GB560290A - Improvements in or relating to apparatus for making cemented pile fabric - Google Patents

Abstract

560,290. Pile fabrics ; coating surfaces with liquid materials. ALLEN, R. S. July 16, 1942, No. 9916. [Class 142 (iv)] [Also in Group III] In making cemented pile fabric, a pleated structure comprising a warp A and severable separating strips B is passed through a confining passage to rollers 335 which apply rubberising or other cementing compound to the bights of the pleated structure and thence to means which apply cemented base fabrics to both faces. The fabric thus formed is finally split to form two pile fabrics. The warp which may comprise spun yarns or a bat of unspun fibres is supplied to the pleating mechanism by the mechanism described in Specification 562,086. The pleating mechanism comprises a frame given a movement in a semi-elliptical path and supporting a pair of spaced pleating bars 143, 144. The movement of the frame is such that first one, and then the other bar enters the mouth of the confining passage formed by parallel plates 145, 146. Movement at right angles to the passage is obtained by means of a cam 162, and rack slides 169 operated by an eccentric 172 engage eccentrically mounted pinions 167 upon the pleating frame to move the frame lengthways of the passage. The separating strips B are stacked in magazines 180 arranged one at each side of the pleating mechanism, and in each magazine are fed forwards to an ejecting blade 197 by a member secured to a spring 191 and weight 192. The blade 197 moves the most forward strip B into the jaws 232 of a transfer device pivoted about a shaft 222. In the vertical position of the device, the jaws 232 are aligned with the corresponding blade 197 ; for delivering the strip, the device is turned through 90‹ so that the lower jaw 232, which is advanced with respect to the upper jaw, is positioned beneath the corresponding pleating bar. Retaining fingers 342 provided upon U-shaped members 340 are slidable in notches 331 in the plates 145, 146 and are moved inwardly to hold the strip in place over the top of the confining passage while the pleating bar moves away. Ribs 333, 332 are provided upon the plates 145, 146 and on plates 325, 326 forming a continuation of the passage to guide the pleated warp and strips to rollers 335 which coat the turned over portions of the warp with rubber latex or other cementing material. The coating mechanism comprises a pair of pans 367, a roller 375 dipping in each pan, the rollers 335 rotating in opposite direction to their respective rollers 375 and rollers 385 serving to rub the applied cement into the bights of the pleated warp. The rollers 335 rotate so that the contacting surfaces move in the same direction, but faster, than the pleated warp, and the rollers 385 rotate at a materially higher speed. The bearings for the rollers 375 are adjustably mounted so that the spacing of the rollers 335, 375 can be altered to vary the thickness of the film of cementing compound applied. An infinitely variable speed-control device may be included in the drive of the coating mechanism to permit instantaneous variation of the amount of cementing material applied without stopping the machine. The coated warp passes to a second confining passage having associated with it a drier of known form, and thereafter webs of cemented base fabric C are applied to the opposite faces of the warp, and the whole structure passes to a vulcanising apparatus. Finally, the pleated structure is split in two by a knife to form two pile fabrics each of which is subjected to the usual beating, tigering and shearing operations. Pneumatic means are provided upon the pleating bars and the lower jaws of the transfer devices for holding the separating strips B. Suction passages 258 ending in cup-shaped recesses are formed in the pleating bars 143, 144 and are connected by flexible tubes to a supply device provided with cam-operated valves, so that when either of the bars 143, 144 engages a strip B suction is applied to it. Passages 262 also connected with a suction arrangement are provided in each of the lower jaws 232, so that when the lower jaw is extended in its horizontal position, a strip B can be held upon it for acceptance by a pleating bar.