Importance

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Abstract

A spreader for spreading a fabric having upper and lower sides, transversely spaced edges and longitudinally extending reenforcing cords spaced laterally across said fabric between said edges preparatory to treating the fabric in a calender, as the fabric moves in a given path to the calender. The spreader includes a mandrel having an outer generally cylindrical surface concentric with a rotational axis. The cylindrical surface has a helical groove having convolutions with a pitch generally equal to a desired cord distribution laterally of the fabric. The mandrel is rotatably mounted to a support structure such that the mandrel is positioned transverse to the fabric with the cylindrical surface of the mandrel aligned with the fabric path to be generally tangential to a side of the fabric as the fabric moves in the given path. A first motor positioned on the support structure rotates the mandrel about the axis at a given rotational speed. A second motor moves the support structure in a direction parallel to the rotational axis of the mandrel and at a given linear speed as the first motor is rotating the mandrel until a number of cords of the fabric at the one edge of the fabric are captured in the helical groove and spaced by the pitch of convolutions of the groove at a desired cord distribution. A density detector measures the density of the cords as the cords are captured or prior thereto. The measured cord density is used to adjust the rotation speed of the mandrel and/or the linear speed of the support structure to obtain one cord per groove in the mandrel.

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First Claim