IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING FUSTIANS AND OTHER FABRICS TO OBTAIN A CUT- PILE SURFACE
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Burley, of Halifax, in the County
of York, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CUTTING FUSTIANS AND OTHER FABRICS TO OBTAIN A CUT-
PILE SURFACE."
Scaled the 12th January 1853, and dated the 15th November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Burley
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 15th November 1852.
I, JOSEPH BURLEY, of Halifax, in the County of York, Mechanic, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CUTTING FUSTIANS AND OTHER FABRICS TO OBTAIN A CUT PILE
SURFACE" to be as follows:-
The Invention consists of improved means of keeping the fabric
distended, and of conducting it during the operation of cutting the
pile surface; also of improved means of arranging the cutting instru-
ments, and the parts by which they are sustained; also of means by
which the stopping of the working of the machine is effected in the
event of derangement or imperfection of the working of the parts;
also of the adaptation of the improved arrangement of cuttin
instrument, when cutting the pile of such fabrics by hand.
The fabric to be cut passes from a slip roller, over a guide rolle

page_text: on to a cylinder covered with card teeth or other points, thence
against conical rollers capable of adjustment in order to keep the
fabric tight towards the selvedges. From these the fabric passes
over a stationary bar and guide rollers, to a second card or other
point cylinder, from which it is guided by another guide roller to a
slip roller, upon which it is wound. The card or other point
cylinders are connected, so as to travel together, by an endless chain
or other suitable means, yet in such manner that one may be turned
in the reverse direction independantly of the other, in order to
tighten the portion of fabric between them, or otherwise.
In passing from one of the card or other point cylinders to the
other, the pile surface of the fabric is brought into position to be
entered by the points of a series of knives at the ends of rods, which
knives enter the pile of the fabric at an angle in a somewhat similar
manner to what is pursued in cutting fustians and like fabrics by
hand.
The rods carrying the knives are capable of adjustment, and are
carried by a frame (also capable of adjustment), which turns upon
centres, so as to admit of the knives rising out of the way of the
work when required. The knives are connected by spring joints to
their rods, and the rods near these joints have arms, which project
upwards, and support (by hinge joints) guards, whose ends are
serrated or roughened, and hanging down (in working) rest on the
knives; but when, from any cause, the point of the knife passes
through the fabric, the serrated end of the guard comes upon and
holds into the fabric, the onward movement of which causes the
guard to raise the end of the knife-rod in contact with, and raises a
bar (extending across the machine), which by suitable means stops
the further working of the machine, whilst the point of the knife will
be turned back upon its spring joint, and thus avoid the further
cutting of the fabric.
If any of the knives rise out of their work, they will also act upon
the stopping bar to stop the working of the machine.
The axis of the roller which feeds the fabric into the machine, as
also that of the roller which receives it after being cut, are driven by

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Joseph Burley in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th May 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
Joseph Burley, of Halifax, in the County of York, Mechanic, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Burley, Her especial
license that I, the said Joseph Burley, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Burley, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING FUSTIANS AND OTHER FABRICS TO OBTAIN
A CUT PILE SURFACE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Joseph Burley, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso I, the
said Joseph Burley, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to sav).

page_text: :
Heretofore fustians, and other similar fabrics woven with a surface
which, when cut, produces a cut pile surface, have for the most part
had such surface cut by an instrument carried and governed by
hand. It has, however, been proposed to arrange machinery,
whereby the fabric was conducted into position to have its surface
out by suitable cutting instruments, and whereby those cutting
instruments were somewhat governed in their movements by
nechanical means. But, to the best of my knowledge, such has, from
various causes, not come into general use. I mention this, in order
to state that my Invention relates to improved means of conducting
the fabric into position, to have the pile surface thereof cut by
suitable cutting instruments, whereby the fabric will be kept dis-
tended during such operation; also to the arrangement of the parts
of the cutting instruments, and of the parts by which the cutting
instruments are sustained and controlled; also to means by which
the stopping of the working of the apparatus will be readily effected,
in the event of any derangement of the working of the cutting
instruments taking place.
The Invention also relates to the application of the improved
arrangement of cutting instrument, when cutting by hand.
In order that the Invention may be fully understood, I will
proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, shows a longitudinal section; Figure 2, a side view;
Figure 3, an end view, and Figure 4, a plan of apparatus arranged
according to my Invention. Other figures shew some of the parts,
full size, in order to their being better understood. a, a, is the
framing. b, is the main axis or shaft, which receives motion by means
of a strap or band, from a steam engine or other power acting upon
the drum fixed thereon. The axis b, turns freely in the arms c,
c¹, affixed to the shaft c², which is supported in bearings carried by
the framing, as shewn. The arm c¹, is formed into a sort of Llever,
by which the axis b, is held in position or released, in order to

page_text: stop the working of the parts, as will be hereafter more fully
described.
Upon the axis, is also affixed the drum or pulley b², which, by
means of a strap or band 6, gives motion to the drum or pulley d,
upon the shaft d', upon which is also affixed the pinion de, which
takes into and drives the toothed wheel e¹, upon the axis of the
cylinder e, which, with the cylinder f, is covered with card teeth or
other suitable points, which take hold of the fabric as it passes
through the machine.
The fabric (the surface of which has to be cut) is conducted as
shewn, by red lines, from the roller or beam i, partly around the
guide roller, drag roller j', and guide roller j2, into contact with
the pointed surface of the cylinder f, from which it passes against
the surfaces of the conical rollers 7, which are supported at their
ends in standards .
Upon the axis of the roller j¹, is affixed a drag pulley j³, around
which is wound the band jt, which at one end. is affixed to the
framing at j³, and at the other carries a weight j, which arrangement
aids to put a drag upon the fabric as it passes to the roller f.
The roller f, is prevented travelling faster than the surface speed
of the roller e, by means of the spring stops h', carried by the ring
,.taking into the teeth of the ratchet wheel h², which is affixed to
the axis of the roller f.
The ring h, travels loosely on that axis, and has teeth upon its
surface, which pass into the links of the chain g, which are also taken
into by like projections or teeth e², carried by the cylinder e; by
which, whilst the ring h, will be caused to travel at the same speed
as the roller e, the cylinder will be prevented travelling faster than
such roller e, and a uniformn drag may be put upon the fabric. The
fabric thence passes over the bar a¹, (or it may be a roller), into
position, as shewn, to be acted upon by the cutting instruments m;
thence it is guided by the guide rollers n, n, on to the card or other
point surface of the cylinder e, by which it is drawn forward, and
thence passes under the guide roller o, to the roller or beam p, upon
which it is wound.

page_text: The cutting instruments m, are similar to those heretofore used,
and have each a sheath m', similar to what is ordinarily employed
when cutting by hand; but the instruments m, in place of being
rigidly affixed to their rods me, are jointed thereto at m², in a similar
manner to what a penknife is jointed to its handle, there being a
spring m³, by which the cutter will have a tendency to remain
pointing outwards; but when, from any cause, the cutter has slight
downwards pressure given to it, the spring will be overcome, and the
knife will turn under, and hang loosely. m³, is a guard, which is
suspended by hinge joints from the arms m³, carried by the stem or
rod of the cutter. This guard, in working, rests by its serrated or
roughened end upon the top surface of the cutting instrument, as
shewn; but when, from any cause, the point of any one of the cutting
instruments dips too low, and gets thro' the work, then the serrated
end of its guard m³, will come upon the fabric, the movement of
which will cause the guard m', to take the position indicated by
dotted lines in one of the Figures of the Drawings, whereby the end
of the rod or stem carrying the cutter will be raised, and lift the bar
q, which extends across the machine, and is affixed to the arins q';
and one of these arms q', is affixed to a short axis, which passes
through the framing, and has affixed upon its other end the arm q²,
the point of which rests under the stop rod r, which at its other end
is connected to the upper end of the lever arm c¹, and by its stop
7, resting on the bottom of the guide 2, holds the parts in position
to keep the band or strap 63, tight between the drums or pullies
2 and d. But when any one of the cutting instruments becomes
deranged in its movement, as above described, and the barg, is raised,
the arm will lift the stop rod off from its holding on the guide
72; the lever arın c¹, will be borne back by its spring c", thereby
raising the axis b, and slackening the belt, by which further
movement of the parts of the machine will be stopped. I do not
however, confine myself to the arrangement shewn for stopping the
motion of the machinery, as this may be varied. When, from any
cause, the point of a cutter m, passes through the fabric, and a guard
m³, comes upon the fabric, and the parts are raised as described, the

page_text: fabric will cause such cutting instrument to overcome its spring m³,
when it will turn upon its axis m², and will hang loosely in the
fabric, from which it may readily be removed without extending the
cut made in the fabric. The stems or rods of the cutters are carried
by a frame, forined by the two bars s¹, s2, and the end pieces s³. The
end pieces 3, have sockets formed in them, to receive pins carried
by the adjustable standards t, carried by the frame t'; and this frame
t, has sockets t, which receive pins adjustable in the standards u,
carried by the framing a. Each of the stems or rods me of the
cutters is held on to the bar s2, by means of instruments v, which.
have their lower ends turned inwards, to fit into grooves s*, formed
in the bar s, and at their upper ends are formed to receive the stems
m, which are retained in the instrument v, by the small turning
levers v', which turn upon pins v², and are received under the small
springs v3. w, are slides with set screws, for adjustment on the
stems me, to regulate the length to the point of the cutters. 5, s, are
adjusting screws in the frame s¹, s2, and resting upon the frame t¹,
to regulate the angle of the rods me, and consequently that at which
the points of the cutters shall enter the pile; and
arc arms to the
frame t', by which the frame t, may, when required, be caused to
turn upon its centres, and thus lift the cutters up from the fabric;
the frame s, and t¹, are also adjustable across the width of the machine
upon their supporting pins. The stems m, are also divided into
two parts at m', there being a neck formed on one part, which is
received into a socket formed in the other, and a set screw to hold
the parts as set in order, to give any required cutting angle to the
cutting edge of the knife. z, is a stop which holds on to the
ratchet wheel ¹, affixed to the axis of the cylinder e; the object of
this is, that when a fresh piece of fabric has been passed into the
machine, with its end held by the point surface of the cylinder e, that
cylinder may be prevented turning backwards, whilst tension is being
put upon the fabric by the cylinder f, being turned backwards.
The beams or rollers i, and p, are formed with square holes through
them, to receive their square shafts, by which they may be readily
removed or replaced, and the shafts have motion given to them by

page_text: means of straps or bands, as shewn, and at speeds which will maintain
drag on the fabric whilst passing through the machine.
The fustian, or other fabrics having a surface to be cut to form a
cut pile, will have to be successively passed through the machine
under the operation of the cutters till all the rows have been cut.
Although I have only shewn the guard mt, and the jointed knife, as
adapted to a stem to be used in connection with a machine of the
character shewn and described, it will be readily understood that the
same is equally applicable to the cutting instruments when cutting
by hand.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, I would
have it understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details
shown and described, so long as the peculiar character of any part
of the Invention be retained.
But what I claim is, First, the mode of arranging and combining
parts in connection with the cylinder f, whereby tension upon the
fabric is insured.
Secondly, I claim the mode of arranging and combining parts in
connection with the cutting instruments; also their means of support
and adjustment.
Thirdly, I claim the mode of arranging and combining parts in
connection with the cutting instruments, whereby the motions of the
machine may be stopped, when derangement in their working takes
place, as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Barley, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this sixth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness,
JOSEPH BURLEY.
WILLIAM BROOKES,
Patent Agent,
73, Chancery Lane.