Improvements in the Manufacture of Patterned Felt, and Apparatus for that purpose.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 18th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Patterned Felt, and Apparatus
for that purpose.
I, ALBERT PILARD of Sedan (Ardennes) France, Spinner, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of felt having worked into it coloured
threads or bands, either straight or undulating so as to form a pattern.
For this purpose a sliver from a carding machine has attached to it by cross
bars, threads or ribbons of various colours which are drawn along over rollers
along with the sliver and have placed upon then other slivers, the whole being
carried to the felting machine by which the throads or ribbons are securely
engaged in the fabric.
In some cases the fabric may consist of widths of sliver differently coloured
proceeding from a compound carding machine and these widths may be caused to
undulate by meaus of oscillating grooved rollers so as to make their edges engage
with each other.
After the slivers laid upon each other in any number of thicknesses desired,
along with the threads or ribbons, or it might be bunds, of open work having been
passed through the laying machine they are led to the folt machine in which they
are treated in the ordinary manner to constitute a patterned felt fabric.
Dated this 5th day of March 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Patterned Felt, and Apparatus
for that purpose.
I, ALBERT PILARD, of Sedan (Ardennes) France, Spinner, do hereby declaro
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to
bo particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Felted fabrics have heretofore been manufactured by means of fibrous materials.
the filaments of which after having been arranged parallel with each other by
means of a carding machine, form fleeces which are combined to any desired width
and length, and are then subjected to the felting process for producing a cohering
felted fabric.
Such felted fabrics are generally dyed in the piece, but only of a uniform colour.
According to my present invention I impart to folted fabrics a patterned
appearance by introducing therein or thercon threads or bands of wool, cotton or
other fibre or mixture of fibres either straight or undulating or diagonal in any
desired direction, and of any desired colour.
When it is desired to produce felts with different coloured bands instead of mere

page_text: threads I arrange side by side different coloured slivers or bands which are then
united for forming a continuous fleece in which the bauds are joined together
laterally without however being materially mingled with each other.
The application of the threads or slivers in the fleece is effected as the latter
leaves the carding machine. In order to afford increased adherence to these
threads or slivers to the fleece they are covered with a second fleece of wool after
they have been laid on the first fleece, such layer being very thin in order not to
hide the threads or bands from view.
The fabric is then felted in the ordinary manner.
The presence of these threads or bands in the fabric serves as a warp, which
imparts increased strength thereto and allows of its being reduced in weight.
By employing as backing a material of a different colour froin the face, various
novel effects can be produced.
Instead of applying separate threads or bands to the fabric an openwork tissue
such as lace may be used, which will farther increase the strength of the fabric.
The machine which I employ for carrying out the above described process is
shewn on the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shews a side elevation.
The introduction of the pattern threads or bands is effected upon the endless
apron M which passes over the cylinders N and O together with the woollen fleece
for forming the felted fabric.
The apron M is provided in its width with three or four small sockets serving to
receive and hold the two transverse bars R of thin steel or of wood serving to hold
the ends of the threads a that are to be introduced into the fabric. At the right
band end of the machine, where the wool fleece enters, is arranged a rack A
carrying a number of bobbins B containing threads sufficient for producing the
pattern required.
This rack is mounted on rails c and can be moved at will for introducing the
rous R to which are attached the threads a and also for facilitating the removal
of the fleece when finished.
On the rack are arranged several dividing bars H H' similar to the reed of a
loom; they may be arranged in two or more rows, and at distances apart according
to the position which the threads are to occupy upon the fabric.
The threads a are passed between these dividing bars H HI and against the
endless apron M. The adjustable stretchers E F G between the rows of dividing
bars impart any desired tension to the threads, according to the nature thereof.
If the
This arrangement of the threads is only applicable with felted fabrics that do
not require more than about 130 threads in a width of about 2.2 metros.
number of threads is greater there is advantageously employed a beam C on which
is coiled the warp a' which is to be introduced into the felt. This beam is mounted
in bearings on the rack A carrying the bobbins and is provided with a brako for
maintaining the warp threads at the required tension and for preventing a too rapid
unwinding. This brake consists of a flanged pulley over which passes a belt
carrying a weight g. In place of the dividing bars above described there may
he employed a cylinder having circular grooves through which the threads
are passed.
I also place on the endless apron, as near as possible to the last set of dividing
bars Ha heavy roller P which revolves by contact with the apron and which
serves to fix the threads upon the fleece which serves as covering, if any; it also
prevents the threads from being subject to excessive tension on the fabric.
The introduction of the threads is effected as follows. 1 lead on to the apron M
one or more layers of wool fleece, and I then place the threads a upon this layer,
securing them by means of the rods R as described, and the combined fleece and
threads are then made to travel along with the aprou until the desired length of
fleece bas been covered with the threads a.
The fleece and threads are then again made to travel round while a farther thin
fleece is laid over the threads.
When this is completed, the threads are separated from the rods R and the layer

page_text: of wool with the threads combined therewith is wound up on a roller at Q for
conveying it to the felting apparatus.
As above stated, the threads are applied as soon as the thin layer of wool
has been placed on the apron, so that they are almost in contact with the latter,
and as this possesses sufficient rigidity, all displacement of the threads in the
thickness of the layer is prevented.
The felting process then firmly combines the wool fleece with the threads which
are confined between two layers while appearing through the thin layer which was
first laid on the apron and which constitutes the face of the felted fabric.
For applying openwork fabrics such as coarse lace and the like to the felted
fabrics in place of threads, the same mode of operating as above described is
employed, the openwork fabric being coiled upon a beam, and being laid upon the
wool fleece as this travels along with the apron; or the openwork fabric may be
applied directly to the apron and the wool Heece laid upon it.
The fabric is secured by the rods R in the same way as the threads.
r
]
For producing felt ornamented with different coloured stripes I proceed as
follows. The wool fleece prepared in a carding machine is divided into bands or
slivers which are coiled on bobbins, and these, dyed of different colours, serve for
producing the felted fabric by means of another carding machine shewn in side
view and plan at Figs. 2 and 3. In a rack are mounted bobbins carrying the
differently coloured slivers or bands which pass thence on to an endless travelling
table from which they are led under a heavy cylinder J to a dividing apparatus K
consisting of a series of compartments of equal or varying width into which one or
more of the slivers are passed and from which they issue between the feed
rollers & that deliver the slivers on to a card cylinder L from which they pass
on to a second card cylinder M' receiving both a slow lateral to and fro motion and
a rotary motion.
This combined motion is produced as shewn at Fig. 4, the axis of the cylinder M¹
being provided with a sleeve c fixed thereon by a set screw and having a cam
groove d with which engages the end e of a fixed arm f' secured to the framing of
the machine. By the action of the cam grooved and arm f¹ the axis of
cylinder Min revolving has a to and fro motion imparted to it. From the
cylinder M' the wool is delivered on to a card cylindor P where it is acted upon
by a cylinder O having a lateral to and fro motion like M¹.
By the above described to and fro motion of the cylinders M' and O' the separate
slivers are spread out laterally and made to unite at the edges thus forming a
uniform fleece composed of bands of different colours, which is then farther acted
upon by the carding cylinder P'. Against the opposite side of the latter is pressed
a cylinder Q1 covered by a guard R for stopping the wind caused by the motion
of the machine. From the cylinder P' the united slivers forming a fleece are
delivered on to another carding cylinder U, and from this the striped fleece ✗ is
drawn by & roller Y which presses it on to the endless travelling aprou Z, being
acted upon by a revolving comb V in transit. The apron Z then carries the
striped fleece to the felting machine, or to the machine shown in Fig. 1 to receive
threads or bands before it is felted.
If it be desired to produce a fabric with stripes graduated in colour such as
white shaded to black, this may be effected by introducing into the one compart
ment of the dividing apparatus K, a white sliver, into the second, a sliver mixed
with 25 per cent. of black, into the third one, with 50 per cent. of black; into the
fourth one, with 75 per cent. black and into the fifth, one entirely black, reversing
this order again if it is desired to shade down to white again.
In this case, if the number of slivers required be very considerable, they may
be coiled side by side on a beam, as described with reference to the threads.
It will be understood that instead of or in addition to introducing threads running
parallel with the fabric as described, they may also be applied thereto in diagonal
directions thereby affording increased strength and diversified appearance to the
fabric.

page_text: Having now partionlarly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The production of a felted fabric combined with threads, bands, or openwork
tissues, by applying such threads bands or tissues on to a thin fleece supplied by a
carding machine, and then applying a second wool fleece ovor these, so that after
felting the fleeces the said thread bands or tissues are imprisoned in the felted
body, imparting thereto increased strength and an ornamental appearance, the
threads or bands being laid either parallel or diagonal to the fabric, substantially
as described.
2. The use for producing the felted fabric referred to in the preceding claim
of a machine constructed and operating substantially as described with reference to
Fig. 1 of the drawings in which a travelling apron carries cross bars by which the
threads, bands or tissues are secured to the wool fleece to which they are to be
united by felting.
3. The production of a folted fabric composed of different coloured stripes, by
placing different coloured slivers side by side and uniting them together by
spreading them laterally by means of laterally oscillating rollers, so as to become
united at the edges, such fabrics being if necessary strengthened by the application
thereto before felting, of threads or bands, substantially as described.
4. Effecting the union of the different coloured slivers referred to in the third
claim by means of transversely reciprocating card cylinders substantially as
described.
5. The construction of machine for uniting different coloured slivers side by
side for forming a felted fabric, substantially as described with reference to
Figs. 2 to 4 of the drawings.
Dated this 10th day of Cantambos 190K
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.