Improvements in or relating to Napping Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 20th July, 1896-Accepted, 12th Sept., 1896
Improvements in or relating to Napping Machines.
I, LOUIS CLARENBACH, Junior, of 868 North 25th Street Philadelphia State
of Pennsylvania, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to he performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to napping machines of which the following is a specifica-
tion, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of my machine, a part of the standards or supports
being broken away and certain of the concealed portions being indicated by dotted
lines.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of one end of the same, showing the ends of the
main shaft and certain of the rollers in elevation and the remainder of the parts in
a central vertical section.
Figures 3 and 4 are cross sections indicating the details of the construction of the
rollers adapted to be used in my machine.
Figure 5 is a diagram indicating certain variations in the adjustment of the
cloth.
My invention has for its object to produce a machine of the general type of the
planetary or epicycloidal napping-machine, in which two or more sorts of napping
may be performed, not only with the same drum or cylinder, but with one and the
same set of rollers.
When I speak throughout this specification and claims of the operation of
"napping" or of "napping material "I mean to include all operations and materials,
natural or artificial, which are capable of raising a nap on textile fabrics. The best
known of these materials are teazels and wire-cloth, and of each of these a great
many grades of fineness are known. All different sorts of material, however, which
are capable, when mounted on a revolving drum, of raising a nap are within the
scope of my invention, and when I speak of different sorts of "napping" I mean
napping varying in the degree of action on the fabric and performed by any of
the materials referred to. Furthermore, although brushing with bristle brushes
is usually employed, not to raise a nap, but to lay or direct the trend of a nap
already raised, yet it, too, is within the scope of my invention, and when I speak
of the operation of "napping" I wish to be understood to include such brushing
operation. These various operations have hitherto been performed by separate
drums, generally mounted on two separate machines. In some cases it has been
proposed to perform these operatious upon the same drum, but with different sets
of rollers. My invention, however, contemplates the performance of two or more
of these operations with the same set of rollers. This result is accomplished,

page_text: generally speaking, by so mnounting each of the rollers upon the drum that for any
given operation the operative portion of the roller-that is to say, that portion to
which the cloth is tangential at the points of contact-is always confined to one more
or less limited longitudinal section of the cylindrical surface of the roller. By
dividing the surface of each roller into two or more of these longitudinal sections
and fitting each of these sections with napping material of a different sort it is
only necessary in order to accomplish the ends of my invention to provide means
whereby during one part of the operation of the machine all of the rollers shall
present for work sections fitted with material of one character, while during a
successive part of the operation they shall all present sections fitted with material
of a different character. I have invented means which successfully accomplish this
end and have shown and am about to describe a form of machine which I consider
to be best adapted for this purpose; but I believe that no one has heretofore
conceived the idea of dividing the surfaces of the rollers into portions fitted with
materials or clothing of a varying character and regulating the character of the
work to be performed by the rollers according to the portion which is presented for
work at a given time. Consequently I wish it to be understood that the scope of
niy invention is not limited to the particular means by which the actuation of the
rollers, so as to accomplish this result, is performed.
In Figures 1 and 2 A A is a portion of the standard of the machine, the sides
and hottom being broken away. m is one of the two spider-frames which make up
the drum, around the periphery of which the rollers are mounted.
m 1 shows one
of the adjustable bearings in which these rollers are mounted. cc are the rollers,
which may vary in number. The axes of these rollers project through their
hearings, and each of them carries upon its exterior extremity a spur-wheel e.
Upon the shaft S, but rotating independently thereof, is mounted, between the drum
and the bearing of the shaft, the large wheel f, having an inwardly-projecting
peripheral flange, upon the internal perimeter of which is formed an internal
gear,
which engages with each one of the spur-wheels mounted upon the extremities of
the rollers. This wheel has formed upon its outer side a smaller pinion,
engaging with a pinion & mounted upon a small counter-shaft k 1, the other extremity
of which carries a pinion i, which engages with the pinion j, mounted upon the
shaft S. The small counter-shaft k 1, which has been referred to, is eccentrically
journalled within a collar I, which is in turn mounted in the standard A. This
collar is capable of rotation by the handle L, and according to its position will
the train of gearing which has just been described be either operative or inoperative.
The wheel is furnished with a set-screw o, or any similar device, whereby it may,
when desired, be locked to the shaft S and caused to rotate with it. It is further-
more furnished upon its periphery with two or more stop-holes p p 1, into which fits
the extremity of the detent-lever q, which is pivotted upon the standard A and
operated by the handle Q. Upon the standards A are mounted the usual cloth guiding
and drawing rollers d represents the brushing-roller, by which the rollers upon
the drum are cleaned. aa à a &c., are adjusting-rollers, all of which are so mounted
between the ends of the standards that they are capable of a very considerable
degree of circumferential as well as radial adjustment with reference to the drum.
This adjustment is obtained either by mounting the rollers upon swinging levers,
which are capable of being fixed at any desired point, or by having extra sets of
bearings properly placed, to which the rollers may be removed when it becomes
necessary. Both these means are illustrated in the drawings, but they are capable
of great variations and are shown with sufficient clearness in Fig. 1 to require no
further description.
Fig. 3 shows in section one of the rollers c as constructed to carry out the
purposes of my invention. It consists of a central metallic core s and iwo longi-
tudinal peripheral sections t t, which are here shown as equal semi-circular sections.
The number, however, of these sections may be increased, the size of their arc
being proportionally diminished. Each of these sections is furnished on its outer
surface with napping material of a different character, the upper one in Fig. 3 being

page_text: a coarse wire napping-clothing and the lower a finer wire napping-clothing. The
ends of the clothing are turned in under the edges of the sections and secured by
strips y y, fastened by screws running through the clothing into the sections. To
prevent these sections from losing their shape under pressure, one or more longi-
tudinal ribs w to may be formed on the interior of the sections to rest against the
central core.
Fig. 4 illustrates a roller of the same construction, as far as its lower half is
concerned, but its upper half is provided with longitudinal slats, with suitable
indentations for holding hetween themselves teazels. In this case three lines of
teazels 1 2 3 are thus secured to the roller, and each line may preferably be
composed of tenzels of a different quality. The peripheral sections aul the teazel-
slats may be secured to the central core in any convenient way; but I prefer the
use of collars at the extremities of the rollers with inwardly-overhanging Hanges by
which they may be clamped in place.
The operation of the machine will now be described. For the sake of example
it may be supposed that all of the rollers e are of the description shown in Fig. 3,
and therefore covered one half with coarse-wire clothing and one half with fine-
wire clothing. For the first part of the operation it is necessary that only those
portions of the rollers which are covered with the coarse clothing shall be presented
for action upon the cloth. Let it be supposed that the wheel carries upon its
internal gear two hundred teeth and that each of the spur wheels e bas forty
teeth. If the wheel is stationary while the drum revolves each roller c will make
five complete backward revolutions to one forward revolution of the drum, and if
at the moment of starting any roller is so situated that the central line of that
portion of the periphery which is covered with coarse clothing is outermost it is
obvious that at five equidistant points in the course of the revolution of the drum
will this same peripheral line be outermost. If therefore, the cloth which is to be
operated upon is so placed by means of adjusting-rollers as to be tangential only to
these five points in the course of the revolution of the drum, it will be acted upon
only by the single portion of the roller which has been referred to. To perform
this operation upon the cloth, therefore, it is necessary to first move the handle La
so as to throw the gearing by which the wheel fƒ may be independently actuated
out of play. This wheel is then locked in position by the lever 7 in such position
that five out of the ten rollers present outwardly that portion of their periphery
which is fitted with the sort of clothing adapted to do the work desired, while the
other five intermediate rollers are in precisely the opposite position. The
adjusting-rollers are then so adjusted as to carry or present the cloth for contact
to the rollers which have been first spoken of, and only to them.
Since in most napping-machines the lowermost portion of the drum must be used
to drop the fly and waste by means of the cleaning-roller d, as a matter of fact but
four of the five of the contact-points can usually be taken advantage of; but at
these four points, as shown by the heavy broken line az, Fig. 1, the cloth is
presented tangentially to the rollers, each of which presents to the point of
contact, clothing of a given character. The intermediate rollers, it will be
observed, which are reversed in position, cannot touch the cloth until they have
made a half-revolution. If the machine be now set in motion, it is obvious that
all the rollers will touch the cloth at four points in the course of each revolution
of the drum, and always in such way as to present for work the portion fitted with
the character of clothing desired for the operation-e.g. the course-wire clothing
shown in the upper half of Fig. 3.
When it is desired to alter the character of the napping to that produced by the
finer variety of wire clothing with which the other sides of the rollers are covered,
the position of all the rollers must be changed so as to present for work only the
portions of the rollers which are fitted with this fine clothing. To effect this, the
wheel is released and advanced until the detent engages with the next stop-hole,
which is distant twenty teeth from the first, so that the movement thus effected
will have imparted to each roller a half-revolution, thus throwing the opposite side

page_text: of material during any given continuous napping operation substantially as
described.
2. The combination of a revolving napping-drum carrying a series of napping-
rollers mounted circumferentially upon it each of said rollers having different
longitudinal sections of its periphery furnished with lifferent varieties of napping
material; means for guiding cloth into position to be operated upon by said drum
at one or more points; means whereby the said series of napping-rollers are caused
to present for work at the said operative points but one given variety of material
during any given continuous napping operation, aud means whereby the character
of the material thus presented at the operative points may be changed when it is
desired to pass from one given napping operation to another, substantially as
described.
3. The combination of a revolving napping-drum carrying a series of napping-
rollers mounted circumferentially upon it, each of said rollers having different
longitudinal sections of its periphery furnished with different varieties of napping
material; means for guiding cloth into position to be operated upon by said drum
at one or more points; spur-wheels upon the extremities of each of said napping-
rollers; a single gear-wheel engaging all of said spur-wheels and imparting thereto
planetary motion; and means for holding said gear-wheel in two or more positions
fixed with reference to the framework of the machine, at each of which positions
all of the rollers present for work at the said operative points but one variety of
napping material, substantially as described.
4. The combination of a revolving napping-drum carrying a series of napping-
rollers, mounted circumferentially upon it, each of said rollers having different
longitudinal sections of its periphery furnished with different varieties of napping
material; means for guiding cloth into position to be operated upon by said drum
at one or more points; spur-wheels on the extremities of each of said napping-
rollers; a single gear-wheel engaging all of said spur-wheels; and means for
holding said gear-wheel in two or more positions fixed with reference to the said
revolving drum, at each of which positions all of said napping-rollers present but
one variety of napping material outward for action, substantially as described.
5. The combination of a revolving napping-drum carrying a series of napping-
rollers mounted circumferentially upon it, each of said rollers having different
longitudinal sections of its periphery furnished with different varieties of napping
material; means for guiding cloth into position to be operated upon by said drum
at one or more points; spur-wheels upon the extremities of each of said napping-
rollers; a gear-wheel engaging with each of said spur-wheels; transmitting
mechanism whereby said gear-wheel is caused to revolve independently of said
drum, the ratio of the revolutions transmitted being such that all of said napping
rollers present for action at said operative points but one variety of napping
material during any given continuous napping operation, substantially as
described.
6. A napping-drum carrying a series of rollers mounted circumferentially upor
it, each of said rollers having its surface divided into two or more longitudina
sections, said sections being covered respectively with teazels and with metalli
wire clothing, substantially as described.
T... 1896
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.