825,848. Winding yarn &c. on bobbins &c. SPECIALTIES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. Feb. 28, 1956 [March 4, 1955], No. 6129/56. Class 120(2) [Also in Group XXV] An automatic, semi-automatic or manually controlled machine for winding flexible filamentary material viz. yarn, filament, strip, ribbon, or wire, on objects having a generally "oval" cylindrical form with domed ends e.g. a receptacle or metal cylinder for storing fluid under pressure, to form a protective wall therefor, is operable to apply alternately and/or successively both hoop and end-over-end windings without disturbing the object. The machine comprises a support for the object, separate means respectively rotating the support, guiding the material, moving the guiding means in a continuous oval path, and operating this latter means to traverse the guiding means in a lineal path. As shown in Fig. 1, a shell C comprising a body B, domed ends E and a spud S (providing an inlet and outlet for the receptacle) receives a winding O of resinimpregnated glass yarn Y by movement of a roller 62 in a continuous path approximating the outline of the shell as the latter is rotated about its axis: as shown in Fig. 2, the shell receives a hoop winding H by traversing the roller in a lineal path (on one side of the oval path shown in Fig. 1) as the shell is rotated. In the machine shown, a main drive comprises a motor 26 driving a variable speed mechanism 32 whereby a shaft 27 may be rotated at a constant predetermined speed. A support for the shell comprises a rotatable shaft or spindle 34 having screw means for engaging spud S, a shaft 38 carrying a worm gear 41 engaging a wheel 42, and pivoting means associated with mechanism for rocking the support. Spindle 34 may have a bore 33 through which fluid under pressure may be introduced to prevent collapse of'the shell during winding. Shafts 46, 47, carry sprockets 50 which, with idlers 64, drive and constrain chains 51 to follow an oval path. Chains 51 carry a rod 52 connected to a rod 58 slidably received in a bore in an offset extension 57 of a ring member 56 carried on a rotating tube 54 through which yarn is supplied to guide rollers 59, 60, 61, 62: a protective plate 66 may be fitted. The drive for applying the winding includes gear change mechanism for rotating the sprockets 50 at high and low speeds in either direction. The speed change drive comprises a solenoid-controlled clutch 69 having a high speed (for hoop winding) input 70 from shaft 27 by sprockets 71, 72, and chain 73 and low speed (for end-over-end winding) input, from shaft 27 through the output shaft of a reducing gear box 75, sprockets 76, 77, 79, 80, and chains 78, 81, and having a variable speed output shaft 82: the direction change (driven from the speed change drive) comprises solenoidcontrolled clutch 84 having an input drive 85 from a shaft 86 through sprockets 88, 89, 91, 92, and chains 90, 93, a second reversed input drive 94 from a shaft 95 through sprockets 97, 98, chain 99, gears 100, 101, and an output shaft (the shaft 46). The support is mounted in selfaligning bearings comprising body members 104 seating in spherical members 106 each slidably mounted on a rod 107 contamination of which is prevented by pleated sleevs 108: the tilting arrangement comprises member 109 pivotally suspended on a rotating shaft 110 and rocked through links 112 by a rod 113 operated by cam mechanism 114. The links 112 may be formed in two sections connected by an extension joint 103 including a spring whereby, when the work support assembly contacts a stop 23 the shell C is rocked about a pivot nearer thereto than that of the member 104 to enable the shell to be tilted at an increased angle. The support drive co-operates with but is undisturbed by the tilting arrangement: the drive includes sprockets 115, 116, a chain 117 connecting sprockets 40 and 115, a spring-urgedidler 118 for taking up slack in chain 117 due to sliding movement of the assembly on rods 107, sprockets 119, 120, chain 121 connecting sprockets 116, 119, and a chain 122 connecting sprocket 120 to a variable speed drive 123 whereby the speed of rotation of the shell during end-over-end winding is co-ordinated with the angle at which the axis of rotation is tilted from its normal vertical position under the control of cam mechanism 114. A solenoid controlled clutch 126 has a high speed input drive 127 driven by a chain 128 connected to a sprocket 129 of the high speed output shaft of a high and low speed gear box 130 driven from shaft 27 by sprockets 131, 132, and a chain 133, and a low input speed drive 134 driven by a chain 135 connected to a sprocket 136 of the low speed output drive shaft of gear box 130. Cam mechanism 114 comprises a grooved drum 139 rotated from shaft 27 through a clutch-brake 144, a cam follower 145 mounted on a slide 146 having rods 113 linked thereto and supported on rods 147, a second cam follower 148 diametrically opposite follower 145 and mounted on a slide 149 having a gear rack 150 and supported on rods 151, and a speed control device for drive 123 including sprockets 152, 155, chain 154, 156, flexible straps 157, gear 158 meshing with rack 150 and rotating sprocket 155 to operate a control shaft 153. Input sprocket 125 for drive 123 is driven from the output of clutch 126 through a chain 160 and a sprocket 161. In one position, clutch-brake 144 connects the drum 139 for rotation by shaft 27 and, in the other position, acts as a brake to prevent rotation of the drum due to the thrust of rods 113 on follower 145. In order to apply alternately one or more windings of each kind until sufficient wall thickness has accumulated, clutches 69, 84 and 126 and clutch-brake 144 are operated in a predetermined sequence by an electrical circuit itself controlled by rotation counting or timing mechanism comprising a shaft 165 rotated in predetermined relation with shaft 47 through sprockets 167, 168, and chain 169, wheels 170, 171, 172, 173 mounted for rotation with shaft 165 and each having a dog 174 operating a switch 175, 176, 177 or 178, controlling counters which open and/or close control switches for the clutch solenoids, and wheels 179, 180 on shaft 141 each having a dog 181 operating a switch 182 or 183. In the operation of the control, Fig. 8, with a master switch 203 closed and switches 206 and 212 in the position shown, the machine is prepared for hoop winding: spindle 34 is rotated at high speed and the yarn applying means is traversed until it reaches the lower limit of the winding whereupon a switch 224 energizes a solenoid 221 to engage an arm 213 with a contact d thereby energizing solenoid 216: yarn applying means is then traversed to its upper limit whereupon switch 224 is opened and solenoid 221 is denergized thereby returning arm 213 to the position shown. After a set number of layers has been wound, switch 219 energizes solenoid 217 to move switch arm 206 into contact with b to prepare the machine for endover-end winding wherein spindle 34 is rotated at low speed and yarn applying means is operated at high speed to move in an oval path and the cam drum is rotated to tilt the spindle and progressively vary by small increments the spindle speed: meanwhile, an arm 214 engages d to maintain clutch solenoid 216 and, when a switch 220 is actuated, a solenoid 218 is energized to reverse switch 206.