Improvements in Expanding Rollers or Cloth Stretchers.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 30th July, 1894-Accepted, 13th Oct., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Expanding Rollers or Cloth Stretchers.
We, JOHN WALKER, Manager, Know Mill Printing Co. Entwisle near Bolton,
EDWIN ELLISON, Finisher Edgworth and WILLIAM GEORGE GASS Atlas
Foundry, Nelson Street, Great Lever near Bolton Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for stretching cloth or
fabrics, and applies to that type known variously as expanders, expanding rollers,
revolving openers or revolving stretchers and is herewith referred to as the
expander.
In this invention-in order to reduce the friction of the moving parts, so as
to make the whole device run more easily-it is proposed to provide for the rails,
which have a reciprocating sliding movement longitudinally during the rotation of
the expander, suitable roller bearings which shall also form the support for the
sliding rails.
The rollers will be carried in suitable brackets securely fastened to and forming
part of the sliding rails.
For the purpose of carrying these rails and forming a parallel portion on which
the aforementioned rollers may work, each of the discs or heads, which form the
basis of the roller & which is firmly secured to the main shaft, is provided with a
number of parallel bars each one securely fastened in place in
suitable manner,
and so placed that the bars attached to the heads shall come where required in a
longitudinal line so as to give a proper parallel path for each rail.
any
It is also proposed, in order to allow the whole expander to move more easily,
that the main or central shaft of the "expander" shall have in the stands which
are usually employed to carry it, suitably shaped roller bearings on which the shaft
of the expander will run. These bearings will of course vary according to the type
of the expander to which they are used, but as a general thing they will consist of
a chamber formed in the stand, and in which a number of cylindrical pieces are
placed and which rotate freely as the shaft revolves converting the rubbing friction
of the bearing into a rolling movement.
It must be understood that it will be necessary to alter the detail arrangements
for different types but the main arrangements will be as herein described.
Dated this First day of December 1893.
JOHN WALKER.
EDWIN ELLISON.
WILLIAM GEORGE GASS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Expanding Rollers or Cloth Stretchers.
JOHN WALKER Entwistle near Bolton Calico Print Works Manager EDWIN
ELLISON Edgworth Finisher WILLIAM GEORGE GASS, Atlas Foundry, Nelson
Street Great Lever near Bolton Engineer all in the County of Lancaster, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of apparatus used for

page_text: the stretching of cloth or other textile fabrics known to the trade as expanders-
expanding rollers-revolving openers or revolving stretchers-but hereinafter
referred to as the expander, by which the friction due to the different movements of
the various parts is reduced, and the efficiency of the apparatus proportionally
increased.
On referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the complete machine but has only the details
of two sliding rails in order not to complicate the drawing.
Fig. 2 is a cross section of the machine.
Fig. 3 is a detail in cross section of the end roller bearing.
Fig. 4 is a detail in longitudinal section of the end roller bearing.
On referring to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 it will be seen that the machine is merely
a repitition of the same parts so that in order not to complicate the lettering, only
one section has been lettered-but the same letter apply to similar parts throughout
the different figs.
On referring to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2-a is a sliding rail the outside of which
is provided with saw shaped teeth, which, as the rails slide longitudinally takes
firm hold of the cloth-each rail forms a portion of a circle and when all the rails
are put together their external faces form an approximate cylinder-in the present
case eight rails in each half go to make up the circle, but that is not arbitrary, and
depends on the diameter of the machine.
A. A. is the main shaft of the machine and has firmly secured to it the
discs c. c. c. c, each of which has eight parallel stud bars b. b. b. b. of rectangular
section which form the surfaces on which the rails a. u. a move-the number of these
would depend on the number of rails a. a. required to make up the circle of the
machine. Attached to each rail in any suitable manner or forming part of it are.
brackets e. e, provided with rollers d. on pins f.f. The shaft A. A is carried at
its ends in the stands B. B. which are provided with the block g carrying the roller
bearing (Fig. 3 and Fig. 4) in which are a series of parallel rellers of small
diameter preferably of hardened steel. The bearing g. (Fig. 3) is bored out larger
in diameter than the ends of shaft A and into the space thus formed-round the ends
of shaft A. the rollers are inserted-in sufficient number to fill the cavity-the
collar and loose collar keeping the whole in place. k is a lubricator for
supplying rollers h with the necessary lubricant.
The stands B. B. are of the ordinary type and are provided with the usual
adjusting screws s. 3.-by which the angle of the cams n. n. are adjusted; m. m. is
the pivot on which the cam swings.- -0. o. are the blocks or rollers which slide in the
grooves of the cams n. n., and carried by the pins.p. p. one at the end of each rail.
These parts are
E is a supporting pulley to support the ends of the sliding rails a. a.
common to many arrangements of revolving cloth stretchers and need no further
explanation.
The method of operation is as follows:-The stands B. B, being firmly secured so
that the shaft A A is free to revolve. By revolving the shaft A. A the discs c. c
which are firmly secured to it, revolve also, and carry with them all the rails a. a.
through the stud bars b. b. The cams n. n. n. n. being attached to the stands B. B.
do not revolve, so that the block or roller o. o. traverse the path of the groove
in the cam n. n. This causes the rails a. a to reciprocate longitudinally making one
complete movement in each revolution-the.rollers d. d. moving on the stud bars b.
allow this movement to take place with the least possible friction. In machines as
generally made, the rails a. a. are carried in sliding bearings the friction of which
is naturally greater than the rolling movement of the rollers d. d-d.
The roller bearings as hereinbefore described for the shaft A. A. also reduce 'the
friction of turning, and the stretcher runs with the least amount of friction. The
cloth is fed onto this machine in exactly the same manner as those already in use
and requires no detailed explanation.
Although herein nothing has been mentioned of the material of which this improved
expander is to be constructed, nothing can be specified, as they require to be made

page_text: of different material according to the circumstances of their application; but it is
advisable to make all the moving parts of the hardest material the circumstances
will permit such as hardened steel or iron and the hardest brass or similar
metal.
Although the arrangements of rollers and roller bearings herein described are not
new in their principle or in themselves it is only in their application to this particular
type of machine that their application is claimed.
Having herein fully described the nature of the said invention and the manner in
which it is performed-what we claim and wish to protect by Letters Patent is
as follows:-
1st. In a revolving cloth stretcher or expander, the combination of the rails a with
the roller bracket e. e. rollers d. pin f. stud bar b. disc c and shaft A A all
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2nd. In a revolving cloth stretcher or expander the combination of the
shaft A. A. with the rollers h, block g, and collar r & all substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
3rd. A revolving cloth expander constructed substantially as specified.
JOHN WALKER.
EDWIN ELLISON.
WM. GEORGE GASS.