Improvements in Washing, Wringing, and Mangling Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in Washing, Wringing, and Mangling Machines.
We, WILLIAM SMITH, DAVID MARKS and ROBERT WATSON, all of Britannia
Iron Works, Keighley in the County of York, Machine Makers, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows, that is to say:-
It relates firstly to improvements in the construction of the framework of washing,
wringing and mangling machines, whereby stronger and firmer machines are produced
and that without adding to their cost.
The second part of our invention consists of an improved method of mounting
the castors on said machines so that they are enabled to revolve more freely on
their axles and not be so liable to become locked or held fast as they have been
heretobefore.
The third part of our invention relates to improvements in the method of
mounting and arranging the rollers and their driving gear so that same may be
enabled to perform their respective functions as is hereinafter described.
And the fourth part of our invention relates to the formation of the cross pressing
bar and parts in connection with it whereby one spiral spring may be employed for
pressing or acting upon both ends of the rollers.
We attain the object of the first part of our invention by making use of flat
strips or bars of wrought iron or steel in such parts of the framework of the
machine as will permit their employment. These strips of iron are cut to the
desired length and then taken and twisted so that their outer edges are made to
assume somewhat spiral shapes, by which means their strength is greatly enhanced,
they are then taken and the cast metal parts necessary for binding them together
to form the portion of framework desired whether such is the end frame cross rails
or top rails, are poured over them as will be well understood.
As to the second part of our invention we accomplish the object desired by
having the hole through the castor or runner, taper from each side, thus the least
diameter of this hole will be at or about its middle or central part, so that the
weight acting or resting upon the castors' axles will always force or tend to force
the castors into their most suitable position by these said axles being shaped to
suit the taperings of the holes through which they pass, which, although they
have to be larger at each outer end, is easily accomplished by the well known
method of casting at present followed.
Respecting the third part of our invention we arrange the machine to have three
pressing rollers two of them being in one and the same horizontal plane while the
other is situated above or below them and in such bearings as will enable it to
oscillate to meet the requirements of the articles being pressed between it and the
other rollers.
The hand driving wheel with its toothed pinion is mounted to revolve loosely on
the outer end of the axle of one of the sets of two rollers, while the intermediate
double gear wheel is mounted to revolve also loosely on the axle of the other
roller, in order that a toothed wheel fixed on the former may gear with it, thus the
bearings for the driving wheels are provided in the axles of the rollers alone.
To couple one roller with the other to cause them to revolve simultaneously
and at an even rate of speed ordinary gearing wheels are fixed on the outer ends
of the rollers axles on the opposite side of the machine to that occupied by the

page_text: driving handle, and these wheels are coupled to revolve together by having au
intermediate wheel arranged to mesh with both of them.
Provided that it is thought desirable to have motion imparted positively to each
or all of the three rollers, chain wheels may be employed and the chain mounted
on them in such a manner as to cause all three of the rollers to revolve as required
and in the right direction.
To attain the object of the fourth part of our invention we employ a spiral
spring which we mount centrally in the machine so that it may act upon a cross
bar extending from the dies at one end of the machine to that on the other end
thereof. This cross bar is made to have the appearance of the well known
laminated or half elliptical spring but is so formed otherwise that it may be of cast
metal with a cavity formed in it to lessen its weight.
In or about the central part of this bar an opening is formed to receive the
spiral spring so that a sufficiently long spring may be used without causing. the
bar to occupy space that it is desirable to leave clear at the upper part of the machine.
The other end of the spiral spring enters an opening in the machine's top rail
where the usual kind of pressure screw is made to act upon it.
Dated this 29th day of April 1896
SAMUEL HEY,
56 Low Street, Keighley, Agent.
Improvements in Washing, Wringing, and Mangling Machines.
We, WILLIAM SMITH, DAVID MARKS and ROBERT WATSON, all of
Britannia Iron Works, Keighley in the County of York, Machine Makers, .do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
It relates firstly to improvements in the-construction of the framework of
washing wringing and mangling machines, whereby stronger and firmer machines
are produced and that without adding to their cost.
The second part of our invention consists of an improved method of mounting
the castors on said machiues so that they are enabled to revolve more freely on
their axles and not be so liable to become locked or held fast as they have been
heretofore.
The third part of our invention relates to improvements in the method of
mounting and arranging the rollers and their driving gear so that same may be
enabled to perform their respective functions as is hereinafter described.
And the fourth part of our invention relates to the formation of the cross pressing
bar and parts in connection with it whereby one spiral spring may be employed for
pressing or acting upon both ends of the rollers.
In order that our said invention may be more readily understood we have hereunto
appended sheets of drawings illustrative thereof in wbich :-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the end frame of a wringing or like machine
constructed according to our invention.
Fig. 2 is a drawing in detail of a part used in the construction of said end frame
as bereinafter explained.
Fig. 3 is a part sectional elevation showing our improved method of constructing
the castor and its bearings.
Fig. 4 is a front view of the bowl or pulley forming the castor.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of two articles known as "chills" and shows their
shape when used to form our improved castor-bowl or pulley.

page_text: Fig. 6 is end elevation of a portion of a wringing or mangling machine and shows
our method of arranging the driving gear.
Fig. 7 is a view of the parts shown by Fig. 6 as seen from above.
Fig. 8 is an end elevation showing our method of gearing one roller to another.
Fig. 9 is similar to Fig. 8 but shows an alternative arrangement.
Fig. 10 is front elevation of a portion of a wringing or mangling machine and
illustrates our improved method of constructing the pressure bar and parts in
connection with it.
Fig. 11 is sectional end elevation of the said pressure bar and cross rail of the
machine.
Similar letters and figures of reference indicate similar parts throughout the
several views.
We attain the object of the first part of our invention by making use of flat strips
or bars of wrought iron or steel a in such parts of the framework of the machine as
will permit of their employment.
These strips a are cut to the desired length and then taken and twisted into the
form shown by Fig. 2 so that their outer edges are made to assume somewhat spiral
shapes, by which means their strength, so far as bending strains are to be considered
is greatly enhanced, they are then taken and the cast metal parts (such as those at b
in the end frame Fig. 1) necessary for binding them together to form the portion of
framework desired, whether such is the said end frame as shown or the cross rails or
the top rails, are poured over them as will be well understood.
с
As to the second part of our invention we accomplish the object desired by
having a hole c through the castor bowl or pulley e, tapering from each side, thus
the least diameter of this hole will be at or about its middle or central part, so that
the weight acting or resting upon the axle d will always force, or tend to force the
said pulley e into its most suitable position by reason of its said axle d being shaped
to suit the taperings of the hole c through which it passes, which although it has to
be larger at each outer end, is easily accomplished by the well known method of
casting same at present followed.
The formation of the opening c through the pulley c is preferably produced in
the casting by "chills" which are formed as shown at ee Fig. 5, the one fitting
into and against the other so that although in two parts to allow their use in the
sand mould, they are at all times brought with their axes in directly in line with
each other.
Of course it will be seen that it might be possible to form the hole c¹ (by placing
a core in the mould in which the pulley is cast) larger in diameter at its middle
than at its outer edges while the axle d would be made a correspondingly shape
and thus attain the object of bringing the pulley into a central position between
the parts d d as when the said hole c' is formed as hereinafter described.
Respecting the third part of our invention we arrange the machine to have three
rollers and, two of them f¹ and being in one and the same plane while
the other is situated above them (or this latter may be mounted beneath them,
but in such case the bearings for same are very cumbersome and have a very
undesirable appearance) in bearings 9 which only partly fill the space between the
upright parts h h of the end frame as shown at Fig. 6, in order thus to allow the
said roller to oscillate to meet the requirements of the articles being pressed
between it and the other rollers 1¹ƒ³.
The hand driving wheel k with its toothed pinion k¹ is mounted to revolve loosely
on the outer ends of the axle m of the roller f' while the alternative double gear
wheel n is mounted to revolve also loosely on the axle m' of the roller f³ in order that
a toothed wheel p on the axle m may gear with it, thus the bearings for the driving
wheels are provided in the axles of the rollers alone.
To couple one roller with the other to cause them to revolve simultaneously and
at an even rate of speed, ordinary gearing wheels are fixed on the outer ends
of the rollers' axles m m' respectively, on the opposite side of the machine to that
occupied by the driving wheel k, and these wheels are coupled to revolve

page_text: together by having an intermediate wheels arranged to gear with both of them,
as shown by Fig. 8.
Provided that it is thought desirable to have motion imparted positively to each
or all of the three rollers ff, chain wheels t t t may he employed and fixed on
their respective shafts m m³ m³, while the chain u is mounted on them in such a
manner as to cause all three rollers to revolve as required and in the right
direction as shown by the arrows v, see Fig. 9.
To attain the object of the fourth part of our invention we employ a spiral
spring w which we mount centrally in the machine so that it may act upon a cross
bar a extending from the dies y at one end of the machine to those y at the other
end thereof. This cross bar is made to have the appearance of the well known
laminated or half elliptical spring, but is so formed otherwise that it may be of
cast metal, and even have a cavity formed in it to lessen its weight.
In or about the central part of this bar an opening z is formed to receive the
spring w so that a sufficiently long spring may be used without causing the bar
to descend too low to occupy space that it is desirable to leave clear at the upper
part of the machine, for this purpose also the other end of the spring w enters an
opening z in the machine's top rail z where the usual kind of pressure screw z is
made to act upon it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In the production of the framework of washing and like machines the employ-
ment of strips of metal twisted or formed substantially as herein specified for the
purpose set forth.
2. In washing, wringing and like machines a castor or runner and its axial pin
constructed substantially as set forth.
3. In a wringing or mangling machine having three rollers the method of
mounting same and parts formed to act in connection with them to allow freedom
for the movements of said rollers substantially as specified.
4. In wringing or mangling machines having three rollers driving gear arranged
to transmit motion to these rollers substantially as specified.
5. In wringing or mangling machines of the class described toothed gearing wheels
for coupling one roller to another substantially as set forth.
6. In wringing or mangling machines, chain wheels and chains for acting in
connection therewith to transmit motion to the rollers of said machines substantially
as herein specified.
7. The improved construction of parts arranged in combination the same being
applicable for use in connection with a wringing or mangling machine substantially
as herein specified.
Dated this 20th
1007
WILLIAM SMITH,
DAVID MARKS,
ROBERT WATSON,
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.