IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING SILK
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Greenwood, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Machine Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
DRESSING SILK."
Sealed the 21st August 1866, and dated the 23rd May 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Greenwood at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd May
1866.
I, THOMAS GREENWOOD, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machine Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR DRESSING SILK," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements on a Patent obtained by me in
conjunction with Mr. Herbert Hadley, for "Improved Machinery for Dressing
Silk Waste," and bearing date March 9th 1864, No. 589. This machinery was
provided with a rotary drum which received upon its periphery the "books"
of silk to be operated upon, and presented them to travelling, combing, or
dressing surfaces; the books were clamped and released automatically by the
aid of bars formed with wedges and put in operation by screws, but
difficulties arose from time to time with respect to the adjustment of
the nip.
To remedy these difficulties I now propose to substitute for the screws
(which actuated the bars and drove them in endwise so as to clamp the books
firmly upon the drum), a weighted incline against which the wedging bars, as

page_text: the drum which carries them rotates, will severally press, and by that incline
be pushed home so as to secure the books of silk as they are placed in the
machine by the attendant. Each bar I fit with a bowle at its end, and the
incline against which the bowle bears may consist of a lever having its ful-
crum on a bracket attached to the side framing; this lever if connected by
a link to a crank lever carrying a weighted rod, and kept in position by
the pressure of the load (which may be regulated at pleasure) will impart
only a regulated pressure to the bars as they come under its action to receive
the endway movement requisite for securing the books of silk in their clamps.
To prevent the endway pressure put on the several bars affecting the bearings
of the drum, I propose to neutralize that pressure by fitting on the opposite
side of the drum a ring, which as the drum revolves will bear upon a bowle
mounted on the adjacent side frame and in a line with the thrust when at its
_severest point. The wedging bars at the opposite end to that which carries
the bowle are slotted each to receive the end of a radial wedge. These
wedges slide in guides in the end of the drum, and they are connected to the
drum by coiled springs and adjusting screws which serve to draw the wedges
inwards. The contact surfaces of each wedge and wedging bar are ribbed
to prevent the wedges from slipping. As therefore the bars are pressed in to
secure the books of silk waste, the drag of the springs will ensure the wedges
following up the motion of the bars, and the ribbed contact surfaces of the
wedges will secure every advance made by the bars. To facilitate the release
of the books for the purpose of replacing them by others a cam shaped bar is
fixed to the inner face of one of the side frames for the purpose of thrusting
out the radial wedges as they are severally brought round in contact there-
with. This bar acts upon the wedges after the books of silk have passed
under the operation of the several endless bands of dressing surfaces, and to
ease the friction the radial wedges are fitted with bowles at their inner ends,
and to insure the release of the wedging bars an inclined plane may be
fixed in a suitable position so as to act upon the ends of the wedging bars, and
slide them back towards the weighted incline.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight bundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Greenwood, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Greenwood,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Greenwood, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any timo
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR DRESSING SILK," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Thomas Greenwood, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, 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 Thomas Greenwood, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being bad to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
This Invention relates to improvements on a Patent obtained by me in
conjunction with Mr. Herbert Hadley, for "Improved Machinery for Dressing
Silk Waste," and bearing date March Ninth One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-four, No. 589.. This machinery was provided with a rotary drum which
received upon its periphery the "books" of silk to be operated upon and
presented them to travelling, combing, or dressing surfaces. The books were
clamped and released automatically by the aid of bars formed with wedges and
put in operation by screws, but difficulties arose from time to time with respect
to the adjustment of the nip.
To remedy these difficulties I now propose to substitute for the screws (which
actuated the bars and drove them in endwise so as to clamp the books firmly
5 upon the drum), a weighted incline against which the wedging bars as the
drum which carries them rotates will severally press, and by that incline be
pushed home so as to secure the books of silk as they are placed in the machine
by the attendant. I also provide for the automatic release of the wedged
un bars

page_text: In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of so much of
my improved silk dressing machine as will serve to explain the Invention;
Fig. 2 is a partial end elevation of the same shewing one of the wedging bars
in place or just driven home; and Fig. 3 is a cross section of the drum taken
at the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1.
A, A, are the sides of the drum, which is mounted in a framing B of
cast iron, and receives a slow rotary motion as heretofore to bring the books
of silk under the action of the travelling dressing combs. The "books" are
locked into recesses made in the periphery of the drum by means of pairs of
bars C, C', which carry on their faces a series of wedges, as shewn at Fig. 2.
The recesses are formed between the side flanges of the drum by transverse
division plates set at suitable distances apart, and in these recesses the books
are set up with packing interposed to space out the books to suit the length
of the silk to be dressed. In each of these recesses is a pair of wedge bars
C, C, one of which C is pushed forward towards one of the fixed transverse
division plates by reason of the endway motion given to the wedge bar C', and
is thus caused to clamp the books securely. Each bar C I fit with a bowle
at its forward end to prevent undue friction as the bars severally pass over
the weighted incline. This incline is shown at D, and it may be described as
consisting of a lever having its fulcrum on a bracket attached to the side
framing this lever is connected by a link E to a crank lever F, the fulcrum
of which is also carried by a bracket on the framing; connected to the crank
lever is a weighted rod F¹. As the incline D is kept in position by the drag
of the weight on the rod (which weight may be regulated at pleasure) it will
impart only a determined or regulated pressure to the bars C' as they come
under its action, and receive from it the endway movement requisite for
securing the books of silk in their clamps. The bars C' are slotted at the
opposite end to that which carries the antifriction bowle in order that it may
receive a wedge G, which is caused to bear against an incline at the end of
the slot for the purpose of locking the bar and holding it in the position to
which it is driven by being forced past the weighted incline D. To prevent
the endway pressure that is put on the several hars C' as they are passed
under the action of the incline D from affecting the bearings of the drum,
I propose to neutralize that pressure by fitting on the opposite side of the
drum a ring H, which as the drum revolves will bear upon a bowle I
mounted on the adjacent side frame and in a line with the thrust when at its
severest point. I have said that the wedging bars at the opposite end to that
which carries the bowle are slotted each to receive a wedge G. These wedges
are arranged radially around the drum at the side which carries the ring H,

page_text: and they are all free to slide in guides formed to receive them in the end of
the drum. They are further connected to the drum by coiled springs 9, and
adjusting screwed hooks g', which are passed through lugs cast on the boss of
the drum and made fast by nuts 9, and it is by the tension of the springs 9
that the radial wedges are drawn inwards, and thus caused to secure the bars
C in position, the contact surfaces of each wedge and wedging bar are ribbed
to prevent the wedge from slipping back. It will now be understood that
as the bars are pressed forward to secure the books of silk waste, the wedges
will follow up the motion of the bars, and the ribbed contact surfaces of the
wedges will effectually secure every advance made by the bars. To facilitate
the release of the books for the purpose of replacing them by others an adjust-
able cam shaped bar K is fixed to the inner face of one of the side frames for
the purpose of thrusting out the radial wedges G as they are severally brought
round in contact therewith. This bar acts upon the wedges after the books of
silk bave passed under the operation of the several endless bands of dressing
surfaces, and thus unlocks the wedge bars C¹ leaving them free to be slidden
back endwise, and thus remove the clamping pressure from the books.
order to ease the friction of the radial wedges against the bar K, the bars
are fitted with bowles at their inner ends, as shewn at Fig. 1. To effect the
automatic release of the wedging bars an inclined plane L is fixed to
a bracket on the main framing in such a position as to act upon the
ends of the wedging bars, and slide them back towards the side of the
machine where the weighted incline D is situated. The books of dressed
silk may then be taken out and replaced by books of silk requiring the like
operation.
In
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
Machinery for Dressing Silk, and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim the means above described for driving, locking, and
releasing the wedging bars, and of neutralizing the effect upon the bearings of
the thrust imparted to those bars.
"
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Greenwood, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of November, in the year of our Lord
Que thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
THOMAS GREENWOOD. (L.g.)