Abstract: A skeining machine has a looping member arranged to move in an elongated endless track having recurvate ends with a pair of looping needles arranged within said path to have a filament looped thereon during revolution of the looping member about the path with one of the needles being a spinner needle mounted on a rotatable shaft at an acute angle extending away from the other needle, and the spinner needle being disposed adjacent one of the recurvate ends of the looping member path and having the root of the connection between the spinner needle and the rotatable shaft on which it is mounted being disposed between the path of movement of the looping member and the center of recurvature of the looping member path.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for forming a twisted skein in a filament for use in a coil winding machine without severing the filament. The apparatus is provided with a pair of spaced apart filament guides between which are located looping needles about which the filament is wound by a looping element carried by an endless drive member. When the required numbers of loops have been formed about the needles, one needle is rotated, causing the loops to be formed into a skein. An electromagnet wire tensioner and a closed loop automatic wire tensioning system are also described.

Abstract: A squirrel cage motor comprises a stator and a rotor, the latter having a pair of end rings and conductor bars interconnecting the end rings, the bars and rings being supported on the rotor core. At least one end ring is provided with at least two insulating gaps to divide that end ring into at least two separate portions. The rotor of the motor can be braked to stop at a predetermined position by applying to the secondary winding of the stator D.C., or A.C. of the same phase as that applied to the primary winding. A three-phase motor can similarly be arranged by providing at least three gaps in at least one end ring.

Abstract: Wire tensioning apparatus comprises a holder for a reel of wire and first and second tensioning elements arranged to be supported adjacent one end of a held reel. Each tensioning element has at least one annular surface, the annular surfaces on the two elements co-operating to define a non-linear circular passage along which a wire may pass generally radially inwardly, the wire entering the passage at any point in the 360.degree. arcuate extent of the passage. One element has a central aperture, so that wire may spill off a held reel, enter the non-linear passage and leave through the central aperture, tension being imparted by the wire following a zig-zag path as the wire passes through the passage.