IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WOVEN AND FELTED FABRICS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAN
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Third day of May, in the fourteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Edward Newton, my exors, admors, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF WOVEN AND FELTED FABRICS," being a communication from abroad; in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said William
Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, par-
ticularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in
Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
mmediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in.
nd by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Edward Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof (that
is to say)-
This Invention is communicated to me by my foreign correspondent relates,
firstly, to the manufacture of felted fabrics.
It has been essayed to make fabrics by coating bats of wool and other
fibrous substances with caoutchouc or similar gums, or the compounds thereof;
but the fabrics thus formed have been liable to the objections that when the
gum is put on in the dissolved state it strikes entirely through the bat, and
when put on in sheets rendered plastic by heat it only adheres to the fibres on
the surface of the bat; but according to the improved method I am enabled to
produce a fabric possessing the requisite strength in which the bat is
thoroughly united with the coating of gum without its pervading the whole
mass; and by this improved method I am also enabled to make such fabric very
elastic in the direction of its thickness, and more or less elastic at pleasure in
the direction of the length and breadth.
By manufacturing the fabrics according to this Invention a great economy
in the use of gum employed will result, inasmuch as the felted bat absorbs
into its body but little gum, and therefore a smooth surface may be obtained
with the use of a smaller quantity of gum than heretofore; coupled with this is
another advantage, (viz'), that the gum is confined to the surface of the fabric
where its useful properties are needed, and is not distributed in the interior of
the felted bat, where it would be useless or injurious.
The nature of the first part of this Invention consists in making the said
improved fabric by covering with caoutchouc or india-rubber, or similar gums,
or the compounds thereof, either in the dissolved state, or rendered very plastic
by heat, or felted or partly felted bat of wool or fur, or both or either, or both
mixed with the fibres of other substances, but not sufficient in quantity to
prevent the felting of the fibres of wool or fur, the said felted or partly felted
bat being covered or faced or "plated," as it is termed by the Inventor, with a
thin bat or fleece of cotton, flax, silk, or other similar fibres.
To this end a bat formed of carded wool or fur, or both mixed, or either or
both of these mixed with the fibres of other substances, not sufficient in quantity,
however, to prevent the fibres from interlocking or felting, is provided, and
submitted to the process of felting called hardening, so that the fibres shall be
sufficiently united to hold together, but not entirely felted, the degree of felting
depending on the quality of fabric to be produced. The bat in that state of

page_text: felting is then covered over with a thin bat or sliver of cotton, flax, silk, or
other similar fibres, and if the fabric to be produced is to be elastic in the
direction of the breadth, the cotton bat or fleece is to be laid with the fibres
lengthwise; if to be elastic in the direction of the length, the fibres are to be
laid across the felted bat; and if to be non-elastic in all directions of length
or breadth, then the cotton bats are to be made or laid with the fibres crossing
each other.
The two bats being thus prepared, they are together introduced between
callendering rollers, such as are used by caoutchouc manufacturers, and passed
through with a coating of dissolved caoutchouc on the cotton bat or fleece; or
instead of applying the gum in the dissolved state it may be applied in the
form of a sheet rendered very soft by heat, and in this way the whole is passed
between the rollers with a glazed apron interposed in the usual way, forcing the
gum through between the fibres of the cotton bat or fleece until it reaches the
surface of the under felted bat. In this way the fibres of the cotton bat or
fleece become thoroughly incorporated with the caoutchouc and give strength
thereto, whilst the gum is simply united to the fibres on the surface of the
felted bat, and hence the whole becomes 'united in one fabric, the felt retaining
all the qualities of a felt cloth, together with the properties of the caoutchouc
coating or surface strengthened by the incorporation of the cotton fibres, which
render the fabric to a certain extent non-elastic in the direction in which the
fibres of cotton are laid in forming the bat or fleece.
The second part of the Invention relates to woven or knitted fabrics. When
woven, knitted, or other similar fabrics are covered or coated with caoutchouc,
or similar gums; or the compounds thereof, without the interposition of a bat
or fleece of cotton, flax, silk, or other similar fibres, the gum if applied in the
dissolved state strikes into the woven or knitted fabric so as to entirely fill its
interstices or pores, which in the case of coarse fabric particularly causes the
waste of a large quantity of gum taken up in the interior of the fabric, and
frequently injures the quality and properties of the fabric, or the gum if applied
in sheets rendered plastic by heat merely adheres to the fibres on the surface
of the fabric, and is liable to be easily pecled off or removed from the surface of
the fabric; but by this Invention I am enabled to produce a fabric in which the
woven or knitted fabric is thoroughly united with the coating of gum without
its filling the interstices and pores of the fabric, by reason of which a great
saving and economy of gum is made, while the useful properties of the fabric
are preserved, and the gum is not easily peeled off or removed from the surface
of the fabric.

page_text: The mode of carrying out the second part of this Invention is as follows:-
A woven or knitted fabric, whether of woollen, cotton, flax, hemp, or other
material, is first covered or faced with a thin bat or fleece of cotton, flax, silk,
or other similar fibres; the fabric thus covered or faced is then introduced
together with a coating of dissolved caoutchouc on the cotton bat or fleece
between calendering rollers, such as are used by caoutchouc manufacturers;
or, instead of applying the gum in the dissolved state, it may be applied in the.
form of a sheet rendered very soft by heat, and in this way the whole is passed
between the rollers, with a glazed apron interposed in the usual way, by which
means the gum is forced between the fibres of the cotton bat or fleece until it
reaches the surface of the under woven or knitted fabric. In this way the
fibres of the cotton bat or fleece become thoroughly incorporated with the
caoutchouc and give strength thereto, whilst the gum is simply united to
the fibres on the surface of the woven or knitted fabric, and hence the whole
becomes united in one fabric, possessing the useful properties of the woven or
knitted fabric, with a surface of gum strengthened by the incorporation of
fibres not liable to be easily peeled off or removed.
The combined fabrics thus formed, whether felted, or woven, or knitted,
may be rendered pervious to air (a quality which for certain purposes is
deemed of great importance,) by employing liquid or soft gum sufficiently
sparingly to produce a porous surface; a fabric may thus be made pervious to
air, and to a certain extent impervious to water; the use of gum less liquid or
soft, or the addition of another coating of gum, will render the fabric air and
water tight.
When a thick bat or fleece of cotton, flax, or other similar fibres is used
in combination with the felted, woven, or knitted fabrics, the dissolved or
softened gum may not in all cases strike through the cotton, flax, or other
bat or fleece in sufficient quantity to cause the bat or fleece to be firmly
cemented to the felted, woven, or knitted fabrics, by reason of which the bat
or fleece adhering slightly to the surface of the felted, woven, or knitted fabrics
may be peeled off; to obviate this possibility a layer of gum may be advanta
geously interposed between the bat or fleece and the felted, woven, or knitted
fabrics, which will cement the two firmly together, even when the bat or fleece
is very thick. To this end I proceed as follows:-llaving passed the bat or
fleece between the calendaring rollers, together with a coating of gum, I leave
the bat or fleece upon the glazed apron, to which the coating of gum causes it
to adhere for the time. I then, by means of a knife or of the calendering
rollers, spread another thin coat or layer of gum upon the bat or fleece while

page_text: the bat or fleece is so adhering to the apron, and then pass the felted, woven,
or knitted fabric through the calendering rollers, so that the layer of gum being
interposed between the bat or fleece and the felted, woven, or knitted fabric
will cement them firmly together.
It is sometimes desirable to print or paint upon the gummy surface of these.
plated fabrics, but it has hitherto been found difficult to procure good and
sharp impressions upon the surface of the fabrics when finished, on account of
the hardness or roughness of the fabrics. In order to obviate this difficulty,
and particularly when exactness or delicacy of impression or design is desired,
I cause the printing or designs to be made upon the gummy surface of the
plating bat or fleece before the felted, woven, or knitted fabrics are united to
the plating bat or fleece by means of the interposition of a layer or gum as
before described. The combined fabrics thus formed may afterwards be
submitted to the curing or vulcanizing process or not, as may be desired.
No particular description of the calendering rollers; nor of the glazed apron
interposed between the gum and one of the rollers, nor of the spreading knife,
nor of the modes of preparing the caoutchouc, has been given, as these are
well known to the manufacturers of caoutchouc.
A new and for certain purposes a useful fabric may be produced by means
of coating with caoutchouc or its compounds the fleecy side of Canton flannel
or fleecy cotton, or other woven or knitted tissues, in which a nap or fleece of
cotton, flax, silk, or other similar fibres is formed on one side of the tissue,
and being part of the same; and varieties of fabrics may be manufactured with
a fleecy surface, which may be coated or covered with caoutchouc or similar
gums, or the compounds thereof, and thus rendered suitable to various uses.
In these fabrics the fleecy surface of the tissue performs the same part as the
plating bat or flecce before described.
Although caoutchouc is the only gum specifically named herein, I wish it to
be understood that I mean to include under the term gum all the varieties of
caoutchouc and gutta percha, and other gums of the same species known to
possess similar properties, and susceptible of being applied to and united with
felted and woven fabrics in the manner and for the purposes herein specified.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, and the method of putting the same into opera-
tion, I wish it to be understood that what I claim and desire to secure under
the above in part recited Letters Patent is, the mode of producing the fabrics
herein described by covering or coating the felt or semi-felt or woven fabrics
with caoutchouc or similar gums, or the compounds thereof, or bat or fleece

page_text: of cotton, flax, silk, or other similar fibrous substance being interposed for the
purpose above set forth.
I also claim covering or coating with caoutchouc or similar gums, or the
compounds thereof, the napped or fleecy surface (being of cotton, flax, silk, or
other similar fibres) of the fabric known as Canton flannel, or cotton flannel, or
other woven fabrics having a fleecy surface, substantially as herein described;
and note, under the term "woven," I include that class of fabrics which may
be produced on what is generally termed the "circular loom," and which is
known as "hosiery piece goods," and as "knitted piece goods."
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of November, in the year of our
themand eight hundred and fifty an