IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING DRYING AND FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE of Nº 11 Wellington Street, Strand, London, in
the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of my
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING
DRYING AND FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS to be as follows:-
In the stretching machine or continuous tenter frame the subject of this
Invention I imprison hot air which I project by the aid of any suitable blower
through the meshes of the fabric, which permits effecting the drying of a piece of
cloth or stuff dyed or dressed or simply wetted, almost instantaneously and in a
relatively very restricted or limited space.
If the stuff or fabric is too thick to permit all the hot air propelled by the blower
to pass through the meshes, a portion of this air will escape lifting the fabric at
its exit and the drying will nevertheless be very rapid.
In fact this frame the usual length of which is from 3 to 4 meters, but which
may if desired be increased to 6, 8 or 10 meters, completely drys fabric of any
breadth passing at a speed of from 8 to 30 meters a minute, accordingly as the
stuff being more or less thick will more or less easily permit the passage through
it of the current of hot air directed upon it.
This frame may receive the pieces previously wetted and carried upon a roller
which is placed near the entrance of the frame; it may also if desired include a
moistener, which is not shown upon the Drawing, because the various systems of
moisteners are sufficiently known and may be indifferently applied.
Neither will I enter into the description of the calorifere or heating apparatus
which may be arranged to be heated by fire or by steam, or a combination of both,
and permit the temperature of the air to be raised at pleasure to 80, 100, 150,
200 degrees and more according to the fabric or stuff.
In the majority of cases, a fan will suffice as blowing machine, inasmuch that a
pressure of 1/100 to 10 of an atmosphere, is sufficient to cause the hot air to pass
through the closest fabrics; in the greater number of applications this pressure is
not even required.

page_text: The fan will therefore be so arranged that the speed of rotation may be changed,
and consequently that either the pressure or the volume of the air propelled may
be diminished at pleasure.
The frame which I will proceed to describe is arranged to produce at the same
time as the continuous drying the breaking or stretching of the dried pieces.
This operation is independent of the drying, and the frame may be constructed
and the construction of the frame may be simplified by rendering it fixed, but the
system of drying, Figures 1, 2, 3 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawing show
the frame properly so called.
This frame is composed of a perfectly straight or well dressed horizontal plate
carried upon four feet A, forming a frame pierced in the middle with several
rectangular openings to which is fitted a forked pipe or uptake E, through which
the hot air arrives; a small pressure guage and a thermometer placed on this
pipe E, permits the controlling of the pressure and temperature of the compressed
air.
This plate carries in its longitudinal axis three supports B upon vertical pivots ;
the two first each receive a steel shaft C screw threaded inversely at its two ends.
The two shafts C are connected and work together by the aid of two toothed
wheels K and of the endless chain L.
Two parallel bands or rails with slide D, are supported by the two screw
shafts C by means of screwthreaded sockets into which these screws take.
These sockets carry a vertical pin 1, 2, 3, 4, taking into a cavity_bored out for
this purpose towards the extreme parts of the bands with slide.
These bands with slide serve as guide to the two chains of clamps or selvage
pincers which are to grip the fabric by its two selvages as it enters the frame.
The arrangement above described permits giving by the aid of the fly wheel M
every desired movement apart of the two bands with slide, and to give to these two
bands the to and fro motion which constitutes the déraillage or breaking motion.
During this to and fro motion the shafts C and G take various positions always
parallel to each other.
In the fixed frame all these pivoting arrangements would simply be done away
with as well as those hereinafter described to give the to and fro motion to the
bands D.
I will now describe the bands with slide and their movements.
Each of these bands is composed of the upper part where slide the closed clamps
holding the fabric as indicated by the arrows Fig. 2, and of the lower part which
brings back the open clamps; these two parts are connected at each end by a
head enclosing a polygonal cylinder each side of which corresponds to the
underneath of a clamp. These two cylinders F placed at the entrance to the
frame are simply return wheels the axle of which may be set nearer or further by
the aid of adjusting screws V in case the chain of clamps should be too long or
too short.
The two cylinders F placed at the exit end of the frame are hollow and have in
the interior four cells or holes into which take the teeth of two pinions with
cams Z.
The section of these teeth and of these cells is such that the shaft G upon which
the pinions Z may advance or retire may owing to a fixed keying take all the
inclined positions necessitated by the to and fro motion of the bands D without
any cessation of communication of the rotary movement of the shaft G to the
cylinders F which thus regularly draw along the chain of clamps.
t
The shaft G carried by a pivot bearing B similar to those which carry the screw
threaded shafts C, receives its motion from the toothed wheel H self actuated
from the wheel H₁ by the rather strong endless chain J.
In the to and fro movements of the bands D, this chain J, which is not very
much stretched receives a torsion twisting motion, because of the shaft Ġ is
movable, the shaft P is fixed. But the amplitude or extent of the to and fro

page_text: movements of the bands D is not sufficiently considerable to cause the twisting or
torsion to become a defect.
The rotation of the shaft P is effected by means of a pair of toothed wheels by
the shaft I carrying a cone, or better still, as shown on the Drawing, of a friction
disc actuated by the cylinder X.
Finally a connecting rod S actuated by an eccentric and acting upon a shaft U
carrying a crank of variable length T, gives by means of the connecting rod Q
every extent of to and fro motion to the bands D; the stoppage of this movement
is produced if the point of attachment of the connecting rod Q is brought in the
axis of the shaft U; the method of transmitting or a communicating motion may
however be replaced by another producing the same effect-R, and R¹, are the
fixed and loose receiving pulleys for the entire movement.
I will now describe the air chest:-
To prevent the hot air which arrives in the middle of the frame from escaping
at the sides, without passing through the fabric, I have fixed to the two bands
with slide D two pieces of sheet iron forming the lateral sides of a case or chest
the bottom of which is formed by the dressed plate of the framing and the bottom
by the fabric itself; the two transverse sides of this chest are hinge jointed in
order to follows the to and fro motion, and are in two pieces, which may slide the
one before the other when the distance apart of the sides is increased or diminished
by the aid of the fly-wheel M. In order that the two pieces of each of these
transverse sides may always be applied the one against the other they enter with
friction into the groove presented by two pieces N which may pivot upon their
vertical axis.
This arrangement may however be modified at the will of the maker, the
important point is that the lower edges of the air chest fit always exactly upon
the horizontal surface of the framing and that the upper edges come close against
the fabric to prevent any appreciable loss of hot air.
I will now describe the chain of clamps shown Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the Drawing.
This entirely new clamp, permits seizing or gripping firmly the selvage of a
fabric the thickness of which may vary within somewhat considerable limits. It
is composed of two jaws a, b, jointed together at c; at each end are two sockets
which by means of the pins d, permits the bringing together of a sufficient
number of clamps to form an endless chain rolling around the bands with slide D.
A lever f passing into an opening made in the middle of the jaw a and jointed at g
upon the lower jaw effects the closing of the clamp, or its opening, accordingly as
it is made to turn over forward or backward. When it pivots or turns forward,
the pin h fixed to the lever f, by the bolt j, presses the part m cast upon the jaw a.
This system of closing while very strong permits gripping fabrics of very different
thicknesses. The curve given to the surface m is studied for this purpose.
the contrary the lever f, pivots or turns over backward it happens-1° that the
front of the jaw a becomes free; 2° that this jaw opens in consequence of the
pressure exerted by the lever f upon another part cast at the back of the jaw a.
Springs placed at the entrance to the frame effect the automatic closing of all
the clamps accordingly as they pass, and inclined levers placed at the exit cause
their opening to abandon the dry fabric which was gripped wet at the entrance
to the frame.
If on
A drying drum is placed at the end of the frame to dry the selvages of the
fabric Q

page_text: I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of N° 11 Wellington Street, Strand, London, in
the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of my
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING,
DRYING, AND FINISHING WOVEN FABRICS and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
»
In the stretching machine or continuous tenter frame the subject of this
Invention I imprison hot air which I project by the aid of any suitable blower
through the meshes of the fabric, which permits effecting the drying of a piece of
cloth or stuff dyed or dressed, or simply wetted, almost instantaneously and in a
relatively very restricted or limited space.
If the stuff or fabric is too thick to permit all the hot air propelled by the
blower to pass through the meshes, a portion of this air will escape, lifting the
fabric at its exit, and the drying will nevertheless be very rapid.
In fact this frame the usual length of which is from 3 to 4 meters, but which
may if desired be increased to 6, 8, or 10 meters, completely drys fabrics of any
breadth passing at a speed of from 8 to 30 meters a minute, accordingly as the stuff
being more or less thick will more or less easily permit the passage through it
of the current of hot air directed upon it.
This frame may receive the pieces previously wetted and carried upon a roller
which is placed near the entrance of the frame; it may also if desired include a
moistener which is not shown upon the Drawing, because the various systems of
moisteners are sufficiently known and may be indifferently applied.
"
Neither will I enter into the description of the "calorifère or heating apparatus
which may be arranged to be heated by fire or by steam, or a combination of both,
and permit the temperature of the air to be raised at pleasure to 80, 100, 150,
200 degrees and more according to the fabric or stuff.
In the majority of cases a fan will suffice as blowing machine, inasmuch that a
pressure of 1/100 to 10 of an atmosphere, is sufficient to cause the hot air to pass
through the closest fabrics; in the greater number of applications this pressure is
not even required.
The fan will therefore be so arranged that the speed of rotation may be
changed, and consequently that either the pressure or the volume of the air
propelled may be diminished at pleasure.
The frame which I will proceed to describe is arranged to produce at the same
time as the continuous drying the breaking or stretching of the dried pieces.
This operation is independent of the drying, and the frame may be constructed
and the construction of the frame may be simplified by rendering it fixed, but the
system of drying will remain the same.
Figures 1, 2, 3 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawing show the frame properly
so called.
This frame is composed of a perfectly straight or well dressed horizontal plate
carried upon four feet A, forming a frame pierced in.the middle with several
rectangular openings to which is fitted a forked pipe or uptake E, through which
the hot air arrives; a small pressure guage and a thermometer placed on this pipe E,
permits the controlling of the pressure and temperature of the compressed air.
This plate carries in its longitudinal axis three supports B, upon vertical pivots ;
the two first each receive a steel shaft C, screw threaded inversely at its two ends.
4

page_text: The two shafts C, are connected and work together by the aid of two toothed
wheels K, and of the endless chain L.
Two parallel bands or rails with slide D, are supported by the two screw
shafts C, by means of screw threaded sockets into which these screws take.
These sockets carry a vertical pin 1, 2, 3, 4 taking into a cavity bored out for
this purpose towards the extreme parts of the bands with slide.
These bands with slide serve as guide to the two chains of clamps or selvage
pincers which are to grip the fabric by its two selvages as it enters the frame.
The arrangement above described permits giving by the aid of the fly wheel M,
every desired movement apart of the two bands with slide, and to give to these
two bands the to-and-fro motion which constitutes the "déraillage" or breaking
motion; during this to-and-fro motion the shafts C, and G, take various positions
always parallel to each other.
In the fixed frame all these pivoting arrangements would be done away with as
well as those hereinafter described to give the to-and-fro motion to the bands D.
I will now describe the bands with slide and their movements.
Each of these bands is composed of the upper part where slide the closed
clamps holding the fabric as indicated by the arrows Fig. 2, and of the lower part
which brings back the open clamps; these two parts are connected at each end
by a head enclosing a polygonal cylinder each side of which corresponds to the
underneath of a clamp. These two cylinders F¹, placed at the entrance to the
frame are simply return wheels the axle of which may be set nearer or further
by the aid of adjusting screws V, in case the chain of clamps should be too long or
too short.
The two cylinders F, placed at the exit end of the frame are hollow and have in
the interior four cells or holes into which take the teeth of two pinions with
cams Z.
The section of these teeth and of these cells is such that the shaft, G, upon
which the pinions Z, may advance or retire, may owing to a fixed keying take
all the inclined positions necessitated by the to-and-fro motion of the bands D,
without any cessation of communication of the rotary movement of the shaft G,
to the cylinders F, which thus regularly draw along the chain of clamps.
The shaft G, carried by a pivot bearing B, similar to those which carry the
screw-threaded shafts C, receives its motion from the toothed wheel H, itself
actuated from the wheel H³, by the rather strong endless chain J.
In the to-and-fro movements of the bands D, this chain J, which is not very
much stretched receives a torsion or twisting motion, because if the shaft G, is
movable, the shaft P, is fixed. But the amplitude or extent of the to-and-fro
movements of the bands D, is not sufficiently considerable to cause this twisting or
torsion to become a defect.
The rotation of the shaft P, is effected by means of a pair of toothed wheels by
the shaft I, carrying a cone, or better still, as shown on the Drawing, of a friction
disc actuated by the cylinder X.
Finally a connecting rod S, actuated by an excentric and acting upon a shaft U,
carrying a crank of variable length T, gives by means of the connecting rod Q,
every extent of to-and-fro motion to the bands D,; the stoppage of this movement
is produced if the point of attachment of the connecting rod Q, is brought in the
axis of the shaft U; the method of transmitting or communicating motion may
however be replaced by another producing the same effect. R and R', are the fixed
and loose receiving pulleys for the entire movement.
I will now describe the air chest.
To prevent the hot air which arrives in the middle of the frame from escaping at
the sides, without passing through the fabric, I have fixed to the two bands with
slide D, two pieces of sheet iron forming the lateral sides of a case or chest the
bottom of which is formed by the dressed plate of the framing and the top by the
fabric itself; the two transverse sides of this chest are hinge jointed in order to follow
the to-and-fro motion, and are in two pieces, which may slide the one before the

page_text: other when the distance apart of the sides is increased or diminished by the aid of
the fly wheel M. In order that the two pieces of each of these transverse sides
may always be applied the one against the other they enter with friction into the
groove presented by two pieces N, which may pivot upon their vertical axis.
This arrangement may, however be modified at the will of the maker, the
important point is that the lower edges of the air chest fit always exactly upon
the horizontal surface of the framing and that the upper edges come close against
the fabric to prevent any appreciable loss of hot air.
I will now describe the chain of clamps shown Fig 4, 5, and 6 of the Drawing.
This entirely new clamp, permits seizing or gripping firmly the selvedge of a
fabric the thickness of which may vary within somewhat considerable limits. It is
composed of two jaws a b, jointed together at c; at each end are two sockets which
by means of the pins & permits the bringing together of a sufficient number of
clamps to form an endless chain rolling around the bands with slide D. A lever f
passing into an opening made in the middle of the jaw a and jointed at
lower jaw effects the closing of the clamp, or its opening, accordingly as it is made
to turn over forward or backward.
upon the
When it pivots or turns forward, the pin h fixed to the lever f by the bolt j
presses the part m cast upon the jaw a.
This system of closing while very strong permits gripping fabrics of very
different thicknesses. The curve given to the surface m is studied for this purpose.
If on the contrary the lever f pivots or turns over backward it happens:-1°, that
the front of the jaw a becomes free:-2°, that this jaw opens in consequence of the
pressure exerted by the lever f upon another part cast at the back of the jaw a.
Springs placed at the entrance to the frame effect the automatic closing of all
the clamps accordingly as they pass, and inclined levers placed at the exit cause
their opening to abandon the dry fabric which was gripped wet at the entrance to
the frame.
A drying drum is placed at the end of the frame to dry the selvedges of the
fabric.
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
Firstly. In machinery or apparatus for stretching, drying, and finishing woven
fabrics, the arrangement of the screw threaded shafts carried by pivoted supports
or bearings to permit the breaking or stretching motion (déraillage).
Secondly. The bands with slide having at each end the driving cylinders of the
clamps.
Thirdly. The cam Z, in combination with the cells or holes in the cylinders F.
Fourthly. The friction disc V, actuated by the cylinder X.
Fifthly. The mechanism for producing the breaking or stretching movement
(déraillage).
Sixthly. The air chest.
Seventhly. The system of clamps in its entirety.
Eighthly. The system of drying by hot air under pressure.
Finally, in rigid machines or frames not having the breaking or stretching
motion, the novel arrangements of frame and system of drying, substantially as
herein before described.