IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUTING MACHINES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Barbour, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FLUTING MACHINES."
lod the 7th November 1876, and dated the 10th May 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Barbour at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th May 1870.
JAMES BARBOUR, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland.
IN FLUTING MACHINES."
"IMPROVEMENTS
The pressing rollers for wet spinning frames for flax and similar fibres are
generally made either of wood, or a composition of gutta percha, or similar slightly
elastic substances, these rollers are fluted or grooved in the direction of their axes,
and any irregularities in these flutes has a bad effect on the working of the
spinning frame.
The object of this Invention is to secure evenly fluted rollers, and this is done
by stopping the action of the machine as soon as the roller under process has com-
pleted one revolution. The mechanism whereby this is accomplished is exceedingly
simple, and consists of a disc fixed on the end of the spindle on which the roller
tuins, and on the edge of this disc is a nick or groove to receive the point of a
lever. So long as the point of this lever is up out of the groove, or on the surface
of the disc, the head that carries the roller continues to move backwards and
forward under the cutter that forms the flutes in the roller, but the instant the
point of the lever falls into the groove in the disc the moving head is disconnected
from the slide that actuates it, and as the change of the roller is always made when
the head is not under the cutter, this disengaging always occurs at the proper place
for removing the roller.
To start the machine when the roller is put in to be fluted it is necessary to lift
the point of the lever out of the nick in the disc and connect the moving head to
the slide by replacing another lever which is acted upon by the pointed lever, the
instant this lever falls again into the groove in the disc it disengages the moving
head from the sliding bar and so stops the moving head whenever one revolution
of the roller under process is complete, and thus prevents any flute from being
frayed or damaged by a second action of the cutter.
As this improved machine cannot be started without employing both hands of
the attendant, in the operation the liability to accident is considerably reduced for

page_text: the stopping motion does not merely disconnect the moving head from the slide
but also retains it in position (free from the cutter that makes the flute) whilst the
roller under operation is being removed or replaced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Barbour in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th November
1876.
JAMES BARBOUR, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, Ireland. " IMPROVEMENTS
IN FLUTING MACHINES."
The pressing rollers for wet spinning frames for flax and similar fibres are
generally made either of wood, or a composition of gutta percha, or similar slightly
elastic substances, these rollers are fluted or grooved in the direction of their axes,
and any irregularities in these flutes has a bad effect on the working of the spinning
frame.
The object of this Invention is to secure evenly fluted rollers, and this I secure
by stopping the action of the machine as soon as the roller undergoing the fluting
operation has completed one rotation. The mechanism whereby this is effected is
exceedingly simple, and will be understood from the following description, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawing in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a
fluting machine; Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1;
and Figures 3 and 4 are detached views of some of the working parts. In these
Figures the saine letters and figures of reference always apply to the same parts.
Fluting machines are generally constructed with either one or two moving
heads a for traversing the rollers b, to be fluted under a rotating cutter or fluting
tool. These heads are moved by a sliding bar c which is constantly sliding back-
wards and forwards, and the object of this improvement is to stop the head or
heads carrying these rollers so soon as one rotation of the rollers is completed.
The rollers bare shewn at Fig. 1 as supported between two centres a' of a double
head a.
One of these centres a¹ is carried by a spindle a², to which is attached a
changeable ratchet wheel d, having the same number of teeth as there are flutes
to be put in the roller b. The roller bis turned partially round on its axis at the
end of each stroke of the head a by a catch working into gear with the ratchet
wheel d, and carried on a lever working against an inclined plane d³ fixed to
the framing of the machine. On the end of the spindle a that turns the roller b
there is in addition to the ratchet wheel da disc e, having a nick or groove c¹ in
its periphery to receive the point of a lever c. The point of this lever e is in the
same line as the catch d' that moves the ratchet wheel d when at the top of its
stroke, and no matter how many flutes are to be made in the roller b, the disc c will
always measure one rotation of the roller.
So long as the point of the 'lever e is up out of the groove e¹ on the disc e, the
head a that carries the rollers b is connected to the sliding bar c by a spring
bolt a*. This sliding bolt (see the detached views, Fig. 4) is T shaped, and it has
a vertical sliding motion in a socket formed on the under side of the head a, and
continues to move backwards and forwards under the cutter g that forms the flutes
in the roller b. But the instant the point of the lever e falls into the nick or
groove e the lever by rocking forward lowers the end e³ of a horizontal lever et on
the same centre, and connected with it until this lever comes in contact with the
point of a vertical lever h, fixed to a shaft h, passing through the framing.
Inside the frame and fixed to the shaft is a lever i, connected by a link i' to
one end of a rocking arm is, the other end of this arin being upon a centre fixed
to the frame. So long as the vertical lever h remains in the forward position the
arm is clear of the spring bolt at which is carried by the moving head a, and so
it remains in the slot c' in the sliding bar c and carries the moving head backwards

page_text: and forwards, but as soon as the lever e drops into the nick e¹ on the disc e on
the end of the spindle a², then the lever his turned backwards and the arm i² is
lifted, and as the T headed spring bolt at in the moving head a comes in contact
therewith it is raised out of the slot c' in the sliding bar c, and so the moving
head a is separated from the sliding bar. To prevent the head a recoiling there is
attached to it a small hooked lever a³ (see Fig. 3) that takes hold of the end of the
arm, when it is lifted up to disconnect the moving head a from the sliding bar c.
The roller is changed when the moving head a is at rest at its greatest distance
from the cutter
J.
To start the machine when a new roller b is put in to be fluted it is necessary
for the attendant to employ both his hands and away from the cutter g, for which
reason the chances of accident to the attendant are much lessened, inasmuch as one
hand is employed to lift the lever e out of the nick e' in the disc e and retain it while
the other hand turns the shaft h in the frame by the handle h³, together with the
lever i and link which lowers the arm is, and so frees the hooked lever a³ on the
moving head a. The spring bolt a is thus again allowed to bear upon the sliding
bar c until it slips into the slot c' in it, when it will reconnect the head a with
the sliding bar c and the fluting operation will recommence.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in Fluting
Machines," 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, I claim, tho
arrangement of mechanism above described for starting the moving head and
stopping the same when the roller under operation has made one rotation and the
fluting operation is completed.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Barbour, have hereunto set my hand
and scal, the Sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
JAMES BARBOUR. (LS.)