IM- PROVEMENTS IN BEARINGS AND LUBRICATING APPARATUS FOR THE UPRIGHT SPINDLES OF SPINNING AND WINDING MACHINERY
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Nicoll, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar,
North Britain, Manager of Jute Spinning Mills, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BEARINGS AND LUBRICATING APPARATUS FOR THE UPRIGHT
SPINDLES OF SPINNING AND WINDING MACHINERY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Nicoll at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th December 1877.
JAMES NICOLL, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain, Manager
of Jute Spinning Mills. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEARINGS AND LUBRICATING APPA-
RATUS FOR THE UPRIGHT SPINDLES OF SPINNING AND WINDING MACHINERY."
This Invention has for its objects to render more durable and less liable to
derangement the bearings of the upright spindles of spinning and winding
machinery, and to secure a more effective lubrication of such spindles.
The Invention comprises improved modifications of or additions to the apparatus
or arrangements described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to the
present applicant, and dated 26 March 1877 (No. 1182).
By the present Invention there is provided for the neck or collar bearing of an
upright spindle a bearing bush of brass or other suitable metal or alloy, which bush
is fixed in the neck rail so as to project down below the bottom surface of that rail,
in which surface no recess requires to be made as formerly. The driving wharve or
pulley has a cup formed at its upper part, and this cup has fitted or fixed to its top
an annular cover formed with a short tube at its eye which projects downwards
into the cup, and is of a size to nearly fit the bush. The parts are placed together
so that when the spindle is in position the bush fixed in the neck rail projects down
into the cup. The top end of the bush is by preference formed with a small recess
for oil, and is fitted with an annular cover.

page_text: In a second modification the cup formed on the driving wharve or pulley is shaped
so as to dispense with a separate cover, the sides being inclined inwards from the
bottom, which is the widest part, to the top, which is of a size internally to nearly
fit the bush. With the inward inclination of the sides of the cup the centrifugal
force tends to keep the oil at the bottom.
In another modification the neck and footstep bearings for the spindle are com-
bined in one piece, which is a tube to be fixed in a rail of the machine framing. The
interior of the upper portion of the fixed tube forms the neck bearing and the driving
wharve, which is fixed to the spindle just above the top of the bearing, is formed with a
recess at its lower end, up into which the bearing tube projects. The top of the
bearing tube is formed with a recess for receiving oil. The footstep bearing is of
the kind described in the earlier Specification herein-before referred to, the grooved
and perforated piece, carrying the flat-topped bearing's stud, being entered into the
tube from the bottom end, which end is afterwards closed up by means of a cork
washer tightened by screwing between two metal washers, or in any other con-
venient way.
Instead of the footstep bearing piece being grooved, it may simply have two or
more flat sides formed on it, and the bearing surface may be formed on a separate
plug piece fixed in the tube, being made with flat sides to allow the oil access to the
space below it.
When the footstep bearing is made apart from the neck bearing, a
cup with a contracted top is by preference formed on the piece containing the
bearing details.
By a further improvement the neck bearing surface of the spindle is made to
consist of a steel tube having the footstep part and upper part of the spindle fixed
in its ends. This tubular part is continued below the neck bearing, and is per-
forated at the bearing, and lower down. Its interior thus serves as a reservoir for
the oil, which can circulate freely through the perforations.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Nicoll in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
June 1878.
JAMES NICOLL, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain, Manager
of Jute Spinning Mills. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BEARINGS AND LUBRICATING APPA-
RATUS FOR THE UPRIGHT SPINDLES OF SPINNING AND WINDING MACHINERY."
My said Invention has for its objects to render more durable and less liable to
derangement the bearings of the upright spindles of spinning and winding machinery,
and to secure a more effective lubrication of such spindles.
My Invention comprises improved modifications of or additions to the apparatus or
arrangements described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, and
dated 26 March 1877 (No. 1182).
My present improvements and the manner of carrying them into effect will be
most readily understood if I at once proceed to describe them with the aid of the
accompanying two Sheets of explanatory Drawings, the details of which are herein-
after indicated by reference numerals, the same reference numerals being used to
mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
By my present Invention, and according to a modification shown in vertical
section in Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings, there is provided for
the neck or collar bearing 1 of an upright spindle 2, a bearing bush 3 of brass or other
suitable metal or alloy, which bush 3 is fixed in the neck rail 4 (by a pinching screw,
or otherwise), so as to project down below the bottom surface of that rail, in which
surface no recess requires to be made as formerly. The driving wharve or pulley 5
has a cup 6 formed at its upper part, and this cup 6 has fitted or fixed to its top an
annular cover 7 formed with a short tube 8 at its eye which projects downwards
into the cup 6, and is of a size to nearly fit the outside of the bush 3. The parts are
placed together, so that when the spindle 2 is in position, as shown in Figure 1, the
bush 3 fixed in the neck rail 4 projects down into the cup 6. The top end of the
bush 3 is by preference formed with a small recess 9 for oil, and is fitted with an
annular cover 10.
In a second modification, which is shown in vertical section in Figure 2, the cup 6
formed on the driving wharve or pulley 5 is shaped so as to dispense with a separate
cover (7), the sides 11 being inclined inwards from the bottom, which is the widest
part, to the top, which is of a size internally to nearly fit the bush 3. With this
inward inclination of the sides 11 of the cup the centrifugal force tends to keep the
oil at the bottom.
In other modifications, one of which is shown in vertical section in Figure 3, the
bearings for the neck 1 and footstep 12 are combined in one piece, which is a tube 13
fixed in a rail 14 of the machine framing. The interior of the upper portion of the
tube 13 forms the neck bearing, and the driving wharve 5, which is fixed to the
spindle 2 just above the top of the tube 13, is formed with a recess at its lower end
up into which the bearing tube 13 projects, so that the driving pressure on the
wharve acts at about the level of the bearing. The top of the bearing tube 13 is
formed with a recess 9 for receiving oil. The footstep bearing is of the kind described
in my earlier Specification, herein-before referred to, the grooved and perforated
piece 15 carrying the flat-topped bearing stud 16, being entered into the tube 13
from the bottom end, which end is afterwards closed by a plug 17 of cork, or wood,
or elamite, or other suitable material.
The footstep bearing, shewn in Figure 2, is substantially the same as that shown
in Figure 3, excepting that it is in a short tube 18 instead of the tube 13, which con-
tains both the footstep and neck bearings.
The tubes 18 and 13, Figures 2 and 3, are shown as fixed in the rail 14 in the
same way, namely, by a hook bolt 19, as will be understood from the sectional plan
above Figure 2, they may however be fixed in any other convenient way. Below
Figures 2 and 3, there is in each case shown a plan of the grooved and per-
forated footstep bearing piece 15.

page_text: Instead of the footstep bearing piece 15 being grooved it may simply have two
or more flat sides formed on it, as shown in the plan view below Figure 4. The
footstep bearing pieces 15 may be fixed in the tube 18 or 13 by being tightly wedged
in, the parts being made with a very slight taper, or in any other convenient way,
provided that passages are formed from the upper and bearing part to a space
beneath.
Figure 4 is a vertical section showing a modification of my combined neck and
footstep bearing piece, in which instead of the neck bearing surface being formed on
the tube 13 itself, it is in a separate piece 20, which is fitted tightly in a slightly
enlarged part of the upper end of the tube 13. This bearing piece 20 is shown in
sectional plan above Figure 4, and is made with flat sides; or it might be grooved
to form passages for the free passage of the lubricant from the top to the bottom of
the piece 20. A small hole 21 is made through the wharve piece 5 to allow of oil
being supplied without lifting the spindle. When the footstep bearing is made apart
from the neck bearing, I in some cases prefer to form the bearing tube or holder 18,
as shown in sectional elevation and vertical section in Figures 5 and 6, and in plan
in Figure 7 on Sheet 2 of the accompanying Drawings, that is, with an enlargement
or cup 22 at its upper part, such cup being made with inwardly-inclined sides, or
with an otherwise contracted top. The projecting bottom part of the cup
formed with a screw or helical surface 23, so that resting on a segmental
surface formed for it on the rail 14, it can be adjusted as to height by being
turned round thereon. The piece 16, on which the square bottom end of the
spindle (2) rests, is in this example a piece formed with flattened sides, as
indicated by dotted lines in the plan, Figure 7, but otherwise fitting tightly in
the tube 18 itself and not in the piece 15.
When the footstep and neck bearings are combined I prefer to arrange the parts
for a row of spindles in the manner shown in vertical section in Figure 8. In this
modification the bearing tubes 13 are not closed at their bottom ends by
plugs (17), but are fixed through the top of a hollow rail 24, and near one
end or at any convenient part of this rail, a tube 25 extending up to a suit-
able level is fixed into the hollow rail.
The oil or other liquid lubricant for any convenient number of spindles can be
supplied by the one tube 25; it is however unnecessary to fill up the hollow rail
entirely with oil, as it may be first filled up with water or soap solution up to a
level just below the bottoms of the bearing tubes 18, and the lubricating oil be then
added above. The water or soap solution will tend to keep the oil clean, as foreign
matters will descend to the bottom of the oil and into the water beneath.
The tubes 13, 25, must of course be fixed into the rail 24 so as to be liquid-tight,
and for this purpose I find annular plugs 26 forced into recesses formed round the
tube holes in the rail 24 to answer satisfactorily when made of a slightly com-
pressible material unacted on by oil, such as the artifical substance known as
elamite.
By a further improvement comprised in my present Invention, and which is
shown in vertical section in Figure 9, the neck bearing surface of the spindle 2 is
made to consist of a steel tube 27 having the footstep part and the upper part fixed
in its ends. This tubular part is continued below the neck bearing, and is per-
forated at the bearing, and lower down. Its interior thus serves as a reservoir for
the oil, which can circulate freely through the perforations.
In applying the improved form of bearing surface for the bottom end of the
spindle (2), as described in my earlier Specification herein-before referred to, I find
that such surface may without disadvantage be made smaller in proportion to the
full diameter of the spindle than as shown in the Drawings accompanying my said
earlier Specification, and I have accordingly on the Drawings hereunto appended in
some cases shown the footstep bearing surfaces as reduced.
I may also here observe that considerable advantage is derivable from making
the footstep bearing for a conical-ended spindle with perforations and grooves or
passages communicating with a space below the bearing, as described in my said

page_text: earlier Specification, in the case of the square end bearing pieces. Such partial
application of my improvements is shown in vertical section in Figure 10.
Having thus particularly described ny said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise details
herein described or delineated, but that what I believe to be novel and original
and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
1. The forming of the lubricant holder (6, 7, 8,) for the neck bearing of the
spindle, substantially as herein-before described with reference to Figure 1 of the
accompanying Drawings.
2. The forming of the lubricant holder (6, 11,) for the neck bearing of the spindle,
substantially as herein-before described with reference to Figure 2 of the accom-
panying Drawings.
3. The forming of combined neck and footstep bearings for spindles, as herein-
before described with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying Drawings.
4. The forming of combined neck and footstep bearings, as herein-before described
with reference to Figure 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
5. The forming of a footstep bearing and lubricant holder, as herein-before
described with reference to Figures 5, 6, 7, of the accompanying Drawings.
6. The combination of the hollow rail (24) with the combined neck and footstep
bearing tubes (13), as and for the purposes berein-before described with reference to
Figure 8 of the accompanying Drawings.
7. The making of the spindle hollow and perforated at and below the neck
bearing, as and for the purposes herein-before described with reference to Figure 9
of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Nicoll, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 15th day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
JAMES NICOLL. (LS.)