IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SCOURING, WASHING AND DYEING PIECE GOODS
Year: 1884

page_text: We JAMES WORRALL of Ordsall, Salford in the County of Lancaster, Dyer, and
JOHN KERSHAW of Wadsworth, Halifax in the County of York, Manager, do
hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
SCOURING, WASHING AND DYEING PIECE GOODS to be as follows:-
The chief object of this invention is to improve the operation of scouring and
washing pile fabrics, particularly cords, by preventing the creasing of the fabrics
during the operation, which creasing produces permanent streaks in the face of the
fabric, and not infrequently renders the same unsaleable.
The apparatus by which we are enabled to scour and wash piled fabrics without
creasing them, is also applicable to the dyeing such fabrics, inasmuch as it retains
a large proportion of the fabric under treatment constantly immersed in the dye
liquor.
In the centre of a tank suitably constructed for receiving scouring or dye liquor,
we mount a drum of some four feet in diameter, the periphery of which may be
formed of corrugated metal, or of woven wire, or of rods extending across from one
end plate to the other, in the latter case constituting a cylindrical grid.
To this drum we impart rotary motion by suitable gearing, and above the drum
we mount a wince, which is rotated at a much greater speed and serves to deliver
to the tank the fabric to be treated.
.
Situate below the drum is a cradle which may be conveniently formed of an
endless grid or equivalent flexible sheet carried by driven rollers and passing
between guides concentric, or nearly so, as respects its upper surface, with the
drum. Or the cradle may be formed of a series of rollers mounted in suitable
bearings provided for the purpose.
The fabric to be treated is led down from the wince to the drum where it falls
into folds and is carried down to occupy the space between the drum and the
endless grid.
When the whole of a piece has been passed into the apparatus, its ends are
secured together by wires and the scouring action may then commence. As the
drum rotates and the grid travels, both in the direction of rotation of the wince,
the fabric lying in the folds on the grid, as in a cradle, and immersed in the liquor
with which the tank is charged, will be subjected to a scouring action, it being
[Price 8d.]

page_text: drawn at the same time out at one end of the cradle by the wince, and delivered
.into it at the other end; thus, during the whole action of the apparatus, the bulk
of the piece will be subjected to the scouring operation while immersed in the
scouring liquor, the accumulation of folded cloth in the cradle being maintained
until the operation is complete.
When this result is obtained, it will be only necessary to detach the ends of the
piece, conduct the leading end to a drawing off roller and attach to the other end a
fresh piece..
On re-starting the apparatus the drawing off roller will remove the finished
piece from the tank, at the same time replacing it by the new piece. The ends of
the newly introduced piece are then to be joined up and the operation may proceed
as before.
We may find it desirable to apply a folder between the drum and the wince to
ensure the proper folding of the fabric as it enters between the drum and the
cradle, and instead of an endless grid, or flexible sheet as described, we may make
the rollers which carry the grid or sheet reciprocate and thus effect a more severe
scouring of the fabric.
It may be convenient to admit the liquor and the steam used in the operation
to the tank through hollow trunnions with which the drum or cylindrical grid is
provided.
This remark applies, whether the apparatus is used either for scouring or dyeing.

page_text: We JAMES WORRALL of Ordsall Salford in the County of Lancaster, Dyer and
JOHN KERSHAW of Wadsworth, Halifax in the County of York Manager do hereby
declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SCOURING
WASHING AND DYEING PIECE GOODS, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The chief object of this invention is to improve the operation of scouring and
washing pile fabrics, particularly cords, by preventing the creasing of the fabrics
during the operation which creasing produces permanent streaks in the face of the
fabrics, and not infrequently renders the same unsaleable.
The apparatus by which we are enabled to scour and wash piled fabrics without
creasing them, is also applicable to the dyeing of such fabrics inasmuch as it
retains a large proportion of the fabric under treatment constantly immersed in the
dye liquor.
In the centre of the tank suitably constructed for receiving scouring or dye
liquor, we mount a drum of some four feet in diameter, the periphery of which
may be formed of corrugated metal or of woven wire or of rods extending across
from one end plate to the other, in the latter case constituting a cylindrical grid.
To this drum we impart rotary motion by suitable gearing, and above the drum
we mount a wince which is rotated at a much greater speed and serves to deliver
to the tank the fabric to be treated.
Situate below the drum is a cradle which may conveniently be formed of an
endless grid or equivalent flexible sheet carried by driven rollers and passing
between guides concentric or nearly so, as respects its upper surface with the drum.
Or the cradle may be formed of a series of rollers mounted in suitable bearings
provided for the purpose.
The fabric to be treated is led down from the wince to the drum, where it falls
into folds and is carried down to occupy the space between the drum and the
endless grid.
When the whole of a piece has been passed into the .apparatus, its ends are
secured together by wires and driving power being applied to the machine the
scouring action will commence. The fabric lying in the folds on the grid as in a
cradle, and immersed in the liquor with which the tank is charged will be drawn
out at one end of the cradle by the rotating wince, and at the same time re-
delivered to the cradle at the other end; thus, during the whole action of the
apparatus, the bulk of the piece will be subjected to the scouring operation while
immersed in the scouring liquor, the accumulation of folded cloth in the cradle
being maintained until the operation is complete.
In the accompanying Drawings:-
Fig 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of our improved machine for scouring,
washing, or dyeing, and
Fig 2 is an end elevation of the same, the tank being shown in section.

page_text: AA is the framing of the machine made in cast iron and set upon the bottom
of the tank B to which the scouring or other liquor is supplied in the usual
manner.
Mounted in the centre of this frame A is a drum C the periphery of which is in
this instance made of corrugated non-oxidizable metal.
Keyed to the drum axle and at opposite ends of the drum is a pair of chain
wheels C¹ which gear into a pair of endless chains forming part of an endless
travelling grid D that underlies the drum, and extends to nearly the whole length
and depth of the tank.
The grid D passes over and under chain wheels à d' d² d³ which serve to guide
it in its course.
The chain wheels d d' are mounted in bearings in the main framing A aud the
chain wheels d² d³ are carried by arms dd pivotted to the main framing and
held in position by tightening screws de d7 pendent from lugs on the framing A..
By means of these screws their respective arms are forced downwards and caused
through the chain wheels which they carry to tighten the endless grid.
That portion of the grid which lies between the rollers d d' is held slack to. form
a kind of cradle into which the fabric to be treated is laid in folds.
Above the drum C a wince E is mounted the same being carried by standards A
bolted onto the main framing.
This wince which is of the well known construction receives rapid rotary
motion from an overhead band working on a fast and loose pulley carried by the
wince axle,
1
Keyed to this axle is a spur pinion which gears into a spur wheel f' carried
by a stud projecting from the main framing..
This wheel gears into and drives a wheel ƒ2 mounted on a second stud on the
main framing and cast on the hub of this wheel is a mitre pinion f³ which gears
into and drives a mitre pinion f keyed onto a longitudinal shaft F having its
bearings in brackets bolted to the top bar of the framing A.
Fitted to this shaft F is a cone pulley F¹ and over this pulley passes a band
leading to a second cone pulley F2 keyed to a longitudinal shaft F³ having its.
bearings in brackets bolted to the main framing.
On the opposite ends of the shaft F³ are keyed bevil piuions f into which gear
respectively wheels f" keyed on the axles of the chain wheels & and d'.
It will now be understood that when the wince E is driving by its band rotary
motion will be communicated through the gearing just described to the chain
wheels d d which will give motion to the grid D and through the links of the
grid and the chain wheels C₁ on the axle of the drum rotary motion will be
imparted to the drum also, in the direction of the arrows.
The use of the cone pullies and belt is to enable the workman to regulate the
speed of the drum and grid relatively to that of the wince, the object being to pass
the cloth through the liquor at such a rate that each fold in succession shall under
the drag of the wince open some 12 inches below the liquor which will ensure
every portion of the fabric in turn being exposed to the action of the liquor
immediately before leaving the tank.
In charging the machine with the endl83 web of fabric we lead its forward end
from a pile over the fixed bar H under a guide roller H' and over a driven roller H
the latter of which is situate immediately over the entrance to the cradle.
By means of this driven roller H the fabric is delivered in folds into the
machine which is set in motion so as to carry the fabric forward.
This is
When the attendant has secured the forward end of the fabric he draws it
upward out of the cradle and supposing it to be a cut pile fabric with which he is
dealing he leads it between friction surfaces before joining up. the ends.
for the purpose of raising the pile each time the fabric has completed its traverse
through the machine.
G is a pair of arms keyed to a rock shaft which has its bearings in the framing A
and carried by these arms is a brush G' which extends across the machine and is

page_text: caused to act upon the whole breadth of the fabric as the fabric is drawn upwards
over a transverse bar G³ supported on the main framing.
Mounted in bearings carried by the upper ends of the arms G is a rotary
brush G which is driven by a band g from a pulley on the axle of the wince.
By this means the face of the fabric as it is drawn out of the tank by the
rotation of the wince is subjected to the friction of brushing surfaces whose action
is regulated by means of adjusting screws g¹ which connect the upper ends of the
arms G with the framing A.
When the operation of scouring or dyeing is complete it will be only necessary
to detach the ends of the piece, conduct the leading end under a guide roller H³
and over a driven roller H. To the rear end of the fabric a fresh piece is now
attached and on restarting the machine the drawing off roller will remove the
finished piece from the tank and at the same time the new piece will be fed in.
The ends of the newly introduced piece are then to be joined up and the operation
may proceed as before.
We may find it desirable to apply a folder between the drum and the wince to
ensure the proper folding of the fabric as it enters between the drum and the
cradle and instead of an endless grid or flexible sheet as described we may make
the chain wheels or rollers which carry the cradle reciprocate to effect a more
severe scouring of the fabric.
Fig 3 is a longitudinal vertical section; and Fig: 4 an end elevation of a modifi-
cation of the above described machine for scouring washing or dyeing fabrica
without subjecting them to creasing during the operation, a reciprocating motion.
being imparted to the cradle.
In this case the drum C is shewn as formed of perforated instead of corrugated
metal, and the grid D forming the cradle (having a reciprocating motion) is not
made endless as in the first example. The ends of the grid D are made fast to the
chain wheels d d and to these wheels a reciprocating motion is given in the
manner to be presently described.
On the axle of the wince E is a pulley i around which passes a band led from a
pulley on a dead axle carried by the main framing.
On the boss of this pulley is a spur pinion which gears into a spur wheel ³
keyed to a transverse axle I having its bearings in the framing A.
Keyed to this axle I is a spur pinion which gears into and drives a spur
wheel keyed on the axle of the drum C.
On the opposite end of the axle I to that which carries the spur gearing is a
crank plate the crank pin of which connects by means of a link rod with the
upper arm of a lever keyed on the axle, of the chain wheels d. The lower end
of the lever connects through a rod 8 with an arm i keyed to the axle of the
chain wheels d.
It will now be understood that when rotary notion is imparted to the wince E
for the purpose of traversing the fabric through the machine, a rocking motion will
be imparted to the chain wheels d d¹ while rotary motion is given to the drum.
In this machine a folder is employed as at K for receiving the fabric as it falls
from the wince and delivering it in even folds into the cradle. The progress of the
fabric through the liquor, and from one end of the cradle to the other, is ensured
by the friction of the rotating drum upon the laps or folds delivered to the
reciprocating cradle.
The folder receives its reciprocating motion from crank plates & carried by a cross
shaft L mounted in bearings on the framing.
This shaft is rotated by means of a band and pulleys from the wince axle. The
reciprocating frame is connected by rods to the crank pins of the plates l. As
therefore the shaft L is rotated, a short reciprocating motion will be imparted to
the folder.
Guide rollers m m¹ m² m³ are provided for leading the fabric down from and up
to the wince and causing it to bear upon the periphery of the wince, the roller m¹
being a driven roller.

page_text: In this case as in the first described arrangement the fabric in its passage to the
tank passes over a fixed bar H under a guide roller H¹ and over a driven roller H²
it then however instead of going directly into the cradle passes down to the folder
which delivers it to the tank as already explained.
To remove the fabric from the machine its coupled ends are disconnected and
the leading end is drawn forward to the driven roller H which draws it out of the
machine.
It may be convenient to admit the liquor and the steam used in the operation to
the tank through the drum axle. This remark applies whether the apparatus is
used either for scouring or for dyeing.
Fig 3 shews a hollow axle designed for this object the axle being pierced for the
delivery of the liquor and connected at one end by a stuffing box and gland with a
pipe leading from a reservoir or supply pump.
By the use of our improved machinery it will be understood that the fabric
under treatment is carried through the liquor in the form of regular folds it having
been found that the creasing of the fabric (which it is our purpose to avoid) is due
to the practice of piling the fabric irregularly in a heap in the vat and drawing it
out from the bottom of the heap.
"
This gives the fabric a tendency to take the form of a rope and become creased
in passing over the wince which defect is avoided by the use of the drum and
cradle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the saine is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
The use, in apparatus for scouring washing and dyeing piece goods, of a rotary
drum or its equivalent in combination with a cradle for passing the fabric in even
folds through the liquor, in the manner and for the purpose above set forth..