US1757636A - Method and apparatus for making weftless fabrics - Google Patents

Description

May 6, 1930. A. E. J RY 1,757,636

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKTNG WEFTLESS FABRICS Filed Dec. 15 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I auveutoz ALFRED E. JURY M4 elf tom;

May 6, 1930. A. .E. JURY 5 1,757,636

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING WEFTLESS FABRICS Filed Dec. 15, 1922 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 avwemtoi ALFRED E. Jl/RK May 6, 1930. A. E. JURY METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING WEFTLESS FABRICS Filed Dec. 15, 1922 :5 Sheets-Sheet s auomtoz A LFRED E. Jun Y Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED s'ra'resg "PATENT o -F es- I ALFRED a. 'Ju'mz, or gunman, NEW amar, assreitoa romoaean a ware or DETROIT, urcnreang'a coaroaa'rron or mcn rean;

im'rnon Aim arraaaj'rus roa MAKING wn'rrnnss Ne Application filed December 15, 1922. Serial no. 697,021: ;l

This invention relates to an a paratus for I manufacturing weftless fabric, 1. e a sheet of cords, or other warphke elements, bound to a exible substance as rubber or rubber composition,'rather than by transversely extendished and connected to other masses being drawn on without necessarily halting the operation of the machine. Still further,' it aims to provide a combination and arrangement of parts designed to initially dry or preliminarily set the warplike elements, or cords, in contiguous parallel relation, and while more nearly flat than in the previous machine.

With the illustrated embodiment in mind and without intention to limit more than is required by the prior art, the invention; may be briefly described as comprising replenishable massesfof cord constituting sources of supply, the cords from'which are conducted through a bath of latex and thence onto a liable carrier which, with the coated sheet ormation of cords thereon, is conducted-over a slightly arched smoothin and drying device, and around a series drying cans, the carrier being interposed between the treated sheet of cords and the heated metallic surfaces. Means are provided for conducting the pliable carrier beneath the sheet of cords immediately after they are treated and for coiling u the weftless fabric as fast'as' it is finishe ,the carrier'strip being interposed between convolutions on thewindup reel andserving to function also as a liner, if desired. A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in w i hh gther by filmsor intervening webs of such Fig. 1 is a diagrammaticelevation, partly in section, of the preferred foi'ifiof the apparatus;

a Fig. 2 isa perspective, of a replenishable .spool or cord-mass holding rack;

Fig. 3 illustrates a desirable'tilted arrangement of apair of cord-windingsor spools;

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate*two different and suitable windings of cord supply;

And Figs.6, 7 and 8 illustrate'in side,'end and plan'views, respectively, and diagrammatically, a commercial form of rack, or ciieel', for supporting the masses of cord sup-. p y. 1 1

To provide for the uninterrupted delivery of cords 1 to the fabric'being made, the supply masses, or windings, 2 thereof, which are preferably at least twice as many in number as there are cords in the fabric, are desirably grouped in pairs (orhigher multiples) 'on racks 3. While, for instance, one cord is being drawn ofl. from one mass of a pair, a, b, Fig. 2, its endingend a may be tied, spliced, or otherwiseconnected, as indicated at 0, to the beginning end 6' of the other mass 1) of the pair. Consequently, when one'c'ord mass is exhausted, a second mass, which'ha's previous ly been connected thereto, is ready for supplying the cord without necessarily halting the operation of the machine, I And while this second mass is bein drawn. on, another cord mass may 'be' taken rom stock and positioned in place of. the first, or exhausted, mass, In this way, one or more operatives attending the machine may maintain a sourceofsupply for each cord and, if desirable, carefully splice their be 'nning and ending ends so as to free the pro not from knots.

It is desirable to draw off the cord from a point, in axial alignment with the masses, or windings, 2. Tdaccomplish this from either of a pair of windings, or supplly masses, the lead-off is conducted either t rough travellers 4 sl'idablejron rods 5,as illustrated in Fig. 2, or through eyes 6 fixed at the intersection of the axes of tilted windings, as i1- lustratedin Fig. 3. In this latter case, if the center of gravity of the tilted masses necessltates, any suitable means, such as the slot and windings in position. In the former case, the travellers 4 are, of course, shifted automatically by the. tension, or pull, on each cord.

If the masses, or wlndings, 2 are stacked on. dlfl'erent shelves of a rack, it is advisable to guard against interference of one cord with another, at least when shiftable travellers 4 are employed, and to this end, such means as the-rods 8, flanking each shelf, and spacing bars 9, at the tops of the racks, may be conveniently supported as, for instance, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The cord may be wound to form the masses 2 in any suitable manner and on an openended spool with a conical base, suchas shown prefer, however, in all cases to employ a type of winding that maybe drawn off from a point above its axis so that the masses may remain stationary when themachine is in operation. Therefore, various types of winding may be employed, advanta eously, however, possessing free and availa le beginning and ending ends that permit operatives to splice, or otherwise unite, adjacent masses or spools.

The racks 3 holding the cord masses, or windings, 2 may, of course, be located in any convenient relation to the machine and grou ed in any convenient manner. They may e located, as illustrated, in tiers below the machine, as, for instance, on a balcony 12, with rovision for access in replenishing and splicing the spools afforded by aisles 13, or they ma be located back of the machine, i. e., to the lbft of Fig. 1,-when the apparatus is all to be assembled upon the same floor.

The cords may be conducted through any suitable means and in any convenient manner to a treating station. I preferably pass them through thread uiding and paralleling means, comprising afjustably supported apertured thread boards 14, presser rolls 15, guide rolls 16, lease rods 17, spacing comb 18,

and guide rolls 19, which act to arrange thecords in contiguous relation in sheet formation.

The layer of parallel cords thus formed is then treated with latex having the desired rubber content and with or without admixed preserving, vulcanizing, or compounding ingredients. Application of the latex may be made in any way desired, but for making weftless fabric, I refer to pass the cords around parallel guide rolls suitably supported in a tank 21 maintained filled with latex in any convenient manner. Means are desirably provided for permitting the latex being withdrawnfrom out'bf contact with the cords in order to avoid non-uniform coating if, for any reason, the machine, or apparatus, is stopped. This may be done varlous- 'ly, but most simply by providing an elevator 22 to raise and lower the tank.

. The treated cords in sheet formation are conducted from the tank through a comb '23" and between scraper bars 24 for removing a any excess of-latex. The comb 23, positioned between the scraper bars 24 and the tank 21,

insures proper spacing of each cord, or of every two, three, etc., cords, as conditions may require.

The latex-treated cords have then to be dried to unite them one to another and thereby to obtain the sought filamentary sheet material, or weftless fabric, in which parallel, and preferably contacting, cords are connected each to its neighbor by intervening films, or webs, of virgin rubber. For drying the latex, I prefer the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, which comprises a series of rather large drying cans 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29, suitably journalled in a frame 30 and each adapted to be rotated in the directionindicated by the arrows b any suitable means (not shown) at a suita le peripheral speed. It will be noticed that the dryin cans 25 to 29 rotate in the same direction. bove this row of drying cans, which are preferem 32 and heating coils 33, arranged in a fiat areh'formation, reaching from one end to the other of the row of drying cans. This combined smoothing and drying device is of less span than length, thus insurlng the maintenance of more or less tension on material drawn thereover, thereby maintaining it nearly fiat and free from wrinkles. Heat may be sup lied to the cans anddevice 31, in any desire way, most simply, as shown, by suitably connected lines of valve-controlled pipes 34 and 35, through which steam at any desired pressure, for instance, may be passed.

At one side of the apparatus, as shown, a Wind-up reel 36 may be located for removing the dried weftless fabric from the machine as fast as it is finished. And adjacent the wind-u reel, or wherever, it is convenient, I preferalily mount a coil 37 of flexible material, such as liner fabric, which is conducted through the machine so as always to intervene between the latex-treated sheet of cords and the heated metallic surfaces which constitute the several drying devices. As clearly illustrated in the drawings, the material 37, which constitutes a flexible carrier, meets the end drying can 29in advance of the latextreated sheet of cords. The flexible carrier 37 and sheet of cords then move together as a unit over the combined smoothing and drying arch 31 and for a short distance around the drying can 29, to the receiving end one, 25, of the series of drying cans. About these, the material is conducted, preferably as shown,

- fabric leaving the can 28 are conducted.

by locating idle rolls 38 in pairs and relatively close together at the tops of the drying cans so that substantially all of their large peripheral surface is utilized to conduct heat through the flexible carrier or material 37 to the latex-treated cords, which latter are thus kept out of contact with the heated metallic surfaces and prevented from gumlhing the same. The idle rolls 38 may be, and desirably are, water cooled. And if desired, an air blast may be directed in one or more of the bights of the material as it passes around the idle rolls '38. By the time the latex-treated cords have passed over the arch 31 and around the drying can 25, they are sufiiciently dried and set in their proper relative positions to pass around the first of the idle rolls 38 without gumming it and without injuring the bond between the rubber and the cords. The flexible carrier and weftless around guide rolls 39 to wind-up reel 36. For convenience in the subsequent handling of the weftless fabric, it is desirable to coil a liner strip between the convolutions thereof which" otherwise are likely to adhere. And for this reason, I prefer to utilize the flexible carrier 37 also as a liner and, therefore, to coil it up with the weftless fabric in the wind-up reel 36.

In Figs. 6 to 8 of the drawings is illustrated a form of rack, or spool support, generally known as a creel, especially valuable and practical for use in a factory. Its framework comprises any suitable. number of vertical columns, or standards, 50, secured and braced in alignment by tie-rods 51. While the tierods may be variously secured to the columns,

I preferably support their ends in; split collars 52, thereby providing for vertical adjustment of the tie-rod. On the tie-rods are supported brackets 53, such consisting of arms 54 with bent ends 55 and a split collar 56, this latter permitting leveling, as well as bodily adj ustment, of the bracket. The bent end 55 of each arm is adapted' to enter the bore in the cone or core on which the cord is wound, a disk 57 being mounted on the end of each bracket to properly support each mass 2 of cord.

At intervals on the standards 50, and at right angles to the tie-rods 51, are cross-arms 58, provided at their free ends with one or more guiding apertures 59, each arm having a one more aperture than there are cross-arms below it, and these being suitably located so as to avoid interference of one cord with another. Suitably supported at the top of the framework are a number of threadboards 60 and guide-rolls 61. The several threadboards,

of course, are located in registering alignment lengthwise of the framework, or creel.

Two brackets 53 are preferably located on each tie-rod 51 with their bent ends inclined in two directions, as apparent from plan view Fig. 8. Thus, the 05rd windings 2 may be grouped in pairs, on each side of the framework or creel, with their axes intersecting approximately in the guiding-aperture 59 in the cross-arm 58 above. Each pair of cord windings 2is also arranged with its axes inclined outwardly so that the guiding aperture 59 in the cross-arm 58 may be located far enough away from the vertical plane of the framework to clear the space occupied by the many cord windings 2, in the passage of the'cord from the source of supply to its threadboard I 60 above the creel.

The operation of the machine will be obvione from what has already been stated in the detailed descriptionthereof. Owing largely to the comparatively great length of the material between the, tank 21 and the first idle roll 38, engaged by the treated face. of the cords, which length of material is subjected to heat treatment, the apparatus of the present invention enables weftless fabric to be produced with greater speed than heretofore. The construction and arrangement of the parts require but compartively few drying cans and these may be mounted in a horizontal, rather than a vertical, frame, thereby affording greater ease in construction and access in repair or attendance. Of especial value is the feature of the cord supply which permits'of access to any of them for repleni shment of exhausted'masses and splicing of one spool being drawn on to another spool in reserve. Ver large windings may be employed with acility. No expensive or com plicated parts are required to support the masses, or windings, of cord to permit rotation thereof, as these may be, and preferably are,'statio na-ry when the. cord is withdrawn axially therefrom.

The specific form of the apparatus disclosed may, of course, be varied. While a horizontal disposition of the drying devices is preferred, it is obvious that they may he stood on end, that is, arranged generally vertically, and some of the advantages of the invention realized. It is to be understood also that the threads or cords may be of any suitable size and spaced any desired distance be-v tween their centers. While the machine or apparatus is intended primarily for manufacturing weftlessfabric, i. e., a sheet of generally parallel cords joined together sole-' 1y by webs of rubber,-or rubber composition, it mayv also be used for treatingso-called 60rd fabric having widely spaced filling threads, and in fact, any form or arrangment of cords that may be advantageously treated with latex and dried. In the claims, the term cord is used in a' comprehensive sense and is intended to include thread, or any other form of stfain-resisting-element for reinforcing or strengthening rubber articles. The features of tying the beginning and ending ends of supply masses of cord so that the supply thereof may be continued uninterruptedly, is not limited to the specific and preferred form of apparatus illustrated. This feature may be used with advantage in sup lying cords to calendersand uniting the cor s together with films orskim-coats of rubber. And the invention both in the method and apparatus is to be understood as comprehending such use of the creel'or spoolsupports disclosed. In short, all uses of this feature of the invention are intended to be comprehended in the claims,

Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to-the.

precise disclosure and col nprehends changes and alterations within the principles of the 7 construction disclosed. Therefore, reference should be made to the accompanying claims for an understanding of the scopeof the invention. r

Having thus described my invention, what I: claim and desire to protect by Letters Patexit is:

1. An less fabric, comprising in combination, means for supplying a plurality of cards, means for ap' ying latex to the cords, means intermediate the first two mentioned means for guiding and paralleling the cords, means for continuouslyremoving the treated cords from said applying means and drying them to form a sheet including aseries of heated metallic surfaces together formin an arch over which the cords are drawn un er tension and a pliable fabric carrier interposed between said series of'heated metallic surfaces and the treated cords.

2. An apparatus for manufacturing weftless fabric, including in combination, drying cans, a series of which are rotatable in the same direction, a tank for a rubber-containing liquid, means for guiding the cords to the tank and assing them therethrough in conrubber-containing liquid'to' the cords, means for iding and arranging the cords parallel in s eet formation, means for drying the treated sheet of cords includin a flexible carrier for directly engaging the s eet of treated cords,a series of drying cans, and preliminary dryin and smoothing means in the form of a fixe arch intermediate one of saidcans and the remainder of the series thereof over which the cords are. drawn under tension to initially set the treated cords in sheet formation and while substantially flat.

4. An apparatus for manufacturing. weftapparatus for manufacturing weftless fabric, including in combination, means for guiding cords and asemblin them parallel in sheetformation, means or a plying latex to the cords, a flexible carrier or conducting the cords from said appl g means, meansfor drying the latex on t e cords on said carrier to maintain them in sheet formation, said last named means includin a series of heated metallic devices arrange in arch formation and contacting only with the flex- I ible carrier, and means for removing the carrier and weftless fabric dried thereon from the machine.

5. An ap aratus for manufacturing weftless fabric, including in combination, drying cans, a series'of which are rotatable in the same direction, a tank for a rubber contaning liquid, means for iding the cords to the tanks and passing ti dm therethrough in contiguous relation, means for carrying treated cords from the tank around said series of drying cans, an'da drying device adjacent said carrying means including a substantially fixed arch, the fabric being drawn un- .der tension over the convex face of said arch by said carrying means.

6. An apparatus'for. manufacturing weft less fabric, including-in combination, drying cans, a series of which are rotatable in the same direction, a tank for a rubber contaning liquid, means for iding the cords to the tanks and passing t em therethroughin con- Q tiguous relation, means for carrying treated cords from the tank around said series of drying cans, a drying device ad'acent said carrying means including 9. su stantially fixed arch, the fabric on said carrying means being drawn under tension over the convex face of said arch, and means for applying heat to the fabric while passing over said arch.

7. An apparatus for manufacturing weftless fabric, including in combination, drying 'cans, a seriesof which are rotatable in the same direction, a tank for a rubber containing liquid, means for guiding the cords to the tanks and assing them therethrough in contiguous -relation, means for carrying treated cords from the tank around said series of drying cans, and a drying device adjacent said carrying means including a series of parallel and contiguous idler rollers arranged to form a substantially flat arch, the-fabric on said carrying means being drawn over the convex face of said arch under tension.

Signed at New York city, New York county, New York State, this 24 day of November, 1922.

- ALFRED E. JURY.

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