Improvements in the Manufacture of Woven Wire Fabrics and Belting.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th May, 1887.
Specification Accepted, 29th July, 1887.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Woven Wire Fabrics and
Belting.
We JAMES EZEKIEL EMERSON and THOMAS MIDGLEY of Beaver falls, Beaver
County Pennsylvania, United States of America Manufacturers, 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 invention relates to Wire Belting and the Method of Manufacturing the same,
and has for its object the production of wire belting in which the ends of the transverse
wires forming the edges of the belt are secured and protected, and comparatively
a smooth working surface or edge formed on the belt. The article produced is not
however limited in its use to belts, but may be successfully applied to other articles,
such as elevators, mattrasses, other metal cloths, armor for defense, fire-proof theatre-
curtains, Bicycle and Tricycle driving straps, straps for buggies, carriages, &c.
By our improved construction of wire belting the edges of the belt are entirely
covered by metal running at a right angle to the transverse sections and the ends of
the spiral sections secured against displacement, while the strain of the belt is
distributed among all of the links of the transverse spiral sections; thus producing a
belt of great flexibility and that can be used for any and all purposes to which belts
are applied without stretching.
In the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification-
Figure 1 represents a single section of coiled wire.
Figure 2 represents two sections being joined.
Figure 3 a face view of a portion of a belt before it has been rolled.
Figure 4 is a reverse view of Figure 3.
Figure 5 represents a face view of a portion of a belt with a heavier longitudinal
coil on the edges.
Figure 6 is a reverse view of Figure 5.
Figure 7 represents an edge view of Figure 3.
Figure 8 a similar view of Figure 5.
Figures 9 and 10 represent the construction shown in Figures 7 and 8 after rolling.
Figure 11 represents a section showing double coils of wire.

page_text: Figure 12 represents a modification, in which the edges are protected, and a
working surface formed by headed transverse rods which pass through the coils.
Figure 13 represents a diagrammatic elevation of the rolls employed for flattening
the coils.
Figure 14 is a section of the metallic rolls.
Reference being had to the drawings and the letters marked thereon, A, A, represent
helical coils of wire, which are woven together by one coil being screwed into the
other as shown in Figure 2. One coil after another is added until a sheet is formed
of any desired length. To secure and protect the ends of the coils, and form a
working edge for belting, a coil of wire B, is screwed into the ends of the transverse
sections A, as shown in Figures 3 to 7.
The coil B engages with two or more of the spirals at each end of the sections, and
may be of wire of the same weight and diameter as the coils A, as shown in Figures 3
and 4, or it may be of heavier wire and larger coils, as shown in Figures 5 and 6.
In the former construction the end coil when rolled, laps on one side of the sheet only,
as shown in Figure 9, in the latter construction the coil laps on both sides of the sheet,
as shown in Figure 10, and forms a stronger and more durable edge. Instead of
screwing the longitudinal coils into the ends of the transverse coils, it is obvious that
the reverse operation may be resorted to.
Instead of the single coils A, being used, the coils may be multiplied to form a
stronger sheet, as shown in Figure 11. The ends of the coils may also be protected,
and kept from spreading laterally by rods a, being passed through the coils, and
headed as at b, in Figure 12. It will be observed that the links formed by the coils
of the adjacent sections intersect and bear directly upon each other, without the
interposition of rods for connecting the sections.
After the sheet has been formed by weaving the coils together it is pressed between
rolls to flatten the links to prevent them from stretching when put into any use in
which they are subjected to strain.
In Figures 13 and 14, are shown rolls for pressing the sheet, and in which C,
represents the sheet, D the front or metallic rolls, and E the tension rolls. The lower
roll F of the metallic rolls is provided with collars c, c, to prevent the coils A from
spreading laterally while being rolled, and the upper roll G, projects into and fills the
space between the collars c, c, of the lower roll. The tension rolls are made with
plain surfaces, which engage with both sides of the sheet C, and the tension of the
sheet is regulated by suitable screws d-only one of which is shown-and which may
be provided with an interposed spring e. By preference the tension rolls are made
of rubber or other material having an elastic surface. The object of applying tension
to the sheet C, while it is being rolled is to keep the section stretched longitudinally,
so as to produce a bearing between all of the links in the transverse sections, and to
cause the coils to roll out evenly in straight lines across the sheet.
The rolled sheet may be coated with or embedded in rubber, canvass, or other
suitable material. The ends of a sheet may be connected by screwing a section A into
-them-after having opened the ends of the links, or it may be connected by lacing, or
by means ordinarily employed for lacing or securing the ends of belts.-
:-
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
First. The method of manufacturing wire belting, which consists in interweaving
sections of coiled wire to form the length of a belt, and interweaving the ends of said
sections with independent longitudinal sections of coiled wire to form the edges of the
belt, substantially as described.
Second. The method of manufacturing wire belting, which consists in interweaving
sections of coiled wire to form the length of a belt, and interweaving the ends of said
sections with independent longitudinal sections of coiled wire to form the edges of the
belt, and finally rolling the belt to flatten the links, substantially as described.
Third. The method of manufacturing wire belting, which consists in interweaving
sections of coiled wire to form the length of a belt, and the ends of said sections with

page_text: independent longitudinal sections of coiled wire, and subsequently passing the whole
body between suitable rolls while under longitudinal tension, substantially as described.
Fourth. In the manufacture of wire belting, the method of stretching the links of a
section and seating them evenly in the links of an adjacent section with which they
engage, which consists in subjecting a sheet of interwoven sections of wire to the
action of rolls, and keeping the sheet under longitudinal tension while being operated
upon by said rolls, substantially as described.
Fifth. Wire belting or cloth consisting of transverse sections of interwoven wire,
and longitudinal sections of coiled wire of the same or greater diameter interwoven
with the ends of the transverse sections to form the edges of the belt or cloth,
substantially as described.
Sixth. Wire belting, consisting of transverse sections of interwoven wire, the links
of one section engaging with the links of the adjacent sections, and the ends of said
sections secured by continuous independent longitudinal sections of coiled wire,
substantially as described.
Seventh. Wire belting consisting of transverse sections of interwoven wire, the
links of one section intersecting with and bearing upon the links of the adjacent
sections, and continuous independent sections of coiled wire engaging with the ends
of the transverse sections to form the edges of a belt, the whole being rolled or
flattened, substantially as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicants.