Breaking-frame

—Here the slivers are planked , or spliced together, the long end of one to the short end of another; after which they are drawn out and extended by the rollers of the breaking-frame. A sketch of this machine is given in fig. 1212. It consists of four pairs of rollers A , B , C , D . The first pair A , receives the wool from the inclined trough E , which is the planking-table. The slivers are unrolled, parted, and hung loosely over a pin, in reach of the attendant, who takes a sliver, and lays it flat in the trough, and the end is presented to the rollers A , which being in motion, will draw the wool in; the sliver is then conducted through the other rollers, as shown in the figure: when the sliver has pa ed half through, the end of another sliver is placed upon the middle of the first, and they pa through together; when this second is pa ed half through, the end of a third is applied upon the middle of it, and in this way The lower roller C receives its motion from the mill, by means of a pulley upon the end of its axis, and an endle strap. The roller which is immediately over it, is borne down by a heavy weight, suspended from hooks, which are over the pivots of the upper roller. The fourth pair of rollers D , moves with the same velocity as C , being turned by means of a small wheel upon the end of the axis of the roller C , which turns a wheel of the same size upon the axis of the roller D , by means of an intermediate wheel d , which makes both rollers turn the same way round. The first and second pairs of rollers, A and B , move only one-third as quick as C and D , in order to draw out the sliver between B and C to three times the length it was when put on the planking-table. The slow motion of the rollers A , is given by a large wheel a , fixed upon the axis of the roller A , and turned by the intermediate cog-wheels b , c , and d ; the latter communicates between the rollers C and D . The pinions on the rollers C and D being only one-third the size of the wheel a , C and D turn three times as fast as A , for b , c , and d , are only intermediate wheels. The rollers B turn at the same rate as A . The upper roller C is loaded with a heavy weight, similar to the rollers A ; but the other rollers, B and D , are no further loaded than the weight of the rollers. The two pairs of rollers A , B , and C , D , are mounted in separate frames; and that frame which contains the third and fourth pairs C , D , slides upon the cast-iron frame F , which supports the machine, in order to increase or diminish the distance between the rollers B and C . There is a screw f , by which the frame of the rollers is moved, so as to adjust the machine according to the length of the fibres of the wool. The space between B and C should be rather more than the length of the fibres of the wool. The intermediate wheels b and c , are supported upon pieces of iron, which are movable on centres; the centre for the piece which supports the wheel b is concentric with the axis of the roller A ; and the supporting piece for the wheel c is fitted on the centre of the wheel d . By moving these pieces the intermediate wheels b and c can be always kept in contact, although the distance between the rollers is varied at times. By means of this breaking-frame, the perpetual sliver, which is made up by planking the sliver together, is equalized, and drawn out three times in length, and delivered into the can G .