US1845900A - Spindle drive for spinning frames - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 16, 1932. A. AMBYE 1,845,900

SPINDLE DRIVE FOR SPINNING FRAMES Filed March 12, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l \nvenTor.

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Feb. 16, 1932. A. AMBYE SPINDLE DRIVE FOR SPINNING FRAMES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 |nvenTon Anthori Ambye $1M Afiys.

Filed March 12, 1930 Feb. 16, 1932. A. AMBYE SPINDLE DRIVE FOR SPINNING FRAMES 4 sheets She'et 3 Filed March 12,

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Feb. 16, 1932. A. AMBYE 1,845,900

SPINDLE DRIVE FOR SPINNING FRAMES Filed March 12, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 43 lnve nTor. AnThon Ambye WWW TW ATTys.

Patented Feb. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANTHON AMIBYE, F ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 DAVIS & FURBER MA- CHINE COMPANY, OF ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS SPINDLE DRIVE FOR SPINNING FRAMES Application filed March 12, 1930. Serial No. 435,152.

This invention relates to spinning frames and particularly to means for driving the spindles thereof, and has for its general object to provide a drive which will maintain a uniform speed and tension in all of the bands with a consequent uniformity of twist in the yarn produced by each spindle.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a spindle drive which may be reversed in the direction of rotation without changing the spinning conditions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spindle drive which is particularly adaptable to spinning frames having a moving spindle support and a fixed ring rail.

A further object to the invention is to pro vide a spindle drive employing two positively driven drums acting to drive the spindle driving bands thereby delivering a maximum of power thereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide means in a spinning machine having a moving spindle support to maintain a coaistant tension in the driving bands and maintain the bands in driving relation to the spindles as the support moves.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide a means common to all the driving bands acting to direct them into the plane of the whorls on the spindles.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide means in a moving spindle spinning frame to maintain positive alignment of the tensioning pulleys with relation to the driving drums durin movement of the spindles.

A further object of the invention is to reduce the number of adjustments required to 'ause the bands to maintain proper running engagement with the various elements of the drive.

A further object of the invention is to provide idler drums which engage all of the hands simultaneously to direct them into the plane of the whorls.

A further object of the invention is to provide means desirably in the form of an auxiliary driving band acting to drive the idler drums from the driving drums thus assisting in driving the spindle bands at the desired uniform speed.

A further object of the invention is to reduce the friction and wear at the tensioning pulley bearings by adding sufficient weight to the pulley itself to avoid the necessity of an external weight thus reducing to a minimum the pressure at the pulley bearing.

Other objects and features will more fully appear from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In preparing yarn for various purposes especially for use in weaving a fabric the quality'of the fabric depends directly upon the accuracy and uniformity with which the spinning operation is performed. It has become an exact art to adjust the spinning frame to produce a yarn of any desired weight and character. It is, however, another problem to design a spinningdevice which will respond in a manner to produce a product from every spindle that is uniform and of the desired character.

Much of the lack of uniformity in the operation of such machines is due to a variation in speed of the spindles caused by imperfect driving conditions or by variation in frictional resistance throughout the elements of the mechanism or by a combination of such abnormal conditions. The present invention aims to reduce such defects or the effect thereof to produce a more uniform product.

In order to transmit a maximum of power to the driving bands, means are employed which cause a maximum area thereof to engage the driving elements. The driving elements are preferably one or more driving drums. Vhere two of such drums are used they are connected together to rotate positively at the same surface speed. In order further to increase the area with which the bands engage the driving drums a tensioning pulley engages the hand between the driving drums in such a relative position to the drums that the bands engage the drums with a maximum portion of their area. The tensioning pulleys are supported in a novel manner to preserve their axial alignment and permit a freedom of motion suflicient to maintain a uniform tension in the bands.

simultaneously. By the use of such idler drums a more uniform drive 1s established which will hereinafter be more fully described. c

A. preferred form of the elements of the invention and those elements closely associated therewith are herein illustrated. The more remotely related elements are or may be of standard construction well known to those skilled in the art.

In the drawings: Y

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a group of spindles illustrating the elements of the band drive therefor.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the one form of the invention illustrating in dotted lines the upper position of the lifting spindle rail.

Fig. 3 is a cross section through the axis of'the tensioning pulley.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view showing a modified form of tensioning pulley.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation similar to that shown in Fig. QUillustrating an additional feature of theinvention;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the machine showing a preferred method of mounting the tensioning pulley.

I Fig. 8 is a detail planview of the arm supporting the tension pulley.

Fig. 9 is a detail View showing the manner in which a stop functions to limit the movement of the arm about its pivot.

The invention in some of its aspects is adaptable to the usual type of spinning frame in which the ring rail is moved to produce a symmetrical mass on the bobbins carried by p the spindles as the spun yarn is wound thereon. It is particularly adapted, however to the lifting spindle rail type of machine in which the yarn mass is formed by moving the spindles bodily. Such a machine is herein presented in which the spindles l are preferably arranged in groups, each group being driven by a driving band 2. Power is transmitted to the band 2 in a novel manner. Drums 3 and a are rotatably mounted in the upper part of the frame and are engaged by the band 2. .One or desirably both of these drums are driven from the main drive of the machine not shown. If'one is thus driven power is transmitted to the other by means of the chain 5 running on two sprocket wheels 6 and 7 fixed respectively to the drums .3 and 4. Other means, however, may be employed positively to .drive one drum from the other.

In the construction herein presented the ring rails 8 are fixed in a definite position while the spindles 1 have a relative motion therewith. The spindles 1 are mounted on a movable frame work composed of transverse supports 9 located at suitable intervals throughout the length of the machine upon which lon itudinally disposed spindle supports 10 are secured. Any suitable mechanism may be employed to give the spindles the required motion, and inasmuch as such mechanism forms nopart of the invention, it is not shown and will not be described.

he whorls 11 on the spindles of each group are located in a common plane in order to be driven by the driving band 2 which is directed into that plane by means of rotating guides mounted on the shafts 12 which are supported'on the transverse supports 9. The rotating guides may be individual direction pulleys associated with each band. independently or may be in the form of idler drums 13 and 14 extending longitudinally of the length of the machine, and rotatably mounted on the shafts 12. The idler drums 13 and 14 act as guide pulleys'for each of the bands throughout the machine to direct them into the plane of the whorls 11.

A tensioning pulley 15 must be employed to maintain a. constant tension in the bands. Such pulley must be free to move bodily and act automatically to take up the slack therein. The pulley 15 engages the hand between the two driving drums. Thecourse of the band as it drives the spindles is therefore as follows. Assuming the. direction in which the band is moving to be that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, the band first'passes over the drum 3 then extends downwardly around the tensioning pulley l5, and upwardly and over the drum 4 passing down again to the idler drum 14 from where it passes to the two right hand spindles, then crosses the full width of the machine to engage the two left hand spindles of the group, and'from there passes to the idler drum 13 and returnto the driving drum 3. It is apparent that insuch a construction a substantial portion of the area of the driving bands is in contact with the driving drums. As a consequence a maximum of power maybe transmitted to the bands with a minimum of slippage.

In some types of spinning devices much troubleis encountered when it is desired'to reverse the direction of rotation of the spindies. In many cases it has required extensive readjustment of the parts and has resulted in irregularityof operation. In the present device the symmetrical arrangementof parts and the increased efiiciency of the the total weight of the spindles and associated parts must be lifted to give the required motion to the spindles. Considerable power is thus consumed and strain imposed upon parts. The present invention minimizes this disadvantage which is inherent in all machines of this type. The tension set up in the hands by the tension pulleys acts through the bands to counterbalance a portion of the weight of the spindles and their supporting mon'ibers by creating an upward pull in the run of the hand between the idler drum 141 and the driving drum 4, and also that extending between the idler drum 13 and the driving drum 3. Furthermore as the band is driven in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 the tension in the run of the hand between the drum 13 and the drum 4 set up by the power delivered thereto by the driving drums tends to lift the spindles. and thus counterbalance still more of the weight thereof. It is in this portion of the band the maximum tension exists since that portion is nearest to the application of power, and the resistance offered by the various elements of the drive act accuinulatively at this portion of the band.

If the mechanism is rotating in the opposite direction the same conditions obtain in the band extending between the idler drum 141 and the driving drum 4..

Much of the lack of uniformity in operation of the spinning frame is due to variation in speed of the spindles caused by slipping of the hands and inequality of frictional resistance in the elements of the mechanisln. The action of the drums 13 and 14 overcome this irregularity to a large extent. Since the drums engage each of the bands throughout the machine simultaneously they act to drive all of the bands at an even speed, and counteract any tendency of the bands to run at different speeds.

An important feature resulting from the use of idler drums is the reduction in labor of setting up the spindle drive. Heretofore it has been necessary to make accurate and individiuil adjustment of all the idler or direction pulleys in order to keep the bands i from running off the various elements in the drive. In the present construction the tension pulleys for each band are the only points at which adjustment must be made. Further to increase the effectiveness of the drive, an

i 1 auxiliary driving band 1.6 may be employed which functions to drive the idler drums from the driving drums, and thereby assists in driving the spindle driving hand through their contact with the idler drums. Other means may be substituted for the auxiliary 16 is preferably substantially wider than the spindle driving bands 2 thus establishing an effective drive from the driving drums to the idler drums.

A constant tension is maintained in the auxiliary band by means of a tension pulley 17 acting in the same manner as the pulleys 15. The course of the bandlti is similar tothat of the spindle driving bands with the exception that it does not pass around the spindle whorls, but passes over idler pulleys 18 and 19 which are rotatably mounted on shafts 20 and 21 respectively. The shafts 20 and 21 are supported in suitable bearings 22 on the transverse spindle supports 9. One or more of these auxiliary bands may be employed and are conveniently located between successive groups of spindles.

The idler pulleys 18 and 19 are situated closely adjacent the idler drums 13 and 14 and so positioned relatively thereto as to cause the band 16 to embrace a substantial portion of the drums. The idler drums 13 and 14. are thus driven at a surface speed equal to therequired speed of the spindle driving bands. By reason of their contact with the idler drums the spindle driving bands are restrained from moving at any speed faster or slower than the required speed. As a result of this condition all of thespindles are driven at a uniform rate of speed.

The means of mounting the tension pulleys 15 and 17 are alike, and may be of any suitable construction which. will preserve their axial alignment with relation to the driving drums, and automatically take up slack in the bands. A novel manner of mounting them is herein shown, however, in which the pulley 15, for example, is rotatably mounted upon a stud shaft 23 rigidly secured in a sliding block 24 which is accurately fitted upon and adapted to slide lengthwise of an arm 26 pivoted to a fulcrum shaft 27 fixed in an upright boss 28 on the transverse spindle support 9. To align the pulley when assembling the driving mechanism the arm 26 is adjusted along its fulcrum shaft until the band runs properly, and is then secured lengthwise thereof by means of collars 29.

The block 2 1 is so fitted to the arm 26 that it may freely move lengthwise thereof, and at the same time maintain the axis of the pulley in proper axial relation to the driving drums. It will be noted that upon completing the adjustment of the tension pulleys, no other adjustments must be made to'insure the proper running of the bands since the idler drums are placed in permanent alignment when installed in the machine.

To provide the necessary tension a weight 30 is hung on the end of a hook 31 which has a horizontal portion 32 at its upper end projecting into an axial aperture 33 in the stud shaft 23. A preferredconstruction of the tension pulley is shown in Fig. ,4 wherein the pulley 34 is itself of the correct weight to set up the proper tension in the belt. As a result of this construction substantially all of the pressure is removed from the pulley bearing, thus reducing wear at this point to a minimum value.

By providing for free movement of the block 24 along the arm 26 the axis of the tension pulley may move in a vertically straight line as the arm 26 swings about its fulcrum point during the movement of the spindles and their supporting members. The perfect symmetry of the drive is thus preserved at any positions of the spindles. The above described'refinement in the construction of the machine provides further assurance that when a reverse twist is desired all that is necessary to be done is to change the direction of rotation of the driving means.

A preferred construction of tensioning pulley support is illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 wherein the pulley 34 is supported upon a flexible armi35 which is pivotally mounted on a support 36 which desirably is in the form of a round bar extending throughout the length of the machine to receive all of the tensioning pulley arms. The support 36 is secured in suitable bosses 37 upon a fixed part of the machine frame. ()ne end of the arm 35 is bifurcated to form the legs 38. The legs 38 are drilled to form bearings upon which the arm 35 is pivoted. A collar 39 is situated between legs 38 and is fixed to the shaft serving to preventmotion of the arm along the support 36.

At the bottom of the collar a stop shoulder 40 is formed which limits the swing of the arm to a point where the stop shoulder 41 on the arm engages the stop 40 as shown in dotted lines Fig. 9. This position may be varied by rotating the collar 39 about the support 36 and securing it in place by means of the set screw 42.

The arm 35 is composed of two sections 43 and 44; The free end of the section 43 is received by the bifurcated end 46 of the section 44. A pin 47 passes through the two sections with its axis perpendicular to the plane in which the arm swings. The hearings in the legs 38 of the bifurcated end of the arm 35 are accurately fitted and the pivot point is also fitted to close limits thus insuring that no part of the arm will deviate from the plane in which it is intended to move, and will thus maintain accurate axial alignment of the pulley 34 which is pivotally mounted on the outer end of the section 44 of the arm 35. Bymeans of such construction the pulley 34 is free to move bodily in any direction within a limited area of the definite plane in which it is adjusted to move.

The wide andaccurate bearings provided between the arm and the rod support 36, between the two sections 43 and .44 of the arm,

:5 and between the arm and the pulley insure that the pulley axis throughout its movement shall always remain in parallelism to the drums and to itself, thus obviating any hoisting or binding action on the belt.

The pulley 34 is similar to the pulley 17 and is of sufiicient weight to set up the desired ten'sion'in the band, and thereby relieve the pulley bearing of the greater part of the pressure which would be set up in the casewhere an external weight is used to create-tension in the band.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and esired to be secured by Letters Patent, is: i

1. In a ring spinning frame a stationary ring rail, groups of spindles provided with bobbins and having whorls in a common plane, a support therefor movable to form a mass of yarn on said bobbins, a singleband to drive eachgroup of spindles, two driving drums rotatably mounted on a fixed part of the frame situated remotely from the plane of said whorls, a tensioning pulley engaging said band as it passes from one drum to the other and acting to form a loop in the hand between the two drums and maintain the band at a uniform tension as said support moves, and means on said support acting to direct the band as it passes to and from said driving drums into the plane of said whorls.

2. In a spinning frame, groups of spindles having whorls in a common plane, a single driving band for each group, two driving drums connected together to rotate positively at the same surface speed over which the band passes situated outside the plane of said whorls, a tensioning pulley engaging the band as it passes from one drum to the other and acting to form a loop in the band between said driving drums and maintain a uniform tension therein, means to direct the band as it passes to and from said drums into the plane of said whorls, and means acting to maintain said tensioning pulleyin axial parallelism with said driving drums and permit it to move bodily in a vertical line.

3. Ina ring spinning frame, a stationary ring rail, groups of spindles provided with bobbins and having whorls in a common plane, a support therefor movable to form a mass of yarn on said bobbins during the spinning operation, a single band'to drive each group of spindles, two driving drums rotatably mountedon a fixed part of the frame situated remote from the plane of said whorls, a tensioning pulley engaging said band as it passes from one drum to the other and acting to form a loop in the band between the two drums and maintain the band at a uniform tension as said supportmoves, means to maintain said tensioning pulley in axial parallelism with said drums and permit it to move bodily in a vertical line, and,

means on said support acting to direct the band into the plane of said whorls.

4. In a ring spinning frame, a stationar" ring rail, groups of spindles provided with whorls in a common plane, a support there- :tor movable relatively to said ring rail to :lorm a mass of yarn on said spindles, two driving drums rotatably mounted on a fixed part oi? the frame situated remotely from the plane of said w'hin-ls, a single band to drive each group oi? spindles, a tensioning pulley engaging said band as it passes from one drum to the other and acting to form a loop in the band between the two drums and maintain a uniform tension therein as said sup port moves, and idler drums engaging simultaneously each of said hands to direct them as they pass to and from said driving drums in to the plane of said whorls.

5. In a ring spinning frame, groups of spindles llilViIltzj whorls in a common plane, a single driving band for each group, a driving drum situated outside the plane of said whorls over which the band passes, idler drums engaging simultaneously each of said hands to direct them as they pass to and from the driving drum into the plane of said whorls, and means acting to drive said idler drums from said driving drum at a constant speed and counteract any action of the spindle bands to vary that speed thereby to equalize the speed of all the spindle bands.

(3. In a spinning "frame groups of spindles having whorls in a common plane, a single spindle drivin g band for each group, a driving drum situated outside the plane of the whorls over which the band passes, two idler drums engaging each of said bands simultaneously to direct them into the plane of said whorls, one or more auxiliary bands passing over said driving drum and engaging said idler drums to drive them at a constant speed and counte act any action of the said spindle bands to vary that speed thereby to equalize the speed of all the spindle bands.

7. In a spinning frame groups of spindles F having whorls in a common plane, a single spindle driving band for each group, a driving drum situated outside the plane of the whorls over which the band passes, two idler drums engaging each of said bands sin1ul taneonsly as they pass to and from said driving drum to direct them into the plane of said whorls, one or more auxiliary bands passing over the driving drum and engaging said idler drums acting to drive them at a constant speed and counteract any action of the spindle bands to vary that speed thereby to equalize the speed of all the spindle bands, and idler pulleys associated with each idler drum around which the auxiliary bands pass as they leave or approach said idler drums to provide a continuous path therefor which enihraces both idler drums.

8. In a spinning frame groups of spindles having whorls in a common plane, a single spindle driing band for each group, two

driving drums situated outside the plane of said whorls over which said bands pass, a tensioning pulley for each band engaging the hand between said driving drums acting to maintain a uniform tension therein, two idler drums engaging each of said bands simultaneously to direct them into the plane of said whorls, one or more auxiliary bands passing over said driving drums and engaging said idler drums acting to drive them at a constant speed and counteract any action of the spindle bands to vary that speed thereby to equalize the speed of all of said spindle bands and idler pulleys associated with each idler drum around which the auxiliar bands pass as they leave or approach the id er drums to provide a continuous path 1 therefor which embraces both idler drums.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ANTHON AMBYE.

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