Improvements in the Manufacture of Mats.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 15th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 22nd Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Mats.
I JAMES BURBRIDGE of the firm of Messrs. W. Warne and Company of the
India Rubber Works, Tottenham in the County of Middlesex, India Rubber
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the production of what are known as cellular mats,
and the invention consists in a method of producing them in a more satisfactory
and economical manner than heretofore.
In carrying out this invention, I take a sheet of suitable rubber, or other
compound, of the thickness required, and submit it to pressure for a sufficient time
to get set between plates on which a pattern has been formed in any convenient
manner.
By this means, I form a raised pattern, say, a diamond, on the sheet of compound
of a depth equal to, say, half the thickness of the sheet, and I may then subject
the sheet to vulcanization in the usual way.
After vulcanization, I remove the solid portions in the pattern with punches in
the usual way, preferably using rounded punches, so that all angles may be
rounded as usual in this class of article.
The punching may, if desired, be effected before vulcanization, the result being
practically the same. By this mode of producing cellular mats, the labour of
punching is greatly reduced, as the thickness of the material to be removed is
at most only half the original thickness, and the raised pattern, which is most
evenly produced, forms a guide for the punching, while the mat serves its purpose
more effectually than when produced by the old method.
C T
1000
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Mats.
I JAMES BURBRIDGE of the firm of Messrs. W. Warne and Company of the
India Rubber Works, Tottenham in the County of Middlesex, India Rubber
Manufacturer, 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 the production of what are known as cellular mats, and
the invention consists in a method of producing them in a more satisfactory and
economical manner heretofore.
In order that the nature of my invention may be better understood, I will
explain first the method at present adopted to produce this class of mat, that is to
say, a sheet of plain rubber or other compound capable of being vulcanized, of the
required thickness, is run out in the callendars, and upon this sheet, in its
unvulcanized state, is stencilled the pattern or design, which is then punched out
by hand.
However careful the operative may be (and he must be a skilled hand), mats
thus punched to a stencilled design are more or less irregular, and such irregularity
causes thick and thin places in the walls of the mat, which are not only an evident
cause of weakness at the angles etc., but are unsightly.
In carrying out my invention, I take a sheet of suitable rubber or other com-
pound, of the thickness required, and submit it to pressure for a sufficient time to

page_text: get "set," say, between plates on which a pattern (preferably a sunk pattern) has
been formed in any convenient manner, the object being to produce a pattern (say,
a diamond) on the sheet of compound, with raised portions of a height equal to
the thickness of the sheet, and depressed portions of a thickness equal to, say,
half the thickness of the sheet. This pattern-provided sheet is then subjected to
vulcanization in the usual way.
After rulcanization, I remove the depressed portions of the pattern with
punches, preferably using rounded punches, so that all angles may be rounded, as
usual in this class of article.
The punching may, if desired, be effected before vulcanization, the result being
practically the same.
In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated a mat manufactured according
to this invention.
""
A represents a plain border, showing the original thickness of the sheet of
material from which the mat is to be formed. B B represent the raised portions
of the pattern (in this case, a diamond pattern) after the sheet of compound has
been "set between the pattern plates, or in any other convenient manner.
CC represent the depressed portions of the pattern, after "setting," and before
being cut away, and DDD are the perforations produced by punching out the
depressed portions.
These perforations are made with a punch having rounded angles, as above
indicated.
By this mode of producing cellular mats, many advantages are obtained; for
instance, the labour of punching is greatly reduced, as the thickness of the material
to be removed is at most ouly half the original thickness; the raised portions form
a guide for the punching, so that unskilled labour may be employed, the wearing
surface is left intact, because the portions to be punched out, are below the
surface; while the appearance is perfect, the raised portions being most evenly
produced by the pattern plates or other means.
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 I
claim is :-
Producing cellular mats in the manner herein shown and described, whereby
the wearing surface remains intact, the portions to be punched out to produce the
cells being below the wearing surface, as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 12th day of September 1892.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.