Improvements in Machinery for Washing Silk, Wool, or other Fibrous Material.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 8th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Washing Silk, Wool, or other
Fibrous Material.
1, WILLIAM WATSON, of Manuingham Mills, Bradford, in the County of York,
a Managing Director of Messrs. Lister & Co Ld, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention I construct a washing machine of a long vat open at
the top say about 25 feet long 3 feet wide and 3 deep. Into this I place a narrower
and shallower trough say 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep leaving a space say
of 6 or more inches between it and the bottom of the trough. The trough I form
with a perforated false bottom and by a centrifugal or other pump supply water
to one end of the trough below the perforated false bottom-the water ises up
through all the perforations into the upper part of the trough and passes from it
back again into the vat and from thence to a tank from which it is again drawn by
the pump.
The vat aud tauk thus act as a settling tank in which the heavier
dirty multors carried off by the water may be deposited. The silk to be washed 18
placed into the trough at one end and is gradually dragged along it whilst at the
same time the silk is rubbed and moved up and down in the water.
opposite end the silk is raised up out of the trough by endless travelling bands or
otherwise and is discharged.
At the
One way in which I effect the moving forward of the silk along the trough is as
follows-Over the top of the trough I suspend a number of perforated horizontal
plates or boxes with perforated bottoms in such a way that they can be raised and
lowered and moved horizontally to and fro in a direction lengthwise of the trough,
being moved in one direction when they have been lowered into the trough and in
the opposite direction when raised out from it. In this way the silk gets moved up
and down in the water aud rubbed between the perforated plates and the perforated
false bottom of the trough whilst at the same time it is made to travel gradually
from one end of the trough to the other.
Each perforated plate may be suspended by short links from a horizontal frame
which has rods extending across it and entering at their ends into guide grooves in
plates fixed above the two sides of the vat. The guide grooves are made to form
a continuous path which the ends of the iods have to travel in as the frames are
reciprocated to and fro in a direction lengthwise of the trough. This reciprocating
movement can be given to the frames from cranks on evolving axes which pass
across the top of the vat.
The continuous path formed by each guide groove consists of two horizontal
paths one above the other and of inclined paths passing from one to the other.
Ding the forward movement of the frames the ends of the rods travel along the
lower houzontal path and at the end of this movement the ends of the cds pass
gates or latches which close behind them and when the rods commence then
backward movement prevent the 1ods from travelling back along the lower path
and compel them to rise up the inclined paths into the upper horizontal path aud
to complete their backward movement along this path. At the commencement of
the next forward movement the rods descend other inclined paths to the lower
horizontal path and so on continuously.

page_text: Preferably arrange that alternate perforated plates shall be making their
forward movement whilst the others are making their backward movement.
Dated this 7th day of May 1895.
Improvements in Machinery for Washing Silk, Wool, or other
Fibrous Material.
1, WILLIAM WATSON of Manningham Mills, Bradford, in the County of York,
a Managing Director of Messrs. Lister & Co. Ld., 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:
According to this invention I construct a washing machine of a long trough open
at the top. The trough 1 form with a perforated false bottom and by a centrifugal
or other pump supply water to the trough below the perforated false bottom-the
water rises up through all the perforations into the upper part of the trough and
passes from it at one end back again into a tank from which it is again diawn by
the pump
The tank thus acts as a settling tank in which the heavier dirty matters
carried off by the water may be deposited The silk to be washed 18 placed into
the trough at one end and is gradually dragged along it whilst at the sanie tune the
silk is rubbed and moved up and down in the water. At the opposite end the silk
is raised up out of the trough and is discharged.
One way in which I effect the moving forward of the silk along the trough is as
follows: Over the top of the trough suspend a number of perforated or it might
be unperforated horizontal plates or boxes with perforated or unperforated bottoms
in such a way that they can be raised and lowered and moved horizontally to and
fro in a duection lengthwise of the trough, being moved in one direction when
they have been lowered into the trough and in the opposite duection when raised
out from it In this way the silk gets moved up and down in the water and rubbed
between the plates and the perforated false bottom of the trough whilst at the same
tune it 18 mnde to travel gradually from one end of the trough to the other.
The drawings annexed show various views of a machine constructed according to
my invention Figure is a side elevation mostly in section Figure 2 13 a similar
view of one length or section of the same. Figure 3 is a transveise vertical section
of Figure 2
A is the long though having with it a perforated false bottom A'. In Figure 1
the trough is shewn to be made up of a number of lengths or sections cach formed
in the manner shewn at Figures 2 and 3. The fibrous material is fed into the
trough at one end and delivered at the opposite end. At this end a pair of
squeezing rolleis B may be provided to squeeze out water from the fibrous
material as it comes from the trough These rolleis are not in all cases required.
(18 a partition across the tough below the perforated false bottom and near the
exit end. Dis a pipe leading from the bottom of this end of the trough and having
cocks D upon it by which all wash waters which pass away through it can be
discharged into any one or other of a number of vats E. In Figure 1 four such
vate are shewn-this is a convenient number as it adimits of suds or wash waters
being prepared in two of them whilst suds or wash waters from the other two are
being circulated through the trough. F F are pumps for drawing wash waters
from the vats and delivering them through the pipes into the trough below the
perforated false bottom. GG are boxes with pei forated bottoms they are mounted
above the perforated false bottom of the trough in such a way that they are
continuously moved to and fro in a duection lengthwise of the trough and also

page_text: raised and lowered Various means may be adopted for giving these movements to
the boxes. In the arrangement shewn in the drawings they are each suspended
from two rods II. H which are at right angles to the trough and near their ends
are secured to endless chains I each of which works around a pair of chain wheels K.
LL are bais passing from one rod H to the other M. Maro bent links jointed
at their lower ends to the boxes and having the rods II passing through their upper
ends. Each link at its upper end has also a projection M' standing out from it-
this rests on a od N which passes through and is carried by the bars L.
In this way the boxes are kept from swinging to and fro.
-
Hare trucks on the ends of the rods H-they run in grooved channels formed
in the side frames of the machine Each chain wheel K is recessed at one point of
its circumference to allow the 1od H to pass around it.
A toothed wheel K¹ on the axis of one or other of each pan of chain wheels K
18 driven continuously by a toothed wheel O¹ on a shaft O. Motion is cominum-
cated from one shaft O to the others by endless chains passing around chain
wheels fast pou them so that all are driven in the same direction and when one is
driven all the rest revolve with it The ono that is first driven is preferably one
that is situated near the centre of the machine. In this way as the paus of chain
wheels are evolved the boxes G G are all raised and lowered and moved
horizontally to and fro and it is arranged that the lifting of each box shall take
place at a different time to that of the boxes next to it-it may be arranged so that
when any one is lifted the others on either side of it are lowered or they may be
otherwise set so that the boxes are raised and lowered at different times.
As each box is lowered down into the trough some of the fibrous material that is
being washed gets more or less held between the perforated bottom of the box and
the perforated false bottom of the trough and as the box is then moved horizontally
the fibre thus held is rubbed and made to travel along the trough-and when the
box rises the fibre which was previously being squeezed and rubbed 18 again lifted
up and loosened out by the flow of water rising up through the perforated falso
bottom of the trough-this goes on continuously until the fibres have been made to
travel from one end of the trough to the other and have been discharged from it.
Other means than those described may be employed for giving a rising and
Jalling and horizontal to and fro movement to the boxes, the means described are
however very suitable for the purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim 18:
1. A washing machine formed of a long open trough having a perforated false
bottom up through which a continuous flow of wash water is delivered continuously
and is allowed to pass off from the trough at one of its ends whilst at the same
timo a series of plates or boxes with perforated or unperforated bottoms are made
to descend into and be raised from the trough and be moved horizontally to nud
iro lengthwise of the trough substantially as described.
2 The construction of washing machines substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
Dated this 5th day of February 1896