IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FELTING THREADS AND OTHER FILAMENTOUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FELTING THREADS AND OTHER FILAMENTOUS
SUBSTANCES."A communication from abroad by Ferdinand Raphael
Tavernier, of Paris.
Sealed the 30th April 1861, and dated the 2nd November 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 2nd November 1860.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FELTING THREADS AND OTHER FILAMENTOUS
SUBSTANCES," (communicated to me from abroad by Ferdinand Raphael Taver-
nier, of Paris,) to be as follows:-
These improvements are effected in manner following:-Wholly or par-
tially round a drum, heated by hot water, steam, hot air, or other suitable
means, and grooved or striated on its exterior surface, are arranged several
sets of pairs of rollers, round each pair of which an endless band of textile
material or metallic cloth extending across the drum is passed. Where desired,
a degree of moisture may be imparted to the band by means of hot water or

page_text: steam. Rotary motion in one direction is given to the main drum, and by
means of toothed pinions to the rollers carrying the endless cloths, whereby
every cloth in the series is made to travel in a direction contrary to that of the
drum; at the same time a to-and-fro motion across the drum is also imparted
to the rollers and cloth. Guides are fitted between each series of rollers,
to prevent the threads or substances being felted from becoming mixed or
entangled. The rollers are capable of adjustment, in order to regulate the
tension of the endless cloth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd May 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that 1, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR FELTING THREADS AND OTHER FILAMENTOUS
SUBSTANCES," (a communication from abroad by Ferdinand Raphael Tavernier,
of Paris,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particu-
larly 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 I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
These improvements are effected in manner following:-Wholly or partly
round a drum, heated by hot water, steam, hot air, or other suitable means,
and grooved or striated on its exterior surface, are arranged several sets of
pairs of rollers, round each pair of which an endless band of textile material or
metallic cloth extending across the drum is passed. Where desired, a degree
of moisture may be imparted to the band by means of hot water or steam.
Rotary motion in one direction is given to the main drum, and by means of
toothed pinions to the rollers carrying the endless cloths, whereby every cloth
in the series is made to travel in a direction contrary to that of the drum; at
the same time a to-and-fro motion across the drum is also imparted to the
rollers and cloth. Guides are fitted between each series of rollers, to prevent
the threads or substances being felted from becoming mixed or entangled.
The rollers are capable of adjustment, in order to regulate the tension of the
endless cloth.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a longitudinal elevation, and
Figure 2 a transverse section of a machine for felting threads and other fila-
mentous materials, constructed according to this Invention.
a is the felting drum, made of cast iron or other metal, it is hollow and is
adjusted on and keyed to a shaft b, revolving in the bearings c, c, fitted to the
frame A. The drum a is turned and slightly grooved or striated on its external
surface, in order to present a surface favorable to friction. About half-way
round the upper part of the drum a are arranged ten or more endless friction
straps or bands d, d'; each band is made of wire gauze or textile material, and
is held upon two rollers e, e, which are united and held at each end by collars
ff; each of these collars is fixed to a spindle free to turn in a socket g fixed
to the frame A. A small roller also fixed on the frame A facilitates the to-
and-fro motion of each of the straps d, d'. The spindles of the collars fare
prolonged outside the sockets g, and terminate in heads carrying a roller h.
The rollers come in contact with cam-like projections, on the side of the
toothed wheels i, i, and as the wheels revolve communicate lateral motion to
the collars f, and thence to the endless straps or bands. The wheels i, i, turn
loosely round the shaft 6, and are driven in the following manner :-B, B, are
fast and loose pulleys, the fast pulley receives motion from any prime mover
and transmits it by the shaft k, on which it is keyed to the wheel, which,
through the pinion m, communicates motion to the shaft and thence through
the pinions o, o, to the wheels i, ; the shaft n revolves in two bearings p, p,

page_text: M, M, are gas
fixed to the frame A. The transverse motion of the apparatus is obtained in
the following manner :-The shaft k revolves in bearings q, and carries at one
end a small pinion r, which gears into another 8, which through a wheel t
communicates rotary motion to a toothed wheel D, keyed on the shaft 6 of the
drum a; on motion being imparted to the wheel D, the drum a which turns
with it revolves round its shaft b, during which time, through the action of
the pinions o, o', the wheels i, ', are driven at a much greater speed than that
of the drum a, and consequently by the aid of the lateral cams ja to-and-fro
motion is communicated to the endless bands. In order to impart the trans-
verse motion to the endless bands d, there is a small pinion a fixed to one of
the rollers e, which gears into the wheel D and communicates rotary motion
to the roller, which is transmitted to the endless band d; the second roller fol-
lows the motion of the first. Gas pipes F, F, are fixed inside of the felting drum,
as shewn at Figure 2. They are connected to the end of other pipes H, H,
furnished with cocks L; the pipes H are soldered to a collar I, embracing
the shaft b, which is perforated at v, as shown at Figure 2.
supply pipes, fitted with taps, for leading in the gas from the pipes H and F.
The collar I is maintained in position by a weight P fixed on the end of a rod
N, whereby also the pipes F are always kept at the upper part of the inside
of the drum a; the gas being lighted, the drum is heated to the temperature
desired, for the proper felting of the substance under treatment.
The wool,
supposing that to be the substance acted on, being placed on rollers repre-
sented by the blue lines in Figure 2, is led between the endless band d and
the drum a, then in the same manner between the latter and the endless band
d, from thence it is passed between the teeth of a comb T, next beneath
the endless band d², and so on to the last d, from whence it is wound on to
the reel U, to be afterwards put into skeins; an indicator is fitted on the axis
of the reel U, to give the exact number of coils of thread upon the reel; the
thread may be collected in cans, if preferred. The rollers R, carrying the
material to be felted, are driven in proportion to the speed at which the felting
proceeds, by means of a band passing round a bobbin S, placed on the axis of
the rollers R and around the shaft b. The threads which are led from the
rollers are successively passed between each endless band d and the roughened
surface of the drum a, which by means of the friction thereby obtained in com-
bination with the heat from the gas causes them to be felted in an efficient
manner. If the series of straps or endless bands were carried all round the
drum a, the felted threads would issue on the same side as that on which they
were fed into the machine. A degree of moisture is maintained on the bands
d, either by a pipe leading from a reservoir of water or by any other suitable

page_text: means; the drum a as well as the rollers e and all the principal parts of the
machine should be galvanized, to render then inoxydizable. The combs T
are movable, in order that they may be raised or lowered at will. z, z, are
girders placed at distances apart to steady the machine and prevent vibrations
and concussions.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as the improvements
in machinery for felting threads and other filamentous substances,―
First, the employment of a drum, grooved or striated on its exterior surface,
and heated in the interior by gas, hot air, steam, or other vapour, substan-
tially as herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
Second, The employment of endless bands of wire gauze or other suitable
material, arranged round or partially round the drum, substantially in manner
and for the purposes herein-before described.
Third, the felting of threads by passing them round a drum and beneath
endless bands, substantially in manner herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth, the method of imparting motion to the endless bands, and of regu-
lating the tension thereof, as herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Second day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-one.