Improvements in Driving Belts.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 20th Feb., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Driving Belts.
We, ALBERT KRAFFT Senior, ALBERT KRAFFT Junior, and WILHELM
KRAFFT, Manufacturers, Proprietors of the Firm Gebrüder Kraft, of Fahrnau
in the Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire, 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 present invention consists of an improvement in driving belts.
Chrome tanned leather is well suited for making driving belts owing to its
softness of quality, but belts cut from this leather in the usual manner are not
sufficiently strong for the practice. This defect may he remedied by making belts
of chrome tanned leather in the manner hereinafter described.
A strip of leather double the width of the belt to be produced is taken, and its
edges folded inwards at a distance on each side corresponding to half the width of
the finished belt and then sewn or otherwise fixed together in any well known manner
for instance by means of an adhesive. Thus the belt will be double and the whole
visible surface of the same will be formed by one and the same side of the leather,
i.e. either the flesh or the hair side of the same.
Any suitable material may be inlaid within such fold of the belt to increase its
thickness, but the outer surface of the leather must completely cover any such
inlaid material.
Belts of the above description are not only very strong and wear well, but they
will not expand to the same extent as the ordinary belts and are not damaged by
shifting forks to the same extent, because the edges of the same are not cut, for the
same reason the expansion such as it is will be even and will not as heretofore be
greater at the edges than in the middle of the belt. The softness of the leather
increases its power of adhesion, which is additionally increased by keeping the hair
side of the leather outwards.
The increased adhesion increases the power transmitted by the belts, or allows
of the transmission of the same amount of power with less tension of the belt.
If the belt is composed of a number of strips sewn together so that the seams lie
inwardly and the longitudinal edges of a belt thus composed are secured together
in the herein before described manner by copper wire the belts will be rendered
impervious to the influences of the atmosphere and may be employed in water or
in the presence of dampness or hot steam without being injured.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A driving belt of chrome tanned leather consisting of a strip of the said
leather of double the width of the belt having its edges turned inwards and fastened
together in the manner and for the purpose, substantially as described.
2. A chrome tanned leather driving belt of double thickness having the seam at
the middle and having a suitable inlaid layer of material to increase its thickness for
the purpose substantially as described.
Deted this 4th day of December 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.