IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPREADING DRESSED SILK
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lister, of Leeds, in the County of York, Silk Dresser,
and Arthur Greenwood, of the same place, Machine Maker, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPREADING DRESSED SILK,"
ealed the 26th June 1877, and dated the 1st January 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lister and Arthur
Greenwood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st January
1877.
JOHN LISTER, of Leeds, in the County of York, Silk Dresser, and ARTHUR
GREENWOOD, of the same place, Machine Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR SPREADING DRESSED SILK."
The object of this Invention is to effect in a novel manner the withdrawal of
dressed or combed "stricks " of silk waste from the "books" or grippers of the,
ordinary waste silk dressing frame, and arranging the fibres in a compact sliver
ready to be put up to the spreading or first drawing process. This object is effected
in the following manner :-The books or grippers containing the dressed silk stricks
are taken from the ordinary dressing frame and are placed on edge one after the
other in a sliding frame so that they occupy much the same position as they do in
the press of the dressing frame. A very slight end pressure is given to these books
so as to keep them close together and in the proper position, but the pressure must
not be so much as to prevent the stricks of silk from being withdrawn from the
books; this end pressure may be made adjustable. The frame which carries the
books has a horizontal travelling motion imparted to it by means of suitable gear-
ing. The tufts of the dressed silk stricks are by this forward motion brought into
the bite of a pair of fluted rollers placed parallel to and over the travelling frame.
These rollers are geared with the frame or carriage in such a manner as to give the
same surface speed as that of the frame. Around the lower roller, and also round
another more remote roller, passes an endless sheet. When the first tufts of the
dressed stricks enter the bite of the drawing rollers, the fibres are withdrawn by
them from the books and laid upon the endless sheet. Each tuft in succession is
thus brought into the bite of the rollers, and the strick is withdrawn from the
books.
The books may be placed in the frame one after another, or packings of varying
thickness may be placed between them to suit the various lengths of the drafts.

page_text: The relative surface speed of the fluted rollers and the frame containing the books
'may also be varied by means of change gearing to suit the various lengths of fibres.
By the action of the machine each strick is withdrawn in its turn from the book
and laid in succession, one overlapping the other, upon the endless sheet until the
whole of the books are emptied. The lap or sliver is then taken from the endless
sheet, and either folded up in the direction of the fibres into a suitable width for
the first drawing or spreading process, or the lap may be divided always in
the direction of the fibres into one or more laps of suitable width for the next
process.
When the silk has been withdrawn from all the books, the frame must be moved
back to its normal position by reversing the action of the driving gear. The empty
books may then be removed and full ones put in their places, and the drawing off
operation begun again.
Instead of causing the travelling frame to reciprocate as above described, thereby
stopping the drawing off operation, in order to return the frame with the empty
book to its original position the action of the machine may be made continuous by
placing the books on a jointed endless travelling frame, which as it moves forward
will bring the full books up to the nip of the drawing-off rollers, and will push the
empty ones under the endless travelling apron on which the silk is deposited by the
drawing rollers. These empty books are then removed by the attendant and
placed on a table ready to be again filled. The attendant will also place on the
endless travelling jointed frame full books to follow on those which are travelling
forward. In this manner the operation of the machine will be continuous.
If it be desired to make a break in the delivery of the silk, this may be done by
placing at the end of any given number of books a dummy or block which of course
will not deliver any silk. Or the same object may be obtained by suddenly moving
forward, at given intervals, the travelling apron which receives the silk, so as to
leave an empty space on the travelling apron between the end of one delivery and
the beginning of the next.
To compensate for the wear of the dressing books in the machine an adjustable
movement is provided in the carriage of the spreading machine whereby the books
are readily brought up to the required height.
t
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Lister and Arthur Greenwood in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th June 1877.
JOHN LISTER, of Leeds, in the County of York, Silk Dresser, and ARTHUR
GREENWOOD, of the same place, Machine Maker. " IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR SPREADING DRESSED SILK."
The object of this Invention is to effect in a novel manner the withdrawal of
dressed or combed stricks of silk waste from the "books" or grippers of the
ordinary waste silk dressing frame, and to arrange the fibres in a compact sliver
ready to be put up to the spreading or first drawing process. This object is effected
in the following manner:-The books or grippers containing the dressed silk stricks
are taken from the ordinary dressing frame and are placed on edge one after the
other in a sliding frame so that they occupy much the same position as they do in
the
press of the dressing frame. A very slight end pressure is given to these books
so as to keep them close together and in the propper position, but the pressure must
not be so much as to prevent the stricks of silk from being withdrawn from the
books; this end pressure may be made adjustable. The frame. which carries the
books has a horizontal travelling motion imparted to it by means of suitable gear-
ing. The tufts of the dressed silk stricks are by this forward motion brought into
the bite of a pair of fluted rollers, around-one of which extending from a distant
tension roller passes an endless sheet. When the first tufts of the dressed stricks

page_text: enter the bite of these drawing-off rollers, the fibres are withdrawn by them from
the books and laid upon the endless sheet.
By the action of the machine the selected fibres of each strick are withdrawn in
turn from the books and laid in succession, one overlapping the other, upon the
endless sheet, and this is repeated until the whole of the books are emptied.
The books placed in the frame one behind the other have packing blocks
interposed between them of a thickness suitable for various lengths of draught.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 shows in plan view our improved silk
spreading machine; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a partial
transverse section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a partial longitudinal
vertical section showing the books fitted to the sliding frame and the stripping
rollers under which the books are passed; Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the
machine taken in the line 3, 4, of Fig. 2.
A, A, is the main framing of the machine within which is situate the rectangular
sliding frame B. The sides of this frame B are provided at their upper edges with a
lip or flange, which flanges bear on the rebated inner edges of the side frames A, and
the frame B is thereby supported in a horizontal position. C, C, are the books or
clamps; and C*, the packing blocks which are fitted into the rectangular sliding
frame B. The frame B is furnished at its under side with a pair of racks c which
take into pinions d keyed to a transverse shaft D, which shaft receives motion from
a driving belt passing over the fast and loose pulleys D1, D2, on the shaft D; E, E¹, are
the fluted drawing-off rollers, around the latter of which passes an endless sheet E
which is intended to receive the silk from the books and deliver it out of the
machine in the form of a lap or sliver. Rotary motion is imparted to the roller El
by means of a train of gearing F actuated from the driving shaft D. The roller E
receives motion from the roller E¹ by friction of contact, it being held thereto by
adjustable pressure springs, as shown at Fig. 2.
In order to regulate the height of the books to the nip of the rollers E, E¹, the
books are caused to rest on a vertically adjustable frame G fitted within the sliding
frame B. In the sides of this frame inclined slots are formed through which project
coupling pins 6 from the frame B. On the rear end of the frame G is a tapped lug y
to receive an adjusting screw g¹ which bears against the rear end of the frame B.
By turning this screw either to the right or left, the frame G may be raised or
lowered, its inclined slots being thereby moved up or down over the fixed coupling
pins b as on inclined guides. This adjustment will serve to compensate for the wear
of the books in the dressing machines.
We may remark that the surface speed of the drawing-off or stripping rollers
should be a little more than the surface speed of the books holding the silk (say
from five to ten per cent.). This may be varied to suit the work in hand by means
of change pinions fitted to the drawing-off roller E¹.
The thickness of the packing or filling blocks C* will vary according to the length
of staple under treatment. As a guide we may state that for first and second
draughts or lengths blocks one and a half inches thick may be used, and for third
and fourth draughts blocks three-quarters to an inch thick will serve, but for fifth
and sixth draughts no blocks or packings will be needed, the books holding the silk
being laid close together.
When the frame B is properly packed with books of dressed silk, and rotary
motion is imparted to the machine by throwing the driving band on to the fast
pulley D¹, the books will be brought in succession under the nip of the rotating
drawing-off-rollers, and they will be severally stripped of the fibres seized by the
rollers, which fibres will be laid in the-form of a lap on to the travelling sheet F¹.
When the last strick of the series has been thus operated upon it will be necessary
to arrest the action of the machine prior to running back the books to their starting
position in order to repeat the stripping action. For this purpose the following
arrangement is provided:-On the travelling frame B an adjustable tappet bis
fitted. This tappet (see the detached view Fig. 2a) has a wedged-shaped projection
which when the frame has travelled to the end of its course comes in contact with

page_text: a bent rod H, pivotted at h to an arm projecting from a sleeve piece I, mounted
loosely on a rock shaft I¹ which has its bearings in brackets on the main framing.
A second arm on the sleeve I bears against a pin on the belt fork K, which fork is
keyed to the rock shaft I, and serves to throw the driving belt from the fast and
loose pulley D¹, D³, and vice versa. The bent rod H is notched to permit of its
catching on to a projection on the main framing A (see Fig. 3), and in rear of this
rod is a spring presser pin which slides in the socket formed in the bracket piece L
bolted to the framing A. This pin 7 retains the notched rod H in contact with the
before-mentioned catch or projection. A coiled spring H¹ (Fig. 2), connected at one
end to a fixed pin on the bracket L, and at its other to the joint pin h, gives the
rod Ha tendency to move upwards. When therefore the tappet 6¹ forces back the
rod H clear of its retaining catch, the spring will lift the rod and thereby rock the
sleeve I, the raised arm of which will tip the belt fork and cause it to slip the belt
from the fast to the loose pulley; this will arrest the action of the machine. The
duty of the attendant will then be to run back the travelling frame to the starting
position. When this is done the attendant will by means of the hand lever I³
keyed on the shaft I, rock that shaft in the reverse direction, and thereby shift the
belt from the loose to the fast pulley, and start the machine again into action.
The Drawings shew the first of the train of wheels F as connected to the driving
shaft D by a clutch. This provides for putting the gearing out of action before the
back traverse of the frame B commences.
When all the fibres have been stripped from the books in the manner above
indicated, the lap or sliver formed on the apron may be either folded up in the
direction of the fibres into a suitable width for the first drawing or spreading
process, or the sliver may be divided in the direction of the fibres into one or more
laps of suitable width for the next process.
We may remark that instead of causing the travelling frame to reciprocate as
above described, thereby stopping the drawing off operation in order to return the
frame to its original position, the action of the machine may if thought desirable
be made continuous by placing the books on a jointed endless travelling frame,
which as it moves forward will bring the charged books up to the nip of the
drawing-off rollers, and will push the empty ones under the endless travelling apron
on which the silk is deposited by the drawing-off rollers.
If it be desired to make a break in the delivery of the silk, this may be done by
placing at the end of any given number of books a dummy or block which of course
will not deliver any silk. Or the same object may be obtained by suddenly
moving forward at given intervals the travelling apron which receives the silk so as
to leave an empty space on the travelling apron between the end of one delivery
and the beginning of the next.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements in machinery
for spreading dressed silk," and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent, we claim the means above shown and described for withdrawing dressed or
combed silk waste from the books or grippers of the dressing frame and forming the
same into a lap or laps.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Greenwood, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
ARTHUR GREENWOOD. (L.S.)