Improvements in Cloth Shearing or Cropping Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Jan., 1894-Accepted, 24th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cloth Shearing or Cropping Machines.
I, ERNST GESSNER of Aue, in the Kingdom of Saxony, Machine Builder, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to machines used for shearing or cropping fabrics in which
helical cutters on a revolving cylinder work against a stationary cutter, the fabric
being subjected to the action by being drawn over a guide so as to pass close to
the stationary and revolving cutters.
My improvement consists in applying two stationary cutters to one helically-
bladed revolving cylinder and so guiding the fabric that is subjected to the
cropping action at two points simultaneously, thus obtaining the same amount of
work by one cylinder as would be obtained by two ordinary cylinders. To obtain a
still greater rate of production, several cutting cylinders may be employed in one
machine, each acting in combination with two stationary cutters.
In order to guide the fabric so as to subject the same to the cutters and at the
same time regulate the cut in a simple manner, I employ a guard plate applied to
the stationary cutter in such a manner that the fabric passing the cutters will slide
over the guard plate which by its thickness keeps the fabric somewhat distant
from the edge of the stationary cutter, so as to ensure that only a certain length
of the nap shall be subjected to the cutting action. By adjusting this guard plate
so as to bring its edge, which is bevelled or tapered, nearer to, or farther from;
the acting edge of the stationary cutter, the cut can be so regulated as to shear off
more or less of the length of the pile or nap as may be required.
By employing this guard plate, the ordinary guide or rest, as hitherto used, may
be dispensed with.
Owing to the guard plate keeping the fabric away from the cutter edge, any
unevenness of the fabric can pass without risk of being damaged. For instance,
the seam (where the piece-ends are stitched together) when stitched in such a way
that the projecting piece-ends are turned downwards or away from the cutting
cylinder, can be passed over the cutters, without necessitating the lifting of the
cutting cylinder off the fabric, as hitherto practised.
The guard plate may be held against the stationary cutter by springs and its
adjustment with regard to the acting edge of said cutter may be effected by
radius levers connected by pin and slot to the ends of the guard plate and carried
by a shaft adjusted circularly by worm or other motion. Instead of adjusting the
guard plates along the surface of the cutter, they might be adjusted in a direction
at right angles thereto, so as to regulate the cut and, instead of such guard plates,
ordinary guides or rests may, in some cases, be used.
The two stationary cutters may be arranged at diametrically-opposite points,
say, the one above and the other beneath the revolving cutter cylinder and are
mounted on supports adjustable horizontally and vertically by means of adjusting
screws. The fabric passes over guide rollers, suitably arranged to present it first
to the one and then to the other points of cutting action, and it is acted on before
passing to the first point of cut by a rotary raising brush and before passing to
the second point of cut by two rotary brushes, the one for laying and the other for
raising the nap, these last mentioned brushes being clothed with plush or pile
fabric instead of bristles.

page_text: A lubricating leather is applied to bear against the cutters of the revolving
cylinder, said leather being fixed in a slit-tube to which oil is supplied.
Dated this 20th day of April 1893.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
E. GESSNER,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Improvements in Cloth Shearing or Cropping Machines.
I, ERNST GESSNER of Aue in the Kingdom of Saxony, Machine Builder,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention relates to cloth shearing and cropping machines in which helical
cutters on a revolving cylinder work against a stationary cutter, the fabric being
drawn over a guide so as to present its pile or nap to the action of the stationary
and revolving cutters.
My invention consists, first, in the combination, with a single helically-bladed
revolving cutting cylinder, of two or more stationary cutters or ledger blades
whereby the shearing action of the cylinder is multiplied and the working capacity
of the machine correspondingly increased.
The invention consists, secondly, in the combination, with each stationary
cutter or ledger blade, of an adjustable guard plate whereby to regulate the
cropping action by varying the distance at which the fabric passes the cutting
edges.
Reference is to be had to Sheets 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings,
forming part of this Specification Figures 1 and 2 of which represent vertical
sectional elevations of a cloth-shearing or cropping machine provided with my
improvements.
Cis the cutting cylinder provided with helical cutters F acting in combination
with two stationary cutters or ledger blades M and M¹ the cutter M being in the
usual position below the cylinder C and the cutter M¹ being above the cylinder.
This relative arrangement of the cutters is, however, not essential as they might
be otherwise disposed with regard to the cylinder and more than two might be
used with one cylinder. The cutters M M' are fixed to their respective supporting
bars S S¹ placed the one behind, and the other in front of, the cylinder C and
adjustably secured by means of screws, the. blades being oppositely directed so as
to present their cutting edges in the same direction with regard to the motion of
the cylinder.
Referring to Figure 1, the fabric, represented by the broken lines, is drawn
through the machine by the ordinary means in the direction of the arrow, being
guided by rollers W W W W W whereby it is caused to pass beneath and over
the cutting cylinder C so that its nap is presented first to the cutting action of the
revolving cutters F and 'stationary cutter M and then to the action of the same
cutters F and the other stationary cutter M. Before passing the guide roller W
the pile of the fabric is raised by a brush roller B and two other rollers B¹ B³ are
arranged to act on the fabric before and after passing the guide roller W2, the one
for laying and the other for raising the nap or pile. The last mentioned rollers
being of small diameter are covered with plush or pile fabric instead of bristles.
L is a lubricating leather bearing against the cutters F and fixed in a slotted
tube containing oil. N N' are the guard plates respectively applied to the two

page_text: stationary cutters M M', the fabric being so guided by rollers W₁ and W³ that it
will be caused to slide over the outer surfaces of these guard plates. The roller W
is mounted in adjustable bearings, in order that it may be set at the proper position
to bring the fabric into such relation to the stationary cutter M as to enable the-
guard plate N to come into action to regulate the cutting action as next described.
The guard plates N'N₁ are bevelled at their front edges and are adjustable with
regard to the cutting edges of the stationary cutters M so as to cause the fabric to.
pass at a greater or less distance from the cutting edge, the two guard plates as
represented being differently adjusted. The plate N is shewn as set as close as
possible to the cutting edge of M so as to interpose the full thickness of its bevelled
edge and keep the fabric so far clear that only the tips of the fibres composing the
nap are cut, whilst N' is drawn so far back that the fabric passes in contact with
the cutter M' and the nap or pile is fully subjected to the cutting action. The
thickness of the guard plates N N' would depend on the length of the pile or nap
and they may be readily changed to suit the fabric operated on.
The plate N is fixed in a longitudinal groove in a shaft W journaled in.
brackets K and adjusted in the circular direction by worm gear st whereby the
acting edge of the plate N can be moved towards or away from the blade M and be
adjusted at any distance therefrom as may be required for producing a certain,
shearing effect.
The other guard plate N¹ rests on the ledger blade M' by its own weight and
is provided with tail pieces p' at each end, having studs engaging in slotted lever
arms H' on a rock shaft V₁ adjusted by worm and pinion st.
It will be evident that the guard plates N N₁ may either be adjusted in a
direction parallel to the plane of stationary cutter in a direction perpendicular to-
that plane so as to hold the fabric more or less distant from the cutting edge,.
the function of said guard plates being in either case the opposite of that of the
spring-bed commonly used to hold the fabric up to the cutters.
For certain purposes, especially for shearing plushes, velvets, and similar long.
pile fabrics and for presenting the fabric to the cutters in the most practical
manner, I prefer the arrangement shewn in Figure 2 in which, in lieu of the
guard plates holding the fabric more or less away from the cutters, adjustable-
beams or horses are used to hold the fabric up to the cutters. The lower beam
consists of a plate A fixed in a radial longitudinal groove in a shaft We provided
with a counterweighted lever arm E and journalled in hangers R which are fixed
adjustably to the machine frame by slot and screw z so as to admit of adjusting
the horse A in a radial direction to and from the cylinder C, its adjustment in a
tangential direction to the cylinder being effected by moving it about the shaft W®.
as a centre by means of a set screw u. The horse A is shewn in full lines in its
The fabric
ordinary position as held by the counterweight G against the screw u.
passes, in the direction of the arrow, over the guide roller W' whereby the seamed
ends (ie. two piece ends stitched together) are turned downwards so as to come
against the edge of the horse A which being free to rock about shaft WⓇ yields to
the pull of the cloth, as shewn in dotted lines, carrying the cloth away from the
cylinder so avoiding injury to both, the weight returning the horse to its original
position after the seam has passed, the action being repeated each time the seam
passes. The upper horse A¹ is a bar extending across the machine and fixed to
arms Epivoted about shaft O' which is threaded so as in conjunction with tube O
acting as a distance piece to apply tension to the bar A' in the same way as a saw-
blade is stretched. The ends of the shaft are journaled in eccentric bearings e¹
adjustable in brackets R' fixed to S¹ so that by turning the eccentric bearings the
horse A is adjusted in the radial direction whilst its adjustment in the tangential
direction to the cylinder C is effected by the set-screw u¹. On the passage of the
seam the action is the same as before described. It is to be observed that in neither
case may the edge of the horse be in the line of centres of the cylinder C and the
shaft about which the horse rocks.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a cloth-shearing or cropping machine, the combination, with one rotary
helically-bladed cutting cylinder, of two or more stationary cutters arranged to act
in conjunction with the helical cutters at different points in the circumference of
the cylinder, substantially as specified.
2. In a cloth-shearing or cropping machine, the combination, with the stationary
cutter or ledger blade, of a guard plate interposed between the stationary cutter
and the fabric and adjustable with regard to the cutting edge so as to determine
the distance of the fabric therefrom and so regulate the cutting action, substantially
as specified.
3. In a cloth-shearing or cropping machine, the combination, with the stationary
cutter or ledger blade of a guard plate interposed between the stationary cutter
and the fabric, the said guard plate being adjustable towards or away from the
cutting edge either in a direction parallel to the plane of the stationary cutter or at
right angles thereto, and of means for effecting such adjustment, consisting of a
worm-actuated rock shaft, substantially as specified.
4. A shearing or cropping machine in which the fabric is presented to the
cutters by a beam or horse adjustable in a direction approximately radial to the
cutting cylinder and capable of rocking about an axis parallel to said cylinder as
and for the purpose specified.
E. GESSNER,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.