Improvements in Apparatus for Spreading Waterproofing Material upon Fabrics, and for other similar purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 17th July, 1897-Accepted, 9th Oct., 1897
Improvements in Apparatus for Spreading Waterproofing Material
upon Fabrics, and for other similar purposes.
I JOHN JAMES MANN, of 20 Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris, France, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to machinery or apparatus employed for spreading water-
proofing or like material or composition upon woven or other fabrics, the object
being to facilitate the operation of spreading several successive coats of such material
or composition upon the fabric.
Hitherto it has been usual after one coating of material or composition has been
spread upon the fabric to reverse the revolution of the winding rollers and wind the
fabric from the "batch" upon which it was wound as it was coated back upon the
batch from which it was unwound during the coating or spreading operation.
This entails removal of the remainder of the waterproofing or similar material or
composition from the spreading apparatus and the disarrangement of the spreading
knife.
Or in some cases the "batch" of coated fabric is removed from the end of the
piece of cloth which it has carried through as usual for winding back the cloth and
sewn to the other end of the same.
The invention consists broadly speaking in the combination with a spreading
machine, which may be provided with the usual means for unwinding the fabric from
a "batch" to coat the same and winding it upon a "batch" when coated, of means
for enabling the said fabric to be passed through the machine in the form of an
endless band, such means consisting of mechanism for taking up or otherwise
conveniently disposing of the surplus length of fabricas it returns after drying to the
spreading mechanism, and for delivering it again to the spreading mechanism and
drying chest at the proper state of tension.
Supposing for example that it is desired to give six successive coats of waterproof
material or composition to a piece of fabric by my improved apparatus, the said
fabric is brought to the machine as usual in a batch and its end fastened to a cloth
or cord which is threaded through the machine, but instead of winding it as it
receives its first coating upon a roller or "batch," it is passed through the mechanism
which takes up the fabric in an extended, or otherwise smooth and uncrumpled
form until the whole length has been unwound from the batch.
The coated end of the fabric then comes to the front of the machine again and
is joined to the rear end before it passes through the spreading apparatus and then
the remaining coatings may be given continuously and without further trouble; the
ends of the fabric are then separated and the latter may if desired be wound upon a
batch and carry the threading cord or fabric (to which the coated fabric has been
again joined) through the machine, and be finally cut away therefrom.
The surplus length of the endless fabric to be coated may be taken up by passing
the said fabric in a zigzag direction around suitable guide rollers one or more of
which is adjustable automatically (by springs or weights) or otherwise, to regulate
the tension on the fabric to be coated.

page_text: Or I may arrange tension rollers which hold the fabric before the spreading
mechanism and deliver it after it has been dried by the steam chest (or other drying
device) to apparatus which disposes of the surplus length of the fabric between the
end of the said steam chest or drying apparatus and the front of the machine in a
loose but even and uncrumpled form.
Such apparatus may consist of mechanism for laying the fabric lightly in folds
(say upon a creeper) in such a way that it can be unfolded as required by simply
drawing it by rollers or the like; or it may consist of a series of rods or bars
arranged in the form of an endless lattice upon two chains; between each pair of
these rods a loop of the fabric is delivered by suitable rollers the said rods being
moved by the chains towards the front of the machine while the fabric hangs upon
them, the loop of fabric being then withdrawn from each pair of rods by a suitable
roller or rollers and delivered to the spreading apparatus again and the said rods pass
round with the chains to the back again to take up a fresh loop of cloth.
Or other means may be employed for returning the surplus fabric in a loose but
continuous and uncrumpled state to the front of the machine to receive a fresh coat of
the waterproofing or other material.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Spreading Waterproofing Material
upon Fabrics, and for other similar purposes.
I JOHN JAMES MANN, late of 20 Boulevard Poissonnière, now of 11 Boulevard des
Italiens, Paris, France, Engineer, 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:-
This invention relates to machinery or apparatus employed for spreading water-
proofing or like material or composition upon woven or other fabrics, the object
being to facilitate the operation of spreading several successive coats of such material
or composition upon the fabric.
Hitherto it has been usual, after one coating of material or composition has been
spread upon the fabric, to reverse the revolution of the winding rollers and wind
the fabric from the "batch," upon which it was wound as it was coated, back upon
the batch from which it was unwound during the coating or spreading operation.
This entails removal of the remainder of the waterproofing or similar material or
composition from the spreading apparatus and the disarrangement of the spreading
knife.
Or in some cases the "batch" of coated fabric is removed from the end of the
piece of cloth, which it has carried through as usual for winding back the cloth, and
sewn to the other end of the same.
The invention consists broadly speaking in the combination with a spreading
machine, which may be provided with the usual means for unwinding the fabric
from a "batch" to coat the same and winding it upon a "batch" when coated, of
means for enabling the said fabric to be also passed through the machine in the form
of an endless band, such means consisting of mechanism for taking up or otherwise
conveniently disposing of the surplus length of fabric as it returns after drying to the
spreading mechanism, and for delivering it again 'to the spreading mechanism and
drying chest at the proper state of tension.

page_text: Supposing for example that it is desired to give six successive coats of waterproof
material or composition to a piece of fabric by my improved apparatus, the said
fabric is brought to the machine as usual in a batch, and its end fastened to a cloth
"tail piece" or cord which is threaded through the machine, but instead of winding
it as it receives its first coating upon a roller or "batch," it is passed through the
mechanism which takes up the fabric in an extended, or otherwise smooth and
uncrumpled form until the whole length has been unwound from the batch.
The coated end of the fabric then comes to the front of the machine again, and
is joined to the rear end before it passes through the spreading apparatus and then
the remaining coatings may be given continuously and without further trouble;
the ends of the fabric are then separated and the latter may if desired be wound
upon a batch and carry the threading cord or fabric (to which the coated fabric
as been again joined) through the machine, and be finally cat away therefrom.
The surplus length of the endless fabric to be coated may be taken up by passing
the said fabric in a zigzag direction around suitable guide rollers one or more of
which is adjustable automatically (by springs or weights) or otherwise, to regulate the
tension on the fabric to be coated.
Or I may arrange tension rollers which hold the fabric before the spreading
mechanism and deliver it after it has been dried by the steam chest (or other drying
device) to apparatus which disposes of the surplus length of the fabric between the
end of the said steam chest or drying apparatus and the front of the machine in a
loose but even and uncrumpled form.
Such apparatus may consist of mechanism for laying the fabric lightly in folds
(say upon a creeper, or upon a suitable inclined plane) in such a way that it can
be unfolded as required by simply drawing it by rollers or the like; or it may consist
of a series of rods or bars arranged in the well known form of an endless lattice
upon two chains; between each pair of these rods a loop of the fabric is delivered
by suitable rollers, the said rods being moved by the chains towards the front of the
machine while the fabric hangs upon them, the loop of fabric being then withdrawn
from each pair of rods by a suitable roller or rollers and delivered to the spreading
apparatus again, and the said rods pass round with the chains to the back again to
take up a fresh loop of cloth. Or other means may be employed for returning the
surplus fabric in a loose but continuous and uncrumpled state to the front of the
machine to receive a fresh cost of the waterproofing or other material.
My invention will be readily understood from the following description on reference
to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form of the application of the
said invention.
Figs. 1 and 1 are side elevations of the rear and front ends of a machine for
apreading waterproof material upon a fabric with my invention applied thereto in
one form.
a is the framing of the machine, b is the cloth to be coated shewn endless as
hereafter described, but the cloth to be coated will in the first instance come from
a batch seen at bas shewn by the dotted line 6x and will finally be wound upon a
batch roller seen at 6, as shewn by the dotted lines ; c is an ordinary spreader
or doctor stretching across the piece and spreading the waterproofing or similar
material thereou in the usual manner (but any other spreading apparatus may be
employed). d is a roller covered with suitable material around which the fabric b
is passed over the guide roller d' before passing to the spreading mechanism. The
roller d is provided with break pulley and band break a or other device for
retarding its motion so as to put a suitable drag upon the fabric to be coated. e is
the usual steam chest for drying the coating spread upon the fabric b which is
immediately passed over the said steam chest e as shewn. After passing over the
steam chest e and around the revolving roller at the rear end of the machine, the
coated fabric is brought round a suitable guide roller y' and delivering rollers f² to
a plaiting down apparatus consisting of a pair of rollers g g at a suitable distance
apart carried by a rocking arm g' hanging on a fulcrum and moved by a link g
and crank g. The rollers g g and the arm y' deliver the fabric b in folds upon an

page_text: endless travelling apron h moving in the direction shewn by the arrow Fig. 1', and
in this condition the fabric b is carried back to the front of the machine.
The speed of the apron and the motion of the arm g' are such that when, the
end of the fabric which was first coated arrives at the front of the machine it
can be joined to the other end of the fabric which has not yet passed to the
roller d.
In passing the fabric to the front of the machine I employ tension rails and
and a roller 2 or equivalent means to complete the tension upon the fabic at
this point and allow the fabric to be quite loose between the plaiting down mech..nism
and the front of the machine, and yet always ensure perfect tension of the fabric
between the roller d or its equivalent and the roller f.
When the tail piece or other threading fabric or cord comes to the front of the
machine it can be passed over the roller and wound on a batch at 611, and ent
away from the cloth leaving the latter free to be joined up endless as above
described. This batch can then be removed from its bearings.
When the endless cloth or fabric b has passed a sufficient number of times through
the machine and the end first finished has reached the front of the machine it can
be separated from the rear end of the fabric and carried (say from the roller i²) to a
"batch "roller at 6¹¹.
The rear end of the fabric b may then be fastened to the end of a fresh piece of
fabric to be coated or to the tail-piece or threading fabric or cord and the fabric
can then be finished and wound on the batch at 6 and severed from the above
fabric or cord.
I have illustrated one method of applying my invention, but as before stated I
do not wish to limit myself to such method, as for other spreading apparatus other
means may be adopted to carry the said invention into practise.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with apparatus for spreading waterproof material upon
fabrics, or for similar purposes, of mechanism whereby the fabric can be passed
through the machine in an open length, and mechanism whereby the fabric, having
been joined endless in the machine when the first end has once passed through, can
then be repassed through the machine as often as desired in this endless form, and
finally (the ends being separated) wound upon a batch and removed in this form,
substantially as herein before set forth.
2. The mechanism for the above described purposes constructed and applied in
combination substantially as herein before described with reference to the annexed
drawings.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.