Improved Manufacture of Water-proof Fabrics and Ropes and other Water-proof Articles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Sept., 1897—Accepted, 18th Dec., 1897 ⠀
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Manufacture of Water-proof Fabrics and Ropes and other
Water-proof Articles.
I, ARTHUR LELAND KENNEDY, of 850 Drexel Building, Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, U.S.A., Chemist, 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 principal objects of my present invention are, first; to furnish waterproof
cloth, rope and the like which presents its natural structure and unglazed or
uncoated faces and is possessed of flexibility and durability and is not susceptible
to injury upon exposure to the weather, and second; to provide a simple, .expe-
ditious and efficient method for impregnating the raw fibers of cloth, rope or the
like with pyroxylin or its equivalent.
An article embodying features of my invention is composed of animal or vege-
table threads suitably woven or knitted as in ordinary cloth or twisted together as
in rope, and these ordinary threads are impregnated with pyroxylin so that the
finished article is waterproof but presents its ordinary structure and unglazed or
uncoated faces and is flexible and durable.
The nature, characteristic features and scope of my invention will be more fully
understood from the following description taken in connection with the accom-
panying drawings forming part hereof and in which
Figs. 1, 2 and 3, diagrammatically represent stages in the production of the
finished article, the latter being illustrated in Fig. 3.
Figs. 4 and 5, diagrammatically show my invention in application to a
rope, and
Figs. 6 and 7, illustrate in a similar manner my invention in application to a
knitted web.
In the drawings, a, represents a woven fabric, b, a rope, and c, a knitted fabric.
In each case these articles resemble in appearance like known articles, for example,
their faces are uncoated and unglazed and present fibers or a nap or a reticulated
structure, but they differ therefrom in that they are rendered waterproof by reason
of the fact that their threads are impregnated with pyroxylin or its equivalent
as will be more fully understood from the following description: In producing
articles of my invention threads, fibers or strands of nitro-cellulose or its equiva-
lent, as acetate of cellulose are woven or intertwined as stuffers along with the
ordinary threads in the article, for example, by spinning, weaving, knitting and
the like. As shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 6, 61, designates nitro-cellulose or acetate
of cellulose. The article containing nitro-cellulose or acetate of cellulose is then
sprayed or otherwise treated with a suitable solvent which converts the nitro-
cellulose into pyroxylin and the acetate of cellulose into a substance analogous
to pyroxylin. This step is represented at e, in Fig. 2. The pyroxylin diffuses
itself and impregnates the raw fibers and the interstices of the ordinary threads
so that the appearance and structure of the article are not changed and so that
it is made waterproof and remains uncoated or unglazed and presents its ordinary
texture structure. This step is shown at d, in Fig. 2.

page_text: 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. An improved manufacture consisting of the within described textured water-
proof article having its face portions composed of natural fibers and its inner por-
tions composed of threads or strands impregnated with a salt of cellulose, whereby
ordinary unglazed or uncoated and nappy faces are presented, substantially as
'described.
2. The described process which consists in entwining or interlacing regular or
ordinary threads along with extra strands or fibers of undissolved soluble salt of
cellulose to form a textured article, and subjecting the textured article to a solvent
of the salt of cellulose to dissolve the extra strands or fibers and cause the dissolved
salt to impregnate the regular or ordinary threads, substantially as described.
Dated this 27th day of Septr 1897.
ARTHUR LELAND KENNEDY
Boult & Wade
Agents for the Applicant.