Improvements relating to the Treatment of Wool, Cotton, Paper- pulp, or other Textile or Fibrous Materials, for Effecting the Bleaching, Coloring, Disinfecting, and Drying or other Operations, and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements relating to the Treatment of Wool, Cotton, Paper-
pulp, or other Textile or Fibrous Materials, for Effecting
the Bleaching, Coloring, Disinfecting, and Drying or other
Operations, and to Apparatus therefor.
I, JOHN HEWETSON LORIMER of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S.A., Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of my 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 has reference to an improved process and apparatus for treating textile
fibres or materials such as rags, paper pulp, wool, cotton, yarns etc., and consists in
certain improvements all of which are fully set forth in the following specification and
shown in the accompanying drawings which form part thereof.
In this application my object is to combine the principles involved in an improved
drying machine of mine with suitable means for atomizing or spraying wet colors or
disinfectants or other liquid with which the material is to be treated and causing it or
gases to be drawn in with the passing drying air or gas and made to act upon the
material which is being conveyed back and forth through the chamber.
If the supply
of color or disinfecting medium be uniform every portion of the yarn, wool, cotton, etc.
will be treated therewith to the same degree, and after being treated with said sprayed
material it will be dried before emerging from the machine.
By this method, materials may be bleached, disinfected, dyed, or colored in a speedy
and convenient manner reducing the cost and labor necessary to accomplish the desired
result. The machine could be used to advantage where delicate tinting was required,
as the coloring matter being held in suspension by the passing air will permeate every
portion of the material being carried through the machine.
In the drawings: :―
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a machine embodying my improvements on
line and,
Fig. 2 is a cross section of same on line y y.
A B are two endless aprons, between which the wool or cotton &c. to be dried is held
and conveyed through the drier or hot-air chamber, and may be formed of link-chains
with slats between, or webbing, netting, or combinations of any two or more of these
may be used, the particular construction of these endless conveyers or aprons being

page_text: immaterial to my invention. These aprons A B lie close upon each other in passing
through the heating or drying chamber H and while passing around and over the
guido rollers CC, moving back and forth or up and down through said chamber for
the purpose of being retained therein as long a time as necessary. The apron A is
guided outside the chamber H by rollers K, and apron B by rollers E E¹.
D is the feeding end, and may be of any suitable construction and the yarns, wool,
or cotton to be dried after being fed upon the apron B, is carried up over rollers E
and between it and the apron A, which passes around roller K and enters the drying
chamber H through opening hand while held between the aprons, (and if desired
prevented from displacement by slats C thereon) is conveyed over rollers G G and
after passing back and forth a number of times, emerges by apertures to the outside
of the chamber and the material from between the said aprons is discharged at W.
The travelling aprons may be made in any manner desired but should be of open
netting or webbing secured to chains on its lateral edges and may be furnished with
slats, which would be preferably on the top of the net work or next to the cotton, wool,
yarn, etc. to be dried so as to prevent the same from being displaced on turning over
the drums or pullies in transit through the heating apparatus. The netting may be
formed of cord or twine or their equivalent, and if desired the slats may have teeth or
projections to more securely hold the material to be dried from displacement.
aprons
The cotton, wool, &c. or yarn in skein or warp may be delivered to the endless
and conveyed through the drying chamber. This drying chamber H may be simply
a large chamber into or through which hot air or gas is forced or drawn by one or
more blowers or fans J, or by any other means, the ingress or egress of air being
allowed by the openings as at the top or bottom for instance as at I.
When the air currents and aprons pass in the same direction through chamber H
the upper part of the chamber may be made conical or dome shape as at and projecting
into the opening is a pipe L terminating in a rose or spraying nozzle M as indicated
in dotted lines. O is an injector or device for forcing the disinfectant or coloring
medium or liquid through pipe L, the liquid being supplied from a tank N and its flow
controlled by a valve n. Pis a blower connecting by a pipe p with the injector O
whereby a forced current of air may be used to propel and subdivide or spray the
disinfectant or coloring fluid. In place of a fan the fluid may be sprayed by the use
of a jet of steam, in which case the pipe p would connect with the boiler or if desired
the fluid could be pumped through the nozzle M and sprayed under great pressure as
indicated in dotted lines Fig. 1 the particular method or apparatus used for spraying
the fluid being immaterial to my invention.
When the air currents and aprons pass in opposite directions the disinfectant
bleaching or coloring matter is preferably sprayed into the chamber between the
aprons at one or more places near where they enter. as indicated by solid lines at M,
preferably so as to act upon both sides of the material to be treated.
Any form of disinfected gas or fluid might be used, as for instance Burnetts' or
Condys' and the coloring matter if desired may be mixed with the disinfectant or may
be used separately. The disinfectant may be supplied from one set of pipes and the
coloring solution from another set of pipes both being fed simultaneously to the air
currents passing through the machine, or if desired either one may be used without
the other. The air used as a drying medium may if desired be heated before passing
through the machine by being caused to pass over the hot surface as indicated in Fig. 2
dotted lines.
This apparatus is equally applicable for impregnating the materials conveyed through
it with any other substances in the liquid or gaseous state.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1st. A close drying chamber through which a drying medium is caused to circulate
in combination with two endless aprons adapted to lie close together to hold the
material to be dried and arranged to pass back and forth within the drying chamber,
the aprons being brought outside the chamber a two places, one to form the feeding

page_text: and one to form the discharging parts thereof whereby the goods to be dried may be
placed upon the aprons and then conveyed through the drying chamber and after being
dried discharged again guiding rollers for the aprons and suitable devices for injecting
into said drying medium a fluid which is conveyed to the material to be dried and
caused to act thereon the drying medium being the vehicle by which the fluid is
brought into contact with the material to be treated and dried.
2nd. The combination of the enclosed drying chamber having openings for the
admission of the endless belts, and provided with air openings with a fan or blower to
cause a circulation of air through said drying chamber, means to heat the air before
passing through the chamber the two endless belts or aprons guiding rollers therefor
to guide said aprons back and forth in said drying chamber and in the path of the air
currents and convey the said aprons outside or exterior to the closed chamber at two
places for the feed and discharge and suitable devices for injecting into said drying
medium a fluid which is conveyed to the material to be dried and caused to act thereon
the drying medium being the vehicle by which the fluid is brought into contact with
the material to be treated and dried.
3rd. A close drying chamber through which a continuous vertical column or current
of dry air is passed, in combination with two endless aprons of open-work adapted to
lie close together to hold the material to be dried, and arranged to pass back and forth
through the continuous vertical current of dry air, exposing both sides of the material
to be dried in alternation to the said current of dry air, and guiding-rollers for said
aprons to guide them back and forth within the chamber and bring them out through
openings therein for the feed and discharge the construction being such that the
material is fed into the machine and delivered from it in an atmosphere which is cool
and comfortable to work in, and is carried through a hot atmosphere within the close
chamber and in which the dry air is passed directly through both sides of the said
material to be dried while in the custody of the aprons and a nozzle or pipe to admit a
fluid in a finely divided state into the air currents passing through the machine.
4th. The combination of a close drying chamber and fans to create a current of air
through said chamber, with bands or aprons to convey the material to be treated back
and forth through the chamber and across the path of the air currents a liquid tank
for containing a disinfectant, bleaching, or coloring liquid with which thematerial is
to be treated, a pipe to convey said liquid from said tank to the drying chamber and
suitable devices to spray or subdivide said liquid whereby it may be carried by the air
to and through the material held by the aprons or bands.
5th. The hereindescribed process for treating a textile material with a fluid, which
consists in causing the material to be passed back and forth through a closed chamber
and exposed to strong currents of air which carry in suspension a finely subdivided
spray or vapor of a bleaching, disinfecting, coloring, or other fluid, which impregnated
air is drawn or forced directly through the material to be treated.
Gth. The hereindescribed process for treating a textile material with a fluid and
dried, which consists in causing the material in a wet condition to be passed back and
forth through a closed chamber and exposed to strong currents of air which carry in
suspension a finely subdivided spray or vapor of a bleaching, disinfecting, coloring, or
other fluid, which impregnated air is drawn or forced directly through the material to
be treated and then subjecting the treated material to the action of unimpregnated air
drying currents to thoroughly dry the said treated material.
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