Improvements in the Manufacture of Coiled Wire Fabrics, and in Machinery to be employed in connection therewith.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 27th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 16th Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Coiled Wire Fabrics, and in
Machinery to be employed in connection therewith.
WC, WILLIAM WATERHOUSE and THOMAS WALLEY BLANTERN, trading as
The Birmingham Woven Wire Mattress Company, of Acocks Green, near the City
of Birmingham, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Our invention relates to improvements in the production of wire fabrics formed
from interwoven helixes, and in machinery to be employed therein.
Distensible and helically-woven wire fabrics are usually made by first taking one
helix, of a length equal to the length of the fabric to be made, and then building
up the fabric by adding thereto, and interweaving therewith, one at a tine, single
helixes, until the desired breadth of fabric of a given length, and suitable for a
bed-bottom, sacking, mat or other uses, is formed.
Our invention has for its object, a multiple process of weaving, that is, the
whole of the spirals or helixes composing the fabric are simultaneously and con-
currently interwoven one with another, and this is accomplished by employing a
series of " giraffes or helix-formers in advance of a series of feed rolls, where-
through the plain wire from the bobbins or reels is drawn and whereby it is fed
forward to the said giraffes.
"
The machinery employed in single weaving consists of two rows of two-high and
independently-mounted rolls, each preferably of a breadth a little greater than
the diameter of one of the component helixes of the mesh to be made.
The passes of the back set or row of rolls come opposite clearances formed in or
between the rolls of the front set of rolls, whilst the passes of the front set are in
line with clearances in or between the rolls of the back set, that is, the back set of
rolls are in series of two-high, and so also are the front row, and in order to admit
of the wires passing from the back set to their giraffes, clearances are left between
the rolls of the front set and wherethrough the wires pass, whilst the wire getting
from the reels to the front row of rolls has to pass through like clearances between
the back set.
The passes of the rolls (that is, the grooves in which the wires fed and nipped by
the top rolls, so as to feed the same forward when rotated, and which nip is created
by springs or weight pressure) are in line with the mouths of the giraffes, whose
throats are helically formed.
The giraffes for receiving the wire from the back rolls have trunks extending
rearwardly through clearances in or between the front rolls.
Each two-high row or set of rolls is provided with coupling gear wheel, speeded
at the same rate, and turning within bearings carried by the holsters of suitable
framings, whilst the said wheels are driven by and speeded from any suitable gear
provided with clutch or other mechanism for throwing the same into or out of gear
as may be required.
Further, we prefer that the top rollers of each row or set of rolls should be
independently nounted.
Assuming that a breadth of wire fabric is to be woven, then the feed rolls are
rotated by gear and plain wire is drawn by each of them from suitably mounted
bobbins, with alternate wires passed through and nipped between the acting
973

page_text: surfaces of the back rolls, (the two-high pairs of which are geared together) and
from thence partly through the opposite clearances of the front rolls and are
delivered into the trunks of the giraffes in line with them. The intermediate wires
run from their respective bobbins and pass between the clearances of the back set
to the acting or nipping peripheries of the front set, and are drawn on and
delivered into the mouths of the extended trunks of the giraffes in line with them.
The concurrent feeding forward of a number of wires into a corresponding
series of giraffes forms simultaneously a number of helixes, which, as they issue
from the rears of the giraffes, intercoil one with another, and produce a breadth of
fabric at one simultaneous weaving or at one operation.
In double or treble weaving, two or more sets of wires are fed to each roll and
from thence to each giraffe, which may have double helixes converging to a
common exit wherethrough they collectively issue, which compound are collectively
interwoven with adjacent and compound coils issuing from the other and adjacent
giraffes of the series.
Instead of the feed rolls of each set being independent they may be made fast
upon a common axis, and have gaps between them, so that the wires from the back
set of rolls can pass obliquely to their respective giraffes, which come lignable
with the giraffes of the front set.
Dated this 28th day of November 1894.
WILLIAM WATERHOUSE,
THOMAS WALLEY BLANTERN,
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicants.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Coiled Wire Fabrics, and in
Machinery to be employed in connection therewith.
We WILLIAM WATERHOUSE and THOMAS WALLEY BLANTERN trading as
The Birmingham Woven Wire Mattress Company, of Acocks Green near the
City of Birmingham, Manufacturers, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture or production of
double, quadruple or multiple woven coiled wire fabrics, or wire fabrics in which
compound helixes are interwoven one with another, and in machinery and appliances
to be employed therein.
Now the helixes of multiple woven wire fabrics are usually made by single
intercoilings, thus in double weaving the compound coils are made by the inter-
weaving of separate coils one with another.
Our invention has for its object a multiple process of intercoiling, that is to say
the compound spirals or helixes interwoven one with another are produced
simultaneously and concurrently, and the compound spirals thus formed interwoven
one with another, as hereinafter described.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents, in vertical section, triple
weaving machinery constructed and arranged according to our improvements.
The said machinery consists essentially, of two rolls, of two-high and
independently mounted rolls, with the feed and nipping passes of the back set or
pair of rolls coming opposite clearances or a guide formed in clearances between
the rolls of the front set, whilst the feed or nipping passes of the front set or pair
of rolls, may be in line with clearances in or between the rolls of the back set
(although two of the wires employed are shown passing between the rolls) thus

page_text: allowing three wires, simultaneously fed and converging to a common point to be
passed collectively through a single giraffe, and the whole coiled into a triple
helix at the same time and at one operation.
Figure 2 represents a front elevation of Figure 1, but placed erect so as to better
exhibit the nipping passes and the clearances of the front pair of rolls, of which
the top roll is split or divided and driven by independent gear.
Figure 3 represents a side elevation of the said machinery showing the gear,
and how the independent bearings in which the rolls turn, are self adjustable to
the wire to be fed.
Figure 4 represents a front elevation of a part of the front rolls separately upon
an enlarged scale, and Figure 5 represents a part of the back rolls separately, and
upon the same scale as Figure 4, showing the nipping passes or grooves and also
clearances for the passing of wire from the back if necessary, although in Figure 1,
the two wires d, d' are passed between the rolls prior to meeting the wire e, which
passes through and is fed by the back rolls, and then becomes directed through the
guide and at the entrance to the giraffe meets the wires d, d¹.
Figure 6 represents a topside plan of the giraffe or former, and Figure 8 an end
view of the trunk or inward lead to the same.
a is a single lower roll with the axle ends a¹ taking within bearings 61 in the
upright gaps 62 of the sides 63 of the holsters 6 wherein spring and adjustable
bearings c, carrying the necks c³, of an upper pair of rolls c, c', each having
channels or chamferings c², c³, c³, formed in their peripheries, and also annular
grooves c, c, c, c10, which latter when brought coincident with the annular
grooves a², a, a, a, form the nipping passes through which the wires d, d', pass,
whilst the channels c', c, c, of the rolls respectively form the gaps, wherethrough
the wires e, fed through the back set of rolls and through guides e', pass.
These guides are held to the framing by a bracket e', and extend between the
front set of rolls and that of the back set, marked f,f,f, alike unto the front set,
and with like nipping passes as the front set but coming in line with the
gaps c, c, c, although in triple weaving the middle gap of the front pair, is only
necessary, as two of the wires d, d¹, pass through gaps in the back set, and are
presented by guides to the nip passes c, c of the front set or the said wires may
pass between the rolls as represented.
:
The nipping passes of the rolls are preferably made in series, so that the same
can be used for the feeding of a number of wires, in the formation of the various
compound helixes.
The ends of the axles f³, f, of the back set of rolls take into bearings ƒ³, ƒ°,
alike unto the front set, whilst the holster sides 63 are divided into parts x, x¹, and
with the part mounted upon a joint supported by a bracket of the holster
framing b. The bearings of the top pairs of front rolls c, c', and the top pair of the
back rolls f, f, are supported by springs 7, whereby the pressure of the nip of
the feed is equalized, on the same being fed by them to the giraffe or coiler h,
which consists of a wormed helix h', a trunk or guide ³, made in two parts or
split at, and down which parts are passages 1, 2, and 3 for conducting the three
wires d, d and e, to a common focus at 4, which leads to the wormed channel h³,
inward of the rotating sleeve h, turning between the shoulder ', and collar 10
of the said trunk.
After the compound helix composed of three wires has been formed, the same
is delivered at 18, and passed over the stem 7, and then intercoiled with a
previously formed helix.
The segments of the sides of the holster are bolted together at i, whilst the
nipping pass of the back set of rolle comes lignable with the gaps c¹, c³, c³, of
the front set.
The said set of rolls are geared as follows :-g is a driving wheel, meshing with
the teeth of an intermediate toothed wheel j, which drives a toothed pinion k,
mounted on the axis a', which has fast upon it toothed wheels k³, k³, intergearing
with the teeth of the toothed wheels k, k, ou the axles 1, 3, of the top pair of

page_text: rolls c, c. On the outer end of the said axle k¹, is a toothed wheel ko, which
intergears with a second intermediate wheel 7, which intergears with another
toothed wheel of a pair of toothed wheels on the axle k, of the bottom back
rolls f.
These toothed wheels alike unto the gear of the front set of rolls,
intergear with the toothed wheels k¹º, on the axles k", of the back pair of the
top set of rolls.
The gear wheels k, j, are carried by a quadrant arm t, for the purpose of
throwing the same out or putting the same into gear with the driver g.
Instead of employing one back set of rolls we may employ two, three or more as
may be required each having gaps corresponding to the nip passes of the back
sets, alike to those represented with respect to two sets of rolls."
By forming compound helixes by feeding or conducting two or more wires to
the giraffe or former and then collectively coiling them by one instrument and then
intercoiling the said compound helix with a like or unlike helix previously formed
is a considerable mechanical advantage in the manufacture of multiple wove coiled
wire fabrics.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
First. In multiple wove coiled wire fabrics, the process of triple and multiple
weaving, as described and set forth.
Secondly. In multiple wove coiled wire fabrics, forming the compound helixes
by feeding the wines through a series of sets of gapped rolls, arranged with the sets
behind each other and with the gaps of the forward sets of rolls coming opposite
the nipping passes of the back sets of rolls or vice-versa, substantially as and for
the purpose as set forth.
Thirdly. The improvements in the machinery for the production of compound
coiled helixes or multiple wove coiled wire fabrics, the construction, arrangement
and combination of the parts as described and set forth.
Dated this 26th day of August 1895.
WILLIAM WATERHOUSE,
THOMAS WALLEY BLANTERN,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants