US1716401A - Means for shrinking hat bodies and the like - Google Patents

Description

June 11, 1929. L. WHEELER 1,716,401 a MEANS FOR SHRINKING HAT BODIES AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 26, 1927 speed gear.

Patented June 11, 1929,

are at LELAND WHEELER, 0F DANBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO TURNER MACHINE COMPANY, INC., OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

Application filed November 26, 1927. Serial No. 235,804.

This invention refers to multi-roller felt hat body shrinking machines by which felt hat bodies whilst soaked in liquor are subjected to the action of pressure rollers to shrink the same, the hat bodies passing. between the rollers in a flat state.

In such machines the rollers, which are arranged in rows one above another, are given a to-and-fro endwise movement in addition to the rotary motion, the rollers in one row moving in the opposite direction to those in the other row. The speed of the rollers in the 1 two rows is the same. After passing out of the machine at the rear end, the hat bodies are returned by hand to the front end, the hat bodies passing through the machine a number of times before being shrunk to the required size.

' According to this invention, means are pro- Vided whereby all the rollers may be optionally rotated at the same speed, or the rollers in one row may be rotated a slightly quicker speed than those in the next row, the change of speeds being effected by suitable change Further, below the rollers is arranged an endless conveyor by which the hat bodies, on reaching the rear end of the machine, are automatically returned to the front end, ready to be again fed into the machine, if necessary. At such front end of the machine may be an endless feed apron for feeding the hatbodies between the rollers. Also near to the forward end of the conveyor may be a pair (or set) of small diameter rollers for squeezing the hat bodies and removing the surplus liquor therefrom prior to the hat bodies being lifted on to the feed apron.

' The pressure rollers will preferably be made of wood, and covered with hemp rope, or cord tightly and closely coiled around the roller from end to end; they may, however, be made of metal, and be covered with Wood, or with rubber or other suitable material.

Upon the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 illustrates a side elevation of a mi.- chine embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 illustrates a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same machine.

Fig. 3, illustrates a transverse sectional elevation of one side of the machine.

a, a are the pressure rollers, arranged in two rows, and with the spindles of one row 'mounted in an upper sliding part b and those of the other row mounted in a lower sliding part 72 both of said sliding parts bemg supported upon the upper edges of the end frames 0 and being free to move bodily in a direction transversely of the frames, but being held against end movement by the parts 0 rising from the frames 0. Cross rods 5 connect, the parts 6 together and cross bars 6 connect the parts Z2 together.

The upper and lower parts I2 5 and their rollers are given a to-and-fro motion transversely of the machine by means oflinks b b, alever keyed to shaft Z1 and pendant levers 5 each of these latter, at its otherwise free end, being slotted and engaging the slide block of an eccentric Z2 on the power shaft cl. The'link b connects to a bracket on the-part b and the link Z) connects to a bracket on the part 5 seeFig. 3.

Each roller spindle in the top row is fitted with a Worm wheel 0, which gears with one of a series of worms 6 on a shaft f, and each roller spindle in the bottom row is fitted with a worm wheel 9, which gears with one of a series of worms in on a shaftz'. The shaft 7 is rotated either by chain wheels and 7' and chain 7' or by chain wheels and j and chain j, while the shaft 71 is rotated by chain wheels c and chainZ from the shaft (2. When rotated through the chain wheel s j, j the speed of the shaft 7 is the same that of the shaft 2', and all the rollers are driven at one speed.

; Wheuthe shaft is rotated through the chain wheel (which is approximately one tooth smaller than wheel the speed of the shaft is slightly quicker than that of the shaft 2', and the upper rollers rotate at a slightly quickerv speed than the lower rollers. The change of speed is controlled by a hand-operated clutch, see Fig. 1, comprising a part on (with dog teeth) splined to the shaft 7', and adapted to engage either the wheel 7' or the wheel j To insure the hat bodies being carried through the machine, the rollers a-a' are rotated in opposite directions by right and left handed worms 6 and h, respectively.

Usually the speeds of the rollers a, a will be uniform when the hat bodies to be treated are fed tip or brim foremost between the bodies are fed side-ways between the rollers, i, e. with their axes parallel with the axes of the rollers. l/Vhen the hat bodies are fed forward side-ways between the rollers, and one row of rollers rotate quicker than the'other row, the difference in peripheral speeds of the rollers results in the hat bodies being,

treated uniformly throughout their whole circumference, and so much so, that there is no necessity to open out and refold the bodies prior to each successive passage between the rollers, and consequently, after each passage through the machine, the hat bodies can be fed into it again without any special hand manipulation. Further, with the rollers of one row arranged in staggered relationship to those in the other row, the hat bodies, in passing between the rows of rollers, follow a wavy path, thereby repeatedly flexing the hat bodiesfirst in one direction and then in another, which action, in conjunction with the compound to-and-fro movements and differential rotary movements of the rollers, effects the rapid and even shrinkage of the hat bodies.

Usually the hat bodies will first be passed though the machine one or more times sideways, the rollers of the top row rotating at a quicker speed than the bottom row. They will then be passed through the machine one or more times tip or brim foremost, the varied positioning of the hat bodies helping to ensure of even and rapid shrinkage.

To facilitate the feeding of the hat bodies into the machine in a fiat state, an endless apron U is provided, driven from the endmost roller a of the bottom row.

Below the rollers, and extending from front to back of the machine, is the long endless conveyor n for returning the hat bodies from the back to the front of the machine. Such conveyor is preferably made of a material impervious to acid. The conveyor is carried by rollers 0, 0, one of which is driven by a chain or belt p from a wheel or pulley on the spindle of the endmost roller of the top row. Said chain or belt passes over tensioning rollers g The conveyor a may be fluted on its outer surface, and it may also be perforated to allow of the escape of the liquor that falls upon it. At the front end of the machine there may be rollers 1', 1", between which the hat bodies, While being returned by the conveyor from the back to the front of the machine, pass and be relieved of surplus liquor. By treating the hat bodies as aforesaid and returning them to the front of the machine automatically, all hand labour (except that of lifting the hat bodies off the conveyor and placing them on to the apron u) is dispensed with.

The speed of the conveyor n will usually be such as to return the hat bodies at a rate suitable for enabling them to be continuously fed through the machine.

The rollers a, a may be made of wood and covered with rope or rubber, or they may be made of metal'and covered with wood or rubber, or other suitable yielding material. Rubber cord may be used, and, to prevent stretching, the cord may have a core of wire, round or oval.

Although preferring both rows of rollers to have an endwise movement, it will be understood that only one row of rollers may slide to and fro endwise, the other row being'held against endwise movement. Y

What I claim is 1. A multi-roller felt hat body or like shrinking machine comprising two rows of pressure rollers, one above the other, and the rollers in each row lying close together, but out of touch with each other, and those in one row lying close to those in the other row and in positions directly opposite the spaces between the rollers of the other row, means-for rotatably and slidably supporting the rollers, a worm wheel on each roller spindle, shafts alongside the machine and worms on said shafts with which the worm wheels mesh, means for supporting said shafts, variable speed gear for driving one of said shafts, and further but non-variable gear for driving the other of said shafts, the worms of one of the shafts being right-hand worms and the worms of the other shaft being left-hand worms, and the rollers of one rowrotating in a direction opposite to that of the other row, and the rollers of the upper row rotating at a speed slightly quicker than the rollers of the bottom row, as set forth.

2. In a felt hat body shrinking machine as claimed in claim 1, an endless conveyor, and carrier rolls below the pressure rolls, said endless conveyor being spaced from the rolls and extending the entire length of the machine with its upper flight travelling toward the front of the machine whereby the hat bodies are carried to the front of the ,machine, and a travelling feed apron at the claimed in claim 1, an endless conveyor, and

carrier rolls below the pressure rolls, said endless conveyor being spaced from the rolls and extending the entire'length of the machine with its upper flight travelling toward the front of the machine whereby the hat bodies are carried to the front of the machine, and .an endless feed apron operable by one of the pressure rolls at the front end of the maichine and above the endless conveyor for feeding hat bodies into the pressure rolls.

4. In a felt hat shrinking machine as machine, and means at the front end of the clalmed in claim 1, an endless conveyor and machine above the endless conveyor for feed- 7 carrier rolls below the pressure rolls, said 111g hat bodies into the pressure rolls. 10

endless conveyor extending the entire length In testimony whereof I have signed my I 5 of the machine with its upper flight traveling name to this specification.

towards the front of the machine, whereby the hat bodies are carried to the front of the LELAND WHEELER.

Images