IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC KNITTED FABRICS AND CHAINS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR THE SAME
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF METALLIC KNITTED FABRICS
AND CHAINS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR THE SAME. -A communication
"
from abroad by William Edge, of Newark, in the County of Essex,
and State of New Jersey, United States of America.
ealed the 26th March 1872, and dated the 8th February 1872.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition and Declaration, on the 8th February 1872, pursuant to
the 9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition and Declaration, on the 8th February 1872, pursuant to
the 9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,

page_text: FOR THE SAME," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for
the same, and have made solemn Declaration that it has been com-
municated to me from abroad by William Edge, of Newark, in the
County of Essex, and State of New Jersey, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, do
hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under my
hand and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the two Sheets of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say)
This Invention relates to a new machine for manufacturing from
metal wire or metal links continuous fabrics of tubular or other form
or chains on a small scale for jewelers' purposes, or on larger scales for
practical uses of various kind.
The principle of the Invention consists in the arrangement of a
reciprocating tool, which expands the links or meshes that are put
through completed loops of the fabric. By thus being expanded such
links or meshes become absolute and well connected parts of the entire
fabric or chain, and constitute loops for the reception of new links or
meshes to be expanded in turn. In this manner fabrics or chains of
various designs can be rapidly and accurately made by automatic
process, and therefore cheaply produced.
The Invention consists further in various details of Invention, such
as the mechanism for shaping the wire on its way to the expander, the
means of imparting the necessary motions to the several devices of the
machine, the arrangement of springing jaws for the reception of the
expander, and others, as herein-after more fully described.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWI
WINGS.
Figure 1 represents a front elevation, partly in section, of my improved

page_text: a detail horizontal section on an enlarged scale on the line c, k, Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a top view of a modification of the mechanism, and Figure 9
a vertical central section thereof; Figure 10 is a perspective view of the
chain machine; Figure 11 a detail vertical transverse section on an
enlarged scale of its bed plate; Figure 12 a detail vertical longitudinal
section, and Figure 13 a top view of the same. Similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts.
i
A in the Drawing, Figures 1-7, represent the bed plate of the wire
knitting machine, supported on suitable framework, which is not shown
in the Drawings. Through this bed plate projects from below a vertical
rod B, which rests with its lower end on a step a, while its upper end is
fastened to or in a cross piece b, shown more fully in Figure 6. A
swivel sleeve d turning and hanging on the under side of the bed
plate embraces the rod B and carries a toothed wheel e, which receives
intermittent rotary motion by gearing connection from an upright
arborf. In an upright frame C which projects from the bed A are the
bearings of a horizontal shaft D that receives rotary motion from
suitable machinery. A spur g on this shaft striking a lever h moves a
pawl against a toothed wheel j on the arbor f, and imparts thereby
intermittent rotary motion to the wheel j and also to the wheel e and
sleeve d. The shaft D also carries a cam 1, which serves to impart
vertical reciprocating motion to a slide É, from which the expanding
pin or punch F and the contractor G are suspended. The wire to be
knit into a tube is first passed between the contiguous edges of two gear
wheel j and m, and thereby compressed into zig-zag form, as indicated in
Figure 3; it is then passed through a slotted block n, above which the
contractor G is suspended. The contractor is forked at the lower part,'
as shown in Figure 1, and serves to compress or contract all the loops of
the wire that project to one side of the wire in order to make them
narrow enough to fit the meshes of the fabric and insure the exact
equidistance between the several loops. In the block n is contained a
V shaped spring o, which constitutes at its upper ends the real support of
the loop to be contracted. The fork G in descending straddles the loop.
and also the spring o, contracting the latter in equal ratio with the
former, and causing it to continue as the support of the wire. The
wire thus bent and re-bent is next conducted along the fixed rod B, and
in a crescent-shaped groove p thereof. The loop first projecting from
said rod, after having passed the groove p, is exactly under the expander,
"

page_text: F which is an inverted conical pin, as shown. In descending the expander
pierces such loop and enlarges it, entering below the wire between the
formerly contiguous edges of two spring slides or jaws r, r, which
constitute the support of the wire. The wire being further carried
about the rod B has its next loop brought under the expander and
'enlarged, and so forth. It is evident that the loops while under the
expander are in a horizontal position. By being carried further about
the rod B they are turned up into a vertical position by being carried
along the spiral inclined edges of a stationary semicircular plate H
that partly embraces the rod B, as indicated in Figure 7. When a circle
has thus been formed around the rod B the next loop that comes under
the expander will pass through the first vertical loop, as shown in
Figure 7, and when subsequently expanded will be firmly united
thereto. The same with all subsequent loops passing successively
through the upright meshes at the end of the completed fabric. They
are expanded and turned up on the cam H. The fabric thus knit
embraces the rod B, and is held in tension by a weight or otherwise, or
drawn down by hand, and when it enters between the sleeve d and the
rod B will be automatically turned by the stated motion of the sleeve
to carry the expanded loops ahead and feed the wire to the fabric.
It will be noticed that in the process just described the wire loops are
from within pushed outwardly through the meshes of the fabric.
Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a modification whereby the loops will from
without be pushed inwardly through the loop. In this case the spring
jaws r, r, must be formed on the upper end of the rod B, and also the
cam H for turning up the loops, while the sleeve d may directly
embrace the top of the rod B. The principle of operation is however
the same.
In Figures 10-13 is shewn a machine for manufacturing chains from
wire links on substantially the same principle. In these Figures A³
represents the bed of the machine supported on legs t, t, or otherwise
secured stationary. It has a vertical aperture u, through which the
chain to be made is drawn. B' is a reciprocating punch, arranged to
slide up and down in an arm V, which projects upwards from the frame
or bed A. To the punch is imparted reciprocating motion by suitable
connection with a treadle D2, or with machinery driven by muscular or
other power. To the lower end of the punch are secured two projecting

page_text: 5thly. The forked contractor G applied to the wire knitting machine,
substantially as specified.
6thly. The V shaped spring o, arranged in combination with the
forked reciprocating contractor G, as set forth.
7thly. The rod B provided with the groove p, in which the wire is 5
guided, as specified.
8thly. The spring plates r, r, applied to the bed A for the support of
the loop and reception of the expander, as specified.
9thly. The reciprocating expander applied to a wire knitting or
chain machine, substantially as and for the purpose herein shewn and 1
described.
10thly. The cam H arranged stationary on the bed A or rod B for
turning up into a vertical position the expander loops, as specified.
11thly. The combination of the rod B, spring jaws r, r, and cam H
with the expander F, all arranged substantially as herein shewn and 1
described.
12thly. The method herein described of making chains by enlarging
the newly introduced links and then bending the same.
13thly. The bed A³ of a chain machine having the apertures u, through
which the completed portion of the chain is put, as specified.
14thly. The chain machine made substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-two
2
2
Witness,
W
CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK.
(L.S.)