IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING, DYEING, SIZING, OR DRESSING, DRYING, AND WINDING YARNS AND MANUFACTURED GOODS, OF WOOL, FLAX, COTTON, SILK AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. WILLIAM
SUTCLIFFE, of Bradford, in the County of York, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Nineteenth day of June, in the seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Sutcliffe, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said William Sutcliffe, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Sutcliffe, my exors, adiiors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make.
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING, DYEING, SIZING,
OR DRESSING, DRYING, AND WINDING YARNS AND MANUFACTURED GOODS, OF WOOL,
FLAX, COTTON, SILK, AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said William Sutcliffe, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the sai
William Sutcliffe, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described an
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had t
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
that is to say:-
In boiling, scouring, dyeing, drying, and winding yarns, and also fabrics, as
heretofore practised, these processes are performed without any connexion one
with the other, by which much handling is necessary, and numerous manipula-
tions are performed in order to obtain yarn in the dyed and finished state. Now
the object of my Invention is so to arrange machinery that the various processes
of boiling, scouring, dyeing, washing, drying, and winding are by the working
of the machinery carried on in regular and constant succession without there
being any handling or other manipulations necessary intermediate of the various
processes; and where necessary, yarns are also sized and again dried and wound
after being dyed, washed, and dried, by which means not only will inuch manual
labour be avoided, but, owing to the uniform and regular character of action
of the machinery, all parts of the yarn or fabrics will be more evenly and
regularly dyed and finished than is accomplished according to the means of
performing the several processes above mentioned now practised. The nature
of the processes of boiling, scouring, dyeing, washing, drying, winding, and
sizing, and the material used for such processes being well known, it will not
be necessary to describe them here, my Invention not consisting of alterations
in the separate processes, but in combining of machinery in such manner as to
carry them on in succession, so as to dispense with the intermediate handling
and other manipulations now practised.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1; in the Drawings No. 1, 2, and 3, represents an elevation of one
continuous machine suitably arranged for carrying on the processes of boiling,
scouring, dyeing, washing, drying, sizing, drying, and winding in constant
succession; at the same time it should be understood that if the machinery is
not required to perform either of these processes, such, for instance, as the
sizing, which would only be required for single yarns (other than of wool),
then the sizing apparatus and the second drying apparatus would in the con-
struction of the machinery be omitted. The apparatus is shewn suitable for
dyeing blacks and purples, but in some cases it will not be necessary to make
use of all the cisterns at one time, in which case the yarns or fabrics need not
be carried through all the cisterns shown. The number of cisterns used may

page_text: in this apparatus be the same as when operating to dye like colors, as at present
practised. All the cisterns being alike and worked by like apparatus, it will
only be necessary to call attention to Figures 2 and 3, which represent sections
of a cistern and the apparatus employed therein. Each cistern is provided
with a steam pipe a, for heating and for boiling the liquor placed therein; and
the heating, boiling, and also the using the various liquors cold will be as here-
tofore, and the workman will act accordingly, using more or less, or no heat, in
the different cisterns, according as the water or liquor therein is required to be
more or less heated or cold. In each cistern there are a series of rollers b, b,
and c, c, over and under which the yarn or fabric being dyed passes, as is indi-
cated by red lines, and such rollers receive a like speed of motion by means of
an endless band d on pulleys, one on each roller b and c, such endless band
passing under the two guide pulleys e, e, at the lower parts of the cistern, as
shown, and motion is communicated to the rollers b, c, from the first roller b
in each cistern, that first roller receiving motion by means of a cog wheel f
on its axis, which takes into and is driven by the intermediate cog wheel g,
moving on a fixed axis; such intermediate cog wheel g taking into is driven by
wheel h, aflixed on the axis of one of the pressing rollers i, i; hence,
as those pressing rollers revolve they give motion to all the rollers in the next
cistern; and it is important, therefore, that the surface motion of the pressing
rollers and the rollers b, c, should be alike, in order that no drag should be put
on the
yarn or fabric which is being passed through the machine. On the axis
of each of the lower of the pressing rollers i is affixed a cog wheel j, which
receives motion from the first movement or driving axis of the machinery by
means of the various intermediate cog wheels I, I, as shown.
the cog
The first part of the apparatus and machinery consists of four cisterns A, A;
the number, however, may be varied, according to the requirement of the colors
which the machinery is intended to dye. Thus, supposing it be intended to be
black, I employ the first cistern to contain a weak solution of sumach or
boiling water with soap, for scouring; the second cistern to contain a stronger
solution of sumach; the third cistern to contain water with lime; and the
fourth cistern to contain water with copperas; and it will be seen that
the yarn or fabric, indicated by red lines, will, in passing through between
the pressing rollers i, i, will have expressed from it the liquor, so as
to fall back into the cistern from which the yarn or fabric is passing.
The yarn or fabric from the first part of the apparatus passes to the second
part of the machinery and apparatus B, Drawing No. 2, where it is acted
ou, if necessary, by streams of atmospheric air, which is put in motion
by fans or other convenient means, so that the yarn or fabric may be well

page_text: acted on at all points by atmospheric air, this part of the process being in
place. of that now practised, where the bundles of yarn are thrown into a heap
in the air, but for want of the yarn being opened out and separate, the
atmospheric air could not act equally on all parts. This second part of the
apparatus B is similar to that used in one of the cisterns, there being rollers
b and c put in motion in a similar manner to that described, but there is no
cistern, but an enclosed chamber with two fans m, m, receiving air from the
exterior of the chamber at their respective axes of motion, and driving it off
by the centrifugal motion amongst the yarn or fabric under process, there
being outlets at the sides of the chamber B to allow of the passage off of
the air therefrom. The two fans m, m, receive motion from a drum n, affixed
on the axis of one of the intermediate wheels, as is shown. The yarn or
fabric from the second part B of the apparatus and machinery proceeds to
the third part of the machinery and apparatus, which consists of four cisterns
C, or other proper number, and when dyeing black the first cistern would
contain water with lime, the second cistern C would contain the dye liquor,
the third cistern C would contain water with copperas, and the fourth cistern C
would contain water for washing off. The yarn or fabric having been dyed and
washed off, is next to be dried by means of heated cylinders, which may be
called the fourth part of the machinery or apparatus, and consists of four
steam cylinders D, D, Drawing No. 3, (but this number may be varied,)
heated by steam, as is well understood, and heretofore practised for drying
fabrics.. These drying cylinders are to be moved with the same surface speed
as the other rollers, so that there may be no drag, and they receive motion
from the main shaft or axis by means of the wheels o and p, the wheels o being
affixed on the axes of the steam cylinders, the wheels p turning on fixed axes,
and motion is communicated from the drying machinery by means of the cog
wheels 2, r, to the previously described apparatus and machinery. s, s, are
rollers, which keep the yarn or fabric up to the steam cylinders when the yarn
is to be sized. It next passes through machinery and apparatus E and F, F,
which may be called the fifth and sixth parts of the machinery and apparatus,
but which are dispensed with when not intended to be used for yarns requiring
sizing. E is a trough, containing a cylinder E¹, moving freely on its axes;
this cylinder may be a close cylinder, or formed by a series of bars, so as to
allow of the size to pass into the interior. The yarn from the drying cylinders
passes over a roller E, then under the cylinder E₁; it then passes between a
pair of pressing rollers i, i, and from the axis of the lower pressing roller
motion is transmitted from the driving shaft or axis through the cog wheels
t, t, to the cog wheels on the steam cylinders, as is shown; thence the yarn

page_text: passes to another series of steam cylinders F, similar to those above described,
and actuated by the cog wheel v', on the main or driving shaft or axis v, as is
shown; from the last of the steam cylinders the yarn passes to be wound on
to a beam or otherwise, as may be desired. The Drawing No. 3 shows the
machinery or apparatus suitably arranged for winding the yarn or warp on to
a beam, the yarn or warp being brushed in its progress; and it should be
stated that the machinery and apparatus of Figure 1, Drawings Nos. 1, 2,
and 3, are arranged for yarn or warp, and in case of fabrics being treated, the
raddles or sleys y and would be omitted, and there would be a similar beam
to that here shewn in place of the raddle y, containing the pieces of fabric to
be operated upon. v is the main or driving shaft or axis of the machine, from
which the requisite motion is communicated to the various parts of the
apparatus and machinery, as above described, and also to the other parts,
which I will now describe. w is an excentric, which by a connecting rod w
gives motion to the crank w, and such crank causes the plank w³ to move
with a short to and fro movement across the machine, so as to spread the yarn
evenly on the roller H. The plank w³ carries the raddle or sley, which is
composed of a series of cross bars in the manner of long tongs, the upright
wires of the raddle or sley being affixed to the bars, as shown, are capable of
being arranged to a wider or narrower space, to suit the roller or beam on to
which the yarn is to be wound, and according as it is desired to have the yarn
more or less apart, there being a slot at either end of the plank w³, so that a
set screw at can fix the raddle to the plank at the desired width. G, G, are
two revolving brushes between which the yarn passes, and a quick rotatory
motion is communicated to these brushes by means of the strap (1) from the
pulley (2) affixed on the axis (3), such axis being driven by means of the
cog wheel (¹) affixed on the main or driving shaft or axis, such wheel (¹)
taking into the cog wheel (5) on the axis (3), and the brushes are geared
together by the cog wheels (6), (6). On the axes (3) and (7) are two cones,
(8) and (9), which have a band (10), as shewn; by this means motion is
communicated from the axis (3) to the axis (7) with a decreasing speed,
as the roller or beam II becomes more and more full, there being a cog
wheel (11) affixed on the axis (7), which takes into and drives the cog
wheel (a), affixed on the axis carrying the beam H, and the strap (10)
is moved along the cones (8) and (9) by means of the screw (13), which
receives motion in the following manner:-On the axis (7) is fixed a cog
wheel (14), which takes into a cog wheel (15) on the axis (16), on which
there is an excentric, which gives motion to a driver (17), which drives the
ratchet wheel (18), affixed on the screw axis (13), such screw axis giving

page_text: motion to the rod (20), there being an eye or opening in the rod (20) in
which the strap (10) passes; hence, as the rod (20) is moved by the screw, it
will move the strap along the cones, and the rod (20) is guided by a slot in
the bar (21); the beam II is carried round by the wheel c in the following
manner The wheel a is carried by the short axis 22, which is enlarged at
the end 23, to receive one end of the axis of the beam II, the other being
supported in the bracket 24, which is capable of adjustment, and may be
affixed by the set screw (25). 26 is a clamp, affixed by screws 27 on the
end of the beam H, there being a projection on the clamp 26, which is acted
upon by the arm 29 from the axis 22, as is shewn. In using this machinery
the successive yarns should be pieced up, so as not to leave the machinery
empty, and when fabrics are being operated on, then they are to be made into
a long band, and if it is necessary to remove all the picces from the
machine before introducing others, then yarns or tapes should be left in the
machine carried in by the last piece to fasten the next piece to. The yaru
when brought to the machine may be on beams or bobbins in suitable frames
or creels, and from them passed through a raddle or sley y, and thence
through between the first pair of pressing rollers. When yarns of wool are
to be operated on, then the parts of the machinery and apparatus E, F, G, H,
are to be omitted, and the machinery or apparatus, Sheet 4 of the Drawings,
used next after the first drying apparatus. This part of the machinery
consists of a frame carrying a series of bobbins (30), (30), revolving on axes,
on to which the various yarns are wound by means of surface rollers (31),
(31), the manner of giving motion to which I will now describe. (32) is the
main or driving axis or shaft, receiving motion from a steam engine or other
suitable power; on this axis is affixed a cog wheel (33), which takes into an
intermediate wheel (34), which drives the cog wheel on the drying
eylinder D. On the shaft or axis (32) is affixed the cog wheel (35), which,
by means of two intermediate wheels (36), (37), gives motion to a cog wheel
(38), affixed on the axis of the lower surface driving rollers (31); and from
this lower axis motion is communicated to the other axes carrying the surface
driving rollers (31), by means of endless bands or straps (39), (39), acting on
pulleys affixed on those axes, as shewn; or in place of winding the yarns or
bobbins, they may be wound into balls, or otherwise received. In order to
place the yarns evenly on the bobbins (30), the frame (40) is used, to which
a to and fro motion is communicated, which the yarns are carried back-
wards and forwards. The frame has four horizontal bars, through which there
are holes for the passage of the yarns, and the frame (40) is guided in its
movement by the guide bars or rails (41), there being rollers at (42), (42),

page_text: -
and the requisite to and fro motion is communicated to the frame (40) by
means of the mangle wheel (43), which receives motion in the following
manner: On the driving shaft or axis is affixed a drum or pulley (44), which
by the band or strap (45), gives motion to the axis or shaft (46), on which
there is a pinion (47), which takes into and drives the cog wheel (48) on the
axis (49). On the other end of the axis (49) is affixed the toothed wheel
(50), which takes into and drives the mangle wheel (43), on the shaft or
axis (51), there being a slot in the bearing (55) of the axis (49) to allow of
its movement to follow the mangle wheel, so as to work on the interior and
exterior thereof, as is well understood. On the mangle wheel axis (51) are
affixed two pulleys (52), (52), on which are fixed straps (53), (53); one strap
passes under its pulley and the other strap passes over its pulley; hence as one
winds up, the other unwinds, and the straps being affixed to the frame, as
shewn, a to and fro motion will be communicated to the frame.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood that
I make no claim to any of the parts separately, nor do I claim the processes
separately which are carried on thereby; but what I claim is, the so arranging
of machinery and apparatus that the various processes herein described may
be carried on in succession without requiring the intermediate handling and
manipulation heretofore necessary between the various processes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Sutcliffe, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Tenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand night b