IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING CUT PILE FABRICS
Year: 1884

page_text: I JAMES WORRALL of Ordsall Salford in the County of Lancaster, Dyer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR DRESSING CUT PILE FABRICS," to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to simplify the construction of dressing machines
fitted with reciprocating brushes that act transversely or from selvage to selvage
of cut pile fabrics, while the fabrics are being passed through the machine.
In dressing fabrics of this class a large amount of fluff is disengaged from the
fabric, and its accumulation about the bearings of the machine render accidents
by fire very frequent the action of the working parts is interfered with and a
waste of power in driving the machine ensues.
In order to avoid these defects and to render the machinery more efficient, I
impart a reciprocating motion to the brushes by means of a reciprocating frame or
frames, or their equivalent, which I connect either directly to the brushes or through
bands and pulleys (the latter being mounted at opposite sides of the machine) on
rock shafts.
A central crank shaft may be used for imparting the reciprocating motion to the
brushes, which motion may be transmitted either directly through a link rod to
the rectangular reciprocating frame, or directly to the rock shafts carrying the band
pulleys.
When I use one reciprocating frame for transmitting the motion to, say, a set of
six brushes I connect three of the series or lines of brushes directly to the frame,
and the other three through bands passing from the ends of the brushes under and
over pulleys and thence to the frame. The lines of brushes may operate simul-
taneously upon two, three, or more widths of fabric.
These brushes as in the old machine overlie a series of rollers which extend
across the machine, lie parallel the one to the other and serve to bear up the cloth
against the reciprocating brushes. The rollers correspond in number to the series
of brushes, and the brushes are made concave on their face to correspond to the
periphery of the rollers.
Intermediate between these rollers and at a lower level is a series of driven guide
rollers which hold the cloth at tension and pass the fabric through the machine
with a minimum amount of strain.

page_text: To regulate the action of the brushing surfaces to suit various kinds of cloth
I make the cranks adjustable so as to vary the amount of traverse of the brushes,
and I prefer so to construct the brushes as to increase or diminish at pleasure the
amount of their acting surfaces. For this purpose instead of having a rectangular
frame in common for several lines of brushes of the series I use a rectangular frame
for each line of brushes constructing it of two long rods connected together at their
extremities by cross bars.
Upon these rods I string any desired number of short concave brushes fitted
with lugs at their backs for the rods to pass through and I secure them in position
in groups by means of clamping screws passing through the lugs. These brushes
I may add to or reduce in number at pleasure.
Each frame I connect at its opposite ends by bands with the reciprocating pulleys
as already explained, taking care however to connect every alternate frame with its
pulley in a reverse manner to that of the next adjacent frame.
By this means I cause the adjacent lines of brushes to move in opposite directions
so as to reverse their action on the cloth passing beneath them.
In order to give the brushes of whatever construction a vertical adjustment,
I provide guide bars for each reciprocating frame which bars I connect thereto by
adjusting screws or their equivalent the guides in which the bars slide forming
parts of the main framing of the machine.
In some cases the brushes may be adjustable vertically in their frames by
means of screwed driving and supporting pins entering sockets in the back of
the brushes.
To prevent the escape of the lubricant applied to the guides I propose to groove
the lower face of the horizontal guide longitudinally and thus to provide a receptacle
for the lubricant.

page_text: I JAMES WORRALL of Ordsall Salford in the County of Lancaster, Dyer, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
DRESSING CUT PILE FABRICS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to simplify the construction of dressing machines
fitted with reciprocating brushes that act transversely or from selvage to selvage of
cut pile fabrics while the fabrics are being passed through the machine.
In dressing fabrics of this class a large amount of fluff is disengaged from tho
fabric and its accumulation about the bearings of the machine renders accidents by
fire very frequent; the action of the working parts is interfered with and a waste
of power in driving the machine ensues.
In order to avoid these defects and to render the machinery more efficient, I
impart a reciprocating motion to the brushes by means of frames in which they are
fitted, such frames receiving a reciprocating motion from adjustable crank pins or
their equivalent and thereby removing the necessity for placing rapidly rotating
axles below the cylinders which form the bed of the dressing machine.
In Sheet I of the accompanying drawings Fig: I is a plan view of my improved
machine, and Fig: 2 is a partial elevation of the front end of the machine.
In Sheet II Fig 3 is a side view of the machine shewing also the overhead guide
rollers for traversing the cloth back from the delivery ends to the front end of the
machine.
In these Figures A A is a series of cylinders mounted in bearings in the
rectangular framing B B Over these cylinders A the pile fabric to be dressed is
passed and by them the fabric is supported while under the brushing operation.
CC is a series of brushes overlying the cylinders and having their acting
surfaces made concave to correspond with the cylinders over which they are
placed.
C¹ C³ are a pair of reciprocating frames arranged longitudinally of the machine
and carrying the brushes C. These frames are intended to give to the brushes a
to and fro motion transversely of the cut pile fabric as it is passed through the
machine.
The frames slide in horizontal guides fitted to the ends of the main framing and
are actuated by pairs of rods D D¹ connected with adjustable crank pins carried
by spur wheels E E' made fast to the ends of a pair of longitudinal shafts E³ E³
respectively.
These shafts have their bearings in plummer blocks fitted to the top of the main
framing and when driven by the means to be presently described they will impart
to the brushes C the required traverse motion.
Below the cylinders A is a series of rollers F which serve to hold at tension
the fabric that is led through the machine and impart a travelling motion thereto.
The fabric before it is brought under the operation of this machine has its pile
cut by hand in the usual manner; it is next washed and scoured and when dried
is ready for the dressing machine.
Being deposited in folds on the floor at the feeding in end of the machine it is
led through a series of fixed guide bars G which straighten it out laterally and it
is then drawn down and passed under a pair of guide rollers g g' and thence up to
and over the first cylinder A

page_text: In passing over this cylinder the face of the cloth is presented to a rotary brush H
which by its action serves to raise the pile.
The fabric in passing round the top side of the cylinder, comes under the action
of the first group of the series of reciprocating brushes C the face of the fabric being
presented thereto and then to the brushes of the series in turn.
The fabric led down from the first cylinder passes under and over a group of
guide rollers g², 93, 94, and thence up to the second cylinder A. These guide rollers
serve to pass the fabric around a second rotary brush Hand expose it at two
points to the action of that brush which is situate between the two cylinders and
is adjustable as is also the brush H for the purpose of maintaining an efficient
brushing action.
The fabric as it passes over the second cylinder is acted upon by the second
group of reciprocating brushes and from this cylinder it passes down and under a
clothed guide roller F to which rotary motion is imparted for the purpose of
drawing forward the fabric by friction of contact.
The drawing shews a series of six cylinders mounted in the framing each of
which cylinders is divided at the middle of its length to make room for a central
bearing.
The breadth of the machine is such as to allow of four breadths of fabric being
brought under treatment simultaneously and the guiding rollers and brushes are
made of a length to correspond to the length of the cylinders.
The fabric as it passes up from the first driven roller F is led up and over the
third cylinder A then down to a second roller F and so on until it leaves the last
cylinder; it then passes under the last driven guide roller F up over a drawing
roller F¹ and down under a tension roller g The fabric then passes upwards to
an overhead guide roller g6 and away to an overhead drawing roller I at the front
of the machine.
From this roller it passes to the folder K pendent from the axle of the roller I
which folder lays it in folds upon a table L ready for removal.
By reference to the detached views Figs 4 the manner of constructing the
reciprocating brushes and of fitting them to their frams will be clearly understood.
These brushes it will be seen do not present a continuous acting surface to the
cloth, but they are formed of sections c spaced out and connected together by a
pair of parallel rods c¹.
Upon these rods are strung any desired number of the sections c the brushes
being fitted with lugs at their backs for the rods to pass through and they are
secured in position on the rods by means of clamping screws fitted to the lugs.
These sections c may be increased or diminished in number at pleasure according
to the nature of the work in hand the brushing operation being lightened in propor-
tion as the spaces between the sections c are enlarged.
These brushes are connected to their respective frames and made adjustable
vertically therein by means of screwed driving and supporting pins c which pass
down through the cross bars of the framing and enter tapped sockets in the back
of certain sections of the brush say three or four in each length of brush.
I will now explain the means for actuating the various moving parts of the
machine. M is the driving shaft mounted in bearings carried by the main framing B
and fitted with band pulleys and fly wheel. On the inner end of this shaft is a
mitre wheel m which gears into a mitro wheel m³ on the longitudinal shaft E².
The spur wheels E keyed on the opposite ends of this shaft gear into the spur
wheels E¹ of the shaft E³ and thereby transmit rotary motion thereto. From this
shaft E the motion is taken for driving the rollers F and F¹ which conduct the
fabric through the machine.
m² is a mitre wheel keyed on the shaft E³ and into it gears a mitre wheel m³ on
the horizontal shaft M¹ turning in bearings on the main framing.
On the outer end of this shaft M' is a belt pulley m, a belt from which serves
to drive a belt pulley m³ mounted on a shaft me turning in bearings on the main
framing.

page_text: A spur pinion m' on the boss of this pulley gears into a spur wheel on the axle
of the drawing roller F¹ and imparts rotary motion thereto. A spur pinion on the
axle of this roller drives through two intermediate pinions, a pinion keyed on
the axle of the last of the guide rollers F.
Keyed also to the axle of this roller is a mitre wheel me which gears into a mitre
wheel mº on one end of a longitudinal shaft M² mounted in bracket bearings
standing out from the side of the main framing.
From this shaft and mitre wheels keyed thereon all the driven guide rollers F
receive their motion.
The brushes H and H' derive their reciprocating motion from an overhead pulley
carried by the shaft which transmits motion to the driving shaft M and the roller I
is driven by bands and pullies from the shaft M.
On the axle of this roller I is a second pulley i which through its band transmits
rotary motion to a shaft K¹ carried in bracket bearings on the main framing.
The opposite ends of this shaft K¹ are fitted with a crank which cranks serve to
impart the required reciprocating motion to the folder K.
I have said that the pairs of spur wheels E E¹ are fitted with adjustable crank
pins, which are connected by rods D to the frames C'C'. This is for the purpose
of imparting a reciprocating motion to the brushes.
The brushes constructed as already described in lines of sections connected
together by rods are arranged in their frames so that the first and every alternate
line or group of brushes will be carried by one reciprocating frame say C' and the
others by the reciprocating frame C³ which frames slide in the end guides carried
by the main framing By this means cause the adjacent lines of brushes to
move in opposite directions so as to reverse their action on the cloth passing
beneath them.
To prevent the escape of the lubricant applied to the guides I groove the lower
face of the horizontal guides, longitudinally as shewn at Fig 5 and thus provide a
receptacle for the lubricant.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The general arrangement of machine as above described whereby the cut pile
fabric is brought under the dressing operation without any undue strain being put
upon it and a free space is left below the tension rollers for the discharge onto the
floor and the removal therefrom, of the fluff brushed out from the fabric.
2. Constructing the lengths of adjustable reciprocating brushes of spaced sections
in the manner and for the purpose above set forth.
3. Mounting the lengths of reciprocating brushes adjustably in sliding frames
which move in opposite directions the one to the other and thereby cause the
adjacent lines or groups of brushes to move in opposite directions across the face
of the travelling cut pile fabric.
4. The mechanism described for actuating the sliding frames which carry the
parallel lines of brushes such mechanism being situate above the level of the fabric
as it travels through the machine and therefore clear of the falling fluff disengaged
from the fabric.