Improvements in the Manufacture of Canvas Driving Belts.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Canvas Driving Belts.
I, THOMAS FREDERICK EDWARDS, of 69, Sherrard Road, Forest Gate, in the
County of Essex, Secretary and Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of canvas driving belts, and has for
its object to provide belts which will not be injured by passing round small
pulleys and will be more durable and less liable to wear at the edges than belts
as hitherto manufactured. Multiple ply canvas belts are usually made by fold-
ing one ply on another until the required thickness is obtained and the edges
of the belt are formed by the outermost folds or turns of the canvas, the whole
being solutioned, cemented, or sewn together. The edges of such belts have
always given trouble owing to wear and tear caused by the belt-shifter prongs
or by friction when the belt is crossed.
According to my improvements I build up the belt of a sufficient number of
superposed (not folded) plies each of which is a separate strip of canvas of
required length. The plies are fixed together with a solution preferably of pure
gutta-percha dissolved in bisulphide of carbon, though any other suitable solu-
tion may be used.
To protect the edges of such belts I armour same with a combined binding
and solid outer edge in one piece.
This is preferably made from oak-bark tanned leather of proper thickness and
length. In one edge of this is formed a groove of considerable depth and of
width adapted to receive a certain number of the superposed plies. These are
inserted edgewise into the groove in the leather edge strips, and may be cemented
therein.
To make up an equal thickness of belt an additional strip or strips of canvas
is or are fitted on each face of the belt between the inner edges of the upstand-
ing leather edge-armourings so that the belt presents on each face a level sur-
face of canvas protected by a combined leather binding with solid outer edging.
These leather edgings are fixed to the canvas plies by metallic staples inserted
transversely of the belt with one leg through the leather and the other through
the canvas and securely clamped down, and also sewn if desired.
The canvas portion of the belt may be further reinforced when desirable by
sewing, or switching with copper or "hard white," or nickel wire switchings,
suitably spaced. Belts manufactured as above indicated possess all the advan-
tages of ordinary canvas belts without their disadvantages above referred to,
and repairs are easy and inexpensive.
Dated this Twenty-fourth day of November 1898.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Canvas Driving Belts.
I, THOMAS FREDERICK EDWARDS, of 69, Sherrard Road, Forest Gate, in the
County of Essex, Secretary and Manager, 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 the manufacture of canvas driving belts, and has for
its object to provide belts which will not be injured by passing round small
pulleys and will be more durable and less liable to wear at the edges than belts
as hitherto manufactured. Multiple ply canvas belts are usually made by fold-
ing one ply on another until the required thickness is obtained and the edges
of the belt are formed by the outermost folds or turns of the canvas, the whole
being solutioned, cemented, or sewn together. The edges of such belts have
always given trouble owing to wear and tear caused by the belt-shifter prongs
or by friction when the belt is crossed.
In fully describing my invention I will refer to the accompanying drawings
in which Fig. 1 is to the left a top plan and to the right a base plan of part of
a belt constructed in accordance with my improvement. Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-
sections respectively of a single and double belt.
According to my improvements I build up the belt of a sufficient number of
superposed (not folded) plies P P P each of which is a separate strip of canvas of
required length. The plies are fixed together with a solution preferably of
pure gutta-percha dissolved in bisulphide of carbon, though any other suitable
solution may be used.
To protect the edges of these canvas strips I armour same with a combined
binding and solid outer edge in one piece as shown at A.
This is preferably made from oak-bark tanned leather of proper thickness
and length. In one edge of the leather is formed a groove a of considerable
depth and of width adapted to receive any number of the superposed plies P
that the width of the leather will accomodate. These are inserted edgewise into
the grooves in the leather edge strips, and may be cemented therein. The
sides a al form the binding, and the part 2 is the solid outer edge of the leather
armouring. In the single belt shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the two central
plies only are shown as inserted into the grooves a a in the edgings A A at each
side of the belt, and in the double belt shown in Fig. 3, 4 plies are inserted;
in this case, owing to the thickness, the edgings A are made in two pieces, the
horizontal joint j being cemented and the two parts sewn together at s through-
out the full length of the belt. For thicker belts the same method is followed.
To make up an equal thickness of belt, in all cases an additional strip or
strips of canvas is or are fitted on each face of the belt between the inner
edges of the upstanding leather edge armourings A A so that the belt presents
on each face a level surface of canvas protected by the combined leather bind-
ing a al with the solid outer edging a² as described. These leather edgings A
are fixed to the canvas plies P by metallic staples S suitably spaced apart and
inserted transversely of the belt with one leg through the leather and the other
through the canvas and securely clamped down as shown in all the figures,
though the edgings may also be sown or otherwise securely fixed to the canvas
plies if desired.
The canvas portion of the belt may be further reinforced when desirable by
sewing, or by stitching with copper or "hard white," or nickel-wire stitchings
suitably spaced as shown at S¹ in Figs. 1 and 3. This method of fixing the

page_text: canvas plies to the leather edgings gives great strength, and also additional
power to the belt to resist the turning up of its edges by the action of belt-
shifting forks, and also secures a practically homogeneous structure. I may,
in some cases, dispense with the use of the groove a and simply secure solid
leathern edge strips to the canvas plies by the above-mentioned cross staples
alone, which may be inserted from the top and bottom sides of the belting alter-
natively, but have in all cases one leg passing through the edging and the other
through the plies, the staple being well clamped as above specified, but I prefer
the grooved arrangement set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A driving belt consisting of a series of separate superposed plics of canvas
solutioned or otherwise fixed together, and having their edges protected by a
combined binding and solid edging of leather formed as specified, and secured
by transverse staples passing through both the leather and the canvas and
clamped, the belt being reinforced or not by stitching as herein set forth and
illustrated in the drawings.
2. The improved manufacture of canvas driving belts substantially as and
with the object set forth.
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