IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SHEETS OR BANDS OF VULCANIZED INDIA-RUBBER AND OTHER SUBSTANCES INTO THREADS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gustave Eugène Michel Gérard, of Paris, in the
Empire of France, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SHEETS OR BANDS OF VULCANIZED INDIA-RUBBER AND
OTHER SUBSTANCES INTO THREADS."
Sealed the 23rd September 1864, and dated the 4th August 1864.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Gustave Eugène Michel
Gérard at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 4th August 1864, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GUSTAVE
EUGENE MICHEL GÉRARD, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Manufacturer.
send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SHEETS OR BANDS OF VULCANIZED INDIA-RUBBER AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES INTO THREADS," and have petitioned Iler Majesty to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the
same, and have made solemn declaration that I am the true and first Inventor
thereof.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Gustave Eugène Michel Gérard, do
hereby declare that the following Complete Specification under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in an improved apparatus for cutting sheets or bands
of vulcanized india-rubber into threads. In the year Eighteen hundred and
sixty-two, I obtained a Patent for the above apparatus, then in an imperfect
state, under the title of "Improvements in the Fabrication of Threads from
Vulcanized India-rubber, and the Apparatus connected therewith," dated the
Twenty-second day of December, and bearing the No. 3415. I filed with my
application for the said Patent the following Specification:-
"My Invention consists in cutting bands or sheets of vulcanized india-
rubber, with little or no waste and considerable rapidity into threads of
perfect regularity, the ends of which are united by a sort of selvage formed of
the edge of the band or sheet.
I employ for this purpose a machine composed of a spindle of iron or
steel mounted on centre points, and capable of making from 500 to 2000
revolutions per minute, on this spindle are threaded circular steel blades of
the diameter of from two to four inches about one-twentieth of a line in thick-
ness, and intended for cutting the india-rubber, these blades are separated by
washers or between blades, also in steel, and of which the thickness varies
according to the size of the threads to be cut, and which are from two to six
lines shorter than the cutting blades. The whole number of blades and
washers is next forcibly pressed by means of a screw on the end of the spindle.
Under the spindle, parallel to it, and touching the outer extremities of
the blades, is a cylinder of from 1 to 3 inches in diameter, this cylinder
which I prefer in half supple india-rubber, but which may be in hardened
india-rubber, in wood, in bronze, zinc, or any other metal, may be solid or
composed of a number of thin washers screwed one against the other, and
having the appearance of a solid cylinder, is so adjusted as to be removed at
will from its contact with the spindle and to approach it again in such a
manner as to touch the blades. The cutting blades trace a slight groove in
the cylinder by their rapid rotation which serves to increase the regularity of
the cutting, two small cylinders may be employed also parallel to each
other and serving the same purpose, namely, for rendering more certain the
complete separation of all the threads. The rate at which this or these
cylinders revolve would be equal to about from six to twelve yards per
minute.

page_text: The little cylinder or cylinders being removed from the spindle, the sheet
to be cut is placed above it and consequently between the cylinders and the
spindle, and a short length is allowed to pass to permit of its being held. The
spindle is then set in motion, the blades being kept wetted by means of a
brush on which slightly soapy water is allowed to drop, and the little cylinder
or cylinders approached so as to touch the extremities of the blades, and the
The sheet of india-rubber is
rotary motion is also communicated to it.
therefore now pressed between the blades moving with great rapidity, and the
little cylinder or cylinders which move in the same way but slower, and as it
is drawn by the cylinder or cylinders and by the workman's hand, or by a row
of small cylinders serving the same purpose of drawing the sheet, the cutting
is continued and forms the threads of the greatest regularity because nothing
can vary their parallelism. At last, some few lines before the end of the sheet,
the little cylinder (or cylinders) is removed altogether from the spindle, and
the pressure being thus withdrawn the cutting ceases, and the extremity of the
sheet forms a selvage which holds all the threads united. This last property
is extremely valuable for weaving purposes, because a large number of threads
being thus united by a selvage and forming a warp quite ready of perfect
regularity and without any waste of material as all the threads must necessarily
be of the same length. The rapidity of the rotation of the spindle should be
increased in proportion to any diminution in the thickness of the cutting
blades.
In case the threads are required to be separated entirely the cylinder or
cylinders may be left in contact with the spindle until the separation is com-
pleted. The transmissions of movement applied to the apparatus above de-
scribed are those at present in usage in mechanics, and its simplicity is such
that the description given will certainly suffice to make them understood.
Having thus described the nature of the said improvements, and the
manner of carrying them into effect, I would have it understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise details above enumerated, as these may
obviously be greatly modified without departing from the principle of my
Invention ; but what I claim is, firstly, the cutting of bands or sheets
of vulcanized india-rubber into threads in such a manner that the said
threads are united by a sort of selvage at each end formed by the uncut
extremity of the said sheet or band of india-rubber, and all and what-
soever the methods or apparatus employed to obtain this result; and,

page_text: secondly, the apparatus, above described which may be modified, but which
consists in all cases of thin circular cutting blades turning with great
rapidity, and cutting into threads, wholly or partially separated, bands, or
sheets of india-rubber, by their rapid cutting action on the surface of one or
two cylinders, which also move, but with less rapidity, and on which the band
or sheet of india-rubber to be cut is supported, and by which it is conducted."
In this Specification it will be seen that I have indicated for the above
purpose and as principle of the Invention, the use of cutting blades turning
with great rapidity against the surface of a cylinder of half supple india-rubber;
this cylinder, on which the sheet or band of india-rubber or similar substance
passes, being arranged so as to be withdrawn from and placed in contact with
the said blades at will, the result of which arrangement is that I am enabled
to stop the cutting at any moment, and obtain threads united at their
extremities or at any intermediate point.
During the construction of the apparatus I became convinced that in order
to succeed in employing the machine for wholesale manufacturing purposes,
and to enable it to work in a regular and continued manner it was necessary
to adopt a series of means without which the said apparatus could not
possibly answer. These means, either alone or together, appeared to me to
require patenting, even separately of the principle indicated and patented by
me, consequently I now apply for a new Patent for the machine itself, as well
as for the essential parts, the details and the accessories of which it is com-
posed, whether said machine is used for cutting sheets or bands of vulcanized
india-rubber or similar substances into threads cut or uncut at their extremities
or intermediate points.
In the accompanying Drawings forming part of this Specification Fig. 1
represents the machine in elevation seen from the back; Fig. 2 a side eleva-
tion of the same; Fig. 3 a plan view with section supposed below the shaft
which carries the blades; Fig. 4 a section of the cutting part of the appara-
tus; Fig. 5 the 'comb'; and Fig. 6 the rack which gives the alternate
movement to the chariot which receives the uncut parts of the sheets or
bands-seen in detail. In all these Figures the same letters represent similar
parts.
A, cast-iron framework, carrying two points B, B', on which the blade
shaft C is mounted, said blade shaft. provided with a pulley D, worked by the
driving band D'. The circular cutting blades are made of steel and are about
one two hundred-and-fiftieth part of an inch in thickness, they are threaded
on the shaft C, and are separated by washers made of sheet brass, the thick-
ness of which varies according to the size of the thread to be cut. A key is

page_text: fixed the whole length of the shaft, and the blades have a notch cut in their
central openings, which notch corresponds with the key; by this means they
are prevented from turning otherwise than with the shaft. The whole is held
as seen Fig. 1 by two nuts C', C', which are screwed on the end of the shaft
on which a thread is cut. The speed of these blades at their circumference
is about three hundred and fifty or four hundred yards per minute, nearly
fifteen hundred revolutions. G (Figure 4) is an iron roller covered with
india-rubber, half supple,.or any more or less hardened substance such as wood,
horn, zinc, or pewter, it is mounted with the rollers E, E', H, and H¹, on a
frame I, which may be raised and lowered at will by means of a lever K,
when it is raised (as seen Fig. 4) the cutting blades C come in contact with
the half supple india-rubber surface of this cylinder and cut the sheet or band
of india-rubber which is placed on it into threads in the most perfect manner,
the sheet is represented in the Drawings by a red line L. The speed of this
cylinder is about 5 yards at its circumference per minute, or seven revolutions
per minute. E, E', are two distributing cylinders, one of which E is of iron,
and the other E' covered with a supple india-rubber envelope; these two
cylinders, which form a drawing press, draw the sheet from the large roller N
(Figs. 2 and 3), and carry it on to the hardened india-rubber cylinder, they
turn with a speed of about four yards per minute, that is to say, about
one-fifth or one-sixth slower than the latter. This modification of speed is
absolutely necessary as the blades while cutting slightly retard the passage of
the india-rubber on the hardened india-rubber cylinder. Consequently, if the
distributing cylinders turned with the same velocity as the latter, after a few
yards had been cut, the sheets or bands would come a little quicker than the
hardened india-rubber cylinder could draw them, and a fold would be formed
in the india-rubber, when this fold passed under the blades all the threads
would be spoilt and become entirely valueless. The sheet before coming
between these two cylinders passes over the fixed screw M, the object of this
screw being to direct the sheet towards the right hand against a guide which
conducts it exactly under the blades without allowing it to make the slightest
zig-zag movement. The rollers H and H' serve for drawing the india-rubber,
the one H is of bronze or iron, and the other H¹ is covered with supple india-
rubber, they seize the sheet after it has been cut or rather the threads, they
work with a speed of nearly seven yards at their circumference per minute,
that is to say, about half as fast again as the hardened india-rubber cylinder,
this speed may be even double, or about nine yards per minute. These rollers
are quite indispensable for the regular working of the machine, they serve for
drawing the newly cut threads and prevent their being carried away by the

page_text: contact and friction of the blades between which they are engaged by the act
of cutting to which they have been submitted. This part of the sheet after
having been cut into threads is drawn and wound on reels in the direction L'
(Figs. 4 and 2), and the uncut part of the sheet O falls on to the chariot P,
which, having an alternative come-and-go movement, receives it and folds it on
itself at each movement like a piece of cloth. This alternative movement is
'obtained by means of a rack, the teeth of which are formed by leaves Q,
Fig. 6, the pinion which works it rising and descending alternately above
and below these leaves, when the rack is at the end of its course its brass R
(Figs. 6 and 1) which is of an oval form allows this movement. As the
pinion always turns in the same direction a rectilinear alternate movement
necessarily results. This movement may be obtained in any suitable manner,
and the use of the chariot is only of secondary importance, only it facilitates
the winding of the uncut part of the sheet at the first or second passage. The
sheet is about twenty-eight inches broad, and is cut into threads in three
operations or passages. N, Figs. 2 and 3, is a large roller of zinc or sheet
brass on which the sheet to be cut is rolled in the first place, and in such a
manner as to allow of its unrolling without shaking or stretching unequally
when drawn by the distributing cylinders E, E¹. It turns in a trough of
water so that while unrolling the sheet is constantly and perfectly wetted, the
roller is provided with a cheek T made of sheet brass carefully turned and
adjusted on the shaft V, in winding the sheet one of its edges is placed against
this cheek. When a sheet from which some threads have already been cut
is wound on, the moveable cheek T is pushed against the other side of the
sheet and prevents it from slipping. The shaft of this roller (Fig. 3) is
enlarged at the point X, and against this part rubs a break X', which may
be tightened by means of the screw X", provided with a screw nut, by
these means the roller turns and the sheet is unwound steadily and with
perfect regularity. Y is a screw which presses on one of the ends of the
shaft of the roller, and Y¹ is a spring acting on the other end. By means
of this screw the roller may be made to turn right or left, and the border
of the sheet thus be directed exactly towards the first blade. a (Figs. 4
and 5) is the framework of a metal comb, cut by the blades themselves in a
plate of from about half a line to a line in thickness, the teeth are applied
obliquely and very exactly between each of the cutting blades and almost in
contact with the edges of the washers placed between these blades. This
comb serves for withdrawing and throwing off the threads from between the
blades, which might by any accident break during the operation of cutting,
and would therefore be carried away by the blades. The comb may, as seen

page_text: The
in the Drawing, be approached or withdrawn from the blades by means of the
regulating screws C and D; it is held by the two brackets f. In Figures I
and 4 g is a tube all along which are placed small taps which allow a sufficient
quantity of water to flow on the blades during the cutting to cool them
and facilitate the division of the india-rubber. The over-heating, which is
intended to be. prevented by this watering, is caused by the friction of the
blades against the hardened india-rubber cylinder. g, Fig. 1, is a tap which
waters the point B in order to cool it during the working. In Fig. 2 h is a
lever worked by the pedal J, J, and the connecting rod h³, and moving the
arbour K which in its turn moves the piece K¹ under the framing I (Fig. 4),
as seen in the Drawing, this piece K₁ is composed of a second moveable
piece K" which itself may be regulated at will by a screw, thus the required
distance between the axis of the blade-spindle and the axle of the hardened
india-rubber cylinder is established in a rigourously exact manner.
whole system of pedals and levers serves for approaching or withdrawing from
the cutting blades the hardened india-rubber cylinder as well as the whole of
the rollers which accompany it. When by means of the pedal the framing I
which carries the cylinder is raised (see Fig. 4), the stop piece W, Fig. 3, is
pushed on to the other piece W' fixed on the end of the shaft K, in this way
the framing is fixed invariably, and the blades cut the sheet by their friction
on the hardened india-rubber cylinder, in which they enter slightly; when it is
wished to stop cutting, it suffices to draw the piece W back, when the ungearing
takes place, the framework of the cylinders falls by its own weight and the
cutting ceases instantaneously. In order that the movement of the pedal may
not raise the cylinder framing too high, two stop screws 1 (Fig. 4) are
regulated so as to stop its ascent, the same remark applies to the screws r
which stop the framing when the ungearing takes place. Two movements
are separately given to the machine, one to the blade spindle by the driving
band D', Fig. 1, as above explained, the other by the driving band O to the
pulley P which by means of gearings transmits it either below in order to
work the chariot which receives the uncut part of the sheet, or above to the
gearing m which turns freely so long as the framing is not raised by means of
the pedal. When this takes place, the gearing n fixed to the spindle of the
roller H gears with m and the system of rollers works immediately. On the
contrary the moment the pedal ceases to act the framework falls back on
to the end of the screw r (Fig. 4), and the gearings m and n no longer
gearing together the cylinders cease turning, and the cutting stops at the
same time, because the sheet carried on the hardened india-rubber cylinder is
with it withdrawn from the cutting blades. This machine may, with some

page_text: few slight modifications made in the speed of the distributing cylinders, and of
the drawing rollers, which would be made to work with the same or nearly
the same speed as the hardened india-rubber cylinder, be applied to cutting
into threads, ribbons, or bands, any other substance than india-rubber such as
for example, gutta percha, leather, paper, cloth, felt, or similar substances.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I claim the above machine for cutting
sheets or bands of india-rubber or other substance for which it is suitable into
threads, whether it is considered as a whole or in detail as my exclusive
property as being the true and only. Inventor thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Gustave Eugène Michel Gérard, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
G. GERARD. (LS.)