IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING HEMP AND SIMILAR FIBRES."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Barbour, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
Ireland (Machinist), for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING HEMP AND SIMILAR FIBRES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Barbour at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th March 1881.
.
JAMES BARBOUR, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland, Machinist.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING HEMP AND
SIMILAR FIBRES."
This Invention consists of a series of novelties in the construction of machinery
for preparing and spinning hemp, manilla, and similar fibres.
"
The first part of this Invention relates to the construction of the framing of the
machines. Instead of using ordinary frame ends joined together by rails between
them I provide a series of frames or "blocks," which I arrange so as to stand
parallel with the shafts or rollers of the machine. Upon these "blocks or frames
I bolt a series of cross rails, which connect the blocks and at the same time serve
as the base or platform upon which the brackets and bearings which carry the
screws, bushes for rollers, and the usual fixings for a screw gill frame are bolted.
The front and back blocks for the gill screws are made in separate pieces and
detached from the front roller bearing, so that the length of reach or diameter of
the front rollers can be varied with the least possible alteration in models. By
these means a handily constructed frame is obtained.
For roving or gill spinning frames a similar method of construction of the
framework is adopted. A pair of rails with projections or feet either cast with
or attached to the rails form the ground work of the machine. Above these rails,
which are intended to be parallel with the rollers and shafts, I place cross rails,
which carry the front gearing rails for the spindle socket, and at the back the
bearing for the main driving shaft of the machine. These cross rails form a base
or platform for uprights or pillars, on the top of which I place another set of
longitudinal rails that carry the top cross rails where required for the blocks or
bearings for rollers, screws, and requisite shafting after the same manner as the
drawing frame above mentioned. An inverted T shaped slot (1) is formed in the

page_text: upper surface of the cross rails to receive the bolts requisite for attaching the various
brackets to the rails, the same arrangement of slot being used in the upper surface
of the upper longitudinal rails and the lower cross rails.
The second part of this Invention consists in the use of two drawing rollers,
with one pressing roller above and between them connected together for obtaining
the required pressure by means of connecting rods passing through the bearings
of the drawing and pressing rollers, the pressure being measured and made elastic
by means of a suitable spring. By this arrangement the pressure required to hold
the rollers together is not communicated to the journals for carrying the rollers,
and by this arrangement also the pressure necessary for 'drawing the material
is divided onto two bearing surfaces, consequently the wear and tear of the pressing
rollers is lessened.
The pressing rollers are made of leather set on edge, which instead of being in
a series of rings, as is usually done, is in this case made from a continuous thong
of the required breadth, which is cut spirally out of the hide and wound or laid
upon the boss of the pressing roller under a sufficient strain and pressure to ensure
the requisite firmness of surface to the pressing roller.
The third part of this Invention relates to the method of carrying and driving
the spindles and flyers, so that great facility for doffing or taking off the bobbins
is afforded. The flyer and upper portion of the spindle are fastened together, and
the upper extremity of the spindle is carried in a ball and socket journal or in a
straight bearing which is swung upon centres or trunnions. This permits of the
spindle and flyer being swung forwards to allow of the removal of the full bobbin
when the lower or driven part of the spindle is detached therefrom. The upper
part of the spindle locks into a socket of the driving portion of the spindle which
slides up and down inside the wharve or pulley that drives it. This driving
portion or the spindle is held up in its working position by means of a weighted
treadle lever, the depression of which by the foot of the attendant will disconnect
the upper from the lower part of the spindle, and allow of the spindle and flyer
being drawn or swung forward to remove the full bobbin and replace it by an
empty one.
The fourth part of this Invention consists of an arrangement for "dragging" or
retarding the bobbin. The bobbin is supported upon projections from the surface
of a pulley which turns upon a fixed socket through which the spindle passes
freely. On the outside of the pulley is a belt with projections thereon held in
contact with the surface of the pulley by means of a weighted lever. The drag
pulley being pressed by the brake strap against the fixed surface of the socket
that carries it, requires less pressure to retard it than is the case when the drag
pulley or bobbin is pressed against a spindle revolving in the same direction as the
bobbin, which is the usual practice.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Barbour in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th September
1881.
JAMES BARBOUR, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland, (Machinist).
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PREPARING AND SPINNING HEMP AND.
SIMILAR FIBRES."
This Invention relates to various improvements in the construction of machinery-
for preparing and spinning hemp, manilla, and similar fibres.
The nature of these improvements will be understood from the following.
description, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and to the letters
and figures marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a drawing frame constructed according to this
Invention, and Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional
elevation of a roving or gill spinning frame constructed according to this Invention ;
Figures 4; 9, and 10 are detached explanatory views of various parts of the
machine; and Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, show a modification of the coupling which
carries the spindle.
The first part of this Invention consists in a novel method of constructing the
framing of preparing and spinning machinery.
>
Instead of using ordinary side frames joined together by rails between them,
which system of construction involves the use of special patterns or models for
every variation in the size or capacity of the machine, I adopt a novel principle of
construction which admits of the use of multiplied like parts and their adjustment
with regard to each other to suit the special requirements of the machine being
manufactured. To this end in constructing the framing for a gill screw drawing
frame I provide a series of cast iron frames a, Figures 1 and 2, to receive a set or
series of longitudinal rails b which connect the frames together, and at the same
time serve as the base or platform upon which the brackets and bearings which
carry the screws, bushes for rollers, and the usual fixings for a screw gill frame are
bolted. The frames a, which stand parallel to the shafts c of the rollers d, d*, and
at right angles to the gill screws e, are formed at their upper edge with a
longitudinal groove similar in cross section to an inverted T to receive the heads
of the bolts by which the rails b are made fast to the frames a. This arrangement
permits of the frames a, and also of the rails 6 being set at any desired distance
apart, and thereby increasing the stiffness and enlarging or contracting the platform
of the machine to suit the requirements of the fittings which they are intended to
carry.
The rails bare similarly provided with T shaped longitudinal grooves to receive
the heads of the bolts k by which the brackets and bearings of the machine are
made fast in their adjusted position to the rails or skeleton platform; e¹, e², are the
back and front blocks for the gill screws.
In this instance the front blocks e² are
made separate from the front roller bearings f. This allows of the length of "reach"
and the diameter of the front rollers being varied with the least possible alteration
in the models.
Fig. 3 shews the same principle of construction of framing as that just described
applied to a roving or gill spinning frame. a' is a pair of rails with projections or
feet a² either cast with or attached to the rails. These rails or blocks, like
the frames a in the preceding example, form the ground work of the machine.
Above the rails a', which are intended to be parallel with the shafts and rollers c, d,
I place cross rails 61, which carry the front gearing rails g for the spindle sockets q
and at the back the bearings d for the main driving shaft d of the machine.

page_text: These cross rails b¹ form a base or platform for the uprights or pillars i, on the
top of which I place another set of longitudinal rails as that carry the cross rails b².
These rails serve to carry the blocks e² and bearings f¹, screws e, and requisite
shafting after the same manner as the drawing frame above mentioned. In the
upper surface of the cross rails 61, 62, an inverted T shaped slot is formed to receive
the heads of bolts / used for attaching the various brackets to the rails. The same
arrangement of slot is also used in the upper surface of the upper and lower
longitudinal rails a³ and a¹ for receiving the heads of the bolts k which secure the
cross rails thereto. The pillars i are flanged at top and bottom to receive bolts
which connect them with the rails b¹ on which they stand and with the rails a³
which they carry.
The second part of this Invention consists of a novel arrangement for adjusting
the pressure on the drawing rollers d*, Fig. 1; bearing upon these two drawing
rollers is a pressure roller m. For adjusting the pressure of this roller upon the
lower rollers I provide the following contrivance :-
Through the blocks 1 which carry the brasses of the lower rollers I pass a bolt 2
which I connect with a plate 3. In like manner I connect the cap pieces 4 which
carry the brasses for the upper roller with a plate 5 (which underlies the plate 3)
by means of screw bolts or rods 6, and between the two plates on either side of the
machine I insert a volute spring 7, the tendency of which is to keep the plates 3
and 5 apart, and thereby to draw down the roller m onto the rollers d*. By this
arrangement the pressure required to hold the rollers together is not communicated
to the journals of the rollers d*, d*, and by this arrangement also the pressure
necessary for drawing the material is equally divided into two bearing surfaces,
consequently the wear and tear of the pressing roller is lessened.
The pressing rollers m I cover with leather set on edge, which instead of being in
a series of rings as is usual, is in this case cut helically out of the hide and wound or
laid upon the boss of the pressing roller under a sufficient strain and pressure to
ensure requisite firmness of surface to the pressing roller.
The third part of this Invention consists in a novel method of carrying and
driving the spindles and flyers, whereby great facility for doffing or taking off of
the bobbins is afforded.
The spindle (see Fig. 3) is composed of two parts p, q, which are detachable the
one from the other, and are so constructed as to interlock, the lower end of the
part p being reduced to enter a socket drilled into the upper end of the part q, as
shewn in the plan view, Fig. 10. The reduced extremity of the part p of the
spindle is flattened at one side to correspond with an inserted piece in the socket,
and thus an interlocking of the parts p and q is effected.
The flyer p¹ and upper portion of the spindle are fastened together, and the
upper extremity of the spindle terminates in a ball which is enclosed in a socket p²
carried by the upper spindle rail, see the detached sectional view, Fig. 4. This
permits of the spindle p and flyer p¹ (when the lower portion q is drawn down, as
hereafter explained, and the copping rail is also in its lowest position) being swung
forward to allow of the removal of the full bobbin. The driving portion q of the
spindle slides up and down inside the wharve or pulleys that drives it, and it is
held up in its working position by means of a weighted treadle levert (shewn in
plan view at Fig. 9), the depression of which by the foot of the attendant will
disconnect the upper from the lower part of the spindle and allow of the spindle p
and flyer p¹ being drawn or swung forward to remove the full bobbin and replace it
by an empty one.
As a modification of the swing coupling which connects the spindle with its rail
I may use a straight bearing swung upon trunnions, as shewn in the sectional
view, Fig. 5, for receiving the upper end of the spindle. This trunnion bearing is
shewn in side view at Fig. 6 as mounted in a bracket made fast to the rail. Fig. 7
is a plan view of the trunnion bearing; Fig. 8 shows the bracket in front view with
the trunnion bearing removed therefrom.
The fourth part of this Invention consists of an arrangement for "dragging" or

page_text: retarding the bobbin. The bobbin 7 is supported upon projections 1 (see Figures 3
and 10) from the surface of the pulley which turns upon a fixed socket u carried
by the copping rail, and through which the spindle p passes freely.
Laid round the pulley 72 is a belt u¹ with projections u² on its inner face held in
contact with the pulley by means of a weighted bell crank lever v pivotted to the
front of the copping rail. The drag pulley 2 being pressed by the brake strap u¹
against the fixed surface of the socket that carries it, requires less pressure to retard
it than is the case when that pulley or the bobbin is pressed against a spindle
revolving in the same direction as the bobbin, which is the usual practice.
. Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of " Improvements in Machinery
for Preparing and Spinning Hemp and similar Fibres," 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,-
First. The method of constructing the framing of preparing and spinning machines
as above described.
Secondly. The arrangement above described for applying a regulated pressure to
drawing and retaining rollers.
Thirdly. The means above described for facilitating the doffing of bobbins and
their replacement upon their spindles.
Fourthly. The arrangement above described for retarding the rotation of the
bobbin.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Barbour, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
JAMES BARBOUK. (L.S.)