improvements in the men of Fabrics.
Year: 1897

page_text: :
improvements in the men of
Fabrics.
We, WILLIE HADFIELD, of Furness Vale, in the County of Chester, Colourist,
JOSEPH JOHNSON SUMNER, of the same place, Mechanic, and HENRY HADFIELD,
also of the same place, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
Our said invention relates to improvements in the method of and means for
bleaching textile fabrics and has for its object to dispense with the use of the
usual kiers, whereby the handling of the material is lessened and the process
expedited.
As is well known the preliminary treatment of the fabrics in the kiers consumes
considerable time, and extensive handling of the material is required before
it leaves the kier. We have therefore devised a method and means whereby the
kier is dispensed with and the process greatly shortened in point of time.
Under our invention the material to be treated may be either in the open or
rope form.
According to our improved process the material after being singed in the usual
manner is moistened or washed in water by being passed through a cistern of
water.
It is then passed through a weak hydrochloric acid souring bath of about
2 degrees Twaddell. The cloth is then allowed to stand for a few hours and is
then washed through a cistern of cold, or it may be hot water.
This cistern may be provided with a series of top and bottom carrying rollers
over which the fabric is conducted to provide for the requisite length of immersion.
After washing the material is drawn through a series of becks or cisterns
containing boiling caustic soda at about 2 degrees Twaddell.
The becks might be about six in number and each would be capable of con-
taining 800 or 900 yards of fabric or thereabouts. On emerging from the last
of the series of becks the material is gathered up and then thoroughly washed in
cisterns preferably first in warm and then in cold water.
After this we prefer to complete the process according to our improved method
of continuous bleaching described in a former application made by ourselves
No. 29645 of 1896.

page_text: We do not however confine ourselves to this, as if desired the continuation of
the process of bleaching may be effected in the old and well known manner.
Dated this 19th day of August 1897.
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Bleaching Textile
Fabrics.
We, WILLIE HADFIELD, of Furness Vale, in the County of Chester, Colourist,
JOSEPH JOHNSON SUMNER,. of the same place, Mechanic, and HENRY HADFIELD,
also of the same place, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our said invention relates to improvements in the method of, and means for
bleaching textile fabrics and has for its object to dispense with the usual kiers
used for the ley boil whereby the handling of the material is lessened and the
process expedited.
And in order that our invention may be fully understood we have attached
hereto a sheet of explanatory drawings to which we will now refer.
In the said drawings.
Fig. 1 represents in plan view the apparatus we have devised to dispense with
the kiers..
Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the hot bath.
Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of the washing cistern.
Fig. 4 is a sectional end elevation of one of the series of becks.
Fig. 5 represents a side elevation of one of the becks.
As is well known the preliminary treatment of the fabrics in the kiers con-
sumes considerable time, and extensive handling of the material is required before
it leaves the kier. Under our invention the kiers are dispensed with and the
process greatly shortened in point of time.
In the drawings the material under treatment is shown in rope form, which
form we find to be most suitable for the purpose of our invention.
«
According to our invention the material after being singed in the usual manner
is passed through a pot eye
" into a bath A of hot water. In the bath A the
. material is carried over suitable top and bottom carrying rollers and thus sub-
jected to the action of the hot water. The water in the bath is heated by suitable
steam pipes a¹.
A sectional side elevation of the hot bath A is shown in Fig. 2. The material
is carried out between squeezing bowls aa the lower one of which is driven by a
belt or suitable. gearing to feed the material forward.
In our Provisional Specification we mention the use of a weak souring bath
after the material has been washed. We find however that this is not essential
and we prefer to dispense with the souring bath.
From the hot bath A the material is drawn into a stillage B by a wince b and
allowed to stand for about three hours.
The stillage B is shown in the drawings in duplicate so that as the material

page_text: is. being led from the hot bath A and standing for the requisite time in one, the
material in the other is being conducted through the after processes.
From the stillage B the material after being allowed to stand for the requisite
length of time, is passed into a cistern C containing cold or warm water.
Fig. 3 shows a sectional elevation of the washing cistern C. This cistern is
divided into two compartments ed by a partition e and the material is passed over
and under top and bottom carrying rollers as plainly shown in Fig. 3 to provide
for the requisite length of immersion. A spurt pipe el supplies water to the com-
partment d which overflows into the compartment c so that the fabric meets the
cleaner water as it is passing out of the cistern. Revolving beaters are also
mounted in the cistern C. Squeezing bowls ff express the water from the
material as it leaves the cistern C.
One of these bowls f is driven so as to pull the fabric through the cistern.
From the washing cistern C..the material is drawn through a series of
becks D E F G H I.
The becks are six in number but we do not limit ourselves to this as more or
less may be employed.
The becks contain a weak, solution of boiling caustic soda of about 2 degrees
Twaddell.
The caustic soda solution may also contain about three per cent. of petroleum.
The caustic soda is heated by means of perforated steam pipes g. Squeezing
bowls hh are mounted above the becks one of which is driven so as to pull forward
the fabric and a revolving beater i may also be employed. The roped fabric as it
enters the beck is coiled, folded or compacted at the bottom of the beck as shown
in Fig. 4. It is then conducted between the squeezing bowls and again coiled
at the bottom of the beck and so on, being passed between the pegs or guides j
so as to travel through the beck between the squeezing bowls hh in a spiral
fashion.
The becks are placed in communication with each other by means of conduits k
along which the material is passed from one to the neighbouring beck. The
material being passed spirally through the becks and coiled or folded along the
bottom as shown in Fig. 4 each of the becks is capable of containing about 800
or 900 yards of fabric. A salient advantage in the employment of our apparatus
as described, over the treatment in the ordinary kiers lies in the fact that the
material is constantly in motion and being passed continually between the various
squeezing bowls the sizing and other matters contained in the material and
which are destroyed and loosened by the preliminary hot bath and caustic soda
are constantly being expressed and the process is naturally expedited. The
cloth moreover is left in a more perfect condition for the after process of bleach-.
ing.
The various squeezing bowls used in our improved apparatus are preferably
of cast iron so as to resist the action of the chemicals used in the process.
On leaving the last of the series of becks, the material is drawn by the wince b
and thoroughly washed in cisterns preferably first in warm and then in cold water.
After this we prefer to complete the process according to our improved method
of continuous bleaching described in the Specification of a former Patent granted
to us No. 29645 of 1896.
If desired however the continuation of the process may be effected in the old
and well known manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
(1). In the bleaching of woven goods in the piece the improved method or
preliminary treatment of the goods, in which the material is first passed through
a hot bath and after standing is washed and drawn through a series of becks or

page_text: cisterns containing a weak solution of boiling caustic soda whereby the usual
kiers are dispensed with, the handling of the material lessened and the process
expedited, substantially as described and shown.
(2). In the bleaching of woven goods in the piece the arrangement and com-
bination of apparatus for dispensing with the kiers substantially as described and 5
illustrated in the drawings
Dated this 16th day of May 1898.
For the Applicants,
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 5, John Dalton Street, Manchester.