Improvements in and relating to Asbestos Fabric.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 15th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 13th Mar., 1897
Improvements in and relating to Asbestos Fabric.
We, JULES GERMAIN, LOUIS BOISNE and HENRI BOISNE, of the Firm of
Germain Boisne Frères & Co. Condé-sur-Noir-eau, Departement du Calvados, in
the Republic of France, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The numerous applications, that have been made of asbestos fabric have proved
that such fabric more than any other material is highly suitable for the filtration
of all liquids.
Asbestos owes this valuable quality principally to three properties;
Firstly, to the fineness of its fibres which, seen through the microscope, are a
hundred times finer than those of cotton.
Secondly, to its porosity;
Thirdly, and principally, to the permanency of its composition.
It is owing to these advantages, that certain filters, in which asbestos fabric is
utilized have proved a considerable success when applied to industrial as well as
domestic purposes.
We have, however, observed, as the result of numerous experiments, that the
usual asbestos fabric is still comparatively defective from the point of view of its
particular application to filters. The twisted or twined threads, which constitute
the fabric, being woven in the ordinary way, there are of necessity small spaces
left between the threads of the fabric through which spaces a part of the liquid will
pass unfiltered.
We have been led to the manufacture of an improved fabric of asbestos fibres,
which completely obviates this grave inconvenience. Our improved fabric is of
absolutely close texture, so that the liquids are of necessity and at every place
filtered through the fibres of the tissue.
Apart from the weaving operation proper the manufacture of our improved
fabric comprises three distinct operations:
Firstly The operation of forming the untwisted asbestos-fibres into strands or
slubs;
Secondly The spinning according to the ordinary process of the twisted thread
actually utilized in the manufacture of asbestos fabric.
Thirdly: The operation of enclosing a twisted, asbestos thread or two or more
of such twisted threads in a more or less large number of spun but untwisted
strands or slubs placed around the twisted thread or threads forming the core, and
winding the whole upon a bobbin after the same has undergone a slight torsion
whereby a string is formed, the windings of which have a wide pitch.
The asbestos string thus obtained, and the core of which may, at will, comprise
one or more twisted threads of asbestos, around which are wound or placed the
strands or subs without any torsion, is directly utilized for the manufacture of our
improved fabric and may be equally well employed either as warp or as weft, or
both warp and weft.
It will be easily understood that the untwisted fibres or strands, owing to the
tension applied to them by the loom and the contraction in the fabric, will com-
pletely adhere to one another and that in the fabric no interval, however small, is
formed, through which liquid can pass unfiltered.

page_text: Our improved asbestos fabric is thus practically and perfectly suitable for the
filtration of all fluids whether liquid or gaseous, and the same may be applied to
all kinds of filters, actuated by pressure or otherwise.
Apart from the filtration of liquid and gaseous substances, this fabric will also
render great services in electric engineering, especially in the manufacture of
electric batteries, where it will advantageously serve as a substitute for the vessels
hitherto employed.
Dated this 16th day of Anril 1806
ments in and relating to Asbestos Fabric.
We, JULES GERMAIN, LOUIS BOISNE and HENRI BOISNE, of the Firm of
Germain Boisne Freres & Co., Conde-sur-Noir-eau, Departement du Calvados, in
the Republic of France, 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 numerous applications that have been made of asbestos fabric have proved
that such fabric more than any other material is highly suitable for the filtration
of all liquids.
Asbestos owes these valuable qualities principally to three properties ;
Firstly, to the fineness of its fibres which, seen through the microscope, are a
hundred times finer than those of cotton.
Secondly, to its porosity;
Thirdly; aud principally to the permanency of its composition.
It is owing to these advantages, that certain filters, in which asbestos fabric is
utilized have proved a considerable success when applied to industrial as well as
domestic purposes.
We have, however, observed, as the result of numerous experiments, that the
usual asbestos fabric is still comparatively defective from the point of view of its
particular application to filters. The twisted or twined threads, which constitute
the fabric, being woven in the ordinary way, there are of necessity small spaces
left between the threads of the fabric through which spaces a part of the liquid
will pass unfiltered..
We have been led to the manufactare of an improved fabric of asbestos fibres,
which completely obviates this grave inconvenience. Our improved fabric is of
absolutely close texture, so that the liquids are of necessity and at every place
filtered through the fibres of the tissue."
Apart from the weaving operation proper the manufacture of our improved
fubric comprises three distinct operations:
Firstly: The operation of forming the untwisted asbestos-fibres into strands or
slubs;
Secondly; The spinning according to the ordinary process of the twisted thread
actually utilized in the manufacture of asbestos fabric.
Thirdly: The operation of enclosing a twisted asbestos thread or two or more
of such twisted threads in a more or less large number of spun but untwisted
strands or slubs placed around the twisted thread or threads forming the core, aud
winding the whole upon a bobbin after the same has undergone a slight torsion
whereby a string is formed, the windings of which have a wide pitch.
The asbestos string thus obtained, and the core of which may, at will, comprise

page_text: one or more twisted threads of asbestos, around which are wound or placed the
strands or slubs without any torsion, is directly utilized for the manufacture of our
improved fabric and may be equally well employed either as warp or as weft, or
both warp and weft.
It will be easily understood that the untwisted fibres or strands, owing to the
tension applied to them by the loom and the contraction in the fabric, will com-
pletely adhere to one another and that in the fabric no interval, however small, is.
formed, through which liquid can pass unfiltered.
Our improved asbestos fabric is thus practically and perfectly suitable for the
filtration of all fluids whether liquid or gaseous, and the same may be applied to all
kinds of filters, actuated by pressure or otherwise.
Apart from the filtration of liquid and gaseous substances, this fabric will be of
great service in electric engineering, especially in the manufacture of electric
batteries, where it will advantageously serve as a substitute for the porous vessels
hitherto employed.
In this improved asbestos fabric the weft threads are formed by a double-thread
(asbestos) core, surrounded by (loose) strands or slubs of asbestos according to the
process hereinbefore specified.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A new industrial product obtained from asbestos fabric, in which each warp.
thread or each weft thread, or each warp thread and each weft thread consists of a
core formed by one two or more twisted asbestos threads and of strands or slubs
of a variable number, wound around said core and each of the strands or slubs
being formed of untwisted or slightly twisted asbestos, in such a way that after the
weaving operation, the untwisted or slightly twisted fibres or strands will-owing
to the tensional force exerted by the loom-and owing to the shrinkage within the
fabric completely adhere to one another, and that no intermediate space whatever
is left in such fabric, nor any opening, through which liquid or gaseous fluids cana
escape unfiltered.
2. The use of asbestos fabric of the kind described, for industrial and domestic
purposes, for filtering liquid and gaseous substances also for manufacturing
electric batteries, in which latter case it may serve as a substitute for the porous-
receptacles.
Dated this 15th day of lan190
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicants..