Aw CRIMBING WADDING" MACHINERT FOR GOFFERING, FLUTING, AND CRIMPING FADDICS,
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Grey Hill, of the Town of Nottingham,
Bonnet Front Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
Aw
CRIMBING WADDING"
MACHINERT FOR GOFFERING, FLUTING, AND CRIMPING FADDICS,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Grey Hill at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd April 1872.
I, CHARLES GREY HILL, of the Town of Nottingham, Bonnet Front
3 Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR GOFFERING, FLUTING, AND CRIMPING Fabrics,"
to be as follows:-
Heretofore in machinery for goffering, fluting, or crimping fabrics,
the fabric has been passed between two endless chains, each composed
of a number of parallel blades or bars connected together by or on links
or hinges at their inner edges, whilst at their outer edges they are made
of the shape desired for forming the crimpings or folds in the fabric. In
this case each endless chain has been carried by a pair of rollers, and
the fabric has been gathered into crimpings or folds by the two sets of

page_text: blades interlocking or gearing one with the other, and more fully
described in my Patent dated 22nd day of November 1859, No. 2645, or
the fabric has in some cases been passed between a pair of rollers having
cog-like teeth formed around them, which gear together.
According to my Invention, in place of connecting together such
blades by links or hinges as heretofore, I connect them together by
endless bands, by preference of spring steel, and the inner edges of the
blades I form of a V shape to form teeth for a tooth wheel to gear
therewith, and impart a travelling motion to the endless sets of blades,
or to be more easily understood I will call them endless chains. The
several blades have slits or slots cut in them for the bands to pass
through. The bands may be of flat spring steel, or they may be circular
or of other section. The blades also in place of being attached to the
endless flexible bands, might be made capable of sliding upon them
whilst the bands themselves are held stationary, and sometimes I use
the flexible and the stationary bands together.
By thus mounting the blades or bars upon bands in place of con-
necting them one to another by links or hinges, the blades may if
desired be made much thinner than was heretofore practicable, and so
form the several plaits or folds closer to one another; the cost also of
making the sets of blades and of connecting the blades one to the other
to form the chain will be considerably reduced. The blades in each
chain or endless set may either be all of one depth, so that the blades
of one chain or endless set shall all interlock to an equal extent with the
blades of the other chain or endless set, and gather up the fabric into
equal folds or crimpings, or some of the blades in each chain or endless
set may be deeper than the other blades, and so form deeper folds or
crimpings, and some of the blades may also be made of larger dimensions
at their head or outer edge than the others, so as to form wider folds or
crimping; in this case one or more of the blades adjoining them may
be made to serve only as blanks to make up a uniform chain of plates,
and not act upon the fabric.
When it'is desired that the plaits or folds of a crimped fabric should
be pressed together or flattened down in lines running lengthwise of the
fabric, pairs of pressing rollers may be used between two pairs of endless
chains or series of crimping blades to flatten down the 'crimpings formed
between the two pairs of endless chains or crimping blades, or sometimes
I use a pair of endless chains or series of crimping blades between two

page_text: pairs of endless chains or crimping blades, the outer edges of the blades
of the one pair being of different shape to the outer edges of the blades
of the two pairs, so that the plates or crimps of the middle part of the
fabric so plaited or crimped may be of a different shape or pattern to
that of the outside edges, a pair of crimping rollers may also be used
between two pairs of endless chains or series of crimping blades.
When no crimping rollers with cog-like teeth formed around them are
employed for crimping fabrics, a pair of pressing rollers may be employed
between two pairs of crimping rollers. The endless chains or series of
crimping blades may also be used for embossing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Grey Hill in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
GREY HILL, of the Town of Nottingham, Bonnet Front Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Grey Hill, Her special license
that I, the said Charles Grey Hill, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Grey Hill, 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 GOFFERING, FLUTING, AND CRIMPING FABRICS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Grey Hill, 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

page_text: 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 Grey Hill, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
Heretofore in machinery for goffering, fluting, or crimping fabrics,
the fabric has been passed between two endless chains, each composed
of a number of parallel blades or bars connected together by or on links
or hinges at their inner edges, whilst at their outer edges they are made
of the shape desired for forming the crimpings or folds in the fabric.
In this case each endless chain has been carried by a pair of rollers, and
the fabric has been gathered into crimpings or folds by the two sets
of blades interlocking or gearing one with the other, as more fully
described in my Patent dated 22nd day of November 1859, No. 2645,
or the fabric has in some cases been passed between a pair of rollers.
having cog-like teeth formed around them which gear together.
According to my Invention, in place of connecting together such
blades by links or hinges, as heretofore, I connect them together by
endless bands, by preference of spring steel, and the inner edges of the
blades I form of a V shape to form teeth for a tooth wheel to gear
therewith, and impart a travelling motion to the endless sets of blades, or
to be more easily understood I will call them endless chains. The several
blades have slits or slots cut in them for the bands to pass through, and
they are capable of sliding on the bands so that they may be drawn out
of the pleats or folds without displacing them.
By mounting the blades or bars upon bands in place of connecting
them one to another by links or hinges, the blades may, if desired, be
made much thinner than was heretofore practicable, and so form the
several pleats or folds closer to one another; the cost also of making the
sets of blades and of connecting the blades one to the other to form the
chain will be considerably reduced. The blades in each chain or endless
set may either be all of one depth, so that the blades of one chain or
endless set shall all interlock to an equal extent with the blades of the
other chain or endless set, and gather up the fabric into equal folds or
crimpings, or some of the blades in each chain or endless set may be
deeper than the other blades and so form deeper folds or crimpings, and

page_text: some of the blades may also be made of larger dimensions at their head
or outer edge than the others so as to form wider folds or crimpings; in
this case one or more of the blades adjoining them may be made to serve
only as blanks to make up a uniform chain of plates, and not act upon
the fabric.
When it is desired that the pleats or folds of a crimped fabric should
be pressed together or flattened down in lines running lengthwise of the
fabric, pairs of pressing rollers are used between two pairs of endless
chains or series of crimping blades to flatten down the crimpings formed
between the two pairs of endless chains or crimping blades.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood, and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings here-
Figure 1 is a front view; Figure 2 a vertical section; and Figure 3
an horizontal section of a machine for goffering, fluting, and crimping
fabrics.
These sections are taken on the lines 1, 1 and 2, 2 in Figure 1,
respectively; a, a, is the fixed frame of the machine and a¹, a¹, are portions
of the frame (two on either side) which can slide horizontally on the
part a; they are adjusted in their positions by means of the screws a³, a³.
The machine whilst in use is kept hot by a gas burner a³, and over it
is the cover plate a*. a³ is a plate at the top of the machine which to
some extent confines the heat; b is a spur wheel mounted upon a stud
axis and turned by a crank handle or in other convenient manner, it gears
with two wheels c, c, mounted on the axes of the star rollers d, d; these
axes are carried by the parts a¹ of the frame. Around the rollers d two
sets or series of goffering or fluting blades or formers pass; the formers
are marked e; one of them is shewn separately at Figures 4. Each set
or series of formers is held together by two endless steel bands e¹, e¹;
these bands are brazed together in the way flexible saw bands are
joined; e, e, are slits in the formers in which the bands e¹ lie.
In the arrangement which the Drawings shew, each former is sepa-
rated from the next by a blank which is like the former excepting
only that it is without the upper part or head. This arrangement
of formers and blanks, and the form of the heads is dependant on the

page_text: pattern it is desired to obtain, thus in Figure 5 a portion of a set of
formers and blanks suitable to produce a different pattern is represented.
.On the inner ends of the formers and blanks, where they come in
contact with the star rollers, they are made to a V form to serve as
teeth and interlock with ridges upon the roller, so that they work with
the roller as a rack on a pinion, or more properly as a pitch chain
on a chain wheel, and as the rollers revolve they compel the sets or
series of formers to move with them. Above the two sets or series
of formers e are two other similar sets E, they are similarly carried
on star rollers D, the axes of which are geared by spur wheels with
the axes of the rollers d. The axes of the star rollers D are carried
by blocks a¹ which are adjustable vertically upon the pieces a¹, and
hold by the AWA 2x

page_text: It remains now to withdraw the formers from the pleats without
deranging them. This is done by causing the formers to slide trans-
versely on the bands which carry them; immediately they have passed
the nip of the pressing wheels & they come against the inclines 1, 1,
the formers are thus moved back and their heads are drawn endwise
out of the pleats; 1, 1, are supports fixed to the upper inclines 7 to
sustain the formers of the upper set whilst they are being drawn out
of the pleats; m, m, are other inclines, they are fixed upon the frame a
and they return the formers pressing them inwards into position to
again pleat the fabric as their heads meet the heads of the other set of
formers with which they work.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that
I claim,-
1st. The combination of the goffering, or fluting blades, or formers
into sets by means of endless flexible metallic bands passing together
with the formers upon them around the rollers which carry them,
substantially as described.
2nd. The construction of the goffering, or fluting blades, or formers
with teeth at their inner ends to interlock with corresponding ridges
upon the rollers which carry the series of formers, substantially as
described.
3rd. The arrangement of the apparatus in such manner that the
heads of the blades or formers retire endwise out of the goffers or
flutes and leave the goffers or flutes without displacing them, sub-
stantially as described.
4th. The general arrangement and combination of the apparatus,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Grey Hill, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.