Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Washing Fibrous Material.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 14th S pt., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 10th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 22nd Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL
DIMITIVATIN
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Washing Fibrous
Material.
I, JOHN CHARLES WALKER, of Shipley Fields Mill, Shipley, in the County of
York, Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for washing
wool and other fibres particularly to the machine for which I and others have
obtained Letters Patent No. 20,916, dated the 4th day of November 1893.
Instead of arranging the driving mechanism in the position shown in the Specification
of the above cited Letters Patent I place it below the upper bowl and I may.commu-
nicate motion to the rockers from the driving mechanism by means of a connecting
rod as before but I introduce a lever or a rocking or vibrating arm between the said
connecting rod and the rocker. By this arrangement the mechanism is less
dangerous, the mechanism is more out of the way and the whole machine is more
compact. As a modification the driving mechanism may be connected to the crutches
supporting the rockers, and for that purpose extensions may be formed on the
crutches and the crutches of one rocker may be coupled to the crutches of the
other.
To avoid the necessity of lifting the rockers to release the fibres I may provide
a flat face for the said crutches to rock upon, and I so form or reduce the acting
face of each of the rockers that at one part of their movement said face is
sufficiently away from the bottom of the bowl, or the opposing face, to release the
fibres and allow them to flow with the current in the bowl. But in case I use
inclined or curved faces to lift the rockers as heretofore I prefer to arrange them so
that all the rockers are not raised together and consequently they more or less
balance each other.
Instead of using rockers made with a solid acting face such rockers may consist
of a series of blades, bars or fins or be more or less perforated. Or blades or bars,
or a perforated extension, may be provided on one or both sides of the rockers.
Dated this 12th day of September 1894.
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Agents.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for washing Fibrous
Material.
I, JOHN CHARLES WALKER, of Shipley Fields Mill, Shipley, in the County of
York, Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for washing
wool and other fibres particularly to the machine for which I and others have obtained
Letters Patent No. 20,916 dated the 4th day of November 1893.
Instead of arranging the driving mechanism in the position shown in the
Specification of the above cited Letters Patent I place it below the upper bowl and
may communicate motion to the rockers from the driving mechanism by means of
I
P871

page_text: a connecting rod as before but I introduce a lever or a rocking or vibrating arm
between the said connecting rod and the rocker. By this arrangement the mechanism
is less dangerous, it is more out of the way, and the whole machine is more compact.
As a modification the driving mechanism may be connected to the crutches
supporting the rockers, and for that purpose extensions may be formed on the
crutches, and the crutches of one rocker may be coupled to the crutches of the other.
To avoid the necessity of lifting the rockers to release the fibres I may provide a
flat face for the said crutches to rock upon, and I so form or reduce the acting face
of each of the rockers that at one part of their movement said face is sufficiently
away from the bottom of the bowl (or the opposing face) to release the fibres and
allow them to flow with the current in the bowl. But in case I use inclined or
curved faces to lift the rockers, as heretofore, I prefer to arrange them so that all
the rockers are not raised together and consequently they more or less balance each
other.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying sheet of drawings forming a part of
this Specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in each of the figures.
Figure 1, represents a longitudinal elevation with the upper bowl partly in section
of a washing machine illustrating the application of certain of my improvements
thereto.
Figure 2, represents a plan view of the same.
Figure 3, also represents a longitudinal elevation of a washing machine, but with
the lower bowl omitted to economise space, illustrating a modified method of
operating the rockers.
Figure 4, represents a plan view of the same and
Figure 5, represents a cross section on the broken line y, z Figure 3.
Figures 6 to 8 are views of detail hereinafter referred to.
The upper bowl A and lower bowl B are similar to that described in the above
cited Specification but the shaft O upon which the crank disc N is mounted is placed
out of the way below the bowl A, and revolves in bearings 02, 02 secured to the
underside of this bowl. The connecting rod L instead of being connected to one of
the links K is connected to the lower end of the arm L' rigidly secured to the
outer end of the rocking shaft L³ mounted in bearings L, L secured to the sides
of the bowl A. An arm L' is rigidly secured on the rocking shaft L, which arm is
connected to each of the links K by the links K2, K2. The disc N has cog teeth
formed on its periphery which engage the toothed wheel T rigidly secured on the
driving pulley U, and the wheel T and pulley U are mounted upon the stud P*
projecting from the bracket P secured to the top bowl.
It is obvious that the rotation of the disc N will, through the medium of the
connecting rod L, vibrate the lever formed by the arm L2, the shaft L³ and the
arm L and that the latter will communicate motion to the rockers C, C¹, C' and C³
through the medium of the links K² and K.
In the modification shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5 the crutches D on one side have
downwards extensions D2, D3, D1 and D' formed upon them and these extensions
are coupled together by the links K to connect the crutches together. The
extension D is provided with a stud D projecting from it and the end of the
connecting rod L is secured to this stud.
To operate the rockers the rod L is reciprocated in the manner above described
by means of the crank disc N having cog teeth on its periphery engaging a toothed
wheel mounted above and connected to the driving pulley. This toothed wheel and
pulley are however not shown in these figures as they are practically the same as
those represented in Figures 1 and 2.
In case I do not wish to lift the rockers bodily away from the bottom of the bowl,
to allow the fibres to pass, I employ flat faces 2 (Figures 1 and 2) parallel to the
bottom of the bowl, for the rocking faces F of the crutches D to rock upon. And
I cut away one side of the acting face of the rockers, as shown at e, Figures 1
and 6, so that when each rocker moves to the position shown in Figure 6 the acting

page_text: face is clear away from the bottom of the bowl, leaving the fibres free to pass along
underneath with the washing liquor. It is obvious that the particular form and
position of the portion cut away from the rocker may be varied or that one side of
the rocker may be cut away bodily as represented by the broken line e Figure 6.
but I. prefer to leave the over-hanging portion e³ on, as, besides tending to balance
the rocker, it helps to keep the fibres immersed.
In the drawings the cut away portions are shown on the side of the rockers
nearer to the delivery end of the machine but it is obvious that the opposite or feed
side of the rockers may be cut away instead.
In case however the rockers are not cut away, and it is therefore necessary to lift
them to allow the fibres to pass, I reverse the position of half the lifting inclines J
at the end of the faces F' and place them at the other end of the said faces, as
shown in Figure 3, therefore only half of the rockers are lifted at once thus dividing
the strain and the descending rockers more or less balance those being lifted.
In each case teeth E and E' of the same character as that described in the above
cited Specification are respectively formed upon the crutches and behind the rocking
faces but in the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2 the teeth E' are made
straight, that is to say their pitch lines are parallel to the flat faces F2.
The rockers may be made with a series of projecting blades or fins a Figures 7
and 8 on one or both sides. The lower edges of these blades or fins may approxi-
mately touch the bottom of the bowl at the end of each movement of the rockers
thereby more or less squeezing the fibres, or they may be arranged to merely
immerse the fibre. The blade or fin like form of these extensions enables them to
readily pass into and out of the liquor without displacing an excessive quantity.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a washing machine of the type specified, the combination with recipro-
cating mechanism situated below the level of the upper bowl, of a vibrating lever
adapted and arranged to communicate the reciprocating motion from said mechanism
to the rockers, substantially as herein shown and described.
2. In a washing machine of the type specified, operating the rockers by means of
a downward extension or extensions on the crutches (supporting the said rockers)
connected to the reciprocating mechanism, substantially as berein shown and
described.
3. In a washing machine of the type specified, the combination with flat faces
approximately parallel to the bottom of the bowl adapted to support the crutches
during their rocking motion said faces and crutches being provided with teeth
engaging each other, of a rocker the acting face of which is so formed or reduced
in relation to the rocking faces of the crutches that at one part of its movement
the said face is sufficiently away from the bottom of the bowl to release the fibres
and allow them to flow with the current in the bowl, substantially as herein shown
and described.
4. In a washing machine of the type specified, arranging the curved or inclined
faces (whereby the rockers are lifted during part of their movement) in such a
manner that half the rockers are alternately lifted, or not all lifted together, so as
to more or less balance each other, substantially as herein shown and described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. In a machine of the type specified, the combination with a rocker, of extensions
on one or both sides in the form of a series of ribs or blades, substantially as herein
shown and described and for the purpose specified.
Dated thin 9th dovr of December 1801
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Agents.