RICHARD ARKWRIGHT

EARLY LIFE

• Born in 1732 in Preston, UK.
• His Father was a tailor.
• Could not afford to go to school, so his cousin taught him to read and write.

EARLY WORK

• Began working as an apprentice barber.
• After his wife died, he became an entrepreneur.
• After his second marriage, he expanded his barber business.
• During this time, he became interested in mechanical textile inventions.

Textile Advancements

• Worked with John Kay to improve the mechanical spinning machine.
• New machine produced stronger yarn and required less physical labor.
• Constructed a horse-driven spinning mill in Preston.

Textile Advancements

• He improved the process of yarn manufacturing and made it more efficient, increasing profits.
• He used James Watt's steam engine to pump water to the millrace of a water wheel.
• From the combined use of these, the power loom was developed.

Later Life

• He was knighted in 1786.
• Established factories in Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Lancashire, and Scotland.
• He became a wealthy man, and died on August 3, 1792.

Spinning Frame

• One of his most notable inventions was created with John Kay.
• It was called the Water Frame.
• He patented it in 1769.
• Contained three sets of rollers that turned it different speeds to produce yarn of the correct thickness.
• Had a set of spindles that twisted the fibers firmly together.
• The thread produced was much stronger than that of the spinning jenny.

Water Frame

• This invention was too large to be operated by hand, so he decided to use the water wheel.
• In 1771, Richard set up a factory with the water wheel and water frame.
• It was originally called the spinning frame, and after being powered by the water wheel, it became the Water Frame.

Works Cited

• http://peoplecheck.de/s/richard+arkwright
• http://inventors.about.com/od/indrevolution/ss/Industrial_Revo_5.htm
• http://spartacus-educational.com/TEXframe.htm
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/arkwright_richard.shtml