IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STRETCHING MACHINES FOR COTTON AND OTHER WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hesford, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of
Lancaster, Millwright and Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STRETCHING MACHINES FOR COTTON AND OTHER WOVEN
FABRICS."
Scaled the 5th October 1858, and dated the 20th May 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hesford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th May 1858.
I, JAMES HESFORD, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lancaster,
Millwright and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF STRETCHING MACHINES FOR COTTON
AND OTHER WOVEN FABRICS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the stretching machines usually applied to
bleachers and other mangles for widening the fabric. These stretching
machines consist of several ribbed slides placed around an axle, and furnished
with diagonal discs to move the slides longitudinally, and they are carried
round by the fabric. My Invention consists in making each of the diagonal
discs with an internal groove, and in applying antifriction bowls to the slides;
these bowls enter in the grooves of the diagonal discs, or the discs may bo
without grooves, and an antifriction bowl applied to each side of the disc.

page_text: Another part of my Invention consists in making the guides of the slides of
separate pieces in order to facilitate repairs; the guides are connected by set
screws to the slides, and work in dises fixed to the axle as usual.
I prefer
to make the guides T-shaped, but they may be made of any other suitable
form.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Hesford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th November 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HESFORD, of Bolton-le-Moors, in the County of Lancaster, Millwright and
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors, givo and grant unto
me, the said James Hesford, Her special licence that I, the said James
Hesford, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said James Ilesford, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
THE CONSTRUCTION OF STRETCHING MACHINES FOR COTTON AND OTHER WOVEN
FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Hesford,
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 Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Hesford, 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):-
My Invention relates to the stretching machines usually applied to bleachers'
and other mangles, and to drying and other machines, for widening the fabrio

page_text: before it enters the mangle or other machine; these stretching machines
consist of several ribbed slides placed around an axle, and furnished with.
diagonal dises to move the slides to and fro in the direction of the axis.
My Invention of improvements in the construction of such stretching
machines consists in making each of the diagonal dises with an internal groove,
and in applying antifriction bowls to the slides; these bowls enter in the
grooves of the diagonal discs, or the discs may be without grooves, and an
antifriction bowl applied to each side of the disc.
Another part of my Invention consists in making the guides of the said
slides of separate pieces in order to facilitate repairs.
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 a plan, Figuro 2 a longitudinal section, Figure 3 an end view,
and Figure 4 a transverse section, of a stretching machine constructed
according to my improvements. a is the axle, supported as usual in the
bearings b; b. I prefer to make the ends of the axle and the steps in which
they revolve of steel to reduce friction. To the axle a are fixed four or other
convenient number of dises c, c, in which are grooves for the guides d, d, of the
slides e, e, these slides are made so broad that they nearly touch each other at
the edges. The axle a passes through the diagonal discs f. f, which are held
stationary in the usual manner by the pillars g, g, fixed to the bearings b, b.
Near each end of each slide e is mounted an antifriction bowl h, these bowls
enter in the grooves in the diagonal discs f.f, consequently when the slides e, e,
with the axle a, are carried round by the fabric, the slides are caused to move
to and fro in the direction of the axis, thereby stretching the fabric before it
enters between the bowls of the mangle or other machine to which the
stretching machine is applied.
It has hitherto been customary to make the slides with fixed studs
entering in the grooves of the diagonal dises f, or with two studs fitting on each
side of a solid disc, but these studs and the discs were soon so much injured
by the friction that they had to be repaired; by applying antifriction bowls h,
as above described, and lining the grooves in the discs f with steel, the parts
are rendered more durable. I also propose to apply two antifriction bowls h, h,
as seen detached in Figure 5, to each end of each slide e, which bowls fit on
each side of a diagonal dise i, and produce the same ellect as the grooved
dises fabove referred to.
In the stretching machines of the usual construction the guides have been

page_text: cast to the slides, consequently when the guides were worn by friction the
slides were unfit for use; by making the guides separate from the slides, and
connecting them therewith, as shewn in Figures 2 and 4, by set screws or
otherwise, the guides when worn can easily be replaced with new ones, and by
making the guides T-shaped, and the recesses in the discs c, c, to correspond,
instead of V-shaped as usual, the guides are more durable.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim as my improvements in the
construction of stretching machines the application thereto of the antifriction
bowls h, h, and diagonal disc f when lined with steel, as shewn and described.
Secondly, the application thereto of the double antifriction bowls h, h, and
diagonal disc i, as shewn and described in reference to Figure 5.
And thirdly, making the guides d, d, separate from, but attached to, the
slides e, e, as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hesford, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of November, in the year of
our Lord Ono thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
TITANODD
JAMES D
HESFORD. (L.S.)

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