IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BATS FOR FELTING, AND IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, of 32, Essex
Street, Strand, London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BATS FOR FELTING, AND IN MACHINERY FOR
MANUFACTURING THE SAME." -A communication.
Sealed the 7th December 1855, and dated the 23rd June 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux
Bellford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 23rd June 1855.
I, AUGUSTE EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 32, Essex Street, Strand,
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BATS FOR FELTING, AND IN MACHINERY,
FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME," a communication, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists mainly in preparing the web for felt fabrics by the
introduction of layers of flock between or upon the layers of wool, by pre-
paring the flock in a separate machine, and introducing it immediately from
that machine on to the web of wool, while it is passing from the carding
machine.
This Invention is applicable to the manufacture either of hats or other
articles requiring to be made on a form, or of felt, cloth, or other goods in
sheets. As a convenient illustration of the manner in which it is performed,

page_text: I will describe its application to the manufacture of hat bodies, which will
enable it to be well understood how it may be applied to the manufacture of
other articles or goods.
The carding machine is or may be of the usual kind. The sheet of wool
or other fibrous material taken from the doffer by the doffing knife is con-
ducted over an endless apron, & between rollers to the revolving former, upon
which it is wound to make a bat of the desired form. The flock preparing
& distributing machine, consisting principally of a series of rotary brush
cylinders, is placed above the endless apron. To this machine the flock is fed
by hand or other convenient way, & is received on another endless apron,
close to the upper surface of which are two stationary strips of wood set at a
distance apart corresponding with the intended width of the layers of wool of
which the bat is to be composed. When the prepared flock falls on the web
of wool, it becomes to some extent incorporated therewith by passing between
rollers, & as the web proceeds & is wound upon the "former," its successive
layers enclose the flock between them, the layers, each covered with flock,
being repeated until a bat of sufficient thickness is obtained. In making bats
in sheets, the flock opening & distributing apparatus is arranged in a manner
similar to that described relatively to the carding machine, & when two or
more carding machines are employed to produce the bat, as many flock opening
& distributing machines will be employed as may be necessary to deposit a
layer of flock between every two contiguous layers of wool.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 22nd December 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL. COME, I, AUGUSTE
EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London; Patent
Agent, send-greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, Her special licence, that I,. the said
Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no

page_text: 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF BATS FOR
FELTING, AND IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME," (a communication,)
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Auguste Edouard
Loradoux Bellford, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
do hereby declare the nature of the said 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 consists mainly in preparing the web for felt fabrics by the
introduction of layers of flock between or upon the layers of wool, by pre-
paring the flock in a separate machine, and introducing it immediately from
that machine on to the web of wool while it is passing from the carding
machine.
.
This Invention is applicable to the manufacture either of hats or other
articles requiring to be made on a form, or of felt, cloth, or other goods in
sheets. As a convenient illustration of the manner in which it is performed,
I have shown in the accompanying Drawing its application to the manufacture
of hat bodies, which will enable it to be well understood how it may be applied
to the manufacture of other articles or goods.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a carding machine, and the "flock
preparing and distributing machine," and an elevation of the "former;"
Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the flock preparing and distributing machine
in the line, ; of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, a side view of a portion of the flock
preparing and distributing machine. Similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the several Figures.
The carding machine is or may be of the usual kind, and therefore does
not require particular description. The sheet of wool or other fibrous material
taken from the doffer A of the carding machine by the doffing knife a, is
conducted over the endless apron b, and between the rollers ċ, c, to the revolving
"former" B, upon which it is wound to make a bat of the desired form. The
flock preparing and distributing machine, consisting principally of a series of
rotary brush cylinders, is placed above the endless apron b. To this machine

page_text: the flock is fed by hand, or in any other convenient way, and is received on an
endless apron d, close to the upper surface of which there are two stationary
parallel strips of wood e, only one of which is represented, which are set at a
distance apart corresponding with the intended width of the layers of wool of
which the bat is to be composed. These strips confine the flock which is thrown
on the apron within the same width as the layers of wool. The apron receives
motion through a band g, from the doffer shaft h, in the direction indicated by
an arrow near it in Fig. 1, and delivers the flock between the two rotary brush
cylinders f, f, to be opened. These cylinders receive motion through bands
h, h', from one of the shafts of the carding machine, the cylinder f¹ rotating
at about double the speed of the cylinder f, for the purpose of stripping it.
Below the cylinders f, f, is a third brush cylinder i, which works in contact
with fand f, and effects a further opening of the flock, rotating at about three
times the speed of f, and stripping the cylinder f¹, and depositing the flock
upon and brushing it through a concave screen j, which retains all the lumps,
knots, or unopened portions. The cylinders f, f, and i, are all enclosed within
a wooden case C, to which the screen j forms a bottom. Only a sufficient
opening is left at the top of the case for the apron d to enter. The fine opened
flock passing through the screen is taken by two brush cylinders k, k¹, which
rotate in contact with each other and with the screen. The journals of these
two cylinders are fitted in bearings in the ends of two pairs of arms and l',
attached to the shaft n of the cylinder i. The arms are secured to the shaft n,
but the arms are fitted loosely thereto, so as to be adjustable to make the
brushes engage more or less deeply together, and the said arms & are secured
to the arms by a segment m and binding screw o, see Fig. 3.
receive an oscillating motion to draw the cylinders back and forth under the
face of the screen, to brush off the fine flock-which- passes through. This
oscillating motion is given by a rod r from a crank p on a shaft 9, which.
receives motion through a band s from the shaft n of the brush cylinder i.
The cylinder outruns that k-and strips it, causing the flock, which, by the
action of the several brush cylinders has been very perfectly opened and had
its fibres separated, to fall on the web of wool which is leaving the carding
machine. The lumps and unopened portions of the flock which do not pass
the screen are carried round by the brush cylinder i to the cylinders f. f, to
be worked over again. The flock, by the time it is ready to be discharged
from the cylinders.k, k, upon the apron, has been distributed very thinly but
evenly along the whole width or length of the cylinders, and hence is caused.
to be deposited upon the apron in a layer of equal thickness all across. In
passing between the rollers c, c, the flock becomes to some extent incorporated.
The arms 1, 1,

page_text: with the web of wool, and as the web proceeds onwards, and is wound up upon
the former, its successive layers enclose the flock between them, the layers,
each covered with flock, being repeated until a bat of sufficient thickness is
obtained. In making bats in sheets, the flock opening and distributing appa-
ratus is arranged in a manner similar to that described relatively to the carding
machine, and when two or more carding machines are employed to produce
the bat, as many flock opening and distributing machines will be employed as
may be necessary to deposit a layer of flock between every two contiguous
Laware of wool
CLAIMS.
First, preparing the web for felt fabrics by the introduction of layers of
flock between or upon the layers of wool, by preparing the flock in a separate
machine or machines, and introducing it immediately from that machine
or those machines on to the web or webs of wool, while it or they are passing
from the carding machine, substantially as herein described.
Second, the combination of the endless apron, the preparing brush cylinders
ff, and i, and the screen j, all arranged and operating substantially as herein
set forth.
Third, one or more distributing brush cylinders ', k, arranged and applied
as described, to oscillate below the screen, to receive the flock therefrom and
deposit it upon the web of wool as it leaves the carding machine, substantially
as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this 21th day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
A. E. LOKADOUA BELLFORD. (L.S.)