Improvements in Machines for Stretching Textile Fabrics.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Stretching Textile Fabrics.
I, ARTHUR ASHWORTH, of the Fernhill Chemical Works, Bury, in the County
of Lancaster, Chemical Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
This invention relates to machines employed for stretching textile fabrics in
which the fabric is caused to pass under or over pairs of conical rollers. Such
a machine is described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me
No. 7317 dated the 26th day of March 1898. In machines of this type there is
a liability for the cloth to deviate to one side or the other with the result that
the weft is deviated and the cloth is unequally stretched. My present improve-
ments are designed to obviate this defect."
The deviation of the cloth towards the larger end of any roller increases the
pressure on the bearing at that end of the roller. The result is that if the cloth
passes over the roller there is an increased downward thrust, and if it passes
under the roller, there is an increased upward pull. I utilise this fact by
mounting the spindles of the rollers at the larger ends in bearings capable of
being moved upwards and downwards in vertical guides. The pull or thrust
can consequently be made to move the roller in its direction. This motion
alone may in slight deviations, provide a sufficient remedy, but when this is
insufficient, I arrange that the roller shall, by its further motion, come into
contact with or be operated on by a brake by which the motion of the roller will
be retarded and the cloth will then tend to move in the direction of the opposite
roller which is free.
The bearing may be normally forced against a fixed or adjustable abutment
by a spring or weight whereby the bearing is restored to its primitive position
when the thrust or pull caused by a deviation of the cloth, has been relieved.
Instead of allowing the bearing to come into contact with a fixed shoe or brake,
I may attach a shoe or the like to the end of a lever, the other end of which,
beyond its fulcrum, is acted on by a rod sharing the motion of the bearing.
To permit the free motion of the bearing, I may mount the roller journal at
the smaller end of the roller, in a swivel or rocking bearing.
As an additional precaution, I may interpose between any two successive pairs
of rollers an adjustable cylindrical roller in adjustable bearings, so that the
tension on the cloth may be regulated by raising or lowering the roller by known
means.
1000
W. E. HEYS & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Stretching Textile Fabrics.
I, ARTHUR ASHWORTH, of the Fernhill Chemical Works, Bury, in the County
of Lancaster, Chemical Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to machines employed for stretching textile fabrics,
in which machines the fabric is drawn successively under or over pairs of conical
rollers whose produced axes meet at an angle, the rollers being rotated by the
motion of the cloth. Such a machine is described in the Specification of Letters
Patent granted to me No. 7317 dated the 26th day of March A.D. 1898 and is
found to be effective in producing both longitudinal and transverse extension
of the cloth; but, it is also found that the cloth is apt to deviate from a rigorously
straight path through the machine. It is obvious from the construction of the
machine, that any such deviation of the cloth will bring one of its edges upon
a larger, and the other edge upon a smaller diameter of a pair of the conical
rollers, with the result that uneven stretching will be produced. My present
improvements are directed to the object of avoiding this defect, and further,
of providing means for more perfectly controlling the amount of tension in any
part of the machine, so, for example, that a moderate tension may be exerted
on the cloth as it enters the machine, and that this tension may be added to,
step by step, as the cloth is drawn onwards.
The deviation of the cloth towards the larger end of any one of the conical
rollers increases the pressure on the bearing at that end of that roller. The result
of this increase of pressure is that there is an increased downward thrust if the
cloth passes over the roller, or an increased upward pull if the cloth passes
over the roller. I utilise this fact for the purpose of my present
invention, by mounting the roller journals at the larger ends of the rollers, in
bearings, which are capable of being moved upwards or downwards in vertical
guides. The upward or downward pull can thus be made to move the roller
in its direction, and this will tend to straighten the cloth. But it is also desir-
able to provide a remedy for persistent tendencies to deviation and I obtain' this
by ensuring that anything more than a slight tendency to upward or downward
motion of the roller shall bring it into contact with a brake or friction surface
which moves synchronously to meet the roller. Since the cloth rotates the roller,
the retardation of the roller by the brake sets up a resistance to the passage of
the cloth, which resistance increases as the edge of the cloth approaches the
larger diameter of the conical roller. The moving cloth, naturally seeking a
path of less resistance, immediately moves over towards the unbraked or free
conical roller; that is to say, it resumes its prescribed straight path automatically.
To permit the consequent motion of the axis of the roller, I mount its spindle
at the narrow end of the roller in a yielding bearing.
For the purpose of ensuring the more complete control of the tension of the
cloth, in different parts of the machine, I intercalate between any or every two
pairs of the conical rollers, a cylindrical roller which may be raised or lowered
at will, and over or under which the cloth passes.
The accompanying drawings illustrate my present improvements and will be
hereinafter referred to.
Figure represents a cross section through the machine, and
Figure 2, a partial sectional plan.

page_text: Figure 4, an end view, of one of the pairs of conical rollers with the devices
for regulating the travel of the cloth.
Figure 5 shews, on a still larger scale, an end view, and,
Figure 6, a cross section of the brake motion.
Figure 7 shews a simplification in the brake.
In the actual machine there may be twenty, or more pairs of the conical
rollers, but for the purpose of my present invention it is necessary to illustrate
two only, as in Figure 2... Referring to Figures 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, it will be seen
that the conical rollers have their outer journals mounted in the bearing blocks
B B, each of which is normally held at the upper part of its vertical guide A,
by the spring S, further upward movement of the bearing being prevented by
the cap plate D. The journals of the conical rollers at their inner ends are carried
by the bearings E E, which may be provided with lugs pinned at F F, to the
support G, or be otherwise constructed so as to yield with the movement of
the axes of the rollers. A rod H, which may be adjustable as shewn by
Figure 6, or not, as shewn by Figure 7, is secured to the bearing block B, of
each conical roller. At its lower end this rod is pinned or rests upon the
horizontal lever L. In the construction shewn by Figure 7, the rod H may
rest by a nut N, upon the end of the lever L, and the distance between the lever
and the bearing block may be adjusted by rotation of the nut. On the opposite
end of the lever L, near to the conical roller, there is a friction plate I. From
the illustrated construction and arrangement it follows that when the cloth
passing over the conical rollers, deviates from a straight path, it pulls the
bearing block downwards as already herein before described. This motion of
the bearing block brings the friction plate into contact with the conical roller
and resists its further turning under the movement of the cloth, whereupon the
cloth moves over towards the free roller as previously set forth.
The devices for regulating the tension in the cloth are represented by
Figures 1 and 2. Between each pair of the conical rollers, and the contiguous
pair, there is shewn a cylindrical roller R, mounted by its journals in two verti-
cally sliding bearings J J. Each of these bearings has a screw nut formed in it
through which a vertical screw Kis passed. On the upper end of each of these screws
there is fixed a bevel wheel M, gearing with another wheel O, on the horizontal
shaft Q, which can be rotated by the hand wheel W. The wheels M M and O O, have
respectively the same number of teeth so that the rotation of the shaft Q will
produce equal displacement in the two bearings J J. In the construction
represented, the cloth passes under each tension roller R, and over all the conical
rollers CC. When it passes under, instead of over the conical rollers, it will
be obvious that the arrangements illustrated by Figures 3 to 7 inclusive must
be inverted. Also, that the tension rollers will be above the plane of the conical
rollers with the cloth passing over them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
-
1. In a cloth stretching machine of the type set forth, the combination and
arrangement with each of the conical rollers of a vertically sliding bearing for
the journal at the larger end of the roller, a spring to counteract pressure
exerted upon the roller, a brake capable of being moved into and out of contact
with the roller, a rod connecting the bearing with the brake so that displacement
of the bearing applies or removes the brake, and a yielding bearing for the
journal at the smaller end of the roller, substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In a cloth stretching machine of the type set forth, a brake adapted to be
applied to the roller and to be removed therefrom, substantially as and for the
purpose and by the means hereinbefore described with reference to the accom.
panying drawings.

page_text: 3. In a cloth stretching machine of the type set forth, the combination and
arrangement with any or every two pairs of the conical rollers, of an adjustable
tension roller located between the pairs of conical rollers, substantially as and
for the purpose herein before described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.