Apparatus for the Widening of Braids.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 11th Aug., 1893—Accepted, 4th Nov., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for the Widening of Braids.
I, FRIEDRICH WILHELM HOHRATH, in Old Street 6, Wicklinghausen Barmen,
Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In order to widen braids before the finish, the apparatus forming the object of
this present invention is employed.
The apparatus consists of two plates rotating in an opposite direction and
touching each other. The plates push the steamed and moistened braid forward
in the direction of their common tangent, thus pressing it against a fixed, curved
cheek which is provided at the end of a vertical arm.
This arm is fixed to a cross-beam of the machine-frame, so as to allow of being
adjusted up or down. The plates are attached to cylinders, the latter carrying at
their lower ends toothed wheels which catch into each other and turn on a pin.
One of the toothed wheels is worked by another suitable wheel. A weight-lever
presses the plates constantly to the top.
The braid must be laid on in such a way as to be halved all along by the
common tangent of the plates. The middle of the braid is then pressed against
the highest point of the curve of the cheek, the braid thus being widened.
In consequence of its curve the cheek presses the middle of the braid the most
so that the material is worked away to the sides.
Dated this 12th day of November 1892.
F. W. HOHRATH.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for the Widening of Braids.
I FRIEDRICH WILHELM HOHRATH of Barmen, Altestrasse No. 6, Rhenish
Prussia Germany Mechanical Engineer 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 a new apparatus for widening braids; its construction
and the manner of working will be understood by means of the description given
hereafter and by referring to the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 is a vertical cross section
Figure 2 is a front view
Figure 3 is a plan
of an arrangement without calendering rolls.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 are three corresponding views of an arrangement with
calendering rolls.
The machine consists of one or more sets of disks A and B for each set and for
each single braid to be widened; the circumferences of these disks touch each
other and on their surface they are provided with radial grooves.
Long bosses A', B' connect the disks with spur wheels A', B' and guide them
on pins C and D, round which they revolve and on which they can be raised
upwards. The pins are bolted to a frame or bracket E; this frame may be of any
length to hold several sets of pairs of disks of the described design.
Opposite to each disk I arrange a weighted forked lever F having its fulcrum in
a bracket on the frame E and having the tendency to raise the disks on their pins.
Instead of a separate lever for each disk one serving for a co-ordinate pair of disks
and therefore acting upon both together may be arranged.

page_text: At the sides of the frame E standards H are fixed, carrying a bar I, and to this
bar is bolted, so as to stand centrally above the touching point of the two disks, a
sort of a shoe K. This shoe may have a straight lower face, but I prefer to make
it slightly curved.
From Figure 3 it will now be seen that when a braid is introduced between the
shoe K and the two disks where they touch each other and these are made to turn
round in the direction indicated by the arrows, and pressed upwards by the
weighted levers F so as to press the braid between them and the shoe, the
roughened disks will tear the braid assunder in two directions so that it will leave
the machine in a widened state as shown by Figure 3. In order that this may be
done the better the braid is made humid by steaming it before causing it to pass
through the disk. When then dried the braid will keep the width it has received
in the machine.
Now in order that the fixing of the width received may be the better, I arrange
immediately behind the disks heated calendering rolls L and M, carried in
brackets N. It is of importance that these rollers be placed as close to the disks
as possible, as will be seen from Fig. 4, so that they take hold of the braids
immediately after they are left free by the widening disks. By the sudden and
immediate drying and calendering process the braids are not only smoothed and
finished, the animal fibre is also fixed by the heat so that the braid afterwards has
no more the tendency of shrinking and stretching even if it got wet.
In Figures 4, 5 and 6 the respective and similar pieces are marked by same
letters of reference as those in Figures 1, 2 & 3.
The calender rolls may be arranged so that they can be pressed together by
weights, springs or weighted levers as is well known in ordinary calenders.
Instead of arranging a single shoe over each pair of disks it is evident that
several may be arranged in form of a bar reaching over the whole width of a
machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :
1. A machine for widening braids and similar articles which consists of a pair or
pairs of disks touching each other on their circumferences and turning in opposite
directions on fixed pins on which they can be raised by means of weighted levers F
and pressed against fixed shoes K centrally above them, so that when a piece of
braid is put upon the revolving disks in the line of their tangent and between the
shoe it will be drawn forwards and drawn assunder in width at the same time, as
shown and described (Figs. 1, 2 & 3).
2. In combination with a machine as just described a set of calendering
rolls L, M immediately before the revolving widening disks in order to fix the
width of the braids, which they have attained by the widening process, the whole
as shown and described and for the purpose set forth (Figs. 4, 5 & 6).
Dated this 8th day of August 1893.
F. W. HOHRATH,
Per Karl J. Mayer,
Agent.