Improvements in " Crabbing or Winding-on Machines for Stretch- ing and otherwise Finishing Woven and Felted Fabrics.
Year: 1898

page_text: "
Improvements in " Crabbing or Winding-on Machines for Stretch-
ing and otherwise Finishing Woven and Felted Fabrics.
We, WILLIAM WHITELEY AND SONS, LIMITED, of Lockwood, Huddersfield, in the
County of York, Machine Makers, and WILLIAM WHITELEY, of the same place,
Director, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of our invention is to construct a machine for use in stretching
woven and felted fabrics both with respect to their width and also with respect to
the length of the said fabric.
In constructing a machine according to our invention, we employ a pair of
endless travelling chains, capable of being brought nearer to, or further from each
other for the purpose of stretching the fabric in width or being adjusted to
different widths of fabrics operated upon. Immediately after the fabric leaves the
pins of the chains, it is taken up by, and wound upon a winding-on roller for
subsequent treatment, but the said fabric is seized hold of by the winding-on roller
so as to prevent the fabric from shrinking back or contracting in its width. The
winding-on roller is driven by a face plate, made to revolve by two friction discs
acting one on each side of the said face plate. The winding-on roller is mounted
in moveable slide brackets at each side of the machine and as the winding-on roller
becomes larger in diameter as each fold of fabric is wound thereon, the brackets
above mentioned carrying the said roller, rises in the framing proper of the
machine, and it is assisted in its upward motion by a weighted lever whose
tendency is to cause the framework to rise. Each end of the winding-on roller
rests upon the rim of a flanged disc while the middle part of the said winding-on
roller rests upon and supported by a short roller. These flanged discs and
short roller are made to rotate, but they do not rise with the increased diameter
of the winding-on roller, but are mounted in fixed or stationary bearings, so
that the fabric, whatever be the diameter of the winding on roller, rests upon the
flanges and the short roller, placed midway of the winding-on roller.
We wish it to be observed that the winding-on roller is not immediately over the
centre of the wheels which drive the chains at the stripping ends thereof, but the
axle of the winding-on roller is placed some little distance to one side, so that
the cloth is stripped from the pins of the chain, before the said chain reaches the
centre of the chain driving wheel, whereby the cloth is more effectually stripped
from the pins than would be the case if the centre of the winding-on roller were
immediately over the centre of the chain driving wheel.
The fabric on entering the machine is pressed on to the pins of the endless
chains by a revolving brush, and a steam box is employed under the fabric for
damping same.
By constructing a machine as herein described, the creases and other faults in
the fabric are removed, and if the said fabric were wound upon a perforated roller

page_text: or cylinder, the fabric may be steamed or damped as the case requires by forcing
steam through the cylinder.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1898.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Patent Agents, Huddersfield.
Agents for Applicants.
Improvements in "Crabbing or Winding-on Machines for Stretch-
ing and otherwise Finishing Woven and Felted Fabrics.
We, WILLIAM WHITELEY AND SONS LIMITED, of Lockwood, Huddersfield, in the
County of York, Machine Makers, and WILLIAM WHITELEY, of the same place,
Director, 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;-
-
The object of our invention is to construct a machine for use in stretching
woven and felted fabrics, both with respect to their width and their length.
In constructing a machine according to our invention, we employ a pair of
endless travelling chains capable of being brought nearer to or placed further
apart from each other for the purpose of stretching the fabric in width and of
being adjusted to different widths of fabrics operated upon. Immediately after
the fabric leaves the pins of the chains, it is taken up by, and wound upon a
winding-on roller for subsequent treatment, the said fabric being seized hold of
by the winding on roller in such manner as to prevent the fabric from shrinking
back or contracting in its width. The winding-on roller is driven by a face
plate which is rotated by two friction discs acting one on each side of the said face
plate. The said roller is mounted in moveable slide brackets at each side of the
machine and, as the fabric wound upon the roller increases in diameter, the slide
brackets rise in the framing of the machine and are assisted in their upward
movement by weighted levers. Each end of the winding-on roller rests upon
the rim of a flanged disc or plate, whilst the middle part of said roller rests upon
and is supported by a short roller. These flanged discs and short roller are made
to rotate, but are fixed as to position, and, therefore, do not rise with the winding-
on roller so that the fabric, whatever be the diameter of the winding-on roller,
rests upon the flanges and short roller throughout the winding-on. We wish it to
be observed that the winding-on roller is not immediately over the centre of the
wheels which drive the chains at the stripping ends thereof, but is placed some
little distance to one side so that the cloth is stripped from the pins of the chains
before they reach the centre of the chain driving wheels whereby the cloth is
more effectually stripped from the pins than would be the case if the centre of the
winding-on roller were immediately over the centre of the chain driving wheels.
The fabric on entering the machine is pressed on to the pins of the chains by a
revolving brush, and a steam box is employed under the fabric for damping same.
By constructing a machine as herein described the creases and other faults in
the fabric are removed and, if wound upon a hollow perforated winding-on roller
or cylinder, the said fabric may be steamed or boiled or damped as the case requires,
by forcing steam through the cylinder or roller.
In the annexed drawings illustrating our invention and forming a part of this
specification, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section, looking in the direction of arrow A,
Fig. 2 of a "crabbing or winding-on machine for finishing woven and felted
33

page_text: fabrics, embodying our improvements, Fig. 2 is plan view of same, one half of the
machine being omitted;
Fig. 3 is longitudinal elevation looking in the direction of arrow, B, Fig. 2;
and
Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line C, D, of Fig. 3.
Referring to the drawings, letter a represents the framework of the machine
in bearings secured to each side of which are journalled shafts b, c, carrying at
each end thereof chain wheels or pulleys d, e, over which pass endless chains f, f.
The said chain wheels are secured rotatively to their shafts, but are free to be
slided laterally thereon to adjust the distance apart of the two endless chains
to adapt the machine to receive different widths of cloth and to give the tension
transversely which is required to stretch the fabric in width. The means for
effecting lateral adjustment of the chains comprise two screw shafts g, h, with
right and left hand threads, one shaft being at the feeding, and the other at the
stripping end of the machine and each working through nuts g¹, h¹ respectively,
secured to brackets attached to the undersides of chain races or boxes f¹ f, through
which the chains pass and are supported in travelling along their upper course.
The brackets to which the nuts are attached are provided with clutch forks h²
which enter and engage with annular grooves e¹ in the bosses of the driving chain
wheels e and move said chain wheels laterally at the same time and to the same
extent as the chains. When the adjustment has been so far effected, the chain
wheels d are moved to correspond with such adjustment by means of clutch
forks d¹ centred to the nuts the chain races f¹ f¹ being in two parts, centred
together at f to admit of the angular movement of the chains at the feeding
end of the machine, which may be required.
On the inner sides of the links of each endless chain are cast lugs which project
through longitudinal openings in the sides of the chain races fi f¹ and have plates
provided with pins or spikes fattached thereto.
The cloth or fabric, represented at i is fed to the machine by way of the twitch
rollers either direct or, in cases of rewinding, off a roller k, then over a rest
board to the chains f, f, on to the spikes f3 on which it is pressed by a revolving
brush m.
The fabric is now carried forward through the machine in the direction
of the arrow, passing in its course over a steam box n and being finally wound
direct upon a winding-on roller o. The said roller o is secured at each end to the
axis (see Figs. 3 & 4) upon one end of which is mounted a face plate p¹ driven
by compounded friction discs t, t¹, acting against opposite faces of said plate 7.
The axis is journalled in long bosses projecting from and forming part of
vertical slides, 22, adapted to slide vertically in ways in the side frames a and
secured in said ways by caps p³. These slides 2² with roller o and face plate p,
are counterbalanced by weighted levers r secured to links centred on the slides,
and their tendency is to assist upward movement of the slides as the diameter
of the fabric wound on roller o increases. The winding-on roller o rests upon and
is supported along with the parts connected therewith, by plates or flanged discs 8, 8,
bolted to or integral with the inner faces of the chain driving wheels e, e, and also
by a short roller s secured on the driving shaft midway between the two
plates s, s.
The fabric wound on roller o, whatever be its diameter, always bears
upon the rims of the discs or plates s, s, and rollers and consequently with every
additional layer of fabric wound on said roller it is gradually caused to rise upward
away from the plates and roller s¹, being guided vertically by the slides p³ p²
and assisted in its movement by the weighted levers r. The winding-on roller o
as will be seen, is located a little distance to one side of the centre c of the chain
driving wheel e that is, in advance thereof, whereby the fabric is caused to leave
the pins of the chains before the links reach over the centre of the said chain
driving wheel. The discs, plates or flanges s, s, being of larger diameter than
the chain wheels support the roller o and fabric, at the point of contact, clear of
the pins fand, as the said plates revolve, they engage with the edges of the
advancing fabric and effectively strip them off the said pins or spikes, the roller o
.

page_text: simultaneously seizing hold of the fabric and winding it on, this arrangement and
method of stripping maintaining the full width of the stretched fabric and pre-
venting any shrinkage or contraction to which there is liability if the fabric is
not firmly held at each longitudinal edge.
The compound friction drive comprises the two discs or wheels t, t¹, which are
mounted on vertical shafts 2 13 supported at their lower ends in bearings in the
additional framing al on the outer side of the machine and at their upper ends in
bearings formed in the ends of the levers u ul centred at n² 3 on studs secured to
the framing a upon which studs they are adjustable to vary the position of the
discs t, t', relatively to the centre of the face plate p when in its lowest position.
The discs t, t, are provided with driving surfaces of leather or like suitable
material for affording a good grip upon the face plate p². The outer ends of the
levers uu are forked and have blocks pivotted therein, the block in lever u being
plain and that in lever u¹ being tapped with a screw thread and forming a nut
through which works a screw threaded spindle u provided with a hand wheel w³.
By turning the spindle u in one direction the forked ends of levers u, u are
moved apart or outwardly and thereby force the discs t, t¹, into closer contact with
the face plate p¹. This adjustment is made to exert a greater pressure for obtain-
ing and imparting more power to the said plate which is sometimes required, on
the face plate p', or to compensate for the wear of the leather or like driving
surface. The bearings supporting the shafts 12, 13, are suitably rounded, as shewn
in section at Fig. 4, to allow for the angular movement of said shafts in adjusting
the friction discs t t¹.
Motion is imparted to the machine by a worm on a short shaft carrying fast and
loose pulleys, such worm gearing with a worm wheel fast on the end of the
chain wheel shaft c, said parts being located on the side of the machine which is
omitted in the drawings, and therefore not shewn. On the opposite end of the
shaft c is secured a spur wheel c¹ which, through the medium of a change wheel c²,
spur wheel and bevil wheel c', communicates rotary motion to a bevil wheel c
secured by key fitting in a groove on the upright shaft thus driving said shaft
and shaft which are geared together by spur wheels t, t. The friction discs t, t',
in commencing to wind on the fabric, are close under the centre of the face
plate the initial position being adjustable as before mentioned by lowering
or raising the levers u, u¹, on the stids on which they are pivotted and securing
them in position by nuts v. As the roller and face plate 71 rise, by reason of the
roll of fabric upon the roller o increasing in diameter, the friction discs t, t¹, operate
at a continually increasing distance from the centre of said face plate which conse-
quently revolves more and more slowly until the full length of fabric is wound
upon roller o thereby compensating for the increase of fabric taken up at each
revolution and maintaining a relative speed from end to end which keeps the
tension uniform throughout.
The winding-on roller o if driven at a quicker speed than the chain wheels e,
stretches the fabric in length in addition to it being stretched in width by the
chains. A perforated roller is substituted for the plain roller o if the fabric has
to be boiled or blown, but if said fabric be steamed or drawn through hot water
in winding-on, the subsequent boiling and blowing is not necessary.
w is a hand lever for raising the slides 222 and roller o by hand as whenever
required.
The screw shafts gh, are actuated together by means of a chain & passing around
chain wheels secured on said shafts, a hand wheel al being provided for operating
same.
By constructing a machine as hereinbefore described, uniform and equal tension
is given to the cloth or fabric in both width and length and all creases
folds or other faults improved or entirely removed; the fabric is effectively stripped
off the chains and delivered direct to the winding-on roller in such manner as to
avoid any shrinking back or contraction in width; and a powerful compound
frictional drive is given to the winding-on roller.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. In "crabbing" or winding-on machines for stretching and otherwise finish-
ing woven and felted fabrics, the combination, with laterally adjustable endless
travelling chains and chain wheels, of a winding-on roller o connected to vertically
moveable slides and located to one side and in advance of the centre of the chain
driving wheels d and e to strip the fabric off the chains previous to reaching such
centre, the said roller being driven by frictional contact at a speed relative through-
out to the constantly increasing length of fabric wound on the roller and plates or
flanged discs s, s, on the chain driving wheels and intermediate roller s¹ secured
on the driving chain wheel shaft, for supporting the winding-on roller and parts
the plates or flanged dises s, s, also serving to remove the fabric off the pins or
spikes on the chains and prevent shrinking back or contraction of the fabric in
winding-on all arranged and operating in the manner and for the purposes sub-
stantially as herein specified.
"
2. The combination, with "crabbing or winding-on machines for stretching
and otherwise finishing woven and felted fabrics, of compound friction driving
discs t and t¹ for imparting more power to the face plate employed for driving the
winding-on roller, and means for compensating for wear of the frictional driving
surfaces substantially as herein shewn and described.
Dated this 20th day of December 1808
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Patent Agents, Huddersfield. Agents for Applicants.