IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND STENTERING WOVEN FABRICS."
Year: 1866

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to Margaret McLaren or McNab, of Midtownfield, in the
County of Renfrow, North Britain, Relict of John McNab, of Midtown-
field, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Bleacher, William McNab,
of Greenock, in the said County of Renfrew, Engineer, Alexander
McNab, of Midtownfield aforesaid, Bleacher, John McNab, the younger,
of the same Place, John McAusland, of Dumbarton, in the County of
Dumbarton, Engineer, and James Craig Fisher, of Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, Commission Merchant, Executrix and Executors of
John McNab, late of Midtownfield, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Bleacher, deceased, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND STENTERING WOVEN FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John McNab at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd March 1866.
I, JOHN MO NAD, of Midtownfield, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Bleacher, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND STENTERING WOVEN
FABRICS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object the simultaneous drying and stentering of
woven fabrics in an improved and rapid manner. And the Invention is
carried out according to ono modification in connection with continuous
stentering apparatus of the ordinary kind, in which the woven fabric whilst

page_text: being held in a stretched condition by chain stenters is moved at a slow rate
horizontally along from one end to the other of the stentering frame or
machine. For the purposes of this Invention the sides and one end of the
frame are closed or made without openings, so as to form a long box or
enclosed space or chamber, of which the floor forms the bottom, whilst the
woven fabric itself forms the top. Or a horizontal partition may be introduced
at any convenient height above the floor to form a bottom to the enclosed
space. Air heated by any suitable known means is admitted into the enclosed
space beneath the fabric by an opening or openings situated at any convenient
part, but by preference at or near the closed end. The fabric may traverse
the machine in either direction, but it is preferred to make it traverse in a
direction opposite to that of the heated air current. The heated air escapes
from the open end of the enclosed space and at the selvages, the film of air
passing the selvages acting advantageously on these parts, which are difficult
to dry. The heated air is by preference blown or forced in by an air fan or
otherwise; the necessary current may, however, be produced by suction or by
a draught if convenient. In some cases a little steam is to be introduced
amongst or mixed with the air in order to temper or modify its action on the
woven fabric. In order to economise the heated air as much as possible
advantage is taken of it after it has left the enclosed space by arranging a
series of rollers above the machine, and by passing the woven fabric first over
these from end to end from the escaping heated air to act upon it before entering
it upon the stentering chains. With this arrangement the fabric will be
delivered from the stentering chains at the end at which it is first entered
upon the upper rollers. Instead of the air being heated it may be passed
through the apparatus in a cold state. According to other modifications ducts
for the heated air may be disposed above, below, or at the sides of the woven
fabric; such ducts being formed with slits or openings for the heated air to
issue from in streams or jets directed against the woven fabric. Any of the
modifications is also applicable to stentering machines with appliances for
obtaining what is known as the "elastic or breaking finish, whether
progressive or non-progressive, and also to machines in which the woven fabric
is or may be placed in a vertical or inclined position.
"
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Margaret McLaren
or McNab, William McNab, Alexander McNab, John, McNab, the
younger, John McAusland, and James Craig Fisher (as Executrix aud

page_text: Executors of Applicant,) in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th
October 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, MARGARET
MCLAREN or MCNAB, of Midtownfield, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Relict of JOHN MCNAB, WILLIAM MCNAB, of Greenock, in the said
County of Renfrew, Engineer, ALEXANDER MCNAB, of Midtownfield aforesaid,
Bleacher, JOHN MCNAB, the younger, of the same Place, Jonn McAusland,
of Dumbarton, in the County of Dumbarton, Engineer, and JAMES CRAIG
FISHER, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Commission Merchant,
Executrix and Executors of JoUN M NAB, late of Midtownfield, in the
County of Renfrew, North Britain, Bleacher, deceased, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of March, in the year of our
Lord, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said Margaret McLaren or McNab, William McNab, Alexander
MoNab, John McNab, the younger, John M'Ausland, and James Craig
Fisher, Her special license that we, the said Margaret M'Laren or MoNab,
William MoNab, Alexander M°Nab, John M°Nab, the younger, John
M'Ausland, and James Craig Fisher, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Margaret McLaren or M°Nab, William
McNab, Alexander McNab, John M Nab, the younger, John M'Ausland, and
James Craig Fisher, 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
MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING AND STENTERING WOVEN FABRICS," upon the
condition, amongst others, that we, the said Margaret McLaren, or M*Nab,
William M Nab, Alexander M°Nab, John M Nab, the younger, John
McAusland, and James Craig Fisher, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our, or one of our, or their, or one of
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 on or before
the 18th day of October 1866.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Margaret McLaren or McNab,
William McNab, Alexander McNab, John M Nab, the younger, John
M'Ausland, and James Craig Fisher, do hereby declare the nature of the

page_text: ".
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement in
writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
The said Invention has for its object the simultaneous drying and stentering
of woven fabrics in an improved and rapid manner.
And in order that the Invention, and the manner of performing it, may be
properly understood, there is hereunto appended a Sheet of explanatory
Drawings to be berein-after referred to, and representing one modification of
arrangements for carrying the improvements into effect.
Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section; Figure 2 is a plan; and Figure 3
is a side elevation, partly in section. In Figures 2 and 3 the two ends of tho
machine are shown, whilst portions are supposed to be removed from the
middle as the machine may be of any desired length, and is in practice
generally considerably longer than the distance shown between the ends in the
Figures.
In the Drawing the Invention is represented as carried out in connection
with continuous stentering apparatus of the ordinary kind, in which the woven
fabric, indicated by red lines in the Figures, whilst being held in a stretched
condition by chain stenters 1, is moved at a slow rate horizontally along from
one end to the other of the stentering frame or machine.
The mechanism for stentering and moving the fabric along being of a well-
known kind it will be unnecessary to describe it except very briefly. The
framing of the machine consists principally of end standards 2, 3, and a
number of intermediate transverse standards 4, one of which last is shown in
Figure 1. There are two endless stenter chains 1 formed of metal links
jointed together and fitted with plates having projecting points to catch tho
selvages of the fabric. The stenter chains 1 pass round pulleys 5, 6, at the
ends of the machine, the pulleys 5 at one end being driven by a special engine
and gearing 7, in the example represented. The lower sides of the stenter
chains 1 pass over guide pulleys 8 at convenient intervals, whilst the upper
sides of the chains pass along channel guide rails 9 carried upon the standards
2, 3, 4. These guide rails 9, and also the brackets 10, which carry the
pulleys 5, 6, at the ends are made adjustable laterally to accomodate different
widths of fabric, and to be capable of exerting a breadthening or stretching
action on the fabric.
For the purpose of moving the chains 1 more or less apart there is a shaft 11
running along the centre of the machine a little below the upper sides of the
chains 1, and this shaft is connected by bevil gearing with vertical shafts 12 at
the ends, and with a short horizontal driving shaft 13, on which last there

page_text: is a capstan head for inserting levers to turn it by, and a ratchet wheel with a
holding catch to prevent it from running back. On the longitudinal shaft 11
there are pinions 14 which act on racks 15 connected to the channel guide
rails 9, and on the vertical shafts 12 there are similar pinions to act on racks
fixed to the brackets 10, which carry the large pulleys 5, 6: When the fabric
is entered upon the stenter points of the chains 1 the shafts 18, 11, 12, are
turned so as to move the several racks outwards, and the guide rails 9 and
pulleys 5, 6, are thereby simultaneously and equally moved outwards so as to
stretch the fabric in the direction of its width as much as may be considered
requisite.
For the purposes of the present Invention the sides and ends of the frame
are closed by boards 16, 17, and bottom boards 18 are fitted in, so as with
the others to form a long box or enclosed space or channel, of which the woven
fabric itself forms the top. This box or enclosed space might be constructed
to extend down to the floor, but the form of the intermediate frames 4
(Figure 1,) is better suited for the arrangement shown, and with it the depth
of the space is quite sufficient. Air heated by any suitable known means is
admitted by an inlet duct 19 into the enclosed space beneath the fabric at the
end at which the finished fabric leaves the machine, and the air travels along
towards the other end in a direction opposite to that of the progressive motion
of the fabric on the stenter chains, and is discharged by an opening 20 or in
any convenient way. The heated air escapes partly at the selvages of the
fabric, but the film of air thus passing the selvages acts advantageously on
those parts which are difficult to dry. The heated. air might be admitted at
various points into the enclosed space beneath the fabric, and it might be made
to travel in the same direction as the fabric, but the arrangement heroin-before
described is preferred. The heated air is by preference blown or forced in by
an air fun or otherwise, the necessary current might, however, be produced by
suction or by a draught if convenient.
In some cases a little steam is to be introduced amongst or to be mixed
with the air in order to temper or modify its action on the woven fabric.
In order to economise the heated air as much as possible an advantage is
taken of it after it has left the enclosed space by arranging a series of rollers 21
above the machine, and by passing the woven fabric first over these from end
to end once or oftener for the escaping heated air to act upon it before
entering it upon the stentering chains 1.
In Figure 3 the fabric is indicated by red lines, and the direction of its
motion by red arrows from which the manner of passing it over the rollers 21,

page_text: and thence to the machine will be easily understood. Instead of the air
being heated it may be passed through the apparatus in a cold state.
According to other modifications ducts for the heated air may be disposed
above, below, or at the sides of the woven fabric, such ducts being formed
with slits or openings for the heated air to issue from in streams or jets
directed against the woven fabric.
Any of the modifications is also applicable to stentering machines with
appliances for obtaining what is known as the "elastic" or "breaking" finish,
whether progressive or non-progressive, and also to machines in which the
woven fabric is or may be placed in a vertical or inclined position.
Having thus particularly described the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, it must be stated that the patentees do
not restrict themselves to the precise details herein described or delineated,
but that what they believe to be novel and original and claim as the Invention,
secured to them by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st, the applying of currents of heated or ordinary air for drying woven
fabrics whilst being stentered by means of ducts or enclosed or partially
enclosed spaces substantially in the manner herein-before described.
2nd, the tempering or modifying of the heated air by means of steam,
substantially as herein-before described..
And, 8rd, the passing of the fabric from end to end over the machine
before entering it upon the stentering chains in order to take advantage of
the escaping heated air substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John M°Nab, the younger, in behalf of
myself, and of the said Margaret McLaren or McNab, William
McNab, Alexander MºNab, John M°Ausland, and James Craig
Fisher, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of
October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-six
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JNº. MCNAB, J. (L.S.)