IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO MACHINERY FOR WASHING OR SCOURING AND DRYING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Petrie, junior, of Rochdale, in the County
of Lancaster, Machine Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
APPLICABLE TO MACHINERY FOR WASHING OR SCOURING AND DRYING WOOL
AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 26th July 1872, and dated the 31st January 1872.
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Petrie at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st January 1872.
I, JOHN PETRIE, junior, of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster,
Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO MACHINERY FOR WASHING OR SCOURING AND
DRYING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates, firstly, to apparatus designed to take the place
of "brats," or other such arrangement used for conveying the fibrous
material to or from the washing or scouring machine.

page_text: My improved apparatus consists of a surface, which may be con-
structed as a simple plane or otherwise formed as I will hereafter
describe, and to which a reciprocating motion is imparted, effected by
cranks and levers or equivalent apparatus in such manner as to produce
a jerking action, and by these succesive jerkings the material is tossed
forward. If the material has to be conveyed upward I furnish the
aforesaid surface with projecting parts, which prevent it from falling
back; and if the said material be in a wet state I form channels to
carry off the water. This apparatus may also be used for conveying the
material out of the washing trough. Or for these purposes I use a plate
or bars, caused to move to and fro by an ordinary crank or by similar
means (but in these cases with a regular reciprocating movement), and
provided with fixed projections after the manner of ratchet teeth, the
fronts of which carry onward the material by their forward motion,
but which material slips over their angular sides on their backward
motion
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Petrie in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 31st July 1872.

page_text: provided with levers 5, 6, which are jointed at their lower ends 7, 8, to a
flat table 9 furnished on each side with fences or guards 10. To this
table is jointed a lever 11, its other end being connected at 12 to a
rod 13, at which part there is also jointed another lever 14 mounted on
The lower end of the rod 13
a rocking shaft 15 carried by the frame 1.
is connected to a crank pin 16 mounted on an elliptical toothed
wheel 17, the pitch line of which is denoted by red colour, and this takes
into another elliptical wheel 18 mounted on the main shaft 19.
The working of the apparatus is as follows, it being assumed that
the fibrous material is delivered at A on to the table 2 from the
squeezing rollers, lifting apparatus, or other such ordinary arrangement
used in washing machines. Rotatory motion is communicated to the
shaft 19 from any convenient situation, and I will suppose it to be
driven so that the crank pin 16 is moving in the direction of the arrow.
The effect of this will be to draw the joint 12 downward carrying with
it the rod 11, and thus the table 9 will be moved backward in the
direction of the arrow and will at the same time be lowered by
swinging up on the centres 3, 4. A further motion of the crank 16 will
subsequently straighten the rod and lever 11, 14, into the position
shewn, and the table 2 will therefore then have been moved forward in
the direction of the dotted arrow; after which a still further motion of
the crank 16 will carry the centre 12 upward and again draw the table 9
back in the direction of the full arrow. It will thus be seen that each
revolution of the shaft 19 causes the table 9 to move backward. and
forward twice, and that during such backward movements it falls, and
during such forward movements it rises by swinging upon the
centres 3, 4. According to the positions of the parts shewn, the table 9
is about to be drawn back, and and simultaneously with the aforesaid
lowering thereof or just before, the larger diameter of the driving
wheel 18 comes into géar with the smaller diameter of the wheel 17,
whereby the latter and with it the crank 16 is caused to move at an
accelerated rate, producing a jerking motion, which enables the table to
throw forward and to leave or slip from the fibrous material, and then
on its return motion it conveys the said material forward together with
a fresh supply delivered to it at the end A.

page_text: side fences, which also extend across the width of the said tables at one
end thereof. Each of these tables is carried by vibrating levers 39, 39*,
moving on centres 40 which are connected alternately to two vertical
rods 41, 41*, the upper ends thereof being jointed to levers 42 extend-
ing from a shaft 43 caused to vibrate by means of a lever and
rod 44, 45, the latter of which is connected to a crank 46 driven from
the shaft 47. As this shaft revolves it alternately depresses and draws
upward the rods 41, 41*, which by turning the levers 42 upon their
centres of motion move the tables 38 alternately to and fro, at the
same time (as in the former instance) raising and depressing them.
By these means the material which has been delivered by the feeder 37
to the top table is gradually moved forward and delivered through its
open end B to the table; beneath which, by operating in a similar
manner conveys the material towards its open end C from whence it
falls on to the table beneath, and so on through the series; the said
material being finally delivered at D on to the travelling surface 48,
which conveys it in a dried condition to any required situation. At 49
are guards for preventing the material from passing over the ends of
the tables. The lower part of the chamber formed by the casing 36
may be supplied with a heating medium, but as this may be of any
ordinary arrangement of steam pipes or other such appliance commonly
used for a similar purpose I have not shewn the same in the Drawings.
The tables for drying purposes may be plain flat surfaces, or formed
of gauze or other perforated material to admit the passage of air. I
would also remark that instead of a series of tables one above another,
one only of a suitable length may be employed, passing through a
suitable chamber, heated if desired.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I
desire it to be understood, that I claim as secured to me under the
above in part recited Letters Patent and for the purposes above set
forth,-
Firstly. In reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, the reciprocating and rising
and falling transferring surface illustrated at 9, substantially as
described.
Secondly. The reciprocating ratchet formed bars or plate 31, 32,
described in reference to Figs. 4 and 5, substantially as described.

page_text: Thirdly. In reference to Figs. 6 and 7, the reciprocating end rising
and falling transferring surface, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Petrie, junior, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
JOHN PETRIE, JR. (L.S.)