IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELTED THREAD, AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Alfred Barlow, of 6, St. Paul's Churchyard,
London, Patent Agent and Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELTED THREAD, AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR."
A communication from abroad by Alphonse Monchablon, of Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Alfred Barlow at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st November 1880.
WALTER ALFRED BARLOW, of 6, St. Paul's Churchyard, London, Patent Agent
and Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELTED THREAD,
AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR.' A communication from abroad by Alphonse
Monchablon, of Paris, France.
"
Felted thread until about the year 1867 was considered as an unquestionably
superior produce, but has since been discarded, owing to the manufacture thereof
being considered impossible from an industrial point of view. The few machines
which were constructed for the purpose could only produce samples which allowed
of the incomparable beauty of the new thread being appreciated, but it was
impossible to make use of the said machine in regular manufacture. Messrs.
Vouillon, Davin, and some few others relinquished their trials through the
unsuccessful results, all the machines constructed by these inventors being very
complicated, and the cloths used in the machines were so quickly worn out that
the cost of the manufacture was much greater than the worth of the produce
obtained.
The problem was set aside, yet meanwhile the thread obtained by the felting
exhibited such superior quality that the general opinion was that sooner or later
it would supersede. carded and spun thread obtained by the usual process of
spinning.
In working to resolve the problem certain results obtained were embodied in the
Specification of Letters Patent dated 3rd March 1880, No. 045, granted to the
present applicant, and this present Invention relates to certain improvements
thereupon.

page_text: From experiments with the said patented machinery it has been found (1), that
the drawing of the material during the felting prejudices considerably the operation;
(2), that the felting must be done at one operation, that is to say, that the material
to be felted must be treated continuously and without stoppage, practice showing
that a partially felted roving after being subject to a second felting action becomes
completely unfelted; (3), that the felting is so much better effected according as
the stroke of the felting apparatus is longer; and, finally, that during the frictional
action recourse should be had to the use of an astringent material, such as an
alkaline salt or soapy water, for fixing the fibres so soon as the barbes of the wool
engage with each other.
All these conditions are fulfilled in the carrying out of this Invention, at the same
time that great simplicity of treatment and apparatus is secured.
A cylinder is placed in a trough, which said cylinder is provided with a felt on
which is fixed a sheet, and the surface of the cylinder is embraced to considerable
extent by the sides of the trough, which is also furnished interiorly with a felt and
a sheet, and the cylinder is capable of two movements, one of longitudinal frictional
action, the other of rotation on itself.
The roving to be felted is introduced between the cylinder and the trough, and
consequently it is drawn between them, and by the backward and forward action
of the cylinder the felting is effected. It is remarkable that the roving always follows
the cylinder and never stays upon the trough covering, which is attributable to the
application of Hubner's principle, well known in spinning, viz., “a textile of any
kind pressed between two surfaces always follows that which exercises the greatest
frictional action on it." Here the roll has a to and fro movement, and the trough
is immovable, so the friction exercised by the cylinder on the trough is much
greater than that exercised by the trough, which may be verified, for if the frictional
or to and fro action be not imparted to the cylinder, but is turned only upon itself,
it ceases to draw the roving.
Thus being given this novel principle and application as to felting thread, there
is added to the apparatus a pipe which acts to eject very warm soapy water on to
the surface of the felting cylinder, a lower trough being furnished below the other
parts to receive the bath, which is heated by a jet of steam, and heating tubes are
introduced into the trough to keep up the required temperature.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Walter Alfred Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th April 1881.
WALTER ALFRED BARLOW, of 6, St. Paul's Churchyard, London, Patent Agent
and Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FELTED THREAD,
AND IN MACHINERY THEREFOR." A communication from abroad by Alphonse
Monchablon, of Paris, France.
Felted thread until about the year 1867 was considered as an unquestionably
superior produce, but has since been discarded owing to the manufacture, thereof
being considered impossible from an industrial point of view. The few machines
which were constructed for the purpose could only produce samples which allowed
of the incomparable beauty of the new thread being appreciated, but it was
impossible to make use of the said machine in regular manufacture. Messrs.
Vouillon, Davin, and some few others relinquished their trials through the
unsuccessful results, all the machines constructed by these inventors being very
complicated, and the cloths used in the machines were so quickly worn out that
the cost of the manufacture was much greater than the worth of the produce
obtained.
The problem was set aside, yet meanwhile the thread obtained by the felting
exhibited such superior quality, that the general opinion was that sooner or later
it would supersede carded and spun thread.
In working to resolve the problem certain results obtained were embodied in the
Specification of Letters Patent dated 3rd March, 1880, No. 945, granted to the
present applicant, and this present Invention relates to certain improvements
thereupon.
From experiments with the said patented machinery it has been found (1), that
the drawing of the material during the felting prejudices considerably the
operation; (2), that the felting must be done at one operation, that is to say, that
the material to be felted must be treated continuously and without stoppage,
practice showing that a partially felted roving after being subjected to a second
felting action becomes completely unfelted; (3), that the felting is so much better
effected according as the stroke of the felting apparatus is longer, and finally that
during the frictional action resource should be had to the use of an astringent
material, such as an alkaline salt or soapy water for fixing the fibres so soon as the
barbes of the wool engage with each other.
All these conditions are fulfilled in the carrying out of this Invention at the
same time that great simplicity of treatment and apparatus is secured.
A cylinder is placed in a trough, which said cylinder is provided with a felt on
which is fixed a sheet, and the surface of the cylinder is embraced to considerable
extent by the sides of the trough, which is also furnished interiorily with a felt
and a sheet, and the cylinder is capable of two movements, one of longitudinal
frictional action the other of rotation on itself.
The roving to be felted is introduced between the cylinder and the trough, and
consequently it is drawn between them, and by the backward and forward action
of the cylinder the felting is effected. It is remarkable that the roving always
follows the cylinder and never stays upon the trough covering, which is attributable
to the application of Hubner's principle well known in spinning, viz,, "a textile of
any kind passed between two surfaces always follows that which exercises the
greater frictional action on it," here the cylinder has a to and fro movement and
the trough is immoveable, so that the friction exercised by the cylinder on the
trough is much greater than that exercised by the trough, which may be verified,

page_text: for if the frictional or to and fro action be not imparted to the cylinder but is
turned only on itself it ceases to draw the roving.
Thus being given this novel principle and application as to felting thread, there
is added to the apparatus a pipe which acts to eject very warm soapy water on to
the surface of the felting cylinder. A lower trough being furnished below the
other parts to receive the bath, which is heated by a jet of steam, and heating
tubes are introduced into the trough to keep up the required temperature.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed is represented apparatus constructed
according to this Invention, for the purpose of carrying the same into practical
offent
for it the Irictional or to and fro action prov
turned only on itself it ceases to draw the roving.
Thus being given this novel principle and application as to felting thread, there
is added to the apparatus a pipe which acts to eject very warm soapy water on to
the surface of the felting cylinder. A lower trough being furnished below the
other parts to receive the bath, which is heated by a jet of steam, and heating
tubes are introduced into the trough to keep up the required temperature.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed is represented apparatus constructed
according to this Invention, for the purpose of carrying the same into practical
effect.
Fig. 1, Sheet 3, is a vertical section.
Fig. 2, Sheet 3, is an end view.
Fig. 3, Sheet 1, is a view from the left hand side.
Fig. 4, Sheet 2, is a view from the right hand side.
Like letters indicate similar parts throughout the Drawings.
The beam B with the wool to be operated upon is placed on the two cylinders
A, A, the said beam being held in place by the forks C; D is a cylinder, which
revolves in the direction shown by the arrow, which said cylinder D has also a to
and fro movement which it receives from a plate a and crank B. A sliding piece Ŏ
assists the proper working of the crank B.
The cylinder D is mounted on a shaft F, which passes through the sleeve
pieces M and M².
The sleeve pieces M and M³ are provided with a groove, into which enters a
feather piece C, fixed upon the shaft E; a like feather is fixed upon the shaft E in
the part which passes through the sleeve M', the result of which arrangement is:
that the shaft E may have a to and fro horizontal movement independent of the
two sleeve pieces, but the rotary movement is common to the shaft and the sleeve
pieces.
Bearings made of bronze are fixed in blocks supported by the frame pieces
1 and 2 and the sleeve pieces turn inside these bearings. The cylinder D is placed
in a trough A, t, and pressure is exerted by its own weight. The trough A, u, is
cast with the pieces b, b; the lower part of this trough is a box F. The said box F
receives pipes T which pass through it. A reel N receives the felted thread. This
reel is fixed upon the frames 1 and 2 by means of the pieces n and n², in which
pieces it has a free rotary motion. It has also a short to and fro motion by means
of the piece m.
The pieces d and d are combs, which serve as guides for the coarse rovings or
the felted thread, and serve also to keep the same in their places.
These combs can have a to and fro motion like the cylinder D.
The machine is fixed on three frame pieces 1, 2, 3, and the said frame pieces are
held together by means of the tie bars 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
The trough A, u, is fixed upon the bars 6 and 7 through the pieces b, b.
The object of the frame piece 3 is to bear the whole mechanism of the eccentric.
This eccentric is a plate with cam groove of such kind that the travel of the
cylinder D may vary according to the requirements. The plate or die of the
eccentric receives its movement through the bevil wheels 9 and 10 and the
shaft 11.
The machine is put in motion by the pulleys I and I¹.
The cylinder is put in rotary motion by the piuion 12 and the wheels 13 and 14,
the latter being fixed to the sleeve picce M.
The sleeve piece M' turns with the shaft E, and bears a toothed wheel 15, which
by means of the chain 16 and the pinions 17 and 18 puts in motion the cylinders
of the beam B and the reel N.
A. tank O contains soapy water, which is kept hot by means of a steam pipe.
A small pump, which participates in the movement of the machine, fills
continually the reservoir R, which sprinkles the cylinder D by means of a pipe
conveniently arranged.

page_text: The box or tank F is full of water, and the steam pipes T keep the said water
continually at a convenient temperature.
The machine is operated as follows:-
The rovings rolled up at B always unroll at the same speed by means of the
cylinders A, A, and across the comb d.
The cylinder D and the trough A, u, are each covered with felt and a sheet, and
the roving passes between the two. The cylinder draws it to the reel, pressing it
against the trough A, u, through its to and fro movement.
The roving is at its exit from the trough completely felted, which result has
heen obtained under the action both of a sufficient friction and of the alkaline
dampness of the cylinder D, and thence passes across the comb D' and at last rolls
up around the reel N.
The machine is constructed in such manner that the speed of the rotary motion
of the cylinder D may be changed as required by changing the wheel 14. The
length of the friction can, as has been shown, also be changed at will.
Having thus described the nature and particulars of the said Invention,
I claim,―
Firstly. In the manufacture of felted thread, the use of a cylinder having a
longitudinal to and fro motion in a trough which embraces exactly a large portion
of the surface, said cylinder turning on its axis in drawing the rovings, as set
forth.
Secondly. The imparting to such cylinder a very lengthened friction under a jet
or spray of soapy water.
Thirdly. In the manufacture of felted thread, the felting operation effected by
one procedure without submitting the felting to various successive devices, as and
for the purpose specified.
Fourthly. The machinery or apparatus, herein described and shown by the
Drawings, operating as and for the felting process as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Alfred Barlow, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
WALTER A. BARLOW
(LS)
WALTER A. BARLOW (LS)