Improvements in Machines for Spreading India-rubber or other Plastic Materials or Cement upon Fabrics.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Spreading India-rubber or other
Plastic Materials or Cement upon Fabrics.
I, ROBERT WALMSLEY, of 50, Melrose Street, Newton Heath, in the County of
Lancaster, Spreader, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The improvements which are the subject of this my invention relate to the form
and construction of machines such as are employed for spreading waterproof or other
like materials upon fabrics.
The object of my invention is to economise space and labour by enabling two or
more separate pieces of cloth to be waterproofed in one machine at the same time.
independently of each other, each of said pieces receiving either one coat or two or
more coats of waterproofing consecutively without requiring to be removed from and
replaced in the machine.
The accompanying drawing represents an outline side view of a machine that is
constructed according to my invention for waterproofing two pieces of cloth at the
same time and in the manner herein before named: a a are frames placed at any
preferred distance apart and upon each of which I place in reverse positions,
superposed, two sets of nipping rollers b, b¹ and f, f¹, two sets of spreading
gauges c, c¹ and m, m³, two sets of spreading rollers d, d, and j, j³, and two sets of
piece rollers e, e¹ and h, k, with two sets of steam chests and l¹ intervening. Each
of the spreading rollers d and d' is connected to the adjacent nipping roller b or b¹ by
suitable toothed wheel gearing, and to the piece roller e or e¹ by a cross belt or strap
placed on one side of the machine and the spreading rollers d and d¹ are connected
by suitable bevel gearing as g and g¹ placed on the opposite side of the machine.
The spreading rollers j., the nipping rollers f, f¹ and the piece rollers k, k¹, are also
respectively connected in like manner. The machine is driven by power
communicated through suitable pulleys that may be placed on one end of the shaft
on which the spreading roller is fitted and connected to the main driving shaft by
belt or strap.
In applying my invention one end of a piece of cloth is connected to one of the
piece rollers say e at one end of the machine, and one end of another and separate
piece of cloth to the other piece roller say k: the gauges c and m are set according to
the thickness of coating required on the fabric, the spreading rollers d and jare
disconnected from the piece rollers e and k, the gauges c and m are raised and tension
put on the cloth by the nipping rollers b¹ and f₁ being pressed down by the pressure
levers and q and the piece rollers e and k being weighted. When the pieces have
run their full lengths through the machine and been respectively received on the
piece rollers e¹ and k¹ the strap forming the connection between the spreading
roller d' and the piece roller el is removed, the weight is taken off the pressure
lever p and the piece roller e, the gauge c is lifted the gauge c¹ is set and tension
put on the pressure lever 8 and the piece roller e¹. The like action is also taken with
the spreading roller j¹ the piece roller k¹ the pressure lever t and the gauges m and m¹.

page_text: The travel of the machine is then reversed by the power being applied at the opposite
end of the machine or by a cross belt or strap and the pieces are returned on to the
piece rollers e and k respectively. Each complete set of mechanism as herein
before described is employed independently. One set only may be worked, or one
set may be stopped at the end of a piece of shorter length and the longer piece
completed without being affected by the stoppage of the shorter piece.
Improvements in Machines for Spreading India-rubber or other
Plastic Materials or Cement upon Fabrics.
I, ROBERT WALMSLEY, of 50, Melrose Street, Newton Heath, in the County of
Lancaster, Spreader, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
The improvements which are the subject of this my invention relate to the form
and construction of machines such as are employed for spreading waterproof or other
like materials upon fabrics. The object of my invention is to economise space and
labour by enabling two or more separate pieces of cloth to be waterproofed in one
machine at the same time independently of each other, each of said pieces receiving
either one coat or two or more coats of waterproofing consecutively without requiring
to be removed from and replaced in the machine. I attain this object by the means
hereinafter described reference being made to the accompanying sheets of drawings
in which Figs. 1 and 1^ are part side views of the same machine, Fig. 1 representing
the side view of one half of the machine and Fig. 1^ the side view of the remaining
portion of the machine. Fig. 2 is a transverse view of either end of the machine, and
In these
Fig. 3 is a complete side view of the machine drawn to a reduced scale.
views similar letters refer to similar parts. In this invention I construct a machine
for the purpose herein before named by placing at each end of a frame as a, two sets
of spreading rollers as d, d', and j, j¹ two sets of gauges as c, c¹, and g, g¹, two sets of
callender or nipping rollers as 6, 61, and f, f, and two sets of piece rollers as e, e¹
and k, k¹ (these last not shown on Fig. 2) duplicates of said rollers and gauges being
superposed and placed at one end of the machine in reverse positions to like rollers
and gauges at the opposite end of the machine, with two sets of steam chests as 1, 11,
intervening. Each of the spreading rollers d and d¹ are caused to revolve
simultaneously with their respectively adjacent nipping rollers 6 and 6¹ by the
pinions r, fitted on the spindles of the nipping rollers which engage with the
tooth wheels, 3 fitted on the near ends of the shafts of the spreading rollers.
The nipping rollers have their bearings in levers be b³ and f,f, which are pivotted
to the frame a at one of their ends as bx and fx and weighted at the opposite or free
ends of said levers. When it is necessary to place the nipping rollers out of action
they are lifted from contact with the spreading rollers by the aforesaid levers being
raised as in Fig. 1 by the cams f f and b 65 that are fitted at each end of the
nipping rollers on the shafts c which when turned cause the cams to raise the free
ends of said levers and with them the nipping rollers. Motion is given to each of the
piece rollers e e¹ by the cross belts or straps t, t¹, passing over the pulley sv v which are
respectively actuated by the tooth wheels u u¹ said tooth wheels being driven by the

page_text: pinions xx¹ which also gear into the tooth wheels m, m³, that are fitted on the shafts
carrying the spreading rollers d, d¹. On each end of the longitudinal side
shafts q and q³ I place bevel wheels q¹, q², and q q which gear into bevel wheels cor-
respondingly fitted on one of the ends of each of the shafts carrying the spreading
rollers d, d, and j, j. Each of the spreading rollers j, j¹, the adjacent nipping
rollers f, f, and the piece rollers k, k¹, are respectively connected in the manner that
like rollers at the opposite end of the machine are connected and as herein before
described; the pulleys v² and v³ are driven by belts from the pulleys m², m³, fitted on
the ends of the shafts carrying the spreading rollers j,j¹. The gauges are set by the
screws z in the ordinary manner.
In the application of my invention, supposing the cloth that is to be waterproofed
has been wound on the piece rollers k and k¹, the nipping rollers f, f¹, are lifted from
contact with the spreading rollers by cams as herein before described; one end of
each piece of cloth is passed over the adjacent spreading roller ; or j¹, then drawn
over the steam chests or land between the nipping rollers b, 61, and the spreading
rollers d, d¹, and is connected to the piece rollers e or e¹ at the opposite end of the
machine; the piece rollers k and k¹ are disconnected by throwing off the straps u³
and u, tension put on the cloth by the piece rollers k and k¹ being weighted; the
gauges g, g¹ are set according to the thickness of coating required on the fabric; the
gauges c and c¹ at the opposite end of the machine are raised and the nipping
rollers 6 and 6 placed and retained in contact with the spreading rollers d and d¹ by
the pressure levers 62, 63; the clutches 12, 1s are then placed in gear when the power
is transmitted to the machine through the pinions x and x¹, the cloth being drawn
over the steam chests 1, 1, and wound on to the piece rollers e and e¹. When the
pieces have run their full lengths through the machine and been respectively received
on the piece rollers e and e¹, the clutches 12 and 13 are withdrawn, the straps t and t¹
are taken off, the piece rollers e and e' are weighted, the nipping rollers 6 and b' are
raised by the cams 64 and 6', the gauges c and c¹ are set, the gauges g and g¹ are
raised, the nipping rollers f, f, are placed in contact with the spreading rollers ;
and, tension is removed from the piece rollers k and k¹, and the straps u³ and u
replaced; the driving power is reversed, the clutches 12 and 13 are placed in gear and
the machine is run back, the pieces receiving a second coat, and are rewound on to
the piece rollers k and k¹.
This operation may be repeated as often as the number of coats of waterproofing
the cloth is required to receive without removing the piece or pieces from the
machine. If one piece of cloth is shorter and therefore completed sooner than the
other or any defect occur that requires the piece to be altered or examined, that
portion of the machine containing said shorter or defective piece of cloth may be
stopped by throwing a corresponding clutch as 12 or 13 out of gear. If in a machine
such as I have herein described it is preferred that it may be optional to run one
piece in a reverse direction to the other at the same time, this may be effected by
placing a set of clutches as 12, 13, and the accompanying tooth wheel gearing at each
end of the machine. I do not confine myself to the precise arrangement or application
of driving power herein before described, as this may be modified to suit space or
other circumstances or location, but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. A machine for spreading india rubber or other plastic materials or cement
upon fabrics that is constructed with two sets of spreading rollers, callender or
nipping rollers, gauges and piece rollers at each end of the machine, with two sets of
steam chests intervening, said two sets of rollers and gauges being superposed the
upper and lower sets working independently in the manner and for the purpose
substantially as herein before described.
2nd. In machines for spreading india rubber or other plastic materials or cement
upon fabrics, the combination of the nipping or callendering roller with the

page_text: spreading roller, the means of adjustment and the lever mechanism for supporting
said nipping roller substantially as herein before described.
Dated the 11th day of January 1898.
THOMAS PRESCOTT,
53, Arcade Chambers, St. Mary's Gate, Manchester,
Agent for the Applicant.