IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Kennedy, Flax Spinner, and George
Acheson, Mechanic, both of Belfast, Ireland, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING FLAX AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS."
Sealed the 18th June 1875, and dated the 4th January 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Kennedy and
:
George Acheson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
with their Petition on the 4th January 1875.
We, WILLIAM KENNEDY, Flax Spinner, and GEORGE ACHESON,
Mechanic, both of Belfast, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING FLAX AND
OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
The chief object of our Invention is so to arrange the parts of spinning
machinery as to obtain an increased yield of yarn and speed with less
friction and strain upon the yarn than heretofore.
Our improvements are also calculated to simplify the construction of
the machine and to reduce the wear and tear of some of the working parts
of the machinery.

page_text: In carrying out our improvements we mount the fliers upon a tube or
hollow spindle which works in a brass carried by a neck rail.
This tube
is further supported below its whirl or pulley by a bracket bearing
which steadies the action of the flier. This mode of mounting the tube
enables me to reduce its length to an extent that will render it com-
paratively easy to piece a broken yarn. The flier is made with com-
paratively short arms, and it is provided with a hook twizzle for the yarn
at about the level of the top of the bobbin.
The bobbin spindle is carried by a step bearing, and it is steadied by
passing through a brass in the copping rail or builder. This spindle is
free to turn with the bobbin, and the latter is doffed without removing
the flyer. The top and delivery rollers are situated immediately above
the tube or hollow spindle of, the flier, so that the descent of the sliver
to be spun will be vertical or nearly so, thus coinciding with the axis of
the hollow spindle. This arrangement of the top and delivery rollers
will render the use of a thread plate unnecessary, and it will greatly
reduce the cutting action of the thread upon the rollers. For regulating
the pressure upon these rollers I weight the tension rod which puts the
pressure on the journals by means of a compound leverage. Thus
instead of hanging a weight on the lever which connects directly with
the tension rod I connect this lever through an adjustable link or strap
with a second lever which I joint to an extra bracket piece, and I append
the weight to this second lever..
For working the copping rails or builders on the opposite sides of the
machine and permitting of an easy adjustment of their length of traversé
to meet the requirements of the different classes of yarn to be spun, we
employ a pair of central heart-shaped cams, which in their rotation act
upon bowles of cross bars that slide over slotted fixed brackets and are
_connected at the opposite ends by link rods to the inner ends of rock
levers. These rock levers at their outer ends are secured to chains
pendent from cams carried by the builder shaft, the rotation therefore of
the heart cams will through the builder shaft cams and builder bars
impart the requisite vertical motions to the bobbins.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Kennedy and George Acheson in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
KENNEDY, Flax Spinner, and GEORGE ACHESON, Mechanic, both of
Belfast, Ireland, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said William Kennedy and
George Acheson, Her special licence that we, the said William
Kennedy and George Acheson, our exccutors, administrators, and.
assigns, or such others as we, the said William Kennedy and
George Acheson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of.
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING FLAX AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said William Kennedy and George Acheson, our executors or adminis-.
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date.
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Kennedy and George.
Acheson, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
The chief object of our Invention is so to arrange the parts of spinning
machinery as to obtain an increased yield of yarn with less friction and.
strain upon the varn than heretofore.

page_text: Our improvements are also calculated to simplify the construction of
the machine and to reduce the wear and tear of some of the working
parts.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 shews in partial front
elevation and partial section so much of a spinning frame as.
will serve
to explain the first lead of our Invention, which relates to the flyer, the
bobbin spindle, and the parts in immediate connection therewith; and
Fig. 2 is a partial transverse section of the same.
Figures 3 and 4, Sheets II. and III.,shew general views on a reduced
scale of the spinning frame, Fig. 3 being a front elevation, and Fig. 4,
a transverse section of the same.
Referring now to Figures 1 and 2 it will be seen that the flyer A is
mounted upon a short tubular spindle A' which works in a brass a carried
by a neck rail B. This spindle is further supported below its whirl a¹ by a
bracket bearing B' which steadies the action of the flyer. The bracket
is connected to its rail B by means of screws b. This mode of mounting.
the hollow spindle enables us to reduce its length to an extent that will.
render it comparatively easy to piece a broken yarn. The flyer A is
made with comparatively short arms. C is the bobbin spindle carried
by a step bearing c in the lower builder rail D, and it is steadied by
passing through a brass e in the upper copping rail or builder E, on
which rests the bobbin F. The spindle C is made free to turn with the
bobbin by friction of contact therewith, and an undue tension upon the
yarn while being spun is thereby prevented. G, G, are the top rollers
and H, H, the delivery rollers for supplying the roving or sliver to the
flyer. These rollers are situated immediately above the tube A¹ of the
flyer so that the descent of the sliver to be spun will be vertical or
nearly so, thus coinciding with the axis of the tubular spindle A¹. This.
arrangement of the top and delivery rollers renders the use of a thread
plate unnecessary.
The upper and lower builder rails are connected together by brackets
I, I, to which are secured the slide rods K which carry and give motion
to the rails. The brackets I are fitted with pins which enter holes in
the upper builder rail, and the edges of the brackets are overlapped by
back and front flanges of that rail. This mode of fitting the builder
rail E ensures steadiness to the same throughout its vertical move ments.
F¹ are the weighted drag bands.

page_text: Our Invention relates, secondly, to improved means for weighting or
regulating the pressure of the top and delivery rollers. Hitherto it has.
been the practice to weight these rollers by hanging the counterweight:
on a crank lever which is in direct connection with the tension rod. We:
now propose to regulate the pressure upon the top and drawing rollers.
by weighting the tension rod which puts pressure on the journals of the:
rollers by means of a compound leverage, as shewn at Fig. 4. . .In this
Figure Lis the beam, to which is fitted a bracket M for carrying the
crank lever N, the short limb of which is jointed to the tension rod O.
which puts pressure on the saddle P. Pendent from the tail end of the
lever N is an adjustable link Q within which rests the counterweight.
lever R which is jointed to a bracket S made fast to the rail T. An
advantage incidental to this arrangement of compound lever is that the
adjustment may be effected from the front of the machine.
yarn
The last part of our Invention relates to certain novel means for
working the copping or building rails simultaneously on the opposite,
sides of the machine and permitting of an easy adjustment of their
motion to meet the requirements of the different classes of
to be
spun. In Fig. 4 this apparatus is shewn in connection with the slide
rods K of the builder rails D, D. K₁are the builder shafts on which
are fitted cams K² for operating the lifting chains k, k². The chains k, k,
are connected at one end to the slide or lifting rods K, and at their other
end to pulleys on the builder shaft, and pendent from the cams K². are
the chains, which connect at their other ends to the rock levers U
carried by brackets pendent from the main framing. The inner ends of
these rock levers Û are connected by link rods U¹ to a cross bar V,
which at the middle of its length is fitted with a bowle v that overlics
the lifting heart cam W. This cam is keyed on the boss of a spur
wheel Y which is supported on a stud axle X projecting from the main
framing. The bar V is also provided with guide pins v¹ which enter
vertical slots in bracket pieces V₁ attached to the main framing. These
slotted bracket pieces act as guides to ensure the parallelism of the
bar V during its up and down motions under the action of the rotating
heart cam W. The spur wheel Y gears into and is driven by a spur
wheel Z on the driving shaft. It will now be understood that as rotary
motion is imparted to the heart cam W the bar V will be raised and
lowered in its guides and caused to rock the levers U, which levers by
reason of their connection with the sliding rods K will impart an up-

page_text: and-down motion thereto and thereby simultaneously raise and lower
the copping or building rails on the opposite sides of the spinning frame.
together with the bobbins and spindles. The advantage of this simul-.
taneous rise and fall of the building rails is that the doffing of the
bobbins on both sides of the frame may be effected simultaneously, 5
although flyers of the proportionate length shewn in the Drawings are.
employed..
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements
in Machinery for Spinning Flax and other Fibrous Materials," and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be 1
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent we
claim,―
First. The means above described for steadying the motions of the
flyer on its contracted hollow spindle.
Secondly. The means above described for ensuring the steadiness and 1
even drag of the bobbin.
Thirdly. The arrangement above described for weighting the top and
delivery rollers.
Lastly. The arrangement above described for giving a simultaneous
up-and-down motion to the copping or building rails at opposite sides of 2
the spinning frame.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Kennedy and George'
Acheson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Thirtieth
day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-five.
גיזז זזו
IZENNEDY