AN IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING CHENILLE THREAD
Year: 1885

page_text: "
I, CHARLES AUBREY DAY, of 321, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING CHENILLE THREAD
(a communication to me from abroad by Charles Baly Auer, of Paterson, County of
Passaic, State of New Jersey, in the United States of America) 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 to a new and useful improvement in machinery for
maching chenille thread, and consists, essentially, in the use in connection with the'
mechanism heretofore usually employed for supplying the usual core-threads,
winding on the usual wrapping, and cutting open the latter, of suitable mechanism
for properly twisting the thread, automatically; and winding it up for future use,
upon a reel in one continuous piece of very great length.
With the machinery for making chenille thread heretofore known and used, it
has been necessary to employ with each single thread producing mechanism, a
twister device rotated by hand, and arranged to traverse on a track, or upon
guide-ways; the carriage or frame containing the twister being provided with
means for effecting the rotation of the twister by hand power, a boy or other
operative having to turn said twister, and at the same time to pull the carriage, or
frame off, to a limited distance, (usually not more than ten or twelve yards) on the
track or guide-ways just referred to.
In the manufacture of chenille thread by such machinery, it has been possible, or
practicable, (as is well known to those skilled in the art) to make the thread only
in comparatively short lengths or strands, of usually about twelve yards, and it has
been necessary for the operatives after the making of each of such short strands, or
lengths, to not only cut off the finished thread, and re-attach the thread, extending
out from the wrapping and silk cutting mechanism, to the twister, to repeat the
twisting and running off operations performed by the operative with the hand
twister and carriage already mentioned, but it has also been necessary to carefully
separately remove such short cut-off lengths, or strands, as produced, and tie up
each one of them, in a distended condition, on a rack or racks at the side of the
room, to there remain until the twist shall have become set.
Now the manufacture of the thread in this manner and by such means has not
only required a large room space to each machine in a factory, and necessitated a

page_text: large amount of skilled band labor, but has resulted in the production of the
chenille thread in short pieces only, of not only uneven texture and quality as to
the several separate pieces turned off by the same machine, but even of varying
texture and appearance, frequently, as to different portions of a single strand
or piece.
For the purpose, (now become quite important commercially) of weaving chenille
thread in chenille cloths, or fabrics, of different patterns and qualities, it is very
desirable that such thread be produced not only of even size, texture, and
appearance throughout, but also highly important that such thread be produced of
great length, and in a condition or shape for ready use in the looms employed for
weaving the cloth or chenille fabrics.
The main advantages of providing for loom-work, chenille thread of even texture
and of great length are, that the woven fabrics produced from such thread will be
of finer finish and more even surface, and that much valuable time will be saved in
running the loom, which, with the use of short lengths of thread, has to be spent
in knotting or ticing together the several pieces of the weft thread of the cloth
being woven.
It is proposed to overcome these several objections to the heretofore practiced
mode of manufacture of and to the previously employed machinery for inaking
chenille thread, by the use in accordance with the present improvement of the
hereinafter described novel contrivance, by which, as will clearly appear, a manu-
facturer will be enabled to not only produce the thread in pieces of any desired
length, and of a perfectly uniform twist, texture, and size throughout the whole
length of the finished material or article, but to also reel off the manufactured
article, automatically, in a shape for immediate and most convenient use in the
looms in which it may be designed to use the chenille thread, and by machinery
requiring scarcely any factory room or space, as compared with the space necessary
for the production of a comparatively inferior article, by the old-fashioned, more
laborious, and expensive appliances and process of manufacture.
To enable those skilled in the art to which the Invention relates, to perfectly
understand and practice the same I will now proceed to describe the present
improved method of and machinery for making chenille thread, in great lengths and
properly put up or prepared for the weaver's purposes, referring by letters to the
accompanying drawings in which I have shown the Invention carried out in that
form in which it has as yet been successfully practiced.
The annexed drawings represent only so much of the usually employed mechanism
or machine, for providing the core-threads, or cords wrapping them with the silk,
and cutting open the wrapping, as is necessary for the purpose of clearly and fully
illustrating the present improvements.
Fig 1, is a top view of a portion of a machine, made in accordance with the
present Invention and showing only so much of the old part of the machine as is
necessary for illustrating the connection therewith of the new mechanism.
Fig; 2, is a detail side view on an enlarged scale, of one of the improved
automatic twisters and reels detached.
Fig 3, is a partial axial section (on the same scalo as Fig, 2) of the said twister
and reel.
In the several Figures, the same or like parts are designated by the same letter
of reference.
A, is a portion of the main-frame of a commonly used form of machine for
making chenille thread, with the exception of the mechanism for effecting the final
twisting of the wrapped core-threads and their silk or other fibres; and, B, is a
portion of a small supplemental frame (or it may be a mere extension of the
frame A) that is used to support the improved novel means for effecting this
twisting, and for also reeling-up the finished article.
On the frame, A, are mounted all the necessary devices or parts of the usual
approved mechanism for making the thread, except the twisting devices, some of

page_text: which, only, are shown at Fig; 1, and none of which need be particularly described
herein, as they form no part of the present Invention.
C, is the shaft carrying the forward one, D, of the wheels over which travel the
four strands, 1, 2, 3, 4, of wire usually employed in laying out and covering two
chenille threads, such as seen at, E, E; while, G, is the usual rotatory spool-carrier
which is mounted on and driven by the shaft, H, and carries a series of spools, I,
containing the threads, e, usually of silk, and which are rapidly wound around the
four adjacent wires and two core-threads which together pass, after having being
wound with the threads, e, between the horizontal wheels, b, where the over-laying
or outer core threads are laid on; all in a manner well understood by those familiar
with the kind of machinery illustrated.
At, f, is the usual tool-stock that carries the knife or cutter, g, used to cut
or sever the wound wrapper composed of the threads, e, and at, h, are the adjustable
tension-guides by means of which the operator or attendant of the machine
regulates the twisting, so as to permit the twist to run more or less close up
to the point where the wrapping is cut, as his visual observation and experience
dictate may be best.
As the type or form of machine shown, and so far described, is adapted to
produce, with one wrapping or winding, and one cutting device, two chenille
threads, or is, in other words, duplex, there is combined therewith a double, or
duplex twisting and reeling up mechanism, which will now be described.
In the main frame, A, preferably, is mounted and driven in any desirable
manner, a shaft, J, which carries a grooved face pulley or band wheel, K, partly
around the periphery of which passes a drive-cord or belt, i, which passes also
around the core-pulleys, l, of the twister shafts, k, and suitable idlers, or guide
wheels, m, in such a manner that the said cord, or belt, i will suitably rotate the
pulleys, l, and thus drive the shaft-spindles, k.
In practice, on the machines which have been already worked, the drive
pulley, K, belt, i, and other pulleys, l, m, have been arranged so that the one
endless cord, i, drives four pulleys, l, in a chenille machine adapted to turn out
simultaneously four threads; but, the detail arrangement of these devices may, of
course, like many other parts of a novel mechanism, be varied more or less without
changing the principle of the machine.
The pulleys, l, as shown, have each three belt grooves; so that, the same round
belt, i, running at a given speed, may be made to drive the spindles, k, faster
or slower as may be required to vary the velocity of the twisters, and each of the
spindles, k, is mounted, as shown, to turn freely in bearing boxes, at, M, mounted
on the frame, B.
As best seen in Fig; 3, each of the spindles, k, is made hollow for a portion of its
length and at that end nearest to the wrapping, or winding machine, and the
thread of chenille is led through this hollow portion, p, and thence out through one
of the side apertures, s, off toward and through one of the guide-eyes, t, and finally
through one of the end eyes, n, of the U-shaped arm, o, of the twister, from whenco
said thread passes on to the body of the spool, or reel, P, upon which the finished
article is wound.
The outer end of the reel or spool P, is formed or provided, as shown, with
a grooved wheel or pulley, y, fastened thereon, over which passes a brake belt, or
friction cord, w, one end of which is made fast to any convenient stationary part of
the machine, and from the other end of which, is suspended a suitable weight, Q,
(see Fig; 2.)
The function of this weight cord, and this pulley or grooved hub, y, is simply to
exert a sort of tension, or frictional brake power on the spool, P, to prevent it from
turning too easily, and also to prevent it from turning at all by mere inertia, when-
ever the twister (which lays the thread on to and drives said spool,) may, for any
reason, be suddenly stopped.
In the operation of a machine having applied to, or combined with it, the kind
of twisting or reeling-up devices illustrated on the annexed drawings and herein

page_text: described, the threads E, and, E, as formed, pass into and through the hollow
portions of the spindles, k, and thence through the eyes of the twister arms, o, to
the spools, or recls, P, as already explained; and as these twister-arms are rapidly
rotated (with a uniform speed,) by the drive bets, i, the threads, E, E², are twisted
from the localities where they lie in the hollow spindles, k, (mainly from the
localities of the holes, 8, to where they pass through the twist regulators, h, and
also but more slowly between said regulators, h, and the wheels, b; from between
the peripheries of which the wound or wrapped core-threads emerge.
As the twister arms, or yokes, o, revolve and lay the finished, and properly
twisted, chenille thread on the reels, P, the latter are caused to revolve also by the
tangential pull on them of the cords, E, E², where the latter pass from said spools
to the eyes, n, of the twisters; the rate of speed of each spool being less, however,
than that of the twister; (because every time the latter makes one revolution it
winds on to the spool the quantity of thread drawn away from the covering, and
cutting mechanism), and gradually increasing as more and more of the finished
material is reeled up, (because as more thread is reeled on, the circumference of the
surface on which the thread 'is wound increases ;) the frictional brake cords, w,
controlling the action at all times of the spools in such a manner as to permit
them to be thús, necessarily, revolved by the twisters, and the laying on of the
thread.
Whenever the driving device, and consequently all the moving parts, are required
to be stopped, by the operative, the loosely mounted spools, which by reason of the
fast speed at which they travel, would otherwise continue to turn, thus loosening
or unwinding a portion of the contents of the spools, are checked by the friction
brakes already described.
The finished thread, as it is wound, under a proper degree of tension, upon the
spools, P, has the twist put into it set so that it is retained, and the contents of the
reels, P, are ready for use whenever wanted for weaving or other purposes. If used
for weaving chenille cloth, it is re-wound on the bobbins of the loom shuttles, and
when thrown in by the shuttles forms a perfectly continuous, smooth, and even
filling, without any loss of time, or trouble to the weaver.
The form of the spools, and the shapes and sizes of other parts, may be more or
less changed without in the least changing the principle of construction, or mode of
operation peculiar to the novel and automatic contrivance herein described.
As it will be readily understood, not only is a better article produced with less
cumbersome machinery than heretofore necessary, but a great saving in room, and
skilled labor, is effected by the use of the present improvement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is
In machinery for manufacturing chenille thread. The combination with mechanism
for supplying the usual core-threads; winding on the usual wrapping; and cutting
open the latter, of an automatic twisting and spooling, or reeling up mechanism;
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.