IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANU- FACTURE OF WIRE AND OTHER ROPE, AND FOR SPINNING AND TWISTING SILK, COTTON. WOOL. AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL."
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Charles Moffatt, Engineer, of No. 69,
Princes Street, Leicester Square, in the County of Middlesex,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANU-
FACTURE OF WIRE AND OTHER ROPE, AND FOR SPINNING AND TWISTING SILK,
COTTON. WOOL. AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Charles
Moffatt at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 30th December 1871.
I, ALEXANDER CHARLES MOFFATT, Engineer, of No. 69, Princes
Street, Leicester Square, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF WIRE AND OTHER ROPE, AND FOR SPINNING AND TWISTING SILK,
COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIAL," to be as follows:-
--
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for the
manufacture of wire and other rope, and for spinning and twisting silk,

page_text: Bar & Improvements in the manufacture of wire and owner ope.
cotton, wool, and other fibrous materials, and the improvements relate to
machinery such as is described in the Specification of a Patent granted
to William and Archibald Smith in the year 1852 (No. 14,021), and
also in the Specification of a Patent granted to Archibald Smith in the
year 1857 (No. 442).
In these machines there is a revolving frame composed of a series of
dies, kept apart at equal distances from one another by means of rods or
bars forming distance pieces, and in each of the spaces between the
several discs a bobbin having one of the wires or strands wound upon it
is carried.
My improvements relate, firstly, to the manner in which the bobbins
are carried in the revolving frame. For this purpose each bobbin is
carried by a fork keyed on to a short spindle. A central boss is formed
on each side of the revolving frame, and through each boss is passed the
spindle of one of the forks, and the spindles project sufficiently on the
opposite side of the disc for a counterbalance weight to be keyed on to
them to counterbalance or nearly so the weight of the bobbins when
full, and also to keep the spindle of the fork from revolving and
maintain the bobbins in a horizontal direction. By thus carrying the
bobbins they may be brought close up to the disc of the frame that
carries them, which allows of the wire or strand being led away from
them direct to the periphery of the next disc of the frame where they
are passed through an eye and led along to the front end of the frame to
be twisted together to form a rope. In this way each wire as it comes
from its bobbin to the periphery of the revolving frame is bent to a
much less angle than heretofore, and so the machine can be driven at a
greater speed. Each wire or strand as it passes from a bobbin to the
periphery of the revolving frame is passed through an eye or guide of
comparatively large diameter formed in a disc carried by the bars of the
frame intermediate of the discs which carry the bobbins. This eye or
guide serves to prevent the wire or rope from rubbing against the flanges
of the bobbins, and also to keep an equal tension upon the wire or
strand during the whole revolution of the frame. The discs which carry
the bobbins as above described are as heretofore supported at their
periphery on friction rollers.
When the machine is to be used for the manufacture of hemp rope or
cable the counterbalance weight is removed from each spindle and a
collar is fixed on to each spindle in place thereof. A toothed wheel is also

page_text: fixed upon each spindle and gears with another wheel on a spindle passing
from end to end of the revolving frame, and at one end of the frame this
spindle has upon it a pinion gearing with an intermediate wheel carried
by a stud on the end disc at the back of the revolving frame. This
intermediate wheel gears with and rolls around a fixed wheel concentric
with the axis of the revolving frame, and thus when the frame is
revolved a revolving motion is transmitted to the several bobbins.
In place of employing toothed wheels to transmit a revolving motion
to the spindles carrying the bobbins friction gear might be employed.
A similar construction of machine I also employ for spinning or
doubling silk, wool, cotton, flax, and other fibrous material. The
amount of twist given to each independent thread or strand and the
amount of twist given to the whole strand is regulated by change wheels
at the back or driving end of the revolving frame.
In order also that in the event of a strand breaking the machine may at
once be stopped each strand is caused to bear against a lever arm carried
by a disc or face plate forming part of the revolving frame. So long as
the threads remain unbroken the lever arms are depressed by them, but
when a strand breaks the lever arm which was before depressed by it is
forced outwards by a spring, and this movement is by interposed mechanism
caused to release the catch by which the striking and break gear was
previously held out of action. The outward movement of one or other
of the lever arms might also be caused to release the striking and break
gear by causing the levers when moved outwards to break or complete
an electric circuit passing through the coils of an electro-magnet by
which the working of the striking and break gear is controlled.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Charles Moffatt in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 29th June 1872.
0
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
CHARLES MOFFATT, Engineer, of No. 69, Princes Street, Leicester
Square, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Ier
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Charles Moffatt, Her special
license that I, the said Alexander Charles Moffatt, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander
Charles Moffatt, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF WIRE AND OTHER
ROPE, AND FOR SPINNING AND TWISTING SILK, COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Alexander Charles Moffatt, 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

page_text: several discs a bobbin naving one of the wires or strands wound upon it
is carried.
My improvements relate, firstly, to the manner in which the bobbins
are carried in the revolving frame. For this purpose each bobbin is
carried by a fork keyed on to a short spindle. A central boss is formed
on each disc of the revolving frame, and through each boss is passed the
spindle of one of the forks and the spindles project sufficiently on the
opposite side of the disc for a counterbalance weight to be keyed on to
them to counterbalance or nearly so the weight of the bobbins when
full, and also to keep the spindle of the fork from revolving and
maintain the bobbins in a horizontal direction. By thus carrying the
bobbins they may be brought close up to the disc that carries them,
which allows of the wire or strand being led away from them direct to
the periphery of the next disc of the frame where they are passed
through an eye and led along to the front end of the frame to be twisted
together to form a rope. In this way each wire has it comes from its
bobbin to the periphery of the revolving frame is bent to a much less
angle than heretofore, and so the machine can be driven at a greater
speed. Each wire or strand as it passes from a bobbin to the periphery
of the revolving frame is passsd through an eye or guide of com-
paritively large diameter formed in a disc carried by the bars of the
frame intermediate of the discs which carry the bobbins. This eye or
guide serves to prevent the wire or rope from rubbing against the
flanges of the bobbins and also to keep an equal tension upon the wire
or strand during the whole revolution of the frame. The disc which
carry the bobbins as above described are as heretofore supported at their
periphery on friction rollers.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shews a longitudinal
section of part of a revolving frame carrying bobbins in the manner
herein-before described. a, a, are two of the discs of the frame. These at
their periphery rest upon and are supported by friction rollers as
heretofore, and they are kept apart by tubular distance pieces b, through
which are passed the rods c, which extend from one end of the frame to
the other as heretofore. d is one of the bobbins mounted in a fork formed
on the spindle e. This spindle passes through the central boss a¹ of the
disc a, and on the opposite side of the disc has fixed upon it the
counterbalance weight f. 9 is the wire led away from the bobbin
through the central eye or guide and through an eye k at the

page_text: periphery of the next disc a, and is led along to the end of the revolving
frame to be twisted up with the wires from the other bobbins.
When the machine is to be used for the manufacture of hemp rope in
place of fixing a counterbalance weight upon each spindle as above
described a collar is fixed on to it in place thereof. A toothed wheel is also
fixed upon each spindle and gears with another wheel on a spindle passing
from end to end of the revolving frame, and at one end of the frame this
spindle has upon it a pinion gearing with an intermediate wheel carried
by a stud on the end disc at the back of the revolving frame. This
intermediate wheel gears with and rolls around a fixed wheel concentric
with the axis of the revolving frame, and thus when the frame is
revolved a revolving motion is transmitted to the several bobbins.
In place of employing toothed wheels to transmit a revolving motion
to the spindles carrying the bobbins friction or other driving gear might
be employed.
A similar construction of machine I also employ for spinning or
doubling silk, wool, cotton, flax, and other fibrous materials. The
amount of twist given to each independent thread or strand and the
amount of twist given to the whole strand is regulated by change wheels
at the back or driving end of the revolving frame.
In order also that in the event of a strand breaking the machine may
at once be stopped each strand is caused to bear against a movable arm
or rod carried by a disc or face plate forming part of the revolving
frame. So long as the threads remain unbroken the movable arms or rods
are retained by them, but when a strand breaks the movable arm or rod
against which such strand was previously bearing being no longer retained
by the strand is forced outwards by a spring or its own centrifugal force,
and this movement is by interposed mechanism caused to release the
catch by which the striking and break gear was previously held out of
action. The outward movement of one or other of the lever arms might
also be caused to release the striking and break gear by causing the
levers when moved outwards to break or complete an electric circuit
passing through the coils of an electro-magnet by which the working of
the striking and break gear is controlled.
Figure 2 shews a plan view, Figure 3 a side view partly in section of a

page_text: cable. a, a, is the revolving frame of discs and tie rods; b, b, are the
bobbins; c, the spindles of the forks carrying the bobbins and passing
through the central bosses of the discs a; d, d, are toothed wheels upon
the spindles c and gearing with other wheels e upon the spindle f. This
spindle has also upon it at one end a pinion g gearing with an
intermediate wheel which gears with and rolls around the fixed wheel h,
and by making the pinion 9 smaller or larger than the wheel h the
spindles of the forks which carry the bobbins can be revolved in either
direction desired and at any desired speed relatively to that of the
revolving frame. In place of toothed wheels friction gear might be
employed, or grooved pulleys with a driving cord or band working
over them might be substituted for the wheels d and e. The frame a is
revolved by a driving band working over a driving pulley k on the
spindle at one end of the frame. On this spindle is a bevel wheel m
which gears with another bevel wheel n, and this by worm and worm
wheel gear drives an axis o. On the opposite end of this axis is a
toothed wheel p which gives motion through change wheels q to a bevil
wheel r with which either the bevel wheel & or the bevel wheel t can be
caused to gear. The wheels 8 and t are mounted upon the axis of a roller
u, and this roller can be revolved in either direction according as the
wheels or the wheel t is put into gear with the bevel wheel r. The spun
cord is passed two or three times around the roller u and is drawn
forward by it at the speed required and delivered to a drum on to which
it is wound, the drum being for this purpose caused to a revolve by a
pulley on its axis being driven by a band from the pulley o, and this
pulley is coupled to the axis of the roller u by a friction clip, as shewn,
so as to keep a uniform tension upon the spun cord as it passes from the
roller to the drum. The drum may be placed in any convenient position
either at the end of or above the spinning or twisting machine. The
speed at which the roller u is caused to draw forward the spun rope,
and consequently the amount of twist given to the rope, can be regulated
by the change wheels g.
In order to stop the machine in case of either of the strands being
broken, the last of the discs a carries radial rods x, one for each strand,
capable of sliding towards and from the centre of the disc and pressed
outwards by spiral springs around them, as shewn at Figure 4. In each
rod is an eye through which one of the strands is passed, and so long as
the strands are unbroken the rods are held in by them towards the

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim as
my improvements in machinery for the manufacture of wire and other
rope, and for spinning and twisting silk, cotton, wool, and other fibrous
material is,―
1. The mounting the bobbins which carry the strands of wire in the
wire rope twisting machinery substantially in the manner herein-before
described and shewn at Figure 1.
2. The combined arrangement of machinery substantially as herein
described and shewn at Figures 2 and 3.
3. The combined arrangement of apparatus substantially as herein
described for stopping the machine should either of the strands break.
4. The combined arrangement of machinery substantially as herein
described and shewn at Figures 5, 6, and 7.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Charles Moffatt, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
MORDA TVT