IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WASHING, OPENING, DRYING, AND OILING WOOL, AND FOR REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF SOAP SOLUTION AND OIL THERETO
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Gottheil, of the International Patent
Office, 126, Linden Str., Berlin, Prussia, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WASHING, OPENING,
DRYING, AND OILING WOOL, AND FOR REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF SOAP
SOLUTION AND OIL THERETO."-A communication from abroad by Ernest
Mehl, Director of the Augsbourg Worsted Yarn Mill Company, at
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Gottheil at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd January 1874.
I; ROBERT GOTTHEIL, of the International Patent Office, 126, Linden
Str., Berlin, Prussia, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WASHING, OPENING,
DRYING, AND OILING WOOL, AND FOR REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF SOAP SOLUTION
AND OIL THERETO," to be as follows:-
•
This Invention relates to improvements in wool-washing apparatus,
having for their object a supply of a regulated quantity of soap and ;

page_text: its even distribution over the wool operated on, the uniform opening out
of the washed wool, the drying of the same, and the charging of it
uniformly with a regulated quantity of oil, so that these several
operations can be, by means of the improved apparatus, effected in
sequence; the wool, fed at the one end of the apparatus, being at the
other end delivered into baskets or trucks in its washed, dried, and oiled
condition without the intervention of hand labour. For this
purpose I
apply to the known washing machine, at the entering ends of its several
troughs, apparatus for supplying and distributing over the wool a
regulated quantity of soap solution, and at the discharging end of the
machine I apply an opening and drying apparatus, and also an apparatus
for supplying and distributing over the dried wool a regulated quantity
of oil, from which last mentioned apparatus the wool is delivered ready
for being manufactured.
The soap supplying apparatus consists of a trough charged with soap
solution, which trough is placed near the entering end of each washing
trough immediately above the plunging or immersing roller. Over the
soap trough a shaft is mounted in bearings and caused to revolve with a
speed that can be varied at pleasure by means of a strap working on
conical or stepped pullies, one of which is fixed on the said shaft and the
other on the shaft of the plunging roller. The shaft thus driven has
arms projecting from it to which is hinged a wide spoon or shallow
trough with a counterbalance so arranged that at every revolution of the
shaft the spoon, being immersed in the soap solution, becomes charged
therewith. I prefer to provide in the spoon a number of partitions so
as to prevent the solution from gathering more towards the one end
than the other, and when it is desired to diminish the capacity of the
spoon some of the spaces between these partitions can be filled in or
covered over.
At one side of the soap trough is a plate hinged at its lower edge and
capable of being set nearer to or farther from the trough by means of
rods with forks which hook on to the before-mentioned shaft. The
upper edge of this plate is formed with a flange or lip projecting
inwards towards the centre of the trough where the revolving shaft is
mounted. When the plate is set inwards this lip catches the revolving
spoon at each revolution and causes it to cant so as to deliver its charge
of soap solution on the lip, whence the solution flows down the face of
the plate upon the entering wool beneath it. When the plate iş set

page_text: away from the trough the spoon revolving clear of the lip delivers no
solution. The soap trough is covered over and the quantity of solution
in it can be observed by a glass gauge fitted at its side. The wool thus
supplied with the required quantity of soap as it enters each washing
trough (of which there may be several arranged in succession,) each
provided with soap feeding apparatus such as I have described) on
leaving the last trough passes through the ordinary squeezing rollers, at
which point I apply the opening and drying apparatus, which are of the
following description:-
Immediately beyond the squeezing rollers I mount an endless
travelling web, and over it a roller, which are caused to move five or six
times faster than the squeezing rollers, so that the wool delivered from
the latter is drawn out into small flocks which are spread upon the
travelling web. At the side of the roller which co-operates with the
travelling web in drawing out or opening the wool I mount a clearing
roller to clear from its surface any portions of the wool that may adhere
thereto. The travelling, web carries the wool into the interior of the
drying apparatus. This consists of a partly enclosed cylindrical framing
having circular and longitudinal ribs forming a cylindrical grating
which is lined with wire gauze or other porous fabric. By its circular
ribs it rests on a number of grooved or flanged rollers, which being
caused to rotate impart to the cylindrical framing a rotatory motion,
and these rollers being fixed on inclined shafts the cylindrical framing
has its axis similarly inclined, the receiving end being a little higher
than the discharging end.
Around the inner periphery of the cylindrical framing a number of
pegs project inwards constituting a series of large longitudinal combs
inclined a little forwards in the direction of rotation. Below the
framing is a flue open at top and supplied by a fan, or otherwise, with
heated air which rises through the grated periphery of the cylinder.
The flue is provided with a valve or damper for regulating the supply
of air.
The travelling web charged with opened wool enters the upper end of
the rotating cylinder and as it turns round its farther roller it lets the
wool drop from it on to the lower part of the cylindrical periphery.
The combs thereon lift the wool as the cylinder rotates, and as each
comb approaches the upper part of its revolution the wool held by it

page_text: again drops off to be caught by others of the combs at the lower part of
their revolution. The cylinder being inclined the wool in thus falling
from one set of combs is caught by others a little in advance, so that the
wool is, in its repeated ascents and descents, made to travel slowly
along the length of the cylinder exposed during its passage to the drying
action of the heated air rising through the cylinder. At the farther end
of the drying cylinder and projecting into it is mounted another
travelling web on which the wool finally drops from the last set of
combs, and by which it is carried to the oiling apparatus. This
apparatus consists of a pair of rollers which receive the dried wool from
the travelling web last-mentioned. Above these rollers is placed an oil
trough arranged and operating in a manner similar to that described
with reference to the soap feeding apparatus so as to deliver by means
of a revolving spoon a regulated quantity of oil upon a plate at the side
of the trough, along which plate the oil flows down to the rollers
beneath, being distributed thereon by a fixed brush. The wool passing
between these rollers is thus uniformly oiled, and is delivered into a
basket or truck placed below the said rollers, which are provided with
clearing rollers to clear off their surfaces any portions of wool that may
adhere to them.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Gottheil in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
GOTTHEIL, of the International Patent Office, 126, Linden Str., Berlin,
Prussia, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert Gottheil, Her special
license that I, the said Robert Gottheil, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Gottheil, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term

page_text: therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN :
APPARATUS FOR WASHING, OPENING, DRYING, AND OILING WOOL, AND FOR
REGULATING THE SUPPLY OF SOAP SOLUTION AND OIL THERETO," a communication
to me from abroad by Ernest Mehl, Director of the Augsbourg Worsted
Yarn Mill Company, at Augsbourg, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Robert Gottheil, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Gottheil, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in wool washing apparatus,
having for their object the supply of a regulated quantity of soap and its
even distribution over the wool operated on, the uniform opening out
of the washed wool, the drying of the same, and the charging of it
uniformly with a regulated quantity of oil so that these several operations
can be, by means of the improved apparatus, effected in sequence; the
wool fed at the one end of the apparatus being at the other end delivered
into baskets or trucks in its washed, dried, and oiled condition without
the intervention of hand labour. For this purpose I apply to the known
washing machine at the entering ends of its several troughs apparatus:
for supplying and distributing over the wool a regulated quantity of
soap solution, and at the discharging end of the machine I apply an
opening and drying apparatus, and also an apparatus for supplying and
distributing over the dried wool a regulated quantity of oil, from which
last mentioned apparatus the wool is delivered ready for being manu-
factured.
The soan sunnlving annaratus consists of a trough ohowood with

page_text: trough immediately above the plunging or immersing roller. Over the
soap trough a shaft is mounted in bearings and caused to revolve with a
speed that can be varied at pleasure by means of a strap working on
conical or stepped pullies, one of which is fixed on the said shaft and
the other on the shaft of the plunging roller. The shaft thus driven has a
arms projecting from it, to which is hinged a wide spoon or shallow
trough with a counterbalance so arranged that at every revolution of the
shaft the spoon being immersed in the soap solution becomes charged
therewith. I prefer to provide in the spoon a number of partitions so as
to prevent the solution from gathering more towards the one end than 1
the other, and when it is desired to diminish the capacity of the spoon
some of the spaces between these partitions can be filled in or covered
over.
At one side of the soap trough is a plate hinged at its lower edge and
capable of being set nearer to or farther from the trough by means of
rods with forks which hook on to the before-mentioned shaft. The
upper edge of this plate is formed with a flange or lip projecting inwards
towards the centre of the trough where the revolving shaft is mounted.
When the plate is set inwards this lip catches the revolving spoon at
each revolution and causes it to cant so as to deliver its charge of soap 2
solution on the lip, whence the solution flows down the face of the plate
upon the entering wool beneath it. When the plate is set away from
the trough the spoon revolving clear of the lip delivers no solution.
The soap trough is covered over, and the quantity of solution in it can
be observed by a glass gauge fitted at its side. The wool thus supplied a
with the required quantity of soap as it enters each washing trough (of
which there may be several arranged in succession, each provided with
soap feeding apparatus such as I have described), on leaving the last
trough passes through the ordinary squeezing rollers, at which point I
apply the opening and drying apparatus which are of the following a
description :―
Immediately beyond the squeezing rollers I mount an endless travelling
web, and over it a roller which are caused to move five or six times
faster than the squeezing rollers, so that the wool delivered from the
latter is drawn out into small flocks which are spread upon the travelling a
web. At the side of the roller which co-operates with the travelling web
in drawing out or opening the wool, I mount a clearing roller to clear
from its surface any portions of the wool that may adhere thereto. The

page_text: travelling web carries the wool into the interior of the drying apparatus,
this consists of a partly enclosed cylindrical framing having circular and
longitudinal ribs forming a cylindrical grating which is lined with wire
gauze or other porous fabric. By its circular ribs it rests on a number
of grooved or flanged rollers, which being caused to rotate impart to the
cylindrical framing a rotatory motion, and these rollers being fixed on
inclined shafts the cylindrical framing has its axis similarly inclined, the
receiving end being a little higher than the discharging end.
Around the inner periphery of the cylindrical framing a number of
pegs project inwards constituting a series of large longitudinal combs
inclined a little forwards in the direction of rotation. Below the framing
is a flue open at top and supplied by a fan, or otherwise with heated air
which rises through the grated periphery of the cylinder. The flue is
provided with a valve or damper for regulating the supply of air..
The travelling web charged with opened wool enters the upper end of
the rotating cylinder, and as it turns round its farther roller it lets the
wool drop from it on to the lower part of the cylindrical periphery. The
combs thereon lift the wool as the cylinder rotates, and as each comb
approaches the upper part of its revolution the wool held by it again
drops off to be caught by others of the combs at the lower part of their
revolution. The cylinder being inclined the wool in thus falling off from
one set of combs is caught by others a little in advance so that the wool
is in its repeated ascents and descents made to travel slowly along the
length of the cylinder exposed during its passage to the drying action
of the heated air rising through the cylinder. At the farther end of
the drying cylinder and projecting into it is mounted another travelling
web on which the wool finally drops from the last set of combs, and by
which it is carried to the oiling apparatus. This apparatus consists of a
pair of rollers which receive the dried wool from the travelling web last
mentioned. Above these rollers is placed an oil trough, arranged and
operating in a manner similar to that described with reference to the
soap feeding apparatus so as to deliver by means of a revolving spoon a
regulated quantity of oil upon a plate at the side of the trough, along
which plate the oil flows down to the rollers beneath, being distributed
thereon by a fixed brush. The wool passing between these rollers is
thus uniformly, oiled, and is delivered into a basket or truck placed
below the said rollers which are provided with clearing rollers to clear
off their surfaces any portions of wool that may adhere to them.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 10, Sheet III., represents a side view of the combined apparatus
constructed and arranged according to this Invention. It is to be
understood that the lower portion of this Figure is intended as a con-
tinuation of the upper portion, that is to say, that the floor line Z, Z,
shewn in the two portions of the Figure, is on the same level, and that
the broken off part Y of the lower portion of the Figure should be
applied to the corresponding part Y of the upper portion, or that between
the two portions of the Figure when brought to the same level one or
more washing troughs such as those shewn might be introduced. These
washing troughs of ordinary construction are each provided at their
entering ends with the apparatus for soap supply, marked in Fig. 10 by
the letters a, b, d, e, which apparatus is shewn more fully in detail by
Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, Sheet I., Fig. 5 representing a sectional plan,
and Fig. 7 a front view; Figs. 6 and 8 respectively a side view and a
section, and Fig. 9 a section to an enlarged scale, as seen from the side
opposite to that seen in Fig. 10.
The separating, drying, and oiling apparatus shewn to the right-hand
and in the lower portion of Fig. 10 are shewn in greater detail by Figs. 1
4, Sheet II., representing respectively a side view partly in section and
a plan by Fig. 2, Sheet I., which represents an end view of the squeezing
rollers with the separating apparatus, and by Fig. 3, Sheet I., which
represents a transverse section of the drying apparatus.
b
The soap supply apparatus consists of a covered trough 6 containing
soap solution, the level of which can be observed by a glass gauge at the a
side of the trough. A shaft c mounted in bearings a at each end of the
trough is caused to revolve by gearing from a conical or stepped pulley
driven by a strap from one of the rotating shafts, namely, that of the
plunging roller of the washing trough, on the entering end of which the
soap supply apparatus is mounted. On the shaft c are fixed arms d, at å
the ends of which is mounted an elongated spoon or shallow trough e
with a counterbalance weight e¹. On the front of the trough, outside of
it is a plate 9 hinged to the trough at its lower edge f, or simply
attached at by pins giving sufficient freedom for the plate g to be more
or less inclined, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 9. To the upper a
edge of the plate g is jointed a lip plate g¹, which is jointed to a couple
of arms h connected together by a stretching bolt /. The arms h are

page_text: about their middle hollowed out to double staple form, so that they can
rest on the shaft c in either of two positions, as shewn respectively by
the full and the dotted lines in Fig. 9. When they are in the one position
the spoon e in the course of its revolution meets the lip plate g¹ and
delivers thereon the soap solution, which flows down the plate g to the
washing trough. The spoon passing the lip plate, as indicated by the
dotted lines, Fig. 9, again dips into the solution in the trough to receive
a fresh supply, which it delivers in like manner. When the arms h are
moved to their forward position the lip plate g¹ being thus thrust out of
the range of the spoon e the latter continues to revolve without delivering
solution.
The spoon is preferably divided by thin partitions placed at intervals
apart into a number of portions, whereby the solution is more uniformly
distributed over its width.
When it is desired to reduce the supply of soap some of these divisions
may be filled up or covered over.
The apparatus for the supply of oil, shewn at 6 on the extreme right
of the lower portions of Fig. 10, and shewn also at a, b, on the enlarged
Fig. 1, Sheet II., is the same in construction and operation as the
apparatus just described for the soap supply placed in the inverted
position, as shewn in Fig. 9.
The apparatus for separating and drying is applied beyond the
ordinary squeezing rollers A. From their framing two bearers B are
made to project, supporting the outer roller for a travelling web i, over
which web is mounted a clearing roller C. A heavy roller D is mounted
in sliding bearings over the inner roller K of the web, on which it
presses with its whole weight. These rollers are driven from a shaft 1,
the roller C by a band n, and the roller D by gearing through a pinion m
loose on the shaft of C. The gearing for driving these parts is such that
the surface speed of the roller D and the travelling web is from five to
six times that of the squeezing rollers, so that as the wool leaves the
squeezing rollers it is drawn out into small flocks and spread on the
travelling web to be carried by it into the drying frame. The roller C,
which is furnished with cards, keeps the roller D clear of wool that
might otherwise adhere to it.
The drying apparatus consists of a cylindrical framing or open grated
drum having a number of longitudinal bars o framed with circular ribs
that lie in the grooves of pullies p fixed on inclined shafts G and H,

page_text: which are driven by bevil gear F from a cross shaft J, causing the drum
to revolve on an inclined axis. The drum is lined with wire gauze or
other porous fabric, and at one side it is covered by a casing L. The
longitudinal ribs o are studded with pegs projecting inwards like coarse
combs inclined a little forwards in the direction of rotation. Below the
floor is an air channel O communicating with a sloping flue Q, which
opens upwards immediately under the drum. The communication from
O to Q is provided with a throttle valve or damper P, which can be set
by turning its vertical axis P¹ by means of an arm u worked by a sliding
bar t, so as to admit more or less heated air from the channel O to the 1
sloping flue Q. The travelling web i projects into the interior of the
drum at the one end and another travelling web R connected to the
oiling apparatus projects into its interior at the other end. While the
drum is made to turn slowly round, heated air being admitted to the
flue Q under it, so as to rise up through its porous periphery, the flocks ]
of wool carried in by the travelling web i drop therefrom and are caught
by the combs on the ribs o. By these combs they are carried round
until they again drop off to be caught by portions of the combs farther
advanced; and thus the wool while it is continually rising with the
combs and dropping from them, exposed to the drying action of the 2
heated air, is gradually advanced along the drum towards its farther end.
When it is carried upwards by the farther portions of the combs o it
drops finally in a dried condition on the travelling web R, and is by it
conveyed out of the drum to the oiling apparatus.
In this apparatus there are two rollers S, S¹, the lower one driven by
gearing and the other free to turn with it. Between these rollers the
wool passes from the travelling web R. Above these rollers is placed
the oil trough, which delivers oil in measured quantity upon a plate in
the same manner as has been previously described with reference to the
soap supply. From the plate the oil flows on to the upper roller S¹, against
the surface of which bears a brush W, which has the effect of uniformly
distributing the oil upon it. The wool as it passes between the
rollers S, S¹, becomes oiled, and is separated from the upper roller by a
clearing roller U, so that it drops into a truck, basket, or other receptacle
to be conveyed elsewhere for the further processes of manufacture.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I claim,-

page_text: First. In the washing or oiling of wool the use of apparatus for
delivering a regulated supply of soap solution or of oil by means of a
rotating spoon operating in combination with a trough and moveable
plate, substantially as herein described.
Second. For separating wool into flocks after washing the use of
rollers and a travelling web arranged and operating in combination with
the squeezing rollers, substantially as herein described.
Third. For drying washed and separated wool the use of apparatus
consisting of an inclined drum with internal combs, which is made to
revolve while heated air is passed through it, the wool being fed to and
removed from the interior of the drum by means of travelling web,
substantially as herein described.
Fourth. For oiling dried wool the use of apparatus consisting of
rollers, over which oil is distributed in regulated quantity, and between
which the wool is passed, substantially as herein described.
Fifth. For preparing wool for manufacture the combination of
apparatus such as are referred to in the preceeding claims for giving
regulated soap and oil supply and for separating, drying, and oiling the
wool, arranged in sequence with the ordinary washing and squeezing
apparatus, so as to avoid the necessity for manipulation of the wool.
during these processes, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Gottheil, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.