Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1886.
Complete Left, 10th May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 10th June, 1887.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to machines for stretching and drying cloth and the object of
the invention is to promote economy in the stretching and drying processes and to give
a better stretch and finish to the fabrics.
The invention consists in constructions and combinations of parts of the apparatus ;
all as hereafter described.
The improved stretching and drying machine is placed in a close room which
connects by a passage with a second room in which the air forcing apparatus or blower
and the air heater are placed.
The engine for driving the blower and the engine for driving the machine are located
in a third room.
The exhaust steam from the engines is conducted through a pipe to the air heater,
said pipe preferably extending nearly to the bottom of the heater which contains the
coils of the pipe through which the air is forced by the blower on its way to the
dryer.
.
A pipe connects the outlet of the blower with the coils which in turn connect
by a pipe with the back end of the dryer in a manner hereinafter more fully
explained.
·
The outlet pipe for the exhaust steam from the heater may be valved to control the
escape of the steam after it has risen through the water in the heater, and so on as to
control the temperature of the air pipes and the air passing through them to the dryer
to any desired degree for the best drying effect on the fabric.

page_text: Between the first and second rooms and next the passage, 1 arrange a room for the
workman to enter for protection from the high temperature prevailing in the machine
and heater rooms.
The heated air after passing through the dryer of the machine escapes to the first
room with the steam or vapor which has passed from the fabric and I provide along
the first and second rooms and passage, a series of windows or other ventilators,
which may be opened to discharge the vapor and control the temperature and
humidity of the air.
It will of course be understood that the windows are not, during the operation, to
be opened sufficiently to interfere materially with the passage of the heated air, from
the drier back to the blower.
It will be understood that the air discharged from the drying chamber at a tempera-
ture considerably higher than the outside atmospheric air, is drawn along the first and
second rooms and passage by and into the blower which passes the air through the
heater and back again to and through the drying chamber, the heated air being used
over and over again in a continuous circuit whereby much greater economy in heating
the air is attained than would be possible by leading the cool outside air to the blower
and heater. Also by using the exhaust steam from the engines to reheat the air in
circuit, a greater economy in fuel is secured than would be attained by passing live
steam direct from a boiler to the heater. The re-use of the same heated air to a very
large extent enables the exhaust steam to keep the air in circuit at a sufficiently high
temperature for effective drying action on the cloth.
I particularly describe the cloth stretching and drying machine, as follows:-The
cloth or fabric to be stretched and dried is supported in a bolt upon standards at the
front end of the machine, and after passing through the machine it is wound in a bolt
or roll held on standards at the back end of the machine. The roll is wound by a
belt passing from a pulley on the shaft of the bolt to a pulley on a driving shaft. The
cloth passes from the supporting bolt down to and beneath a guide roller held to
revolve in standards fixed to the floor, and thence the cloth passes up to and over a
convex apron or plate which is supported rigidly at the front end of the machine and
in its passage to and over the apron the cloth is stretched lengthwise slightly by the
pull on it in unwinding before reaching endless chains which are arranged along each
side of the machine, and have tenter hooks on which the cloth is caught by its selvages
for being carried through the machine as the chain wheels are revolved by gearing as
hereinafter described.
The shaft of the supporting bolt has a friction wheel secured to it, and a weighted
brake lever pivotted to an arm projecting from one of the standards bears on this
friction wheel to form a tension device and allow of the fabric being properly
stretched.
The side bars of the front section of the machine are hinged to the rear section or
dryer on strong pins, allowing the opposite side bars of the section to be swung bodily in
horizontal plane on their support, which consists of a suitable frame or bearer having
legs which rest on the floor or on a metal wear plate held thereon. The said bearer
has also a suitable track or way along its upper edge, on which rollers, journalled to
feet fixed to each side bar may move transversely of the machine for bringing the
front or free ends of the bars nearer to or further from each other according to the
desired sidewise stretch the cloth is to receive. These feet are provided with casters
that run on a track which is of sufficient width to allow of the necessary longitudinal
movement of the bearer as well as its transverse movement.
To gather or spread the side bars, I employ a screw shaft, having right and left
threads fitted respectively into the boxes which are swivelled on vertically ranging
pins or journals fitted loosely to a second set of boxes held to each of the side bars
through which bars the screw shaft passes.
The shaft is journalled in a third set of boxes on the tops of the end standards of
the bearer, and has hand-wheels at the ends which serve to prevent end motion of the
shaft, and to turn the shaft for positioning the side bars, relatively to each other as
desired,

page_text: The swivelled boxes allow the side bars of the front section to have an independent
or reverse end motion as the entire machine is oscillated end-wise on pivots of bearers
which support the cloth drying chamber as hereinafter described.
The cloth guide apron is held rigidly by standards fixed to the floor, so that the
chain wheels journalled to the free ends of the side bars will move as closely as may
be to the edge of the plate, as the front section is shifted transversely for catching
the cloth on the tenter hooks of the chains and as the side bars are moved backward
and forward as the dryer is oscillated, as hereinafter described. The front chain
wheels are journalled on studs of arms fixed to the ends of the side bars, and the
back chain wheels are fixed to other shafts which are journalled in the opposite sides
of the case of the drying chamber or to plates fixed to the case. Guideways are
provided along the inside faces of the side bars of the front section and continue
backward along the inner faces of the sides of the drying chamber, so as to support
the upper and lower sides of the endless chains; the tenter hooks of the chains
running along through face slots of the guides and projecting therefrom to hold
the cloth.
I make the cloth drying chamber in rectangular box-like form, and, in two sections
having sides overtopping ends, and top and bottom parts, overtopping each other so
as to form a closed chamber adapted to be made wider or narrower to accommodate
different widths of fabric. I support the sectional dryer preferably by means of rollers
upon the flange of the bearers which are supported on vertical pivots on the pedestals
fixed to the floor. There may be as many of these pivotted bearers as desired, and
each one has a right and left screw shaft fitted in threaded swivelled boxes journalled
to brackets fixed to opposite sides of the dryer sections. The shafts have band wheels
at each end by which to turn them for contracting or expanding the case of the dryer;
the arrangement of the screw shafts and their swivelled boxes being substantially the
same as that of the screw shaft before described.
It will be seen that the dryer may be made wider or narrower as required, and also
that it is free to oscillate on the pedestals and will carry the bearer and frame with it,
so that the sections of the machine may receive together a limited back and forth or
reverse motion of their opposite sides for stretching the cloth as it is carried along by
the endless chains.
To give this oscillating movement to the machine sections I connect the back
bearer at one side of its pivot by a rod with an eccentric held on a shaft which is
journalled in bearings of a yoke and standard fixed to the floor and carrying a pulley
to receive a belt for driving it. The said shaft carries at the other end a bevel gear
wheel which meshes with a bevel gear of a vertical shaft journalled in line with the
pivots of the bearers in the yoke. The vertical shaft carries on its upper end a bevelled
gear meshing with a bevelled gear, fixed upon a transverse shaft which passes along
the back end of the machine through a strong bracket arm, and revolves in the upper
horizontal bearing of the arm. The transverse shaft is supported mainly in boxes
which are swivelled to lugs fixed to the sides of the dryer case sections. Said lugs
may be extensions of the plates in which the shafts or gudgeons of the chain wheels are
journalled. The boxes each have fixed lugs which receive pins fixed to a strap or
collar which is held in an annular groove of the hub of the adjacent driving gear
fitted to its shaft by means of a feather or spline, so that the gear will revolve with
the shaft, and will slide along the shaft with the case section to which it is attached,
and thus hold the gears always in mesh for driving the cloth carrying chains
irrespective of the width at which the dryer case may be set by the screw shafts.
The lower vertical bearing of the bracket arm, is mounted loosely on the vertical shaft,
to swing thereon as the dryer case oscillates, and a collar is or may be fixed to the
transverse shaft outside of the bearing of the bracket arm.
The cloth or fabric enters the dryer through a horizontal slot at the front end, and
proceeds with the endless chains to the back end of the dryer, from which it passes
forward and over a front guide roller thence down to and beneath a roller directly
below the front guide roller thence back again to leave the dryer case through a slot

page_text: thence to and around a roller journalled in bearings to revolve outside the dryer
case, and up to the winding bolt in a dried and finished condition.
The cloth travels along and through the dryer in three continuous layers or webs.
I fix to the side sections of the dryer case an upper partition consisting of overlapping
plates which come between some of the cloth layers and fit closely to the front end
of the dryer case and stop short of its back end to form an air passage at the back of
the partition and case; I fix another partition consisting of overlapping plates closely
to the back end of the dryer case and extend the partition forward between the
other layers of the cloth but not quite to the front end of the dryer, so that an air
passage will be formed thereat. The guide rollers are positioned respectively in the
dryer case so as to carry one web or layer of the cloth downward to release it from
the inverted hooks of the chains and to bring the lower layer about midway between
the lower partition plates and the bottom of the dryer case.
Each of the guide rollers consists of two telescoping sections having end shoulders
coming at the inner faces of the sides of the dryer sections and end spindles on which
the nuts are screwed, so as to come outside of the sections, so that as the sections are
contracted or expanded to narrow or widen the dryer, the roller will likewise contract
or expand. The overlapping plate construction of the partitions allows them to be
shifted on each other, so that neither the rollers nor partitions interfere with the
adjustment of the dryer case by the screws, at the same time the partitions subdivide
the case so as to confine the heated air in separate narrow or shallow passages through
which the layers of cloth travel, thereby insuring the thorough and quick drying of
the fabric.
The pipe leading from the heater connects with a T-pipe or coupling in or opposite
the heads of which the pipes pass, and the said pipes bend upward, or so as to be
connected with the opposite sides of the dryer case at its back end, and to allow them to
move in and out of the T-coupling as the cross-sections are adjusted. I prefer to
arrange the discharge ends of opposite pipes so that the air will be discharged against
the side edges of the cloth and so as to pass to both sides of the lower web or layer of
cloth.
It will be noticed that the dry hot air first enters the dryer next to where the cloth
leaves the dryer, and thereby the air has the best effect in giving the final dry-finish
to the cloth; and that the air passes forward along and through the lower cloth layer
thence through the front lower opening and along and through the second cloth layer
and up through the opening thence forward again along and through an opening at
the front of the dryer into the first room whence the air is drawn by the blower
into the heater to again be passed to the dryer as above described.
In practice I propose to cut away the ends of the partitions a little at the
points where they would be liable to strike the case, and also provide room at the
ends of the case itself to allow oscillation. If it should be found that heated
air escaped from between the two sections of the drying section in a sufficient
quantity to interfere with its serpentine course, a flexible flap could be used to
close the spaces between said sections and at the cut away portions of the partitions
and yet allow of an adjustment and oscillation.
Transverse flexible strips of metal, india-rubber or other suitable material are
fastened at one end to the ends of the drier section, and rest at their free edges
on the partitions at their cut away ends. Flexible strips of sheet metal are also
secured at one edge to one section, and rest at the free edge on the other section
and thus close the joint between the sections of the dryer. The guide rollers
have sufficient looseness in their bearings so that they may move relatively to the
dryer case.
The supply pipes oscillate at their points of connection with the ends of the
T-pipe.
I usually arrange a guide apron or plate over which the cloth passes to be hooked
onto the travelling chains. This apron is held at some distance from the chains
so as to allow an attendant at each side of the cloth to hook its opposite selvages

page_text: onto the opposite chains as the cloth is drawn into the machine. The front section
of the machine, is supported on pivotted bearers, the same as the dryer, hence 1
make a special mention of my arrangement of the plate or apron as extending quite
closely to the hook chains and of the arrangement of the section to be moved trans-
versely at the forward end independently of the end wise oscillation of the machine in
stretching the cloth. These features of construction allow the cloth to automatically
be caught by the tender hooks of the chains by shifting the forward end of the front
section from side to side which may be done by an attendant at one side of the
machine, thus saving the labour of one man and hooking the cloth to the opposite
chains as evenly as with a man at each side. As the cloth passes up over the apron
and the bearer is moved to the right hand of the longitudinal centre of the machine,
the left hand hooks will catch in the selvage of the cloth at that side, and as the bearer
is revolved to the left, the right hand hooks will engage the right hand selvage of the
cloth. As the opposite hooks which first catch the opposite selvages of the cloth are
farther apart than the width of the cloth as it passes from the bolt the cloth will be
considerably increased in width as it enters the machine, after first having been
stretched lengthwise in its passage from the bolt and around the roller and over the
apron as hereinbefore described. As the cloth moves along the front section toward
the dryer it is stretched still more in width by the divergence of the tenter hook
chains carried by the side bars.
The front section may be moved transversely by direct hold of the hands on the
bearer or one of its hand wheels, but I prefer to use a slotted hand lever which is
fulcrummed to a post to act by its end connecting with the bearer. For this purpose
the hand lever may extend to tho cool room to be worked by an attendant therein.
It is obvious that by enclosing the travelling web of the cloth in the dryer at the
top and bottom, as well as at the sides, far less heat or air escapes without effective or
continuous drying action on the cloth than in the ordinary cloth stretching and drying
machines, wherein one side of the web of cloth is quite uncovered and the air forced
between the two layers of fabric held by the endless chain hooks, blows directly through
the fabric into the machine room, hence my improved machine may for this reason
also be operated more economically.
.
3000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Stretching and Drying Cloth.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex 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:-
My invention relates to machines, for stretching and drying cloth, and the object of
the invention is to promote economy in the stretching and drying processes and
to give a better stretch and finish to the fabrics.
The invention consists in constructions and combinations of parts of the apparatus,
all as hereafter described.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 represents my improved apparatus for stretching and drying cloth, and
shows in vertical section the building in which such apparatus is placed.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus with the building in horizontal section.
Figure 3, is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the stretching and drying
machine partly broken away.
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of one end of the outside shaft, and one of
the gear wheels, by which the hook chain wheels are driven at the back end of
the machine.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation on the line 1, 1, Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a side view of the drive gear wheel and end view of the outside
shaft.
Figure 7 is a sectional elevation of one of the telescoping cloth-guide rollers.
Figure 8 is a plan view of the stretching and drying machine, parts being broken
away.
Figures 9, 10, and 11, are enlarged detail views of one of the cloth carrying hooked 2
chains and guides therefor.
Figure 12 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the cloth drying chamber and
shows also in side elevation the hooked chain guides and chain wheel.
Figure 13 is a transverse section of the stretcher taken on the line 2, 2, Figure 3,
and shows also in rear elevation the front elevation the front bearer of the stretcher à
and the apron over which the cloth passes, also the screw shaft and hand wheels for
operating the side bars.
Figure 14 is a back end view of the dryer.
Figure 15 is a transverse sectional elevation on the line 3, 3, of Figure 3, the
wheels J and J, and the shaft ; being also shown in elevation.
Figure 16 is a transverse sectional elevation on the line 4, 4, of Figure 3, bearer L,
shaft N, and wheels P, and rollers u', u', being in elevation."
3
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
The general arrangement of the cloth stretching and drying apparatus, which I
employ for economically heating the air and conducting it to the cloth drying 4

page_text: chamber of the machine, is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, of the drawings, in
which A, B, indicate the stretching and drying machine which is placed in a close
which connects by a passage b, with the close room c, in which the air
forcing apparatus or blower C, and the air heater D are placed.
rooni
a,
I show the engine E for driving the blower C, and the engine F, for driving the
machine A, B, located in a room d, below the rooms and passages a, b, c, but the
engines may be arranged on the same level, if desired.
The exhaust steam from the engines E, F is conducted through a pipe E', to the
air heater D, said pipe E' preferably extending nearly to the bottom of the heater
which contains the coils E2, of the pipe through which the air is forced by the blower C
on its way to the dryer.
A pipe E, connects the outlet of the blower with the coils E', which in turn
connect by a pipe E, with the back end of the dryer in a manner hereinafter more
fully explained.
Fis the outlet pipe for the exhaust steam from the heater D, which pipe may be
valved to control the escape of the steam after it has risen through the water D¹ in
the heater, and so on as to control the temperature of the air pipes and the air passing
through them to the dryer to any desired degree for the best drying effect on the
fabric.
Between the rooms a, c and next the passage b, I arrange a room e for the work-
man to enter for protection from the high temperature prevailing in the machine and
heater rooms.
The heated air after passing through the dryer B, of the machine, escapes at to
the room a, with the steam or vapour which has passed from the fabric, and I provide
along the close rooms and passage a, b, c a series of windows a¹ or other ventilators,
which may be opened to discharge the vapour and control the temperature and
humidity of the air.
It will of course be understood that the windows are not during the operation, to
be opened sufficiently to interfere materially with the passage of the heated air from
the dryer back to the blower.
It will be understood that the air discharged from the drying chamber B, at a
temperature considerably higher than the outside atinospheric air, is drawn along the
rooms and passage a, b, c by and into the blower C, which passes the air through the
heater and back again to and through the drying chamber, the heated air being used
over and over again in a continuous circuit, whereby much greater economy in
heating the air is attained than would be possible by leading the cool outside air to
the blower and heater. Also by using the exhaust steam from the engines E, F, to
reheat the air in circuit, a greater economy of fuel is secured than would be attained
by passing live steam direct from a boiler to the heater. The re-use of the same
heated air to a very large extent enables the exhaust steam to keep the air in circuit
at a sufficiently high temperature for effective drying action on the cloth.
to a
I particularly describe the cloth stretching and drying machine as follows:-The
cloth or fabric G to be stretched and dried is supported in a bolt as at g, upon
standards G, at the front end of the machine, and after passing through the machine
it is wound in a bolt or roll g', held on standards G at the back end of the machine.
The roll is wound by a belt passing from a pulley on the shaft of the bolt
pulley R, on the shaft R. The cloth passes from the bolt g down to and beneath a
guide roller G³, held to revolve in standards fixed to the floor, and thence the cloth
passes up to and over a convex apron or plate H which is supported rigidly at the
front end of the machine, and in its passage to and over the apron the cloth is
stretched lengthwise slightly by the pull on it in unwinding, before reaching the
endless chains I, I, which are arranged along each side of the machine and have
tenter hooks i, on which the cloth G is caught by its selvages for being carried
through the machine as the chain wheels are revolved by gearing as herein after
described.
The shaft of the bolt g, has a friction wheel, secured to it, and a weighted brake
lever g pivotted to an arm G³, projecting from one of the standards G₁, bears on this

page_text: .
friction wheel to form a tension device and allow of the fabric being properly
stretched.
The side bars A', A¹, of the front section A, of the machine are hinged to the rear
section or dryer B, on strong pins as at B3, allowing the opposite side bars A', A', of
the section A, to be swung bodily in horizontal plane or their support which consist of
a suitable frame or bearer A³, having legs a², a², which rest on the floor or on a metal
wear plate a³, held thereon; the said bearer has also a suitable track or way at, along
its upper edge, on which rollers a journalled to the feet as, fixed to each side bar A,
may move transversely of the machine for bringing the front or free ends of the
bars A, A, nearer to or further from each other according to the desired sidewise
stretch the cloth is to receive. These feet a², are provided with casters a*, that run
on the track a³, the track being of sufficient width to allow of the necessary
longitudinal movement of the bearer as well as its transverse movement.
To gather or spread the bars A', A', I employ a screw shaft A3, having right and
left threads fitted respectively into the boxes A, A, which are swivelled on vertically
ranging pins or journals fitted loosely to boxes a', a', held to each of the side bars A²,
through which bars the screw shaft passos.
The shaft is journalled in boxes as, as, on the tops of the end standards of the
bearer A2, and has hand wheels A, at the ends which serve to prevent ond motion of
the shaft and to turn the shaft by, for positioning the side bars A', A¹, relatively to
each other as desired.
The swivelled boxes A', allow the side bars A', A³, of the section A, to have an
independent or reverse end motion as the entire machine is oscillated endwise
on pivots of bearers which support the cloth drying chamber B, as hereinafter
described.
The cloth guide apron H, is held rigidly by standards H', fixed to the floor, so that
the chain wheels J J, journalled to the free ends of the side bars A', A¹, will move as
closely as may be to the edge h, of the plate as the section A, is shifted transversely
for catching the cloth on the tenter hooks i, of the chains I, I, and as the bars A', A,
are moved backward and forward as the drier is oscillated, as hereinafter described.
The front chain wheels J, J see figure 3, are journalled on studs of arms a³, a, fixed
to the ends of the bars A¹, A¹, and the back chain wheels J¹, J', see figures 15 and 12
are fixed to the shafts j, j, which are journalled in the opposite sides of the case of
the drying chamber or to plates j³, 1, fixed to the case, see figure 15. Guideways I'I',
are provided along the inside faces of the bars A', A¹, of the section A, and continue
backward along the inner faces of the sides of the drying chamber B, so as to support
the upper and lower sides of the endless chains; the tenter hooks i, of the chains
running along through face slots of the guides and projecting therefrom to hold the
cloth.
I make the cloth drying chamber B, in rectangular box like form and in two
sections B1, B2, having sides 61, 62, over-topping ends 63, 64, and top and bottom parts,
overtopping each other so as to form a closed chamber adapted to be made wider or
narrower to accommodate different widths of fabric. I support the sectional dryer B,
preferably by means of rollers k, upon the flange 1, of the bearers L which are
supported on vertical pivots on the pedestals M, fixed to the floor. There may be as
many of these pivotted bearers as desired, and each one has a right and left screw
shaft N, fitted in threaded swivelled boxes 0; journalled to brackets o, o, fixed to
opposite sides b¹, 62, of the dryer sections and the shafts have a band wheel P, at each
end by which to turn them for contracting or expanding the case of the dryer; the
arrangement of the screw shafts N, and their swivelled boxes being substantially the
same as that of the shaft A³, before described.
It will be seen that the dryer may be made wider or narrower as required, and also
is free to oscillate on the pedestals and will carry the bearer A³, and frame Á, with it
so that the sections A, B, of the machine may receive together a limited back and
forth or reverse motion of their opposite sides for stretching the cloth G, as it is
carried along by the endless chains I, I.
To give this oscillating movement to the machine sections A, B, I connect the back

page_text: of a
bearer L, at one side of its pivot by a rod Q, with an eccentric Q1, held on a shaft R,
which is journalled in bearings r, r, of a yoke S, and standard, fixed to the floor
and carrying a pulley R₁ to receive a belt for driving it. The shaft R carries
at the other end a bevel gear wheel R2, which meshes with a bevel gear R³,
vertical shaft S¹, journalled in line with the pivots of the bearers L, in the yoke S. The
shaft S¹ carries on its upper end a bevelled gear S3 meshing with a bevelled gear S³
fixed upon a transverse shaft T, which passes along the back end of the machine through
a strong bracket arm T', and revolves in the upper horizontal bearing t, of the arm. The
shaft T is supported mainly in boxes T3, T3, which are swivelled to lugs to t³, fixed
to the sides b¹, 63, of the dryer case sections B1, B2, and said lugs t³, ts, may be
extensions of the plates j¹, j, in which the shafts or gudgeons of the chain
wheels J, J, are journalled. The boxes T each have fixed lugs t, t, which receive
pins to, to, fixed to a strap or collar T, which is held in an annular groove to, of the
hub of the adjacent driving gear T2, fitted to its shaft T, by means of a feather or
spline t, so that the gear T, will revolve with the shaft and will slide along the shaft
with the case section to which it is attached, and thus hold the gears J' and T', always
in mesh for driving the cloth carrying chains I, I, irrespective of the width at which
the dryer case may be set by the screw shafts N. The lower vertical bearing t¹ of the
arm T¹, is mounted loosely on the shaft S', to swing thereon as the dryer case
oscillates, and a collar t, is or may be fixed to the shaft T, outside of the bearing t of
the arm T¹.
The cloth or fabric G, enters the dryer B, through a horizontal slot U, at the front
end and proceeds with the endless chains I, I, to the back end of the dryer, from
which it passes forward and over a front guide roller U¹, thence down to and beneath
a roller Us, directly below a roller U₁, thence back again to leave the dryer case
through a slot U³ thence to and around a roller U, journalled in bearings to revolve
outside the dryer case, and up to the winding bolt g¹ in a dried and finished
condition.
It will be seen that the cloth travels along and through the dryer in three continuous
layers or webs g³, g³, g. 1-have fixed to the side sections of the dryer case an upper
partition consisting of overlapping plates V₁, V¹, which come between the cloth
layers g, g, and fit closely to the front end of the dryer case and stop short of its
back end to form an air passage f¹ at the back of the partition and case; I fix another
partition consisting of overlapping plates V2, V2, closely to the back end of the dryer
case and extend the partition forward between the layers g³, 9, of the cloth but not
quite to the front end of the dryer, so that an air passage will be formed thereat.
The rollers U1, U2, are positioned respectively in the dryer case so as to carry the web
or layer g³, of the cloth downward to release it from the inverted hooks i of the
chains I, and to bring the lower layer B4, about midway between the lower partition
plates V1, V2, and the bottom of the dryer case.
Each of the rollers U₁, U, U consist of two telescoping sections u, u¹, having end
shoulders coming at the inner faces of the sides of the dryer sections B1, B2, and end
spindles u on which the nuts 8, are screwed so as to come outside of the sections so
that as the sections are contracted or expanded to narrow or widen the dryer, the
roller will likewise contract or expand. The overlapping plate construction of the
partitions V1, V2, allows them to be shifted on each other so that neither the rollers
nor partitions interfere with the adjustment of the dryer case by the screws, at the
same time the partitions subdivide the case so as to confine the heated air in separate
narrow or shallow passages through which the layers of cloth travel, thereby ensuring
the thorough and quick drying of the fabric.
The pipe E leading from the heater D connects with a T- pipe or coupling W, in
or opposite the heads w, of which the pipes X, pass, and the pipes X bend upward or
so as to be connected with the opposite sides b¹, 63, of the dryer case at its back end,
and to allow them to move in and out of the T-coupling W, as the cross sections_are
adjusted. I prefer to arrange the discharge ends x, x of the opposite pipes X X
so that the air will be discharged against the side edges of the cloth and so as

page_text: to pass to both sides of the lower web or layer of cloth as indicated in Figures 3
and 12.
It will be noticed that the dry hot air first enters the dryer B, next to where the
cloth leaves the dryer, and thereby the air has the best effect in giving the final
dry-finish to the cloth and that the air passes forward along and through the lower
cloth layer thence through the front lower opening and along and through the
through the opening 1 thence forward again along and
second cloth layer g³ and front of the dryer into the room a whence the air is
through the opening, at
drawn by the blower Cinto the heater D to again he passed to the dryer as above
described.
In practice I propose to cut away the ends of the partitions V1, V2, a little at the
points where they would be liable to strike the case, and also provide room at the
ends of the case itself to allow oscillation. If it should be found that heated air
escaped from between the two sections of the drying section in a sufficient quantity
to interfere with its serpentine course a flexible flap could be used to close the spaces
between said sections and at the cut away portions of the partitions and yet allow of
an adjustment and oscillation.
V*, V*, represent transverse flexible strips of metal-rubber or other suitable material
which are fastened at one end to the ends of the drier section and rest at their free
edges on the partitions at their cut away ends see Figures 3 and 12. In Figure 8
B, B represent flexible strips of sheet metal which are secured at one edge to one
section, and rest at the free edge on the other section and thus close the joint between
the sections of the dryer. The rollers U1 U' will have sufficient looseness in their
bearings so that they may move relative with the drier case.
The supply pipes X X, oscillates at their points of connection with the ends u, u of
pipe W.
As usually arranged the guide apron or plate over which the cloth passes to be
hooked onto the travelling chains is held at some distance from the chains so as to
allow an attendant at each side of the cloth to hook its opposite selvages onto the
opposite chains as the cloth is drawn into the machine, and the front section of the
machine is supported on pivotted bearers, the same as the dryer, hence I make a
special mention of my arrangement of the plate or apron H as extending quite
closely to the hook chains 1, and of the arrangement of the section A to be moved
transversely at the forward end independently of the end wise oscillation of the
machine in stretching the cloth. These features of construction allow the cloth to
automatically be caught by the tenter hooks i of the chains by shifting the forward
end of the section A from side to side which may be done by an attendant at one
side of the machine, thus saving the labour of one man and hooking the cloth to the
opposite chains as evenly as with a man at each side. As the cloth G passes up over
the apron H and the bearer A2 is moved to the right hand of the longitudinal centre
of the machine the left hand hooks i will catch in the selvage of the cloth at that side,
and as the bearer is revolved to the left, the right hand hooks will engage the right
hand selvage of the cloth. As the opposite hooks which first catch the opposite
selvages of the cloth are farther apart than the width of the cloth as it passes from the
bolt 9, the cloth will be considerably increased in width as it enters the machine, after
first having been stretched lengthwise in its passage from the bolt 9, and around the
roller G³ and over the apron H, as herein before described. As the cloth moves along
the section A toward the dryer B, it is stretched still more in width by the divergence
of the tenter hook chains carried by the side bars A¹ A¹.
The section A may be moved transversely by direct hold of the hands on the
bearer A or one of its hand wheels but I prefer to use a slotted hand lever Y which
is fulcrummed throughout its slot to a post at y, to act by its end y¹ connecting with
the bearer A³ for the purpose and as shown in Figure 2, the lever Y may extend to
the cool room e, to be worked by an attendant therein.
It is obvious that by enclosing the travelling web of the cloth in the dryer B, at the
top and bottom as well as at the sides far less heat or air escapes without effective or

page_text: continuous drying action on the cloth than in the ordinary cloth stretching and
drying machines, wherein one side of the web of cloth is quite uncovered and the air
forced between the two layers of fabric held by the endless chain books, blows
directly through the fabric into the machine room, hence my improved machine may
for this reason also be operated more economically.
The drawings represent the end parts of the opposite sections B1, B2 of the drying
chamber B, fitted rather closely together so as apparently to prevent their oscillating
movement, but it will be understood that these end wise reverse movements are but a
few inches in extent or comparatively slight hence the overlapping end parts of the
dryer sections B1, B' may be set quite closely together to prevent too free escape of
heat from the dryer and at the same time admit of the free oscillating movement of
the dryer B and the stretching frame A, as hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is.
First The combination with a cloth-drying section and means for oscillating it, of
a front section hinged at one end to one end of the drier section and means for
transversely oscillating the free end of said front section, substantially as set forth.
Second-The combination, with a cloth drying section and means for oscillating it,
of a front section having side bars hinged to the front end of the drying section to
oscillate with it and means substantially as described, for oscillating said front section
independent of the dryer and cloth-carrying chains within said sections substantially
as set forth.
Third The combination with the drier B and means for oscillating it, of the front
section A having side bars A¹ A¹ hinged to the forward end of the drier to oscillate
therewith, means substantially as described, for oscillating said front section
independent of the drier-section, and a transversely-movable bearer A³, supporting
the forward end of the front section substantially as set forth.
Fourth-The combination with the drier section B and means for oscillating it, of
the front section, A, having side bars A¹ A¹ hinged to the drier at one end to move
therewith, means for adjusting said side bars toward and from each other, a movable
support for the free end of the front section, and cloth-carrying chains mounted on
said sections, substantially as set forth.
Fifth The combination, with the drier B and means for oscillating said drier, of
the front section A having side bars A¹ hinged to the drier at one end the transversely
movable bearer A supporting the opposite ends of said bars, the swivelled boxes A
and the right-and-left screw shaft A connecting the said sides through said swivelled
boxes, substantially as set forth.
Sixth The combination, with the front section having side sections and means for
adjusting said sections toward and from each other, of the endless cloth-carrying
tenter-hook chains and a fixed apron or plate adjacent to the tenter-hooks at the front
end of the front section, substantially as set forth.
Seventh-The combination, with the front section A, having hinged side bars A¹A¹
and means for adjusting said side bars, of the cloth-carrying chains mounted on said
side bars and fixed apron H having its edge h adjacent to the said chains, substantially
as set forth.
Eighth The cloth-drying section consisting of a case formed of telescopic sections
and means for adjusting said sections toward and from each other, in combination with
the wheels journalled in the opposite inner sides of said drier and cloth-carrying
chains on said wheels, substantially as set forth.
Ninth The combination, with a cloth drier consisting of a casing formed of
telescopic sections and means for oscillating said sections, substantially as described,

page_text: of wheels journalled at the opposite inner sides of the drier and cloth-carrying chains
on said wheels, substantially as set forth.
Tenth The cloth-drier comprising a case to inclose the fabric and means for
oscillating said casing and adjusting it in width, in combination with the cloth-
carrying chains within the case, wheels supporting the same, and overlapping partitions
within the case, said partitions being secured alternately to opposite ends of the drier,
thereby forming separate drying chambers and a serpentine air-passage, substantially
as set forth.
Eleventh The cloth-drier comprising a case to enclose the fabric and means for
oscillating said case and adjusting it in width, chain-wheels on opposite sides of the
case and cloth-carrying chains mounted thereon, in combination with the overlapping
partitions forming a sepentine air-passage and drying chambers and the telescopic
guide rollers, whereby when the width of the case is adjusted, that of the partitions
and rollers will also be adjusted, substantially as set forth.
Twelfth The drier case B, comprising two overlapping or telescopic sections B1, B2
whereby the width of the same may be varied to suit different widths of fabric,
substantially as set forth.
Thirteenth-The drier case B comprising the overlapping or telescopic sections B¹ B*
in combination with the cloth carrying tenter-hook chains II within the case,
substantially as set forth.
Fourteenth The drier case B comprising the overlapping or telescopic sections B¹ B²
in combination with the pedestals M, bearers L pivotted to the pedestals and supporting
the drier sections B1 B2, means, substantially as described, for moving the sections in
and out and the tenter-hook chains, substantially as set forth.
Fifteenth The drier case B comprising the overlapping or telescopic sections B¹ B'
and swivelled boxes O secured to said sections in combination with the pedestals M,
bearers L supporting said case and the right and left screw shafts N working in the
swivelled boxes and adapted to operate the sections B1 B2, substantially as set forth.
Sixteenth-The drier-case B comprising the overlapping or telescopic sections B₁ B²,
in combination with the cloth-carrying chains I I overlapping partitions V₁ V1 V2 V3,
fixed to the sides and alternately to the opposite ends of the drier to form a
serpentine air-passage, the pivotted bearers L, supporting said sections and means
substantially as described, for adjusting said sections substantially as set forth.
Seventeenth-The drier-case B, comprising the overlapping or telescopic sections B¹
B2, in combination with the cloth-carrying chains II overlapping partitions V₁ V1 V2 V³,
telescopic guide rollers N- N2, the bearers L, supporting said sections, means,
substantially as described, for swinging the bearers, and means for adjusting the
sections, substantially as set forth.
Eighteenth The combination with the drier-case B, comprising overlapping or
telescopic sections B' B and means for adjusting said sections, of the cloth-carrying
chains and chain-wheels, boxes T3 T swivelled to said sections, shaft T, journalled in
said boxes, drive wheels T T', splined to the shaft to rotate with and slide thereon and
connected with the swivelled boxes, and means for revolving said shaft, substantially
as set forth.
Nineteenth- The combination with the section A, the drier-case B, to which said
section is hinged and comprising the overlapping or telescopic sections B¹ B³, and the
cloth carrying chains, of the boxes T swivelled to the sections B' B³, means for
oscillating said sections the shaft T journalled in said boxes, the drive-wheels splined
to the shaft to slide thereon and rotate therewith, and connections between the drive
wheels and swivelled boxes, the shafts j, the drive wheels J² thereon, drive wheels T',
the chain-wheels J¹ the pivotted horizontally turning bearers L supporting the
sections B1 B2, the shaft R, the excentric Q¹ thereon and the rod Q connecting one of
the bearers and said excentric and mechanism for connecting and operating the
shafts TR, substantially as set forth.

page_text: Twentieth-The combination, with the section A, of the horizontally,-oscillating
drier-case B, to which said section A is hinged, comprising overlapping or telescopic
sections B1 B2, the cloth carrying chains, the boxes T3, swivelled to the drier-sections
the shaft T journalled, therein, the drive wheels T3 splined to the shaft and connected
to said swivelled boxes to be moved there withon the shaft, drive-wheels J', their shaft ;
the chain-wheels, the shaft R, excentric Q' the bearers L, the rod Q connecting the
excentric to a bearer, the vertical shaft S', gears R2 R3 S2 S3, the arm T¹ pivotted ou
shaft S', and the bearing t¹ thereon for the shaft T, substantially as set forth.
Twenty first The combination with the drier-case B comprising the telescopic or
overlapping sections B¹ B, of the telescopic hot-air pipes connected thereto, whereby
the width of the case may be adjusted without interrupting the heat-supply, substantially
as set forth.