Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Washing Wool and other Fibres.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1896-Accepted, 6th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Washing Wool and
other Fibres.
I, JOHN CHARLES WALKER, trading as John Perry, of Shipley Fields Mill,
Shipley, in the County of York, Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for washing
wool and other fibres which improvements are particularly applicable to the
apparatus described in my prior Specifications No. 20,916 dated the 4th day of
November 1893 and No. 17,543 dated the 14th day of September 1894.
Instead of or in addition to cutting away the acting face of the rocker as
described in my Specification No. 17,543 of 1894 I may incline or form a hollow
in the bottom of the bowl so as to free the fibres from the pressure of the rockers
when the latter are in a certain position. For this purpose I prefer to incline the
bottom of the bowl from each rocker towards a grating placed over a mud tank
situated between the rockers. This arrangement provides a greater depth of
washing liquor between the rockers and also facilitates the sediment of the washing
liquor gravitating towards the grating.
I may introduce a rising and falling squeezer or immerser between each pair of
rockers which may be arranged to intermittently squeeze the fibres against the
bottom or merely act as an immerser. These squeezers may consist of number
of approximately vertical plates which may be arranged parallel to the sides of
the bowl, which plates are preferably made thin so as not to cause much
displacement of the washing liquor or seriously check its flow and they are
corrugated or indented to stiffen them as well as form a better squeezing
surface.
The squeezers may be raised and lowered by means of chains passing over
guide pulleys connected to the rockers or to a part of the vibrating or recipro-
cating mechanism operating them. And in order to raise and lower the squeezers
twice during each to and fro movement of the rockers one guide pulley for the
said chain or chains is mounted more or less over the centre of vibration of the
vibrating part to which the chain is connected.
An arrangement of links; levers
and rocking shafts or their equivalent may be used instead of said chains and
pulleys to operate the squeezers in a similar way.
The rockers are preferably divided vertically across the bowl and one or both
portions is or are adjustably connected to a cross piece supported on the usual
crutch pieces extending down outside the bowl. By this arrangement one or
both portions of the rockers may be adjusted in relation to the bottom of the
bowl. And by making the faces upon which the said crutches rock also vertically
adjustable the rocking action of the rockers may be more or less converted into a
rubbing action.
I also prefer to make the "ribs " or "blades" described in my Specification
No. 17,543 of 1894 adjustable in relation to the acting face of the rockers. For
his purpose I adjustably connect them to lugs formed on the back or the front of
he rockers or on both the back and the front.
These ribs or fins may be made of thin sheet metal and corrugated to stiffen
hem and form a better squeezing surface along the bottom.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1895..

page_text: Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Washing Wool and
other Fibres.
I, JOHN CHARLES WALKER, trading as John Perry, of Shipley Fields Mill,
Shipley, in the County of York, Machine Maker, 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 :—
This invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for washing
wool and other fibres which improvements are particularly applicable to the
apparatus described in my prior Specifications No. 20,916 dated the 4th day of
November 1893 and No. 17,543 dated the 14th day of September 1894.
To fully describe my invention reference is made to the accompanying sheet
of drawings forming a part of this Specification, in which similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures.
Figure 1, represents a side elevation partly in section of such parts of a
wash bowl, as are necessary to illustrate the application of my improvements
thereto.
Figure 2, represents a plan view of the same.
Figure 3, represents a cross section of the bowl on the broken line. a, b
Figure 1.
Figure 4, represents a similar section on the broken line y, z Figure 1.
Figures 5, 6 and 7 represent views of a detail hereinafter referred to.
Instead of or in addition to cutting away the acting face of the rockers C, C2,
C3 and C4 as described in my Specification No. 17,543 of 1894 I incline the
bottom H of the bowl towards the delivery end A of the bowl A 2 as shown
at H 2, H 2 beneath the rockers. These distinct inclinations may be in addition
to the usual general inclination of the bottom of the bowl towards the delivery
end. Besides facilitating the fibres escaping from beneath the rockers this
construction provides a greater depth of washing liquor between the rockers.
I prefer to provide a grating H 3 over the sediment receptacle V immediately at
the bottom of each of the inclinations H 2. Instead of carrying the bottom of the
bowl in a lower plane after the inclinations H 2 I may form a hollow in the bottom
of the bowl sufficiently large to free the fibres but I prefer the arrangement
shown.
In many cases I find it advantageous to introduce rising and falling squeezers
or immersers B and B 2 between the rockers. These immersers are formed of a
number of corrugated plates placed side by side a suitable distance apart and
secured to the connecting pieces B 3 connected by chains B 4 passing over pulleys B 5,
to the rockers or an attachment thereto. The pulleys B5 are mounted upon studs
projecting from a bar B6 supported by the brackets B 7, fixed to the side of the
wash bowl. The chain B4 supporting the squeezers B passes over two
pulleys B5 one of which is approximately vertically above the rocker C
consequently this squeezer is raised each time the rocker moves beneath the said
pulley. On the other hand the chain supporting the squeezer B 2 passes from
the pulley B5 over the squeezer directly to the rocker consequently the
rocker only rises and lowers the squeezer once during each to and fro
movement."
Other means may be employed to operate the said squeezers by the movement
of the rockers or the reciprocating mechanism operating them.
Instead of connecting the crutches D separately and directly to the rockers
I prefer to form them with or connect them to the cross piece D 6 which
cross piece is made so that the rocker may be rigidly suspended from it.
1

page_text: The rockers may be divided vertically across as shown by C3 and C4
Figures 1 and 3. The two halves C6, C 6 are bolted to the downward
extensions D7, D7 on the cross piece D6 by the bolts D 8 passing through the
slots D9 in said extensions. Figure 5, represents a view on a larger scale of one
of the extensions D7 together with a portion of the cross piece D 6. Figure 6,
represents a section of the same on the line c, d and Figure 7, a section on the
line w, x.
By this arrangement one or both of the rockers may be adjusted in
relation to the bottom of the bowl and the screws C7 are provided to facilitate
this. By making the length of the crutches D adjustable so as to make the
faces F upon which said crutches rock adjustable in relation to the acting face of
the rockers and by adjusting the faces F2 supporting the crutches the action of
the rockers may be more or less converted into a rubbing action. For this
purpose the crutches D are made in two pieces and the lower part d of each is
made adjustable in relation to the upper part. But when owing to the
nature of the material to be washed it is not necessary for the machine to
have these adjustments the crutches may be made in one piece as shown in
Figure 4.
Instead of dividing the rockers in this way they may be made in one piece and
be connected like the rocker C (Figures 1 and 4) to the extensions D7 on the
cross piece D 6.
The rockers are linked together by links connected to the lugs K on the cross
piece D6 and are operated in the manner described in the above cited
Specifications.
I make the ribs or blades a described in my Specification No. 17543 of 1894
corrugated as shown in Figures 1 and 2 in order to form a better squeezing surface
along the bottom but at the same time enable them to readily pass through
the washing liquor. The blades are also preferably made adjustable in relation to
the rocker.
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 is :
1. A wash bowl provided with a rocker or rockers in which the bottom of the
bowl is inclined to a lower plane on the delivery side of the rocker or rockers or
is made with a hollow or hollows, substantially as herein shown and described and
for the purpose specified.
2. The combination with a wash bowl of a rocker vertically divided across the
bowl and having one portion adjustable in relation to the other, substantially as
herein shown and described.
3. In a wash bowl the combination with a rocker, of a rising and falling
immerser operated substantially as herein shown and described.
4. The combination with the crutches D of the cross piece D 6 connecting them
together and adapted to have the rocker rigidly suspended from it, substantially
as herein shown and described and for the purpose specified.
5. In a wash bowl provided with a rocker, the improved construction whereby
the rocker and its supporting crutches may be adjusted, substantially as herein
shown and described.
6. In a washing machine the combination with a rocker of adjustable corrugated
ribs or blades connected to it, substantially as herein shown and described, and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of May 1896.
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Patent Agents.