US2377979A - Coating articles with an impermeable cloth, felt, or the like - Google Patents

Description

J. F. STRABLE Jun 1 2, 1945.

COATING ARTICLESWITH AN IMPERMEABLE CLOTH, FELT, OR LIKE Filed Dec. 20, 194]. 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 l l hhmmul f ul mh Sosph Francis 'h' INVE NTO r2 FE T/EL No N. xx Q .1... Q V NW N 7 w. w. 0 an QQ Q Q S ws k W 8x 3 3 7 5 Q5 Jllhe 12, 1945. STRABLE 7 2,377,979

COATING ARTICLES WITH AN IMPERMEABLE CLOTH, FELT, OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 20, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 lbse h Fromcjs Sh abh.

, \NVENTOFQ Jun 12, 1945. .1. F. STRABLE .COATING ARTICLES WITH AN IMPERMEABLE CLOTH, FELT, OR THE LIKE Filed Dec. 20', 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sbse h frarm us Shame INVE'N'T 4 June I-Z, 1945. STRABL'E 2,377,979

' FELT, OR THE LIKE COATING ARTICLES WITH AN IMPERMEABLE CLOTH 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec Tose h Frmncjs 8+ rub- INVENTOE/ Patented June 12,1945- con'rme narrows wrrn AN rumm- ABLE crown, FELT, on m mm Joseph Francis Strable, Strood, England, minor to Gyproc Products Limited, London, England, a company of Great Britain Application December 20, 1941, Serial No. 423,762 I .In Great Britain April 18, 1941 13 Claims.

This invention relates to the coating of the surfaces of articles, which-are pervious to moisture or liable to deterioration when exposed to moisture, with an impermeable covering of felt, cloth, or other flexible sheet material impregnated with or consisting of a substance which becomes tacky when heated, for the purpose of rendering the articles unaffected by moisture. The invention is especially but not exclusively concerned with the application of bitumen felt'to the surfaces of panels or boards such for example as plaster boards.

Bitumen felt is commonly bonded to surfaces by the agency of hot or cold adhesives such as glues, resins or pitch. Since the object of coatins articles with bitumen felt is to render them resistant to the effects of water, waterproof adhesives have been used. Since, however, bitumen felt and like sheet coating materials already incorporate an adhesive substance which is inherently waterproof, the use of an additional water proof adhesive for the purpose of bonding the sheet material to thesurface to be coated involves waste, and it is an object of this invention to avoid such waste by dispensing with any additional ad hesive.

In the manufacture of bitumen felt it is usual to roll the felt when it is still warm, and, although while being so rolled it is sprayed with powdery substances to free it from tackiness, it neverthe 75 feet, and. it is seldom that the length of felt in a roll is an integral multiple of the length of each of a succession of similar boards required to be coated with the felt. Consequently either an end portion of each roll must be cut to waste, or a joint must be made in the felt; and accordingly it has not hitherto been possible to coat a series of boards with bitumen felt without relatively frequent interruptions to the sequence of operations when a fresh roll of felt is brought into use. Another object of the present invention is to enable a series of boards to be coated fixed to struts 21 and 28 supported on the bars with flexible sheet material such a. bitumen felt tion will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof adapted to secure a continuous length of bitumen felt to a succession of boards, this description being given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a. longitudinal section of apparatus in accordance with the invention, taken on the line l-i of that part of the apparatus appearing in Fig. 4, 7

Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively sections on the lines 2-2 and 3-3 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a plan, with certain elements in section, of a part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a side'elevation; with certain elemen in section, of the part shown in Fig. 4,

consisting of a series of rollers l4 and MA at the entry portion of the path and I5 at the discharge portion of the path. The rollers 14 and MA are journalled in two horizontal angle bars l6 and i1 fixed respectively to brackets l8 and i9 mounted on the sub-frames l2 and I3. The rollers i5 are'journalled in two horizontal angle bars 26 and 2-,! fixed to the sub-frames l2 and E3,

to a transverse angle bar 22, and to transverse angle bars 26 flxedto the posts ii.

The posts i i support an upper feed path for bitumen felt, which path includes two longitudinal angle bars 23 and 2i which are carried on transverse angle bars 25 fixed to the posts ll. Near the subframes l2 and "the bars 23 and 24 of the" upper path are inclined downwards, and their ends are 20 and 2|. The middle portion of the upper path is floored with transverse timber boards'29 (Figs. 1 and 3) fixed to timber runners. 30 and 3| in turn fixed to the bars 23 and. A timber beam 32 having a sloping upper face'forms the end of this floor remote from the sub-frames.

sub-frames are mounted on the bars 29 and 24 respectively two half bearings 91 and 38 (Fig. 2)

carrying a shaft 39 for supporting a roll 40 of bitumenefelt. Two tamred plugs 4| are slidable on the shaft 39 and-are provided with set screws 42 whereby they may be locked to the shaft after they have been forced into the ends of the core of the felt roll. The shaft 39 is capable of sliding in the bearings 81 and 38 for the purpose of adjusting the position of the roll 40 transversely, and it is provided with collars 49 fitted with set screws 44 and adapted toabut against the bearings, so that the roll can be maintained in the desired position of transverse adjustment.

Adjacent to the felt roll is a transverse tensioning member 45 (Fig. 1) which may be a bar fixed to or a roller rotatably mounted on the longitudinal bars 29 and 24.

The sub-frames I2 and I9 support the pressure roll mechanism, which includes two hollow metal rolls 46 and 41 disposed one above the other. The lower roll 41 is joumalled in bearings 48 and 49 fixed to the sub-frames I2 and I2 respectively, while the upper roll 46 is.journa1led in bearings 50 and which are capable of adjustment vertically so as to vary the depth of the gap between a the rolls. The means for effecting this adjustment are identical at the two sides of the machine, and they will be described with reference to bearing 50 and Fig. 5. The bearing 50 is integral with a cylindrical sleeve 52 s lidable on a vertical tube 53 fixed to the sub-frame l2. A'nut 54 is fixed to the sleeve 52 by a radial projection 56 fitting within a vertical slot 56 in the tube 58. The nut 54 co-operates with a lead screw 51 journalled in a bearing 58 retained within the upper end of the tube 53 by a cap 59 which is split at 6i and clamped by a stud 60. A worm wheel 62 keyed to the lead screw 51 meshes with a worm 63 keyed to a transverse shaft 64. The shaft 64 is provided with a handle 65and is common to the rolladjusting means at the two sides of the machine, so that the roll 46 is constrained'to remain parallel to the roll 41 at all times.

The upper roll 46 is arranged to be artificiallv cooled by water which is admitted at a gland union 68 to a bore 61 (Fig. 4) in the shaft 68 ofthe roll 46 and thence through a port 69 to the interior of the roll. A similar arrangement exhausts heated water at a gland union at the other side of the apparatus. A

A steel scraper blade II (Figs. 5 and 8) is bolted to an angle bar I2. Pivot pins I9 welded to the ends of the bar I2 are journalled in extensions 14 jockey sprocket 88. The sprocket 81 is fast on a.

countershaft 89 forming the output shaft of a worm reduction gearing 90, the input shaft 9I of which is connected, through a change-speed gear 92 of continuously variable ratio having a driving shaft 93 to a motor (not shown).

If desired, the roller MA on the lower path may be power driven from the counter shaft 89 by a sprocket 94 fixed to this shaft, a chain 95, and a sprocket 96 rigid with a sleeve 9'! rotatable on the shaft 98 of the roller MA. The sleeve 9'! is connected to the shaft 98 by a roller free wheel clutch 99 capable of rotating the roller I4A clockwise as viewed in Figs. 1 and 5. Additional rollers similar to roller MA and disposed along the length of the path may be driven through similar free wheel clutches. The drive to the next roller is taken by a chain I00 engaging with a sprocket fast on the sleeveSI. The peripheral speed of 'the roller I4A slightly exceeds the peripheral speeds of the rolls 46 and 41 which rotate at the same speed.

At the end of th upper feed path adjacent to the pressure rolls is disposed a device for stretchmounted in a. swivelling frame which i normally and I5 of the bearings 50 and iii. 'A weighted lever 16 urges the edge of the blade II resiliently against the surface of the roll 46, The scraper also carries a wiper strip 11 of felt having a free edge resting againstwthe roll 46 above the blade 'II. The roll in rotating frictionally-engages this edge of the wiper strip which is thereby kept in trough section. A} perforated pipe 18 disposed above this trough is arranged to deliver a row of water jets into the trough whereby the felt is kept moist and the roll 46 is externally cooled. A valve I9 controls the flow of water to the pipe I8. A similar scraper 80, journaled in extensions of the bearings 48 and 49, is resiliently engaged by means rigidly fixed on the angle bars 23 and 24. The swivelling frame consists of sideangle bar's-IOI and I02 (Figs. 4 and 5) rigidly braced by transverse rods I 03 and I04. Rollers I05 and I06 are joumalled on the two rods I04. The roller I06 is provided with a flange I01, the inner face I08 of which is accurately aligned with the inner face I09 of a fence IIO fixed to the angle bar I 'I of the entry portion of the lower feed path. The roller I06 is furthermore provided with an adjustable collar III adapted to be locked by a set screw II2. A bar H3, disposed parallel to and between the rollers I05 and I06, is fixed to lugs II 4 projecting from two levers I I5 pivoted at II6 on the side bars IM and I02. Each lever II5 carries a lateral blade II! which co-operates with a serrated quadrant arm II8 fixed to the adjacent side bar. By adjusting the levers H5 along the quadrants II8, the bar II3 of the stretching device can be raised and lowered. The stretching device is capable of a swivelling motion about a. pivot pin II9 by which the sid bar I02 is secured to the bar 24 of the upper feed path. This swivelling motion is limited by pins I20 mounted in the bar 23 of the upper path and passing through slots I2I in the side bar IOI. swivelling is controlled by a lever I22 which is pivoted at I23 to a bracket I24 fixed to the bar 28. A pin I25 couples the lever I22.to a bracket I26 fixed to the sidebar IN. The lever I22 can be locked, in the neutral position shown, by a small pin I21 accurately fitted in registering holes in this lever and in the bracket I26, in order to lock the stretching device in a position such that the rollers I 05 and I06 are exactly parallel with the pressure rolls.

A gas burner is constituted by a tube I28disposed parallel to the pressure rolls, close to the upper 01 these rolls, and close to the horizontal .plane defined by the tops of the rollers of the brackets I8 and I9 by screws I30 engaged in the brackets and passing through slots I3I in the bearers, this arrangement permitting the burner tube to be adjusted to various positions longitudinally of the machine. The burner tube is furthermore capable of angular adjustment about hearingsin the bearers, under the control of a lever I32, between a position in which the flames are directed substantially horizontally towards the roll l6 and a position in which the flames are directed upwardly clear of this roll. The burner tube is supplied with combustible mixture. through a swivelling union I33 and a hose I34 leading to an injector I35 (Fig. 1) supplied with coal gas at I35 and compressed air at I31,

The operation of this apparatus will now be described. Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6' show the machine with plaster boards and bitumen felt in positions which they occupy when the machine is running, whereas in Fig. 4 the boards and felt are not shown.

In setting up th machine for operation, the

collar III on the roller I06 of the stretching device is spaced from the flange IIJI on this roller bya, distance exactly equal to the width of the bitumenfeltr The fences 33 and 34 on the upper feed path are substantially aligned with the inner faces of the collar III and the flange I01, but spaced slightly farther apart so as to provide a small clearance, of the order of "1 5 inch, at each side between the fences and the bitumen felt when the latter is running true. A roll of felt is mounted on the shaft 39,-aligned with the fences,

and secured laterally by locking th collars 43;

The handle 65 is operated to set the gap between the pressure rolls 46 and 41 to more than the combined thickness of a plaster board and the bitumen felt. A plaster board is placed on the entry portion of the lo'wer'path, pushed laterally against the fence H D, andthen slid longitudinally until its leading end border is between the pressure rolls. The end of the felt strip is unwound from the roll 40, passed under the tension bar 45, between the fences 33 and 34 on the upper feed path, over the rollers I05 .and Iilli and under the bar iii of the stretching device and round one half-of the circumference of the pressure roll Mi, its leading edge being placed over the leading edge of the plaster board. The handle 85 is now operated to lower the roll 46 until the felt and the board are nipped between the pressure rolls. The cooling water feeds having been turned on, the gas burner is ignited and the handle I32 is operated to direct the flame towards the felt. The burner perforations are now spaced about 2 /g-3 inches from the surface of the felt on the roll 46, the compositionand pressure of the combustible mixture being such as to produce a short, hot oxidizing'flame, the tip of which just reaches the felt, this flame merging into a milder reducing flame which plays upwards for about 6 inches over the felt on the roller. After a short time the bitumen in that part of the, felt opposite to the burner will have attained the desired degree offluidity and tackiness, whereupon the driving motor is started and the pressure rolls are continuously rotated in such a direction that the felt and board are fed between them towards the discharge end of the lower path. Additional plaster boards are fed into the apparatus by being placed successively on the lower path at the entry end thereof, pushed laterally against the fence III! and thereafter longitudinally towards the pressure rolls, which is possible owing to the overrimning action of the free wheel clutches in the drives to the individual rollers. MA, toform acontinuous series of boards touching end to end. In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 the plaster boards are denoted by B and the bitumen felt strip-by S.

-The operator at the discharge end of the lower feed path severs the felt along the junctions between plaster boards by means of a hot knife, so that the coated boards can be handled individually. The leading board of the series will have a length of a few inches of felt not adhering to the board. This length is caused to adhere by passing a hot iron or a torch flame between the loose flap of felt and the board and thereafter pressing this portion of'felt onto the board.

' The machine runs satisfactorily at a linear speed of about 10 feet per minute with a bitumen felt of usual quality. As the felt strip S is drawn off the roll 40 by the action of the pressure rollers, it unwinds with a resistanceiwhich is irregularly distributed over its width, and the felt strip in consequence tends to deviate from the desired alignment. However, passage of the felt under the tensioning bar imposes an additional and substantially uniform resistance which tensions the felt. during its passage over the upper feed path; sufliciently to limit its meanderings to withing the limit permitted by the fences 33 and it. The axis of the roll BI] is spaced at a distance equal to at least three and preferably four times the width of the felt from the roller tilt of the stretching device, and this length is sufficient to allow the irregularities in the tension, due to local sticking of the felt during un-Winding, to cancel one another out sufficiently to enable the felt web to run truly onto the first roller tilt of the stretching device, which sets the web in accurate alignment with the plaster boards. The additional tension imposed by the stretching device normally ensures that the' felt web maintains its true course till round the roll lli. Furthermore the stretching device imposes such an additional resistance to movement of the felt that the felt is stretched sufliciently'to avoid risk of subsequent corrugation.

As the felt passes onto and is bent round the surface of the upper roll it and approaches the gap between the rolls, the reducing portion of the 'flame effects a preliminary softening of the bitumen on the exposed face of the felt, which is finally brought by the hot oxidizing portion of the flame to the state of fluidity necessary for proper adhesion to be secured between the felt and the boards as they pass together between the rolls. The upper surface of the boards in passing beneath the flame is preheated sufiiciently to prevent premature hardening of the tacky surface of the bitumen when it meets the boards and in this way the strength of the bond is increased. Meanwhile the other face of the felt in the heating zone is kept relatively cool by reason of its intimate contact with the roll it which is artificially cooled by both the water passing through its interior and the moisture applied to its exterior by the felt wiper strip Ii.

As the tacky surface of the bitumen felt is firmly pressed and bonded to the boards by thepressure .rolls, it may happen from time to time that a little fluid bitumen exudes at the side edges of the have to be brought into use at intervals of about 7 minutes; and an important property of the present apparatus is that it can be operated withtransverse direction, can be swivelled about the pin 9, by unlocking and manipulating the lever out interruption due to the exhaustion of a roll of felt. Before a felt roll is used up. a fresh roll, mounted on a spare shaft 39, with the wedging and locating collars 4i and it properly adjusted, is placed on the frame bars 23 and 24 adjacent to the roll in use. As soon as the latter roll is used up, its shaft is lifted out of the bearings 31 and 38, the spare shaft carrying the fresh roll is substituted, and the leading end of the new length of felt is passed under the tension bar 45. The trailing part of the old length of felt, after disengagement from the shaft 39, in being deflected past the elements I05, I08 and H3 of the stretching device, is still stretched and maintained in sufllcient tension as it passes from the stretching device to the roll 46. In splicing the leading end of the fresh roll to the trailin end of the preceding roll, it is important to provide an overlapping joint of such a width as to ensure not only a strong and durable bond capable of withstanding, during its passage through the apparatus, the tension and stretching hereinbefore de scribed, but also perfectly formed watertight joints on both sides of the felt web. Experience has shown that to accomplish this the overlap should be preferably between 6 and 12 inches.

The splicing is performed as follows. The leading end of the fresh length of felt is drawn over the trailing end of the preceding length by a distance equal to the required overlap and held in contact therewith While these ends are travelling along the floor 29 of the upper feed path. A hot iron or a torch flame is passed across the width of the felt web between the leading border portion of the fresh length and the underlying part of the preceding length so as to render the bitumen tacky. The tacky surfaces, which may extend through the leading half of the length of the overlap, are immediately thereafter pressed together on to the floor 29 so that the two lengths of felt are firmly bonded together, the last few inches of the preceding length forming a trailing flap on what is at present the under side of the felt web. As the splice passes adjacent to the burner, the whole of the exposed surface of the web is heated by the flame to a condition in which the bitumen thereon is tacky, and, as the splice passes between the pressure rolls, the handle 85 is manipulated so as to increase the gap between these rolls only for so long as is necessary to allow the splice to pass and to such an extent as to maintain the bonding pressure as uniform as possible. When the splice is passing along the lower feed path, a hot iron or a torch flame is passed between the trailing flap constituted by the end of the preceding length of felt, which end is now uppermost, and the underlying felt of the fresh length that is bonded to the plaster boards, in order to render the bitumen tacky, and this trailin flap is then pressed'onto the underlying felt so as to complete the bonding of the joint.

The stretching device, throughwhich the felt passes immediately before reaching the pressure rolls and which includes the roller I06 that is arranged to locate the felt web accurately in a I 22, in order to ocrrect any errors that may begin to occur in the alignment of the felt web with the plaster boards. Such errors are most likely to arise as a consequence of splicing a fresh length of felt, because it is very difficult to ensure that the two lengths are joined at an angle of exactly deg. If there is a slight deviation of the felt web at the splice, there will be a tendency for the web to run towards one side or the other of the machine as it passes round the upper pressure roll so that one longitudinal edge of the felt will overlap the corresponding edge of the series of plaster board while the other edge of the felt is spaced inwards from the corresponding edge of the boards. Such tendency for the felt web to run to one or the other side of its true alignment can be corrected, before it has objectionable consequences, by unlocking the swivelling lever I22, moving it in the appropriate sense from its neutral position, and returning it to the neutral position as soon as the felt web is running true again. 1

It has been found that, even in a single roll of bitumen felt, the readiness with which the bitumen will liquefy under the flame varies along the length of the web, owing principally to lack of uniformity in the bitumen content of the felt and in the coating of powder applied thereto to reduce sticking in' the roll. An experienced operator can compensate for such variation by slight adjustment of the burner tube control handle I32 so as to cause the flame to strike the felt at a level varying according to his judgment.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for applying to the surface of a series of substantially flat articles a continuous web of flexible sheet material comprising a substance which becomes tacky when heated, said apparatus including a lower feed path for guiding substantially horizontally the series of articles disposed end to end, a pressure roll disposed transversely above said path, an upper feed path for guiding said web towards the top of said roll around which the web passes to be pressed into engagement with the series of articles, a device disposed at the end of said upper feed path adjacent to said roll and including a transverse member for deflecting said web and thereby imposing resistance to its feeding motion, said device being capable of pivotal movement about an axis transverse to the plane of that portion of said web approaching said device for the purpose I of varying the alignment of said web as it engages said roll, a control member capable of pivoting said device while the apparatus i operating, and means for heating the exposed surface of said web while passing'around said roll.

2. Apparatus for applying to the surface of a series of substantially flat articles a continuous webof flexible sheet material comprising a substance which becomes tacky when heated, said apparatus including a lower feed path for guiding substantially horizontally the series of articles disposed endto end, a pressure roll disposed transversely above said path, an upper feed path for guiding said web towards the top of said roll around which the web passes to be pressed into engagement with the series of articles, a pivotally mounted device disposed at the end of said upper feed path adjacent to said roll andincluding a plurality of transverse members which are normally parallel to the axis of said roll and between which the web passes in zig-zag formation,

lateral guide means for the web on one of said transverse members, and a control member operable while the apparatus is working for pivoting the device in such a manner as to cause said transverse members, when viewed perPendicularly to that portion of the web between said device and said roll, to diverge from said axis towards either side of the apparatus at will, and means of sheet material while it is being unwound onto said upper feed path, a transverse member associated with said upper feed path and positioned to deflect the unrolling web onto said upper feed path, at least one transverse member capable of being pivoted. by a control member about an axis transverse to the surface of said upper path and positioned to deflect the web between said upper path and the upper of said rollers, around which the web is deflected into contact with the series of articles, and means for heating the exposed surface of said web while passing round said upper roll. I

4. Apparatus for series of boards a continuous Web of bitumen applying to the surface of a of said rolls, and two scrapers engaging respectively the surfaces of said rolls.

'7. Apparatus for applying continuously to the surface of a series of boards'a continuous web of flexiblesheet material comprising a. substance which becomes tacky when heated,said continuous web being formed from a plurality of separate rolls of the material, said apparatus including a lower feed path for guiding'the' series of boards placed end to end longitudinally of the apparatus.

a pressure roll disposed-transversely above said path, an, upper feed path having a floor and serving to guide the web towards the top of said j roll around which the web passes into engagement with the series of boards, means for heating the exposed surface of the web while it is passin round said roll, means for supporting a shaft carrying a supply of the flexible sheet material in position for the web to unwind therefrom onto said upper feed path, said supporting means permitting instantaneous removal and replacement of said shaft, a web-stretching device disposed between said upper path and said roll for tensioning the trailing portion of one length of the material while it isbeing joined to the leading end of a fresh length on said floor, and means for swiveiling said stretching device in order to felt, said apparatus comprising a roll, means for guiding said series of boards past said roll, means for guiding said web onto said roll, around which it runs into engagement with said series of boards, means disposed adjacent to said roll for heating the exposed surface of the web while passing round said roll, and means for delivering a'film means for guiding said web onto said roll, around 1 which it runs into engagement with said series of boards, meansdisposed adjacent to said roll for heating the exposed surface of the web while passing round said roll, means for passing a flow of cooling liquid through the interior of said roll, and means for distributing a film of cooling liquid over the exterior surface of said roll on th side thereof opposite said heating means to cool the unexposed surface of said web prior to the heating of the exposed surface thereof.

6. Apparatus for applying to the surface of a series of substantially fiat articles a continuous web of flexible sheet material comprising a substance which becomes tacky when heated, said apparatus including two co-operating superimposed pressure rolls, means for guiding the series of articles between said rolls, means for guiding the web onto one of said rolls, round part of the circumference of which it passes into contact with the articles as they pass between said rolls,

correct errors in the alignment of the web.

-8. Apparatus for applying acontinuous web of a bitumen felt, toa series of boards disposed end to end, said apparatus including a pair of rolls disposed one above the other, a roller path on the entry side of said rolls for guiding the series of boards between them, a second path on the discharge side of said rolls for guiding said web onto the upper one of said rolls around which it passes into engagement with said boards, transverse members associated with said second path and so positioned as to impart to the web a zi zag formation whereby it is tensioned while approaching said rolls, means operable for displacing at least one ofsaid transverse members relatively to the remainder for varying the acuteness of the zlg-zag formation within a range capable of effecting a permanent elongation of the bitumen felt web, heating means disposed adjacent to said roller path and said upper roll for heating said web after its engagement with said upper roll and immediately before it is pressed by said rolls into engagement with said boards, and means for artificially cooling said upper roll to cool the unexposed surface of said web.

9. Apparatus for applying to the surface of a series of boards a continuous web of bitumen felt, said apparatus including a lower feed path for guiding substantially horizontally the series of boards disposed end'to end, a pressure roll dis posed transversely above said path, an upper feed path including a floor having lateral guide fences and serving to guide said web substantially horiaontally towards the top of said roll in a direction opposite to the direction of feeding of said boards so that said web can pass around part of the circumference of-said roll into engagement with the leaves said fences, said rolled length and the one of said transverse members nearer said pressure roll being spaced apart by a distance equal to at least three times the width of said web, and said one transverse member including lateral guides ior aligning said web as it passes onto said roll, and means disposed adlacent to said roll for heating the exposed surface of said web while passing around said roll.

10. Apparatus for applying to the surface or a series of boards a continuous web of bitumen felt, said apparatus including a roll, a substantially horizontal lower feed path for guiding a series of boards beneath said roll, a substantially horizontal upper feed path for guiding said web onto said roll, in a direction opposite to the direction of feeding of said boards, so that said web will pass part way round said roll into engagement with said boards, a movable burner extending parallel to said roll and close above the part of said lower feed path approaching said roll, said burner being capable of directing a line of flame towards the exposed surface of the web while passing round said roll, and a control member for moving said "burner while it is operating so as tovary its heating effect on the web.

11. Apparatus for applying to the surface of a series of substantially flat articles a, continuous web of flexible sheet material comprising a subst'ance'which becomes tacky when heated, said apparatus comprising a roll, means for guiding said'series of articles past said roll, means for guiding said web onto said roll. around which it runs into engagement with said series of articles, a tube perforated along a portion of its circumference and disposed parallel to said roll near the exposed surface of said web passing round said roll, said tube being angularly displaceable about its axis, means for supplying a combustible gaseous mixture to said tube, and a control member operable for angularly displacing said tube and thereby varying the heating eflect, on said exposed surface of the web, 01' flames projected by said perforatedportion of the tube.

12. Apparatus for applying to the surface of a series of boards a continuous web of bitumen felt. said apparatus including two co-operating pressure rolls at least one of which is-hollow, means for guiding the series of boards disposed end to end between said rolls, means for guiding the webonto said one roll, round part of the circumference of which it passes into contact with the boards as they pass between said rolls, means disposed parallel to said one roll adjacent to the path of entry of said boards between said rolls for heating the exposed surface of the web as it passes round said one roll, means for continuously distributing a film or water over said one roll, a scraper resiliently engaging the surface of said one roll, and means for passing a flow of cooling water through said one roll. I

.13. Apparatus for applying a continuous web of a flexible material, comprising a substance which becomes tacky when heated, to a series of boards disposed end to end, said apparatus including a pair of rolls disposed one above the other, a substantially horizontal roller path on the entry side of said rolls for guiding the series of boards end to end between them, a substantially horizontal path having a floor on the discharge side of said rolls and placed at a higher level than said roller path for guiding said web towards the top of the upper one of said rolls around part of the circumference of which it passes into engagement with said boards, the length of said floor being at least three times the width of the web, heating means disposed adjacent to' said roller path and said upper roll for heating the exposed surface of the web immediately before it is pressed by said rolls into engagement with the boards, means for artificially cooling said upper roll to cool the unexposed surface of said web, and a continuation of said roller path on the discharge side of said rolls extending beyond the beginning of said upper path.

JOSEPH FRANCIS STRABIE.

Images