Improvements in the Treatment of Textile Materials with Liquids Vapours, or Gases, and Apparatus for that Purpose.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 7th Oct.,
1899
Improvements in the Treatment of Textile Materials with Liquids
Vapours, or Gases, and Apparatus for that Purpose.
I, WILLIAM MATHER, of Salford Iron Works, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, 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:—
Textile materials, such as yarns or woven fabrics, are sometimes treated with
liquids vapours or gases for bleaching, dyeing and other purposes, by winding
them on perforated hollow cores and causing the fluid, by pumping or otherwise,
to pass through them radially from the outside inwards or from the inside out-
wards, but it is difficult to secure uniformity of action on all parts of the material
when it is treated in this manner. Again, yarns or woven fabrics twisted in rope
form are loaded in suitable trucks which are run into closed keirs or chambers
through which the fluids are caused to circulate, but in this case also it is difficult
to secure uniformity of treatment and to prevent distortion of the fabric which
necessitates subsequent straightening operations.
The present invention relates to an improved method of treating with fluids
textile materials, especially woven fabrics in their full width without twisting or
creasing them, by means of apparatus which may be used either separately or
in combination with the closed keirs or chambers and trucks above referred to.
For this purpose, the fabric or web to be treated, or a set of webs temporarily
connected, is rolled in its full width, without twisting or creasing on a fluted
core until a roll of convenient size is formed the rolling being preferably effected
in a vessel containing some suitable liquid whicli gives the material a preparatory
soaking. One end of the roll abuts against a perforated partition which separates
the main vessel containing the roll from an end compartment. This compartment
communicates with the main vessel by pipes provided with a rotary or other
pump and suitable valves by which fluid can be sent either from the main vessel
to the compartment or in the reverse direction. In either case the fluid has to
find its way through and between the convolutions of the fabric in streams, which
are not radial, but are virtually parallel to the axis of the roll, so that all the
convolutions, whether those near to or those far from the axis, receive practically
uniform treatment. In order to ensure the flow parallel to the axis of the
roll, the web, before it is rolled, may have pieces of impervious fabric attached
to its ends so that when it is rolled, these pieces form internal and external
covers preventing radial flow of the fluid.
For applying this method to the closed keir and truck arrangement, each of the
trucks is made with a hollow floor, forming a chamber, the upper surface of
which has perforations arranged in circles. On each of these circles is placed
on end, a roll of the kind above described, and, when the truck is run into the
keir, the floor chamber is put in communication with a pipe furnished with pump
and valves. Thus fluid pumped into the keir finds its way through and between
the convolutions of the rolled fabric to the floor chamber and then back to the

page_text: Keir, or conversely. The trucks instead of having chambers in their floors may
have chambers at their ends.
Means of heating or cooling the fluid may be combined with the circulating
apparatus.
Such being the general character of the present invention I shall proceed to
describe apparatus by which it can be practically carried out, referring to the
accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal and Fig. 2 is a-transverse section of one form of the
apparatus.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, section of a modified form, and Fig. 4 is a part longi-
tudinal section of another modification: Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the
apparatus arranged vertically.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 7 is a transverse section and Fig. 8 is
a plan partly sectional shewing the apparatus applied to trucks in closed keirs
or chambers.
Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 10 is a transverse section, Fig. 11 is an
end view and Fig. 12 is a side view shewing a modified arrangement of the keirs,
trucks and rolls.
Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a is a cylindrical vessel provided with a door b
which can be tightly closed. In this vessel is mounted a fluted mandrel c, which
passes through a stuffing box at one end of the vessel and has its end part screw
threaded to receive a nut d. This mandrel.carries a perforated disc or partition e
which can slide on, but must turn with the mandrel and has its edge bearing
against a fixed shoulder f. The door being opened, the end of a web of fabric,
or of several webs temporarily connected together by stitching or otherwise, being
attached to the mandrel, this is caused to revolve so as to wind the web or webs
on it, in a number of convolutions, the fabric being thus formed into a roll the
length of which is equivalent to the width of the web.. The vessel is partly
charged with the liquid required to saturate the fabric which is thus soaked
while it is being wound on the mandrel. The door being then closed, the
vessel is charged with additional liquid for soaking the fabric, and after a time
the nut is turned, while the mandrel is prevented from turning, so as to draw
the end of the roll or fabric close against the partition e which is thus pressed
against the shoulder f. Through pipes g at each end of the vessel, liquids can
be pumped or steam or gases can be forced into and through the
vessel having to pass on their way longitudinally through and between
the successive convolutions of the fabric in streams substantially parallel
to the axis.
In order that all parts may receive uniform treat-
ment, the roll can be either continuously or from time to time caused to revolve
by turning the mandrel and partition. After sufficient treatment, the vessel can
be emptied and then the door being opened the fabric can be unwound and
detached from the mandrel.
As shewn in Fig. 3 the perforated disc or partition e forms one wall of a
separate chamber communicating with a central pipe h which takes the place of
one of the pipes g. In this case the screw is on a spindle i fitting a nut fixed
in the mandrel.
As shewn in Fig. 4 the partition e is stationary in which case, when the roll
of fabric has to be turned, it is first, by turning the nut d, separated a little
from the partition so that it is free to turn.
Fig. 5 shews a vessel k of considerable size with a removable lid 7; it has a
perforated partition e attached to the mandrel and carrying a roll of fabric, which
can be introduced and removed by lifting the mandrel and with it the partition.
As shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, m is one of the chambers or keirs into which are
run trucks carrying fabrics generally twisted in rope form, to be treated with
liquids, steam or gases. Instead of the trucks usually employed I provide trucks
each of which is made with a double floor so as to form a chamber n which,

page_text: after the truck is run into position in the keir, is made by means of sliding
pipe connections o of well known kind to communicate with the external pipe p.
The upper wall of the chamber has perforations made in circular spaces
each of the same diameter as a roll of fabric and each having a central recess to
receive the end of the mandrel on which the fabric is wound. A roll of fabric
having been placed on each of the perforated spaces, the truck is run into the
keir, and then through the bottom pipe p and the pipes q at the top, liquids,
steam or gases are made to pass in either direction longitudinally through and
between the convolutions of the fabric which constitute the roll in streams sub-
stantially parallel to the axis.
In many cases it is desirable to treat larger rolls in a keir which has com-
paratively small capacity for liquid, so that small quantities of fluid can be
successively applied to the fabric, each fresh supply being free from the impurities
which tend to accumulate in a large quantity of fluid when that is repeatedly
circulated through the apparatus and fabric.
For this purpose I arrange the apparatus as shewn in Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12.
The keir m receives two trucks each having on it a large horizontal roll of
fabric and the size of the keir is such that there is comparatively little space
around the rolls and at the ends. And in order to reduce as much as possible the
capacity for fluid, I provide in the lower part of the keir two channels p in which
the truck wheels run. Each truck has bearings for a mandrel c on which the
fabric is rolled before the trucks are introduced into the keir, the fabric being
preferably drawn through tanks in which they are soaked. At the right end of
the one mandrel and the left end of the other is a chamber q each fronted by a
perforated disc e. At the closed end of the keir is a spindler having on it a
hand wheels by which it can be turned and a screw sleeve by which it can be
moved lengthwise, and clutched in a sleeve u which passes through a stuffing
box and has a clutching flange made in segments engaging behind segments
projecting inwards in the end of the mandrel. At the other end of the keir
where the door is, there are corresponding parts, but the spindle, instead of
being carried on a fixed bracket, has its bearings in a cross bar which, the
spindle being drawn back, can be raised out of the way when the door is opened
to allow the trucks to enter or leave the keir. At the side of the keir about the
middle of its length is fixed a box which communicates with the circulating
pipe and has two tubes provided with lateral openings and having stenis
which pass through stuffing boxes and can be turned by a suitable wrench or
handle. When the trucks are in position in the keir the tubes are screwed
into lateral holes in the chambers q which are thus put in communication with the
pump. The circulating pipe also communicates with the body of the keir by
two lateral inlets y near the ends of the keir, the branches leading to these,
preferably passing through a chamber adapted for heating or cooling.
turning the screws t the mandrels are advanced pushing the ends of the rolls
close up to the perforated discs e with which the mandrels engage by clutches z
so that when the rolls are turned by turning the wheels s the discs e turn with
them.
By
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
:―
1. The herein described method of treating with fluids textile fabrics in open
condition by rolling them on a suitable core, pressing one end of the roll against
a perforated partition which separates the chamber containing the roll into two
compartments, and forcing fluid from the one compartment to the other, thus
causing it to pass through and between the convolutions of the roll in streams
substantially parallel to the axis of the roll.
2. For treating fabrics as set forth in Claim 1, apparatus comprising a vessel
divided by a perforated partition into two compartments, a mandrel carrying a

page_text: roll of fabric mounted to revolve and slide longitudinally in this vessel, an opening
on the upper part of the vessel provided with a tightly closing door and pipes
communicating with the two compartments, constructed and operating sub-
stantially as described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4.
3. For treating fabrics carried on trucks in a closed chamber or keir, the
construction of the truck with double floor so as to form a compartment having
on its upper side perforations in circular spaces on which are placed on their
ends rolls of the fabric and communicating with the body of the keir through
pump pipes and suitable valves for operating in the manner set forth in Claim 1,
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 6, 7 and 8.
4. For treating fabrics carried on trucks in a closed chamber or keir, the con-
struction of truck with bearings for a horizontal mandrel, an end chamber covered
by a perforated plate and communicating by a lateral opening with the circu-
lating pipes, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12.
Dated this 17th day of August 1899.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.