IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OR METHOD OF RAISING THE PILE, COVER, OR NAP OF FLANNELS, CLOTHS, OR OTHER MATERIALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED THEREFOR.
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Joshua Heap at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 1st November 1876.
JOSHUA HEAP, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Woollen Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OR METHOD OF RAISING THE PILE, COVER, OR NAP
OF FLANNELS, CLOTHS, OR OTHER MATERIALS, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS USED THEREFOR.".
In the process of raising the pile, cover, or nap of thin woollen goods, such as
flannels, light cloth, and similar articles, it has been necessary to give a passage
over the raising cylinder in one direction, say, from head end of the picce of flannel
to the tail end, and then from the tail end to the head end, and continuing by this
means of raising the wool first in one direction and then in the contrary direction;
thus a fuller and thicker pile, cover, or nap has been obtained than by a continued
number of passages in the same direction.
The method adopted where these alternate passages have been given was to
attach the head end of the cloth or flannel to a roller and wind it round the roller,
the passage of the cloth being in an opposite direction to the revolution of the
raising cylinder. When the length of cloth or flannel bad passed over the raising
cylinder on to the roller before named, the gearing by which the roller was driven
was disconnected, and the cloth or flannel unwound by hand, the cloth or flannel
turned the bottom side uppermost, the tail end of the piece attached to the roller
(which in the meantime has been put into gear), and the cloth or flannel run on to
the roller, the raising cylinder turning the pile, cover, or nap in the opposite
direction from its first passage, and this is continued until a sufficient pile, cover, or
nap has been raised on the cloth.
It is obvious that a great loss of work is caused by the time occupied in the
unwinding of the cloth from the roller on to which it has been wound, and that it
would be a great advantage if the alternate passages could be given to the cloth in
one continuous movement, and this I propose to accomplish by the following
means:
On the accompanying Drawings, on Sheet 1, the dotted lines represent the cloth,
the arrows show the direction in which the cloth passes from the point A to B, and
also along the travelling apron from B to A.
O represents the drawing and delivery rollers which are covered wire cards,
plush, or other material, the surface of which will bite or adhere to the cloth. These

page_text: rollers are driven by gearing and each pair revolve in the same direction and with
the same speed, the hooks of the wire cards or grain of plush are in opposite
directions, so that only the same quantity of cloth drawn by one roller will be
delivered by the other, and thus a continuous and regular passage of the cloth is
ensured from point A to B. These rollers are so arranged that each pair can be
worked in any direction, either from A to B or from B to A, and can be disconnected
so as to give the attendant the most perfect control over the passage of the cloth,
and enable him to raise the cover in any direction and in either one or two
passages or in alternate passages from head end to tail end, or vice versa, as may be
desired.
D are guide rollers placed to direct the course of the cloth. These rollers are
smooth and not driven by gearing but are driven by the friction of the cloth.
E are tension rollers the pivot ends of which are placed in a square step or bearing,
this step has a flange on each side and is placed between two upright iron guide bars.
The position of this roller is governed by the position of the slay roller F, for if the
slay roller F is lowered so as to inake the cloth press more strongly on the raising
cylinder G the tension roller will also come lower, and if the slay roller is lifted
higher the tension roller will also go higher. The principle which causes this roller
to be suspended in any given position is owing to a weight O suspended at the end
of a chain or rope, and then carried over a pulley marked P, and the other end
attached to the steps or bearings at each end of the tension roller E.
It will be perceived that the natural tendency of this tension roller would be to
run to the top of the upright iron guide bars, but this is counteracted by the cloth
passing over the upper surface of this tension roller and round the under surface of
the slay roller F, and thus the cloth is kept at one uniform tension throughout its
course from A to B, or vice versa.
F are the slay rollers the lowering of which brings the cloth to press more
strongly on the raising cylinder G, and it is these rollers which determine the
amount of raising given to the cloth; thus if only a small amount of raising is
required the slay roller F is put in a position so that the cloth will only slightly
touch the raising cylinder G, but if a greater amount of raising is required the slay
roller F is lowered, thus bringing the cloth to press more on the raising cylinder G.
It will be observed that each raising cylinder has two slay rollers which bring
the cloth into contact with the raising cylinder at opposite sides of the cylinder, and
thus double work is got out of one cylinder. These slay rollers can be used one,
two, three, or all at one time, so that the raising of the pile or cover on the goods
can be turned either to the head end or tail end of the cloth, or the cloth can be
run over the drawing and delivery rollers from point A to B without touching the
raising cylinder at all; it is obvious that this arrangement is a great advantage, and
its value can scarcely be estimated except by practical finishers, as it enables the
attendant to give any number of passages or to finish in any direction.
Where it is desirable to raise both sides of the cloth at one time, this can be
easily carried out by diverting the cloth at the second tension roller E, as shewn on
Sheet 2, and carrying it as indicated by the dotted lines and arrows. In this case
the third pair of drawing and delivery rollers will require reversing in their
revolutions, as shown by the arrows. Of course where both sides of the cloth are
raised at one time the raising is all in one direction, and where the cover or pile
requires raising in the contrary direction this is easily done by reversing the
drawing and delivery rollers, when the cloth having run over the raising cylinder
from A to B will on the drawing and delivery rollers being reversed immediately
run back from B to A.
In all these applications the piece of cloth must be fastened together at the ends
so as to be one continuous or endless piece.