Improvements in Apparatus for Straightening, Stretching, and Guiding Fabrics Passing to or through Machinery.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 31st Oct., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1897
Improvements in Apparatus for Straightening, Stretching, and
Guiding Fabrics Passing to or through Machinery.
We Ross GEMMELL, Calico Printer, and FREDERICK BUXTON, Mechanic,
both of the Bingswood Print Works, Whaley Bridge, near Stockport, in the
County of Derby, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to what are commonly known as angular guide rollers
used in print works and other places for straightening stretching and guiding
a length of cloth or fabric through a machine, the object of such rollers being to
keep the cloth central as it travels along; and the object of this invention is to
arrest the motion of one of the angular rollers automatically when the cloth or
fabric is running too much to one side of the machine through which it is
passing.
For this purpose we mount at the outer end of each of the angular rollers, and
loosely upon the shaft on which the said roller is keyed or fixed, a pulley of the
same external diameter as that of the roller.
n
This pulley is connected by a suitable link (or its equivalent) to a lever which is
provided with a catch, capable of engaging with a tooth or ratchet upon a wheel
fast on the shaft or axle of the aforesaid roller.
This catch and lever are however ordinarily held out of action by a spring or its
equivalent, so that the roller is free to revolve as the cloth or fabric moves over
it, and is central in the machine, but as soon as the cloth moves more to one side
it will pass off the outer end of the angular roller and rotate the loose pulley,
bringing the catch into gear with one of the teeth on the wheel above described,
and thus stopping the roller. As however the other roller is free to revolve it
soon causes the cloth or fabric to move off this loose pulley, and as soon as this
happens the spring or other device above mentioned will withdraw the catch and
relcase the roller.
In order however to compensate for reduction in width of the fabric if it is
endless and continually passing through the machine (as in the case of the blanket
of a printing machine) we provide more than one pulley as above described, but
we mount the inner pulley or pulleys upon the boss of the outermost pulley so that
when the fabric is first applied, and is of its full width, such inner pulley or pulleys
can revolve freely on the aforesaid boss, and act as part of the angular roller;
but as the width of the said fabric diminishes with continual use, that pulley which
is next to the outermost one can be fixed by a set screw to the boss on which it is
mounted and thus become part of the outer pulley.
If there is more than one loose pulley on the boss of the latter and the fabric
becomes further reduced in width such loose pulley, or each of them, can in turn
be made fast to such boss when desired.
By this arrangement the cloth or fabric can be kept central in spite of
reduction in width.
"We are aware that a separate carrier roller has been combined with the
angular rollers and provided with a loose pulley at either end, each loose pulley
being provided with a brake band connected to the angular rollers. But by our
invention we dispense with a separate carrier roller.

page_text: We wish it however to be understood that we reserve to ourselves the right to
apply to such or similar device our arrangement above described for compensating
for the reduction in width of the cloth or fabric which is being guided
thereby.
Dated this 31st day of January 1896.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Apparatus for Straightening, Stretching, and
Guiding Fabrics Passing to or through Machinery.
We 'Ross GEMMELL, Calico Printer, and FREDERICK BUXTON, Mechanic,
both of the Bingswood Print Works, Whaley Bridge, near Stockport, in the
County of Derby, 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 what are commonly known as angular guide rollers
used in print works and other places for straightening stretching and guiding a
length of cloth or fabric through a machine, the object of such rollers being to
keep the cloth central as it travels along and the object of this invention is to
arrest or retard the motion of one of the angular rollers automatically when the
cloth or fabric is running too much to one side of the machine through which it is
passing.
For this purpose we mount at the outer end of each of the angular rollers, and
loosely upon the shaft ou which the said roller is keyed or fixed, a pulley of the
same external diameter as that of the roller.
This pulley is connected by a suitable link (or its equivalent) to a lever which
is provided with a catch capable of engaging with a tooth or ratchet upon a wheel
fast on the shaft or axle of the aforesaid roller.
This catch and lever are however ordinarily held out of action by a spring or
its equivalent, so that the roller is free to revolve as the cloth or fabric moves over
it, and is central in the machine, but as soon as the cloth moves more to one side
it will pass off the outer end of the angular roller and rotate the loose pulley,
bringing the catch into gear with one of the teeth on the wheel above described,
and thus stopping the roller.
In some cases the lever above named may be provided with a cam or its
equivalent acting upon a friction clutch in connection with the wheel fast on the
shaft or axle of the aforesaid roller, or other equivalent meaus may be adopted to
act upon and arrest or retard the wheel fast on the shaft or axle of the roller by
means of the pulley above described.
As however when one of the angular guide rollers is stopped the other roller is
free to revolve it soon causes the cloth or fabric to move off the above described
loose pulley, and as soon as this happens the spring or other device above
mentioned will withdraw the catch or otherwise release the roller.
In order however to compensate for reduction in width of the fabric if it is
endless and continually passing through the machine (as in the case of the blanket
of a printing machine) we provide more than one pulley as above described, but wo
mount the inner pulley or pulleys upon the boss of the outermost pulley or we
provide other equivalent means of connecting the pulleys so that when the fabric
is first applied, and is of its full width, such inner pulley or pulleys can revolve

page_text: freely on the aforesaid boss, and act as part of the angular roller; but as the
width of the said fabric diminishes with continual use that pulley which is next to
the outermost one can be fixed by a set screw to the boss on which it is mounted
or can be otherwise adjusted to become part of the outer pulley.
If there is more than one loose pulley between the outer pulley and the angular
roller and the fabric becomes further reduced in width such loose pulley, or each
of them, can in turn be made fast to the outer pulley when desired.
By this arrangement the cloth or fabric can be kept central in spite of reduction
in width.
We are aware that a separate carrier roller bas been combined with the angular
rollers and provided with a loose pulley at either end, each loose pulley being
provided with a brake band connected to the angular rollers. But by our invention
we dispense with a separate carrier roller.
We wish it however to be understood that we reserve to ourselves the right to
apply to such or similar device our arrangement above described for compensating
for the reduction in width of the cloth or fabric which is being guided thereby.
In order that our invention may be quite clearly understood we have annexed
hereto a sheet of drawings illustrative thereof and referred to hereinafter..
Fig. 1 is an end elevation in section of part of Fig. 2 taken through the
line A;
Fig. 2 being a plan of one end of a guide roller with our improvements applied
thereto in one form, and
Fig. 3 is an end elevation in section through the line B of Fig. 4 which is a
plan view partly in section of a modified form of our improved apparatus; the shaft
being shown partly broken away on Fig. 4.
Fig. 3 shows detached parts hereinafter more particularly referred to.
a is the outer end of one of the angular guide rollers (above referred to) which
is set at the usual angle to the cloth passing over it, but for convenience of
illustration the apparatus is not shewn at an angle on the drawings.
The roller a is keyed on its shaft a' and at the outer end and forming a
continuation thereof we mount loosely on the shaft a' a pulley or pulleys a 2 (three
being shewn on Figs. 2 and 4).
The pulley a 2 (or the outermost pulley if more than one pulley are used) is
provided with a pine connected by a link to a lever d. These connections
between the pulley a 2 and the lever d although cut away by the sections at A
and B are shewn dotted on Figs. 1 and 3.
The lever d is mounted upon a stationary fulcrum d+ may be provided with a
catch d' as seen at Figs. 1 and 2, and a spring d 2, and when pulled by the link cl
the catch d' acts against a ratchet wheel e fixed on the shaft a¹ aud stops the said
shaft. This will happen as soon as the cloth runs over the end of the roller a and
actuates the pulley or pulleys a 2.
The lever d may be connected to a cam d3 rotating on the pin or fulcrum d+
thereof (see Figs. 3 and 4); this cam d 3 is situated between the ends f¹ of a
hooped spring band which forms the interior of a friction clutch and is shewn
detached at Fig. 34. This band fis fitted inside a wheel or pulley e¹ fixed on the
shaft a', and when the link e' is pulled by the motion of the pulley or pulleys a 2
the ends of the band f are opened out so that the outer surface of the band f (which
normally does not touch or at least grip the inside of the wheel or pulley e) will
then be forced outwards against the said wheel or pulley e and arrest or retard
its motion and that of the shaft a' and the roller a.
When two or more loose pulleys a 2 are mounted at the outer end of the roller a as
hereinbefore described the outermost pulley may be provided with a long boss a 4
upon which one or more of the other loose pulleys may be fixed by set-screws (see
Fig. 2) when required as hereinbefore described, or the pulleys a 2 may be other-
wise connected together when desired, for example by means of small plates a 5 let
into recesses in the periphery of two adjacent pulleys (see Fig. 4 on which two of
the pulleys are shewn connected together and one entirely loose). In this case the

page_text: pulleys a 2 would all be mounted to run loose on the shaft and not on the boss of
the outermost one.
It will of course be understood that the outermost loose palley a 2 is normally
kept from revolving by the link c' and lever d or other equivalent connections
although it forms practically a continuation of the angular roller a (and the
intermediate pulleys (when such are used).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. The combination with each of the two angular guide rollers, used in 'apparatus
for straightening stretching and guiding fabrics, of a pulley of the same external
diameter as that of the said angular roller mounted at the outer end thereof and
loosely on the shaft thereof, and a suitable wheel pulley or its equivalent fixed on
the said shaft, the said fast and loose wheels being so connected by a catch clutch
or its equivalent that when the fabric moves sideways over the edge of the angular
roller it will cause the loose pulley (which is normally stationary) to act and stop
or retard the revolution of the wheel, pulley (or equivalent) fixed upon the shaft
of the angular roller and thus arrest or retard the latter until the cloth has moved
off the surface of the loose pulley, substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the annexed drawings.
2. The means for ensuring the effectual arresting or retarding of the angular
roller notwithstanding the reduction in the width of the fabric passing over the
same by the use of two or more loose pulleys capable of being connected together,
the said loose pulleys being mounted at the outer end of the angular guide roller
or of a second or carrying roller in connection there with and used in combination
with means for automatically arresting or reducing the angular roller, substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the annexed drawings.
Dated this 30th day of October 1896
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicants.