IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TWISTING AND LAYING STRANDS OF FIBROUS MATERIAL FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THREAD, TWINE, CORD OR ROPE
Year: 1885

page_text: We, JOHN NEWTON JENNINGS, and THOMAS JENNINGS, both of the Albert
Works, Hunslet, Leeds, in the County of York, Machinists, do hereby declare the
nature of our said invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TWISTING AND
LAYING STRANDS OF FIBROUS MATERIAL FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THREAD,
TWINE, CORD OR ROPE," to be as follows:-
This invention of improved apparatus for twisting and laying strands of fibrous
material for the manufacture of thread, twine, cord or rope, has for object greater
simplicity in its construction and less noise in its working and consequently less
wear and tear in its action than has heretofore obtained.
Fibrous material having been prepared and wound upon bobbins in the usual
way, we dispense with the operation and cost of re-winding it into cops as
heretofore, and mount the bobbins vertically in any desired number from three
upwards in suitable cases concentrically around their respective spindles. These
cases in which the bobbins are mounted are caused to rotate on their own axes
while revolving with the spindle which they surround, by means of friction
pulleys on their lower parts, these pulleys are slightly barrelled on their peripheries
and are driven from the inner periphery of a box wheel surrounding them and
running loosely on the central spindle. The inner periphery of the said box wheel
being of an inverted conical form, the weight of the bobbin cases keeps the
barrelled pulleys in contact with the internal conical driving surface of the box-
wheel, or the barrelled pulleys may be adjustable vertically on their axes for the
same purpose, and thus receive an uniform, quiet and steady rotating motion
therefrom.
The outer periphery of the said box-wheel is toothed and receives motion from
the main driving shaft of the machine by or through a train of gearing arranged
therefor. The central spindle also receives its motion by gearing from said main
driving shaft as is usual in such machines. The bobbins are caused to rotate on

page_text: their own axes while revolving with the spindle, by the strands being drawn
therefrom by the action of a train of gearing and sheave pulleys driven from the
main shaft of the machine.
The strands on leaving the bobbins pass first round a vertical rod, then through
suitable openings in the bobbin cases and are then conducted through other
openings in the cases to the centre of and through the hollow upper trunnions
thereof, and thence to the cone guides for collecting the strands and laying them
together, the necessary twist given to the strands on being laid, is regulated by
the relative speeds of the spindle and the bobbin cases. The laid thread, twine,
cord or rope then passes over and under a series of grooved pulleys, and thence is
conducted over a guide pulley to a spindle, for being hardened by additional
twisting, and wound on to a bobbin.-It is then taken to another machine for
being finished or polished in the ordinary way.
The improved twisting and laying apparatus or machine is provided with the
usual motion for stopping it in the event of a strand being accidentally ran out or
broken or when a bobbin becomes empty.

page_text: I, JOHN NEWTON JENNINGS of the Albert Works, Hunslet, Leeds, in the County
of York, Machinist, in my own right and as Executor of Thomas Jennings, deceased,
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:-
This invention of improved apparatus. for twisting and laying strands of fibrous
material for the manufacture of thread, twine, cord or rope, has for object greater
simplicity in construction and less noise in working and consequently less wear
and tear in action than has heretofore obtained.
According to this invention fibrous material having been prepared and wound
upon bobbins in the usual way, the operation and cost of rewinding it into cops as
heretofore is dispensed with, and the bobbins are mounted vertically in any desired
number from three upwards in suitable cases concentrically around their respective
spindles. These cases in which the bobbins are mounted are caused to rotate on
their own axes while revolving with the spindle which they surround by means of
friction pulleys on their lower parts. These pulleys are slightly barrelled on their
peripheries and are driven from the inner periphery of a box wheel surrounding
them and running loosely on the central spindle. The inner periphery of the said
box wheel being of an inverted conical form, the weight of the bobbin cases keeps
the barrelled pulleys in contact with the internal conical driving surface of the box
wheel, or the barrelled pulleys may be adjustable vertically on their axes for the
same purpose, and thus receive a uniform, quiet and steady rotating motion
therefrom.
The outer periphery of the said box wheel is toothed and receives motion from
the main driving shaft of the machine by or through a train of gearing arranged
therefor, The central spindle also receives its motion by gearing from the said
main driving shaft as is usual in such machines. The bobbins are caused to rotate
on their own axes while revolving with the spindle, by the strands being drawn
therefrom by the action of a train of gearing and sheave pulleys driven from the
main shaft of the machine.
The strands on leaving the bobbins pass first round a vertical rod then through
suitable openings in the bobbin cases and are then conducted through other
openings in the cases to the centre of and through the hollow upper trunnions
thereof, and thence to the cone guides for collecting the strands, and laying them
together. The necessary twist given to the strands on being laid is regulated by
the relative speeds of the spindle and the bobbin cases, The laid thread, twine,
cord or rope, then passes over and under a series of grooved pulleys, and thence
is conducted over a guide pulley to a spindle for being hardened by additional

page_text: twisting and wound on to a bobbin. It is then taken to another machine for
being finished or polished in the ordinary way.
The improved twisting and laying apparatus or machine is provided with the
usual motion for stopping it in the event of a strand being accidentally run out or
broken or when a bobbin becomes empty..
is
The accompanying drawings shew the improved apparatus for twisting and
laying strands of fibrous. material for the manufacture of thread, twine, cord or
rope, Fig. 1. is a front elevation partly in section, Fig. 2, an elevation at the
driving end, and Fig. 3. a partial plan shewing the frictional driving of the cases
or frames carrying the bobbins containing the strands of fibrous material. a, a,
the main framing, b, the driving pulleys (fast and loose) to which motion
imparted from any prime motor, and from this source, by suitably arranged
gearing, all the motions of the machine or apparatus are conveyed or derived. C, is
a shaft for imparting motion to the spindles d, by means of the bevil or mitre
gears e, f, g, g³, are discs fixed to the spindles d, and rotate therewith, On these
discs are mounted the cases or frames h, (three or more) which are provided with
trunnions for that purpose. Keyed on the lower trunnion of each case or frame
respectively is a pulley j, this is driven by frictional contact with the internal
periphery of the box wheel i, which is slightly conical and the pulley just
mentioned is also either conical or slightly barrelled on its periphery, The lower
trunnion having a bearing without end wise support, the frame h. is free to descend
sufficiently to cause the frictional surfaces of the pulley j. and the interior of the
box wheel i, to be so pressed together as to ensure a regular and silent driving of
the cases or frames h.
The pulleys j, may be of metal, leather, india-rubber or of other suitable elastic
or non-elastic material or a combination of two or more such materials, k, is a
shaft for imparting rotary motion by means of the gearing l, m, n, to the box
wheels i, which have teeth on their outer periphery for this purpose. The cases or
frames h, being mounted in the discs g, g¹ (fixed to the spindles d,) are carried
round therewith and caused to rotate on their own axes by the above described
frictional engagement of the interior of the box wheels i, and i¹, and pulleys j, the
relative speeds of the spindles d, and the cases or frames h, (carrying the strands)
being governed by the required amount of twist to be given to the strands as they
are or previous to their being laid together, The strands as they are drawn from
their respective bobbins q, in the frames h, which bobbins are free to rotate on
their axes are each passed first around a vertical rod h¹, attached to each frame,
then through an opening h², upwards on the outside of the frame, then through
another opening h³, and finally through the upper trunnion h4, of the frame h,
which is pierced so as to form a conductor for the strand to the conical guide d',
on the top of the spindle d, where all the strands meet and are laid and twisted
together to form thread, twine, cord or rope, as the case may be.
The motion or apparatus for stopping the machine in the event of a strand being
exhausted or accidentally broken previously referred to, forming no part of the
present invention, is not shewn in the drawings. o, is a shaft which gives motion
to the sheaves or rollers p, p; these are formed with a series of grooves around
which the now twisted and laid strands are coiled over and under as shewn; They
are driven from the shaft o, by the gearing r. s. t. and draw the strands from the
bobbins q, during their compound rotation around the 'spindles d, and their own
axes respectively, after which the thread, twine, cord or rope, is passed over the
'sheave u, to the spindle and flyer v, at the rear of the machine, and wound on to
the bobbin w. The last named spindle is so speeded as to harden the thread,
twine, cord or rope, by additional twisting. After this the thread may be removed
to a finishing or polishing machine, The parts marked A, in Figs. 1, and 3, shew
a modification in the driving of the cases or frames h, The interior periphery of
the box wheel ¹, and the peripheries of the pulleys j, on the lower bearings of the
bobbin cases or frames h, are made cylindrical.

page_text: The lower bearings are foot steps ¹; these are movable radially for obtaining
the necessary pressure on the frictional surfaces of the box wheel i¹, and the
pulleys j, by means of a loop j³, or its equivalent, surrounding or attached to the
said foot-step and adjustable by nuts, on each side of fixed lugs g³, in
the disc g¹, or the footsteps may be moved outward for the above purpose by
means of springs such as g³, which may also be used in combination with the
loop, or other attachment, and the adjusting nuts j³.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
is claimed is,
1. In apparatus for twisting and laying strands of fibrous material simultaneously,
driving the spindles carrying the bobbins by means of friction pulleys such as j¹,
running in contact with friction wheels such as i, substantially as described.
2. The improved apparatus for twisting and laying strands of fibrous material,
constructed, arranged, and operating, substantially as described with reference to
the drawings.
Witness,
THOS E. CRAVEN, C.E.,
Fell, Inst. Patent Agents,
24, Victoria Chambers, Leeds,
JOHN NEWTON JENNINGS.