Improvements in and relating to Fabrics Composed Mainly of Fibrous Material.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Oct., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 16th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Fabrics Composed Mainly of
Fibrous Material.
I, BERNHARD TETTWEILER, of 19, Koenigin-Augusta-Strasse, Berlin, in the
Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
"
My invention relates to an improved fabric, which I call " Vegetable Leather
and which I prepare of fibrous material preferably of a coarse kind, which, being
unfit for textile manufacture, has scarcely any value and has been treated as waste.
A suitable material of this kind is the waste fibre of cane or reed, but any
other vegetable fibre rush, grass, stalks, leaves, such as palm leaves and the like
may be employed.
From the fibres, I form twists and these twists are formed into pig-tails, or twisted
to form cords or ropes, or the rush, stalks or leaves may be directly formed into
pig tails or twisted into ropes or cords, without previously forming twists of
them.
The pig-tails, or cords, or ropes are then plaited into mats, or a mat is formed by
laying the pig-tails, cords, or ropes parallel to each other in close proximity, inter-
weaving them by a suitable weft of thread, cord or metallic wire, or the mat may
be formed, as a whole, by weaving, part of the fibrous pig-tails, cords or ropes
forming the warp, and part of them forming the weft.
My invention is not limited to any particular mode of forming the mat, any mat
of fibrous material may be used in carrying my invention into practice, but I prefer
to use mats in which the fibres are formed into pig-tails and the pig-tails laid parallel
to each other and closely side by side.
A mat of this kind is then saturated with a suitable solution of glue or a con-
venient glutinous material, or the glue or glutinous material may be applied by a
brush or other suitable means to one or both sides of the mat, which, hereafter, is
subjected to a strong pressure by means of rollers, preferably heated or hydraulic
pressing plates, or any other suitable means.
Before pressing the mat, I prefer to spread upon one or both sides of the same a
suitable textile fabric or cloth, such as canvas, cotton or linen fabrics, which by
means of the glue or glutinous material and under the pressure applied, become
firmly united to the outside of the mat, the fibrous pig-tails, cords or ropes, con-
stituting said mat, being at the same time flattened and compressed to a compara-
tively thin sheet.
Instead of pressing a textile fabric on one or both sides of the fibrous mat, the
latter, before being pressed, may be covered with a layer of loose fibres, such as
cotton-waste, flax-waste, cork-powder, cellulose, or a mixture of fibres, pulverised
matter and the like, said layer being applied either in a dry state, to become
saturated with the glue or glutinous material contained in or spread upon the mat,
or the layer may be likewise saturated with a suitable gluc or glutinous material
to form a paste before being applied to the surface or surfaces of the mat previous
to pressing the same.
A mat of this kind will always retain a comparatively high degree of flexibility,
as the fibres retain an independent position in their twists and the twists in their
pig-tails cords or ropes, and the pig-tails, cords or ropes in the plaited, woven or
suitably constituted mat. The glue or glutinous material only serves to fill up the
free spaces between the twists, pig-tails, cords or ropes of the mat, and the mat
after being pressed and dried, not only may be bent and folded, but also has a high

page_text: degree of elasticity, enabling the same to resist violent shocks without liability
to break.
The outside surface or surfaces of the mat may, finally be varnished or coated
by a waterproof substance, or a waterproof solution of resinous matter or the like
may be employed instead of glue for saturating or moistening the mat previous to
pressing the same.
Instead of saturating and pressing the mat, as a whole, it may, in some cases, be
preferable to press the fibrous pig-tails, cords or ropes before they are plaited or
woven or united to form a mat.
The improved fabric of my invention may be, with advantage, employed for a
variety of purposes and according to the thickness of the fibrous pig-tails, cords or
ropes, and to the material employed for the same, as also to the number of sheets or
mats laid one upon the other before pressing the same, finally, according to the
degree of pressure applied, an ample variety of qualities and strengths of the
improved fabric may be produced, strengths of the thickness of paper up to that of
bricks or the like. Accordingly, the use of the new fabric, depending on the
quality, is extremely manifold, the finer qualities may be used for the manufacture
of writing-pads, portfolios, and other articles usually made of leather, the stronger
qualities may be employed in the manufacture of trunks for covering chairs,
perambulators, coaches, carriages, boats, tents, roofs and the like, the strongest sizes
may be used to form the walls of sheds, huts, stalls, magazines and the like, said
walls being bad conductors of heat, waterproof and extremely resistant.
The improved fabric of my invention owing to the great variety of its uses, not
only offers a cheap and durable substitute for leather, but also, in many cases, for
wood and iron plates, being elastic, capable of bending, very light of weight and of
great resistance.
When used for some purposes, I prefer to entirely omit the glue or glutinous
materials, or waterproof substance, generally applied to the mat previous to pressing
the same for the purpose of rendering the same impermeable or compact.
In such
cases where the glue or glutinous materials or binding substance used to paste the
pig-tails, cords or ropes and the covering textile fabrics to each other, are dispensed
with, I form a mat of fibrous material, as before described, preferably by laying the
fibrous pig-tails parallel to each other, loosely united or not by interwoven weft
threads or wires, and cover or line the said mat on one or both sides with a textile
fabric fixed to the mat by sewing, which may be done by a suitable sewing machine
producing a quilting stitch or the like. The fibrous pig-tails or twisted cords or
ropes in such case, are preferably submitted to pressure before being spread and
united to form a mat, but the mat may equally be submitted to pressure, when
finished, or pressing may entirely be omitted. The fabric of this kind will be still
more supple and elastic than the other before described with a binding substance
and it will be less compact, but where a fabric is desired through which the air may
readily pass, the kind of the latter description will answer better than the other.
Dated this 29th day of October 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Fabrics Composed Mainly of
Fibrous Material.
I, BERNHARD TETTWEILER, of 19, Koenigin-Augusta-Strasse, Berlin, in the
Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, 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 an improved fabric which I call "Vegetable Leather'
and which I prepare of fibrous material preferably of a course kind which, being

page_text: unfit for textile manufacture, has scarcely any value and has been treated as waste.
A suitable material of this kind is the waste fibre of cane or reed, but any other
vegetable fibre, rush, grass, stalks, leaves such as palm-leaves and the like, may be
employed.
From the fibres, I form twists, and these twists are formed into pig-tails, or
twisted to form cords or ropes, or the rush, stalks or leaves may be directly formed
into pig-tails or twisted into ropes or cords without previously forming twists of
them.
The pig-tails, or cords, or ropes, are then plaited into mats, or a mat is formed
by laying the pig-tails, cords or ropes parallel to each other in close proximity,
interweaving them by a suitable weft of thread, cord or metallic wire, or the mat
may be formed as a whole by weaving part of the fibrous pig-tails, cords or ropes
forming the warp and part of them forming the weft.
My invention is not limited to any particular mode of forming the mat, any mat
of fibrous material may be used in carrying my invention into practice, but I prefer
to use mats in which the fibres are formed into pig-tails and the pig-tails laid parallel
to each other and closely side by side, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings,
in which a are the pig-tails of fibrous material, and the weft to hold them together,
said weft may consist of pig-tails, as in Figure 1, or of thread, cords or wire, as in
Figure 2.
Figure 3 represents part of a mat made of cords or ropes a laid parallel side by
side and united by interwoven threads b, or by sewing, wire or the like.
Figure 4 is a section through Figure 2.
The mat A of this kind is then saturated with a suitable solution of glue or a
convenient glutinous material, or the glue or glutinous material may be applied by
a brush or other suitable incans to one or both sides of the mat, which, hereafter, is
subjected to a strong pressure by means of rollers preferably heated, or hydraulic
pressing-plates, or any other suitable means.
Before pressing the mat, I prefer to spread on one or both sides of the same, a
suitable textile fabric B or cloth, such as canvas, cotton or linen fabrics, which, by
means of glue or glutinous material and under the pressure applied, become
firmly united to the outside of the mat, the fibrous pig-tails, cords or ropes, con-
stituting said mat, being at the same time flattened and compressed to a compara-
tively thin sheet.
Instead of pressing a textile fabric on one or both sides of the fibrous mat, the
latter, before being pressed, may be covered with a layer of loose fibres, such as
cotton waste, flax waste, cork powder, cellulose, or a mixture of fibres, pulverised
matter and the like, said layer being applied either in a dry state, to become
saturated with the glue or glutinous material contained in or spread upon the mat,
or the layer may be likewise saturated with a suitable glue or glutinous material to
form a paste before being applied to the surface or surfaces of the mat previous to
pressing the same.
A layer of such fibrous material, covering the mat and firmly adhering to it by
the pressure applied, may replace the cover of textile fabric or cloth, but, where
it is desired, such cover may be applied to one or both surfaces of the mat, in
addition to the layer of fibrous or pulverised matter, as described.
A mat of this kind will always retain a comparatively high degree of flexibility,
as the fibres retain an independent position in their twists, and the twists in their
pig-tails, cords or ropes, and the pig-tails, cords or ropes in the plaited, woven or
suitably constituted mat.
The glue or glutinous material only serves to fill up the free spaces between the
twists, pig-tails, cords or ropes of the mat, and the mat, after being pressed and
dried, not only may be bent and folded, but also has a high degree of elasticity,
enabling the same to resist violent shocks, without liability to break.
The outside surface or surfaces of the mat may finally be varnished or coated by
a waterproof substance, or a waterproof solution of resinous matter or the like may

page_text: be employed, instead of the glue, for saturating or moistening the mat previous to
pressing the same.
Instead of saturating and pressing the mat, as a whole, it may, in some cases,
be preferable to press the fibrous pig-tails, cords.or ropes before they are plaited
ör över or united to form a mit.
The improved fabric of my invention, which resembles leather, may, with advan
tage, be employed for a variety of purposes, and; according to the thickness of
the fibrous pig-tails, cords or ropes, and to the material employed for the same, as
also to the number of sheets or mats laid one upon the other before pressing
the same, and, finally, according to the degree of pressure applied, an ample variety
of qualities and strengths of the improved fabric may be produced, strengths of the
thickness of paper up to that of bricks or the like. Accordingly, the use of the
new fabric and its various qualities and sizes are extremely numerous, the finer
qualities may be used for the manufacture of writing-pads, portfolios and other
articles usually made of leather; the stronger qualities may be employed in the
manufacture of trunks, or for covering chairs, perambulators, coaches, carriages,
boats, tents, roofs and the like; the strongest sizes may be used as a building
material to form the walls of sheds, huts, stalls, magazines and the like, said walls
being bad conductors of heat, waterproof, and extremely resistant.
The improved fabric of my invention, owing to the great variety of its uses, not
only offers a cheap and durable substitute for leather, but also, in many cases, for
wood and iron plates, being elastic, capable of bending, very light of weight and of
great resistance.
When used for some purposes, I prefer to entirely dispense with the glue or
glutinous material or waterproof substance generally applied to the mat, previous
to pressing for the purpose of rendering the same impermeable or compact.
In
such cases, when the glue or glutinous material or binding substance used to connect
the pig-tails, cords or ropes and the covering fabric or layer to each other are
dispensed with, I form a mat of fibrous material, as before described, preferably by
laying the fibrous pig-tails parallel to each other, loosely united or not by inter-
woven weft threads or wires, and cover or line the said mat on one or both sides
with a textile fabric fixed to the inat by sewing, which may be done by a suitable
sewing machine producing a quilting stitch or the like. The fibrous pig-tails or
twisted cords or ropes, in such case, are preferably submitted to pressure before
being formed into a mat, but the mat may equally be submitted to pressure when
finished, or pressing the same may, in some cases, be entirely omitted.
A fabric of this kind will be more supple and elastic than the other before
described with a binding substance, and it will not be so compact, but, where a
porous fabric is desired, through which the air may readily pass, the kind of the
latter description will answer better than the other.'"
For some purposes, a layer, pad or cushion of fibrous material such as cotton,
cotton-waste, tow or the like may be laid on one or both surfaces of the mat, and,
by sewing, stitching or securing the covering textile fabric to the mat, the said
layer, pad or cushion will be simultaneously quilted or fastened to the mat. The
textile fabric, employed for covering or lining the mat on one or both surfaces,
might be secured to the mat by a suitable glue or glutinous material, or binding
substance, instead of sewing or mechanically fastening said covering fabric to the
inat. In such case, the mat, as a whole, or the pig-tails, cords or ropes, which
constitute the mat, may be pressed before lining or covering the same, or after
securing the covering fabric to the mat, or in some cases, pressing may be entirely
*öinitted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said.inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. An elastic fibrous fabric consisting of a mat of pig-tails. cords or rones

page_text: saturated or coated with glue or other glutinous material, and of a covering on one
or both of its surfaces consisting of a suitable textile fabric or of a layer of fibrous,
powdered or pulverised material, the whole being united by pressure, substantially
as set forth.
2. An elastic fibrous fabric consisting of a mat of pig-tails, cords or ropes and of
a covering on one or both surfaces of a suitable textile fabric secured to the mat
by sewing or other mechanical means, or by a suitable glue or other glutinous
material, without saturating the mat as aforesaid, substantially as set forth.
3. An elastic fibrous fabric consisting of a mat of pig-tails, cords or ropes and of
a covering of textile fabric on one or both surfaces of the said mat in combination
with a layer, pad or cushion of fibrous material interposed between the covering
fabric and the mat, the whole being united by sewing, stitching or other suitable
means, substantially as set forth.
1
1001
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, Patent Agents.