AN IMPROVED METHOD OF DRIVING AND IMPARTING A VARIABLE SPEED TO MACHINERY PRINTING, CALENDERING FINISHING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Mather, of the Firm of Mather and Platt, of the
Salford Iron Works, Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for an
Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF DRIVING AND IMPARTING A
VARIABLE SPEED TO MACHINERY
PRINTING, CALENDERING
FINISHING TEXTILE FABRICS." A communication from abroad by Messieurs
Shaeffer, Lalance, and Company, of Lutterbach, Alsace, in the Empire of
Germany.
FOR
AND
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mather at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th January 1881.
WILLIAM MATHER, of the Firm of Mather and Platt, of the Salford Iron Works,
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF
Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer.
DRIVING AND IMPARTING A VARIABLE SPEED TO MACHINERY FOR PRINTING,
CALENDERING, AND FINISHING TEXTILE FABRICS." A communication from abroad
by Messieurs Shaeffer, Lalance, and Company, of Lutterbach, Alsace, in the Empire
of Germany.
The Invention consists in a novel method of driving and varying to any degree
the speed of machinery for printing, calendering, and finishing textile fabrics
instead of the method of driving with small non-condensing engines, which is not
economical, or the old and complicated arrangement of clutch boxes and levers, by
which only three or four different speeds can be obtained. In carrying out this
Invention a driving shaft is used; upon this shaft a mitre wheel is keyed, and
beyond the mitre wheel is a large spur wheel running loose on the shaft; this spur
wheel has a long boss, and it carries two studs at right angles to and on opposite
sides of the driving shaft; on each of these studs is a mitre wheel (running loose)
gearing into the first mitre wheel, and also into a fourth mitre wheel on the other
side of the large spur wheel; the rim of each of the stud mitre wheels passes
through openings between the rim and the boss of the large spur wheel, so as to

page_text: gear into the first mitre wheel which is on one side, and into the fourth mitre
wheel which is on the other side of the large spur wheel; the fourth mitre wheel is
fixed on the boss of a smaller spur wheel which runs loose on the driving shaft
and communicates motion to the printing or finishing machine; beyond this spur
wheel on the end of the driving shaft is fixed a friction disc which drives an
adjustable friction pulley; this friction pulley communicates motion by a pair of
mitre wheels to a shaft parallel to the driving shaft, on which is keyed a pinion
gearing into the large spur wheel carrying the stud mitre wheels; by moving the
friction pulley to one side or the other of the centre of the friction disc, the large
spur wheel may be driven in either direction and any required variation in the
speed of the spur wheel which drives the printing or finishing machine may
be obtained.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Mather in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
July 1881.
WILLIAM MATHER, of the Firm of Mather and Platt, of the Salford Iron Works,
Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer. "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF
DRIVING AND IMPARTING A VARIABLE SPEED TO MACHINERY FOR PRINTING,
CALENDERING, AND FINISHING TEXTILE FABRICS." A communication from abroad
by Messieurs Shaeffer, Lalance, and Company, of Latterbach, Alsace, in the Empire
of Germany.
The Invention consists in a novel method of driving and varying to any degree
the speed of machinery for printing, calendering, and finishing textile fabrics
instead of the method of driving with small non condensing engines, which is not
economical, or the old and complicated arrangement of clutch boxes and levers, by
which only three or four different speeds can be obtained.
And in order that this Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, reference being
had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 is an end elevation; and Fig. 3 is a plan of
variable speed apparatus for giving motion to machinery for printing, calendering,
and finishing textile fabrics.
On the shaft x is the driving wheel a fitted with a friction clutch patented by
me on the 27th October 1880, No. 4392; so that it may rotate or cease from
rotating with the shaft x when desired, the wheel a gears into a pinion a¹ fixed
on the back shaft y; upon this shaft is keyed the mitre wheel b, and beyond the
mitre wheel b is a large spur wheel c running loose on the shaft y; this spur
wheel has a long boss, and it carries two studs c', c', at right angles to and on
opposite sides of the shaft y; on each of these studs is a mitre wheel & (running
loose) gearing into the first mitre wheel b, and also in a fourth mitre wheel e on
the other side of the large spur wheel c; the rims of the stud mitre wheel d, d, pass
through openings between the rim and the boss of the large spur wheel c, so as to
gear into the first mitre wheel 6 and into the fourth mitre wheel e; the fourth
mitre wheel e is fixed on the boss of a smaller spur wheel f, which runs loose on
the shaft y and communicates motion by the gears g, h, and i, to the printing or
finishing machine; beyond the spur wheelf on the end of the shaft y is fixed a
friction disc which drives an adjustable friction pulley ; the pulley / slides on
the shaft m and is traversed by the hand wheel n, bevil pinions o, and screw q, on
which is a guide fork taking into a recess in the boss of the pulley 1, this friction
pulley communicates motion by a pair of mitre wheels r, r, to a shaft s parallel
to a shaft y; on the shaft 8 is keyed a pinion t gearing into the large spur wheel c
carrying the stud mitre wheels; by moving the friction pulley 1 to one side or the
other of the centre of the friction disck the large spur wheel c may be driven in
either direction and any required variation in the speed of the spur wheel f which
drives the printing or finishing machine may be obtained.
Although I have on the Drawings shown this Invention as applied to machinery
for printing textile fabrics, it is equally applicable to machinery for calendering
and finishing textile fabrics, and to machinery used in bleaching, printing, dyeing,
and finishing works, and other variable speed apparatus capable of communicating
speed that can be gradually increased or diminished at will may be used for
imparting motion to the said machinery without departing from this Invention.

page_text: Having stated the nature of this Invention, and described the manner of
performing the same, I declare that I claim,-
The improved method of driving and imparting a variable speed to machinery
for printing, calendering, and finishing textile fabrics, substantially as herein shown
and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mather, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of July, One thousand eight hundred
and eighty one.
W. MATHER. (L.S.)