IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BEETLING AND WASHING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Auchincloss, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BEETLING AND WASHING TEXTILE
FABRICS."
Sealed the 21st February 1860, and dated the 30th December 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Auchincloss at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th December 1859.
I, THOMAS AUCHINCLOSS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declaro the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR BEETLING AND WASHING
TEXTILE FABRICS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to a simple and most effective mechanical arrange-
ment to be used for beetling, washing, and finishing woven goods of various
kinds. According to one form of the machinery used in carrying out these
improvements, as regards beetling or finishing, it consists of a frame made up
of a pair of parallel vertical end standards of cast iron attached together at
the proper distance apart by suitable tension rods. In the lower part of each
of these standards is a journal bearing to receive the end journal of a large
horizontal roller or beetling beam on which the cloth to be beetled is wound
or beamed. Above these bearings in the standards is an arrangement of

page_text: inclined slots for the reception of the ends of the spindles of two or other con-
venient number of beetling rollers. These rollers are disposed so as to rest
with their whole weight upon the beamed cloth below, the slots in the
framing standards answering merely as guides for the rollers in their rising
and falling movements. The rollers are grooved circumferentially or other-
wise, such grooves being so set as regards the individual rollers that they shall
be either opposite or in line with each other or "breaking bond." The grooves
or other surface forms may also be of different shapes or pitches in the series
of rollers. The machine is wholly driven by the spindle of the large roller or
beam which projects at each end beyond the limits of the framing standards.
On each of these projecting portions of the spindle there is fitted loosely a
rotatory cam piece with several projections upon it. These cams are so
disposed that in their revolution they elevate and let fall the beetling rollers
upon the beamed cloth by striking against the ends of the beetling roller
spindles which project beyond the framing standards. The rate of revolution
of these cams is brought up to what is required by spur wheels upon the main
spindle driving suitable trains of wheels, the last of which in each case actuates
the cams. In this way, as the cloth beam revolves, the beetling rollers are
rapidly elevated and let fall upon the beamed cloth as the latter revolves
comparitively slowly beneath them, and the cloth is struck, beetled and finished
to the necessary fine surface in a very rapid and effective manner.
According to another modification of the machinery the cams are dispensed
with, and the beetling rollers give their stroke entirely within themselves. In
this case the beetling rollers, which may be grooved or otherwise shaped upon
their surfaces, are formed with a series of longitudinal rounded-off' angles or
projections so that as the cloth beam revolves beneath them, their consequent
revolution causes them to rise and fall as well, and thus strike and beetle the
cloth
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Auchincloss in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3
29th June 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
AUCHINCLOSS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 3
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of December, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said
Her special license that I, the said Thomas
Auchincloss, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Auchincloss, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 BEETLING AND WASHING TEXTILE FABRICS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, tho said Thomas Auchincloss,
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 Thomas Auchincloss, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, 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 :-
My said Invention relates to a simple and most effective mechanical
arrangement to be used for beetling, washing, and finishing woven goods of
various kinds. According to one form of the machinery used in carrying out
these improvements, as regards beetling or finishing, it consists of a frame
made up of a pair of parallel vertical end standards of cast iron attached
together at the proper distance apart by suitable tension rods. In the lower
part of each of these standards is a journal bearing to receive the end journal
of a large horizontal roller or bectling beam on which the cloth to be beetled
is wound or beamed. Above these bearings in the standards is an arrange-
ment of inclined slots for the reception of the ends of the spindles of two or
other convenient number of beetling rollers; these rollers are disposed so as to
rest with their whole weight upon the beamed cloth below, the slots in the
framing standards answering merely as guides for the rollers in their rising
and falling movements. The rollers are grooved circumferentially or other-
wise, such grooves being so set as regards the individual rollers that they shall
be either opposite or in line with each other, or "breaking bond." The
grooves or other surface forms may also be of different shapes or pitches in
the series of. rollers. The machine is wholly driven by the spindle of tho

page_text: large roller or beam which projects at each end beyond the limits of the
framing standards; on each of these projecting portions of the spindle there is
fitted loosely a rotatory cam piece with several projections upon it. These
cams are so disposed, that in their revolution they elevate and let fall the
beetling rollers upon the beamed cloth by striking against the ends of the
beetling roller spindles which project beyond the framing standards. The
rate of revolution of these cams is brought up to what is required by spur
wheels upon the main spindle, driving suitable trains of wheels, the last of
which in each case actuates the cams. In this way, as the cloth beam
revolves, the beetling rollers are rapidly elevated and let fall upon the beamed
cloth, as the latter revolves comparatively slowly beneath them, and the cloth
is struck, beetled, and finished to the necessary fine surface in a very rapid and
effective manner. According to another modification of the machinery, the
cams are dispensed with, and the beetling rollers give their stroke entirely
within themselves. In this case the beetling rollers, which may be grooved
or otherwise shaped upon their surfaces, are formed with a series of longi-
tudinal rounded-off angles or projections, so that as the cloth beam revolves
beneath them, their consequent revolution causes them to rise and fall as well,
and thus strike and beetle the cloth.
And in order that my said Invention of improvements in machinery or
apparatus for beetling and washing textile fabrics may be properly understood,
I shall now proceed to describe the several Figures on the explanatory
Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of showing
certain modifications under which my improvements may be judiciously carried
out in practice, that is to say:-
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is a front elevation of a
beetling machine arranged according to one modification of my improvements;
Figure 2 is an end view of the machine; and Figure 8, a vertical section of
the same, but showing another arrangement of beetling rollers. According to
this arrangement of my improvements, the machine is composed of two cast-
iron vertical end standards A, which are connected to each other at the upper
and lower parts by horizontal tie rods; these standards are formed with an
open panel at the lower part, the upper portion of the standard having two
diverging slots B cast therein. Below these slots there is a rectangular
opening in each standard, in which is fitted the bearings of the shaft C.
Motion is communicated to the shaft C from the prime mover by means of an
endless belt carried round the pulley D, or in any other convenient way; the
shaft C has fast to it the main horizontal roller or beetling beam E, on which
the fabric to be beetled is wound, the rotatory velocity. of this beam being

page_text: regulated by the size of the pulley on the shaft C. Outside the standards A
two small spur wheels F are keyed to the shaft C; these spur wheels gear
with the compound pinions G and spur wheels H, which are cast in one.
The pinions and spur wheels G and H are carried upon laterally projecting
studs I that are bolted to the side standards A; the wheels H give motion to
the pinions J, which are fast to tubular bosses running loosely on the shaft C.
The tubular bosses have cast in one with them, or keyed thereto, the wheels K,
to the rims of which are bolted the curved arms L; these arms, when put in
motion, act on the spindles M of the beetling rollers N. There are two of
these rollers arranged parallel to each other, and resting upon the main
beam E. The spindles M are passed through the diverging slots B, and
extend outwards over the arms L, so that as the wheels K are caused to
rotate the beetling rollers are lifted up and fall with a sharp blow on the
fabric wound on the beam D. In this reciprocatory movement imparted to
the beetling rollers N the spindles are guided in their traverse by the diverging
slots B. The velocity with which the beetling rollers are caused to rise and
fall is regulated according to the size of the wheels imparting motion thereto
as well as the number of the arms L.
The peripheries of the beetling rollers, delineated in Figure 1 of the accom-
panying Drawings, are grooved circumferentially as shown at O, the grooves of
one roller being formed so as to break bond or come midway between the
grooves on the contiguous roller. The rapid rising and falling motion
imparted to the beetling rollers, combined with the action of the grooved
surfaces, causes the goods that are wound upon the beetling beam D to be
most effectually operated upon.
Another arrangement of the beetling rollers is delineated in Figure 8 of the
accompanying Drawings; in this -modification the end standards A are
arranged in a similar manner to those herein-before described, as is also the
beetling beam E. The beetling rollers N are made with corrugated surfaces,
the undulations running in a transverse direction, as shown by the sectional
view, Figure 3. The ends of the spindles of these beetling rollers are passed
through the diverging slots B, in the standards A, and no motion is commu-
nicated by means of gearing, as in the modification herein-before described.
Upon the beam E being put in motion, the beetling rollers N are caused to
rotate by reason of their resting in contact with the goods wound upon the
beam, the rapid rotatory motion of which causes the rollers to rise and fall in
the slots B. This rapid reciprocatory movement of the rollers N has the same
effect as the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2, and serves to beetle the
goods in a very effective manner. The surfaces of the beetling rollers may

page_text: be corrugated or indented in various ways besides those shown in the accom-
panying Drawings. With the aid of these improvements, the operation of
bectling textile fabrics is effected in a very speedy and efficient manner.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my 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 novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,--
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery or apparatus
for beetling and washing textile fabrics or goods as herein-before described and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the system or mode of beetling and washing textile fabrics or goods
by means of the machinery or apparatus herein-before described and delineated
in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification of the same.
Third, the system or mode of arranging, constructing, and giving motion to
the beetling rollers of the machinery or apparatus herein-before described and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Auchincloss, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of June, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty.
THU. AUCHINCLOSS. (L.S.)