Improvements relating to Mechanism used in Wire-netting and similar Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1895
[Communicated from abroad by WILLIAM ORR, Manufacturer, of Trenton, in the
County of Mercer and State of New Jersey, United States of America.]
Improvements relating to Mechanism used in Wire-netting and
similar Machines.
I PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON of The Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of London, Patent Agent, 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 particularly to machines used for making wire netting of
hexagonal or similar mesh, in which the wires are spread to form the mesir, and
twisted together by half gears capable of a partial rotation around a common centre,
these gears being reciprocated in opposite directions by slides after their rotary
movement, for the purpose of spreading the wires to form the mesh, the object of
the invention, being to provide an improved machine of the class.
The invention relates particularly to the bobbins from which the weft wire is
drawn off, to an improved construction for handling the heavier selvage wires used
for the opposite edges of the fabric, and to an improved stop motion for stopping
the machine in case of breakage of the wires; and the invention consists in various
features of construction and combination of parts, all of which will be fully
described hereafter and specifically pointed out in the claims
For a full understanding of the invention, a detailed description of a construction
embodying the same in its preferred formy as applied to a netting machine of a
common general construction, will now be given in connection with the accum
panying drawings forming a part of this Specification, in which.
Fig. I is a side elevation of the complete machine.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.
Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section, on line 3 of Figs. 1 and 2, looking to the
right.
Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal section through one of the weft bobbins and sets
of half gears, showing the preferred construction.
Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing a modified form of bobbin holder.
Fig. 6 is a detail hereinafter referred to.
As the general construction of the machine is the same as that of machines now
in common use, it will not be described in detail, except so far as is necessary for
understanding the improvements forming the present invention..
In the drawings, A is the main frame, carrying at one en the spools 10, from
which the warp wires and selvage wires are led over guide rolls 11, 12, through
a series of half gears a, past the waft bobbins, through a second series of hæli
gears b, co-acting with a corresponding set of half gears for the weft, and by which
the warp and weft wires are twisted together, whence the fabric passes over the
draw-off roll 13, to the wind-up rolf 14. The half gears are carried by slides 15, 16,
and 17, 18, at opposite ends of the weft bobbins, and the lower slides 10, 18, carry
the racks 19, 20, by which the half gears are rotated. The slides are shown as
reciprocated, and the racks actuated to rotate the half gears by means similar to
those in common use, the main driving shaft S, carrying at opposite ends
excentrics 21, connected by slotted pitmen 22 to crank arms 23 on rock shafts 24,
carrying rigid rocker arms, 25, the opposite ends of which are connected by pitmen-20

page_text: to the respective upper and lower slides. The shaft S carries also at opposite
ends, gears 27, actuating crank disks 28, connected by pitmen 29 to levers 30,
which are connected by slotted pitmen 31 to the racks 19, 20, the construction
being identical at both ends of the machine. The feed or drawing off roll 13 is
shown as actuated from the main shaft S through a cross shaft 32, and bevel
gears 33, the shaft 32 carrying a sprocket wheel, from which a chain 34 drives a
stud carrying a pinion, which engages a gear 35 on the draw-off roll, and the draw-
off roll in turn drives the take-up roll by means of a belt 36.
The above general description in connection with the drawings will make the
general construction of the machine clear, such general construction and method
of operation being substantially the same as in well known machines of this class.
The features embodying the invention will now be described.
In wire netting and similar machines, the use of bobbins from which the wire
is drawn off longitudinally of the bobbin has been found very objectionable, as the
wire thus comes off in wave form, requiring considerable tension to draw the wire
straight in the mesh,-this difficulty arising especially with heavy wires. The use
of such bobbins is very desirable, in order that bobbins of small cross section may
be used, and, at the same time, a large supply of wire be carried. The present
invention provides a construction in which the wire is drawn off the bobbin trans-
versely to the axis, and then led longitudinally of the hobbin, and secures the
drawing off at right angles to the axis at all times, by mounting the bobbin so as
to slide longitudinally under the tension of the wire, as the successive coils are
drawn off, thus keeping the coil which is being drawn off opposite the draw off
point. This sliding bobbin is preferably mounted in a tube through which the
wire is run from the bobbin to the half gear, so as to avoid any danger of the weft
and warp wires interfering, the warp wires running outside. the tube. In the
construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the bobbins c are mounted in tubes 37, of about
double the length of the spools, and the wire y is drawn out from the tube at
about its centre, over a bearing 1, and then returned to the inside of the tube, and
passed through the latter to the half gears.. The bearing is preferably covered,
as shown, the wire thus being drawn through an eye, which prevents the formation
of a loop outside the tube. These tubes may be mounted in any suitable manner,
but preferably as shown, being provided at their rear ends with openings to
receive studs 38, carried by the upper half gears. a', these. studs entering against
spring-pressed plungers 3 in the tubes. At the opposite end, the upper half gears b¹
are provided with tail pieces 4, which enter the open ends of the tubes, so as to
support the latter, and may be splined in the tubes, so as to rotate the latter, or
rotate freely therein. By passing the rear end of a tube over the stud 38, and
forcing the tube back against the resistance of the spring-pressed plunger, the
front end may be passed over the tail piece 4 of the half gear 6', and the reaction
of the spring against the plunger will then hold the tube in position. Each of
the tubes is preferably provided with an opening 2 at the end next the half
gears b³, for convenience in threading the wire into the half gear.
From Fig. 4, in which a coil of the wire is shown as drawn off about one half
of the bobbin c, it will be seen that a direct pull at right angles to the axis of the
bobbin is secured, the bobbin sliding within the tube, so as to keep the part from
which the wire is being withdrawn directly under the bearing 1. It will be seen;
also, that as one or both of the beads of the bobbin are constantly in contact with
the inner wall of the tube, a tension device is thus provided by which the requisite
tension upon the spool, to prevent over-running, is secured.
In Fig. 5 is shown another construction employing the sliding spool; to rotate
and slide upon bar 39, carried by end supports 40, and the spool is carried between
discs 41, threaded on the bar 39, and a side bar 42, which carries an eye forming a
bearing 1, and through which the wire is drawn, and then led to the half gears.
The bobbin frame thus formed is shown as mounted in the half gears at opposite
ends, by extending the bar 39 outside the end supports 40, and mounting these
ends in the tail pieces of the lialf gears, as in the construction previously described

page_text: the spring pressed plunger 3 being in the tail piece of half gear a'. It will be
obvious that this construction is not so desirable, as the wires are more likely to
become entangled than with the tubes 37. With this construction, however, the
tension device secured by the engagement of one or both of the heads of the
bobbin with the inner wall of the tube 37, as previously described, may readily be
provided, if desired, by using a bobbin with one or both beads of such size
as to engage the inner surface of bar 42, as the bobbin rotates and slides
longitudinally.
It will be understood, also, that other constructions employing longitudinally
moving bobbins for the same purpose, may readily be made by those skilled in the
art, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific construction shown.
This sliding bobbin feature also may be used in many other classes of machines in
which it is desirable at all times to draw off the strand at right angles to the axis
of the bobbin, and such uses are within the invention.
Another source of difficulty in netting machines and other machines for making
wire fabrics, has been the tendency of the wire to wear a groove in the part over
which it passes. Thus, in the construction shown, the wire would wear a groove
at the opposite ends of the tubes 37, or in the tail pieces of the half gears. This
is especially objectionable in machines of the class shown, employing twisting
half gears, as the wire soon wears a groove, and catches when the slides are
actuated to shift the half gears, or the latter are rotated.
It is now proposed to avoid this objection by the use of an adjustable bearing
over which the wire is led, and, in the construction shown in Fig. 4 and in detail
in Fig. 6, a small steel ring 5 is set into each end of the tube, so as to project
very slightly therefrom. This ring turns freely on the tube and may be adjusted
by the fingers, to provide a new bearing surface for the wire, but preferably it will
be sufficiently loose, so that the action of the wire upon the ring will be sufficient
to secure its rotation, to expose the surface evenly to the wire. If any slight
groove should be worn, the pull on this will be sufficient to turn the ring and
present a new surface, and the pressure of the wire may be sufficient before any
groove is worn. In Fig. 5, the bearing rings are set into the tail pieces of the
half gears, with the same result. Any other suitable arrangement of the
adjustable bearing may be made.
Much difficulty has been found in the handling of selvage wires in such machines.
These selvage wires are necessarily stronger than the interior wires, and are
generally made of three or four wires twisted together, or of heavy single wires.
The weight of the wire and the drag upon the spools, especially where twisting
spools are used to twist. the selvage wire in the machine, causes such a drag, that
the tension upon these wires is so much in excess of the tension on the lighter body
wires, that the edges of the fabric are liable to curl up.
This difficulty is avoided by providing positive feeding rolls for the selvage
wires, these rolls preferably being provided with grooves in which the selvage
wires run, so as to keep them in position, although this latter feature is not
essential. The selvage feeding rolls may be placed at any suitable point between
the selvage spools and wind-up roll, but will preferably act upon the selvage
before the draw-off roll, and, in the construction shown, are placed between the
spools and twisting devices, so as to act before the latter, these selvage feeding
rolls thus securing the action of the rolls upon the selvage wires, before the body
wires are twisted about them, which is desirable for securing a positive feed under
uniform pressure. These feeding rolls may be used in connection with single
heavy wires, or with wires twisted in the machine, but in either case should draw
off just the quantity of wire required for the selvage, and thus regulate the latter.
The selvage wires are shown as single heavy wires drawn off spools 10, similar
to the spools for the body wires. The selvage feeding rolls m are shown as placed
just at the rear of, the first set of half gears, and as driven by a vertical shaft 43,
driven from main shift S through bevel gears 44, and driving the feeding roll³ m

page_text: through bevel gears 45. The feeding rolls mare shown as grooved for the
selvage wires, which, as above stated, is preferred, so that they are held in
position.
There is provided, also, a simple and efficient construction of electric, stop,
controlled by the fabric, as it passes from the last set of half gears to the draw-off
roll, and preferably with this are combined devices by which the machine is
stopped in case of a break in a wire before it reaches the half gears. The latter
stopping devices also may be used alone, without the devices controlled by the
twisted fabric, or with other devices for this purpose. In the construction shown,
the belt-shifting lever 46, co-acting with fast and loose pulleys 47, 48, on the main
shaft S, as usual in such constructions, is mounted upon a bracket 50, on the main
frame, and held in position, during the operation of the machine, to hold the belt
on the fast pulley 47, by a catch lever 51, engaging a stud on the lever 46. At
the rear end of the catch lever 51 is mounted a weighted bar 52, which is held
normally raised by a catch 53, carrying the armature 54 of a magnet 55, so that
when the magnet is energized and the armature 54 attracted, the catch 53 will be
drawn down to release the weighted bar 52, which will then strike the rear arm of
catch lever 1, and release the shifting lever 46, which will then be actuated by
spring 56, to throw the belt onto the loose pulley 48, and stop the machine.
The magnet is energized, in case of a break, as follows:-
From the battery d, one of the wires e runs through the magnet to a bar 6,
extending across the machine, just behind the draw-off roll and below the wires,
and insulated from the frames, and the other wire f from the battery connects
with an insulated shaft 7, mounted above the wires, and on which is loosely
sleeved a weighted finger 8 for each mesh, these fingers engaging and being
supported by the wire of adjacent meshes, and being normally pressed down by
the weights. In case of breakage of any one of the wires, the corresponding
finger 8 will be released and thrown downwardly by its weighted end, when the
finger will come into contact with the bar 6, and close the circuit through the
magnet, thus stopping the machine by the release of the catch 53, as previously
described.
The stopping devices for the opposite end of the machine are as follows:-Upon
each of the warp wires a and preferably upon the selvage wires al also, is hung
between the guide rolls 11, 12, a weight g, which preferably carries a small roller
for reducing the friction of the wire, so that the weight will remain in position,
and the wire pass freely through it. Below these weights, a receiver, consisting of
a pan 57, extends across the machine, so as to receive any one of the weights
when dropped, this pan being carried by arms on a rock shaft 58, a forwardly
extending arm 59 on which shaft, is connected by a cord 60 to the rear end of
the lever catch 51. By this construction,-when a warp wire breaks between the
spool and the point where the twist takes place, or the supply on one of the spools
is exhausted, the weight g, carried by that wire, draws the wire down, and falls,
into the pan 57, thus acting on the cord 60, to draw down the rear end of the lever
catch 51, and release the belt shifting lever 46, which then throws the belt onto
the loose pulley, as previously described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
from abroad, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination with a bobbin holder of substantially double the length of
the bobbin, and having a bearing at or near the middle over which the wire is
drawn off the bobbin, of a bobbin mounted thereon, to slide longitudinally of its
axis, and with the periphery of the head of the bobbin in contact with the bobbin
holder, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a bobbin holder, consisting of a tube of substantially..
double the length of the bobbin, aud having a bearing at or near the middle, over.

page_text: which the wire is drawn off the bobbin, of a bobbin mounted to side within and
supported by the wall of the tube, substantially as described.
J. 1
3. The combination with the half gears b. of bobbin bolders mounted on..said.
half gears, of substantially double the length of the hobbins, bobbins c mounted
to slide in said bobbin holders, and bearings 1 at or near the middle of the bobbin
holder, over which the wire passes from the bobbin to the half gears, substantially
as described.
с
4. The combination with the half gears b', of tubes 37 mounted on said half
gears of substantially double the length of the bobbins, hobbins o mounted to slide
in said tubes, and supported by the wall of the tubes, and bearings 1 at or near the
middle of said tubes, over which the wire passes to the twisting gears, substantially
as described.
5. The combination with wire feeding devices, of a bearing over which the
wire passes, said bearing being loosely mounted so as to be automatically adjustable
transversely to the wire, substantially as described.
6. A wire netting machine having a bearing for the wire loosely mounted, so
as to be automatically adjustable transversely to the wire, substantially as.
described.
7. A wire netting machine having a loosely mounted ring forming a bearing
automatically adjustable transversely to the wire, over which the wire passes to
the twisting devices, substantially as described.
8. The combination with the half gears a a¹ and b, and bobbin holders
mounted on said gears a¹ b¹, of loosely mounted bearing rings 5, over which the
warp wires are led from the half gears a, and to the half gears b, substantially as.
described.
9. A wire netting or other wire fabric machine, having feeding rolls for the
selvage wires out of engagement with the body of the fabric, substantially as.
described.
10. A wire netting machine having feeding rolls for the selvage wires, positioned
to act upon the wires before the body wires are twisted about them, substantially
as described.
11. The combination with the twisting devices and draw off roll 13, of selvage
feeding rolls in between the selvage spools and twisting devices, substantially as
described.
12. The combination of shaft 7, fingers 8, mounted on shaft 7, and resting
on the wires, bar 6, with which the fingers make contact when released, a magnet
circuit, one wire of which connects with shaft 7 and the other with bar 6, and stop
mechanism controlled by said magnet circuit, substantially as described.
13. The combination with stop lever 46, of pivotted catch 51, holding said
lever normally in position for the operation of the machine, weight bar 52,
armature lever 53, carrying a catch supporting said bar 52, a magnet, and means
for controlling said magnet by the fabric, whereby the weight bar 52 is released,
and the catch 51 operated to release the lever 46, in case of breakage of one of the
strands, substantially as described.
14. The combination with stop lever 46, of pivotted catch 51, holding said lever
normally in position for the operation of the machine, weight bar 52, armature
lever 53, carrying a catch supporting said bar 52, a magnet, fingers 8 mounted on
shaft 7, bar 6, with which the fingers make contact when released, and a magnet
circuit, one wire of which connects with shaft 7 and the other with bar 6,
substantially as described.
15. The combination with stop lever 48, of pivotted catch 51, holding said lever
normally in position for the operation of the machine, weight bar 52, armature
lever 53, carrying a catch supporting said bar 52, a magnet, means for controlling
said magnet by the fabric, whereby the weight bar is released, and the catch 51
operated to release the lover 46, in case of breakage of one of the strands,
weights g, carried by the warp strands at the opposite end of the machine, a

page_text: receiver 57 beneath said weights, and connections between said receiver and
catch 51, for tripping the latter by the fall of one of the weights, substantially as
described..
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.