294 



COTTON SPINNING. 



Cotton rail, and was retarded from moving as fast as the spindle 

 Spinning, fry fViotlon only. Had it moved as fast as the spindle, 

 , - 1- ' - '-' it is obvious it could not take up the roving. Again, 

 had it been stationary, the flyer would have had the ef- 

 fect of stretching and breaking the roving. The bobbin 

 therefore required a slow motion, and that motion to in- 

 crease gradually as the bobbin became full ; for the quan- 

 titv of roving taken up by the bobbin depends on the dif- 

 ference between the motion of the flyer, and bobbin 

 which follows it. But not having any proper means of 

 producing this varying motion, the weight of the bobbin 

 increasing, increased the friction, and thereby stretched 

 the roving, and consequently rendered the machine ina- 

 dequate to its proposed end. 



This objection is now obviated in the improved spindle 

 ■and flyer roving frame, by means of mechanism, which 

 communicates such motion to the bobbin, that it will 

 take up the roving just as fast and no faster than the 

 front roller delivers it. To effect this, it is necessary that 

 the velocity of the bobbin be altered every time the bob- 

 bin has a new layer of roving beginning to be lapped on 

 it, for the bobbin increases in diameter, and the velocity 

 of its acting circumference must at all times remain the 

 same. 



The mechanism, by means of which this change in the 

 velocity of the bobbin is accomplished, is different in dif- 

 ferent mills, or in different machines. We may shortly 

 describe the two methods most approved. 



In some machines it is produced by means of two 

 conical barrels of the same dimensions, but placed with 

 the larger end|of the one opposite the smaller end of the 

 other. The one of these barrels moving uniformly, com- 

 municates motion to the other by an endless strap, which, 

 by being shifted toward either extremity, varies the mo- 

 tion of tl>e other barrel. The belt, or strap, remains 

 equally tight in every part of the barrels, for the one bar- 

 rel increases in diameter exactly as much as the other 

 decreases. From the second barrel, motion is conveyed 

 to pullies resting on the bearer or rail BB, and having 

 the spindles passing through the centre of each. The 

 bobbins rest on those pullies, and are carried round along 

 with them. 



In other machines, instead of the conical barrels, two 

 wheels, having no teeth, but covered with leather, the 

 one bearing on the face of the other, moves it by con- 

 tact, and varies the motion, by approaching and re- 

 ceding from the centre of the face wheel. For a more 

 particular account of these two pieces of mechanism, and 

 other similar contrivances, see Buchanan's Essay on 

 changing the velocity of Machinery while in Motion. 



Although this species of roving frame requires very 

 accuiate adjustment, yet, from its merits in other re- 

 spects, it promises to be generally adopted in this import- 

 ant department of cotton spinning. 



The rovings prepared either by this machine, or other- 

 wise, are carried to the next operation, which in water 

 spinning is performed on what is termed the water spin- 

 ning frame. 



Water Spinning Frame. 

 We come now to describe the mater spinning frame, 

 nm"frlme" tae machine for which Sir Richard Arkwright obtained 

 ' his first patent. A general idea of it may be formed 

 from the preceding description of the application of the 

 spindle and flyer to roving; but as the thread in spin- 

 ning has sufficient strength to bear the drag of the bob- 

 bin, no mechanism for regulating it is required,, but the 



bobbin rests on the bearer, and is retarded by friction Cotton 

 from moving as fast as the spindle. Spinning. 



Fig. 5. is a profile of one head of the spinning frame. ~ " ,— - 

 Some use heads of four spindles, and others of six spin- rj/jxr/. 

 dies. A is the binder, or pulley, loose on the axle CD. pig. 5. 

 The binder is kept in motion by a broad belt from a 

 drum on an upright shaft of the mill work. E is the 

 list pulley fixed on the axle CD. In order to disengage, 

 or re-engage the axle CD from the list pulley E, and 

 thereby to stop, or set agoing, the head of spinning con- 

 nected with it, a contrivance called the locking bayonet 

 is used. It consists of a kind of fork abed, which pas- 

 ses through two holes in the list pulley E. The bayonet 

 is moveable upward and downward on the axle CD, 

 which passes through its collar b c. Around this collar 

 there is a groove, into which part of what is called the 

 lifter projects, and by means of which the bayonet is, by 

 hand, at pleasure raised or depressed. While the bay- 

 onet is in the situation represented in the Figure, the bin- 

 der A keeps running on its bush, and the axle CD is at 

 rest. 



In order to set the axle in motion, the bayonet is de- 

 pressed, and its legs a and d lay hold of two projecting 

 teeth, or pieces of iron, in a groove in the upper end of 

 the binder A. The list pulley E is thus locked or con- 

 nected with the binder, and it and the axle are carried 

 round together, and thereby motion is given to the 

 whole of the moving parts of the head. 



This contrivance of the locking bayonet is used for dis- 

 engaging the drums on the upright shafts of the mill- 

 work. It was also used in Arkwright's can, roving 

 frames, and various other parts of cotton machinery ; 

 but the contrivance denominated the fast and loose pul- 

 lies, or, as they are sometimes called, the dead and live 

 pullies, already described, has now in many instances su- 

 perseded the bayonet, to which it is to be preferred in all 

 situations where circumstances will allow, as by it the 

 belt carries the pulley into motion without any shock. 

 But a great improvement on the locking bayonet has of 

 late years been introduced. Instead of making it, when 

 thrown into gear, strike against permanently fixed teeth, 

 or a fixed clutch, it strikes against the ears of an iron 

 hoop, which embrace a fixed pulley. In consequence 

 of this construction, the machine is not suddenly 

 jerked into motion when the bayonet is let down, but 

 the clisp slips round a little until its great friction 

 gradually brings the machine into motion. See Bucha- 

 nan's Essays. 



The elementary process of drawing, (or further re- 

 ducing the roving into a size proper for a fine thread) is 

 performed in the spinning frame by fluted rollers, &c. 

 similar to those of the roving frame, but instead of two, 

 three sets of rollers are used, to which motion is given in 

 the following manner: On the top of the axle CD is a 

 pinion F, which works into a face wheel, represented by 

 a dotted circle, (in order that the rollers may be better 

 seen, of which a vertical section is shewn in the Fi- 

 gure,) fixed on the end of the front roller c, from 

 which, by a train of wheel-work, motion is communica- 

 ted to the middle roller/, and the back roller g. This 

 train of wheel-work is calculated to give the requisite de- 

 gree of draught, (usually about seven or eight.) Be- 

 tween the mid and back rollers there should be little 

 more draught than what is just necessary to begin to pull 

 the rove from the back rollers ; for it is found that the 

 thread is more even when the fibres are pulled by the 

 front rollers from between the middle rollers. The back 



Fig. 



