IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FELT AND OTHER CLOTHS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,.
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF FELT AND OTHER CLOTHS." -A communication from abroad by
James Thompson Sanford, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America..
Sealed the 3rd December 1869, and dated the 15th September 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 15th September 1869.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF FELT AND OTHER CLOTHя," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the fulling of felt cloth from the
bat in such manner as to make the operation continuous, while at the
same time the fulling is so effected as to render the cloth firm, soft, and

page_text: pliable without the necessity of passing it through the usual machinery
for fulling and the usual process of tentering after the cloth has been
fulled. The bat or layer of fibres is conducted on to a perforated rubber
bed, over which is mounted a vibrating rubbing plate or surface, which
as it is moved to and fro will consolidate the fibres and felt them
together. The rubbing plate is lifted up intermittently so as to allow
the fabric to be drawn forward little by little from under the rubber by
means of a pair of feed rollers. It is carried forward to another pair
of rubbers, which first act to take out any folds or wrinkles, and then
rub or felt it a second time, care being taken that no undue strain or
stretching action is put upon the fabric. The fabric then passes. round
a large feeding roller, which has an intermittent rotary motion com-
municated to it by means of a ratchet wheel and pawl. The rubber bed
and feed wheel or drum cause the fabric to be bent or looped back on
itself, and thus effect the fulling, construeting, and softening of the cloth
in a better manner than heretofore. The rubbing or fulling operation
may be effected either by one or a series of rubbers as may be deemed
advisable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th March 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her
special licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Edward Newton, my 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

page_text: Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FELT AND OTHER
CLOTHS," being a communication to me from abroad by James Thompson
Sanford, of the City and State of New York, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, 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 within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):-
:-
This Invention has for its object the fulling of felt cloth from the bat
in such manner as to make the operation continuous, while at the same
time the fulling is so effected as to render the cloth firm, soft, and
pliable without the necessity of passing it through the usual machinery
for fulling and the usual process of tentering after the cloth has been
fulled.
Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation of the
machine; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal
vertical section.
A is a framework of any suitable size and material, in the lower horizontal
part of which is mounted a main shaft B. provided at one end with a
pinion, which receives motion from a driving wheel C operated in any
convenient manner. On the upper portion of the frame A is mounted
a perforated rubber bed D over which the bat passes, the bed being of
a construction corresponding to those now in use, and adapted to let
steam act upon the bat from underneath. D' is a rubber plate provided
at its ends with central upright lugs or ears d, which are pivotted to the
upper ends of vibrating arms or levers E, through which a vibratory
rubbing movement is imparted to the plate D¹. The levers E are
mounted in horizontal levers E¹ pivotted in the sides of the frame A. The

page_text: ends of the levers E' opposite those carrying the levers E are connected by
links e with arms e¹ of a rocking shaft E, and by the movement of which
rocking shaft E the levers E and rubber plate D' are raised and lowered
as desired for a purpose which will be explained hereafter. On the
sides of the frame A and at the ends of the rubber bed are uprights F,
connected at their upper ends by a slotted bar F', which is pivotted at
one end and works in a slot in the upright at its opposite end, which is
held down in place by means of a coiled spring f that connects it with
the frame. The bar F¹ is provided with pendent rods or fingers, the
lower ends of which rest in sockets in the platten D', and serve (through
the action of a spring ) to hold the platten D¹ firmly and evenly down
on the rubber bed when not raised therefrom by the action of the rocking
shaft and levers E' referred to. The lower end of the levers E are con-
nected by rods G with cranks or excentrics g on the driving shaft B, by
the rotation of which a vibratory rubbing motion is imparted to the
platten D'. The end of the shaft B (opposite that armed with the
pinion) is provided with a worm or screw b, which drives a worm wheel
keyed to the lower end of an upright shaft H armed with excentrics or
cams h, h, the former of which operates an arm eattached to the
rocking shaft E, and serves thereby to raise the rubber plate D¹ through
the medium of the levers E, E¹, once in each revolution of the shaft H.
The cam h' operates upon a pivotted lever I, and actuates a pawl i at the
upper end of the lever. The pawl i (through the medium of a ratchet
wheel ¹) rotates a pair of rollers j, j, between which the cloth passes
after leaving the rubber D, D¹. The rollers j, j, are actuated simul-
taneously with the raising of the platten D', and serve to draw the cloth
forward with an intermittent movement.
K is a large drum or roller mounted in bearings in the frame A, and
to which an intermittent rotary motion is imparted in the following
manner: The shaft H is provided near its upper end with a grooved
cam h³, Fig. 1, in the groove, in the upper face of which a foot or
pin attached to one end of a horizontal slide L works. This slide L
works to and fro in guide pins or studs attached to the frame. L' is
a pawl pivotted centrally to the slide L, and the hooked end of this
pawl engages with a ratchet or toothed wheel K₁ keyed to the end of
and turns the shaft k of the drum K. The weight of the hooked end of
the pawl.L' is slightly greater than that of the other end, so that as the
slide L moves away from the shaft H (which is operated by the cam h
the pawl descends and the hook slips over the teeth of the wheel K¹

page_text: until the slide L has reached the limit of its throw and begins to move
forward or toward the shaft H, when the pawl engages with the ratchet
wheel and turns it together with the drum K in the direction of the
arrow in Fig. 1. The slide L is provided with a second pawl ", the
length or position of which is so regulated as to act on the wheel K¹
near the end of the backward throw or movement of the slide L for the
purpose of backing the wheel slightly to prevent the cloth from being
drawn too tight over the edge of the fulling board, as will be presently
explained. M is a second rubber bed arranged on the frame A above
and slightly in advance of the roller K, with its rear edge overlying or
nearly overlying the highest point of the roller or drum K, as represented
in Fig. 3. M' is a rubber plate adapted to be operated over the face of
bed M by the following means:-The ends of the plate M are perforated
or slotted to receive the upper ends of upright pivotted levers N mounted
centrally of their length on the shaft of the drum K. The lower ends
of the levers N are connected by rods N¹ with the cranks n on the
driving shaft B, from which a vibratory movement is imparted to the.
levers N and the rubber plate M. Uprights O support a yielding rod O'
provided with a pendent rod, finger, or fingers o, which serve to hold the
plate M' down upon the bed M or upon the cloth which passes over the
same with uniform pressure. P is an angular bail rod pivotted in
the frame A behind the rubber D or between the rubbers D and M,
arranged in such manner as to rest upon and take up the cloth or the
slack between the rubber beds caused at the time when the cloth is
drawn forward from the rubber D, in the manner already described. The
rod or regulator P is provided with an angular or crank arm p, which
projects over the curved tail extension of the pawl L'. The cloth passes
underneath the rod or regulator P, and when there is slack between the
rubber beds the rod drops to take up such slack, and in so doing the
arm p is raised clear of the pawl L', and the latter is left free to operate
the drum K to feed the cloth forward to the rubber M; but when the
slack has been taken up the tension upon the cloth raises the regulator-
rod P, and thereby depresses the arm p, which acts upon the pawl L
and throws it out of engagement with the wheel K', thus stopping the
feed of the cloth to the rubber M until the slack in the cloth again
drops the rod P and releases the pawl to allow it to operate the drum K.
The weight of the rod P may be regulated (to adapt it to the cloth to
be operated upon) by any suitable device, as, for example, by providing
it with an arm and adjustable weight or weights. Q, Q', are a series of

page_text: guiding rollers for conducting the bat to the rubber D, D¹, and R is a
roller in rear of and over the drum K, in front of and over which roller
the cloth passes after leaving the drum K. By this means the cloth is
carried over the surface of the drum to any desired extent of its surface.
The roller R is held against the drum K with a yielding pressure, by
means of springs R', Fig. 1, attached to the frame A and to the opposite
ends of the roller F, or the large feed roller K may (if desired) be
substituted, a feed belt passing over two small rollers, this arrangement
having been found to work well in practice.
The direction given to the bat or cloth is shewn in Fig. 3 as being
over the roller Q between the rollers Q, Q', between the rubber bed D
and the plate D', between the feed rollers j, j', underneath the regulator
rod P, and between the rubber bed M and plate M' (passing over the
former), after which it is turned or folded back, and passes underneath
rubber bed plate M forward of and underneath the feeding drum K, and
in front of and over the roller R, from which it may be removed con-
tinuously and cut into pieces of the desired length, or passed thence
over one or more rubbers similar to M, M', as the character of the work
may require. The plate M¹ is fluted longitudinally on its under face,
or is covered with a coarse cloth to enable it to seize the cloth and to
operate upon it with the proper rubbing movement.
It will be seen from the foregoing description that as soon as the cloth
is drawn with sufficient tension between the rubbers D and M to remove
the slack the latter ceases to take up the cloth, and thereby not only
prevents undue strain upon the felted fabric, but serves to form a loop
of the cloth behind the rear edge of the rubbing board M over which
the plate M passes, thus giving to the loop a rolling and bending
motion, which is found to add very materially to the softness and flexi-
bility of the cloth by causing it as it were to bend in the process of
manufacture. This is regarded as a very important feature, as adding
greatly to the softness and flexibility and consequent value of the
cloth.
The fulling of the cloth is perfectly effected by this bending and
rolling process, and at the same time the cloth by passing evenly and
regularly through such process in the machine the usual uneven con-
traction of the fabric and consequent necessity for " tentering is
obviated. A certain amount of the rubbing and rolling or bending
action produced by the rubber M, M', is essential to the perfect fulling
"

page_text: and softening of the cloth, and it is immaterial, except as regards the
quantity of material to be operated upon, whether this is done slowly
and by a single rubbing and fulling bed, as shown at M, or by a series of
such devices through which the cloth may be passed rapidly and con-
tinuously in a manner that will be readily understood. Where the
latter arrangement is required the regulator rod P or an equivalent
device will be required in advance of each rubber bed to prevent undue
strain on the material operated upon. Where the rubbing and fulling
beds M are multiplied for the purpose of a more rapid manipulation, it
will be found necessary to increase the number of the steaming rubber
beds D. It will of course be understood that prior to subjecting the
cloth to the action of the fulling and rubber bed M, M', it should be
well saturated with soap in the usual manner.
'
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, and having explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me
by Letters Patent as aforesaid,―
First. The mode herein set forth of fulling or contracting and
softening cloth by rubbing and bending or looping it back upon itself
by means of the rubber bed and the feed wheel or drum, or other equi-
valent devices.
Second. The combination of the pawls L' and 7 with the ratchet wheel
and drum K, for giving to the latter an intermittent feed movement and
at the same time preventing the fabric from being drawn too tightly over
the edge of the rubber bed, as set forth.
Third. The pawls I and I, slide L, and cam h³, or other equivalent
devices for operating the ratchet wheel K' and drum K, as set forth.
Fourth. The regulator rod P, or its equivalent, in combination with
the mechanism for operating the feed drum K for taking up the slack
of the cloth and regulating the feed thereof, as set forth.
Fifth. Automatically lifting the rubber D to permit the feed of the
cloth or bat to the rubber bed, as described.
Sixth. The use of intermittently operating feed rolls in combination
with the intermittently lifting rubber, as described.
Seventh. The combination of devices for simultaneously operating
the intermittently lifting rubber plate and intermittently rotating feed
rolls j,, as described.

page_text: Eighth. The combination of the levers E, E³, rock shaft E, and cam /
for lifting the vibrating rubber plate without interfering with its vibratory
movement.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.