Improvements in Apparatus for Clearing Fibres from Grease and Impurities.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Clearing Fibres from Grease and
Impurities.
I, RICHARD BAMFORD HARDMAN, of Fernhill Mills, Bury, in the County of
Lancaster Woollen Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for clearing fibres such as wool or cotton
waste from grease and impurities. For this purpose, I pass the fibres in form of
a thick sliver through petroleum spirit contained in a closed tank, the sliver being
moved along the floor of the tank by travelling chains or bands with scrapers
bearing on its upper surface. The travelling chains or bands are arranged with
the pulleys round which they pass in sections, between each pair of which is
arranged an adjustable pair of pressing rollers through which the sliver is passed.
Where the pressing rollers occur, the tank is deepened so as to provide recesses
in which collect solid impurities squeezed out of the sliver. The sliver, after
passing along the tank, issues between a final pair of pressing rollers and may be
then led to suitable drying apparatus.
Dated this 29th day of September 1896.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Clearing Fibres from Grease and
Impurities.
I, RICHARD BAMFORD HARDMAN, of Fernhill Mills, Bury, in the County of
Lancaster, Woollen Manufacturer, 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:-
My invention relates to apparatus for clearing fibres such as wool or cotton
waste from grease and impurities. For this purpose, I pass the fibres in form of
a thick sliver through petroleum spirit carbon bisulphide or other suitable solvent
contained in a closed tank, the sliver being moved along the floor of the tank by
travelling chains or bands with scrapers bearing on its upper surface. The travel-
ling chains or bands are arranged with the pulleys round which they pass in
sections, between each pair of which is arranged an adjustable pair of pressing
rollers through which the sliver is passed. Where the pressing rollers occur, the
tank is deepened so as to provide recesses in which collect solid impurities squeezed

page_text: out of the sliver. The sliver, after passing along the tank, issues between a final
pair of pressing rollers and may be then led to suitable drying apparatus.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal section of fibre clearing
apparatus according to my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sections on the
lines 2-2 and 3-3 respectively of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shews to an enlarged scale the
chain wheel and part of the travelling chain. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section
of a modification.
Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the sliver of fibre to be cleansed being
fed at A is carried onwards by the spiked travelling chains B over a perforated
floor C through the spirit in the tank 1) which has deep places E for deposit of
impurities, these deep places having openings F for emptying them, provided with
suitable cocks or valves not shewn. The sliver in its course passes between pairs
of pressing rollers G and finally issues from the tank at H and is conveyed to a
heated chamber where the spirit is evaporated from it and led to a condenser to be
recovered.
In the modification shewn in Figure 5, instead of the chains for moving the
sliver pairs of endless travelling pervious aprons K are employed, the sliver being
carried between them.
The solvent is introduced into the apparatus at M near to the last pair of
pressing rollers and overflows at L back to a retort carrying with it the greasy
matters which have been extracted from the material passed through the machine.
The solvent is then evaporated and after being condensed returns to the supply
pipe M, a constant circulation of solvent being thus maintained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
Apparatus for clearing fibres from grease and impurities, consisting of a tank
containing solvent spirit through which, and between pairs of pressing rollers, a
sliver of the fibres is caused to travel, substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of June 1897.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.