Improvements in Belts or Belting for Driving, Elevating, and other Purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Nov., 1893.
Complete Specification Left, 7th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 6th Oct., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Belts or Belting for Driving, Elevating, and
other Purposes.
I, HENRY ALEXANDER COLE of 1 Rumford Place, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Belting and Hose Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
:-
The object of my invention is to provide a kind of belting which while being
suitable for all general and usual purposes will also be particularly suitable for use
in all wet and damp places (such as wet wheat elevators in flour mills, grain
warehouses, open air driving or for working in paper mills and other wet or damp
places). Moreover by my invention great durability is imparted to the belts or
belting for general driving and elevating purposes.
In carrying out my invention I take preferably ordinary cotton canvas belting.
It will be understood bowever that I do not limit myself to this kind of belting
but only mention it because such will perhaps be found most adapted for the
treatment hereinafter specified. Other kinds of belting might however be used in
its place for instance, woven belts as hair, cotton, and composition belts of all
kinds. I therefore take the ordinary cotton canvas belting, or its substitute, and
first sew or rivet the belting with additional rows of copper wire, the number of
rows being regulated by the width of belting. When it has been thus sewn with
the copper wire then subject it to a coating of suitably prepared waterproofing
paint, instead of simply painting it with ordinary paint as is usual in cotton canvas
and other belting. After it has been sewn with copper wire and then coated with
waterproofing paint, I add further and finally a coating of elastic varnish prepared
in any suitable way. The belt or belting having been sewn or rivetted with the
rows of copper wire and painted with the waterproof paint and afterwards varnished
is then ready for use according to whatever purposes it is destined, and the fore-
going processes tend in turn to embed not only the cotton stitching if an ordinary
cotton canvas-belting has been made use of, but also the wire sewing or rivetting of
the belt becomes more embedded and the belt be both strengthened and rendered
absolutely waterproof.
It might be mentioned that if desirable before the belting is subjected to
the foregoing treatment it might be as a preliminary thoroughly saturated with any
suitable oil such as linseed a treatment to which belting is in many instances
already subjected.
Dated this 6th den of November 1893
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Belts or Belting for Driving, Elevating, and
other Purposes.
I, HENRY ALEXANDER COLE, of 1, Rumford Place, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Belting and Hose Manufacturer, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide a kind of belting which, while being

page_text: suitable for all general and usual purposes, will also be particularly suitable for
use in all wet and damp places (such as wet wheat elevators in flour mills, grain
warehouses, open air driving, or for working in paper mills and other wet or damp
places) and extreme and varied climates and temperatures. Moreover, by my
invention great durability is imparted to the belts or belting for general driving
and elevating purposes.
In carrying out my invention, I take preferably ordinary cotton canvas belting..
It will be understood, however, that I do not limit myself to this kind of belting, but
only mention it because such will perhaps be found most adapted for the treatment
hereinafter specified. Other kinds of belting might, however, be used in its place;
for instance, woven belts, as hair, cotton and composition belts of all kinds. I
therefore take the ordinary cotton canvas belting, or its substitute, and first sew or
rivet the belting with additional rows of copper wire, the number of rows being
regulated by the width of belting. When it has been thus sewn with the copper
wire, I then subject it to a coating of suitably prepared waterproofing paint,
instead of simply painting it with ordinary paint as is usual in cotton canvas and
other helting. After it has been sewn with copper wire and then coated with
waterproofing paint, I add further and finally a coating of elastic varnish. (Any
ordinary commercial varnish insoluble in water and sufficiently elastic not to crack
in bending round a pulley will do.) The belt or belting having been sewn or
rivetted with the rows of copper wire and painted with the waterproof paint and
afterwards varnished is then ready for use according to whatever purposes it is
destined, and the foregoing processes tend in turn to embed not only the cotton
stitching, if an ordinary cotton canvas belting has been made use of, but also the
wire sewing or rivetting of the belt becomes more embedded and the belt is both
strengthened and rendered absolutely waterproof.
It might be mentioned that if desirable before the belting is subjected to the
foregoing treatment, it might be, as a preliminary, thoroughly saturated with any
suitable oil, such as linseed, a treatment to which belting is in many instances
already subjected.
In the actual manufacture as carried on by me, the following procedure is
observed―
The first process after the canvas has been woven is the doubling, this is done
in the usual way. After the doubling comes the sewing with cotton (or other thread)
and this is done by large sewing machines specially made for the purpose. A
shorter & more regular stitch than in the ordinary red cotton may be employed,
and the rows of sewing are placed much closer together in my improved belt than
in other sewn cotton belts, thereby increasing its firmness and adding to its
durability. This operation finished, the belt is steeped in the very best linseed oil
until thoroughly saturated, then passed under rollers and bung over rails to dry;
this is a most important feature, as, if a belt is painted before being dry, the canvas
risks the possibility of rotting. Up to this point, my " cotton belt differs from
other cotton belts inasmuch as it is more carefully oiled, better sewn, and of greater
strength.
1
The next important step in the manufacture of the belting is the wire sewing.
The machine for this purpose is somewhat complicated, it is therefore sufficient
to say that the material used is copper wire in long rolls. The machine points the
end, drives it through the belt, cuts off the wire in short pieces and clinches, or
rivets, each section of the wire firmly into the belt, this is done under great
pressure, and compresses the layers of canvas as tight as possible. Cotton fibre
in its earlier stage has a capacity for the absorption of moisture equalling many
times its own weight, it is therefore susceptible before treatment to change of
temperature, and belts of inferior make and finish are often found to be quite slack
one day, creating slap and loss of power, the next so tight as to cause hot bearings
and unnecessary friction; and, if continually exposed to damp, are apt to rot and
become useless. Many methods are therefore in vogue for protecting the cotton
from the action of damp, et cetera, the most common being to cover the canvas

page_text: with rubber or balata. As regards the former, its failure to stand damp thoroughly
is well known, as, rubber being antagonistic to cotton, the two materials do not
permanently adhere to each other. One cause of this is that the cotton layers
gradually absorb moisture from the ends of the belt, and this is especially the case
with elevator belts running in damp pluces where the frequent bolt holes form an
easy channel for the damp to enter, which sometimes results in the cotton forcibly
swelling and separating the films of rubber, which soon peel off and leave the
canvas exposed to the full action of the damp, the belt then almost immediately
gives way. The action of heat upon rubber belting is even worse, causing, as it
does, the rubber to harden and crack and the plies of canvas to come asunder.
The above remarks apply equally to balata belting with the exception that the
latter is unsuitable for even moderately warm places.
After having been thoroughly dried, my belting is steeped in special yellow
waterproof paint (composed of dissolved or jelly beeswax, boiled oil & natural
ochre) and again calendered (or put under heavy rolls) which forces the paint well
into the belt.
Now commences the last process, that of varnishing the belt, which still further
protects it from the atmosphere and fills up any small interstices which may
have been left, and, acting as it does, as a complete. and final protective to the
belt.
The belting by my process is rendered impervious to either damp, steam or
moisture.
The drawing sets forth my belt as applied to elevators, particularly when working
in damp places; A is the cotton belting: B, the copper wire: C, a piece of
pliable leather or other suitable material placed between the bucket and belt to
still further preserve the belt by preventing the possibility of injury to the belt
from contact with the sharp edges of the buckets: and D, the bucket.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A belt formed of superimposed fabric thoroughly waterproofed and sewn with
copper or equivalent wire substantially as described.
2. The manufacture, construction and arrangement of belts and especially
elevating belts substantially as described and illustrated.
3. The process of manufacturing belts substantially as described.
D
11
A 1901
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, and London,
Patent Agents.