IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WASHING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Gay, of the Firm of Louis Gay and.
Company, of Reims, in. the Empire of France, Manufacturers, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WASHING WOOL AND
OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 12th February 1869, and dated the 18th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Gay at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th August 1868.
I, LOUIS GAY, of the Firm of Louis Gay and Company, of Reims, in
the Empire of France, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WASHING WOOL
AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
My Invention has reference to a cylindrical or preferably a conical
vessel, to which a slow rotary motion is imparted. This vessel is placed
horizontally or nearly so, its extremities are only partially closed, and
internally it is provided with a series of projecting hooks or points...
The wool or other fibrous material to be washed is fed in at one of
the extremities, and by the rotation of the apparatus gradually conducted

page_text: to the other extremity, from whence it is discharged whilst the liquid
used for washing is introduced at the extremity from which the wool is
discharged, and drawn off at the extremity where the wool is introduced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Louis Gay in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
GAY, of the Firm of Louis Gay and Company, of Reims, in the Empire
of France, Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Louis Gay, Her special licence that I,
the said Louis Gay, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Louis Gay, executors, administrators,
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
WASHING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Louis Gay, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Louis Gay, 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
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention has reference to a cylindrical or preferably a conical
vessel, to which a slow rotatory motion is imparted. This vessel is placed

page_text: horizontally or nearly so, its extremities are only partially closed, and
internally it is provided with a series of projecting hooks or points.
The wool or other fibrous material to be washed is fed in at one of the
extremities, and by the rotation of the apparatus gradually conducted to
the other extremity, from whence it is discharged, whilst the liquid used
for washing is introduced at the extremity from which the wool is dis-
charged, and drawn off at the extremity where the wool is introduced.
And in order that my Invention be more fully understood I will pro-
ceed to describe it conjointly with the two Figures of the accompanying
Drawing, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 2
a front view of an apparatus which has been tried and still serves for
washing all kinds of wool with good results. It has the form of a
truncated cone 5 feet 4 inches long, 4 feet 7 inches in diameter at one
end and 3 feet 3 inches at the other. Its form and dimensions can be
varied as needed and according to the materials to be washed. It may
be constructed of pine or other wood and hooped with iron, or it may be
constructed in metal, preferably in galvanised iron. Its opening at the
large end is partly closed by an annular metal diaphragm so as to leave
a free opening in the centre of about 3 feet (see a, b, Figure 1). This
diaphragm is pierced with little holes by which the liquid used for
washing escapes without allowing the materials being washed to be
carried away. The other extremity of the cone, the smaller end, is fitted
with an annular wooden diaphragm not pierced with holes, leaving a
free opening in the middle of about 18 inches in diameter, as at Figure 1,
c, d. Two rings of iron f, f, and g, g, similar in section to the tire of
a railway wheel, are fixed round the cone, by which the cone is rotated
upon the rollers h, i, k, l, turning in the blocks m, n, supported by the
wooden or other frame A, B. Motion is imparted to the cone by the
belt R, R, Figure 2 which if required may be substituted by suitable
gearing. The interior surface of the cone is fitted with wooden spikes
8 to 10 inches in length. The water is admitted by the pipe e at
the small end of the cone, and it escapes by the holes in the perforated
diaphragm, as shown in Figure 1. The cone being rotated and the
water supplied being maintained at a height of about 8 or 10 inches,
the wool or other material is introduced by the opening a, b, either by
hand or by an endless band. It falls into the water at p, it is then
quickly caught by the first spike, which lifts it up and carries it round

page_text: to the upper part of the cone at o. The spike having then acquired a
vertical position no longer retains the wool or other material, which falls
into the water to be again caught by another spike, carried round till
that spike is again uppermost, and again falls into the water. This is
repeated about a dozen times, when the wool will have arrived at the
other end of the cone. This progressive motion is caused by the lower
surface of the cone being placed nearly level, consequently its axis is
inclined and the spikes do not rotate in a vertical plane, so that each
spike as it seizes the wool rises in an inclined plane and lets the wool
fall in a plane more advanced to the small end of the cone than the
plane in which it was seized, the wool thus advancing up the current
of the stream. In technical terms the wool seized by the spikes rises
with them in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation and con-
sequently inclined to the horizon, whilst the wool falls into the water
in an exact vertical line. This movement of the wool is indicated in
the Figure 1 by red lines so, o t, tu, and u v. On arriving at the
extremity of the cone near the opening c, d, the wool is received there
by an endless belt which carries it outside.
It will be found advantageous to work the machine between two
pressing machines, the one receiving the wool from the grease bath
and delivering the wool into the washing cone, then from the washing
cone the wool is delivered into the second pressing machine, by which
the wool is drained as much as possible before being put in the drying
machine, thus forming a complete apparatus for extracting the grease
and washing the wool in a continuous manner.
Having now described my Invention, and the best means I am
acquainted with for carrying it into practice, I claim,-
Firstly. The use of a rotating conical cylinder, partly open at each end
without a central axis, for washing wool or other materials, as herein
described.
Secondly. The use of the spikes or other projections in the interior
of the said conical cylinder in connection with the arrangement of the
planes of rotation herein described as a means of imparting progressive
motion to the wool or materials being washed.
Thirdly. The application of a running stream of water travelling in an
opposite direction to that of the wool washed by it.

page_text: Fourthly. The arrangement of the parts and mechanism substantially
as herein described for the purpose of washing wool or other materials in
a continuous manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Gay, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
LOUIS GAY. (L.S.)
of the Firm of Louis Gay & Company.
Witness,
CATELIN,
Rue Neuve, 51,
at Reims (Marne).