US127489A - Improvement in fulling-machines - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

cALvIN F. LADD, oF BLOOMFIELD, NEw JERSEY, ASSIGNOE 0F ONE-HALF oF E1s EIGHT To JAMES T. SANFORD, oF NEW YoEK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN FULLING-MACHINES. I

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 127,489, dated June 4, 1872.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CALVIN P. LADD, of Bloomfield, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Im-' provement in Fulling-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification, in which- Y Figure l is a perspective view, and Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal section, of a machine embracing my improvements.

In the accompanying drawiug,A A represent the sills, B the posts, C the longitudinal 'girts, and (J1-the transverse girts, which, to-

gether with the sides O2, form the frame-work and casing, which support the working parts of the machine. Motion is imparted to the devices -through a band-wheel', E, keyed to driving-shaft c, which is mounted in suitable bearings on one of the lower sills, A, and extends across the machine from side to side. e1 e2 are two simil ar shafts lying parallel with shaft e, but, for convenience, arranged in planes respectively above and below the plane of shaft e. Shafts e1 e2 are driven from shaft e through the gear-wheels E1 E2 E3, as is plainly shown in Fig. 2. F F is the fulling stock or abut-- ment, made in two parts, the lower one, F', being stationary and expanded into an apron or iioor,which extends forward and upward, above the shafts e e1 c2, and connects with a vat. This apron is made, preferably, wide enough to ll the space between the sides C2, but is recessed upon each side, as at f, Fig. 2, forming slots. The upper part F of the stock is made much narrower, as shown, and is attached to the free ends of arms G, which are pivoted at their front ends as at g. Thus the part F is free to rise and fall, when actuated by mechanism which will soon be explained. H I are two beaters or thumpers supported upon links H I'. These links or hangers are suspended at their upper ends upon transverse girts C1, by means of sockets K and jaws k, in such Inanner that a vibratory or oscillating movement may be imparted to them by means of pins or studs h i, which project from the faces of gearwheels E1 E2, so that as the Wheels revolve in the direction indicated by the arrow said pins shall engage with the lower ends of the links or hangers H I and lift them and the thumpers a short distance, and then escape and let them (the thumpers) fall, as will be readily understood without further explanation. These thumpers are of a length about equal to the width of the machine between the sides G2,l

being connected to the ends of the links and l moving them up and down, as will be readily understood without further explanation. The thumpers are ribbed or corrugated upon their rear edges-that is, those edges which are next to the fulling-stock-and are also ribbed upon one or both of their sides, which should be formed in an arc of a circle the center of which is the point at which the links Il I are supported, as by means of this form they will always maintain a proper working relation to each other during their vibration. By preference I make the corrugations upon the sides of the thumpers to resemble in some degree the teeth of a ratchet, as shown in Fig. 2. The gears E1 E2 E3 are not shown in Fig. 1, because they are inclosed within the sides C2; but I do not wish to be confined to this arrangement. L is a worm or screw secured to the outer end of shaft c1, and engaging with a corresponding worm-wheel, m, on the vertical shaft M, which carries at its upper end a bevelpinion, m. Pinion m gears with bevel-wheel N on the projecting end of the shaft of one of a pair of feeding and squeezing rollers, N]l N2. Thus a slow rotary motion is imparted to these feeding-rollers. 0 is a horizontal shaft driven by another worm-wheel, o, from screw L, and provided with a bevel-gear wheel, O. The

bearings o' and l, which support one end of the shafts M O, respectively, are made adjustable in order that worm-wheels m o may be kept properly in mesh with screw L. Bevel-wheel O gears with bevel-wheel l? on the vertical shaft P1, which has keyed to it the bevel-gear p and the cam P2. Q Q are feeding-rollers, located in rear of the fulling-stock or abutment F F in such position that their engaging surfaces are about in the same horizontal plane with the dividing-line between the two parts of said abutment, as shown in Fig. 2. The lower roller, Q, revolves in stationary bearings, but the upper one is free to rise and fall, being held down by means of the weighted levers R R. Roller Q is driven from bevelwheel P, gearing with a bevel-pinion on one end of the roller-shaft, Vand roller Q' is driven from roller Q by spur-wheels on the opposite ends of the rollers. R' R' are chains passing over pulleys mounted on girts C or other suitable supports, andA connecting the weighted levers R R with the upper part F of the fulling-stoclL S is a lever, pivoted centrally to the rear face of the movable part F of the stock at s in such position that one end shall rest upon and be actuated by the cam P2, so that when the opposite end of the lever is supported by the pin s' against downward thrust, stock F shall be lifted and dropped once at each revolution of said cam P2. T is a vat for containing any of the usual saponaceous compounds or solutions usually employed to' facilitate the process of fulling. T' is a guideroller, and U is a standard, (of which there should be one at each side of the machine,) provided with brackets for the reception of the rollers upon which the felt or other Agoods y is rolled.

The'operation of my machine is substantially as follows: The rollers (one` or more) carrying the goods to be treated are placed upon the standard U. One end of the piece or pieces, as the case may be, is then passed over roller U', under roller T', between the squeezing and feeding rollers N1 N2, which revolve in the direction indicated by the arrow. From these rollers the goods are passed between the beaters or thumpers H I, or they may be passed under and between, or both, as may be desired, and thence into the space at their rear ends, sometimes called the fullingchamber, where they are subjected to substantially the ordinary fulling process for such length of time as may be thought advisable, during which time they are being slowly fed in by the rollers N1 N2. While this operation has been going on the pin s' has been withdrawn, so that the lever S has been vibrated about the pivot s without lifting the stock F. I now replace pin s', and when cam P2 has been advanced a short distance beyond the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 stock F will have been lifted such distance as will enable me to withdraw the end ofthe piece of cloth for examination, to see if it is fulled enough. If it is not fulled enough I put it back, and continue the operation as before; but if it is fulled sufcientlyI introduce the end between rollers Q Q', which are now pressed tightly together by the weighted levers It R. The rollers will continue to draw the goods out of the fulling-chamber until lever S is released at the heel of the cam, when the stock F falls and holds the goods with a firm gripe and simultaneously lifts the weighted lever It, thereby releasing roller Q and checking the feed. It may be found advisable to employ springs to lift roller Q from roller Q' when it is desired to check the feed.

It will be seen by an examination of the gearing that the speed of rollers Q Q' is much greater than that of rollers N 1 N2. rIhis is required from the fact that rollers N1 N2 feed continuously, whereas rollers Q Q' intermit in their feed, although one or perhaps both of them revolve continuously; and as some goods shorten up more than others in fulling the proportionate length of time that rollers Q Q' are made to feed may be regulated by .adjusting lever S longitudinally. Thus, while the cam begins to actuate the lever at the same point in its (the cams) revolution, it is evident that if we withdraw the lever from the position relative to the cam in which it is shown in Fig. l it will not be held up so long as it would be if it were left where it now is, and, on the contrary, it would be held up longer by thrusting it further over the cam than is shown in Fig. 1.

No pipes are shown for heating the solutionvat, but I intend adding them; and I may increase the number of thumpers without departing from the spirit of my invention. I may also find it advantageous to corrugate the apron or bed which forms an extension of the lower stock.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a fulling-machiue, two or more vibrating thumpers or beaters, arranged in parallel or nearly-parallel planes in such manner that the goods to be operated upon may be readilyT passed between said thumpers into the fullingchamber.

2. A fulling-stock made in two parts, one of. which is movable to permit the withdrawal of the fulled goods.

3. In combination with the i'ullingstock F F', the automatic intermitting feed-rollers or take-up Q Q', operated substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with the divided fullingstock and the feeding-rollers or take-up Q Q', the levers Pt R, the chains R' R', or their equivalents, for causing the rollers to act upon'the goods when the upper part ofthe fulling-stock is lifted, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

' 5. In combination with the feeding or takeup rollers Q Q' and divided fulling-stock F F', the adjustable lever S and cam P2 for regulating the amount of goods which shall be removed from the fulling-chamber during a given period, as at each successive interval, substantially as described.

6. In combination with the fullin g devices, the vat T and the feeding and squeezing rollers N1 N2, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of January, A. I). 1872. Witnesses: CALVIN I. LADI).

JAMES M. G. DoRnMUs,

A. G. SASTRE.

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