IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR STRETCHING WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1885

page_text: I WILLIAM BIRCH of Broughton near Manchester in the County of Lancaster
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR STRETCHING WOVEN FABRICS" to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to simplify and cheapen the manufacture of what
are known as 'expanding' rollers employed for expanding or stretching woven
fabrics to a greater width from selvage to selvage when required in the operations
of bleaching printing dyeing washing or otherwise treating such fabrics.
These rollers are so constructed that as the woven fabric passes over them they
draw the selvages in different directions and thus deliver the said fabric in an
expanded state that is to say, wider than they received it.
My improved stretching apparatus is formed as follows. Two conical rollers
(each formed of a number of conical discs or sections threaded upon a central
arbor or axis) are mounted with their smaller ends converging and fitted so that
the two arbors or axes can be set or inclined at any desired angle to each other,
so that as the cloth passes over the rollers each section of the cones can revolve at
a speed corresponding with the passage of the cloth, and as these sections revolve
upon an axis placed at an angle more or less removed from a right angle to the
passage of the cloth, but inclining outwards, the point of delivery of each section
will be further removed from the centre of the cloth than the point where it
received the same, and thus the bevilled discs in revolving will have the effect of
expanding or stretching the cloth (during delivery) equally or nearly so over the
whole surface from the centre to the selvages. The amount of stretch given to
the cloth can be varied by altering the angles of convergence of the axis of the
conical discs.
The exterior surfaces of the sections may be grooved or otherwise corrugated or
roughened to give them a firm hold on the cloth, or they may be provided with
pins for the same purpose.
The sections revolve loosely upon the axles, and to prevent undue lateral pressure
which would have a tendency to cause them to bind upon the axle, each section is
made like a flat disc on one side and with a circular concentric groove upon the
other, and in these grooves are placed balls which run against the disc of adjoining
section so as to distribute the side pressure evenly and prevent the bosses of the
sections from becoming bound. At the end where there is no section adjoining
a disc must be fixed to the axle to receive the side thrust of the balls.
Deted this 14th day of March 1885

page_text: I WILLIAM BIRCH of Broughton near Manchester in the County of Lancaster
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR STRETCHING WOVEN FABRICS" and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of this invention is to simplify and cheapen the manufacture of what
are known as "Expanding Rollers" employed for expanding or stretching woven
fabrics to a greater width from selvage to selvage when required in the operation
of bleaching printing dyeing washing or otherwise treating such fabrics.
These rollers are so constructed that as the woven fabric passes over them they
draw the selvages in different directions and thus deliver the said fabric in an
expanded state that is to say wider than they receive it.
The construction and practical application of my improved stretching apparatus
will be readily understood on reference to the two sheets of drawings hereunto
annexed and to the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 on the drawing is an elevation and Fig. 2 a plan view of my improved
stretching apparatus Certain portions in both figs being shewn in section and
other parts represented as broken away for the more perfect illustration of my
invention, and Figs. 3. 4. 5. 5* 6. 7. 8 and 9 are detached views of different portions
thereof hereinafter more particularly referred to.
The principal feature of my invention consists of 2 conical rollers A. A. and A. A¹
each formed of a number of conical discs or soctions a. a, threaded upon a central arbor
or axle B. B and B¹ B¹. These arbors or axles are mounted in brackets b. b. at their
outer ends and at their inner ends in a curved central bracket 61 61 towards which the
smaller ends of the cones converge. The outer brackets b. b are fitted with universal
joints at c. c and the outer ends of the arbors or axles are made with spherical
heads d. d, fitting in a ring e, e carried by the central curved bracket b¹ b¹ so that the
two arbors or axles B. B and B' B¹ can be set or inclined at any desired angle to each
other, so that as the cloth passes over the rollers each section a. a of the cones can
revolve at a different speed, so that the surface speed of the whole length of both
cones can correspond with the passage of the cloth and as these sections revolve
upon an axis placed at an angle more or less removed from a right angle to the
passage of the cloth (but inclining outwards) it follows that the point of delivery
of each section will be further removed from the centre of the cloth than the
point where it received the same, and thus the conical discs or sections a. a in
revolving with the "pull" of the cloth will have the effect of expanding or stretching
the cloth (during delivery) equally or nearly so over the whole surface from the
centre to the selvages, and the amount of stretch given to the cloth can be varied by
altering the angles of convergence of the axes of the two conical rollers A. Å
and A¹ A¹
In fig" 1 and 2 the axles B. B and B' B¹ are shown as mounted in such a way
that they can revolve more or less with the sections or discs a. a. The construction
of the spherical heads d. d is shown on a larger scale in longitudinal section at

page_text: Fig. 8 and in vertical section at Fig. 9. The cap d. d is fitted loosely on the
nut f. f. which is screwed fast on the end of the axle and in the cavity between
the two are a number of antifriction balls x. ; e. e. in Fig. 8 is a section of part
of the ring previously mentioned as carried by the central curved bracket b¹ bi by
means of which the angle of inclination of the conical rollers A. A and A¹ A¹ can
be varied.
Fig. 6 is a front view (shown partly in section) of this portion of the apparatus
and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same.
The curved bracket b¹¹ is carried on a fixed centre at g. g and to it is attached
a bent lever h. h by means of a link or links h¹h. This bent lever h. h is keyed
upon or near one end of a shaft i. i (see also Figs 1 and 2) and the other end of
this shaft is fitted with an arm k. k carrying a curved rack (see also Fig. 3 which
is an end view partly in section of this portion of the apparatus)-The curved rack
gears into a worm . carried by a short shaft upon which is fitted a hand
wheel m. m. Thus it will be seen that by turning the said hand wheel m. m
the shaft i. i can be caused to rock more or less in either direction and thus by
means of the bent lever h. h and link or links h¹ h¹ the curved bracket 6161 will be
raised or lowered and at the same time (owing to its being mounted on the fixed
centre at g. g) it will be moved forwards or backwards so as to give the required
inclination to the axes of the two conical rollers. If preferred a leather or other
washer y. y. (see Fig. 8) may be placed between the caps d. d and nuts f. f.
n. n is a guide roller for the cloth which is supported in two brackets o. o, a side
view of one of which is shown at Fig. 4.
To prevent the cloth from "bagging" and to support it between the inner ends
of the two conical rollers I fix a curved bearing piece p. p on to the top of the
ring e. e.
The whole of the apparatus is carried by a swivel rail q. q which is bolted or
otherwise secured to the frame of the machine to which the apparatus is to be
applied.
The exterior surfaces of the sections or discs a. a may be grooved circumferen-
tially as shown at the right hand of Figs 1 and 2 or they may be otherwise
corrugated or roughened to give them a firm hold on the cloth or they may be
provided with pins for the same purpose.
The sections or discs (as before stated) revolve loosely upon their axles and in
some cases I propose to fix the latter so that they do not revolve, in which case
to prevent undue lateral pressure which would have a tendency to cause them to
bind upon the axle, each section is made like a flat disc upon one side and with
a circular concentric groove upon the other as shown in back view at Fig. 5 and
section at Fig. 5* and in these grooves are placed balls r. r (or rollers if preferred)
which run against the disc of the adjoining section so as to distribute the side
pressure evenly and prevent the bosses of the sections from becoming bound upon
the axle. At the end where there is no section adjoining a disc must be placed to
receive the side thrust of the balls or rollers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed-I declare that I claim
as my invention
1st in an apparatus for stretching woven fabrics the combination of two con-
verging conical rollers each composed of a number of conical discs or sections
threaded loosely upon a central arbor or axis such arbors or axes being so mounted
that they can be set or inclined at any required angle to each other substantially
as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
2ndly I claim the apparatus shown and described for carrying such arbors or
axes consisting of two outer brackets fitted with universal joints for carrying
the outer ends thereof and an adjustable inner or central ring forming portion
of a curved bracket for carrying the inner or converging ends of such arbors
or axes,

page_text: 3rdly I claim the peculiar novel construction shown and described with reference
to Figs 8 and 9) of the revolving heads or caps of such arbors or axles carried by
the adjustable central ring as aforesaid.
4thly I claim the combination with such adjustable ring and curved bracket of
a link, bent lever, rocking shaft, arm, curved rack, and worm (substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by the annexed drawings) for the purpose
of adjusting the inclination of two converging axles carrying two conical rollers
used for stretching fabrics.