IMPROVEMENTS IN TENTERING AND DRYING MACHINES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Craven, of Brighouse, in the County of York,
Engineer and Machine Maker, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TENTERING AND DRYING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Craven at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th July 1881.
FREDERICK CRAVEN, of Brighouse, in the County of York, Engineer and
Machine Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TENTERING AND DRYING MACHINES."
This Invention relates to the drying of fabrics by means of machinery, and
consists of a self-contained machine of circular form into which the fabric is fed
from a platform on to endless chains passing around the outer circle of the machine,
and then carried down towards the centre and again up on to the circumference.
This motion is repeated as many times as there are divisions in the circle and is
finally brought to the starting point, when the piece can be stripped off and cuttled
or passed again over the machine as required.
During the passage of the piece through the machine air of any required
temperature is drawn through the fabric. The machine is arranged to take any
width of piece by the adjustment of one side.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and of an
Order of the Lord Chancellor filed by the said Frederick Craven in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 19th January 1882.
FREDERICK CRAVEN, of Brighouse, in the County of York, Engineer and
Machine Maker. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TENTERING AND DRYING MACHINES."
This Invention relates to the drying of fabrics by means of machinery, and
consists of a self-contained machine of circular form into which the fabric is fed
from a platform on endless chains fitted with gills passing around the circumference
of the machine, and at intervals in its passage around the circumference the chains
with the fabric attached thereto by the gills converge towards the centre of the
apparatus, passing over pullies and back to the circumference as many times as
there are divisions in the circle, and is finally brought back to the starting point,
where the piece can be stripped off and "cuttled" or passed again over the machine
as required.
During the passage of the piece through the machine hot or cold air is drawn by
means of an exhausting fan through the fabric, by which it is dried.
In the accompanying Drawings I have illustrated the machine as made in
circular form, but I wish it to be distinctly understood that it can be made in a
variety of ways without departing from the characteristic nature of the Invention,
and also when the machine is slightly modified can be used for drying wool as well
as fabric.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved tentering and drying
machine, part of the end plate being removed in order to better illustrate the
Invention. Figure 2 is a plan of the same. Figure 3 is a front view of the
apparatus. Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional detail through a portion of the end
plate, shewing the groove-in which the endless chain is made to work. Figure 5 is
a section through the end plate, shewing a portion of one of the chain pullies; and
Figure 6 is a plan view of the links and gills secured to the chains.
The two outer casings or end plates A and A' of the apparatus are attached
together by suitable cross bars B. Between the outer casings A and A¹ is another
casing plate A2 which is moveable and carried by small pullies C on the before
mentioned cross bars B. This moveable plate A2 is adjusted in a parallel direction
to the plates A and A¹ to suit the width of the piece that is to be operated upon by
means of the series of screws D, which are all geared together by bevil wheels E
and shafts E¹.
The moveable plate A2 and the end plate A' are arranged with grooves following
the outline of the casings; through these grooves the endless chains F pass, and
when in motion carry the fabric which is attached thereto by means of the gills G
which are secured to the before mentioned endless chains. Motion to the chains
may be obtained in the following manner:-The main shafts H and H¹ of machine
have rotating motion imparted to them; on shaft H' is secured worm J which
gears into worm wheel J' which is secured on a transverse shaft that extends
through the machine and is supported by the three side plates.
To this transverse shaft is also secured a spur wheel K which gears into centre
wheel K, this latter gearing into the series of wheels K2 which are secured ou
transverse shafts, all of which extend across the machine, as before described.
To these shafts as well as to a series of transverse shafts L near the circumference

page_text: of the side plates are secured chain pullies M around which the chains F pass;
those pullies near the moveable side A2 are so secured to the side that when the
latter is being adjusted to the width of the fabric the said pullies will slide on the
respective shafts along with the side casing A².
To all the transverse shafts are also secured a number of carrying pullies N ;
these are adjustable to suit the width of the fabric, and are for supporting the
fabric between the frames.
.
When it is desired to tenter and dry one or a number of pieces, the cloth is laid
on the platform P and the adjustable side A2 is regulated to suit the width of the
cloth, and the tension on the cloth is obtained by the stretching bars which are
adjusted by means of the worm and worm wheel R. The cloth then passes over
the breast beam of machine, and is pressed on to the gills G by means of brushes
or flexible discs S, and as the gills travel towards the crown of machine the piece is
carried forward, and owing to the tension at Q is stretched longitudinally.
As the cloth continues its course it is stretched to the proper width by the time
it arrives at the point of the machine at B', by reason of the arms C₁ being
narrower at the end where the revolving brushes or flexible discs S are fixed than
at the body of machine. The piece then travels forward in the direction of the
curved arrows, the gills at each side being parallel to each other keep the piece at
the proper width.
The piece passing between the interior of the side plates A¹ and A² is meanwhile
being dried by an exhausting fan connected to outlet T, exhausting the air from
the interior of the apparatus, the sides of the same being sufficiently air tight,
allowing the major portion of the air to pass through the fabric, to keep up the
equilibrium of pressure between the outside and inside of the apparatus, thus dries
the same, and when the circuit is completed the cloth is stripped off the gills
and may be "cuttled" by the oscillating arms V or again passed through the
apparatus.
By arranging coils of steam pipes in the spaces U or around the circumference of
the apparatus, the air is heated before passing through the fabric, thus facilitating
the drying.
My improved apparatus may be adapted for the drying of fibre, which is
accomplished by making the projecting arins C parallel with the other part of the
casings, dispensing with the moveable side A2, and arranging the pullies M so that
they will receive an endless sheet of wire gauze. Another sheet of wire gauze is
made to traverse through the machine in the same direction as the first named,
but at a little distance from each other, so that there is a space between them into
which the wool or damp fibre is fed, the exhausting fan drawing the air from the
interior of the apparatus dries the fibre, in the manner as described, when operating
upon fabrics.
In order to carry the additional sheet of gauze round the pullies M, so as to
keep the requisite space between the two sheets, I mount a number of small rollers
to the sides or casings round a portion of the circumferences of the pullies M
at the requisite distance from the centre of the shafts upon which the said pullies
are mounted. Over the outside of these rollers the additional sheet of gauze
passes, thus keeping the requisite space and enclosing the fibre within the two
sheets.
Coils of steam pipes can be applied, in the manner as before described, when the
apparatus is arranged for drying fabric.
What I claim as my Invention is,―
The general arrangement and combination of parts, substantially for the purpose
and in manner as described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
The arrangement by which air is drawn through the fabric whilst the same is
passing through the machine, substantially for the purpose and in the manner as
described.

page_text: Drawing air through the fabric whilst the same is being tentered, substantially
for the purpose hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Craven, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.
Witness,
JOHN WAUGH, C.E.,
Sunbridge Chambers,
Bradford.
FREDERICK CRAVEN. (L.S.)