Improvements in the Manufacture of Mosaic Floor Cloth, and Apparatus for that purpose.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application. 6th Oct., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 6th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 7th Sept, 1895
Improvements in the Manufacture of Mosaic Floor Cloth, and
Apparatus for that purpose.
I, WILLIAM MATHER, of Salford Iron Works, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Member of Parliament, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
"
My invention relates to the inanufacture of mosaic floor cloth by apparatus of the
following description.
I provide a bollow cylinder or drum the outer periphery of which is divided by
thin slightly projecting blades into spaces forming the complete pattern of the floor
cloth to be made, and, when floor cloths are to be made of various patterns, I
provide a separate drum for each pattern. The druin has edges projecting at each
side beyond the width occupied by the pattern and these rest on rollers, which
revolve causing the drum itself to revolve, the rollers or some of them, which are
driven from any suitable motor, being geared to the drum. I prefer to arrange
the bearings of the rollers which carry the drum in such a manner that the whole
can readily be removed so that a druin for a different pattern can he substituted
without dismantling the machine. In each of the pattern spaces of the drum there
is a metal plate which forms a moveable bottom to the space and has a stem
projecting through a hole in the periphery of the drum some distance into its
interior. Through the drum there pass certain stationary bars, the ends of which
are fixed to the framing on each side of the machine. The faces of these bars
which are presented to the interior periphery of the drum are curved and incline
so as to act as cams pushing outwards some of the stems which project through the
periphery of the drum, as these are carried over them by the revolution of the
drum. From three, four or more sets of suitable heated rollers situated above
the drum are delivered sheets of floor cloth material in a plastic condition. These
sheets which are differently coloured are led over suitable guide rollers and along
travelling aprons each in between the periphery of the drum and that of a pressing
roller which bears on the drum and revolves at the same surface speed. For each
separate coloured sheet of material there is such a pressing roller. The first sheet
of material, which for instance may be blue, is thus pressed into all the pattern
spaces of the drum forcing down their moveable bottoms. As the stems of these
pass over the first of the cam bars some of them are pushed outwards and the pieces
of blue material occupying the spaces to which these stems belong are thus
extruded and caught by the scraping edge of a trongh, froin which they are
removed to be again worked up into sheet. In like manner the next sheet of
material, say red, is forced into all the pattern spaces, those that are occupied by
blue material as well as those from which the blue had been extruded, and, as the
stems pass over a second cam bar, all those pieces of red material which are not to
appear in the pattern are extruded. Thus as the drum revolves all its pattern
spaces become finally filled with pieces of material or tesseræ of different colours
constituting the mosaic floor cloth, all these tessere being still separated by the
thin partitions. After passing the last of the pressing rollers, the drum presents
on its surface the complete pattern of floor cloth consisting of the tesseræ which fill
its pattern spaces all in proper relative positions and requiring no setting or
adjustment. A backing of suitable fabric is brought by a guide roller to bear on
the periphery of the drum and to travel along with it over part of its circumference

page_text: to a point where it is led off tangentially over a flat table to a pressing cylinder.
While the backing is held agaiust the pattern drum a cam bar. acts on all the stems,
extruding all thic tessera from the pattern spaces and pressing them on the backing
fabric. This fabric having been slightly stretched in width by tentering apparatus,
shrinks in width when released, and thus crowds all the tesseræ on it close together;
it then passes onwards carrying these between the pressing cylinder and several
rollers by the pressure of which all the tessere are compacted together and made
to cohere upon the backing so as to constitute a mosaic floor cloth, which is
conducted.away from the pressing cylinder to be operated on by suitable drying
and seasoning appliances.
According to a modified arrangement, each of the rollers which press the sheet
of plastic material against the drum. is provided with projections fitting and
accurately adjusted' to those pattern spaces of the drum which have to be filled with
tessere of one colour. As the sheet of material, say the blue, passes between the
drum and the pressing roller which has its projections arranged for the blue
figures.of the pattern, only the blue tessera are pressed into the appropriate pattern
spaces of the drum, all the other pattern spaces remaining empty, and the sheet of
blue material, from which only the blue tessera have been punched, passing away
to be worked up again. In like manner the tesseræ of the other colours are
successively punched from their respective sheets until the pattern spaces of the
drum are all filled with tesseræ, which are finally deposited on the backing as
above described:
In either arrangement, in order the better to ensure adhesion of the tessera,
the backing fabric before being stretched may be coated with suitable cementing
inaterial!
Dated this 6th day of October 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for Applicant.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Mosaic Floor Cloth, and
Apparatus for that purpose.
I, WILLIAM MATHER, of Salford Iron Works, Manchester, in the County of
Lancastor, late Member of Parliament, 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:
."
T
My invention relates to the manufacture of mosaic floor cloth by apparatus of
the following description:
I provide a revolving hollow cylinder or pattern drum the outer, periphery of
which is divided by thin slightly projecting blades into spaces forming the complète
pattern of the floor cloth to be made and when floor cloths are to be made of various
patterns I provide a separate druin for each pattern.
In each of the pattern spaces of the drum there is a metal plate which forms a
movable bottom to the space and has a stem projecting through a hole in the
periphery of the drum some distance into its interior. Through the drum there
pass certain stationary bars, the ends of which are fixed to the framing on each
side of the machine. The faces of these bars which are presented to the interior
periphery of the drum are curved and inclined' so as to act as cams pushing outwards
some of the steins which project through the periphery of the druni, as these are
carried over them when the drum, revolves. Three four or more sheets of floor
cloth material in a plastic condition, differently colored, are passed between the
periphery of the drum aud pressing rollers which bear on the drum. The first sheet
of material, which, for instance, may be blue, is tlius pressed into all the pattern

page_text: spaces of the drum forcing down their movealife bottoms. As the stems of these
pass over the first of the cami bars,isome; of them are pushed outwards and the
pieces, of blue material occupying the spaces to which these stems belong 'are
thus extruded and caught by a scraping edge and removed to be again worked up
into sheet. In like manner the next sheet of material, say red, is forced into all
the pattern spaces, those that are occupied by blue material as well as those from
which the blue had been extruded, and, as the stems pass over a second cam bar,
all those pieces of: red material which are not to appear in the pattern are
extruded.
- t
2
Thus, as the drum revolves, all its pattern spaces become finally filled with pieces
of material or tesseræ of different colors constituting the mosaic floor cloth, all these
tessere being still separated by the thin partitions.
After passing the last of the pressing rollers, the drum presents on its surface
the complete pattern of floor cloth consisting of the variously coloured tessera
which fill its pattern spaces, all in proper relative positions aud requiring no
setting or adjustment. A backing of suitable fabric is brought to bear on the
periphery of the drum, and to travel along with it over part of its circumference to
a point where it is led off tangentially over a flat table, which may be heated, to a
pressing cylinder.
While the backing is held against the pattern drum a cam bar acts on all the
stems, extruding all the tessera from the pattern spaces and pressing them on
the backing fabric. This fabric having been slightly stretched in width by
tentering apparatus, shrinks in width when released and thus crowds all the tessera
on it close together, it then passes onwards carrying these between the pressing
cylinder and several rollers all of which may be heated. All the tessere are thus
compacted together and made to cohere upon the backing so as to constitute a
mosaic floor cloth which is conducted away from the pressing cylinder to be operated
on by suitable drying.and seasoning appliances.
Such being generally the process of manufacture according to my invention, 'I
shall describe apparatus whereby the process is carried out in practico, referring to
the accompanying drawings.
Fig. is a side elevation of a machine according to my invention for manufacturing
mosaic floor cloth...
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the machine.
Fig. 3 is a plan..
Figs. 4 and 5 are sections, on plaues at right angles to each other, of the pattern
drum...
י
Figs. 6 to 11 inclusive are sections of part of the periphery of the pattern drum
shewing the reception and extrusion of tessera in the pattern spaces.
Fig. 12 is a front view of part. of one of the chains and of its inclined guide.
Fig. 13 is a transverse section of the guide.
Fig. 14 is a plan of part of the chain.
Fig. 15 is a transverse section shewing a modification.
! :
The machine shewn in the drawings is adapted for mosaic in three colours,
say blue, red and yellow but it is to he understood that, by suitable alterations and
additions, a machine. of this kind could be adapted for dealing with a greater number
of colours.
"
A is the framing, of form suitable for supporting bearings for the shafts and
other parts of the machine. C is the pattern drum and D the pressing cylinder
which are caused to revolve in the direction of the arrows with equal surface
speed, being driven from a prime mover by gear such as is shewn in the drawings
or by other suitable gear. The driving gear represented consists of fast and loose
driving pulleys E. on a shaft Ea pinion Eon which, gears with a wheel' E on a
shaft E, a pinion E on the latter gearing with teeth on the end of the drum C
and of the cylinder D.. The drum Chas its periphery divided by a number of
cutting blades e into spaces which may be of various forms and numbers, according
to the desired pattern of the floor cloth. In each of these spaces is freely fitted a

page_text: -
metal plate e' having a stem cpassing through a hole in the periphery of the drum C,
and provided with a spring to draw the plate inwards.
Outside the drum Care mounted in adjustable bearings three pressing
rollers CC C³, free to revolve; between these pressing rollers and the periphery
of the druin C pass sheets of the colored floor cloth material, one B say bline,
one R red, and one Y yellow. These sheets may come direct from suitable pug
and rolling mills, working in connection with the mosaic machine, or may come,
as shewn, from rolls of the sheet made elsewhere and mounted on the framing.
A littlo beyond each of the pressing rollers are provided troughs C* C* C* each
terminating with a blade which bears obliquely against the periphery of the drum C,
and with a suitable worm conveyor C which may be driven by a band from the
prime shaft as shewn in Fig. 1. .
Within the pattern drum C extending from side to side of the machine aro adjust-
ably fixed three bars H H H nearly facing respectively the troughs CCC.
There is also fixed in the lower part of the drum n har H. Each of the
bars H H H has on it projecting cam ribs sloped off at each end; these ribs are
arranged to coincide in position with some of the stems c2 of the plates c¹;
which have to be pressed outwards for extrusion of the tessera. The lowest
har has no ribs upon it but operates as an extrusion cam to press outwards
all the stems c³. One end of His pivotted, and the other end can be adjusted by
screw so as to bear more or less downwards upon the stems e² which pass
under it.
こ
The ends of the pattern drum C rest on rollers C and are provided, with teeth
which gear with the links of two pitch chains F. These chains pass over guide
wheels F F F and at one part of their course pass through guides F which
widen out from the wheels F¹ towards the wheels F, which are set further apart on
their shaft than the wheels F. The chains F after passing the pattern drum C
again pass through guides F' causing them to approach each other until they reach
the wheels F which are the same distance apart as the wheels F. Each link of
the chains has on it a set of sharp pins which project upwards from its side and
are inclined a little towards the chain. The pressing cylinder D has several
pressing rollers D1 D2 D3 D4 bearing against it with pressure that can be adjusted
by screws applied to their bearings. The cylinder D and the rollers 'D' D' D³ D'
are hollow and they have tubular trunnions with stuffing boxes for admission of
steam or hot or cold water, according as it may be desired to heat or cool the floor
cloth which passes between the drum D and the pressing rollers. From a roll
situated where convenient a sheet G of fabric intended to constitute the backing
of the floor cloth passes over tightening, bars and under a pair of brush wheels gl
which are situated immediately above the inner sides of the chains F which are
armed with sharp pins as above mentioned, these wheels g' pressing the edges of
the fabric G on the pins, by which these edges are firmly held.
The machine being supplied with the sheets BR and Y of the plastic. floor
cloth material, and with the backing fabric G, and having suitable power applied
to drive the fast pulley operates as follows:-The sheet B in passing between C¹
and C is entirely cut by the blades c into tessere which enter all the pattern
spaces in C as they pass under ", as shewn in Fig. 6 where Bindicates the
tesseræ. As some of the stems pass over the cam ribs of the bar H' as shewn
in Fig. 7, the plates c belonging to these stems are pushed outwards extruding all
the tessera except those which are te form part of the pattern, that marked B
in Fig. 7 indicating one of the retained tessera. In passing the blade at the edge
of the trough C₁ the extruded tesseræ are scraped, off into the trough and are
conveyed away to be worked up again into sheet. The sheet R in passing Chas
tessere cut from it entering all the spaces of C including those already occupied
by pieces of the previous sheet B. This condition is shewn in Fig. 8 where
Rindicates tlie tessere cut from the sheet R, one of them being shewn above the
previously retained tessere B!. In passing over the bar H2, its cam ribs cause
extrusion of all the R' tessera except those which are to form part of the pattern, -

page_text: as shewn in Fig. 9, where 'B' and R' indicate the retained tesseræ. The extruded
tessera are scraped off by the blade of C. The sheet Y' in passing C³ has
tesseræ cut from it entering all the spaces of C including those already occupicil
by the B and R tesseræ, as shewn in Fig. 10. In passing over the bar H³, the
tesseræ Y which over lie B and R', are extruded, leaving the spaces of C
-occupied each by a single tessera as seen in Fig. 11. The tesseræ last extruded
Jare scraped off by the blade of C³. As the spaces of C, now charged each with
its appropriate coloured tessera, and occupying the whole width of the pattern,
pass over the cam bar H', the whole of the stems are pushed outwards extruding
all the tessera which are received and pressed upon the backing fabric G. This
fabric having its edges attached to the chains F is stretched in width as the
chains pass along the inclined guides F and is in this stretched condition when
the tesseræ are pressed upon it while it travels along a table T, which is made
hollow so that it can be heated by steam. As the backing travels onwards carrying
the Lesseræ, it gradually contracts, thus causing the tessere to approach closely
to each other, and then as the whole, the backing with tessera on it travels
through between the cylinder D and the pressing rollers D' D D D the tesseræ
are all compacted together caused to adhere to the backing, and to cohere 'to one
another, constituting a sheet M of mosaic which passes away to be dried and
seasoned in the usual way.
Instead of conducting the backing with the tessere on it between the cylinder D
and the pressing rollers D1 D2 D3 D in the direction shewn so that the tessere are
next the surface of D the backing and tessera might be directed by a suitable
guide roller upwards on the left of D and then downwards between D and the
pressing rollers so that the backing is next the surface of D which in this case
would be caused by suitable gearing to revolve in the opposite direction.
ン
From what has preceded it will be seen that all' that part of the pattorn drum
which has passed the last of the scrapers has all its spaces filled with tessere of the
various colours forming the pattern, all in their proper relative positions when
they are extruded on the backing; there is consequently no adjusting of these
tessera required. Also when a change of pattern is required, the whole idrum
with its cam bars can be removed, and a drum and set of cam bars for another
pattern can be substituted, the rest of the machine remaining unchanged.
According to the modification shewn in Fig. 15 the rollers C¹ C² C³ are not
plain rollers but are provided with projections which act as punches each forcing
tessera from the travelling sheet B. R and Y into some of the cavities of the
pattern drum C the rest of the sheet thus mutilated in each case passing away over
suitable guide rollers (not shewn) to be worked up again into continuous sheet.
In order to secure good register of the punches with the cavities of the
pattern drum C the shafts of the rollers C C C are in this case geared to the
pattern druin. The bars with cam projections H' H H³ are here dispensed with,.
only the bar H being required to extrude all the tessera and press them on the
backing G. The troughs, conveyors and their scraping blades are also dispensed
with.
The stretching of the backing fabric and the chains for that purpose may be
dispensed with, the backing being led over a suitable guide roller to the circum-
ference of the pattern drum beyond the last of the rollers, which effect the cutting
of the tesseræ, and after the tessere are deposited on it, being led as described
through between the pressing cylinder and the pressing rollers. Instead of the
pressing cylinder, several separate rollers may be employed each mounted opposite
a corresponding roller so that the backing with the tesseræ on it is pressed between
those pairs of rollers acting in succession. This arrangement of pairs of rollers.
may be employed also when the chains are used to supply and stretch the backing.
With either the cylinder and pressing rollers or with the successive pairs of rollers
may be employed endless aprons passing over the rollers or some of them, so that
the backing with the tessera on it has the pressure on either or on both sides.
transmitted through these aprons. Also when an apron is employed in this way,.

page_text: there may be introduced between the successive pressing rollers or some of them
small intermediate rollers over which the apron is led away from the tessere until
it again meets them to pass together with them under the next pressing roller
in order. Instead of employing travelling aprons with the rollers, the rollers
themselves may be faced with suitable material.
Having now particularly 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
1
1. The berein described method of manufacturing mosaic floor cloth by passing
differently coloured sheets of plastic material between successive pressing rollers
and a pattern drum, into the spaces of which tessera of the material are thus
pressed, extruding such of the tessera as are not to form part of the pattern, then
extruding all the rest and pressing them on a travelling fabric backing, and finally
passing the backing and tessere between a pressing cylinder and pressing rollers
or between pairs of pressing rollers so as to cause the whole to cohere and form ȧ
continuous sheet of mosaic cloth.
2. For operating in the manner set forth in the preceding claim a machine
comprising a pattern drum with its pressing rollers, cam bars and scraping blades
and conveyors, a pair of chains geared to the drum, with means of holding and
stretching the backing fabric, and a pressing cylinder and rollers constructed
and arranged substantially as described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
3. The pattern drum baving spaces separated by thin cutting blades and
provided with plates and spring urged stems, in combination with several pressing
rollers, corresponding stationary bars having cam ribs, troughs. having scraping
blades and conveyors and with an extrusion cam bar, substantially as described.
4. In combination with this pattern drum the pair of chains gearing with teeth
on the drum and having pins to hold the backing fabric,, the wheels over which
and the inclined guides through which the chains pass, substantially as described.
IT Dated this 6th day of August 1895.
: