Improvements in or relating to Drying Paper and Textile Fabrics.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 12th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 11th Apr., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Drying Paper and Textile Fabrics.
I, RALPH SHORROCK of 135 Bauk Terrace, Darwen in the County of
Lancaster, Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in hanging-up machines for drying paper
and textile fabrics, and is designed to produce a positive travelling motion with a
variable throw or traverse by which the loops or festoons of paper and textile
fabrics may be increased or diminished at will to facilitate drying and give a
swinging motion that will prevent lapping when in a wet or damp state, and produce
a pause between each motion and a consequent moving of the paper or textile
fabric every certain movement of the triggers, tumblers, or balanced levers. This
I carry into effect by providing suitable longitudinal rails on which travel rods of
wood, metal, and the like, which are fed.to the machine automatically from the
paper or textile machine so as to carry the paper or textile fabric in loops or
festoons of variable or other pitch. The said rods after being placed on the
longitudinal rails are traversed by triggers, tumblers, or balanced levers actuated
from rods to which they are pivoted-operated by a connecting rod or rods from
a wheel or crank. The latter is provided with a slot to allow of the throw or
traverse being regulated at will. The triggers or tumblers are so balanced that.
when a full stroke is made they will on receding ride or slide over the rear rods
without displacing the same, and when the carrying rods make a forward stroke
they will push the same, thus carrying the paper or textile fabric forward to the
end of the machine, where the same is passed to a turn-table driven in any
convenient manner, from whence the same is delivered to a similar set of longi-
tudinal rails to carry the contents on the rods to the other end of the machine and
allow the same to pass to a batch or other roller; the rods dropping or falling
away as the paper or textile fabric is drawn by the batch or other roller. Each
trigger, tumbler, or balanced lever is provided with an arm or projection coated
with leather, india-rubber, or other pliable material, or otherwise, which operates.
on the underside of the carrying bars to prevent the pushing end dropping on the
rails carrying the travelling rods. The rails carrying the triggers, tumblers, or
balanced levers are carried by rollers mounted on rails attached to fixings secured
to the machine or otherwise. The carrying rails are supported by cross-stays, and
are operated by adjustable levers pivoted on centres suitably disposed to give an
uniform or other motion to cach side of the machine. The traversing rods or rails
are so disposed that when carrying the paper or textile fabric a swinging motion is
produced to cause the same to swing without lapping, thus facilitating drying more
readily and efficiently than hitherto. The machine is driven in any convenient
manner by means of fast and loose pulleys or their equivalents. If desired the
trigger rods may be fitted with compound levers operated by the aforesaid connecting
rod or rods from the driving medium.
Dated the 10th January 1894.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Drying Paper and Textile Fabrics.
I, RALPH SHORROCK of 135 Bank Terrace, Darwen in the County of
Lancaster, Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of my said 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 improvements in hanging-up machines for drying paper
and textile fabrics, and is designed to produce a positive travelling motion with a
variable throw or traverse by which the loops or festoons of paper and textile
fabrics may be increased or diminished at will to facilitate drying and give a
swinging motion that will prevent lapping when in a wet or damp state, and
produce a pause between each motion and a consequent moving of the paper or
textile fabric every certain movement of the triggers, tumblers, or balanced levers.
This I carry into effect by providing suitable longitudinal rails on which travel
rods of wood, metal, and the like, which are fed to the machine automatically by
endless chains from the paper or textile machine so as to carry the paper or textile
fabric in loops or festoons of variable or other pitch. The said rods after being
placed on the longitudinal rails are traversed by triggers, tumblers, or balanced
levers actuated by sliding or reciprocating rods-to which they are pivoted-the
said rods being operated by a connecting rod or rods from a crank. The latter is
provided with a slot to allow of the throw or traverse being regulated at will. The
triggers or tumblers are so balanced that when a full stroke is made they will on
receding ride or slide over the rear rods without displacing the same, and when the
carrying rods make a forward stroke they will push the same, thus carrying the
paper or textile fabric forward to the end of the machine and thence round a turn-
table driven in any convenient manner, from whence the paper or fabric and rods
are delivered to a similar set of longitudinal rails which carry the rods and their
contents to the other end of the machine and allow the same to pass to a batch or
other roller; the rods dropping or falling away as the paper or textile fabric is
drawn by the batcb or other roller. Each trigger, tumbler, or balanced lever is
provided with an arm or projection coated with leather, india-rubber, or other
pliable material, or otherwise, which rests on the underside of the carrying bars to
prevent noisy contact with the rails carrying the travelling rods. The rails
carrying the triggers, tumblers, or balanced levers are carried by rollers mounted
on rails attached to fixings secured to the machine or otherwise. The carrying
rails are connected by cross-stays, and are operated by levers pivoted on centres
suitably disposed to give an uniform or other motion to each side of the machine.
The carrying rods are so disposed that when carrying the paper or textile fabric a
swinging motion is produced to cause the same to swing without lapping thus
facilitating drying more readily and efficiently than hitherto. The machine is
driven in any convenient manner by means of fast and loose pulleys or their
equivalents. If desired the trigger rods may be fitted with compound levers
operated by the aforesaid connecting rod or rods from the driving medium.

page_text: carrying rods; the triggers, tumblers, or balanced levers; E the wheel or crank,
and P the sliding bars which carry the triggers.
The paper or textile fabric A is drawn forward from the printing or other
machine and is guided and fed to the drying apparatus by the rollers F and G the
roller F which is driven at a suitable speed being formed with ribs to grasp and
draw the paper or fabric forward. The rods C which carry the loops are in the
first instance placed in a hopper or slide R to the bottom of which they slip and are
successively removed by the pitch chain A¹ which carries_catches A³ which lay
hold of the rods C and lift them to the level of the rails B. The sliding bars I'
(two being on each side of the turntable K) are braced together in pairs on each
side of the machine by cross stays (not appearing in the drawing) so as to move
together. The braced or coupled pairs of sliding bars P are actuated from an
adjustable excentric or crank E on the shaft H. The pairs of sliding bars Pare
connected to the excentric E by a rod I. The result is that the bars P slide.
to and fro. The bars P are carried by wheels L on fixed rails M as shown at Fig. 4.
On the bars P, I pivot a number of triggers or pushers D each provided with a
counterbalanced arm J a projection from which extends beneath the bars P. A
perspective view of the trigger and arm appears at Fig. 5. This projection J' holds
the trigger D slightly clear of or only just touching the bar B and as the face of
the projection J' is buffed into leather, rubber or other soft material, the noise of the
dropping triggers, which, with so many operating at once would be a serious
nuisance, is prevented or softened. As each rod C is raised by the chain A' to the
level of the bars B it is carried forward by the auxiliary chain A' within the reach
of the first trigger D. As the greatest swing is necessarily given to the first loose
loop of paper or fabric as it is placed on the rails B it is desirable to take
precautions to keep the faces of the same from coming into contact by keeping the
loop as wide as possible at first.
I do this by means of the compound lever N N₁ and its tumbler D'. The double
lever N¹ is pivotted at N³ to a fixed bracket N°. The upper end of the lever N¹ is
connected by a link N to the sliding bar P, while the lower end carries tho
trigger D'. When the rod C has been placed on the rails B by the chain A³ the
sliding bar P retires, drawing the first counterbalanced trigger D over the end of
the bar C. On the return stroke of the bar P the trigger D pushes the rod C
forward along the bars B and then leaves it to return for the next rod, the first
loop of paper or fabric thus left being say twice as wide as the other loops (see
Fig. 1).
The forward push of the bar B by acting on the double lever N N₁ causes the
trigger D' on the end of the lever N to come behind the rod C just left by the first
trigger, and on the return stroke of the bar B (the other triggers being idle)
this trigger D advances pushing the rod C up to the same pitch as the other loops.
In other words there is a double action takes place between the first two triggers D
and D¹ the first rod C being advanced both at the forward and at the backward
stroke of the bars P, so that the forward push of the first loop is divided into two,
the whole distance traversed being equal to twice the traverse of any of the
succeeding rods C. By this means too close approach of the folds of the first loop
is prevented and smudging or sticking avoided. The movement of the succeeding
rods will be easily understood. At each backward stroke of the bars P the lower
ends of the counterbalanced triggers D hop over the ends of the rods C without
disturbing them but on the forward stroke of the bars P the triggers push the
rods C forward through a space of say about 8 or 9 inches, at the same time
imparting a swing to the loops or festoons which materially assists in drying them.
On reaching the separately actuated turntable K the rods C are carried round
thereby at the same rate of progression and started along the rails B on the other
side of the apparatus after traversing which the paper or fabric may be drawn off
to a batching roller or receptacle, the rods C dropping into a box from whence they
may be removed to be again placed in the hopper or slide R.
As each rod is carried up by the chain A' at the feed end of the machine it

page_text: comes beneath and loops up the paper or fabric A which is fed forward from the
printing or other machine at such a rate of speed as will form the proper length
of loop.
In some cases there might be another turntable at the end of the opposite side of
the machine so as to direct the rods C with their load to another set of supporting
rails and pushing triggers but this will depend upon the amount of drying considered
requisite.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. The general arrangement, construction, and combination of parts composing
the improved machine for drying paper and textile fabrics as herein before described
and as illustrated in the annexed drawings.
2. In combination with a machine for drying paper and textile fabrics the use of
the triggers, tumblers, or balanced levers D for the purpose specified.
EDMUND CHADWICK, F.I.C.P.A.,
Agent.
EDMUND CHADWICK, F.I.C.P.A.,
Agent.