Improvements in Rope Laying Machinery,
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Jan., 1898-Accepted, 26th Feb., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rope Laying Machinery,
I, WILLIAM CONGDON BOONE, of Boonton, in the County of Morris, State of New
Jersey, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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:-
My invention relates to improvements in the class of rope laying machinery wherein
a flier is provided with two cradles, and between these cradles a hollow central journal
is located for the passage of one or more strands to the laying top. In this class of
machines, however, as known to me, the strands were led along the outside of the
flier-arms, and it very often happened that the strands would break and become
wrapped firmly around a cradle and the flier-arm adjacent thereto, which would cause
injury or breakage to the machine. The object, therefore, of my invention is to
prevent the strands from becoming wrapped around the cradle and the flier arm, and
to this end the invention consists in a flier adapted to sustain cradles and having a
central hollow journal, the arms of the flier being made hollow or tubular to perinit
the passage therethrough of the strands that lead from the bobbins to the laying top.
By this means the strands are covered where they pass in line with the cradle, and if
the strand should break the tubular arm through which it passes will keep it from
wrapping around the cradle.
Another object of the invention is to reduce the air-resistance upon the rotative
flier, and for this purpose the flier is provided with circular heads or disks, (instead of
radial arms as heretofore used) to which heads or disks the longitudinal arms are
connected, the flier also having a central hollow journal which is connected by suitable
arms to said circular heads or disks. The circular head or disk also serves as a
journal or support for the cradle.
The invention further consists in the novel details of improvement and the
combinations of parts that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out
in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof, wherein,
Figure is a side elevation, partly in section, of a flier for rope laying machinery
embodying my invention; Figure 14 is an end view of the cone of the laying top;
Figure 2 is a similar view, taken at right angles to Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a face
view, on an enlarged scale, of one of the circular heads or disks of the flier, showing
the tubular or hollow arms and the cradle journal in section.
In the accompanying drawing, in which similar numerals of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the several views, the number indicates, generally, the
rotative flier of a rope laying machine, which has a hollow or apertured journal.2,
located between two cradles 3, and a hollow journal 4 at the front end in which a
suitable laying top may be placed, and also a corresponding journal 4* at the opposite
end. The journal 2 rotates in a suitable support or bearing 5 (shown in dotted lines
in Figure 1), and the journals 4, 4ª, rotate in suitable supports 5, 5. 6, 6, are the
arms of the flier, and 7, 7*, are circular heads or disks to which the respective flier
arms 6 of each portion of the flier are connected. The heads or disks 7, 7*, are

page_text: retarding the rotation of the flier. To reduce this air resistance, therefore, I provide
the circular heads or disks 7, 7ª, which, during rotation, will present less resisting
surfaces to the air and thus enable the speel of rotation of the flier to be materially
increased. The apertures in the heads or disks 7, 7", into which the tubular arms
project, permit the passage of the strands 9 from the hollow journal through said
heads or disks.
The centres of the heads or disks 7, 7ª, serve as supports or bearings for the
journals 3, 3b, of the cradles 3, and for this purpose I have shown said heads or disks
as provided with bosses 7b, in which are located suitable bushings 12, in which the
journals 3, 3, of the cradles 3 are located. The bushings 12 may be held in place
by set screws 13, carried by the bosses 7b, or otherwise. Thus, as the flier
rotates the cradles will hang from the centres of the rotative heads or disks 7, 7ª.
In order to reduce the length of the entire flier as much as possible, without
reducing the length of the bobbins, I recess or countersink the heads or disks 7, 7",
centrally as at 7, the radius of these recesses being sufficiently greater than the
distance from the axis of the journals 3ª, 3b, to the outer surface of the longitudinal
arms or bars 3 of the cradle, to enable the vertical end-arms 3d, 30, of the cradle to
enter said recesses, (see Figure 1). By this means the ends of the cradle are brought
within the plane of the inner faces of the heads or disks 7, 7", thus enabling the
latter to be brought nearer together, while the heads or disks are permitted to rotate
freely around said cradles. This shortening of the flier reduces its weight proportion-
ately, thus enabling its speed of rotation to be increased.
Heretofore in this class of machines, as known to me, it has been customary to
place a guide roller between a pair of arms 8, 8, and 8", 8", to receive the strand from
the adjacent bobbin, but in this construction the passing of the strand over said
roller did not have the desired effect upon the friction devices or brakes that regulate
the rotation of the bobbin, as the strand was drawn therefrom. In my invention I
connect a roller or whirl 14 with the friction devices for the bobbin 10, and for this
purpose I have shown the following arrangement :-The roller 14 is carried by a
lever 15, that pivotally supported by the cradle 3, as at 15", the lever 15 serving
to operate a brake shoe 16, that acts against a friction disk 17, connected with the
bobbin 10 in well known inanner. (The bobbin 10 may be supported in the cradle 3
in well known manner, as shown.) The lever 15 is moved to produce frictional
contact between the parts 16 and 17 by means of a spring 18, which is shown acting
against lever 15 and against the arm 3d of the cradle, the arın 3d for this purpose
being shown extended above the journal 3*, a rod 19 being located within the coil of
said spring 18, as shown in Figure 1. But it is evident that the spring can be other-
wise arranged if desired. The roller or whirl 14 is adapted to have the strand 9 from
the adjacent bobbin passed entirely around it, and the edge of said roller is so located
that the strand therefrom will pass through the hollow journal 3* of the cradle, as
shown. With this arrangement, as the strand is drawn from the bobbin it will cause
the roller or whirl 14 to rotate, and as long as the strand feeds freely the friction
devices will act on the bobbin in the ordinary manner, but if the bobbin should
unduly resist the drawing of the strand, or if the strand should not draw off freely
from the bobbin, the resistance thus produced would cause the strand that passes
around the roller 14 to draw tightly thereon, whereupon the lever 15 will be pulled
somewhat and the friction between the parts 16, 17, will be relieved, whereupon the
tension will be equalized, and the bobbin will turn more freely. By this means the
laying of the strands of the rope will be more even and uniforin than would be
the case if there were no means provided to regulate the frictional resistance of the
friction devices or brake for the bobbin.
The hollow arms 6 could be otherwise connected with the hollow journals than by
the circular heads or disks as, for instance, by the ordinary cross heads.
I do not limit my invention to the precise details of construction shown and
described as they may be varied without departing from the spirit of my
invention.
.