Improvements in Spinning, Twisting, and Doubling Frames.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spinning, Twisting, and Doubling Frames.
We, PIINEHAS PEARSON CRAVEN, of 16, Devonshire Street, Ardwick, Man-
chester, Gentleman, FRANK CRAVEN, of Falcon Works, Poland Street, Oldham
Road, Manchester, Mechanic, and FREDERICK RIPLEY, of Acacia, Apperley
Bridge, Leeds, Baronet, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
These improvements are applicable to the class of spinning machines in
which the twist is put into the yarn by means of a traveller drawn round a ring
by the pull of the thread.
In spinning frames of this type the tension or drag of the yarn varies more or
less in inverse proportion to the diameter of the cop or spool, at the part on which
the yarn is being wound; by reason of the angle formed by the yarn coming
from the roller through the traveller, on to the spindle or spool being more direct
when the diameter of the spindle cop or spool is small, than when the diameter
is larger, and the tendency of the pull of the thread at such direct angle, is to
draw the traveller towards the spindle, and against the ring, to a greater extent,
than when the yarn is winding onto a larger diameter, and so increases the
tension on the thread.
In order to counter-act this variation of tension we mount a disc upon the
spindle of such diameter, that it projects a considerable distance beyond the
traveller. The disc has a hole through which the spindle passes of such size
relative to the spindle, as that the said disc is free to move up and down
the spindle, as the copping rail rises or falls. The said disc, when the machine
is spinning rests upon the nose or point of the cop, and may be moved upwards
as the cop increases in length, in two ways, by means of the traveller coming
into contact with it by means of the thread winding on to the spindle beneath
the disc, and lifting the disc up on the spindle. The disc may form one piece
with a tube, adapted to move on the spindle, or may be simply a flat disc. The
disc may be dished either upwards or downwards if desired.
We prefer to make the holes in the discs, and also in the tubes, when tubes
are used, of such a size relative to the spindle, as will allow the disc to cant,
or lift on one side, without binding on the spindle, when the traveller comes
into contact with it, on the rise of the ring rail, and also to allow the disc
to find its own plane of rotation when spinning. The effect of those arrange-
ments is to greatly diminish the acuteness of the angle formed by the thread,
in the traveller, as such angle is then formed not from the roller through the
traveller, and on to the spindle but from the edge of the disc, through the traveller
and on to the spindle, and to a considerable extent this prevents the inward pull
of the thread on the traveller, thus preventing excessive tension on the yarn.
In order to assist the yarn to carry the traveller, we may have flutes, pro-
jections or flats on the spindle, and corresponding projections, cúts or Hats

page_text: in the tube or disc, as will ensure the revolution of the disc with the spindle,
and by the friction of the disc on the yarn, assist it to carry the traveller, but
still we may have the holes in the disc, with such an amount of play between disc
and spindle, as will allow the disc to tilt, as said before, when lifted on one
side, as in the case of being lifted by the traveller.
We may under certain circumstances spinning strong yarns, or thread, make
the discs of less diameter than before described even to the extent of being
less than the circle described, by the traveller, when moving round the ring.
Dated this 15th day of May 1899.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spinning, Twisting, and Doubling Frames.
We, PHINEHAS PEARSON CRAVEN, of 16, Devonshire Street, Ardwick, Man-
chester, Gentleman, FRANK CRAVEN, of Falcon Works, Poland Street, Oldham
Road, Manchester, Mechanic, and FREDERICK RIPLEY, of Acacia, Apperley
Bridge, Leeds, Baronet, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement: --
These improvements are applicable to the class of spinning machines in which
the twist is put into the yarn by means of a traveller drawn round a ring by the
pull of the thread.
It is well known that the reason why yarn cannot be satisfactorily spun, twisted
or doubled and wound on to the bare spindle, or on to a tube of small diameter
placed on the latter, in spinning, twisting or doubling machines of the kind
abovementioned, is because the thread, when being wound on to the comparatively
small diameter at or near the nose of the cop, pulls the traveller at such an angle
to the periphery of the ring that the said traveller cannot be drawn round such
periphery by the thread, and the latter is consequently broken by the strain of
what is almost a radial pull. When, however, the thread is being wound on to
the comparatively large diameters at the lower part of the chase. of the cop, the
thread pulls the traveller at such an angle to the periphery of the ring that the
said traveller is easily drawn round such periphery by the thread; and it is
in order to secure at all times during spinning, twisting or doubling a diameter
sufficient to enable the thread to pull the traveller at such an angle to the peri-
phery of the ring that it will easily slip round thereon, that spools or bobbins,
on which to wind the thread, are generally placed on the spindles of spinning,
twisting or doubling machines in which rings and travellers are employed. The
object of this present invention is to enable yarn or thread to be spun, twisted or
doubled and wound direct on to the bare-spindle, or on to a comparatively thin
tube placed thereon, without the use of a spool or bobbin on the spindle what-
ever be the angle at which the thread which is being wound on to the cop pulls the
iraveller, and this we effect by the following means:-
Assuming, by way of example, that the invention is to be applied to a ring-
spinning or doubling frame with the ordinary rings and travellers, we place on
each spindle a dise provided with a hole in its centre. This disc may be slightly
concave or convex, or it may be straight, flat or corrugated, and the hole in its

page_text: centre is of such a size relative to the spindle that the disc is perfectly free to
cant or tilt and to rise and fall thereon when lifted at one side by the traveller
to such an extent that its opposite side may come in contact with the crown of the
ring, without the disc binding or jamming on the spindle. The disc is caused
to rotate with the spindle by any suitable means, for example, the spindle may be
made with one or more longitudinal flat parts or sides, or with one or more
longitudinal grooves in it, and the hole in the disc shaped to correspond with
the flat part or parts, side or sides, or with the groove or grooves, as the case
may be, or the spindle may be made of any other section, such as triangular or
square for example, adapted to cause the disc to rotate with the spindle, the
hole in the disc being of course made to suit the section of the spindle. When
the thread is being pieced-up in the usual way it is passed through the traveller
and the disc is then dropped on to the spindle, and allowed to rest on the
nose of the cop. the thread between the traveller and the drawing rollers or between
the traveller and the thread guide bearing against the edge of the disc. When
the spindle revolves the disc is carried round by it, and assists, through the
medium of the thread bearing against its edge with a certain amount of friction,
to carry round the traveller on the ring. By this means we are enabled to spin,
twist or double and to wind on to the bare-spindle, or on to a comparatively thin
tube placed thereon, quite as well as on to a bobbin or spool placed on the spindle.
And in order, that the said invention may be fully understood we will now
proceed to describe the same with the aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings,
in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing the invention applied to an
ordinary ring-spinning or doubling machine the parts being in the relative
positions they occupy when the thread is being wound on to the nose of the cop;
Figure 2 a similar, sectional elevation, but with the parts in the relative positions
they occupy when the thread is being wound on to the base of the cop-chase,
Figures 3, 4 and 5 are plans of discs variously adapted to take on to the spindle
in order to be driven thereby, and Figures 3 6, 7 and 8 show sections of
variously shaped discs.
a represents part of what is known as the ring-rail of a ring-spinning frame, b
one of the rings connected to the rail a in the usual way, e the traveller on the
ring, the spindle, e a partly made cop on the spindle, f the disc forming the
essential feature of the invention, and the thread which is being spun, twisted
or doubled as the case may be.
As above stated the disc f is perfectly free to rise and fall and to cant or tilt
on the spindle but is caused to rotate therewith by any suitable means, for
example, the spindle d may be made with a longitudinal flat part on one or both
sides, and the hole in the disc to correspond as shown at in Figure 3, or the
spindle may be made with a longitudinal groove in one or both sides, and the hole
in the disc with a corresponding feather or feathers as shown at j in Figure 4, or
the spindle & may be made of triangular section as shown at Figure 5 or of square
or any other suitable section that will cause the disc to rotate with it, the hole in
the disc being made to correspond.
The disc is thus carried round positively with the spindle: but is perfectly
free to move longitudinally and to cant or tilt thereon.
The yarn to be spun, twisted or doubled is led from the drawing rollers
down under the edge of the disc f. is then threaded through the traveller c
in the usual way, and then passes to the spindle. It will now be understood
that when the thread is being wound on to the nose of the cop e as illustrated
in Figure 1, the said thread is drawn over the edge of the disc at a comparatively
sharp angle and as the disc rotates with the spindle, its edge, which generally
projects somewhat beyond the traveller c, moves faster than the latter, and the
friction between the edge of the disc and the thread causes the part of the latter
lying between the edge of the disc and the traveller to assist in drawing the
traveller round. This assistance is increased by the fact that the traveller
revolves round the spindle at a slower rate than the spindle by the number of coils

page_text: of yarn or thread laid on the spindle so that the traveller is constantly lagging
behind the speed of the disc, the thread slipping on the edge of the latter to allow
such lagging behind to occur, but when the thread h is being wound on to the
base of the cop-chase, as illustrated in Figure 2, the said thread is drawn
over the edge of the disc at a more obtuse angle than in Figure 1, and conse-
quently the friction between it and the disc is proportionally reduced, and the
assistance afforded to the rotation of the traveller is reduced in like manner.
It will be understood from the above description that as the diameter of the
part of the cop on to which the thread is wound is reduced, the angle at which
the thread passes round the edge of the disc becomes less and less obtuse, the
friction between the thread and the said edge increases and consequently the
assistance thereby afforded to the traveller is increased likewise, thus neutralizing
or compensating for the reduced peripheral or tangential pull of the thread on
the traveller due to the reduction of diameter of the part on which the thread
is being wound, and preventing the breakage of the thread by the strain due
to the increased radial pull.
The disc rests normally on the nose of the cop as shown in Figure 2; but
when the disc is flat as shown in Figures 1 and 2, or made concave on the under-
side, as shown in Figure 6, the traveller c comes in contact with it as the ring-
rail reaches the highest point of its traverse, and slightly raises it to enable the
last coils of thread to be deposited on the spindle at the nose of the cop; but when
the dise is made convex on its underside, as shown in Figure 7, these last coils
may run in under the disc and raise it by a kind of wedging action without the
traveller coming in contact with it at all. Whichever form of disc is employed
it is made very light so that it is raised quite easily.
The relative diameters of the disc f and ring b may be varied according to cir-
cumstances; but we have obtained good results by making the disc one inch
and five-eighths diameter when the internal diameter of the ring is one inch
and one eighth.
We find it advantageous to make the hole in the disc of such a size in relation
to that of the cross-section of the spindle that when the traveller comes in con-
tact with the disc the latter can cant or tilt without jamming on the spindle;
this enables the disc to be lifted without undue strain on the varn which causes
it to run steadily. When the dise is tilted upwards on one side by the traveller
the opposite side of the disc is brought into contact with the crown of the ring.
This not only tends to prevent jamming on the spindle, but helps to keep the
disc in its proper plane of rotation and to lift it upwards on the spindle.
We sometimes line the hole in the disc with a kind of eyelet as shown at gl
in Figure 3 in order to provide a larger wearing surface than is afforded by
the bare edge of the hole. Or we sometimes employ a disc of wood or other
suitable material of increased thickness, thereby securing the same effect as in
the case of a thinner disc with an eyelet in the centre.
The piecing-up of broken threads is effected by first lifting the disc f off
the spindle, the end of the thread is then wound off the cop, and is looped through
the traveller c exactly as in ordinary ring-spinning, the disc is then replaced
on the spindle, and the thread is passed up over the edge of the disc and pieced at
the drawing rollers in the usual way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we desire to have
it understood that we are aware that it has already been proposed to employ
discs on the spindles of ring-spinning and doubling frames for the purpose
of assisting the motion of the travellers on the rings; but such discs were fitted
somewhat tightly to their spindles and so far as we are aware were not success-
fully employed, and we make no general claim to such discs but what we
do claim is:-
In ring spinning, twisting or doubling machines the employment of a disc

page_text: mounted on the spindle so as to be perfectly free to be canted or tilted thereoil,.
and to be carried round thereby, substantially as described and for the purpose
specified.
Dated this 10th day of March 1900.
P. P. CRAVEN.
F. CRAVEN.
F. RIPLEY.
Per W. H. Beck,
Agent. 115, Cannon Street, London, E.C.