IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BURLING AND SHEARING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BURLING AND
SHEARING TEXTILE FABRICS."-A communication from abroad by
.Amédée François Legrand, Ferdinand Martinot, Benjamin Martinot,
Auguste Holma, and Jean Baptiste Génet, of Paris, in the Empire
of France, Mechanical Engineers, trading under the Firm or Style
of Schneider, Legrand, Martinot, and Company.
Sealed the 28th October 1868, and dated the 1st May 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st May 1868.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
3 of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BURLING AND
SHEARING TEXTILE FABRICS," a communication to me from abroad by
Amédée François Legrand, Ferdinand Martinot, Benjamin Martinot,

page_text: Auguste Holma, and Jean Baptiste Génet, of Paris, in the Empire of
France, Mechanical Engineers, trading under the Firm or Style of
Schneider, Legrand, Martinot, and Company, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in some of the details
as well as in the general arrangement and combination of the various
parts of that class of machinery for burling and shearing textile fabrics
wherein reciprocating blades having channelled and serrated cutting
edges are employed for burling and shearing the fabric, which is held
in a distended state in contact with such blades.
The chief objects of these improvements are the affording facility
for accurately adjusting the distance between the contiguous cutting
edges of the blades and ensuring their perfect parallelism; also the
enabling both sides or surfaces of the piece of goods to be operated
upon simultaneously in the same machine.
According to this Invention the wooden or other bars or holders which
carry the channelled and serrated blades in lieu of being permanently
fixed at a determined distance apart, are made adjustable towards or
from each other. This may be accomplished by means of moveable
wedges or inclines, or other equivalent device inserted between the bars
at each extremity, and worked by a screw passing through a metal cap
or otherwise. By this means the distance between the actual cutting
edges of the blades may be varied in order to suit different fabrics. A
transverse screw bolt at each end of the holders serves to fix them
when adjusted. A slotted plate secured by nuts and bolts across the
upper surfaces of both bars or holders at each end serves to ensure
the parallelism of the blades.
As regards the general combination and arrangement of the machine
it is proposed according to this Invention to employ two distinct sets
or pairs of blades, the one operating upon one face of the fabric whilst
the other operates upon the opposite face, but not in the same vertical
plane. Each pair of blades (made adjustable as above described) is
carried on the upper ends of two vertical rocking or vibrating arms
which reciprocate in the arc of a circle through the intervention of cranks
on the main driving shaft and connecting and coupling rods in
conjunction with such cranks.
In order to insure the proper tension and direction of the fabrio
whereby both surfaces may be operated upon at the same time, it is first

page_text: passed up from the floor or from a roller or beam over a stationary breast
beam situate at the front end of the main framing, then under and over
two or more guide rollers and between a pair of parallel tension bars
adjustable on a centre and capable of being fixed in their adjusted
position by a ratchet wheel and detent. From these tension bars the
fabric passes up over another tension bar situate nearly in the same
horizontal plane as the blade, and adjustable vertically by screw
spindles, and thence passes over and in contact with the first pair of
blades on its way to a reversing roller or beam around which it is passed,
in order to present its opposite face to the action of the second pair of
blades situate further on. On its way to these blades the fabric passes
under a second vertically adjustable tension bar, and after leaving them
it proceeds over a third vertically adjustable tension bar, and finally
passes out of the machine between a pair of cloth covered beams or
rollers, one of which is weighted so as to impart the requisite nip for
drawing the fabric along, whilst the other is driven by suitable spur
or other gearing from the main shaft. By suitably adjusting the height
of the vertically adjustable tension bars the fabric may be applied to
the blades with more or less pressure; cranked lifter rods extend across
the machine underneath the goods for the purpose of lifting them clear
of the blades when requisite.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 31st October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-first
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license
that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my execu-

page_text: "
tors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BURLING AND SHEARING TEXTILE FABRICS,'
a communication from abroad by Amédée Francois Legrand, Ferdinand
Martinot, Benjamin Martinot, Auguste Holma, and Jean Baptiste
Génet, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Mechanical Engineers,
trading under the Firm or Style of Schneider, Legrand, Martinot, and
Company, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause. the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say :-
The said Invention relates to certain improvements in some of the
details as well as in the general arrangement and combination of the
various parts of that class of machinery for burling and shearing textile
fabrics wherein reciprocating blades having channelled and serrated
cutting edges are employed for burling and shearing the fabric, which
is held in a distended state in contact with such blades. The chief
objects of these improvements are the affording facility for accurately
adjusting the distance between the contiguous cutting edges of the
blades and ensuring their perfect parallalism; also the enabling both
sides or surfaces of the piece of goods to be operated upon simultaneously
in the same machine.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the sexonal Thiconso A the unasund Chant of

page_text: in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a longitudinal vertical section; Figure 2,
a corresponding horizontal section taken along the line 1-2 (Figure 1);
Figure 3, a transverse section taken along the line 3-4 (Figure 2); and
Figure 4, a plan of one end of a pair of adjustable burling blades
constructed according to this Invention.
At each extremity of the blades, that is to say, between the two:
wooden bars to which such blades are fixed, there is disposed a wedge of
bronze or hard brass A, which may be moved backwards or forwards by
means of the screw B in order to adjust or vary the distance between the
two bars. This screw is secured in the cast-iron frame or cap C, which
latter is maintained in position by the screw pins E. These pins are
fixed in the wooden bars and slide freely in the direction of their
longitudinal centre lines in the cast-iron frame or cap C when the
wooden bars are moved towards or from each other for the purpose of
adjustment. The detail Drawings shew the wedge placed in the position
which corresponds to the greatest width of adjustment or distance
between the blades. The transverse bolt D admits of the tightening
up of the parts when the distance between the blades is adjusted, and
holds in position the wedge A through a slot a in which it passes..
The plate F maintains the parallelism of the blades and by means
of the pressure of the bolts G. For blades which operate on very
stout fabrics, such as those used for trowsers, vests, and such like which
require a vigorous burling, are ground so as not to retain any bevel
on the side of the teeth or serrations.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of a machine adapted for burling
or shearing both sides of the goods simultaneously whatever may be
the nature of the fabric operated upon, and to which is applicable the
system of adjustable blades herein-before described. The cloth or
fabric X on which it is desired to operate is wound upon a beam (not
shown in the Drawing), whence it proceeds in a zig-zag course between
the steps or rounds of the first ladder m suspended below the bar.
or breast beam a, it then passes on to and over this bar or breast
beam and next to the steps or rounds of the second ladder m³, whence
it passes under the roller 6 over the roller c and between the two
vertically adjustable rods d and d', which are adjusted by a rachet

page_text: arrangement in order to obtain the requisite tension according to the
resistance occasioned by the working of the blades; the cloth then
passes zig-zag fashion as before over the steps of the ladder m², and
thence over the rods and movable rollers e, f, g, and h, which serve
to press the cloth or fabric X on to the blades P and P. The ladders
m, m³, and m³ are used in order to prevent the edges or selvages of the
fabric from being curled up whilst proceeding to the first comb P. A
self-acting stretcher T fixed on the first tension rod d is composed of
a support V with screw stop v and of a rod u carrying a roller t covered
with emery cards or bristles. The rod being bent to a double elbow
form is capable of taking all the requisite positions in order to stretch
completely the slack undulating edges or selvages and is fixed in
the required position by tightening the screw v. A similar stretcher
is provided to act on the other edge of the goods. Two other wide
stretchers T¹ of similar construction to the stretchers T are employed
in order to stretch the whole width of satins and merinos, and so
prevent folds or creases which often occur during the progress of the
fabric and to remove any creases produced by folding the fabric. A
helicoidal brush N may be added, if desired, and driven from the main
shaft A. by means of pullies.
All these arrangements are necessary to prevent folds or creases in
the goods when they arrive at the blades, and to prevent the edges
from being curled up or uneven which would render burling impossible.
The rollers i and k are covered with woollen velvet and serve to feed
along the fabric as fast as the operation of burling proceeds. The
crank anxle A imparts motion to the combs P and P' by the connecting
rods B and to the velvet covered rollers by gearing p and p', shewn
in red circles; the latter wheel p being fixed on the spindle of the
roller i, the weight produces the requisite pressure on the rollers i
and k.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The use of adjustable burling blades arranged substantially

page_text: Second. The so combining two sets of burling blades in one
machine that both surfaces of the goods may be operated upon
simultaneously.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Thirtieth day of
October One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)