Patent GB-440191-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in the manufacture of composite sheet material consisting of or including adhesively bound yarns
IPC: D04H3/12
Filed: 1934-06-14
Abstract: 440,191. Fabrics composed of threads united by adhesives; compound sheet materials ; coated fabrics. MORTON, J., Tuethur, Carlisle. June 14, 1934, No. 17583. [Class 140] Apparatus for the production of composite sheet material consisting of or including yarns, threads &c. bound by adhesive comprises an endless flexible conveyer which carries a plurality of weft-holders, e.g. cones, cops, bobbins, &c., in a closed path, an endless flexible clamping device driven in unison with the conveyer in a closed path the upper stretch of which comprises three sections, the first extending lengthwise of the material being produced in which yarn ends projecting from the weft holders are gripped by the clamping device, the second diverging to the limit of the width of the material in which the gripped yarns are drawn out, and a third section again extending lengthwise of the material in which the web of drawn-out yarns is conveyed in co-operation with the conveyer to a zone where the yarns are cut off as wefts and adhesively united to another travelling web or webs of yarns arranged as warps or of sheet material such as fabric or paper. As shown, bobbins 2, Fig. 5, of yarns A<2> are mounted in supports 3 attached to a travelling endless conveyer, e.g. a chain structure, and the yarns A<2> projecting from guides 4 attached to the supports 3 are first clamped in a groove in an endless flexible band 6 travelling around pulleys 9 and 10 by a cord 14 travelling around pulleys 15 and 16, then drawn out from the bobbins as the flexible band and cord are caused to follow a divergent path, and in the third section, clamped in a groove in a second endless flexible band 5 travelling around pulleys 7 and 8 by a cord 19 travelling around pulleys 20 and 21, and carried forward by the two flexible bands to a station where they are cut off as wefts by a rotary knife 11 and united to an adhesive-coated web, e.g. of warp yarns led under tension around rollers 26 and 22. A second web of adhesive-coated warp yarns may be supplied on the underside of the web of wefts. In a modified form the bobbins 2 are mounted between chains 1, Fig. 21, separated by spacers 200 and provided with rollers 201 which engage sprocket wheels 202 and203 and run on stationary tracks in the upper and lower stretches between the sprocket wheels. The yarn ends are held and guided by clamping reeds or combs mounted on the chain links, the clamping pressure being released in the upper stretch when a roller mounted on a spring-urged lever carrying the pressure pad engages a groove in one of the upper stationary tracks for the rollers 201, thus allowing the yarns to be gripped by clamps mounted on plates 214 and drawn out as the plates follow a divergent path by reason of rollers or blocks 224 mounted thereon engaging grooved tracks 222. The plates 214 are curved to fit around driven drums 215 and 216, are pressed against the drums by rollers mounted in a semicircular frame, and are provided with teeth 217 which engage with teeth 218, 219 on the drums. The clamps mounted on plates 214 are opened to receive and to release the yarn ends when a roller on an extension of a spring-pressed clamp-lever engages a stationary track at the bottom quadrant of each drum 215 and 216. The roller 22 on which the wefts are united to another web or webs may be heated and may be grooved as at 231 so that the outermost of the warps can clamp the cut-off weft threads. The adhesive may be selfvulcanizing rubber latex, rubber solution, or rubber mixture, guttapercha compounds, glue, cellulose regenerated from viscose &c., solutions of cellulose ethers and esters, e.g. nitrocellulose, or reactive artificial resin applied in solution and subsequently hardened. The adhesive may be applied to warps, if these are incorporated, by coating or immersion. When the material is manufactured and simultaneously embodied as reinforcement in a compound sheet material, the adhesive may be applied solely or additionally to the face material, e.g. paper, cloth, regenerated cellulose film. The adhesive may be applied to yarns which are dried and stored, and activated when required by heat and/or moisture. Alternatively the base fabric made of untreated threads may be embedded by pressure in a web of plastic material, e.g. linoleum composition. The web of wefts and other webs are united while passing over a drum 22, Fig. 5, or over an arcuate fixture which may have heating and cooling zones. The pressure may be applied by a flat plate or by weighted or spring-pressed rollers which may receive a to-and-fro movement, or by the tension of the warps. Where a web of wefts is inserted between two webs of warps, the united webs may be passed around two successive heated rollers arranged at opposite sides. In the case of fabrics made of yarns, threads, &c. only, the adhesive may be applied after the webs of warp and weft yarns have been brought together while in contact with the pressure bed, e.g. a drum or roller. For example, two webs of warps B, C, Fig. 17, and the web A of wefts are led around a roller 102 of glass, porcelain, or glazed material, the strongly-tensioned outer warps of the web B registering in grooves in the roller 102, and are impregnated with cellulosic solution such as viscose contained in a bottomless receptacle 120 which makes a sliding, substantially air-tight joint with the roller 102, the viscose being coagulated, e.g. by dilute sulphuric acid in a trough 111 and the fabric finally washed. The viscose is supplied through a float-controlled valve 123 and may be applied under partial vacuum conditions by withdrawing air continuously at 121. Sealing chambers 124 and 125 supplied with viscose under pressure, may be provided. A pressure roller 128 may be provided within the receptacle. The float may be arranged to make and break an electric circuit containing an electromagnetic device for operating the valve. Alternatively, rubber latex, linoleum mix, nitrocellulose solution, &c., may be applied from an open receptacle 130, Fig. 18, on top of the roller 131, provided with a spring-pressed blade or scraper 132, or with a roller, to remove excess adhesive. The web C in Figs. 17 and 18 may consist of sheet material or may be omitted. The material produced can be used for book-cloths, as a basis for rubberized fabrics or imitation leather. A fabric consisting of or including adhesively-united woollen yarns may be subjected to felting, the adhesive being subsequently expelled or retained.