IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DYEING CLOTH
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Worrall, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Dyer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
DYEING CLOTH."
Sealed the 7th October 1873, and dated the 8th July 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Worrall at the
; Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th July 1873.
I, JAMES WORRALL, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Dyer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVED APPARATUS FOR DYEING CLOTH," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of apparatus by the
use of which the process of dyeing cloths may be efficiently performed.
This process may be described as consisting of three operations, viz:—
The coloring of the fabric, the mordanting or fixing of the color, and
the washing of the fabric to remove the superfluous dye liquor,

page_text: In carrying out these several operations I prefer to employ a series of
divided tanks for receiving and containing the dye liquor, the mor-
danting liquor, and the washing water respectively, and to pass the cloth
consecutively through these several tanks. Each tank will be fitted in
substantially the same manner. Thus, supposing the tank to be divided
up into four compartments by transverse partitions, I mount above the
tank immediately over each partition a drum or grid of peculiar con-
struction through which the liquor is intended to be discharged into the
divided tanks for receiving and containing the dye liquor, the mor-
danting liquor, and the washing water respectively, and to pass the cloth
consecutively through these several tanks. Each tank will be fitted in
substantially the same manner. Thus, supposing the tank to be divided
up into four compartments by transverse partitions, I mount above the
tank immediately over each partition a drum or grid of peculiar con-
struction through which the liquor is intended to be discharged into the
tank.
In each division of the vessel and near the bottom thereof I mount a
round or square drum, square being preferred on account of its agitating
the liquor as it is rotated; above the tank I also provide guide rolls. The
cloth to be dyed I lead up to a roll and bring it down under the square
drum, then lead it up to and over the first grid down to a second square
drum, thence to a second grid, and so on until it has passed through
all the divisions of the tank. It is then led out between rolls and
delivered on to a table by a folder from which it is taken to pass
through the other tanks constructed and arranged like the first tank.
An uniform speed is given to the grids (in order to travel the cloth
through the tank) by means of a chain and chain wheels. Secured to
each grid is a pulley which receives an endless band that leads down
inside the tank to a pulley on the axle of one of the agitating drums.
The grid is made of metal bars secured at their extremities to discs or
plates which are furnished with hollow trunnions. Through these trun-
nions a tube is passed for supplying liquor to the tank. This tube
connects at its opposite ends with tubes running at right angles thereto,
and similarly connected with the supply tubes of all the grids of the
tank. Liquor is conducted to these tubes from any suitable reservoir,
and the supply to the tank is regulated to suit the width of the cloth
under treatment. The tubes which pass through the centre of the grids
are made stationary and they are slotted on their upper sides for a length
equal to the length of the grid.
Through the centre of each tube passes a rod which is furnished with
a right and left handed screw. This screwed rod is fitted with two
slides which fit tight against the inside of the tube and are intended to
contract simultaneously at both ends, or lengthen the slotted opening

page_text: of the tube, and thereby make that opening correspond in length to the
width of the fabric to be treated. A hand wheel keyed to one end of
this screwed rod enables the slides to be readily adjusted. The liquor as it
is discharged from the tubes strikes on to the cloth overlying the grids
and then falls into the tank below, and as the cloth is travelled through
the several compartments of the tank it is subjected alternately to im-
mersion and to the force of injection. Its complete and rapid saturation
during the passage of the cloth through the apparatus will thus be
effectually secured.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Worrall in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th January 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WARRALL, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Dyer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said James Worrall, Her special licence that
I, the said James Worrall, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said James Worrall, 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, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DYEING
CLOTH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Worrall, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Worrall, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say ):-
-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of apparatus by the
use of which the process of dycing cloths or piece goods may be
efficiently and economically performed. This process may be described
as consisting of three operations, viz., (1) the colouring of the fabric, (2)
the mordanting or fixing of the colour, and (3) the washing or rinsing
of the fabric to remove the superfluous dye liquor, in all of which
operations I use the like novel mechanism whereby the liquor is injected
on to the fabric.
In carrying out these several operations I prefer to employ a series of
divided tanks for receiving and containing the dye liquor, the mordanting 1
liquor, and the washing water respectively, and to pass the cloth or
piece goods consecutively through these tanks, which will be severally
fitted up in substantially the same manner.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in longitudinal sectional
elevation a tank fitted according to my Invention and suitable for 2
dyeing, mordanting, or washing cloth; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the
same; Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1.
Figures 4 and 5 represent on an enlarged scale my improved appa-
ratus for delivering dyeing or other liquor to the cloth and to the several
compartments of the tank, Fig. 4 being a contracted longitudinal section 2
of the apparatus, and Fig. 5 a transverse section of the same.
The Drawing shews the tank A as divided up into four compartments
1, 2, 3, 4, by transverse partitions which have openings made in them to
keep the liquid in the several compartments at a nearly uniform level.
Above the tank and immediately over each partition is mounted a drum 3
or grid B, of peculiar construction, through which the liquor is intended
to be discharged on to the cloth.
In each division of the tank and near the bottom thereof I mount
round or square drum C, square being in general preferred on account of
its agitating the liquor as it is rotated. Above the tank I also provide 3
guide rolls C¹, C², C³. The cloth to be dyed I lead up over a guide bar a

page_text: to a roll c¹ and bring it down under the square drum C in the compart-
ment 1, then lead it up to and over the first grid B, down to the drum C,
in compartment 2, thence to a second grid B', and so on until it has passed
through all the divisions of the tank. It is then led out between rolls
C³, C³, and delivered on to a table D by a folder E of the ordinary con-
struction. From the table D the cloth is taken and passed through the
other tanks in order to subject it to the succeeding processes. These
tanks areconstructed and arranged like the first tank.:
An uniform speed is given to the grids and also to the conducting
rollers C¹, C³, (in order to travel the cloth through the tank) by means
of a chain and chain wheels F, F. Motion is communicated to the
chain and chain wheels from the driving shaft G, a spur pinion on which
gears into a spur wheel on the axle of the guide roller 0³. Secured to
each grid is a pulley 6* which receives an endless band that leads down
inside the tank to a pulley c* on the axle of one of the agitating drums,
and by this means rotary motion is transmitted thereto. The grids B,
B¹, B³, are made of parallel bars 6 secured at their extremities to discs or
plates 6 which are furnished with hollow trunnions. Through these
trunnions a tube 63 is passed for supplying liquor to the tank. This
tube connects at its opposite ends with the horizontal tubes 63 (Fig. 2)
running at right angles thereto through supply tubes 6*, and a similar
arrangement is provided for connecting the supply tubes 6s with all the
grids of the tank. Liquor is conducted to these tubes from any suitable
reservoir, and the discharge of the liquid is regulated to suit the width
of the cloth under treatment. The central discharging tube is made
stationary and it is slotted on its upper side as at 65 for a length equal
to the length of the grid.
Through the centre of each tube passes a rod 6 which is furnished
with a right and left-handed screw. This screwed rod is fitted with two
segment shaped slides b' which fit tight against the inside of the tube
(see Fig. 5) and are intended to contract simultaneously at both ends or
lengthen the slotted opening of the tube and thereby make that opening
correspond in length to the width of the fabric to be treated. A hand
wheel 68 keyed to one end of this screwed rod enables the slides to be
readily adjusted, the turning of the wheel in one direction serving to
advance the slides towards each other, and the turning of the wheel in
an opposite direction to retract the slides and lengthen the opening for
the discharge of the liquor. The slides are each furnished with a pro-

page_text: jection which enters the slot 6 and serves to prevent the slide from.
tipping on one side and uncovering the slot. As the liquor is discharged
from the tubes it will strike on to the cloth overlying the grids and
then fall into the tank below, and as the cloth is travelled through the
several compartments of the tank it is subjected alternately to im-
mersion and to the force of injection. Its complete and rapid saturation.
during the passage of the cloth through the apparatus will thus be
effectually secured.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improved
Apparatus for Dyeing Cloth, and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part.
recited Letters Patent I claim, the application to the tanks used in the
several processes of dyeing, of grids constructed as above described for
distributing the liquor upon the travelling cloth or piece goods, whereby
the stream of liquor discharged on to the goods may be regulated to
suit the varying widths of goods submitted to the action of the
apparatus.
JAMES WORRALL. (L.S.)