Patent GB-255929-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to apparatus for drying fabrics
IPC: D06C7/00
Filed: 1925-04-27
Abstract: 255,929. British-American Laundry Machinery Co., Ltd., (American Laundry Machinery Co.). April 27, 1925. Rotary containers; air, controlling direction of flow of; temperature, controlling.-Fabrics, particularly after dry-cleaning with volatile solvents, are successively moistened for a predetermined period by a mixed current of air and steam so as to minimize the danger of fire due to electrostatic effects, dried by heated air until a predetermined maximum temperature is reached, deoderized for a predetermined period by heated air, and finally cooled by atmospheric air until a minimum temperature is reached, the operations being automatically controlled by electric means. Electric lamps are provided for indicating whether hot or cold air is passing through the fabrics. As shown, the fabrics are placed in an enclosed drum 3, Fig. 1, located in an outer casing 1 and the timing-devices 95 placed on the outside of the casing 1 are set by turning the knobs 78 in an anticlockwise direction so as to give the requisite periods for the moistening and the deoderizing operations. The hand-lever 25 is then depressed so as tc position the damper 21 with which it is connected to allow hot air mixed with steam to be drawn by the fan 9 through the inlet 12 in the outer casing, heating-chamber 13, and openings 16. 7 in the drum casing and discharged to the atmosphere through the opening 10 upon the closing of the fan motor switch 118 which action also effects the energization of the electromagnet 107 which opens the steam valve 104. The closing of the switch 118 further actuates the controller of an electric motor 4 which, through gearing 5, effects the rotation, alternately in opposite direction, of the drum 3. Upon the expiration of the moistening period, the appropriate timing-device effects the closing of the steam valve and the fabrics are then heated until a predetermined maximum temperature is reached whereupon the thermostat 111 starts the timing-device which controls the deoderizing operation. Upon the completion of the deoderizing operation, the hand-lever 25 is automatically raised so as to shut off the air supply from the heating-chamber and admit air to the drum from the cold air duct 20. When a predetermined minimum temperature is reached, the thermostat effects the stoppage of the electric motors driving the drum and the fan. Each of the timing-devices for controlling the moistening and deoderizing operations comprises a gapped conductor ring 70, Figs. 3 and 4, mounted upon an insulating base 72 and on which rotates a contact 73 carried by an arm mounted upon a shaft 77 having at one end a knob 78 for setting the device and at the other a toothed wheel 79 which gears with a wheel 80 which is mounted freely upon a shaft 81. The wheel 80 is rotated through an electromagnetic clutch 90, 93 from the shaft 81 which is rotated continuously in one direction through crank and ratchet mechanism from the drum shaft 6. In use, the contacts are set at points on the conductor rings which will give the required periods when the contacts reach the gaps in the rings.