Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Chains of Cloth Tentering Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Nov., 1899-Accepted, 6th Jan., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Chains of Cloth Tentering
Machines.
I, ROBERT P. WINSOR, of Auburn, State of Rhode Island, United States of
America, Inventor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
The common way of driving the carrier chains of a tentering machine hereto-
fore in use has been by means of a shaft transverse of the machine, oscillating
as the side frames supporting the chains swing back and forth, and driven by
gearing at or near its centre, this transverse shaft being connected at each end
The older form of the mechanism
with proper gearing to drive the chains.
driving the oscillating shaft contained bevel gearing, one of the bevel gears
being attached to an upright shaft under the axis of oscillation of the swinging
shaft just referred to and a second gear meshing with the first being attached
to the oscillating transverse shaft as near its centre as practicable. The objec-
tion to this form of driving mechanism is that it gives an uneven motion to the
chains, the gear upon the oscillating shaft being caused to turn at more than its
normal speed while the side rails are swinging in one direction and at less than
its normal speed when swinging in the other direction, according as the oscilla-
tion of the shaft carrying it causes it to run with or against the motion of the
gear driving it. A recent modification places the driving gear in the line of the
axis of the oscillation of the swinging transverse shaft, and substitutes spur
gearing for the bevel, rounding the teeth of the gears to permit of the oscilla-
tion. This latter arrangement will evidently cause the rounded teeth of the
These objections
gears to wear badly by the oscillating motion of the shaft.
and imperfections are overcome by my invention.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of one end of a tentering
machine, showing my new chain driving mechanism, the side rails of the machine
being broken off; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; and Fig. 3 represents
a portion of my driving mechanism where it differs on the two sides of the
machine as hereinafter explained.
In these drawings A A represents portions of the swinging side rails of the
tentering machine supported by arms, one of which is represented by B, and
the stand C resting upon the floor or other suitable foundation, the arms B
being arranged to turn upon the stands C. Right and left screws are placed in
the arms B to regulate the distance between the rails A to suit the width of the
cloth treated. The tenter chains carrying clips or pins for holding the selvage
These chains
edges of the cloth run upon suitable tracks upon the rails A.
form no part of my invention and are not shown in the drawings. Tentering
machines are made in two styles with respect to the manner in which the chains
run; one where the chain in returning takes a path under its outward path
being operated by vertical sprocket wheels, and the other, which is the one
shown herein, where both paths are in a horizontal plane, the chain being
operated by horizontal sprocket wheels, as DD of these drawings. The descrip-

page_text: tion to this point is sufficient to make it understood by those familiar with such
machines.
The object of my invention is to drive the sprocket wheels D D and conse-
quently the chains driven by them at a uniform speed, while the side rails are
swinging back and forth. I accomplish this by placing under each rail and sub-
stantially parallel with it when the rails are at their average distance apart
according to the class of goods for which the particular machine is more especially
designed, a driving shaft E, one end of which passes directly under the centre
of the sprocket wheel D as hereinafter described and the other end of which is
pivotally supported. As shown in the drawings the end of the shaft E is sup-
ported in a pivoted yoke F. Near the pivoted end of the shaft is a beveled
gear G driven by suitable shafts and gearing from the pulley H (Fig. 1), and
near the other end is the beveled gear or pinion J (Fig. 2), meshing with and
driving a similar gear K upon the vertical shaft L to which is attached the
sprocket wheel 1). The gear G may be connected with the shaft E by means of
the clutch G¹ (Fig. 1). The clutches G₁ enable the operator to readily stop one
chain where it gets ahead of the other while the machine is still in motion so
as to give the other time to catch up, it being found in practice that it is neces-
sary to do this at times. The gear or pinion J is not rigidly attached to the
shaft E, but is arranged to slide upon it and a key or feather in the shaft, which
may be in duplicate, if desired. The extended hub of the gear or pinion J with
the shaft E within it, passes through a suitable bearing or support M (Fig. 2),
being held therein by a nut N upon its other end. The bearing M is pivoted to
turn horizontally upon the end of the shaft L, as herein shown, and also sup-
ported underneath by a box upon the shaft I, the box being arranged to slide
on the shaft I whenever the distance between the rails is changed to suit a
different width of cloth. It will be perceived that the gear J is thus connected
with the rail A so as to move with it as it swings back and forth and is thereby
kept in mesh with the gear K. While these gears must be kept in mesh by
some means connecting the gear J with the swinging rail, it is evident that
the arrangement and combination here specified is not the only one which could
be used for this purpose. The shaft I is pivoted in its centre and supported
at either end by a roll running upon a support or track P, the latter resting
on the floor or other foundation. The sole function of the shaft I the roll 0,
and support P, is to assist in supporting the weight added to the end of the
rail A by the gearing and driving shaft, and these means may readily be re-
placed by other mechanical devices to accomplish the same end, the essential
requisite being to bring the end of the shaft E under the centre of the sprocket
wheel D and support it there as the rail A oscillates back and forth with the
centre of the arm B as an axis.
The yoke F is pivoted about an upright shaft R carried in a suitable stand
or other support resting upon the floor or other foundation, and driven by bevel
gears from the pulley H and its horizontal shaft H', (Fig. 1). A beveled
gear S is attached to the shaft R which drives the gear G. The yoke F,
shafts E and R, and their gears, are duplicated for each side of the machine, but
the gears are so arranged in relation to one another as to drive the sprockets 1) 1)
in the proper direction for their respective chains, as is shown by a com-
parison of the position of the gears in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the latter showing
their proper position for the opposite side of the machine. The yoke F forms a
convenient way of providing a pivot for the shaft E at one end, but it is
evidently not the only way of accomplishing the result. A convenient way of
causing the rails to swing is by means of the disc T with its eccentric pin U,
and rod W connecting the pin U with the side rail A, the disc T being driven
by proper gearing from one of the upright shafts R.
The extent of the swinging motion of the side rails is not in ordinary practice
very great, and the extent of the motion of the unpivoted end of the shaft E

page_text: is found to be slight. With this slight movement of the free end of the shaft,
the motion at the gears t and S is so slight that it is taken up in their back-
lash, and the motion transmitted to the sprocket wheel 1) is so far uniform
that there is no appreciable unevenness in the motion of the chains. Should a
longer swing for the side rails be desirable the shaft E can be lengthened, if
necessary, to prevent the gear G revolving about the pivot of the shaft E to
any appreciable extent. The pivot of the shaft E, however, not only permits
it to adapt itself to this movement of the rails in motion, but it also permits
the rails of the tenter to be adjusted at proper distances for cloths of different
widths. But the change in direction for this latter purpose will not be so great
that the shaft may not still be said to be substantially parallel with the rail,
and I have accordingly used that term in the claims in order to distinguish my
shaft from the common transverse oscillating shaft.
I have shown my driving mechanism attached to that form of tentering
machine more common at the present day, namely that in which the side rails
approach and recede from each other as they oscillate. But if occasion occur it
can easily be applied to a tenter where the side rails and chains slide back and
forth always at the same distance for any given width of cloth, and in applying
it to such a machine it may not always be necessary to make the shaft E swing
upon a pivot, and with proper modifications of the gearing which will readily
occur to any mechanic it may also be applied to the other form of tentering
machine before mentioned, where the chains are operated by vertical wheels.
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 tentering machine, the combination of a side rail and means for
swinging the same, a chain carried upon said rail and mechanism for operating
the chain, a driving shaft substantially parallel with said rail, a pivot near one
end of said shaft and connections between the driving shaft and the pivot to
permit the shaft to swing about such pivot, means for driving the shaft near its
pivoted end connections between the shaft near its other end and the rail to
cause it to swing about the pivot as the rail swings back and forth, and a gear
sliding upon said shaft and connected with the rail to cause it to so slide, and
means for driving the chain operating mechanism from the sliding gear.
2. In a tentering machine, the combination of a side rail and means for
swinging the same, a chain carried upon said rail and mechanism for operating
the chain, a driving shaft substantially parallel with said rail, a pivot near one
end of said shaft and means to cause the shaft to swing about the pivot means
for driving the shaft near its pivoted end, and means by which motion is com-
municated near its other end to the chain operating mechanism.
3. In a tentering machine, the combination of a side rail and means for
swinging the same and a chain carried by said rail, and mechanism for operating
said chain, said chain operating mechanism embodying a driving shaft arranged
substantially parallel with said rail and connected to the rail so as to swing
therewith.
4. In a tentering machine, the combination of a side rail and means for
swinging the same and a chain carried by said rail, and mechanism for operat-
ing said chain, said chain operating mechanism embodying a driving shaft
arranged substantially parallel with said rail, one end of said shaft being con-
nected to the rail so as to swing therewith and the other end of said shaft being
pivotally supported.
5. In a tentering machine, the combination of a side rail and means for
swinging said rail and a chain carried by said rail, and means for operating said
chain, said chain operating means embodying a pair of intermeshing gears,
both of said gears being connected with said rail and arranged to move with
said rail on its reciprocations to and fro.

page_text: 6. In a tentering machine, the combination of a side rail and means for
swinging said rail, and a chain carried by said rail, and means for operating
said chain, said chain operating means embodying a driving shaft substantially
parallel with said rail and a pair of intermeshing gears, both of said gears being
connected with said rail and arranged to move with said rail on its reciprocations
to and fro,
Dated this 1st day of November. 1899.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London, for the Applicant.