US2278926A - Knitted metallic fabric for belting and other uses - Google Patents

Description

April 7, l1942. R) L. HARTwELL 1 2,278,926

KNITTED METALLIC FABRi FORIBELTING AND OTHER usEs Fi1ed Feb. 15. -1941 Q @Q @n @ya QV@ uw@ a mi@ U@ ,@Q

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Patented pr.7, 1942 UNITED STATES' PATENT AND OTHER USES OFFICE Ralf L. Hartwell, Orange, N. J.; assignorto Metal Textile poration of Delawil'l'ev Application February 15,1941, 'sei-ici No. 379,'054 4 claims.' (ci. ss-zoz) This invention relates to improvements in material for belting and other uses; and the inven` tion has reference, more particularly, to av novel construction of metallic fabric formed from vimitted wire,

The invention has for an object to provide a strong, flexible and non-stretching metallic fabric formed from knitted wire, said .fabric being yadapted to serve various uses', and being-especially well adapted for the production of metallic Corporation, West belting from which endless belts of any .desired 1 width and length maybe produced; such belting being adapted to provide belts suitablefor .many purposes, such e. g. as conveyor belts, screening belts, Fourdrinier beltsl for paper making machinery. and belts for general use.

Otherobjects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be` understoodfrom the following detailed description' of the same. l

Illustrative embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawing, in which: F18. 1 is a face view of ai tubular knitmetallic Orange, N. J., a ecrhereinafter described. will providey a belting or other material of desired predetermined width'. Inasmuch as the circular knitting machinery is adapted to produce any desired continuous length of tubular knitba'sefabric III, it follows that there is no limit to the length of belting or lother material possible to be-made.

.The tubular base fabric It comprises the usual interknit or interlinked open loops H, which may be selectively varied as to size by adjustment or selection of knitting machinery uponwhich said base fabric is produced.

A suitable length of base fabric Il having been produced, the same 'is removed from the knitting` machinery, and thereupon processed to form f it into the ultimate flexible andnon-stretching v belting or other material. To this end, the length base fabric from which the novel belting or material for other purposes is produced; Fig. 2'is a face view of the4 base fabric after it has been processed to produce the .novel belting or other materialaccording to this invention; and Fig. 3 is' a transverse sectional view-of the belting or other material, taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2, but drawn on an enlarged scale.

Fig'. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a double ply metallic belting made from the material shown in Figs. 2 and 3; and Fig. 5

-'is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a single ply metallic belting according to thisiifif. vention.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the above'described view's,"t`o indicate'v correspending parts.

l .'I'he novel fabric of this invention is produced lateral contraction with the added .effect of likeof base fabric Il is subjected. by suitabielagen- 'cies, to a longitudinal stretching; Such stretching is continued to the point, or preferably somewhat beyond the point, ofthe elastic limit of the fabric. The result of such stretching necessarily both lengthens and narrows the fabric, but the primary objectv thereof is to elongatethe inter-knit;l I

or interlinked loops Ii thereof in such manner as to bring the wire strands forming the legs] t2 of the saine into lateral abutment one upon an,- other at points closely adjacent to the interlinked bights il of said loopsiwhereby the loop straddling and loop embraced wire strands continuously abut throughout the `width of the fabrio body. By thus bringing the legs I2 of adjacent loops into such mutual abutment. the loops are caused to mutually interbrace each other laterally, thus reducing the fabric to the limit of wise limiting any further elongation or longitudinal expansion of the loops. .In this manner from knitted wire f selectedgauge laccording to the requirements of the particular usejwhich a given belt or other ultimate product produced a knittedemetallic fabric of fixed width and length, free from tendency to stretch, yield or otherwise deforin either lngitudinally or laterally is obtained, while at the same time, owing to the' interlinking of the 'bights i3 of the loops, a degree of hinging or *pivotal action between longitudinally adioiningloobs is retained. suilicient to assure lm'iiziti'idinalflexibilityv of the' fabric.

therefrom is to serve; i. e. the b fabric may be k'nitted from ne, medium-o co wire as may 'be best suited to la given p f o'r which a belt or other product produced therefrom-is 'to be Illustrative ol'- one method ofproducing the novel-belting or other'material, wire of suitable `izauge is knitted Yinto a comparatively-,loose knit tubular base fabric .il by suitable circular Imit-l ting machinery adapted to produce a' diameter thereof which.. when .atteneri and processed as 5^ The fabric resulting' from the 4described procesvsinirwill not only 'be sumciently flexible for beltinc and like purposes necessitating flexibility, but

.will also\withstand very considerable stress in the direction of its length. which is likewisea necessary characteristic of'beltlngfmaterial.

When the processed fabric is used for belting,

emiiess .heus of anyaesired .ienginna width within reason may'fbe readily produced therefrom,

nanicallycoup 2 accesso y v combination of loose knitting with subsequent the meeting ends of' which may be operatively joined by b welding or by otherwise mechthe same.' 'Ehe novel belting thus provided, being of metallic material, will be sturdy and long wearing. Furthermore, owing to its interstitial or open mesh character, by reason of the symmetrically disposed openings Il provided between the legs I1 ot the interlinked loops.

composing the same, the belting is admirably `adapted for use' in conveyer belts, especially where a non-dust collecting belt surface is desired; and, for the same reason, is also well-v loop stretching by agencies incorporated in the i knitting machinery per se.

adapted-to provide belts of screening character in cases-where a belt of screening or filtering function is required. lIn the latter class of belts are `lourdrinier aprons or belts for paper making machines, and the processed knitted fabric of this invention is well adapted to serve in such connection, in which case the fabric would be knitted from very fine wire, and would be used with the loop bight side thereof at its underside.

When the belting fabric is made from'flattened Y tubular knit base fabric, the belting or .othermaterial produced therefrom is of two-ply character, which rendersthe same exceedingly strong and durable. However, thenprocessed fabric or iinished b'elting or other material may likewise be produced in a single ply form, as indicated in Fig. 5, and, in such case, the base fabric may be of nat or warp knit character in single ply, or a tubular knit base fabric may be split and the raw edges suitably secured against raveling; such single ply base fabrics being processed by stretching in suitable 'manner and by suitable agencies to and preferably somewhat beyond the limit of its longitudinal elasticity.

l While the use of the novel knitted fabric for belting has been emphasized, it willr be obvious that there aremany other uses tokwhich the saine may be put wherein the requirement is for a `flexible and non-stretching metallic fabric Having now described my invention. what I claim is:

1. A metsme fabric for the purposes described y comprising, 4a body of knitted wire wherein the knitted loops thereof have been stretched lengthwise to theirJ .elastic limit to provide the same with straight taut legs disposed in lateral abutment oneupon another at points closely adjacent to the interlinked bights of longitudinally connected loops, whereby thev loop straddling and loop embraced wire strands are disposed in continuous and laterally aligned abutment throughout the width of the fabric body so as to limit both lateral contractionand longitudinal stretch of the fbric. y

2. A metallic fabric for the purposes described comprising, a body of initially loosely knitted wire, Awhich body has been stretched lengthwise to its elastic linut, and wherein the knitted loops thereof havetheir legs permanently disposed in lateral abutment one upon another at points closely adjacent to the interlinked bights of longitudinally connectedloops so that the loop straddling and loop embraced wire strandscon-- tinuously abut throughout the width of the body to limit both lateral contraction and longitudinal stretch of the latter.

3. A flattened tubular body of initially loosely knitted wire, which body has` been stretched lengthwise to its elastic limit, and wherein the llnterlin'ked bights of transverse rows of the sheet or strip, and especially a' sheet or strip vin the manner above set forth, -it is nevertheless recognized that the same. may possibly be produced by a direct knitting operation) or by a knitted loops thereof have their sides in mutually abutting relation so as to interbraceeach other laterally throughout the width of the body, to

thereby limit both lateral contraction and longitudinal stretch of the latter.

4. A flattened tubular body of initially loosely knitted` wire, which body has been 'stretched lengthwise to its elastic limit whereby the knitted loops thereof have their legs disposed in lateral abutment vtine upon`- another at points closely adjacent to the interlinked bightsvof longitudinally adjoiningloops and throughout the width of the body, '-to thereby limit both lateral con.

traction and longitudinal stretch of said body. RALF L. HARTWELL.

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