An Improved Method of Manufacturing India-rubber and other Endless Bands or Strips.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1898
Complete Connifination tast 10th
4000
44th hon 1000
An Improved Method of Manufacturing India-rubber and other
Endless Bands or Strips.
I, JAMES MECREDY MACLULICH, of 14, Regent Street, in the County of London,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to an improved method of manufacturing endless or con-
tinuous bands or strips of the kind that have hitherto been made by a moulding
operation, my chief object being to render the manufacture both less expensive
and more expeditious than heretofore. The said endless bands or strips are
specially intended for use with or as tyres for wheels although they may be utilized
for any other purpose for which they may be appropriate-and when they are
made of great width as compared with their diameter they will be in the form of
tubes. They may be of any desired shape in cross section,
An important feature in my method of manufacture consists in pressing or
guiding the india rubber or other substance, while in a condition of a plastic sheet
or strip, in such manner that it will travel along in a circular or similar path so
that the free extremity thereof will return to and be joined with the plastic
sheet at any desired point, the said sheet being adapted to be severed at or near that
point.
The india rubber or other substance may be pressed or guided on an endless
canvas or other loose band or carrier adapted to travel along and carry with it the
plastic sheet or strip. By employing guide bands of different dimensions I am
able to manufacture endless bands or tubes of any desired size.
In some cases, for instance where small light bands or strips are required, I
may dispense with the canvas strips or the like.
In carrying out my said method I may employ "calendering" rollers or cylinders
upon one of which I may mount the aforesaid guide band or strip of canvas or
other suitable material. The india rubber or other plastic material is supplied
to these rollers and is thereby converted into the form of a sheet or strip which
is conducted onto the said endless guide band or carrier by which it is carried along
until its extremity reaches the point where the said sheet meets the guide band.
The further formation of the rubber sheet or strip may then be stopped in any
suitable manner or the sheet or strip may be severed at this point by the oper-
ation of an appropriately arranged knife. The two extremities of the sheet or
strip (which at this time will lie adjacent to each other) are brought into close
contact so as to be tightly joined or welded together thereby converting the said
sheet or strip into an endless band or tube the joined ends or edges of which will be
practically as homogeneous as the other portions of the band or tyre. The guide
band together with the endless plastic band is then removed and a fresh guide
band placed in position ready to receive the next plastic strip or sheet.
If desired I may provide means whereby the removal of the guide hand or
carrier and its replacement by another will be effected mechanically without having
to stop the machine or its output. For instance I may arrange two or more of the

page_text: said rollers carrying the guide band end to end or side by side, and provide for
their being successively brought into position contiguous to the roller from which
the plastic sheet or strip
taken.
The manufacture of endless bands or of rings or tubes of india rubber can thus
be effected in practically as expeditious and cheap a manner as the manufacture
of india rubber sheets.
I may form grooves or continuous recesses of any desired shape in the calender-
ing rollers, so as to mould the strips or sheets of plastic material to
cross-sectional form during their manufacture. Endless tyres or tyre covers may
any desired
thus be moulded with treads of any required design. If desired the aforesaid
endless guide band may be grooved, or otherwise formed in correspondence with
the grooves or continuous recesses in the said rollers.
Dated this 12th day of March 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
An Improved Method of Manufacturing India-rubber and other
Endless Bands or Strips.
I, JAMES MECREDY MACLULICH, formerly of 14, Regent Street, in the County of
London, but now of Gortmore, Dundrum, in the County of Dublin, Ireland,
Gentleman, 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 an improved method of manufacturing endless or
continuous bands or strips of india rubber or other. plastic substance of the kind
that have hitherto been made by a moulding operation, my chief object being to
render the manufacture both less expensive and more expeditious than heretofore.
The endless bands or strips are especially intended for use with or as tyres, for
wheels, although they, may be utilized for any other purpose for which they are.
appropriate. The bands may be of any desired shape in cross section.
An important feature in my method of manufacture consists in conveying the
india rubber or other substance, while in a plastic condition, to a revolving or
travelling carrier upon which the india rubber is pressed, and by which it is
guided in such manner that it will travel along in a circular or similar path, so.
that the free extremity thereof will return to and be joined with the issuing stream
or strip of plastic india rubber, the latter being severed at or near the point of
juncture in 'any. convenient manner.
The said carrier may consist of an endless band of canvas or other suitable.
material, or of a cylinder, disc or the like. After the said endless strip or band of
india rubber has been formed, it may be readily removed from the carrier. By.
employing carriers of different dimensions I am able to manufacture endless hands.
of india rubber of any desired size.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into.
effect I will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying
drawings, which illustrate, by way of: example, the application of my invention
to the manufacture of endless india-rubber bands for wheel tyres.
Figure 1 is an elevation, and,
-4.
Figure 2 a plan of one form of machine.employed, for the purpose of this inven-
tion.

page_text: Figure 3 is an enlarged view shewing a tyre in process of formation on the
.carrier.
A A¹, are two steel rollers or cylinders which may be heated by appropriate
means. Upon the lower one A¹ of these rollers is mounted a loose flexible
carrier A These rollers are detachably mounted on shafts B, B', carried in
sliding bearings working in vertical slots c in the standards C¹ C¹ of the framing C.
Each of the shafts B, Bi, has mounted upon it a pinion, one only of which, D, can
be seen in the drawings. These pinions gear with each other and ensure that the
rollers A A¹ revolve at the same surface speed. The lower shaft B is prolonged
to receive the gear wheel E by means of which said shaft is rotated. In the
drawings I have shown a train of wheels e, F, f, gearing with the said wheel E,
and by means of these wheels the speed of the shaft 13 is reduced to the requisite
degree. This arrangement permits the same driving shaft to be employed for
driving this machine and for driving the apparatus used for conveying the plastic
india-rubber to the said machine. Variations of the speed may be obtained in the
usual manner by the cone pulley G upon which the driving belt runs. A clutch H.
is provided for enabling the machine to be thrown out of action.
I, I, are screw threaded spindles attached at their lower extremities to the bear-
ings of the shaft B; and serving both as pressure screws for forcing the rollers A A¹
toward each other during the formation of the endless band; and as lifting screws
for raising the shaft B so that the endless band may be removed from the rollers.
Instead of the shaft B, the shaft B' may be adjustable; or both shafts B and B¹.
may be adjustable, if desired.
K is the nozzle of the apparatus used for conveying the plastic india-rubber L
to the machine, such apparatus being of ordinary construction:
It is advisable to employ, in conjunction with solid tyres of the kind illustrated;
an inextensible lining or backing in order to keep such tyres from stretching;
and in applying the present invention to the manufacture of such tyres I prefer to
utilize the said inextensible lining or backing as the carrier. For this lining I
prefer to employ a band (Figure 3) having one or more strips of canvas m, m,
embedded in indiarubber or like substance m moulded or formed to the shape
shown. This construction gives an increased surface for the adhesion of the
tyre and obviates any tendency to displacement of the tyre during its manufacture.
The roller A is provided with a groove a corresponding to the shape of the tyre to
be formed. The shape of the orifice of the nozzle K is preferably of the cross
sectional shape of the india-rubber portion of the tyre to be formed. Obviously
nozzles having orifices of different shapes may be employed, as may also rollers
with grooves of different shapes. I may sometimes make the lower roller A¹
of a width slightly less than that of the groove a in the upper roller A, so as to
permit the periphery of the roller A¹ to enter the groove a and thereby effect any
desired amount of compression of the tyre. In some cases however I may find it
advantageous to provide both the rollers A and A' with grooves, so that each roller
receives a portion of the tyre.
The operation of the machine is as follows:
The india rubber is. forced or squirted from the nozzle K onto the carrier A³
between the rollers A: A and is carried' along by the said carrier until its extremity
reaches the stream of rubber issuing from the nozzle. The further formation of
the rubber strip may then be stopped in any suitable manner, or the strip may be
severed at this point by a suitable cutting device operated by hand or otherwise.
The two extremities of the separated portion of the rubber (which at this time will
meet or lie adjacent to each other) are. brought into close contact so as to be
tightly joined or welded together; thereby converting the plastic rubber into an
endless band or tyre the joined ends of which will be practically as homogeneous
as the other portions thereof. The shaft B is then raised by means of the screws. I,
so as to withdraw the roller A from the roller A¹, and the carrier A³ together with
the endless. band or tyre, is removed and a fresh carrier placed in position ready.
to receive another charge of the plastic rubber from the nozzle K.

page_text: Instead of permitting the carrier A² to hang below the roller A¹, as shown in
the drawings, I may provide an additional pulley or roller for the carrier, such
pulley being so disposed that the upper part of the carrier would be approximately
horizontal. The said pulley would be mounted in bearings capable of adjust-
ment toward and away from the roller A', so as to provide for the employment of
carriers of various dimensions.
If desired I may provide means whereby the removal of the carrier and its
replacement by another will be effected mechanically without. having to stop the
machine or its output. For instance I may arrange two or more of the rollers A',
end to end or side by side, and provide for their being successively brought into
position contiguous to the roller A.
The manufacture of endless tyres, or endless covers or treads for pneumatic
tyres, or of any endless bands or rings of india-rubber, can, by my invention, be
effected in practically as expeditious and cheap a manner as the manufacture of
india-rubber sheets.
I may sometimes provide a series of parallel grooves in the rollers, instead of only
one groove, and provide a corresponding series of orifices in the nozzle K, whereby
I am enabled to form several tyres or endless strips at the same time. I may also
form in the groove or grooves a the intaglio of any non-slipping tread design, so as
to mould the said tread at the same time as the tyre or tyre cover is formed.
I may apply my invention to the manufacture of tubes by making the endless
bands or strips of great width as compared with their diameter. For this purpose
the rollers A, A¹, and the carrier A2 would be substituted by cylinders of a length
proportional to that of the tubes to be formed.
It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the details of construction
of the machine hereinbefore described, since it is obvious that there are. various
ways in which my method of manufacture can be effected.
I may sometimes dispense with the travelling carrier A2 and cause the roller A¹
to itself constitute the carrier. In such case the said roller would be covered
with canvas or other suitable substance to which the plastic material would
temporarily adhere.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The herein described method of manufacturing an endless band or tube of
india rubber or other plastic material upon an endless travelling carrier operating
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. In such manufacture the use of rollers adapted to receive between them the
plastic material, and arranged in combination with a revolving or travelling
carrier substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 10th day of Lo
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.