IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCOURING WOOL
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCOURING WOOL."-A communication from abroad
by Jean Henri Chaudet, of Rouen, France, and Firmin Natalis Thuillier,
of Amiens France.
Sealed the 25th September 1868, and dated the 27th March 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald Brooman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th March 1863.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCOURING WOOL," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the following arrangement of machinery for
scouring wool. The wool is supplied by a feeding apron or otherwise into one
end of a long trough, and is taken hold of successively by a series of rakes or
forks which are jointed to cranks carried by transverse shafts supported by
uprights which rise from the sides of the trough; motion is communicated to
the transverse shafts as follows:-The last transverse shaft is bent at one
extremity and carries a pulley, which receives motion from a belt passing over
another pulley mounted on the same shaft as the main driving pulley, the
motion thus imparted to this transverse shaft is transmitted to tho other
transverse shafts by means of bevil gearing and a longitudinal shaft. The
wool being taken hold of by the rakes or forks, as before mentioned, is con
ducted to the further end of the trough, whero it is again taken hold of by

page_text: another fork which raises it out of the trough on to an apron which leads it
away to be pressed. This last-named fork is jointed to an axle which passes
through the fellies of two toothed wheels, which receive rotary motion from
pinions mounted on the principal shaft. The fork and a cam for raising it
out of the trough revolve round two rollers; the fork is returned to the trough
by a guido fixed to the sides of the trough; the operation is repeated as before,
and so on successively.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 26th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight bundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, tho
said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence, that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as J, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCOURING WOOL," (communi-
cated to me from abroad by Jean Henri Chaudet, of Rouen, France, and
Firmin Natalis Thuillier, of Amiens, France,) upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
bands 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 Richard Archibald Brooman, 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

page_text: following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
The
This Invention consists in the following arrangements of machinery for
scouring wool. The wool is supplied by a feeding apron or otherwise into one
end of a long trough and is taken hold of successively by a series of rakes or
forks which are jointed to cranks carried by transverse shafts supported by
uprights which rise from the sides of the trough; motion is communicated to
the transverse shafts as follows:-The last transverse shaft is bent at one
extremity and carries a pulley, which receives motion from a belt passing over
another pulley mounted on the same shaft as the main driving pulley, the
motion thus imparted to this transverse shaft is transmitted to the other
transverse shafts by means of bevil gearing and a longitudinal shaft.
wool being taken hold of by the rakes or forks, as before mentioned, is con-
ducted to tho further end of the trough, where it is again taken hold of by
another fork which raises it out of the trough on to an apron which leads it
away to be pressed. This last-named fork is jointed to an axle which passes
through the fellies of two toothed wheels, which receive rotary motion from
pinions mounted on the principal shaft. The fork and a cam for raising it
out of the trough revolve round two rollers; the fork is returned to the trough
by a guide fixed to the sides of the trough; the operation is repeated as before,
and so on successively.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is an elevation, and Figure 2 a plan,
of a machine for scouring wool constructed according to this Invention. G is a
long trough for containing the scouring liquor, and the wool to be scoured;
K, K, are uprights rising from the sides of the trough and supporting trans-
verse shafts which carry rakes or forks I. Motion is communicated to the
transverse shafts through bevil pinions a in gear with other bevil pinions 6 on
a longitudinal shaft c. The last transverse shaft is prolonged at one end
beyond the side of the trough and carries a pulley d, which receives motion
by a belt passing over a pulley f on the same shaft as the main driving
pulley D. The transverse shafts carry cranks H to which the rakes or forks
I are jointed, and from which they receive an oscillating motion. The wool to
be scoured is spread on a feeding apron J, and falling into the trough G is
taken hold of successively by the rakes or forks I and conducted to the further
end of the trough, where it is again taken hold of by another fork A which
raises it out of the trough on to an apron F. The fork A is jointed to an
axle which passes through the fellies of two toothed wheels M, M, which
receive rotary motion from pinions N, N, mounted on the principal shaft O.
The fork A and a cam E for raising it out of the trough revolvo round two

page_text: rollers C, C. B is a guide for returning the fork A into the trough, when
it takes hold of a second quantity of wool as before, and so on successively.
Figure 8 shows a modification of the fork A, Figures 1 and 2, for raising
the wool out of the trough. In this arrangement the wool is raised by forks
or rakes A fitted loosely on the extremities of the spokes of toothed wheels
M, M, in gear with other wheels N, N, on a shaft O worked by a pulley D.
HI, H, are levers with rollers at their extremities, they are placed at the
extremitics of the heads of the forks perpendicularly to the teeth or prongs
and outside the wheels M, M. K, K, are rails on which the rollers grun
to raise the prongs of the forks on to the travelling apron F, in order that they
may deposit the wool thercon. The ends of the prongs of the forks A follow
the course indicated by 0, 0, 0, 0. The difference between this arrangement
and that represented in Figures 1 and 2 consists simply in placing levers with
rollers perpendicularly to the teeth of the rakes instead of cams, which are, on
the contrary, placed in the same line, and in the rails which replace the rollers
which act on the cams. Instead of wheels for carrying the rakes, spokes
mounted on the main shaft may be employed.
Figures 4 and 5 show in plan and elevation another arrangement. P is a
pulloy turning a crank Q, which imparts to-and-fro motion to a rake R
movable in the forked arms of a holder S. The ends of the rake shaft cach
carry a small roller T and a lever U. The rollers T run on rails r, r, carrying
hinges to allow them to pass during the forward movement, and falling of
their own weight when they have passed cause them to follow the ascending
rails to raise the rake and allow it to fall into the trough when the crank is at
the end of its back stroke. The levers U on coming in contact with the
tappet n raise the rake, the teeth of which are charged with wool and deposit
it on the travelling apron. The teeth of the rake follow the course indicated
by the dotted lines o, o. The crank Qmay be placed in front of the rake
instead of behind, as represented in Figures 4 and 5.
Figure 6 illustrates another arrangement, in which rakes V are held between
two annular plates X, and are guided in the proper direction through the liquor
in the trough by links m attached to arms or spokes r of an excentric E. The
position in which the rakes pass through the trough should be almost vertical
so as not to throw the wool out of the trough. In some cases we make and
use travelling aprons or tables of iron; they are formed of an endless chain
.consisting of links or loops and rods. The rods are united at the middle by
one or two rows of loops, according to the breadth of the table, in addition to
.the two rows at their extremities. The iron travelling table is moved by a
grooved roller, the grooves in which correspond to the distance between the

page_text: rods; the rods enter the grooves, and the table is thereby prevented from
creasing or puckering. Annular cuts are made across the grooves to receive
the rows of loops, so as to allow the rods to enter the grooves, which thus form
teeth as in the ordinary gearing of endless chains.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, the general arrangements and combination of machinery for scouring
wool herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Second, the employment in such machinery of a fork for raising the wool
out of the trough, of a guide behind the fork, of rollers round which the
raising fork travels, and of a cam for raising it, all constructed, arranged, and
working substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of September, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
K. A. BROOMAN. (LS.)