IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TENTERING AND STRETCHING CLOTHS OR FABRICS
Year: 1844

page_text: SMITH'S SPECIFICATION:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN-
SMITH, of Bradford, in the County of York, Worsted Spinner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present, most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eighteenth day of April, in the seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give. and grant unto me, the said
John Smith, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Smith, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others.as
I, the said John Smith, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TENTERING AND STRETCHING
CLOTHS OR FABRICS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that
I, the said John Smith, shall cause a particular description of the nature of.
my-said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more..
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said.
John Smith, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention," and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being. had to the

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF STRETCHING MACHINE.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of the machine, and Figure 2 a side elevation,
looking at the side where the cloth is delivered; both these shew the brick
chamber in which the machine is placed in section, and also the fireplace
below. Figure 3 is a ground plan of the machine, and Figures 4 to 12 are
separate parts drawn on a larger scale. In the following description the same
letters and numbers refer to the same parts in all these Figures: a, a, &c. is the
end framing 6, 6, 61, 61, &c., and 62 are cross bars connecting these together.
c, c, &c. are two plates or cheeks which slide freely on the bars 6, the weight
of them being carried on the bar 6 by the runners c³, which enables them to
be easily moved out or in on these bars. d, d, &c. is an upright shaft, which
works in bearings attached to the bars 6 and 63; there is fixed on the shaft
da worm wheel dinto which the worm d² on the shaft takes, and dis
a handle on the shaft d, by means of, which the shaft d can be moved round
in either direction. On the shaft d. are fixed pinions do, which take into
racks, attached to the plates c; these racks being fixed, so that, when the
shaft. d. revolves in one direction, the plates, care both made to approach the
shaft d; and when it revolves in the opposite direction both to recede from it.
Each of the, plates; c has an endless groove around it, shewn in front in
Figures 4 and 7, in cross section in Figure 6, and in vertical section.in
Figures 5 and 8. These grooves are filled by links c; shewn separate on a
larger scale, Figures, 9, 10, and 11, which slide freely in the grooves, but are
prevented from being pulled out by the strain on the tenters: by the plates, a¹,
screwed on each side of the "grooves, by bolts. The ends of the links fit
against each other so as to form a continuous line, and to them are attached
with lines of small pins or tenters in them. Each link has two round
which, when they are in the grooves, take into the teeth of
plates
pins,
the wheels and c³. These wheels are formed with two sets of, teeth,
which take the pins c, but form a space between them for the body
of the link, to pass round.. The wheels are made to move freely
on studs, fixed in the sliding plates c, and these plates are pressed up by
the weights attached to the levers c, these levers being supported on a
stud fixed in the plates The effect of this is, to keep the links in the whole
of the part of the groove
endways in contact with each other, and of course to form a continuous line of
tenter, pins in all that part.. The wheels c', taking into the pins c when they
above the acting teeth 'of the wheel c. tight up

page_text: are caused' to revolve in the direction" of the arrows by the shaft e, push the
whole of the links in the grooves round "before them 'as far as the delivering
side of the wheels c³; between which and the taking-in side of the
wheels'c' there' is a small part of the grooves not filled. Here a drop of the
links therefore takes place as they are delivered by the wheels and this
drop allows for any unequal éxpansion between the links and the plates, the
levers always moving enough to keep the part of the groove above the.
wheel' c quite full. Each of the plates c, c,'is'in two parts, which are hinged
together at o, so that whilst the longer parts of the two plates above these
hinges are set parallel to each other, the lower ends c, where the cloth to be
stretched is put on, may be'set' as much" nearer each other' as is required to
give the necessary stretch to it whilst it is passing from c¹s to the hinges o.
The lowest pair of racks are attached to the side plates c by screws e¹,"'as:
shewn detached, Figure 12. This gives the means of setting the lower ends
of the plate c'to any required angle without interfering with the 'side" motion
communicated to them by the upright shaft d. The wheels care supported
by' and move freely on hollow"sockets attached to the plates c, and "have
motion communicated to them from the shaft e by the blocks or clutches f,.
which have keys let into them which fit into a groove cut "along the shaft.
These 'clutches are kept close to the wheels c' by the cross bars bolted
across the lugs, by which the clutches drive the wheels: The clutches have as
much play between the plate and the wheel as to allow the wheels' to be driven
freely when the lower plates care set at any required angle. The plates c³,
with the tenter pins in them, project past the groove, as shewn in Figure 6,
so that the cloth may readily be put on; and by means of the handle d', and
the apparatus connected therewith, the lines of tenter pins can be set to suit
any required' width of cloth. The shaft e, which is supported" at each end
from the frame a, a, has fixed on it the wheel g, which is 'driven" by the
pinion gon' the pulley 'or driving shaft g; to which motion' is communicated
by a strap from a steam engine or other power. The shaft ghas'on´it the
pulley g', 'round which a strap passes, which drives the shafts h and "by
pulleys fixed on them. The shaft his supported from the frame a, a, at each
end, "and has a groove cut along it. Attached to each plàté c'is' á brush h³,
which is kept' opposite the tenter pins by the cranked' fixing h³. 'The surface
of these brushes is in contact with the pins, and moves round in the same
direction in which they move, but' much faster, so as to clean them as they
pass. On the shaft hand attached to each of the plates c, so as to move side-
ways with them, is an excentric x, the hoops' of which are connected' by' the
rod x" to the lovers' a¹ working on studs fixed to the plates c. "To the opposite

page_text: ends of the levers are attached small brushes a; the motion of the shaft
gives these brushes a reciprocating motion, and they are adjusted so as to press
the cloth down on the tenter pins as it passes up; or in place of these flat
brushes cylindrical brushes may be used on axes, so that the chains with the
fabric may pass and press against the surfaces of such cylindrical brushes; the
fabric will thereby be pressed on the points. The shaft i is supported on the
brackets i¹, attached to the framing a, a. On it is a delivering roller, with
a small pressing roller placed above it. On the shaft i is hung the levers i³,
with a pair of rollers attached to them at it, &c., driven from the shaft i`by a
strap. These levers have à reciprocating motion communicated to them by
the shaft is, which has on it two cranks, to which they are connected by rods.
The shaft is is driven by a strap from a pulley on the shaft i. The cloth to be
stretched being laid on the table k is passed, as indicated by the red line on
Figure 1, round the rollers k¹ and bars ³, up to the curved part c¹³ of the
groove c³, where it is guided to the width of the tenter pins as it passes along
by a person seated at each side on the seat ³. The curve in the groove causes
the tenter pins to pass gradually into the cloth, which is more effectually
pressed down on passing up to the brushes before described. The piece of
cloth is then carried up over the top of the machine by the motion of the
tenter pins and down at the back, till it comes to the roller k, which is placed
so much lower than the hinges o, that the cloth will then be quite slack, and
easily pulled off the pins by the delivering roller is, before described. The
taking off the pins may be further insured by wedges placed in front of the
tenter plates which push the cloth over the pins as it comes down. From the
top delivering rollers the cloth passes down to those at the ends of the levers it,
by the motion of which it is folded up in the usual way.
Having now described the action of the different parts of the machine, all
that remains to be described is the provision for drying the pieces of cloth as
they pass over the machine. The upper part of the machine is enclosed in a
chamber, with an aperture at the top for the escape of the moist air. There is
a partition across the bottom of this at 7, and an arrangement of sheets passing
over rollers ¹, stretched by chains passing over pulleys 12, for closing the
aperture between the plates c, and also that between them and the framing a, a,
and at the same time allowing of the motion out and in of the plates c, c, there
being an aperture where the cloth on the tenter pins passes up to allow it to
pass clear.
m is a fireplace formed under the machine, the flue from which is
led into a pipe m², with several bends in it, on purpose to give sufficient
heating surface, and finally up through the straight pipe or chimney m².
There is an arch n, n, thrown over the fireplace, and a little above that another

page_text: arch n', leaving a passage for air between them. The bent pipes m² are
enclosed in a boxing m³, and the air from the aperture between the arches is
led up through this boxing in close contact with the pipes, whereby it gets
heated before passing at m* into the interior of the space formed by the cloth
at the two sides, and the two plates c, c. The draft caused by the height of
the chamber in which the machine is placed causes a considerable current of
air to pass through the boxing into the inside of the machine through the
cloth, and finally out at the aperture at the top, and consequently the machine
has a very great drying power. Where this draft is not sufficient a fanner
may be added to increase it. I would remark that I make no claim to any of
the parts separately; but what I claim is,-
First, the upright position and the tenters so arranged that having
ascended with the fabric they descend and deliver near the lower part of the
machinery.
Secondly, I claim the mode of arranging the apparatus c, c³, and c³, for
carrying the tenters or points.
Thirdly, I claim the mode of arranging the tenter points that in passing the
curve at the upper part of the machine a line drawn through the points shall
not be longer or shorter than when the points are in a straight line; and,
Fourthly, I claim the mode of suspending the tenter machinery on a bar 6*
by the wheels or pulleys c³, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Smith, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
OTT