IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR COMBINATION OF FELT OR FELTED FABRICS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Julius Boult of the Agency for Foreign Patent
Solicitors of 323 High Holborn in the county of Middlesex Engineer for an
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR COMBINATION OF
FELT OR FELTED FABRICS A communication from Theodor Jegler and Johann
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Julius Boult at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th December 1882.
ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of the Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors of 323 High
Holborn in the County of Middlesex Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OR COMBINATION OF FELT OR FELTED FABRICS [a communication from
Theodor Jegler and Johann Offermann, persons resident at München, Bavaria,
German Empire.]
This invention relates to processes hereinafter described whereby felt can be
combined mechanically and without the use of adhesives, with woven knitted
worsted or other textile fabrics in such a manner that the two parts may form &
single piece of material or whereby two similar or dissimilar textile fabrics may be
combined with one another without the employment of felt and the closeness of
the combination depends on the time which the treatment of fulling or milling the
fabrics lasts The woven worsted knitted or or other fabric is first subjected either
in short pieces or in lengths to the effects of hot steam which may be under
pressure. This has for its object first to sufficiently moisten the fabrics for the
subsequent treatment and secondly the heat also contributes to raise the fine cilia
on the surface of all textile fabrics so that the combination may become as close as
possible, as the surface of the textile fabrics is roughened and the adhesion is thereby
increased.
In carrying this invention into practice the textile fabric which as has above
been stated has previously been steamed is wound upon a roller Another roller
contains on a cloth of the same length as the textile material to be felted the wool
CD011

page_text: fleece or nap to be felted which is thus laid upon the damp fabric and is firmly
pressed against it by another pair of rollers; After passing through these the
fabric covered on one side with wool fleece is placed into a bath which in 100 liter
water contains sy 1/10 to 2 Kilogrammes of good neutral or alkaline soap.
A boxshaped vessel may conveniently be used for that purpose and filled with such
a bath, the fabric passing through it carried by guiding rollers The excess of
liquid absorbed by the fabric is expressed by squeezing rollers and returns to the
tank or bath whilst the fabric passes between pressure rollers. Now when the
whole of the fabric under treatment has passed the bath in the tank viz between
the rollers in connection therewith its ends are united by sewing and it is for some
time say from 1 to 4 hours passed through the pressure rollers similarly to an
endless apron whereby the felt is firmly combined with the fabric Finally the
combined material so produced is finished by fullering in an ordinary fulling
machine, it is then washed stretched on frames "finished" as may be required and
ultimately dried. The method of manufacture above described, and also the
machinery are in no wise to indicate that for manufacturing such combined fabrics
the separate machines must be of the construction and used in the sequence set
forth as this will vary in all cases according to the locality and the kind of textile
fabric to be used. The machines themselves are of known construction
It is also possible though less advantageous to produce the combined material in
question or what is known as a fulling frame or a crossing machine of any suitable
known construction In the first case, that is with the fulling frame the wool from
the combing machines passes on to the endless apron, the card is stopped when
sufficient material has been placed on and the fabric in question is placed upon. the
nap. In the second case with the crossing machine the process is the same as with
crossed felts, only instead of taking the felt-nap produced on the carding engine a
textile fabric is taken and the nap crossed thereon. In either case the subsequent
processes are felting fulling and finishing. All the fabrics produced according to
one of these methods show as their distinctive characteristic feature the textile
fabric on the one side and the felt on the other so that they retain all the marks
peculiar to woven fabrics the felt serving only for increasing the thickness and
density.
It is particularly to be observed that the union of the felt with the textile
fabric takes place without any adhesive or cement, and only by the cilia or fibres
on the surface of the fabric becoming felted with the wool-nap in such a manner
that they can be separated only by forcibly tearing the same, if loosely woven
material is used or such as lace worsted or knitted the ultimate combination goes
even to that extent, that the felt penetrates the textile fabric so that a combined
material is actually produced which has the qualities both of the woven fabric and
of felt.
In the manner above indicated this combined material may be produced or even
so that the felt is placed between two fabrics of suitable kind and then the finished
product shows textile fabric on both sides which between them hold the felt and
are felted therewith.
It is not absolutely necessary that in the manufacture of the felt pure wool-nap be
used the mixture of wool with less valuable fibres of either animal or vegetable
origin, such as are known and customary in felt making being also applicable,
likewise the fibre to be used for the textile material may also be of any con-
venient origin according to the purpose for which the finished product is to be
employed.
In the manner above described woven cloth (whether plain or figured) may be
united without an adhesive as the previously steamed pieces with their fine cilia
on the surface thereof so intimately combined with one another that their separation
becomes impossible.
The well known fact that all woven materials tear only in the direction of their
warp and chain threads, but never diagonally even if force be used presents a large

page_text: field to this invention, as by suitably combining two ordinary fabrics a material
can be produced which is not tearable in any direction and a consequently increased
durability of the garments made therefrom results
To this end two fabrics are so felted one upon another that the chain of the one
lays at an angle of about 45° to that of the other so that the combined material
presents diagonal threads in every direction so that thereby it becomes very difficult
to tear.
It is obvious that a layer of felt may also be placed on one or the other side of
the material composed of two. superimposed fabrics, and this can be effected
simultaneously with the felting together of the two fabrics

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Julius Boult in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th June 1883.
"
ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of the Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors of 323 High
Holborn, in the county of Middlesex Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OR COMBINATION OF FELT OR FELTED FABRICS A communication from
Theodor Jegler and Johann Offermann persons resident at München Bavaria,
German Empire.
This invention relates to processes hereinafter described whereby felt can be
combined mechanically, and without the use of adhesives, with woven knitted
worsted or other textile fabrics in such a manner that the two parts may form a
Bingle piece of material or whereby two similar or dissimilar textile fabrics may be
combined with one another without the employment of felt and the closeness of
the combination depends on the time which the treatment of fulling or milling
the fabrics lasts. The fabric (woven worsted, knitted or produced in the lace
apparatus) is first either in short pieces, or in lengths of say 20-50 Meters
subjected to the effects of hot steam which may be under pressure. This has for
its object first to sufficiently moisten the fabrics for the subsequent treatment and
secondly the heat also contributes to raise the fine cilia on the surface of all such
textile fabrics so that the combination may become as close as possible, as the
surface of the textile fabrics is roughened and the adhesion is thereby increased.
To render the method of producing such combined fabric clear the accompanying
drawings show in diagram and by way of example the process of combining one
long length of textile fabric with felt.
Upon the roller A the textile fabric is wound which as has above been stated has
previously been steamed. The roller B contains on a cloth of the same as the
textile material to be felted, the wool fleece or nap to be felted which is thus laid
upon the damp fabric and is firmly pressed against it by the rollers CC¹ After
passing through these rollers the fabric covered on one side with wool fleece is
placed into a bath which in 100 liter water contains say 1/10 to 2 Kilo-grammes of
good neutral alkaline soap. A box shaped vessel (D see drawings) may con-
veniently be used for this purpose and filled with such a bath or solution the fabric
passing through it carried by guiding rollers a a a The excess of liquid absorbed
by the fabric is expressed by the rollers and returns to the tank D whilst the
fabric passes between the rollers F F¹ Now when the whole of the fabric under
treatment has passed the bath in tank D namely between the rollers r¹ its ends
are united by sewing and it is for some time say from 1-4 hours continuously
passed through the rollers F F¹ as shewn in dotted lines whereby the felt is firmly
combined with the fabric. Finally the combined material so produced is fulled in
an ordinary fulling machine, it is then washed stretched on frames "finished" as
may be required and ultimately dried. As already mentioned the accompanying
drawing is merely a diagrammatic representation of the method of manufacture
and is in no wise to indicate that for manufacturing such combined fabrics the
separate machines must be of the construction and used in the sequence set forth
as this will vary in all cases according to the locality and the kind of textile fabric
to be used. The machines themselves are of known construction such as used
since many years for carding and "fulling" cloth and felt or for similar purposes.
It is also possible, though less advantageous to produce the combined material in
question on what is known as a lap-frame or a "crossing apparatus
of any
suitable known construction. In the first case, that is with the lap frame, the wool
from the combing machine passes on to the endless apron, the card is stopped when

page_text: sufficient material has been placed on and the fabric in question is placed upon the
nap. In the second case, with the crossing machine, the process is the same as
with crossed felts, only instead of taking the felt-nap produced on the lap-frame a
textile fabric is taken and the nap crossed thereon. In either case the subsequent
processes are felting, fulling, and finishing. All the fabrics produced according to
one of these methods show as their distinctive characteristic feature the textile
fabric on the one side and the felt on the other so that they retain all the marks
peculiar to woven fabrics the felt serving only for increasing its thickness and
density.
It is particularly to be observed that the union of the felt with textile fabric
takes place without any adhesive or cement, and only by the cilia or fibres on the
surface of the fabric, becoming felted with the wool-nap in such a manner that they
can be separated only by forcibly tearing the same, if loosely woven material is
used or such as is made by lace-apparatus, worsted or knitted, the intimate com-
bination goes even to that extent, that the felt penetrates the textile fabric, so that
a combined material is actually produced which has the qualities both of the
woven fabric and of felt.
In the manner above indicated this combined material may be produced or even
so that the felt is placed between two fabrics of suitable kind and then the finished
product shows textile fabric on both sides which between them hold the felt and
are felted therewith. It not absolutely necessary that in the manufacture of the
felt pure wool-nap be used the mixtures of wool with less valuable fibres of either
animal or vegetable origin, such as are known and customary in felt-making being
also applicable, likewise the fibre to be used for the textile material may also be
of any convenient origin according to the purpose for which the finished product is .
to be employed.
In exactly the same manner as above described woven cloth (whether plain or
figured) may be united without an adhesive as the previously steamed-pieces with
their fine cilia on the surface thereof so intimately combine with one another that
their separation becomes impossible.
The well known fact that all woven materials tear only in the direction of their
warp and chain threads but never diagonally; even if force be used, presents a
large field to this invention, as by suitably combining two ordinary fabrics
a material can be produced which is not tearable in any direction and a
consequently increased durability of the garments made therefrom results.
To this end two fabrics are so felted one upon another that the chain of the one
lays at an angle of about 45° to that of the other so that the combined material
presents diagonal threads in every direction so that thereby it becomes very difficult
to tear.
It is obvious that a layer of felt may also be placed on one or the other side of
the material composed of two superimposed fabrics, and this can be effected
simultaneously with the felting together of the two fabrics.
Having now described the nature of the said invention and the manner of
performing the same as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, I wish
it to be understood that what I claim and desire to protect by the herein before in
part recited Letters Patent is.
First: The process substantially as described and shown in Figure 1 of the
accompanying drawings for producing a combined material of felt and textile or
other suitable fabric and consisting essentially in passing the previously steamed
materials through pressing rolls, then through a bath provided with squeezing or
expressing rolls and finally through pressing rolls, the ends being returned a second
time to the last pair of rolls and then secured to the fabric thus forming a loop
which travels continuously through the rolls.
Second-The process substantially as described for producing a combined
material of felt and textile or other suitable fabric by directly felting the pieces
into one another without the employment of adhesive or binding material the
fabric or material to be united with the felt being first steamed, the nap to be

page_text: felted being then placed upon it and the whole then pressed between rollers or
other suitable machinery and then fulled either with or without the employment
of a bath of water and neutral or alkaline soap.
Third-The combined material having the textile or other fabric on one side
and the felt on the other substantially as described.
Fourth-The combined material having the felt between the two fabrics which
appear on both sides the felt being held between and felted to the fabrics
substantially as set forth.
Fifth The manufacture of a material combined of two woven fabrics which
are felted directly upon or into one another without the employment of adhesive
or binding material and in such a manner that the chain thereto of the one are at
an angle of 45° to those of the other the combined material thus presenting
diagonal threads in all directions whereby its durability is increased substantially
as set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Alfred Julius Boult have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twenty eighth day of June in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.