IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DOUBLING, TWISTING, AND WINDING FLAX, SILK, COTTON, HEMP, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Constant Bekaert, of the City of Paris, 27, Rue des
Martyrs, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DOUBLING,
TWISTING, AND WINDING FLAX, SILK, COTTON, HEMP, WOOL, AND OTHER
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."-A communication.
Sealed the 15th September 1854, and dated the 5th April 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Constant Bekaert at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
April 1854.
I, CONSTANT BEKAERT, of the City of Paris, 27, Rue des Martyrs, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR DOUBLING, TWISTING, AND WINDING FLAX, SILK, COTTON, HEMP, WOOL, AND
OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in winding the fibre or yarn on to bobbins, and then
drawing it therefrom and winding it on other bobbins while the first bobbins
are revolving in the plane of their axes; by this means the fibre or yarn is
twisted. After which, the bobbins which now contain the fibre or yarn are
placed, two, three, or more together in frames, which revolve in the opposite
direction to the bobbins from which the fibre or yarn was first drawn, and
during the revolution the fibres or yarns are drawn from the bobbins and

page_text: wound upon a reel; by this means, the two, three, or more fibres or yarns are
thrown together in one thread. Motion is given to the bobbins from which
the fibre or yarn is drawn by means of an endless band running from end to
end of the machine.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Constant Bekaert in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th October 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CONSTANT
BEKAERT, of the City of Paris, 27, Rue des Martyrs, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Constant Bekaert, Her special licence that I, the said Constant
Bekaert, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Constant Bekaert, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DOUBLING, TWISTING, AND WINDING FLAX, SILK, COTTON,
HEMP, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," a communication, upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Constant Bekaert, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and 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 Constant Bekaert, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention consists in winding the fibre or yarn on to bobbins, and
then drawing it therefrom and winding it on other bobbins while the first
bobbins are revolving in the plane of their axes; by this means, the fibre or

page_text: yarn is twisted, after which, the bobbins which now contain the fibre or
yarn are placed, two, three, or more together in frames, which revolve in the
opposite direction to the bobbins from which the fibre or yarn was first drawn,
and during the revolution the fibres or yarns are drawn from the bobbins, and
wound upon a reel. By this means, the two, three, or more fibres or yarns are
thrown together into one thread. Motion is given to the bobbins from which
the fibre or yarn is drawn by means of an endless band running from end to
end of the machine.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention, I will proceed to describe
the means pursued in carrying the same into effect.
This machine for doubling and twisting all sorts of threads and yarns, either
silk, cotton, flax, hemp, wool, or other fibrous materials, alone or mixed in
different proportions, consists in such mechanical arrangements, by which the
twisting of the threads in' one direction, and the doubling and the twisting
together of them in an opposite direction, takes place in one and the same
machine or spinning mill.
In the annexed Drawing, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the
machine.
Figure 2 shows the manner in which endless bands, belts, or strops serve, as
will be hereafter described, for driving the vertical spindles on which the hori-
zontal shafts of the bobbins are secured.
Figure 3 shows a plan and sectional view of one of the bobbin bearers,
hereafter described. A is the frame of the machine, which frame may be of
wood, cast iron, or any other suitable material, and which is constructed in
such manner as to divide the machine in two similar parts or working sides,
both sides being provided with an equal number of bobbins or spools, placed
in two series or rows on each side of the machine. In the middle part of the
machine there is a vertical arbor or main shaft, deriving its motion from any
suitable prime mover, and working in suitable bearings and collars, which
communicates the motion to the several moveable parts of the machine. The
under part of this arbor B carries a fixed pulley C, over which and also over
two loose pulleys or riggers E, one of them at each end of the machine, are
passed endless belts, bands, straps or cords for communicating the motion; or
two such belts may be laid over the pulley C, one above the other, each of
them passing over one of the loose pulleys, in order that one belt may serve
for communicating the motion to the bobbins of one half of the machine, and
the other to those of the opposite part.
:
Figure 2 shows the manner in which one of the said endless belts com-

page_text: municates the motion to all the bobbins of one side of the machine, and
Figure 1 indicates the mode they give motion to each bobbin, videlicit, by
rubbing against the under part of the vertical spindles, on the upper part of
which spindles frames are fixed which carry the spindles of the bobbins D; by
this contrivance rotary motion is given to the form of bobbins, and each of
the bobbins revolves on its own axis as the yarn is unwound from it. The
under part F of the said spindles is sufficiently enlarged to form a pulley for
the endless band to rub against. These vertical spindles turn in sockets and
collars G and H, and serve to communicate a horizontal revolving motion to
the bobbins D, upon which latter the thread has been wound, and these
bobbins turn at the same time freely round their axés; and in order to obtain
a regular delivering of the thread from off the bobbins D, a small endless
strap or cord i of india-rubber is stretched over one of the ends of the bobbins
D (this end having a pulley or wharve for that purpose), and over one of the
arms of the forked piece or frame. J are vertical block or bobbin bearers,
in which are to be inserted the blocks or bobbins K, after a sufficient length
of thread proceeding from the bobbins D has been wound on them. I wish
to observe here, that the bobbins D for giving the first twist turn in one
direction, whereas the blocks in the bearers J turn in an opposite direction.
In the Drawing, the threads from one of the two rows or series of bobbins D
are indicated by a red line, and those of the other row by a yellow one;
these threads are wound on the blocks or bobbins K, which are fixed close
to one another on a horizontal shaft, from which, after having received a
sufficient length of twisted thread, they are removed to the bearers J, in order
to be doubled and twisted by one and the same action,
The bobbins D have flyers for giving the necessary twist to the thread,
which latter, before being wound on the blocks K, passes through the wire
hooks or eyelits a.
In order that the blocks or bobbins K may be secured firmly to the shaft,
this latter is made square, and fits in a corresponding opening formed in the
centre of the blocks or bobbins. On afterwards removing the blocks or
bobbins from the shaft, a small square axis is inserted into them, which axis
has on both ends small journals or gudgeons for entering into correspond-
ing holes or bearings in proper brackets, fixed in the interior of the block
bearers or carriers J.
A to and fro motion is communicated to the shaft T, by any suitable
mechanical contrivance, in order to lay the threads evenly on the blocks or
bobbins. The block bearer or carrier J is a metallic ring, the inside of

page_text: which has proper brackets, forming bearings for the blocks, and arranged
in a regular manner, according to the number of blocks to be inserted
in the bearer; this latter is fixed on the top of a vertical shaft or spindle,
the part O of which forms a pulley, in order that the endless belt or cord
P by rubbing against the same may communicate a revolving motion to the
said shaft, and consequently to the bearers or carriers J, and to the blocks
or bobbins contained therein. The blocks have also a suitable arrangement
for regulating the delivery of the thread in the same manner as has been
already explained for the bobbin D. The number of blocks to be inserted in
the bearer J depends upon the number of threads that are to be doubled and
twisted together in order to form the yarn. The threads proceeding from
blocks in the bearer J pass through suitable flyers, from thence to the wire
hooks, and are finally wound on the reels L, which latter, by proper gearing,
obtain their motion from the main arbor or shaft B. The extremity of one
of these reels carries a teller, which, by means of a finger turning over a dial
plate, indicates the number of revolutions made by the reel.
The mode of operation of this machine, which is particularly suitable for
silk throwing, is as follows:-
The singles or threads which have been wound previously on the bobbins D,
by means of the ordinary spinning processes, are delivered from them to the
blocks K, for which purpose these latter are fixed on the square shaft, during
which passage they obtain the necessary twist in the usual manner by means
of the small flyers, and are laid evenly on the blocks or bobbinsk by means
of the to and fro motion. A sufficient length of this twisted thread having
thus been wound on the blocks or bobbins K, they are removed from the
shaft and fixed into the block or bobbin bearers or carriers J; and a suitable
rotary motion being now given to these latter, and the threads of each bearer
or bobbin carrier passing through the same eyelets and flyers, a doubling and
twisting of the threads takes place, and the resulting doubled and twisted
yarn (or which in case of silk throwing is called organzine) is wound on
the reels.
Figure 4 shows a plan and elevation, partly in section, of an apparatus on
the same principle as the preceding, by means of which two or more yarns
may be doubled together at one operation. J is a frame similar to that
marked with the same letter in Figure 1, but which, in place of having
bearings for the axes of the bobbins, has two or more upright skewers, on
which are placed the cops a, formed by the mule spinning machine or by a
suitable winding machine. The frame J is caused to revolve in the direction

page_text: opposite to that in which the cops have been wound; and a reel L, Figure 1,
draws the yarns over the noses of the skewers, by which a twist is put on
the
yarns which pass through the eyes b, b, and then together through
the eye c, where they are twisted together; they are then wound on the
reel L.
In witness whereof, I, the said Constant Bekaert, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
JULES VAUDET, C.E.,
9, Passage Saulnier,
Paris.
CONSTANT BEKAERT. (L.S.)