US3226923A - Brake for spinning and twisting spindles - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 4, 1966 E. MAURER 3, 6,9 3

BRAKE FOR SPINNING AND TWISTING SPINDLES Filed July 30, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR EUGE N H H U RE R BY id f fmw ATTORNEY Jan. 4, 1966 E. mu 3,226,923

BRAKE FOR SPINNING AND TWISTING SPINDLES Filed July 30, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent r 3,226,923 BRAKE FOR SPINNING AND TWISTING SPINDLES Eugen Maurer, Murrhardt, Germany, assignor to Spintex Sp1nnerei=Maschinenbau, Stiehl, Fromm & Co., Murrhardt, Germany Filed July 30, 1963, Ser. No. 298,638 Claims priority, application Germany, Sept. 28, 1962, S 42,727

Claims. (Cl; 57-88) The present invention relates to spinning or twisting spindles in general, and more particularly to an improved whorl brake for such spindles.

It is an important object of the invention to provide a self-centering brake for thewhorls or wharves of spinning and twisting spindles which is constructed and mounted in such a way that it may be readily connected to or separated from the supporting structure of a spindle to avoid interference with the work of an operator who is in charge of centering the spindle with respect to the spinning ring.

Another object of the invention is to provide a brake of the just outlined characteristics which is constructed in such a way that it can readily withstand repeated detachment from and reconnection to the supporting structure ofa spindle without affecting the accuracy and strength of its braking action and without necessitating dismantling of the remainder of the spindle assembly, which may be manufactured at low cost of readily available materials, which can be detached and reconnected without special tools, and whose braking action may be intensified or lessened as desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide a brake which is arranged to engage and to brake the whorl of a brake for spinning and twisting spindles which may automatically return to its idle position as soon as it is released by the hand of an operator so that the duration of the braking action may be selected'at will.

A further object of the invention is to provide a brake which may be readily installed in all or nearly all types of conventional spinning or twisting spindle assemblies without necessitating any or by necessitating only minor alterations in the construction of such assemblies. "Another object of the'invention is to provide a brake which will exert a strong braking action without necessitating human effort for such braking action excepting for moving it to braking position so that the braking action continues as soon as the brake is moved to its operative'position and until the operator decides to re turn the brake to its idle position. I

A further object of my invention is to provide a brake which may be produced at extremely low cost, which consists of a single piece of suitable wear resistant material so that. it may be rapidly connected to or separated from the supporting structure of a spindle, and which may be furnished withspare parts for certain of its sections which are'subjected to maximum wear whenthe brake is in usel With the above objects in view, one feature of my invention resides in the provision of a spindle assembly which includes a spindle arranged to rotate about a fixed axis and including a whorl having a peripheral surface,

supporting means adjacent to the whorl and rotatably 3,226,923 Patented Jan. 4, 1966 receiving a portion of the spindle, and a brake pivotably connected with the supporting means for movement about an axis which is perpendicular to the axis of the spindle between a braking position of frictional engagement with the peripheral surface of the whorl and an idle position of disengagement from the whorl. At least a portion of the brake consists of elastically deformable material and the connection between the brake and the supporting means is such that the brake may be separated from and reconnected with the supporting means in response to deformation of its material. For example, the connection between the brake and the supporting means may comprise a pair of coaxial pivots secured to or integral with suitable projections of the brake and complementary recesses or bores in the supporting means. It is also possible to reverse the position of the pivots so that the brake is provided with recesses or bores which receive pivots fixed to the suporting means. In each instance, the elas ticity of the brake should be sufiicient to permit with drawal of pivots from their respective recesses in response to elastic deformation of the material of which the brake consists.

I prefer to provide the brake with a pronounced handle and with a braking portion including two diverging braking arms whose internal faces may move into and out of frictional engagement with that portion of the peripheral surface on the whorl which is adjacent to the supporting means, i.e., if the axis of the spindle is vertical and if the whorl is disposed above the supporting means, the braking faces of the arms will engage the lower portion of the peripheral surface on the whorl which is adjacent to a bearing sleeve forming part of the supporting means for the spindle.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the brake consists of wear resistant elastically deformable thermoplastic material whose softening point is above the highest temperature which develops when the brake is in actual use.

The novel features which are considered as character' istic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved spindle assembly itself, however both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of certain specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a spindle assembly including a whorl brake which embodies my invention, a portion of the supporting means for the spindle being broken away and the idle position of the brake being shown in phantom lines;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the spindle assembly;

FIG. 2a is a top plan view of a modified spindle assembly;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a third spindle assembly which includes a different brake;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section through one arm of the brake as seen in the direction of arrows from the line IV-IV of FIG. 3; and 7 FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a fourth spindle assembly with a brake having diverging arms whose span is less than 180 degrees.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, the improved brake A comprises a handle 1 and a braking portion including two prong-like diverging arcuate arms 2, 3 which are integral with the handle. The entire brake may consist of a single piece of suitablethermoplastic material having a high coefiicient of friction and which is somewhat braking faces 6, 8 which may be moved into and out of braking engagement with the peripheral surface of a rotary whorl by engaging this surface at the opposite sides of the vertical axis of the spindle S, see FIG. 2. The extent to which the brake A may pivot with respect to the whorl 5 is determined by a third braking face 7 which is located centrally between the faces 6, 8 and which engages the peripheral surface of the whorl when the brake assumes the full-line operative position of FIG. 1. When the brake is in unstressed condition, the distance between the braking faces 6, 8 is less than the diameter of the whorl so that the arms 2, 3 must be deformed in order to move the brake to its operative position. In the illustrated embodiment, the faces 6, 8 are arranged to engage the lower portion of the peripheral surface of the whorl 5.

The arms 2, 3 are respectively provided with downwardly extending projections or brackets 9, 10 which carry coaxial inwardly extending horizontal pivots 11, 12 adapted to enter suitable recesses 18 in a bearing sleeve 13 which forms part of the supporting means for and in which a portion of the spindle S rotates. The sleeve 13 abuts against the lower end face of the whorl 5. The pivots 11, 12 and the handle 1 are located at the same side of a vertical symmetry plane 5' which passes through the axis of the whorl 5, and the braking faces 6, 8 extend to both sides of this plane when the brake A assumes its operative position. The bearing sleeve 13 is mounted on an apertured supporting plate 17 whose front edge 16 serves as an abutment for the handle 1 when the brake A assumes its idle position in which the faces 6, 7 and 8 are spaced from the peripheral surface of the whorl 5, this idle position being shown in FIG. 1 in phantom lines. Since the arms 2, 3 must move their respective faces 6, 8 away from each other when the brake is moved to its operative position, these faces engage the peripheral surface of the whorl with considerable friction to arrest the whorl and to automatically retain the brake in such operative position. The braking force may be augmented by pivoting the brake in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1, in order to press the central braking face 7 against the whorl in response to manual pressure against the handle 1. In other words, the face 7 and the edge 16 determine the extent of pivotal movement of the brake between its end positions. The arrangement is such that the arms 2, 3 may be pivoted between the fullline and phantom-line positions of FIG. 1 without interfering with the customary driver belt (not shown) which transmits rotary motion to the whorl.

The spindle assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2 operates as follows:

It is assumed that the brake was moved to its idle position (phantom lines) in which the faces 6, 8 are located at the left-hand side of the plane 5 and-that the operator thereupon desires to arrest the spindle. The handle 1 is grasped to pivot the brake in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1, whereby the faces 6, 8 move into engagement with the lower portion of the peripheral surface on the whorl 5 and move beyond the plane 5' so that the whorl spreads the arms 2, 3 and the frictional force of the thus expanded arms is sufficient to arrest the spindle. In other words, the resistance which the material of the brake olfers to expansion of the arms 2, 3 is sufficient to arrest the whorl and to thereby arrest the spindle as soon as the brake assumes the full-line position of FIG. 1. As explained hereinabove, the braking action may be enhanced by forcing the centrally located braking face 7 against the periphery of the whorl, and this centrally located face simultaneously limits the extent to which the brake may be pivoted in a direction away from the edge 16. As shown in FIG. 2, the pivots 11, 12 are received in the bores 18 with some play which is suificient to allow for automatic centering of the brake when the faces 6, 8 engage the periphery of the whorl so that the wear on the arms 2, 3 is the same and that these arms subject the whorl to a balanced braking action.

Since the material of the brake is at least slightly elastic, the pivots 11, 12 may be inserted into or withdrawn from the bores 18 without necessitating dismantling of the remainder of the assembly. All that is necessary is to exert upon the handle 1 a force which is sufficient to withdraw the pivots from their respective recesses or to spread the arms 2, 3 to such an extent that the pivots may snap into the recesses in order to restore the brake to the position of FIGS. 1 and 2. In connecting the brake to the sleeve 13, the operator merely places the pivots 11, 12 against the periphery of the sleeve and thereupon pushes against the handle 1 so that the arms 2, 3 are compelled to move apart until the pivots snap into the respective bores. Thus, the improved brake may be connected to or disconnected from its support with little loss in time, without necessitating any tools, and without necessitating even partial dismantling of the remainder of the spindle assembly. This is of particular advantage when it becomes necessary to center the spindle with respect to the spinning ring, a procedure which must be carried out at certain intervals and which is ditficult to carry out if the brake is connected to the support in which the spindle rotates. As a rule, a spindle must be centered at intervals of one or more months.

It must be noted, however,.that it is not always necessary to mount the brake A on the bearing sleeve 13. For example, the brake A may readily be mounted on a special washer which may be provided between sleeve 13 and plate 17 or the brake may be mounted directly on plate 17.

FIG. 2a illustrates a portion of a modified brake B wherein the arms 2B, 3B are provided with coaxial recesses in the form of blind bores 18B arranged to receive projections in the form of pivots 11B, 12B which are integral with or which are anchored in the sleeve 13B. Otherwise, the assembly of FIG. 2a is identical with that of the previously described embodiment.

It will be noted that the horizontal pivot axis of the brake A or B is located in the housing of the spindle. This pivot aXis extends between the vertical axis of the spindle and the handle 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a somewhat different spindle assembly which includes a spindle having a whorl 5 and a modified brake C having a handle 10 and two diverging braking arms 2C, 3C which are provided with a continuous braking face 19 extending along more than 180 degrees but substantially less than 360 degrees so that the end portions of this face 19 will extend-beyond the symmetry .plane 5' when the brake C is moved to its operative position in which the face 19 engages the peripheral surface of the whorl. The diameter of the face 19 is smaller than the diameter of the whorl when the brake C is in unstressed condition so that the arms 2C, 3C are forced apart when the brake is moved to its operative position. As in the first described embodiment,'the face 19 will preferably engage the lower portion of the whorl 5, i.e., that portion of the peripheral surface on the whorl which is nearer to the supporting means 13, 17, only the sleeve 13 having been shown in FIG. 3.

In order to insure that the brake C will withstand longlasting wear, I prefer to provide this brake with a liner 19L of wear-resistant elastic plastic material and to anchor this liner in the material of the arms 20, 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the liner 19L is T-shaped and comprises a rearwardly extending external rib 19 which is received and anchored in a complementary groove provided in the arms 2C, 30 and which may be welded or otherwise bonded to the remainder of the brake. The friction face 19 is thus defined by the inner side of the liner 19L. The liner 19L may but need not extend along the entire face 19, i.e., it is equally possible to provide two or three liners which reinforce the ends of the arms 2C, 3C and the the portion which is provided with the face 7 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2.

If desired, the liner 19L may be made separable from the remainder of the brake C so thatit may be replaced by a new liner after a Certain period of use. The manner in which the brake C is secured to the supporting structure of the spindle is the same as described in connection with FIGS. 1-2, or FIG. 2a. 7

It goes without saying that the handle 1 or 1C may be made longer or shorter and that this handle may assume another shape without inany way departing from the spirit of my invention. Thus, one may wish to use a stick shaped handle or a handle which asumes the form of an eye or hoop,,and it is equally possible to provide the handle with stiffening inserts in order to insure that it will withstand deformation at the time the arms are de: formed while moving intoor out of braking engagement with the whorl or at the time the brake is detached from or reconnected to the sleeve 13. a

While I prefer to utilize braking arms which consist of elastically deformable synthetic plastic material, it is equally possible to use a metal which is configurated in such a way that its arms will yield in response to engagement with the whorl, i.e., all that counts is to provide a brake at least a portion of which is elastically deformable in response to movement against the whorl and whose arms will return to their unstressed positions when the brake is pivoted inorder to release the whorl.

FIG. illustrates another embodiment of my invention which is of particular advantage when the brake should not remain in its operative position. The brake D comprises a handle 1D and a braking portion in the form of two diverging arms 2D, 3D which together form a semicircular structure extending along an arc of normally slightly less but not more than 180 degrees. The radius of curvature of the braking face 19D onthe arms 2D, 3D is less than the radius of the whorl 5 when the arms are not deformed so that the brake is partially deformed at the time the handle 1D is pivoted in a direction to move the face 19D against the peripheral surface of the whorl.

The brake-body with the handle may consist of thermoplastics while the spindle contacting friction parts 19 may consist of thermosetting plastics.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by

a braking portion having an arcuate face extending along an arc" of about 180 degrees and having end portions facing each other; and pivot means connecting said brake wit id supporting meansjso that the brake is pivotable about an axis which is perpendicular to the axis of said spindleflbjetween an operative position in which at least the end portions of said arcuate face engage the peripheral surface of said whorl and an idle position of disengagementfrom said. whorl, at least a portion of said brake COIISiSti Hg Of elastically deformable material and the arrangement of said pivot means being such that the brake may be separated from and reconnected with said supporting means in response to deformation of said deformable material. l

3. A spindle assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein said pivot means comprises a pair of elastically deformable brackets each having a first portion rigid with one of said arms and a spaced second portion, and a pair of spaced coaxial pivots each of which is rigid with one of said second portions, said supporting means being providedfWith a pair of aligned recesses spaced further apart applying current knowledge, readily, adapt it for various J applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be -comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is; I

1. A spindlev assembly for spinning and twisting machines, comprising a spindle arranged to rotate about a fixed axis and including a whorl having a peripheral surface; supporting means adjacent to said whorl and rotatably receiving a portion of said spindle; and a brake pivotably connected with said supporting means for movement about an axis which is perpendicular to the axis of said spindle between an operative position of frictional engagement with the peripheral surface of said whorl and an idle position of disengagement from the whorl, at least a portion of said brake consisting of elastically deformable material and the connection between said brake and said supporting means being such that the brake may be separated from and reconnected with said supporting means in response to deformation of said deformable material.

2. A spindle assembly for spinning and twisting machines, comprising a spindle arranged torotate about a fixed axis and including a whorl having a peripheral surface; supporting means adjacent to said whorl and rotatably receiving a portion of said spindle; a brake comprising a pair of diverging braking arms arranged to form than the normal spacing of said pivots and each arranged to receive one of said pivots when said brackets are sufiiciently deformed to permit said pivots to enter said recesses. I

4, A spindle assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein said pivot means comprises a pair of elastically deformable brackets each having a first portion rigid with one of said .arms and a spaced second portion, and a pair of spaced coaxial pivots rigid with and extending from said supporting means, said brackets being provided with aligned recesses normally spaced closer to each other than said pivots, each of said recesses being arranged to receive one of said pivots when said brackets are sufiicientlydeformed to permit said pivots to enter said recesses. l

5. A spindle assembly for spinning and twisting machines, comprising a spindle arranged to rotate about a fixed axis and including a whorl having a peripheral surface; supporting means adjacent to said whorl and rotatably receiving a portion of said spindle; a brake comprisinga handle and a braking portion having an arcuate face extending along an arc of about degrees; and pivot means connecting said brake with said supporting means so that the brake is pivotable with play about an axis which is perpendicular to the axis of said spindle between an operative position in which at least a portion of said arcuate face engages the peripheral surface of said whorl and an idle position of disengagement from said whorl, at least a portion of said brake consisting of elastically deformable material and the arrangement of saidpivot means being such that the brake may be separated from and reconnected with said supporting means in response to deformation of said deformable material, said play permitting the brake to center itself with respect to said whorl when said handle is actuated to pivd't said face into frictional engagement with the peripheral surface of the whorl.

6. A spindle assembly for spinning and twisting machines, comprising a spindle arranged to rotate about a fixed axis and including a whorl having a peripheral surface; supporting means adjacent to said whorl and rotatably receiving a portion of said spindle; a brake comprising a handle and a braking portion having an arcu ate face extending along an arc of more than 180 degrees but substantially less than 360 degrees, said face having end portions whose spacing is less than the diameter of said peripheral surface; and pivot means connecting sa-id brake with said supporting means so that the brake is pivotable about an axis which is perpendicular to the axis of said spindle between an operative position in which the end portions of said arcuate face engage the peripheral surface of said whorl and an idle position of disengagement from said whorl, at least a portion of said brake consisting of elastically deformable material and the arrangement of said pivot means'being such that the brake may be separated from and reconnected with said supporting means in response to deformation of said deformable material, said braking portion being deformed to permit frictional engagement between said peripheral surface and the end portions of said arcuate face when the brake is moved to said operative posi' tion.

7. A spindle assembly for spinning and twisting machines, comprising-a spindle arranged to rotate about a fixed axis and including a whorl having a peripheral surface; supporting means adjacent -to said whorl and fro-, tatably receiving a portion of said spindle; and a brake pivotably connected with said supporting means for movement about an axis which is perpendicular to the axis of said spindle between an operative position of frictional engagement with the peripheral surface of said whorl and an idle position of disengagement from the whorl, at least a portion of said. brake consisting of elastically deformable material and the connection between said brake and said supporting means being such that the brake may be separated from and reconnected with said supporting means in response to deformation of said deformable material, said brake having a pair of spaced braking faces whose spacing is normally less than the diameter of said whorl and which engage the whorl at the opposite sides of the axis of said spindle when the brake is moved to said operative position whereby such faces retain the brake in operative position.

a 8. A spindle assembly for spinning and twisting machines, comprising a spindle arranged to rotate about a fixed axis and including a whorl having a peripheral surface; supporting means adjacentto said whorl and rotatably receiving a portion of said spindle; and a brake pivotably connected with said supporting means for movement about an axis which is perpendicular to the axis of said spindle between an operative position of frictional engagement with the peripheral surface of said whorl and an idle position of disengagement from the whorl, said brake consisting of a single piece of elastically deformable synthetic material and the connection between said brake and said supporting means being such that the brake may be separated from and reconnected with said supporting frnans in response to deformation of said deformable material, said brake comprising a braking portion including two diverging arms and having a liner of wear resistant friction producing material arranged to engage the peripheral surface of said whorl when the brake assumes said operative position.

' 9. 'A spindle assembly for spinning and twisting machines, comprising a spindle arranged to rotate about a fixed axis and including a'whorl having aperipheral sur-. face; supporting means adjacent to said whorl and rotatably receiving a port-ion of said spindle; and a brake pivotably connected with said supporting means for movement about an axis which is perpendicular to the axis of said spindlebetween an operative position of frictional engagement with the peripheral surface of said whorl and an idle position of disengagement from the whorl, said brake consisting of a single piece of elastically deformable .synthetic material whose, softening pointis above the maximal temperature developing in response to fric-,

tional engagement with said whorl and the connection between said brake and said supporting means being such that the brake may be separated from and reconnected with said supporting means in response to deformation of said deformable material.

10. As anovel article of manufacture, a whorl brake for spinning and twisting spindles, said brake consisting of a single piece of elastically deformable synthetic plastic material and including a manually operable handle and a pair of diverging arms having portions facing each other and being arranged to move into and out of frictional engagement with opposite surface portions of the whorl of a spindle, and pivot means integral with each of said arms and also consisting of saidelastically deform-able synthetic plastic material for facilitating the connection of said brake to a spindle support.

References Cited by the Examiner M UNITED STATES PATENTS MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

10. AS A NOVEL ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE, A WHORL BRAKE FOR SPINNING AND TWISTING SPINDLES, SAID BRAKE CONSISTING OF A SINGLE PIECE OF ELASTICALLY DEFORMABLE SYNTHETIC PLASTIC MATERIAL AND INCLUDING A MANUALLY OPERABLE HANDLE AND A PAIR OF DIVERGING ARMS HAVING PORTIONS FACING EACH OTHER AND BEING ARRANGED TO MOVE INTO AND OUT OF FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH OPPOSITE SURFACE PORTIONS OF THE WHORL OF A SPINDLE, AND PIVOT MEANS INTEGRAL WITH EACH OF SAID ARMS AND ALSO CONSISTING OF SAID ELASTICALLY DEFORMABLE SYNTHETIC PLASTIC MATERIAL FOR FACILITATING THE CONNECTION OF SAID BRAKE TO A SPINDLE SUPPORT.

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