IMPROVEMENTS IN DRIVING GEAR FOR SPINNING AND OTHER MACHINERY
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Lawson, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Machine Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRIVING GEAR
FOR SPINNING AND OTHER MACHINERY."
Sealed the 19th March 1878, and dated the 14th December 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Lawson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th December 1877.
THOMAS LAWSON, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machine Maker.
MENTS IN DRIVING GEAR FOR SPINNING AND OTHER MACHINERY."
" IMPROVE-
The chief object of this Invention is to simplify the driving gear of rope yarn
spinning frames having two horizontal spindles. These machines, as hitherto made,
have been provided with separate driving gear for the two spindles and their
attendant gill sheets, in order that when one spindle is stopped through breakage,
or for the removal of the bobbin, the other spindle may continue working; thus a
separato belt and fast and loose pulley were employed for each spindle.
I now propose to drive the two spindles and the mechanism in connection there-
with by means of one belt working on a pulley common to both sections of the
machine. This pulley I mount loosely on a transverse fixed shaft situate at the
end of the machine, and in the plane of the driving shafts of the two sections of the
spinning machine.
The pulley is fitted at its opposite sides with a friction clutch, which clutches may
be thrown into or out of action independently of each other.
The clutch consists of a split ring fitting the inner periphery of the pulley, and
capable of expansion by means of a pair of tongs, or their equivalent, operating
against the ends of the ring. These tongs surround the pulley shaft, and at their
tail ends they are formed to receive between them a conical pin or wedge.
ring and tongs are enclosed in the pulley by means of a disc of smaller diameter
Price 871
The

page_text: than the pulley, and having for its boss a sleeve which carries at its end a bevil
wheel, gearing into a bevil pinion on the driving shaft of one section of the
machine.
On the sleeve of the disc is a clutch slide, which carries a conical pin or wedge,
which enters a hole in the diso coinciding with the opening at the tail end of the
tongs.
To ensure these openings coinciding, a lug is formed on the split ring to fill a
space between two pins projecting from the disc.
When the slide is moved inwards, and its pin is caused to open the tongs aud
expand the split ring, the rotary motion of the pulley will be transferred to the
driving shaft, and on the withdrawal of this pin the clutch will drop out of action
and the driving shaft will cease to rotate. The clutch, however, on the other side
of the pulley will work independently, and continue to drive the section of the
machine with which it is connected.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that ny improvement, in
addition to the saving in belts and drums effected, also presents this advantage,
viz, that in place of the belt having to traverse the breadth of the pulley when
acted on by the throwing-off motion, the contraction of the ring by the partial
withdrawal of the pin is almost instantaneous.
The Invention, it will be understood, is applicable to other machines which are
arranged in duplicate, and yet require, like the rope yarn spinner (for either section),
to be stopped and started independently the one of the other.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Lawson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
June 1878.
THOMAS LAWSON, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machine Maker.
MENTS IN DRIVING GEAR FOR SPINNING AND OTHER MACHINERY."
"IMPROVE-
The chief object of this Invention is to simplify the driving gear of rope yaru
spinning frames having two horizontal spindles. These machines, as hitherto made,
have been provided with separate driving gear for the spindles and their attendant
gill sheets, in order that when one spindle is stopped by reason of the breakage of
the yarn, or for the removal of the bobbin, the other spindle may continue working;
tha3 a separate belt and fast and loose pulley were employed for each spindle.
I now propose to drive the two spindles and the mechanism in connection there-
with by means of one belt working on a pulley common to both sections of the
machine.
In the accompanying Drawings,-
Fig. 1 shews, in side elevation, so much of a rope yarn spinning frame as will
serve to explain the application of my Invention thereto.
Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a rope yarn spinning frame, arranged in duplicate,
with the Invention applied thereto, and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of one half of the
same taken in the plane of the axis of the driving pulley.
In these Figures A is the driving pulley receiving continuous rotary motion from
a driving belt A'. This pulley is mounted loosely on a transverse fixed shaft B,
situate at the end of the machine, and in the plane of the driving shafts C, C*, of
the two sections of the spinning machine.
The pulley A is fitted at its opposite sides with a friction clutch (shewn best in
the detached view, Fig 4), which clutches may be thrown into or out of action
independently of each other.
Each clutch consists of a split ring D, fitting the inner periphery of the pulley,
and capable of expansion by means of a pair of tongs E, E, operating against the
ends of the ring. These tongs surround the pulley shaft, and at their tail onds they
are formed to receive between then a conical pin or wedge f. The rings and tongs
of the friction clutches are enclosed in the pulley by means of discs Di (see Fig. 3)
of smaller diameter than the pulley, and having each for their boss a sleeve D²,
which carries at its end a hevil whool D³ gearing into a bevil pinion C¹ on the
driving shaft C of one section of the machine.
On the sleeve of each disc D' is a clutch slide F, one of which is shewn detached
at Fig. 5. These clutch slides cach carry a conical pin or wedge which enters a
hole in the disc D¹ coinciding with the opening at the tail end of the tongs, and
projects into that opening, as shewn at Fig. 4.
To ensure these openings coinciding, a lug d is formed on the split ring to fill a
space between two pins d¹ projecting from the disc D¹.
The slides F receive an end way motion from the rock levers F1 and their con-
nections, similar to the ordinary sliding ratchet tooth clutches, for the purpose of
throwing their respective friction clutches into or out of action.
When the right-hand slide F is moved inwards, and its pin is caused to open the
tongs and expand the split ring, the rotary motion of the pulley A will be transmitted
to the driving shaft C; and on the withdrawal of this pin the clutch will drop out
of action and the driving shaft will cease to rotate. The clutch, however, on the
other side of the pulley will work independently, and continue to drive the shaft C*
and the section of the machine with which it is connected.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that my improved driving
gear, in addition to the saving in belts and drums effected, also presents this
advantage, viz., that in place of the belt having to traverse the breadth of the pulley
when acted on by the throwing-off motion, and thereby causing delay in the

page_text: stopping of the motion, the contraction of the friction rings D by the partial with-
drawal of the pins fis almost instantaneous.
The Invention, it will be understood, is equally applicable to other kinds of
machines which are arranged in duplicate, like the rope yarn spinner, and require
either section to be occasionally stopped and started independently the one of the
other.
Having now described the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in Driving
Gear for Spinning and other Machinery," and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent 1 claim, the means above described for driving duplicate machines
from a single belt, pulley, or its equivalent, such arrangement admitting of either
section of the duplicate machine being stopped and started independently of the
other.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lawson, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord (ne
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.