US42611A - Improvement in pelting-machines - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATE-s PATENT Germn.

ENOOH VAITE, OF SOUTH NATICK, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FELTING-MACHINE-S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 12,61 l dated May 3, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ENooH WAITE, late of Lawrence, but now residing at South Natick, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Machine for Manufacturing Felt or Felted Fabrics; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of whichl Figure lis a top view, Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations, and Fig. 4 a longitudinal section, of it.

My present invention, with reference to that invented by me, and on which Letters Patent N o. 40,087 have been granted, and dated Septeinber 22, 1863, may be said to be an improved machine, the nature of my improvements consisting as follows, viz: In a combination and arrangement of a feeding-apron, feedrollers, a rotary beater, and an endless battingapron orroller and ahousing or case 5 also,inthe combination and arrangement of a pasting or eementing brush and its trough with two carrying and drying rollers; also, in the combination and arrangement of the pasting apparatus, the carrying and drying rollers, and the receiving beam or roller, the whole being applied to felting machinery madein manner and so as to operate substantially as hereinafter described; also, in a combination composed not only of carrying and drying rollers and an apparatus for applying a paste or cement to a sheet of paper, but of a set of felting aprons and platens, and a mechanism for making a fibrous bat and introducing it between the felting-aprons, the whole being constructed and arranged and so as to operate substantially as hereinafter explained.

In the drawings, A denotes the frame of the machine, it being suitably formed for supporting the operative parts or mechanism, to be hereinafter explained.

At or near the rear part of the machine is an endless4 feeding-apron, B, supported by two rollers, et b, the shaft of the inner of which has a gear,`c,f1xed on one end of it, and a driving-pulley, d2, applied to its opposite end. The said gear c engages with another gear, d, which in its turn engages with the lowermost of two gears, e f, affixed, respectively, on the shafts of two iiuted feedrollers, C C', which are arranged just in advance of the feeding-apron B.

In front of the said feed-rollers there is a rotary beater, D, which is composed of a cylinder, g, supported by a shaft, and a series of blades or wings, h 7L h L, extending from the curved surface of the' cylinderl and in radial directions from its axis.

There is a curved case or housing, E, eX- tending around the cylinder, and having long horizontal openings t k, one being in front and the other in rear of the beater, as shown in Fig. 4. I

`In advance of the beater is an inclined endless batting-apron, F, which is carried by two rollers, l m, the shaft of the rearmost of which has two pulleys, n o, fixed on it. Around the inner of these pulleys and the pulley d2 of the feeding-apron an endless belt, n2, travels. So, also, around the outermost pulley of the pair n o, and the pulley p, fixed on the shaft of tle rotary pasting-brush N another endless belt, g, runs.

Immediately over the said batting-apron (which is to be formed of a cloth or material having open meshes) is a roller, G', which, acting in conjunction with the battingapron, serves to compress into a bat and deliver or move forward the fibrous material, which may be thrown by the beater upon that part of the endless batting-apron which may project in rear of the said roller and underneath the upper portionof the case or housing E.

1n front of the batting apron is a felting apparatus or Vmechanism composed of two endless aprons, G H, and certain stationary and movable platens, I K L M, arranged with respect to one another,as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The two lower platens are stationary in the frame A, and serve to support the upper part of the lower apron, H, which passes directly over both and has them eX- tended laterally' through it. The upper two, or the movable platens, pass through the apron G, and when the machine is at work are to vibrate, or each is to have a short reciprocating horizontal motion imparted to it. Each of the platens should be hollow, or contain, a chamber for reception of steam or heated air, or other proper means of applying heat to the platen.

The upper apron, G, is supported by and ens short and quick reciprocating travels around three rollers, r s t, while the lower apron, H, works around two other rollers, u c, the whole being as shown in Fig. 4. The foremost of the two rollers (via, those marked t and c) are for driving as well as supporting the aprons G H, and they are connected by gears w x, fixed on their respective shafts y e. The endless felting-apron, as well as the batting apron, are to travel atthe same rate of speed.

Besides the gear .r on the shaft z, there is a worm-gear, c', which engages with an endless screw, b', cammed by an inclined shaft, c', on which is another worm-gear, d. This latter gear d engages with a worm or screw, e', fixed on one end of adriving-shaft,f, on whose opposite end is a driving-pulley, g, about which and a pulley, h', on the shaft of the rotary beater D, an endless crossed belt, i', runs.

The two upper platens are connected with four eccentrics (fixed on the shaft f by means of four connecting-rods, 7c k k k', the same being so that while the shaft may be in revolution it, by means of the eccentrics and connecting-rods, shall impart to the upper platmovements in order to cause them to effect the felting together of the fibers of the bat, which may be between the aprons running between the felting platens.

On the shaft z of the roller i; there is a pulley, l', around which and a pulley, m', ixed on the shaft of the rotary pasting-brush N, an endless belt, a', travels. The rotary brush travels within a trough, o, for holding size or paste. Furthermore, the belt n also runs around a pulley, p', fixed on the shaft of the rearmost of two hollow carrying anddrying rollers, P Q, which, with the pasting-brush N, are arranged together and with respect to the two felting-aprons G H, as shown in the drawings. These rollers should be heated by steam or other suitable means, and they are connected by gears 1" s', applied to their respective shafts and engaged with one another.

Over the drying-roller Q, and revolved byit, is a beam or roller, It, whosejournals t t are arranged in vertical grooves u of two standards, a of. There is also, down alongside of the paste-trough, a roller or beam, S, on which a roll of paper, T, is wound. The machine not only makes the felt in a long roll or sheet, but applies and pastes or cements to one side or surface of it the roll or sheet of paper T. For ys purpose the said sheet T is led from the eam S against the periphery ofthe pastf ing-brush, and between the same and a guidingroller, w', arranged with respect to the paste-trough O, as shown in Fig. 4. From the pasting-brush the 'sheet of paper is forced upward to the rear part and over the top of the drying-roller P, where it meets the web oi felt proceeding from the felting-aprons. With such web the paper passes between the two dryingrollers P Q and around the roller Q, and thence up to and about the beam It, which winds up the combined fabric of paper and felt as fast as it may be produced by the ma hine.

The operation of the machine may be th us described. The wool or fibrous material or mate rials to be converted into felt are to be laid on the apron B, by which it will be delivered bctween thetwoiiuted rollers C C. These rollers seize it and feed it along to the action of the beater D, which, being put in rapid revolution in the direction denoted by the arrow x', (see Fig. 4,) beats it and throws it around within the housing or case E and upon the battingapron F. As the batting-apron F revolves the fibrous material thrown on it will be carried along underneath and be compacted by the roller G', and will be introduced between the felting-aprons G H. After being passed between these' aprons and being felted by them and the platens,the sheet of felted material is to be led against the pasted side of the sheet of paper T, and with the said sheet of paper goes between the drying-rollers P Q, they serving not only to compress the paper and felt together, but to dry the paste and give a Iinish to the whole.

The employment of a beater instead of a picker, as used in the machine which forms the subject of the patent to which reference has hereinbefore been made, is advantageous, for the picker is liable to break and seriously injure hair, jute, or other fibrous material of long fiber when used with wool in making the felt, whereas the beater does not do this, and, besides, it breaks up the matted portion of the hair and more or less separates the dust and extraneous matters from it. The endless batting-apron is preferable to a perforated cylinder, because the apron can be arranged to better advantage with respect tothe beater, and the web is better laid on it. The beater makes a greater draft of air than a picker produces, and in consequence thereof lays the web better on the batting-apron.

I do not herein claim a combination of a picker, a perforated cylinder, or its equivalent, and machinery for 'eltin g, the whole arranged and so as to cooperate as described and represented in the specification of the patent hereinbeiore mentioned. Nor do I vherein claim a machine or combination composed not only or" machinery for making felt, but a mechanism or apparatus for applying paste or cement. to a sheet of paper or the equivalent thereof when applied to felt in manner, and under circumstances as described in the said patent. Nor do I herein claim a combination composed of afelting mechanism, a pasting apparatus, a perforated or wovenwire cylinder, and a picker, thewhole being as represented in the said patent.

What I claim as of my present invention is as follows, that is to say 1. The combination and arrangement of the feeding-apron B, the feed-rollers C C, the rotary beater D, the batting-apron F, the roller G', and the case E, the whole being made to operate together and with felting aprons and as to be heated as described,) and an apparatus for applying paste or cement to a sheet of paper, but of a set of felting aprons and plat' ens as described, and a mechanism for mak ing a bat and introducing it between the felting-aprous, the Whole being constructed and to operate essentially as and for the purpose or objects as hereinbet'ore explained.

ENOCH VAITE.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, F. l?. HALE, Jr.

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