US173398A - Improvement in machines for surface-finishing woolen fabrics - Google Patents

Description

A. J. ELWELL. MACHINE FOR SURFACE-FINISHING WOOLEN FABRICS.

No. 173,398. Patented Feb. 15, 1876.

O M I WITNESSES. no.2. I l INVEN TUR- ALBERT annwnnt, or wooN'sooKar, ASSIGNOR TO LIPPITT WOODEN COMPANY, OF raovrnnncn, nHonE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT lNMACHllN E-S FOR SURFACE-FINISHING WOQLIEN FABRICS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 173,398, dated February 15, 1876; application filed November 4, 1875.

To albwhom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT J. ELWELL,

of Woonsocket, in the 'county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, haveinvented certain newand useful Improvements in Finishing the Surface of Heavy 'Woolen Fabrics, and in machinesfor-pertbrmingthat service; and I do hereby declare that the.followingspecitication, taken in connection with thedrawings mak-in g a part of the same, isa full, clear, and exactdeseription thereof.

Figure 1; is an end view.

Fig. 2 is afront elevation.

The main featureof my invention is an improvement in theart ofsurtace-tinishingheavy woolen. goods ofthat: general class-which =em-. braces-the goods well known in the tradeaschinchillas? and, elysian beavers; and mya said improvementconsistsin thedevelopment of the tufts or knotsof fiber constituting the V [surface-finish byv subjecting the wearing-stirfaceofsaid'goods to thevactiontot' brushes,

whereby,also, said surface isbrightened, and thewoven'eft'ectsin the fabric clearly developed. a

Another featureof my invention consists in and a rapidlyereciproeating brush arranged to operate on the'surt'aceof the fabric while on theplatfor n.

Another feature ofim y invention consists in the combination in a 'chinchillaor petersh an;

finishing, machine, of a rear surfacingrevolving brush with the front finishing rubber or brushand the platform,for purposes hereat} terifully described. 1

The mechanwal'portion of my invention, as

hereinafter described, is embodied in aniodi fication upon 7 the well known petersham or chinchilla machine used in the art ot' manufacture of woolen coatings and other heavy Woolen goods. After a piece of woolen goods of: the character described haspassed through the gigging-machine, it has been customary to dress andsmooth its' face side-by subjecting the piece of cloth,as it is passing over a table,

to the action of a rubber, which has usually consisted of a board. from four to six inches in width, and of a length somewhat greater than the width of the piece of goods to be This board has been covered with v cloth, carpeting, india-ru bber, and various other materials suitable for rubbing down and smoothing the surface of the cloth, and is apdressed.

plied under pressure to the surface of the piece of goodsas the latter is running at a slow rate of speed from one side of the machine to the other over a narrow table or platform on the vtop of-the machine, the rubber having a quick vibratory motion given to it, and, pressing uponthe. cloth while the latter is passingover the table-,curlsthe fiber and renders uniform its surface.

While the petersham'machine is admirably adapted for the general purpose for which it is intended, and is indispensable in-the proper surfacingofheavy woolen goods, the rubbers which have beenheretofore employed, so far v asI have any knowled ge,.h ave the effect to mat the surface of the cloth, and render cloudy or confuse the outline of the figure which is woven .in the cloth.- This is particularly true in finishing that description of goods used for heavy over-coatings, and known to the trade under the name of elysi-anbeavers. These goods are Woven on a ,Qrompton or J aequard loom in various-figuredpatterns. The surface nap of thecloth-is not shavenc'losely, and the result istha t, afterlthe cloth hasbeen passed through 1thelsurfacing.-machinereferred to, the figure has lost much of itsdistinctness, thereby ma,

teriallyfinjuring the pleasing effect, which, ifthe figure were clean,} would otherwise be retained by theeloth OP etee s;e'nydn entibn,i p o i e a m chi e u ek i-z' p ed .e.si-eertain; n ve char a 1 ss i le t .bejemn oyed in;

character;describedfln connection with the,

above-rcferred-to petersham-machines, andby;

PATENT QFFrca.

t ;i iu l i ig.iwqe en fa e of the means of which the figured pattern of the and of a greater 'or less extent, depending goods can be brought out, clearly, notwithupon the general character of the figured patstanding that the same piece of goods has tern-of the cloth, the object being to have previously been subjected to the action of the movement of the brush approximate as the above-mentioned surfacing-rubber; and nearly as possible to the general outline of this part of the invention consistsin the comthe woven figure. As the piece of cloth is bination,'with the platform and conducting drawn along, face uppermost, over the surand guiding rolls, as in a peter'sham-machine, face of the table G. the action of the vibratof a brush to be applied to the surface of the ing brush, which is made to bear with any cloth, similarly to the manner in .which the desired degree of pressure upon the cloth rubber is applied, the bristles of which brush supported by the table, is to search out the are of a proper degree of flexibility and stilf- \voven figure and clearly develop its outline,

ness to render the surface of the brush yieldfrom the capacity which a yielding bristling ing and capable of searching out and develsurface composed of an aggregation of indioping the figures of the woven pattern by vidually flexible and elastic components posbrushing the-recesses and depressed parts in' sesses of reaching the recesses and depressaid figures, as well as the raised portions, in sions of a figured pattern, and at the same distinction from matting or flattening the surtime working upon the more elevated porface of the cloth by the dead pressure of a tions of the surface without crushing or matnon-bristling surface, like carpeting, plush, ting it. The result is, that the figure is rubber, or the like. brought out clearly, thereby exhibiting on I use in my machine a feature not heretofore the surface of the cloth that contrast of light used in the petersham-machine, which conand shade due to the elevations and depressists in a revolving brush applied to the back sions in thepattern which gives the most side of the piece of cloth-as it is passing .pleasing effect to the fabric. through the machine, to remove the small ir- The efi'ect of the brush described, as well regular rolls of fiber which are occasioned by as the effect of the rubber heretofore used in the movement of the cloth on the platform, these machines, is to produce irregular. rolls incident to the action of the rubber in the of fiber on the back side of the cloth. In petersham-machine, or by the surfacing-brush order to remove such and give a smooth surin my improved machine. face to the wrong side of the goods, I'have I am aware that, invshearing and other simlocated a revolving brush, E, as shown in the ilar machines, rotary brushes have been emdrawings, which maybe driven in any conployed to operate on both surfaces of fabrics; venient way, and is made to brush the back butit will be seen that these rear'surfacingside'of the cloth and lay smooth the fibers of brushes, as employed by me for the first time the cloth upon that side, after the cloth has in combination with the rubber, or the front passed from under the action of the vibrating surface-finishing brush, perform a valuable brush D. This improvement serves as valuservice, in that, although the fabrics may have able a purpose upon machines which employ had their rear sides previously operated upon the old form of rubber described as upon maby brushes in the shearingmachine, the chines provided with my improvement heremovement of the fabric on the platform, inciinbefore described. dent to the action of the finishing brush or I am aware that machines for securing and rubber on the front surface, develops rolls or cleaning cloths or wearing apparel have hereknots of fiber on the rear surface of the fabtofore been devised which embodied a platric, which the rear surface brush removes; form with suitable devices for clamping the and, therefore, the said rear brush, in combicloth or apparel thereon, and a pair of alternation with the rubber or reciprocating finnately-reciprocating brushes, which were arishing-brus'h, constitutes one portion of my ranged to sweep across the fabric from side to invention. l I I side, and thereby to scour and clean the fab- Thedrawin gs represent, except in the parrics. Such machines have never, however, to ticulars above mentioned, theordinary chinmy knowledge, been employed for surface chilla or petersham machineu A A are the finishinggoods of the character herein named, standards of the machine, suitably united by. nor have they been provided with rolls for cross-rails or girts. The piece of cloth is rep guiding and conducting the fabrics across the resented by the line a b, which is conducted platform. 7 from one side of the machine to the other What I claim as my invention, and'desire over friction-rollers, as shown, and is drawn ,to secure by Letters Patent, i salong by the revolving-,.,porcupine roller B, X 1.5 The improvement in the 'art of surfaceoverthe flat surface (if-"a table or .platform,'( L fii nishing chinchillas, beavers, and other simi- D isa bar, whose length is reaterfthan tlif 'l ar heavy woolen fabrics, which consists in width of the piece of cloth, the undersurface 'ideveloping the tufts or knots of fiber on the of which is armed with hair, bristles, brother surface, by subjecting said surface to the ac-* equivalent n1aterial-as, for instance, split .tioii 'of areciproca-ting brush, operating subwhalebone or rattan fiber, having the quality stant-ially in the manner described. of a brush. I To this brush a constant recip- 2. In a inachine for'finishing the front surrocating or an eccentric movement is given, face of heavy woolen goods, the combination,

nease 's Jstantially as described.

3. In a machine for finishing the front surface of heavy woolen fabrics, the combination, with a platform. for sustaining the fabric s, and feeding and conducting rolls for passing the fabric along the platform, of a reciprocating brush arranged to operate on the front surface of the fabric, substantially as I described.

4. The combination, in a chinchilla or petersham finishing machine, with the platform and the reciprocating surface-finishin g device, of a rear surface-brush, substantially as described, for the purpose of removing the rolls or tufts of fiber developed on the rear surface of the fabric by reason of its movement on the platform, incident to the action of the rubber or other reciprocating finishing device, as set forth.

ALBERT J. ELWELL.

Witnesses:

CHAS. H. MERRIMAN, ERASTUS RICHARDSON.

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