IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STRETCHING, DRYING, AND FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Whowell, of Two Brooks, Tottington, in
the County of Lancaster, Bleacher, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
Sealed the 7th July 1857, and dated the 28th January 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Whowell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th January 1857.
I, CHARLES WHOWELL, of Two Brooks; Tottington, in the County of
Lancaster, Bleacher, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STRETCHING, DRYING, AND FINISHING WOVEN
FABRICS," to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists in improvements applicable to cylinder
drying machines, by which the elastic finish is produced. The fabric is taken
partly round a wire cage or cylinder, the ends of which are furnished with
needle points, these ends are set diagonally to the axis of the wire cage, for
the purpose of allowing the selvages of the fabric to be placed with facility on
the needle points, and for stretching the fabric as it passes round the wire
cage, by which it is delivered to pins projecting from sheet metal segments
placed around a heated cylinder; these segments are connected to rings and
arms, which are made to rotate by alternate movements imparted to them by.
catches jointed to a vibrating shaft. The rings and arms, with the segments,

page_text: can be moved laterally to suit the width of the fabric under operation, by
means of side levers which are also connected to the ends of the wire cage.
The operations of stretching, drying, and finishing may be performed by
passing the fabric around a wire cage of large dimensions, the ends of which
are set diagonally and made to rotate by alternate advancing movements, to
give the elastic finish; heated air would in this case be admitted to the, interior
of the wire cage.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Whowell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th July 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
WHOWELL, of Two Brooks, Tottington, in the County of Lancaster, Bleacher,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Whowell, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Whowell,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Charles Whowell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR STRETCHING, DRYING, AND FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Whowell, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Whowell, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the. following
statement (that is. to say):-

page_text: My Invention relates to machinery for stretching, drying, and finishing
woven fabrics, and consists in an improved wire cage for delivering the fabric
to the drying cylinder. .
:
Secondly; in connecting the ends of the wire cage and of the drying cylinder
to side levers, or other suitable machinery for varying the distance between the
said ends according to the width of the fabric to be operated upon.
Thirdly, in setting the ends of the wire cage and of the drying cylinder
diagonally to their axes, to facilitate the delivering of the fabric, and to stretch
it out to the full width.
Fourthly, in improved machinery for acting alternately on the ends of the
drying cylinder to cause them to rotate, and to impart the elastic finish to the
fabric.
And, lastly, in the application of a wire cage of large dimensions for
stretching, drying, and finishing fabrics.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me, reference being
had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon..
Figure 1 is an elevation in section of my improved machinery, and Figure 2
is a plan of the same. a is a batch roller, on which the damp fabric to be
stretched, dried, and finished is brought to the machine; the fabric is taken.
from this roller under the wire cage b,.the ends of which are furnished with
needle.points set in the ends b', which are placed diagonally on the axle ², as
shewn in Figure 2, or at right angles if preferred; to the ends b¹ are fixed
strong wires or rods passing through holes in the centre disc ; the ends b
and disk are loose on the axle. The holes in the disc b³ are bell-mouthed,
to allow the wires or rods to assume diagonal positions without binding.
c, c, are the ends of the drying cylinder, mounted upon studs d, d, fixed. in the
side frames of the machine; to the ends c, c, are cast flanges for: the belts or
sheet metal segments e, e, containing needle points, on to which the. fabric is
delivered by the needle points of the wire cage b. To the ends c, c, are also
fixed or cast studs or cogs acted upon by the cams.f, f, on the driving shaft g,
and the ratchet wheels c, c², for the retaining palls h, h. The ends c, c, are
placed diagonally to each other, the narrow part being near the wire cage, so
that the selvages of the fabric may be easily placed on the needle points, and
the widest part diametrically opposite; the fabric is taken from the drying
cylinder under the roller i, and then wound up on the batch roller j. One of
the ends b¹, and one of the ends c, are made to move laterally on their axes by
screws passing through the axis, and a hand wheel serving as screw nut at the

page_text: outside; by turning these hand wheels round in one direction or the other, the
distance between the ends can be regulated to suit the width of fabric.
The same effect can be produced by side levers, if preferred. Hot air is
admitted under the machine through the opening, and penetrates through
the fabric passing over the drying cylinder. The fanners-l, l, are placed above
the drying cylinder to increase the circulation of air. The various parts of the
machine are set in motion by a driving strap and pulley 'g' on the shaft g; the
cams ff, act, alternately on each end c, c, of the drying cylinder, thereby
moving each end alternately, and causing the weft threads of the fabric to
assume diagonal positions with regard to the warp threads, and producing the
clastic finish required. The taking-up roller j, and the fanners 1, 1, are turned
round by cords or bands and pulleys from the driving shaft g, as shewn by
dotted lines in Figure 1. I wish to remark, that in some cases I make use of
a heated cylinder for drying the fabric instead of. admitting the hot-air to the
fabric as shown; or the operations of stretching, drying, and finishing may be
performed by passing the fabric around a wire cage of large dimensions, similar
to the feeding wire cage marked b.
Having thus particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I declare that I claim,-
First, the improved wire cage for delivering the fabric to the drying cylinder,
as described.
Secondly, the improved machinery for acting upon the ends of the wire cage
and, drying cylinder, to vary the distance between the said ends according to
the width of the fabric.
✓ Thirdly, setting the ends of the wire cage and of the drying cylinder
diagonally on their axes, as described.
Fourthly, the cams f, f, for acting alternately on the ends of the drying
cylinder, as described.
-
And, lastly, the application of a wire cage of large dimensions for stretching,
drying, and finishing fabrics.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Whowell, have hereunto set "my"
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
CHARLES, WHOWELL. (L.S.)