AN IMPROVED CLOTH-STRETCHING OR TENTERING MACHINE
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED CLOTH-STRETCHING OR TENTERING MACHINE" A communica-
tion from abroad by Claude Garnier, of Lyons, France, Cloth Dresser.
Sealed the 30th November 1877, and dated the 1st June 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st June 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED CLOTH-STRETCHING OR TENTERING
MACHINE" [A communication from abroad by Claude Garnier, of Lyons, France,
Cloth Dresser.]
Textile fabrics, whether figured or plain, woven with the taffeta loom, have no
tie between the warp and weft, and fray out either in the preparatory operations or
in dyeing when they are dyed in the piece.
It becomes necessary to give to these fabrics again their primitive surface con-
dition, and to re-establish the equality of distribution between the weft and warp;
which is effected by a stretching or tentering machine. The fabrics are stretched
upon a machine, and an oscillatory movement is given to, the rows of holders
provided thereon, so as to shift the weft, the warp remaining stretched lengthwise.
"This Invention relates to a stretching or tentering machine constructed without
such parts as are liable, through any irregularity in form, to alter the perfect
parallelism of its bands. To obtain this result the said machine is constructed
entirely of metal; the holders are fixed upon angle irons instead of upon wood, as
is generally the case in machines hitherto used.
In the mechanism for holding the fabric at its sides there is no spring. The straps
of leather or steel are dispensed with, together with any pieces which would-wear

page_text: out rapidly. Those parts the most subjected to wear are so arranged that the wear
upon them is reduced to a minimum.
In carrying my Invention into practise I construct a machine as follows, that
is to say I provide a frame of cast iron with two crossed cheeks or brackets,
and which is divided into suitable lengths in order to facilitate the lengthening or
shortening of the frame. The said checks or brackets are far enough apart to allow
a heater to pass, if this method of drying is preferred; if not, there may be placed
in the interior of the frame steam pipes with a longitudinal fan. Upon the said
frame is mounted the mechanism for removing and bringing together the bands, and
to put them in motion.
The said imechanism consists of a small vertical shaft carrying at its lower end a
worm wheel controlled by an endless screw and worm. The said shaft has upon
its upper end a bevel wheel, controlling a second bevel wheel keyed upon a screw.
The said screw is mounted upon a cross piece turning around the said vertical shaft,
and resting by means of four rollers upon a circular piece. The two parts of the
said screw are threaded in opposite directions_in_order_to_allow_two_nuts-which-
support the angle irons to approach or recede from each other, according to the
direction in which the screw is rotated.
The said angle irons carry holders, and they may be pivoted around a centre,
which is upon the axis of the pivot formed by the said nuts. The interior side of
the jaw of the holders is exactly upon the axis of the pivot, so that in the rotary
movement of the said holders, the distance between any given point of the side of
the holder and the point exactly opposite to it, when the holders are at rest, is
constantly the same, being a distance which is represented by a weft thread of the
fabric to be operated upon.
A cam is keyed upon a shaft, which extends the whole length of the frame, and
there is a bolt carrying a spur; also a disc with a number of holes upon its periphery.
The said shaft carries a number of controlling levers for giving motion to the said
cam. This arrangement is repeated at suitable distances, and is for the purpose of
wedging the screw and preventing it from turning. This result is obtained in the
following manner, that is to say:-The desired distance apart of the holders having
been arranged, the cam acting upon the bolt causes it to enter one of the holes in
the disc, where it is kept by a spiral spring. The screw cannot therefore move, and
if a rotary movement is given to the vertical shaft, sometimes in one direction and
sometimes in another, one of the bevel wheels not being able to turn, will be
taken by the other, and then the cross piece will revolve around the vertical shaft.
Consequently an oscillatory movement will be given to the angle irons and the
holders upon them, which will produce the effect required upon the fabric. This
repairing effect having been produced, the operations of the cam will be effected
in an inverse direction to cause the bolt to leave the disc, and after having
reduced the distance between two opposite holders, the fabric may be dried and
released.
To obtain the rotary motion in one or other direction of the vertical shaft and of
the screws, the said screws are keyed upon a shaft which extends the whole-length
of the frame. At one end of this shaft is a coupling box furnished with two
friction bevel wheels, and which is keyed to the said shaft, and may be moved
thereon by means of a lever and return movement. These friction wheels may be put
-into-gear alternately with the driving bevel wheel controlled by a pulley and belt.
For-holding-the-fabric-it-is essential that the movement should be gentle and
firm. With the hand upon the said lever the workman will be able to give to the
fabric the tension or width desired, without danger of exceeding them.
The motion for repairing or registering the fabric inay be-regulated by hand by
--operating-the-said lever and the friction bevel wheels, and the operation is effected
mechanically by means of the same mechanisin-as that employed for holding the
fabric at its sides, simply by working a brake and “an engaging or coupling device,

page_text: It would be very easy by means of a simple combination of levers to obtain the
to-and-fro movement of the bands or the change of direction in the rotation of the
shaft automatically; but when several qualities of fabrics are to be treated upon
the same apparatus, which require or allow variable treatment, it is preferable to
leave to the chief attendant the responsibility of the treatment. The loss of time
required for regulating is thus avoided.
If the frame is intended to operate constantly upon the same kind of fabrics,
the automatic arrangement would be preferable.
Any of the well-known holders may be used with my improved machine.
The advantages of my improved machine are as follows, that is to say :—
It is constructed entirely of metal.
The holders are fixed upon angle.irons, and therefore the parallelism of the bands
cannot be altered.
The mechanism for holding the fabric at its sides contains no springs, no straps,
either of leather or steel, and no parts liable to wear out rapidly.
As herein-before stated light fabrics must be equally stretched during. the whole
of the operations in order that the effect. may be good.. The space between the
holders opposite each other should therefore be constantly the same. This effect is
one of the advantages in my improved machine as herein described, which machine
ensures the weft being kept (in whatever position) at a constant. tension.
With heavy fabrics a little slackness may occur in the. tension of the frame
without any inconvenience. If this should be necessary. it can. be, effected by
slightly displacing the position with regard to the holders of the pivots, around
which the bands and the holders.oscillate. Upon this improved machine the
dressing of fabrics may be broken so as to leave to it its thickness, but at the same
time to render it flexible, and with certain fabrics which are required to. remain
supple or flexible the drying process may go on at the same time.
All operations which can be effected upon other similar machines now in use may
also be effected upon my improved machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st December 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED CLOTH-STRETCHING OR TENTERING
MACHINE." A communication from abroad by Claude Garnier, of Lyons, France,
Cloth Dresser.
Textile fabrics, whether figured or plain, woven with the taffeta loom, have no tie
between the warp and weft, and fray out either in the preparatory operations or in
dyeing when they are dyed in the piece.
It becomes necessary to give to these fabrics again their primitive surface con-
dition, and to re-establish the equality of distribution between the weft and warp,
--which-is-effected-by-a-stretching-or-tentering machine. The fabrics are stretched
upon the machine, and an oscillatory movement is given to the rows of holders
provided thereon so as to shift the weft, the warp remaining stretched lengthwise.
This Invention relates to a stretching or tentering machine constructed without
such parts as are liable through any irregularity in form to alter the perfect
parallelism of its bands. To obtain this result the said machine is constructed
entirely of metal. The holders are fixed upon angle irons instead of upon wood, as
is generally the case in machines hitherto used.
In the mechanism for stretching the fabric there is no spring. The straps of
leather or steel are dispensed with, together with any pieces which would wear out
rapidly. Those parts most subjected to wear are so arranged that the wear upon
them is reduced to a minimum.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed according to this Invention ;
Figure 2 is a plan; Figure 3 is an end elevation; and Figure 3a is a transverse
section of the same.
Figure 3b is an elevation of part of the said machine.
Figure 4 shows an apparatus herein-after described.
In carrying my Invention into practise I construct a machine as follows, that is
to say: I provide a frame M of cast iron with two crossed checks or brackets, and
which is divided into suitable lengths in order to fácilitate the lengthening or
shortening of the frame. The said cheeks or brackets are far enough apart to allow
a heater to pass, if this method of drying is preferred; if not, thore may be placed
in the interior of the frame steam pipes with a longitudinal fan. Upon the said
frame is mounted the mechanism for removing and bringing together the bands, and
to put them in motion.
The said mechanism consists of a small vertical shaft carrying at its lower end a
worm wheel a¹ controlled by an endless screw or worm a. The said shafthas upon
its upper end a bevel wheel b controlling a second bevel wheel b' keyed upon a
screw d. The said screw is mounted upon a cross piece turning around the said.
vertical shaft, and resting by means of four rollers upon a circular-piece H. The
two parts of the said screw have their threads cut in opposite directions to allow
two nuts.c, which support the angle irons B, to approach or recede from each other,
according to-the-direction-in-which the screw is rotated.
The said angle irons carry-holders, and they may be pivoted around a centre
which is upon the axis of the pivot formed by the said nuts. The interior side of
the jaw of the holders is exactly upon the axis of the pivot, so that in the rotary
movement of the said holders the distance between any given point of the side of
the holder and the point exactly opposite to it when the holders are at rest, is con-

page_text: stantly the same, being a distance, which is represented by a weft thread of the
fabric to be operated upon.
An important object of this Invention is obtained by the following arrangement
of mechanism, which is shewn in section in Figure 3: A cam A" is keyed upon a
shaft which extends the whole length of the frame, and there is a bolt C¹ carrying
a spur V1; also a disc B¹ with a number of holes upon its periphery. The said
shaft carries a number of controlling levers for giving motion to the said cam A¹.
This arrangement is repeated at suitable distances; and is for the purpose of wedging
the nut e and preventing its turning. This result is obtained in the following
manner, that is to say:-The desired distance apart of the holders having been
arranged, the cam acting upon the bolt C causes it to enter one of the holes in the
disc B¹, where it is kept by a spiral spring R¹. The nut e cannot therefore move;
and if a rotary movement is given to the vertical shaft, sometimes in one direction
and sometimes in another, the bevel wheel b₁, not being able to turn, will be taken
by the other wheel b, and then the cross piece m will revolve around the vertical
shaft. Consequently an oscillatory movement will be given to the angle irons,
and the holders upon them will produce the effect required upon the fabric. This
repairing (brisage) having been produced, the operations of the cam will be effected
in an inverse direction to cause the bolt to leave the disc B¹, and, after having
reduced the distance between two opposite holders the fabric may be dried and
released.
To obtain the rotary motion in one or other direction of the vertical shaft and of
the screws a, the said screws are keyed upon a shaft A, which extends the whole
length of the frame. At one end of this shaft is a coupling box furnished with
two friction cone wheels c³ and c, and which is keyed to the said shaft A, and
may be moved thereon by means of a lever and means for effecting a return move-
ment. These friction wheels may be put into gear alternately with the driving
cone wheel C controlled by a pulley and helt.
For stretching the fabric it is essential that the movement should be gentle and
firm. By means of the lever C* the operator will be able to give to the fabric
the tension or width desired without danger of exceeding them.
The motion for repairing or restoring the fabric may be regulated by hand by
operating the said lever C and the friction cone wheels c³, c², c³, and the operation
is effected mechanically by means of the same mechanism as that employed for
stretching, simply by working a brake fand an engaging or coupling device which
may be rapidly effected.
It would be easy by means of a simple combination of levers to obtain the to-
and-fro movement of the bands or the change of direction in the rotation of the
shaft A. automatically, but when several qualities of fabrics are to be treated upon
the same apparatus, which require or allow variable treatment, it is preferable to
leave to the chief attendant the responsibility of the treatment. The loss of time
required for regulating is thus avoided.
If the frame is intended to operate constantly upon the same kind of fabrics, the
automatic arrangement would be preferable.
The holder shewn in Figure 4 is the ordinary jointed holder.
Any other suitable device, such as a screw holder, a spring holder, or the like
may be employed.
It will be obvious from the above description that the machine constructed
according to my Invention comprises various peculiar and novel features, from
which arise the following advantages, that is to say :—
It is constructed entirely of metal.
The holders are fixed upon angle irons, and therefore the parallelism of the bands
cannot be altered.
The mechanism for stretching has no springs or straps, either of leather or steel,
and no parts liable to wear out rapidly.
As herein-before stated light fabrics must be equally stretched during the whole
of the operations in order that the desired result or effect may be obtained. The

page_text: space between the holders opposite each other should therefore be constantly the
same, and is so in this machine, the weft being kept (whatever may be its
position) at a.constant.or uniform tension.
With heavy fabrics & slight degree of slackness may be allowed in the tension of
the frame without any inconvenience. If this should be necessary it can be effected by
slightly changing the position with regard to the holders of the pivots, around which
the bands and the holders oscillate. Upon this improved machine the dressing of
the fabrics may be so broken as to leave it of the required thickness, but at the same
time to increase its flexibility, and with certain fabrics which are required to be
very. supple or flexible, their drying may be effected at the same time.
All operations which can be effected upon similar machines now in use may
also.be.effected upon my improved machine..
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.