Improvements in Apparatus for Steaming Fabrics.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 27th May, 1892-Accepted, 2nd July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Steaming Fabrics.
CARL ALEXANDER WEIDINGER at present of Number 23 Exchange Buildings,
in the City of Manchester, County of Lancaster, Machinery Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
My invention relates to apparatus used in open steaming that is to say to the
cases wherein woven fabrics are exposed to steam whilst in an open or unfolded
condition and particularly to the cases wherein the fabrics are suspended in festoons
upon rods within a steaming chamber. In such apparatus of most usual construction
the rods are fed on to endless chains which pass into and out of the chamber. In
my improved apparatus the chain or chains and rods remain within the chamber
the fabric alone entering and leaving the chamber. The rods are each hinged by
one end to the links of an endless chain so that as they are returning by the lower
part of the chain they hang downward and are out of the way of the cloth. I am
thus enabled to carry the chain upon two comparatively small wheels. The free
ends of the rods may be carried by a second chain when in the upper position or
may slide or travel on a rail. In one construction I provide the free end of each
rod with a shoe which slides or travels upon a fixed rail. A covering rail may be
applied to prevent derangement. A toothed wheel upon the same shaft as the
chain wheel engages with the shoes and pushes the same along at the same rate of
travel as the endless chain the shoes being adapted to engage with the teeth of such
wheel. In case a second endless chain be employed the links of such chain would
be formed with recesses to receive the rod ends the shoes adapted to slide and to
engage with a toothed wheel not being required. As the upper rods pass downward
at the end of their horizontal travel they tend to fall into the vertical position but
this tendency is controlled by a curved rail which allows each rod to gradually fall
into a vertical position. A curved rail at the other end of the chain gradually
brings each rod into the horizontal position. I may modify the construction by
employing a single endless chain carried by chain wheels arranged to revolve upon
vertical axes.
In such a case the rods would be raised into the horizontal position
whilst passing partly around one of the chain wheels and be lowered to the vertical-
position whilst passing partly around the other wheel. The chain wheels would be
sufficiently large in diameter to permit the returning part of the chain to pass
outside of the rail which would carry the free ends of the rods in use.
A toothed
wheel driven at the required rate would engage with the shoes on the rods as in the
previously described example.
Two or more toothed wheels having an uniform circumferential speed may be
employed in either construction for the purpose set forth. The rod ends or shoes
might be provided with wheels.
I may adopt any suitable means for supporting the rods in their horizontal
positions or for controlling the change between the two positions.
Dated this 26th day of August 1901
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Steaming Fabrics.
I CARL ALEXANDER WEIDINGER at present of Number 23 Exchange Buildings,
in the City of Manchester, County of Lancaster, Machinery Agent 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 and
accompanying drawings :-
My invention relates to apparatus used in open steaming-that is to say to the
cases wherein woven fabrics are.exposed to steam whilst in an open or unfolded
condition and particularly to the cases wherein the fabrics are suspended in
festoons upon rods within a steaming chamber. In such apparatus of most usual
construction the rods are fed on to endless chains which pass into and out of the
chamber. In my improved apparatus the chain or chains and rods may remain
within the chamber the fabric alone entering and leaving the chamber. The rods
are each hinged by one end to the links of an endless chain so that as they are
returning by the lower part of the chain they hang downward and are out of the
way of the cloth.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will describe the same
with reference to the accompanying drawings which represent so much of the
complete apparatus as is necessary to the proper understanding of the construction
and method of action.
In the said drawings Figs. 1 and 2 are sectional elevations of the cloth carrying
apparatus, the cloth receiving end appearing in Fig. 1 and the delivery end in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of the receiving end of the apparatus and is drawn upon a
plane at right angles to the plane of Figs. 1 and 2. Certain details of the apparatus
which are sufficiently illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 are left out in Fig. 4 for sake of
clearness.
In Figs. 1 and 2 a is an endless chain which carries the rods bb and is mounted
upon two carrier wheels c.c'. The parts of the chain extending between the two
wheels and not appearing in the drawing may be of any suitable length according
to the length of the chamber in which the chain is supposed to be mounted.
In the example portions of the walls of such chamber are represented at dd.
The wheel is fixed upon a shaft e'wlich extends, to the outside of the chamber
and is connected by worm and wheel gearing with a shaft which gives motion
also to the cloth feeding roller gand is suitably driven so that the chain is caused
to have a travelling movement in the indicated direction at a speed which is suitably
proportionate to the speed of the feed rollers. The rods are each hinged by one
end to the links of the chain. The other end of each rod is formed or provided with
a shoe b. The rods when passing from the wheel c to the wheel cl are in a horizontal
position the shoes b' sliding upon a carrier rail which appears at h¹ in Fig. 4. Aguard
rail may be applied above the rail h' as indicated by the dotted lines at if considered
to be necessary. The chain is supported upon a second carrier rail / which extends
from one wheel to the other or nearly so and prevents the chain from sagging or
bending out of the straight line. It will be seen that as the wheel c revolves the
rods are carried along the chamber toward the wheel c. To ensure the parallelism
of movement of the rods the shoes are proportioned to touch one another as they
Blide along the rail and the shoes are pushed along by means of a second wheel
which is fixed upon the snaft e at the opposite end of the shaft. As this second
wheel does not appear in Fig. 1 I have indicated it by dotted lines cc in Fig. 3. The
wheel is provided with teeth which enter recesses in the shoes and thereby
deliver the shoes on to the end of the rail ¹ and push the row of shoes forward
along such rail. As the rods pass below the feed opening they receive the festoons
of cloth from the feed rollers in the ordinary manner the festooning being governed
by the apparatus ; which is a modification of the ordinary apparatus used for the

page_text: purpose and acts in a similar manner the cloth being uipped between the rod and.
the ends of a rock lever at two or more points in the length of the rod. Any
ordinary or suitable apparatus may take the place of the one marked jj. The
cloth is carried along toward the delivery opening at k and is withdrawn as is
usual. The rods then pass successively on to the wheel c' the shoed ends passing on
to another carrier wheel fixed on the same shaft as the wheel c¹ and corresponding
with the wheel c³ on the shaft e but not appearing in the drawings. As each rod
passes below the axis of the wheel c¹ the rod tends to fall into the vertical position
as seen in the cases of the rods which are represented as hanging down from the
returning part of the chain, such rods being represented as broken for want of space
in the drawing.
.
This falling down of the rods is controlled by a curved rail which is shaped
so as to check the fall of the rods and to permit them to gradually assume the
vertical position. The rods retain the vertical position until the wheel c is reached
when a rail gradually lifts the rods up toward the wheels cand c. One of the
rods is represented as being so lifted in Fig. 1. In Fig. 4 the dotted lines
indicate the position of the rods when hanging down the dotted lines and
representing rods which are being raised by the rail toward the horizontal position
indicated at 6. As the end of each rod nears the wheel c' they pass between the
said wheel and a curved guard m which helps to sustain the rods until they have
passed a position level with the axis of the shafte and to keep them from falling
away from the wheels. After passing the level of the said axis the rods tend to fall
into position with their shoe ends resting upon the wheel the rotation of the two
wheels carrying the rods into the higher and horizontal positions and passing them
forward to again receive the festoons of cloth. As the rods when being lifted or
lowered by the rails act as levers and tend to lift the chain, short abutment rails
are applied at an for the chain links to bear upon when pressed upward by the
lever action of the rods.
It will be seen that in consequence of the hanging rods clearing the festoons of
cloth the chain wheels are greatly reduced in size so that I am enabled to mount
them entirely within the chamber at the same time the depth of the chamber may
bo increased so that the cloth may hang in longer festoons.
It may be considered advisable to carry the free ends b¹ of the rods upon an
endless chain. In such a case the wheel and the corresponding wheel upon the
shaft e would be adapted to give motion to a second endless chain which would
travel at the same speed as the chain a. The shoes would not then be necessary
as the ends of the rods would rest upon the second chain or preferably each rod
end would rest in a recess formed in one of the links of the second chain.
I may modify the construction by employing a single endless chain carried by
chain wheels arranged to revolve upon vertical axes. In such a case the rods would
be raised into the horizontal position whilst passing partly around one of the chain
wheels and be lowered to the vertical position whilst passing partly around the
other wheel. The chain wheels would be sufficiently large in diameter to permit
the returning part of the chain to pass outside of the rail which would carry the free
ends of the rods in use, or space might be economised by employing two wheels of
comparatively small diameter to carry each end of the endless chain. The chain
would travel in a horizontal or nearly horizontal plane and the rods would hang
from the underside of the chain and be lowered and lifted by means of suitably
shaped rails. When the rods would be travelling in the horizontal position the rod
ends might be carried by a second chain the returning part of the main obain
carrying the hanging rods passing outside the chain carrying the ends of the
horizontal rods. The rod ends or shoes might be provided with wheels to run
upon the rails h¹ and a series of supporting wheels might take the place of the
rail h.
Fig. 5 illustrates a modification which may be made in the formation of the rods
and in the method of acting upon them. In this example the rod b is provided with
a short arm b' on which is mounted a bowl which is acted upon by suitably shaped

page_text: rails indicated by to raise the ruds and to control the lowering of the same.. An
endless belt might take the place of the chain if found to be suitable. I may adopt
any suitable means for supporting the rods in their horizontal positions or for
controlling the change between the two positions, the important feature in my
invention being the lowering of the rods into the vertical position to clear the cloth
and the raising them into the horizontal position to carry the cloth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination of parts constructed arranged and intended to act sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
2. In apparatus for steaming fabrics the rods each hinged by one end to an
endless travelling chain or an equivalent part and supported in a horizontal
position whilst carrying the cloth but allowed to fall into a vertical position when
passing partly around the carrier wheels to return so as to clear the festoons of
cloth.
3. In apparatus for steaming fabrics the rods hinged to a chain a and the
curved rails substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
4. In apparatus for steaming fabrics the rods beach hinged by one end to a
chain a and provided at the other end with, shoes b adapted to slide upon rails !
when the rods are carrying cloth the rail A' for gradually lowering the rods into the
vertical position and the rail h for raising them into the horizontal position
substantially as set forth and indicated.
Dated this: 26th day of May 1900
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,, Agente.