September 1, 1917.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



703 



The other fabrics, Osnaburgs, sheetings and tapes, need no par- 

 ticular mention, as they are standardized fabrics and differ in 

 no respect from the fabrics that are on the market today. 



Before discussing the inspection of the tire fabric, I want to 

 touch upon some of the precautions that are taken in the mill 

 in order to turn out a perfect fabric. 



snXNING, WE.WING AND FINISHING. 

 Tile spinning of the yarns is, of course, an important step 

 in the work, and it follows that unless the maximum strength 

 of the cotton is secured here the succeeding process of manu- 

 facture cannot yield a suitable tire fabric. The twisting of the 

 single yarn into ply yarn is not such a simple problem as it 

 appears. When 11 single threads are twisted into one there is 

 always a possibility of one or more threads breaking and the 

 twisted yarn continuing in its whirly course with a fewer num- 

 ber of component threads than the requirements demand. This 

 feature is known as "dropped ends" and is a serious weakness 

 when found in the fabric. It is absolutely essential that every 

 piece of yarn should have its required number of component 

 threads through its entire length ; and to twist it with this un- 

 failing accuracy involves the human element more than the 

 mechanical, as the result depends largely upon the skill and 

 alertness of the operatives. Throughout the entire handling of 

 the yarns, warp and fabric, there must be avoided any con- 

 tact with oil, dirt or grease. Rubber will not adhere to an oily 

 or greasy fabric and the tire manufacturer is very particular in re- 

 gard to the clean- 

 liness of the fab- 

 ric which he buys. 

 The mill runs 

 its looms on all 

 grades of yarn sep- 

 arately. A weaver 

 may be running 

 one loom on Sea 

 Island and another 

 on Egyptian and 

 may inadvertently 

 mix the bobbins, 

 weaving into a Sea 

 Island fabric one 

 or more bobbins of 

 Bre.\ker Fabric. Leno Weave. Egyptian yarn. 



Such a fabric is said to have "mixed filling" and is generally 

 rejected by the fastidious fabric buyer. It is important that 

 there be no broken or knotted threads. When a filling thread 

 breaks, the pick is pulled out entirely and the loom started with 

 a new pick in its proper shed. In the case of a warp thread 

 the yarn is spliced ; that is, two or three component threads are 

 knotted at a time in different places so that the binding of the 

 broken yarn does not make a bulky knot. There must be no 

 holes in the fabric and everything about it must be even and 

 uniform. After the weaving comes the mending, burling, mill 

 inspection, finishing and packing. The fabric is rolled and 

 wrapped with paper and burlap for shipping. 

 TESTING. 



The fabric, being a plain weave and of heavy construction, 

 appears to most persons as a very simple one, but this idea is 

 abandoned when the number and diversity of tests which the 

 fabric must undergo at the tire factory, is known. These tests 

 may be divided into two classes ; the physical and the visual 

 inspections. 



The physical tests include tests for strength, weight, thick- 

 ness, or gage, texture, take-up, contraction of filling, and water 

 content. When these physical tests are made and found satis- 

 factory the fabric is run over an electrically lighted inspection 

 perch. This is the visual inspection and by its means every 

 defect or irregularity in the construction of the fabric becomes 

 apparent. The irregularities that are looked for are as follows : 



Loop Knots Slack Warp Ends Hard Twist Yarn 



Warp Krrots Pulled-in Selvage Soft Twist Yarn 



Beat Ups Keed Msiks Mi.xed Warp or Filling 



Bad Start Ups , Drop End Yarn Mispicks or Double Pick's 



Uneven Fabric Split End Yarn Smaslies 



Slack Fillins Oil Stains Floats 



While the pres- 

 ence of any one of 

 these may not of 

 itself constitute 

 sufficient grounds 

 for rejection, a 

 combination of sev- 

 eral of them or 

 the frequent recur- 

 rence of one of 

 them, would place 

 the fabric in the 

 imperfect class and 

 render it unfit for 

 use in tires. 



These strict 

 specifications and 

 requirements for tire fabric give an idea of its importance in 

 the building of tires. However, with increased knowledge 

 of rubber compounds and tire construction, the importance of 

 tire fabric may be in a measure reduced. These two need not 

 necessarily conflict, as in its present form the pneuinatic tire of 

 to-day requires all the strength, flexibility and elasticity that can 

 possiblj' be brought forth in a fabric. 



COTTON TRADE NOTES. 



THE Cookson Tire Fabric Co., Mansfield, ;\Iassachusetts, is be- 

 ing organized by Jos. H. Cookson, formerly superintendent 

 of the Jenckes Spinning Co., Pawtucket, Rhode Island, w^ho will 

 have associated with him a group of local capitalists. A site 

 has been secured, and contracts for machinery and equipment 

 have been placed. The initial equipment is to consist of 40 

 cards, 7,000 spindles and 20 loom.s, with complementary ma- 

 chinery. 



W. 

 Good 



Irwin Bullard, treasurer of the Goodyear Cotton Mills, of 

 year, Connecticut, and vice-president and general manager 



of E. H. Jacobs 

 .Manufacturing Co., 

 is to be in charge 

 of the textile de- 

 partment e s t a b- 

 lished by the iler- 

 chants N a t i o n al 

 Bank, of Boston, 

 Massachusetts. 



Bkap Thread Fahrit. 



In m a n y ways 

 Goodyear, Connec- 

 ticut, is developing 

 rapidly as a result 

 of its tire fabric 

 mills. New ma- 

 chinery is • being 



installed which will increase the present weekly capacity of 

 100,000 pounds to 130,000 pounds. A new cotton storehouse 

 with a capacity of 10,000 bales has been erected, and attractive 

 modern cottages are being built along the lines of those at Good- 

 year Heights, Akron, Ohio. .'V total of 88 has already been put up. 

 Social as well as industrial progress is being manifested through 

 the Goodyear Band, singing orchestra, motion picture theater 

 and weeklv communitv dances during the winter months. 



