CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING, MANGLING, DRYING AND FINISHING WOVEN GOODS AND FABRICS, AND PART OR PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
RIDGWAY BRIDSON, of Great Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, Bleacher,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-ninth day of May, in the first year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Ridgway Bridson, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Thomas Ridgway Bridson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said Thomas Ridgway Bridson, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England
and Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING, MANGLING, DRYING AND FINISHING WOVEN GOODS
AND FABRICS, AND PART OR PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO
OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which Letters Patent is contained a proviso that
I, the said Thomas Ridgway Bridson, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto bad,
will more fully and at large appear:

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Ridgway Bridson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and the
following explanation thereof, that is to say:-
My improvements in the construction and arrangement of machinery or
apparatus for stretching, mangling, drying, and finishing woven goods and
fabrics, consist in the arrangement of mechanism for the purpose of performing
these several operations continuously upon one combined apparatus or machine,
in place of submitting the goods. (to be operated upon) to several independent
processes or operations by distinct machines in succession, which has hitherto
been the common method. In order that the object of these improvements
may be more explicitly defined and better understood, I have attached to these
Presents a Sheet of Drawings containing representations of my said improve-
ments, and having similar letters of reference marked upon corresponding parts
of the mechanism in all the Figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine or apparatus constructed for the
purposes above explained; Figure 2 is a horizontal or plan view of the same,
as seen from above; and Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a certain part of the
mechanism detached, in order to explain some features of novelty of the appa-
ratus used to stretch the goods. Cast-iron side framings or standards a, a, a, a,
properly strengthened and secured together by cross rails and stretchers,
support the whole. of the combination of apparatus, arranged in proper
succession in order to perform each consecutive operation. The piece of
goods in the wet or stiffened state is introduced into the machine by passing
it over and under tension rails b, b, b, and is thus conducted under a guide
roller c to a.circular series of stretching rails d, d, d, d, which are connected
to arms or spokes e, e, mounted upon and revolving round drums f. f, f, f, (as
shewn in Figure 3) such drums being attached to sliding telescopic. tubes g, g,
by means of pins or pivots, upon which they can be moved or turned as upon
axes, the two outside drums having each a flanch in which there is a curved
groove or slot, so that the drum may by means of a screw be set at any
necessary angle to the telescopic tubes; these tubes are carried by a
stationary central shaft h. The two sliding telescopic tubes 9, 9, (shewn in
section in Figure 3) have each a rack of teeth upon their under side into which
toothed pinions i, i, work; and thus the drums upon one tube, and consequently
the arms or spokes and rails connected with them, are drawn apart from
or set closer to those on the other tube in order to accommodate the
apparatus to any width of cloth when it is first introduced. It will be readily

page_text: perceived that when the drums f, f, f, f are set obliquely on the telescopic
tubes by means of the slot and screw above described, the arms or spokes
connected with the drums will revolve obliquely to the centre of the tubes, and
thus the ends of the spokes or arms will expand and contract the stretching
rails d, d, d, d, as they revolve, and thereby distenil the cloth to the required
width. The cloth is to be tightly held upon these stretching rails by means of
endless bands j, j (see Fig. 1), passing in grooves over them, and also over
tension pulleys or rollers k, k, which also must be telescopic, in order to
correspond with the variable widths of the stretching rails. Now it will
be perceived that as this stretching apparatus revolves in the ordinary manner,
the cords j,j, will hold the selvages of the cloth tightly over the stretching
rails d, d, d, d, until the two delivering rollers 1, 1, will take the cloth from off
the stretchers, and conduct it immediately (before it has time to run up or
shrink) on to the large cylinder or bowl m, m, m, m. I consider the
improvements in this part of the machinery to consist in the application of the
telescopic apparatus above described, and the combination of the bands or
straps with the stretching rails for holding the cloth, as before set out.
I may
here add, that the stretching apparatus is revolved or driven by the friction of
the cloth just as the stretching machines in general use are driven: The
bowl or cylinder m, m, which in its present situation is to be considered as the
main feature of, my improvements, is constructed as a hollow chamber or
circular passage, having its outer periphery or surface turned and highly
polished, and supported upon arms n, m, n, n, mounted upon the hollow centre
or axis o, and running in pedestals attached to the said framings a
The whole of this bowl or cylinder m, m, is to be heated by steam passing
from its hollow central shaft to the interior of the cylinder by a pipe, or by
any other convenient means, and is provided with a circular rack of teeth
2, P, proceeding round its periphery near one of its outer edges (see Figure 2),
into which a toothed pinion g, driven by a strap and pulley, or suitable wheel-
work, in connection with the steam engine, or any other impelling power.
The pieces of goods under operation being as before-described just introduced
upon the surface of the cylinder or bowl m, m, and tightly held in its stretched
state by the two delivering. rollers 1, 1, it immediately proceeds around the
polished periphery of the cylinder m, m, and is operated upon by bowls
er rollers r,, placed at suitable distances round the cylinder, and which
revolve by contact of their surfaces. These rollers or bowls are set or brought
to any degree of pressure by means of the tighting screws s, s, s, s; and the
piece of goods being operated upon becomes mangled, calendered, and finished
during the process of drying by the operation of the successive system of bowls

page_text: upon the cloth as it passes over the cylinder m, m, until it is delivered in the
finished state from the cylinder at t. It will be very evident to practical
persons conversant with these processes as at present conducted, that by
passing the cloth around the bowl or cylinder m, as just described, any degree
of finish may be imparted to the goods whilst they are drying upon the surface
of the heated bowl or cylinder by varying the degree of pressure of the top or
pressing rollers or bowls; and also by making a corresponding variation in
their number, or by gearing them so that they shall run at a greater or less
degree of speed, as may be found desirable; or the goods may be taken off
from the cylinder when any sufficient degree of finish has been imparted to
them by this combination of mechanism or apparatus by delivering the piece
from the machine by the aid of a pair of delivering rollers, which may be
attached to any required part of the machinery, as shewn at w, w, providing
the cloth is ascertained to be sufficiently dried. It will be of course be evident
that in the construction and arrangement of such a combination of apparatus
I am neither limited to the precise dimensions, order, or number of any of the
before-mentioned rollers, bowls, or cylinders, nor to the materials of which
they are composed; but as all such operations must be governed by the
discretion of the operator, & of the peculiar demand of finish the goods
shall require, such variations in performing the combined process must
be left to the judgement of the workman; and any degree of finish hitherto
produced by mangles or calendars separately may then be obtained in
working the above-described combination and arrangement of apparatus for
stretching, mangling, drying, and finishing woven goods and fabrics.
And lastly, with respect to part or parts of these improvements being appli-
cable to other useful purposes, I would recommend that in those instances
where it is only necessary to perform the operations of stretching, drying, and
finishing (without the operations of mangling or calendering) some particular
description of woven goods, that a very simple plan be adopted, consisting of
ån apparatus composed of two circular discs or plates mounted upon a central
shaft, and these plates shall either be stationary or revolve, as may be found
desirable. These plates or discs are to be placed parallel to each other, and
sufficiently capable of adjustment to admit of any width of cloth to be stretched
and dried thereon. The cloth is to be passed round or over these plates by
means of straps and tenter needles, or otherwise, having the edges or selvages
over or upon the edges or peripheries of the discs, thus forming, as it were, a
perfect cylinder, into the body or interior of which hot or cold air, or both, is
to be propelled by means of a revolving fan placed in any situation that shall
be most convenient; and it will be found that the propulsion of the air through
1

page_text: r against the under side of the cloth forming the interior of the cylinder,
aving a direct and rapid action against its surface will thus effectually dry
he goods while in their stretched or distended state.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Ridgway Bridson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.
THOMAS RIDGWAY (L.S.) BRIDSON.