IMPROVEMENTS IN SPINNING, TWISTING, AND PREPARING MACHINERY."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Henry Northrop, of Keighley, in the County of
York, Mechanic, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPINNING, TWISTING,
AND PREPARING MACHINERY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Henry Northrop at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th February 1880.
JAMES HENRY NORTHROP, of Keighley, in the County of York, Mechanic.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SPINNING, TWISTING, AND Preparing MACHINERY."
The object of my Invention is to run the bobbins and spindles in spinning,
twisting, and preparing machinery at such a varying rate of speed that the yarn
or roving is delivered on to the bobbins from the flyers at an equal tension
throughout the length of the traverse.
I accomplish my object in the following manner:-On to the ordinary spindle
and resting on the ordinary lifter plate I place a loose collar, having one or more
pegs that fit into corresponding holes formed in the bobbin flange. At the back
of each of the said spindles I place another revolving spindle, at the top of which
is a wharl covered at the circumference by a ring of flexible material, such as indin
rubber.
Near the bottom of each of the last mentioned spindles I place another wharl,
which is adjustable on the spindle and similar in construction to the one before
described. This adjustable wharl is in contact with a sliding cone that is secured
on the spinning or roving spindle, and is raised and lowered by a separate lifter
which works in unison with the ordinary lifter for traversing the bobbins. The
wharls are kept in contact with the before mentioned collar and cone by means of
springs in connection with the back spindle journals, and thus the cone drives or
causes the back spindle, loose collar, and bobbin thereon to revolve, the speed of the
same varying according to the position the bottom wharl is in contact with cone ;
thus when the yarn or roving is being built on to the small part of the bobbin the
bobbin will revolve faster than when the yarn or roving is being built on to the
thick part of the bobbin, that is to say, the circumference of the bobbin at the
particular place where the yarn or roving is being wrapt round the bobbin is always
at the same rate of speed, and thus the tension of the yarn or roving from the front
rollers to the bobbin is always the same.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Henry Northrop in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
August 1880.
JAMES HENRY NORTHROP, of Keighley, in the County of York, Mechanic.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SPINNING, TWISTING, AND PREPARING MACHINERY.”
The object of my Invention is to run bobbins on the spindles in spinning,
twisting, and preparing machinery at such a varying rate of speed that the yarn or
roving is delivered on to the bobbins from the front rollers and flyers at an equal
tension throughout the length of the traverse.
Such being the object of my Invention I will now describe the same, aided by
the accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation, and represents
such portions of a spinning frame as are required to describe my improvements;
Figure 2 is a cross section of the same; Figure 3 is a detail of lever and worm for
adjusting the altitude of bottom lifter plate; Figure 4 is a sectional detail of back
spindle footstep and shoe.
In order to make my Invention clear I will describe my improvement as applied
to one spindle, all the other spindles being fitted in the same manner. In Figure 1
I shew two spinning spindles and two rear, which are my additional spindles, and
are mounted at the rear of the spinning spindles.
On to the ordinary spindle and resting on the ordinary lifter plato A I place a
loose collar or tube B, with one or more pegs in the same that fit into corre-
sponding holes formed in the bobbin flange. At the rear of the said spindle I
mount another revolving spindle C, and near the top of this spindle is a wharl D
connected to the same by a feather, so as to turn with while the spindle will slide
easily through. The circumference of this wharl is covered by a ring of flexible
material, such as india rubber, which is in contact with the circumference of tube
flange or bobbin flange B. Near the bottom of spindle C I secure another
wharl D¹, similar in construction to wharl D but not sliding; the circumference of
wharl D' is in contact with sliding cone G which rotates with the ordinary
spindle H driven in the usual manner. The cone G rests upon tube J, which is
screwed into bottom lifter plate J'. By screwing this tube J the cone G can be
adjusted to the exact height to suit the drag on the fibre that is being
manipulated.
The top lifter plate A is regulated by ordinary lifter K in the usual manner, and
the bottom lifter plate J' is also regulated by lifter K, but in the following
manner-I attach a chain L to moveable arm K¹ and to lever M placed on shaft N,
on to which is secured opposite to each lifter spindle E' a pulley N', to which is
secured a chain O that is attached to bracket P, on the top of which rests bottom
lifter plate J. The arm K¹ in lifter moving backward and forward in the direction
of double arrow will cause shaft N through chain and lever M to partly rotate,
raising and lowering the bottom lifter plate J, the distance proportionate to the
position in which the chain L is attached to lever M.
By actuating the lifter plate in the manner described the cone G, which runs at
one uniform speed with spindle H, will be constantly varying in position with the
circumference of wharl D₁, thus causing the back spindle C and bobbin on spindlo H
to revolve at such a varying rate of speed that the yarn as it is delivered from the
front rollers Q is built upon the thickest, smallest, and intermediate parts of the
bobbin with one uniform degree of tension on the yarn.
Figure 3 is a detail of lever M, shewing my arrangement for adjusting all the
cones G to the required height to suit the fibre passing through the machine. This
lever is placed loosely on shaft N, and has projecting lugs M', between which is
mounted screw worm R, which gears into worm wheel R¹ secured on shaft N.
By turning screw worm Ŕ on its axis the lever remains the same, but the position

page_text: of shaft N is altered, the pullies N₁ secured thereon letting off or taking up round
the circumference some of the chain O, thus lowering or raising the lifter plate J¹
and cones G, as the case may be.
Figure 4 shews my arrangement for keeping the circumference of wharl D¹ in
contact with cone G, which is accomplished by means of spring Y compressed
between end of shoo and spindle footstep.
Figure 5 is a cross section of spinning frame showing the cones G, which are by
this modified arrangement fixed to the spindles and placed above the ordinary
spindle driving wharls. The back spindle C and wharls D and D'are the same
as before described; but in this case the bottom wharl D' travels up and down the
cone G to obtain the varying speed imparted to bobbin on spindle H. This is
accomplished by mounting the series of spindles C upon bar S which is supported
by levers T, and the raising and lowering of the said spindles is effected by cams S'
secured upon shaft T. The bar S² is loose on shaft, and towards the end of the
said bar is secured bracket U, containing pulley U', which is in contact with
plate V, set at an angle with the front of spinning frame and attached to the lifter
arm K. This lifter arm oscillates backward and forward in the direction of doublo
arrow, shown in Figure 1. The angular face of plate V being in contact with
pulley U¹ raises and lowers the arm S², which actuates the shaft T' through
lever W secured to the same, and causes the cams S¹ to regulate the altitude of
bottom wharl D¹ in relation to circumference of conc G, thus running the back
spindle and connections at a varying rate of speed. By adjusting screw W¹ in
lever W the altitude of wharl D₁ in relation to conc G is regulated to suit the
amount of drag required to be put upon the fibre that is being manipulated.
Figure 6 is a detailed plan shewing the angular plato and attachments to
oscillating arm K¹; by regulating screw X the angle of plate V is altered, causing
the back spindle C and wharl D³ to travel more or less up and down the cone as
the case may be.
The foregoing part of Specification describes the modus operandi for spinning,
but I wish it to be understood that my improvement is applicable to twisting and
preparing machinery, and that the treatment of the respective machines is the
same as that described for spinning.
What I claim as my Invention is,―
Mechanically driving yarn roving or preparing bobbins on the spindles at a
varying rate of speed proportionate to the delivery of fibre from the front rollers,
whereby an uniform tension or drag on the fibre is obtained, accomplished
substantially in the manner described and illustrated by the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, tho said James Henry Northrop, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of August, in the year of our Lord
Witness,
JOHN WAUGH,
29, Tyrrel Street,
Bradford.
J. H. NORTHROP. (L.S.)