US2037676A - Cloth finishing - Google Patents

Description

S. L; CLUETT CLOTH FINISHING April 14, 1936.

` Filed Aug. 15, 1932 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 NNN April 14, 1936. s. L.. CLUETT CLOTH FINISHING Filed Aug. 15, 1932 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Ill Wn ljafl///a/Z. W

April 14, 1936. sfl.. cLUETT CLOTH FINISHING Filed Aug. 15, 1932 v 6 Shets-Sheet 5 April 14,v 1936. s. L. cLuETT CLOTH FINISHING Filed Aug. l5, 1952 6 Sheets-Shea?l 4 Apri114,1936. s, -CLUETT f 2,037,676

CLOTH FINISHING April 14, 1936.

S. L. CLUETT' CLOTH FINISHING Filed Aug. 15, 1952 r Il (Ill [III IIIHHI llllllll I'I Patented Apr. 14, 1936 UNITED STATE-s PATENT OFFICE CLTH FINISHING Sanford L. Cluett, Troy, N. Y., assigner to Cluett, Peabody & Co., Inc., Troy, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 15, 1932, sei-iai No. 628,852

s claims.: (ci. 264-38) May 31,v 1932. The rst of said patents discloses.

a tentering machine adapted to shrinkcloth in length by stretching it-in` width. As a substitute for or supplement to such mechanism there is disclosed in the second of said patents a method of cloth shrinking especially adapted to beipracticed in conjunction with ironing a web of cloth. The third of said patents discloses a combination of the mechanisms andprocesses of the first two of said patents, into a combined mechanism and process coextensive with the tentering and ironing steps of cloth finishing and involving a multi-stage shrinking operation adjustable in regard to proportion of lengthwise and'widthwise shrinkage. The present invention will be describedin connection with the mechanism of said patents, although capable of wider application to tentering and ironing machines 'of other kinds.

The present invention has'for one of its objects to provide in combination with cloth nnishing mechanism, devices adapted to provide easy, quick and accurate adjustment of the percentage of shrinkage imparted to the cloth. The invention particularly aims successfully to accomplish this object in finishing machinery in which the cloth is subjected to serial operations which effect the ultimate length of the cloth in different ways, and is especially useful in regulating the functions of 'a' complicated series of cloth finishing mechanisms in such a way as to facilitate maintaining the mechanisms in the desired adjustment to produce any desired shrinkage effect within the capacity of the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide automatic means for control of the cloth passing from a tentering machine into an ironing machine.

The invention will now be described by reference toa specific instance thereof, explained by way of example in this specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a series of cloth finishing instrumentalities in vwhich the cloth is subjected to shrinkage; I

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the entering end of tentering machine at the right of Fig. 1,;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side e1evation,\with certain parts' omitted, showing the exit end of the tenter and the mechanism governing the rate of travel of the tentered cloth to the ironing mechanism; Y

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing an adjustable geared coupling between the main driveshaft of the ma- 5 chine and the feed mechanism for the'tenter;

- Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section on' the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, showing particularly the driving connection to the rotatable set of gears of the adjustable geared coupling of Fig. 4;

Fig. 5' is a fragmentary radial sectional view ofthe rotatable set of gears of Fig. 5;

Fig.v 6 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 6-'6 of Fig. 5;y

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view, partly in per- 15 spective, showing the feed rolls and regulating mechanism of Fig. 3 together with an automatically-variable drive connection to said rolls;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the automatically-variable drive connection of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a side view, taken on the opposite side of the machine from Fig. 1, showing the ironing mechanism of that figure, parts being broken away and the adjustable geared coupling between the drive shaft of the machine and the drive of the ironing machine being shown in vertical section;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary plan view of the portion of the apparatus of Fig. 9 which includes the adjustable geared coupling of that ligure;x Fig. 11 is a vertical-section on the line Ii-II of Fig. 10: and

Fig. 12 is-a side elevation similar in point of view to Fig. 9, showing the exterior of the casing of the adjustable geared couplingl of Fig. 9.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 the illustrative combination of cloth finishing devices includes a tentering machine 20, having diverging runs of fabric web edge grasping devices such as pins 2l adapted to stretch the fabric in width dur- 40 ing lengthwise travel. The tentering machine preferably also includes such adjuncts as spray nozzles 22, 23 adapted to moisten the fabric during stretching, and an air drier 24 and heating coils 26, adapted to dry the fabric to set it in its tentered condition. A suitable motor 3| is connected to advance the web edge holding devices 2|.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, the motor 3|- may for example be connected to a variable speed drive such as a Reeves drive 3l* which in turn drives a tenter cross-shaftA 3l". Suitable gearing may be employed to connect this cross-shaft to the sprocket wheels 3I of which one is shown inFig. 3 for driving the chains which carry the 55- pins 2| or analogous web-edge holding devices, the means for driving these latter being of any desired construction.

When stretched widthwise by these devices the moistened fabric is widened and is subject to rearrangement of its constituent yarns, as a result of greater tension in the wefts .than in the Warps. To cause lengthwise shortening of the fabric during such rearrangement it is preferred to provide for relaxation of the fabric lengthwise thus causing the warps to assume a more sinuous configuration about the tensioned wefts and thereby shorten the total length of the web. To this end, the device preferably includes means for applying the cloth to the web-edge holding devices in a lengthwise slack condition, and in the illustrated tentering machine wherein these web edge holding devices constitute pins, the cloth is preferably drawn thereto at an angle from feed rolls 32, 33, and impaled thereon by primary and secondary impaling brushes 34 and 35, (Fig. 2). Feed rolls 32, 33 are conveniently mounted in suitable bearings in standards 31 at the end of the tenter frame, and the lower roll 33 is so located that the inclined cloth passing onto the pins supports the primary impaling brush 34. yBrush 34 is vertically responsive to this inclined cloth approaching the pins, so that the angle at which the cloth is impaled, and hence the slack cloth between each pin depends upon the rate at which the cloth is allowed to pass by the rolls 32, 33. Cloth may be allowed to pass at such a slow rate by these rolls as to remain in a taut condition after impalement, whereupon substantially no lengthwise take-up occurs during weftwise stretching; or cloth may be allowed to pass at varying higher rates so as to have varying degrees of lengthwise slack after impalement whereupon lthe cloth takes up longitudinally during weftwise stretching. The practical effect desired and attained is that, within a limit, cloth fed by the feed rolls 32, 33 will be reduced in length in the tenter by whatever ratio the rate of feeding by the rolls 32, 33 exceeds the rate of travel of the tenter pins o other web edge holding devices.

It will now readily appear that the tentering machine provides for stretching the cloth to a predetermined and desired width and further is capable of effecting various degrees of lengthwise shrinking from zero up to the capacity of the machine to receive lengthwise slack; therefore that Within limits this mechanism provides when desired the capability of delivering cloth of constant width and of varying length in comparison to its original length.

Passing to the delivery end of the tentering machine 20, the cloth is doifed by any suitable meansisuch as the wheel 39, and passes around idler rolls 40 and 4| to a second pair of feed rolls 42, 43.

I'he apparatus preferably includes means for securing a spontaneous shrinkage of the cloth in weft or in both warp and weft at this stage of treatment. To this end the apparatus preferably includes a moistening chamber 46 in which moistening devices 41 and 48 act on the passing cloth.

The cloth may then pass around idler rolls 49, 49 and adjustable expander rolls 56 which latter may be used as desired or necessary to smooth the cloth widthwise or even tostretch it if complete preshrinkage weftwise is not desired.

From thence the cloth passes to any suitable drying and ironing device. Preferably such drying and ironing d'evice is of a construction utilizing the principle disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,861,422, according to which the cloth,

confined to a contracting belt surface, is comy pressed longitudinally to a shorter dimension. The drying and ironing machine 5|)E (Fig. 1) may therefore include a large rotary drying drum 5I, an endless traveling band of substantial thickness 52 running on the drum, and suitable rollers 53 and a supplemental drying drum 54 all adapted to constrain the band 52 to an endless course of travel about the drum 5| in the directions of the arrows a. The roller 53 at the point where the band 52 runs onto the drum preferably is' arranged to nip the band against the drum at this point, and is preferably provided with a series of heated pressure irons 56 as disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,861,424 for the purpose of confining the entering cloth between the expanded belt surface on the roller and maintaining such pressure-confinement until the band reverses its curvature in passing onto the drum 5|.

With the drying and ironing apparatus thus constructed to shrink the cloth, the shrinkage obtained therein will occur in the length of the cloth and be dependent upon the thickness of the particular band 52 employed.

It will now appear that the described apparatus in one aspect involves subjecting the cloth to spontaneous moisture shrinkage (due to the various water sprays) and to stretching in width (in the tentering machine and by the expander rolls 50), followed by drying and ironing, with all of said operations taking place during length- Wise travel of the cloth. In order tovpredetermine and regulate accurately the extent to which cloth will be shrunk by such treatment, the present invention provides a positive geared connection between the intake feed rolls 32, 33 and the rotating drying drum 5| including a gear set having a series of gears of varying diameter providing for quick change from one positive geared connection to others of slightly different speed ratio. Although one such gear set could be used to advantage, the entire apparatus herein described preferably includes two such gear sets, either of which may be actuated to change the gear ratio between the feed rolls 32, 33 and dryer drum 5| It is preferable that each such gear set be capable of altering the speed ratio in a plurality of steps each equivalent to a shrinkage of approximately one quarter inch per yard occurring between the feed rolls 32, 33 and the drying drum 5|. In this preferred form of the invention wherein either or both of two gear sets may be adjusted to provide the desired shrinkage ratio, one gear set is preferably at each end ci' the machine, for ready access to the operator.

Running the entire length of the machine there is preferably provided a main drive shaft 3D, and when the tentering machine is driven as above described, this main shaft can be most conveniently driven by bevel gears 30a and 3|)b from the driven cross-shaft 3| b of the tentering machine. Thus `the main drive shaft 30 always bears a constant ratio to the speed of the tenter pins 2 I, and is itself of constant speed unless the Reeves drive 3| is adjusted to alter the speed of the entire apparatus.

Referring to Fig. 2, the intake feed rolls 32, 33 carry bevel gears 62, 63 respectively meshing with bevel gears 64, 65 which are fast on a shaft 61 which constitutes a driving connection for both feed rolls 32, 38. The main drive shaft 30 carries ammore near' its end a gear 43 (Figs. 4 and 6)'meshing with a larger gear 10 which is preferably the driven by the main shaft 30 and constituted of a plurality of gear elements of successively larger diameter. Preferably, in order to provide for adjusting the speed of the cloth in steps corresponding to shrinkages of .approximately one quarter inch per yard, the smallest gear 10 has 144 teeth,y the next gear 1| has 145 teeth, and so on by arithmetical progression. A splined shaftl 80* (Figs. 4, 5 and 6) has rotatably mounted thereon a slider 8|I carrying an idler gear82l adapted to mesh with any of the gears 10 to 84, and another similar gear 83n meshing with idler gear 82* and keyed to shaft 80' with a slidingkey. Shaft 80', in turn is geared to another shaft 88 (Fig. 2) by intermeshing gears 81 and 88, and shaft 88 is geared to vertical shaft 61 by bevel gears 91 and 92 (Fig. 2). Preferably a handle on the slider8i carries a retractable pin |02 (Fig. 6) adapted to engage in any one of a plurality of holes |03 (Fig. l2) corresponding to the y the web edge holding devices oi' the tentering machine (by engaging gear 82El on the slider with gear 10 of the gear set), or at the ratio of 36% inches, 361/2 inches, 363/4 inches, etc., per 36 inches of travel of the tenter pins, or at other series of ratio depending upon the speed ratio adopted.

The slider 8|*l preferably carries a pointer |05 (Figs. 2 and 6) adapted to cooperate with a scale |08 marked in numerals indicating the amount of excess cloth fed per yard of travel of the tenterI pins. Assuming that the gear set is adjusted to feed an excess of cloth amounting to one inch per yard, the effect of the moistening and widthwise stretching operations will be tol shrink the cloth the amount of such excess.

It will be observed that the described gear set insures that a positive geared ratio will exist between the tentering machine speed and the speed of the feed rolls, but enables such ratio to be changed instantly to any one* of the fourteen graduated ratios provided. Furthermore accurate setting of this ratio is assured by the fact that theA feed rolls are not driven until the idler gear 82 is meshed with one of the large gears 10s-84, so that it isinsured that the machine lwill not be left running with some unknown or to control the net amount of shrinkage to be obof this clutch is keyed to a longitudinal shaft I8 and adapted to be thrown into and out of engagement by means of a suitable clutch lever ||8. Referring to Figs. 9, 10 and 11, the shaft I8 has rotatably mounted thereon a slider I2 I carrying a gear |22 keyed to splined shaftll8 by a sliding key and meshing with an idler gear |23. As in the case of the gear set at the entering endof the machine the gear set includes a stepped series of gears, herein indicated by the reference characters |38 to |40, (Fig. 9) and which may be constructed of individual gear rings in a manner similar to the construction shown in Fig. e. In the present case however the composite gear member comprised of the several rings is fast on a shaft |43, which acts through bevel gears |50, |5|, shaft |52, gear |53 and large ring gear |54, to drive the drier drum 5|, as indicated in Fig. 10.

The slider |2| preferably carries a handle portion |51 having thereon a retractable pin |58 (Fig` 11) adapted to engage in any one of a plurality of holes (Fig. 12) corresponding to the respective gears |30 to |40.

In thecase of the gear set at the drying and ironing end of the machine, it is desirable to provide for so adjusting the speed ratio between the drier drum and main shaft as to cause the surface speed of the drier drum either to be the same as, less than, or greater than the speed of travel of the cloth in the tentering machine, and to provide adjustments in increments of 1A inch per yard both above and below the speed of the edge holding' devices of the tentering machine, Accordingly inthe present illustration, gear |38 of the set may for example have 144 teeth, and when meshed with idler |23 cause drum 5| to travel at the same speed as the tenter pins 2|, while those gears to the left of gear |30 in Fig. 9 may be successively smaller by one tooth each (to provide incrementally higher speeds of the drum 5|) and those teeth to the right of gear |38 may be successively larger by one tooth each (to provide incrementally lower speeds'of the drum 5|). The scale |80, with which the pointer IGI is adapted to cooperate may thus be marked with zero opposite the gear |38, and with indications, each varying by V4 inch on either side of such zero-mark, and corresponding to the respective gear elements on either side of the gear |38.

As illustrative of the use of the gear set at l the drier end of the machine, if the idler gear |23 is engaged with the appropriate gear element so as to cause the pointer |6| to indicate 1 inch per yard, it will be assured that for every 36 inches oi' cloth delivered by the tentering machine, 35 inches of cloth will be delivered by the drier drum; further that if the gear set at the intake rolls is adjusted at 1/2 inch, the shrinkage experienced by the cloth between the intake rolls 32, 33 and the drier drum 5| will be almost exactly 1% inches per yard. Thus it will be observed that the present invention renders possible maintaining an accurate geared relation between the intake and delivery elements of the mechanism within which shrinkage occurs; that the` ratio can quickly and readily be adjusted by a simple manipulation of gears; that the exact amount of shrinkage will readily be apparent from the pointers |05 and |6I, that there is no danger ofthe machine being operated at any but certain Vpredetermined shrinkage ratios corresponding to the gear ratios determined by the respective gear teeth, and that the shrinkage indications by the 'pointers |05 and |6| are accurate notwithstanding wear of the driving connections.

It has been described how the fabric is doifed from the tentering machine and passed around idler rolls 40 and 4| to feed rolls 42 and 43. One important function of these feed rolls 42, 43 is to convey the cloth away from the tentering machine while holding the fabric against the pull from the drying drum 5| so that the fabric may come oil? the tentering machine under a miniminn of tension. It will be understood that the fabric treating apparatus to the left of the feed rolls 42, 43 in Fig. 1 may exert a shrinking effect both by virtue of the contraction oi' the surface of belt 52 in passing onto drum 5| and also by virtue of the shrinking action of the sprays 41 and 48; this shrinking eifect may be counter-balanced to any desired degree by control of the tension existing in the region between the drying drum 5\| and tentering machine 20. The present invention aims to provide for controlling the tension existing in this region by automatic means controlled by the cloth coming from the tentering'machine. Means is therefore provided for automatically increasing or decreasing the speed of the conveying rollers 42, 43 in response to the occurrence of faster and slower delivery ofthe web from the tentering machine. It will be apparent that fabric may come from the tentering machine in different conditions of lengthwise shrinkage or stretch depending upon previous treatment of the web and the adjustment of the feed rolls of the tentering machine, thus resulting in somewhat varying rates of delivery of the fabric from the tentering machine; the means now to be described acts to compensate for such variations in delivery. Preferably the idler roll 4| is rotatably mounted at its ends in sliding blocks |10, of which one is shown in Fig. 3, each of these blocks being mounted for vertical movement in a guideway |1|, the blocks |10 and idler roll 4| being almost entirely counterbalanced by weights |12. Thus the idler roll 4| rests only lightly upon the fabric web and is quickly responsive to increase or decrease n rate of delivery of the fabric from the tentering machine. Chains |14, connecting the sliding blocks |10 and the counterbalance weights |12, pass over sprocket wheels which are fast.

on a cross shaft |16. Mounted on one end of this shaft |16 is provided a pulley |11 (Fig. '1) which thus turns in accordance with increase or decrease of rate of delivery of fabric from the tentering machine. The conveying feed rolls 42, 43 are preferably driven by suitable gear and chain connections as indicated in Fig. '1 from the driving sprocket |89 of a Reeves variable speed drive |90. The driven sprocket |9| of this variable speed drive is preferably suitably driven by a chain |93 and sprocket |94 from the main drive shaft 30 of the machine. As is well known this Reeves variable speed drive can be adjusted to alter the ratio between its driven and driving sprockets by rotation of an adjusting pulley, indicated herewith by the reference character |95. A suitable belt |96, passing around pulleys |91 and |98, is arranged to connect this pulley |95 and the previously described pulley |11. As a result, if the rate of delivery of fabric by the tentering machine is such that an excess of fabric begins to accumulate in rear of the conveying rolls 42, 43, the idler roll 4| drops slightly, and the connections therefrom to the Reeves drive operate to increase the driving speed of the conveying rolls 42, 43; likewise decrease in the fabric between the tentering machine and the rolls 42, 43 results in a slowing down of these rolls.

aosaeve -A further and .desirable eiect of the above automatic controlling means may now be considered. Having 'in mind that it is desired that the action of the devices to the left of the exit end of the tentering machine shall have the capacity of the shrinking fabric to a considerable extent, it will readily appear that the maximum shrinkage capacity of these devices may be greater than required for certain kinds of fabric.

The conveying rolls 42, 43 may, therefore in some cases, act to stretchthe fabric in length, thus partially or even wholly offsetting the shrinking effect of the devices to their left. The positive driving connections between the entering feed rolls 32, 33 at the right of the machine and the rotating drying drum 5| accurately predetermine and fix the total longitudinal effect of the machine upon the fabric. Now assuming that for any reason the cloth delivered by the tentering machine varies in regard to its lengthwise condition, becoming slightly less shrunken or more nearly stretched; the idler roll will under these conditions drop slightly, speeding up the conveying rolls 42, 43, diminishing accordingly the subsequent stretching effect, thus automatically compensating for variation in action of the tentering machine without changing the net shrinking effect as predetermined by the positive drive connections and changeable gear sets of the machine.

Further it may be noted that certain adjustments of the changeable gears at the entering end of the tentering machine may result in cloth being substantially taut lengthwise when it is doifed from the web-edge holding devices of the tentering machine, while with certain other adjustments of these changeable gears the cloth may be quite slack when doed. The automatically controlled conveying rolls 42, 43 insure that the fabric will be conveyed away at the appropriate rate in either case.

From the foregoing, i-t will be apparent that in the illustrated example of the invention, the

closure is for the purpose of illustration only andl that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A cloth finishing machine including means for mechanically shrinking a web of cloth in length, said shrinking means including a cylinder and a blanket having a cloth-engaging surface adapted to contract in rimning onto the cylinder, mechanism which controls the travel of the web at a point in advance of the cylinder, and a positive driving connection between the cylinder and the web-controlling mechanism including changeable intermeshing gears adapted to permit change of the speed ratio between the cylinder and web-controlling mechanism, whereby to provide continual exactness of the selected ratio between the linear quantity of cloth delivered by the apparatus and the linear quantity of cloth entering the apparatus.

2. A machine for finishing a cloth web, including a rotary drying and ironing cylinder and an endless blanket running thereon, mechanism which controls the travel of the web at a point in advance of the cylinder, and a positive driving connection between the cylinder and the webcontrolling mechanism including changeable intermeshing gears -adapted to permit change of the speed ratio between the cylinder and webcontrolling mechanism, whereby to provide continual exactness of the selected ratio between the linear quantity of cloth delivered by the apparatus and the linear quantity of cloth entering the apparatus.

3. A machine for finishing .a cloth web, including a rotary drying and ironing cylinder and an endless blanket running thereon, mechanism which controls theitravel of the web at another location in its travel, and a positive driving connection between the cylinder and the web-controlling mechanism including changeable intermeshing gears adapted to permit 'change of the speed ratio between the cylinder and web-controlling mechanism, whereby to provide continual exactness or the selected ratio between the linear quantity of cloth delivered by the apparatus and the linear quantity oi cloth entering the apparatus. 1

4. Cloth finishing mechanism including a. tentering machine and a drying and ironing machine, positive driving connections interconnecting said machines, means for altering the speed ratio between the rates of travel of cloth in said machines, and means adapted to grasp the cloth for controlling the rate of travel of the cloth at a point between said tentering machine and said drying and ironing machine, said controlling means thereby being adapted to stretch the cloth extending between it and the drying and ironing machine, and means automatically responsive to the rate of delivery of cloth from the tentering machine for regulating said controlling means to prevent excess tension in the cloth coming from the tentering machine.

5. Cloth i'lnishing mechanism including a tentering machine and a drying and ironing machine arranged to receive the cloth from the tentering machine, driving connections interconnecting said machines, means adapted to grasp the cloth at a point between said tentering machine and said drying and ironing machine for controlling the rate of travel -of the cloth at said point, said controlling means being adapted to stretch the cloth running from it to the drying and ironing machine, and means automatically responsive to the rate of deliveryof cloth from the tentering machine for regulating said controlling means to prevent excess tension in the cloth coming from the tentering machine to the said controlling means.

sANFoRp L. CLUETIV.

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