splined on that shaft y' may be properly operated.
It is obvious that changes may be made in the form and arrangement of parts
comprising my invention without departing from the nature and spirit thereof. For
example, instead of the worms and worm gears employed to operate the gear ; a
train of properly timed gears may be employed, and other gearing and operating
means may be varied within the scope of my improvements. Again, in the
manufacture of some classes of rope, the gearj may be made as a fixed or dead
gear, and the worm gearn and the gearing intermediate of the same and the worm
may be entirely dispensed with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination with the main driving or operating means, the outside flier
frame and moaring connected with the main driving moans and the outside flier

page_text: carried by the outside flier frame and engaging the gear on the inside flier frame,.
and the said independent gear, as set forth.
2. The combination with the main driving or operating shaft, the outside flier
frame and gearing connected with the main shaft, and outside flier frame, of the
inside flier frame, a gear thereon, an independent gear), gears carried by the
outside flier frame and engaging the gear on the inside flier frame, and the said
independent gear; and gearing intermediate of the driving shaft and the independent
gear for operating the latter, as set forth.
3. The combination with the main driving or operating shaft, the outside
Hier frame and gearing connected with the main shaft and outside flier frame,
of the inside flier frame, a gear thereon, an independent gear j, gears carried
by the outside flier frame and engaging the gear on the inside flier frame and the
said independent gear, a worm gear connected with the independent gear, a worm
shaft p provided with a worm and worm gear, and a worm on the main shaft engaging
and operating the worm gear on the shaft p, as set forth.
4. The combination with the main shaft, the gear wheel d, the geare and its shaft
and outside flier frame, of the inside flier frame, a gear thereon, an independent
gear, and gears ik carried by the outside flier frame and engaging the gear and
the said independent gear, as set forth.
5. The combination with the main shaft, gear wheel d, the gear e and its shaft
and outside flier frame, of the inside flier frame, a gear thereon, an independent
gear loosely arranged on the shaft, gearing intermediate of the main shaft and
the independent gear, and gears ik carried by the outside flier frame and engaging
the gear and the said independent gear, as set forth.
6. The combination with a strand-twisting device provided with a pinion or gear,
of a strand drawing mechanism consisting of two sets of rollers e, and gearing
connected with the said gear & for operating the said two sets of rolls, as set
forth.
7. The combination with a strand-twisting device provided with a pinion or
gear, of a strand drawing mechanism consisting of two sets of rollers e' i',
gearing as described whereby each roll e' may be operated from its companion
roll, worm wheels for operating the gearing of rolls i, a shaft provided
with the worms a' a' engaging the worm wheels b¹ b¹, and the gearing or "pinion y
engaging the gear a, as set forth.
8. A rope drawing mechanism embracing the central conical rolls y', the side
conical rolls c² c³, gearing for operating the side rolls, and gearing connected with
the side rolls for operating the central roll, all combined as and for the purpose
hereinafter set forth.
9. The combination with the conical roll y', the shaft on which said roll is
adapted to be independently revolved, gearing for rotating the said shaft, the conical
rolls c²², gearing connected with the rolls c², a gear on the said shaft for actuating
the gearing connected with the rolls c³, a gear connected with roll y¹ and engaged
and actuated by the gearing connected with rolls c³, as set forth.
10. The combination with a spool flier frame and gearing for revolving the
same, of a spool and its shaft supported in the said frame and adapted to be rotated
therein, and friction driving mechanism for rotating the said spool in the same
direction as the flier frame is revolved but at a slower rate of speed, as set forth.
11. The combination with a spool flier frame and gearing for revolving the
same, of a spool and its shaft supported in the said frame and adapted to be rotated
therein, a pulley connected with the said spool shaft, a rotary shaft m², a
pulley thereon, and a belt communicating motion from one pulley to the other, as
set forth.
12. A flier frame, a sleeve upon which it is adapted to rotate, a spool, a shaft
adapted to be passed through the said sleeve and axle of the said spool to secure
the spool in the flier frame, and a latch to lock the said shaft to the said sleeve, all
combined as and for the purpose set forth.
13. A flier frame, a sleeve upon which it is adapted to rotate, a spool, a shaft

page_text: adapted to be passed through the said sleeve and axle of the said spool to secure
the spool in the flier frame, a latch to lock the said shaft to the said sleeve,
a pulley secured upon the latter, and a belt to operate the said pulley, all combined
as and for the purpose set forth.
14. A rotary flier frame, a spool supported therein, and the sleeve or shaft upon
which the flier frame is adapted to rotate, in combination with a shaft w³ provided
with a double worm groove as described, a carriage e supported by the flier frame
and arranged to engage the shaft w², and gearing connected with the latter shaft
and intermediate of the same and the sleeve or shaft upon which the flier frame
0 rotates, to rotate the shaft w³, as set forth.
Dated this 30th day of June A D 1890.
THOMAS BROWN DOOLEY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.