IMPROVEMENTS IN STRETCHING WOVEN FABRICS DURING THE PROCESSES, OF STIFFENING, SIZING, DRYING, OR FINISHING, THEM.” PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Bentley and William Hampson; of the City
of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Calenderers; and Finishers;!
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN STRETCHING WOVEN FABRICS DURING
THE PROCESSES, OF STIFFENING, SIZING, DRYING, OR FINISHING, THEM.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Bentley and
William Hampson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition; on the 12th November 1866.
We, JAMES BENTLEY and WILLIAM HAMPSON, of the City of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Calenderers and Finishers, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN STRETCHING WOVEN FABRICS
DURING THE PROCESSES OF STIFFENING, SIXEING, DRYING,, OR FINISHING THEM," to be.
as follows:
Our Invention consists in the application of a stretching frame of peculiar
construction to the machines used, for stiffening, or sizeing and drying, or in any
other process of finishing woven, fabrics, and consists of a frame of metal or
other suitable material supporting two shafts furnished with a number of
pulleys, loose or fast, over which pass chains or bands, either endless or other-
wise; these chain's or bands' diverge and pass through spaces formed by ribs
or troughs of metal or other materials in the frame; attached to the chains or
bands are projections of metal or other materials which take hold of the cloth
for the purpose of stretching it in the direction of its width between. the
processes of stiffening, or sizeing and drying, or in any other process of finishing
woven fabrics.

page_text: Another arrangement of our Invention consists in mounting the pulleys
over which the chains or bands pass on studs fixed to the sides of the ribs or
troughs before mentioned, thus dispensing with the shafts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Bentley and William Hampson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 9th May 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
BENTLEY and WILLIAM HAMPSON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Calenderers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of Nevember, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred-and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said James Bentley and William Hampson, Her special license that
we, the said James Bentley and William Hampson, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Bentley and
William Hampson, our executors, administrators, and 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 STRETCHING WOVEN FABRICS DURING THE PROCESSES OF
STIFFENING, SIZING, DRYING, AND FINISHING THEM," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said James Bentley and William Hampson, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our
or their hands and seals, 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.
י.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Bentley and William Hampson,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner, the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement (that is to say) :-
Our Invention consists of an improved stretching frame which is applied
to stiffening, sizing, drying, and finishing machines for the purpose of dis-
tending the fabrics as they pass from one operation to the other.

page_text: And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation we will proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,.
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is a side elevation; Figure 2 is an end view, and Figure 3 is a plan
of our improved stretching frame which is supposed in this instance to be
placed between the usual stiffening mangle and the drying cylinders, but the'
apparatus may be applied to any machines for stiffening, sizing, drying, and
finishing fabrics.
.
The machinery consists of the side frames a, a; to which are attached
adjustable bearings for the driving shaft b, which is turned round by steam or
other power, and for the shaft c. On the shaft b'are. mounted a series of grooved
toothed pulleys 6; which are capable of being moved lengthwise on the shaft,
but are carried round with it by a key on the shaft taking into grooves in the
pulleys. To the shaft c are fixed a series of grooved pulleys c'. Around the
pulleys b and c pass the endless chains or bands d, which are guided in the
troughs or ribs e, the chains or bands & are provided with needle points, card
teeth, or other equivalents which project slightly above the troughs e, and
enter into or, act on the, fabric as it passes over, the stretching frame. Near
the shaft 6 is the right and left handed screw. f, which is supported in bearings
.fixed to the frames a; into the threads of these screws enter studs pro-
jecting from the under sides of the troughs e, consequently on turning the
screw round by means of the hand wheel g, worm g³, and wheel f¹, or other
equivalent gearing, the ends of the troughs are made to diverge or converge
according to the direction in which the screw f is turned. In Figure 3 it
will be seen that the ends of the troughs e near the shaft 6 are somewhat
wider apart than the ends near the shaft c, consequently the fabric in passing
over the stretching frame is gradually widened from the centre of the piece to
the selvages by the action of the needle points or other equivalents on the chains d
against the fabric, and in order to make all the chains act evenly on all parts
of the fabric the right and left handed screws f are made of a proportionately
finer pitch near the centre than they are at each end; when the troughs e are
moved laterally to increase or diminish the amount of widening of the fabric
the chains & move the pulleys 6¹ laterally on the shaft b. The mode of
operation is as follows:-The troughs e having been set to the required
distance apart by turning the hand wheel g, the fabric is brought from the
stiffening mangle or other machine over the guide roller h, and over the
chains d, the needle points or other equivalents in which carry the fabric
forwards; in starting it is desirable to keep the centre of the fabric in line
with the space between the two middle troughs e, so that the stretching action

page_text: of all the chains may be equally, applied. The rollers i, which are mounted
above the troughs e, are plain, or covered, with flannel or other yielding:
material, and press the fabric against the chains d. When the fabric
has passed under the last roller i, and between; it and the top roller i³, it is
carried over the guide roller j, as shewn by the dotted line, and then taken to
the, drying cylinders, or it is formed into a lap, or otherwise disposed of; or
the apparatus may be used as an independent machine for stretching fabrics. :
Our Invention may be modified by dispensing with the shafts for: the:
pulleys b and c, and mounting the pulleys on studs fixed to brackets pro-
jecting from the troughs e; or the chains may travel over the surface of a
table, and the distance between the chains regulated by intermediate; ribs,
and instead of driving the chains in the manner described they may be driven
by the friction of the fabric passing over them.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described a
.convenient mode of carrying the same into operation, we. declare that what
we claim is, stretching, fabrics gradually from the centre to the selvages by
means, of diverging, endless bands or chains in the manner, described.
In witness whereof; we, the said James Bentley and William Hampson,
have hereunto, set our hands and seals, this Eighth day of May, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JAMES BENTLEY.
(L.S.)
WILLIAM HAMPSON. (L.S.)