Improvements in Loop or Plush Fabrics, and Machinery for Cutting the same.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 31st July, 1896-Accepted, 10th Oct., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Loop or Plush Fabrics, and Machinery for Cutting
the same.
I, JOSEPH LOWDEN, of Burley Bridge Mills, Kirkstall Road, Leeds, in the
County of York, Dyer and 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:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in loop or plush fabrics. In loop
fabrics the object is the production of such fabrics with ornamental designs thereon,
which are similar in appearance to ornamental designs which have been produced
in the loom, in the well known manner by means of wires, in the form of knives,
cutting such loops so as to produce the required design in the finished goods.
In plush fabrics I obtain the novel effect which is hereinafter described.
To carry out my invention, a flat pattern surface corresponding to the portion to
be cut or required is first cut out in flexible rubber or other suitable material.
This pattern surface is fixed to a flexible endless web of rubber backed or
combined with cotton or canvas or other suitable web, or the backing may be of
woven fabric only, so that the pattern surface when so fixed shows the design in bold
relief.
The endless web with pattern surface may also be formed say by casting in
rubber or a combination of rubber and other material, or the design may be cast
and then attached to an endless web.
Either the body or the ground of the design may be in relief. Thus, as indicated
in Fig. 1 which shows a portion of a pattern surface, the "fleur de lis" may be cut
away (as stippled) leaving the ground of the design as the pattern surface, or vice
versa, as indicated in Fig. 2.
The pattern surface is placed under the fabric which is then passed under the
cutters of a cutting machine (in a similar mauner to that described in my former
Specification 11801 of 1888) and the portions of the loops raised by the pattern
surface are cut away. The results of working according to my former specification
was practically useless, but by substituting a process in which I construct a flat
pattern surface such as herein before indicated instead of a design in cords or
outline, I am enabled to produce the fabric to which my invention relates.
Fig. 3 shows the improved machine upon which my fabrics are cut.
The length of the web upon which the design is cut or the circumference of the
cylinder upon which the design is cast varies according to the length and nature of
the design. For fabrics the design may repeat itself. For a hearth rug the design
is complete in itself for the rug, and the length of the rug settles the circumference
of the endless web or cylinder.
The endless web with the design upon it is passed under a tension roller, which
is detachable for the purpose, and over a cutting bed which is also detachable for
the purpose. The distance between the centre of the tension roller and the cutting
bed varies according to the diameter of the design when in cylindrical form. Such
distance is regulated by carrying the tension roller upon journal blocks on each
side of the machine, through each of which a screw passes capable of regulation by
hand wheel, in order to ensure the proper distance between the tension roller and
the cutting bed.
The drawing roller and the tension roller, although the centres vary in distance
from one another, as the length of the design web, they must run at the same speed.
This is accomplished by passing a pitch chain round a pitch chain pulley secured

page_text: on the tension roller spindle and one on the drawing roller spindle, also around a
loose pitch chain pulley carried on a suitable bracket.
The last mentioned pulley is capable of regulation as to tension, by a screw
passing through the boss of the stud carrying the pitch chain pulley operated by
hand wheel or its equivalent.
The frame A. cutting knife G. and bed H. are of the ordinary construction and
mounted somewhat in the ordinary manner. The endless web J. with the design
upon it is passed round the tension. roller C and cutting bed H. The loop or pile
fabric K. upon which it is intended to cut the desigu is fed to the machine in the
direction of the arrow and passes over the cutting bed H. along with and at the
same surface speed as the design, whereupon it is subjected to the cutting operation
by the rotating knife G. in the ordinary manner.
In order that any length of design may be used I support the tension roller C¹
in suitable bearings D. mounted in a slide M. secured to or forming part of the
frame A. at each end of the machine, and by the operation of hand wheel N. the
screw O, one at each side of the machine revolve through the respective
bearings D; the roller Craising or lowering to suit the length of the design
placed thereon.
The main or first motion shaft U. is driven in any convenient manner, and by
means of intermediary gearing, motion is imparted to the shaft of the drawing
roller P. upon which is secured a chain wheel Q, a similar wheel Q', being secured
on the shaft supporting the tension roller C and by means of the pitch chain R.
passing round the chain wheels Q. Q' guide pulley S. and tension chain wheel T,
the same surface speed is imparted to the roller C as that of the drawing roller P,
whereby the endless web J. supporting the design and the fabric, travel at one and
the same speed.
The chain wheel T. is supported by a boss U' through which passes the screw V. by
operating the latter by a key or its equivalent, the said wheel T. may be raised or
lowered as desired to suit the length of the endless web J. and position of tension
roller C¹.
When a loop or pile fabric is treated as above described, the ends of the loops
raised by the Hat pattern surface are evenly cut off, the design being thus shown in
surfaces of short plush pile upon a ground of the original loop fabric or vice versa.
The fabric can be dyed before or after cutting, and the effect of the light upon the
cut and uncut portions of the surface is to give two different shades of colour.
Thus an effect is produced in a simple and expeditious and comparatively
inexpensive manner and which can be obtained otherwise only in the process of
weaving or in the loom.
To produce an entirely new effect in a plush fabric the whole fabric is dyed one
colour, say a brown, and it is then "tip dyed," that is to say the tips of the plush
only are dyed, say a black. The fabric is then cut upon a pattern surface as
above described, the result being a brown design upon a black ground.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
1. A fabric having a design shown in short pile or plush upon a ground of loops
(or rice versa) produced by cutting a loop fabric upon a flat pattern surface,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. A plush fabric having a design shown in shorter pile of one colour upon a
ground of another colour (or vice versa) produced by tip dyeing and cutting a plush
fabric upon a flat patteru surface, substantially as described.
3. The improved cutting machine substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 20th da
1000
JOHN WAUGH,
Agent.