Improvements in Napping-machines, and Stripping or Cleaning Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 27th Mar., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Napping-machines, and Stripping or Cleaning
Apparatus therefor.
I, ERNST SCHWEINEFLEISCH, of Brunenstrasse No. 128, Mühlhausen,
Thuringia, Finisher, 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:―
Napping machines with rotating and laterally moving napping cylinders have
hitherto been constructed with curved guides for moving the napping cylinders
both backwards and forwards. This, however, entails the drawback that the
napping-cylinders are absolutely compelled t move in accordance with the form
of these curved guides, whereby the card-clothing of the napping cylinders is
caused to pass through the fabric to be napped, in the same manner whatever be
the degree of fineness of the latter. With such a machine it is therefore impossible
to produce a Dap that is clean and free from streaks.
According to the present invention the napping-cylinders are moved laterally as
before but during the napping their lateral movement is produced merely by the
pressure of springs that can be regulated as required. It follows that the
napping-cylinders are not compelled to pass laterally over the fabric to be napped,
and, moreover, any lateral movement that they may have will depend on the
resistance presented to the card-teeth of the napping cylinders by the fabric to
be napped. Furthermore, in order to avoid as much as possible streaky napping,
the napping cylinders are arranged in two alternating sets in such a manner that
the cylinders a of one of the sets are moved by the springs towards the right
and the cylinders of the other set are moved by the springs towards the left,
the cylinders a and b being arranged alternately throughout. Finally, the napping-
machine is combined with a stripping or cleaning apparatus whose rotating cylinder
is covered with card-cloth in such a way that the teeth of cach two consecutive
strips point in opposite directions. The stripping apparatus is given such a velocity
of rotation that the napping-cylinders a and b moving laterally in opposite
directions alternately, engage in the teeth of the napping-apparatus and are
stroked by the latter so as to comb out the fluff completely.
An example of a napping-machine constructed according to this invention is
represented in the accompanying drawings, whereof
Fig. 1 shows the general arrangement of the machine in cross section,
Fig. 2 shows the same in longitudinal section, and
Fig. 3 shows the arrangement of the curved guides and springs for the two sets
of napping-cylinders.
The two sets of napping cylinders a and b are caused by the discs & and d¹ to
rotate as a whole about the axis of a main axle e and, by means of suitable
toothed wheels f and a toothed ring 9, to rotate individually about their several
axes.
The lateral motion of the napping-cylinders is caused by curved guides A and B,
of which the former move the napping-cylinders a, and the latter the napping
cylinders b. The curved guides A and B have inwardly directed surfaces
terminating in suddenly outwardly directed surfaces A and B and are arranged
oppositeto one another, as shown in Fig. 3.
Opposite to the curved guides A and B are the springs and respectively,

page_text: whose stress can be altered as desired and whose function is to press the napping-
cylinders back after they have been moved laterally by the curved guides A and B
and to guide or move them over the goods to be napped.
In the napping-machine shown there are three napping places. The fabric T to
be napped is carried over guide-rollers i, ¹, and to the napping-cylinders in
such a manner that during its progress it will be acted upon at each working place
by three napping-cylinders acting one after another.
The napping-cylinders a and b are mounted on quadrilateral shafts k (see Fig. 3)
so as to be capable of being longitudinally movable thereon.
The rotation of the two sets of napping cylinders in the sense of the arrow I and
the curved guides A and B act conjointly in such a manner that when a napping
cylinder a orb is in a non-operative position it is shifted laterally by a curved
guide A or B, and when it comes into its working position i.e. into that position
wherein it comes into contact with the fabric to be napped the surface A' or B' of
the guide is reached and the napping-cylinder is subjected simply to the action of
its spring or h¹.
According to the resistance presented to the napping cylinders by the fabric,
they are moved quicker.or slower against the fabric in the direction of the
arrow III or IV. If the resistance presented to the napping cylinders by the
fabric is greater, then the lateral movement of the napping-cylinders is slower;
if this resistance is less, then the lateral velocity of the napping-cylinders is
greater.
The napping is consequently effected without too great a strain on the fabric to
be napped.
Since, moreover the lateral spring movements of the napping-cylinders a and b
are in opposite directions, so that one set of cylinders strokes towards the right
and the other towards the left, and the napping-cylinders are at the same time
rotated in the sense of the arrow I and about their own axes, therefore any
streakiness in the napping of the goods.is avoided.
Such a machine can therefore be employed for napping both the heaviest and
the lightest fabrics.
By regulating the spring-pressure by any suitable and known means, the
speed and force, with which the napping cylinders a and b are moved laterally,
can be regulated.
Such a napping-machine can also be very easily connected with a stripping
apparatus. Since the cylinders a and b alternate as regards their lateral directions
of movement, a stripping apparatus for such a machine must be provided as shown,
with alternating strips of card clothing a¹ and 6' whose teeth point in opposite
directions, each strip a' corresponding to a cylinder a and the consecutive strip b¹
to the consecutive cylinder b. By this means the card teeth are made as smooth
as possible and the fluff is well combed out. The velocity and size of the stripping
drum u are such that the breadth of each of the napping strips a¹ and 6' approxi-
mately correspond to the periphery of the napping-rollers a and b and that
the card clothing of the stripping-apparatus passes gently through the card-
clothing a b¹ of the napping-cylinders and in such a manner that the fluff is
effectually combed out.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what
claim is :-
1. A napping-machine in which two sets of rotating cylinders a and b that are
moved in opposite directions by the combined action of curved guides A and B
having inwardly directed surfaces terminating in suddenly outwardly directed
portions, and springs h and h', the movement thus produced being such that in
their working-positions the cylinders are caused by the springs h and h¹ to execute,
in addition to their rotations about their common axis and about their several axes,
a lateral movement, whose velocity depends on the stress of the springs, and the

page_text: resistance presented to their napping-covering by the fabric to be napped, so that
the fabric is napped by the engaging napping-teeth not only in its longitudinal
direction but also in the lateral directions of movement of the rollers a b, the
opposite movements of each two consecutive napping cylinders a and b and their
rotation about their own axes preventing the formation of streaks.
2. A napping-machine of the kind referred to in the preceding claim in com-
bination with a stripping-drum u covered with strips of card-clothing a¹ and b¹ in.
such a manner that each two consecutive strips have oppositely directed card-
teeth and a breadth and peripheral velocity corresponding respectively to the
periphery and peripheral velocity of the napping-rollers a and b, substantially as.
hereinbefore described.
3. The improved combined napping machine and stripping apparatus constructed
arranged and operating as herein before described with reference to and shown in.
the drawings annexed.
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant..