IMPROVEMENTS IN MA- CHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING WOVEN FABRICS AND YARNS OR THREADS, f AND FOR AGEING' WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Farmer, of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MA-
CHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING WOVEN FABRICS AND YARNS OR THREADS,
f
AND FOR AGEING' WOVEN FABRICS."
Scaled the 19th August 1870, and dated the 23rd February 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Farmer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd February 1870.
I, JAMES FARMER, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING WOVEN FABRICS AND YARNS OR THREADS,
AND FOR 'AGEING' WOVEN FABRICS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in the employment of a hollow per-
forated cylinder or cylinders over the surface of which the woven fabrics
or yarns or threads are caused to pass for drying purposes, as for
instance after washing or sizing. The said cylinders are supplied with air
heated by preference by means of a fan or equivalent apparatus and this
air being under pressure is forced through the goods to be dried. I

page_text: propose to cover the cylinder if made of metal, such as iron, which
would injure the goods, with gauze of copper, brass, or other suitable
material. The cylinder so constructed I at present propose to drive,
but it may be stationary and the goods drawn over its surface by a
suitable arrangement of rollers.
The apparatus I propose for heating the air consists of a series of
hollow chambers formed by flat plates, and to which steam is admitted,
and through the spaces between the said chambers the air is caused to
pass.
Secondly. My Invention-relates-to-that-known-system-employed-for-
drying woven fabrics or yarns or threads in which a series of steam
cylinders is used, and consists in placing between the pleats of the fabric
or yarn vessels with slits or perforations on their edges, through which
a stream of air is forced by a fan or equivalent apparatus, the said air im-
pinging upon the fabrics or yarns or threads as they pass onward. In
ageing "woven fabrics I employ the perforated cylinder above described,
but force into it air in a moist condition, which moisture may be imparted
by steam.
<<
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Farmer in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd August 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
FARMER, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send.
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said James Farmer, Her special license,
that I, the said James Farmer, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James Farmer, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the

page_text: Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING WOVEN FABRICS AND YARNS OR THREADS,
AND FOR AGEING' WOVEN FABRICS,' upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said James Farmer, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Farmer, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, and accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
My Invention consists, firstly, in the employment of a hollow per-
forated cylinder or cylinders, over the surface of which the woven fabrics
or yarns or threads are caused to pass for drying purposes, as, for instance,
after washing or sizing. The said cylinder is supplied with air heated
by preference by means of a fan or equivalent apparatus, and this air
being under pressure is forced through the perforations and through the
goods to be dried.
Secondly. My Invention relates to that known arrangement employed
for drying woven fabrics or yarns or threads in which a series of steam
cylinders is used, and consists in placing between the pleats of fabric or
yarns vessels with slits or perforations on their edges through which
streams of air are forced by a fan or equivalent apparatus, the said air
impinging upon the fabric or yarns or threads as they pass onward.
For "ageing" woven fabrics I employ the perforated cylinder above
described but force into it air in a moist condition.
In the accompanying Drawing the first part of my improvements is
shewn at Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The cylinder is shewn at a formed of sheet
metal and provided at one end with an axis 6 mounted in the pedestal c.
The other end is provided with a hollow axis 6, which runs upon an
antifriction roller e carried by the frame f, and is supported laterally
by two other rollers g and the periphery of the said cylinder is perforated
with a number of small holes h, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3, but in the
former of these (Fig. 1) a portion only of the perforations are shewn; it
will however be understood that they extend all over the periphery of
the cylinder. The axis d as before stated is hollow, and through it there

page_text: .
.
extends a pipe i, i*, its inward extremity being carried by the axis b in
which it is mounted loosely, and the said pipe is therefore stationary.
The portion of the pipe is in communication with a fan or other
blowing apparatus, and air being thus forced into it passes through
slits into the cylinder a. In Fig. 2 the fabric or yarns or threads to
be dried are shewn by the blue line, the arrows indicating the course
they take, and from which it will be seen that they pass on to the
cylinder at A, extend around its circumference to which they are kept
by a roller, after which they are conducted over another roller m,
_and_from-thence pass to any ordinary apparatus upon which they are to
be wound or otherwise disposed. Rotatory motion is communicated to
the cylinder by any usual convenient means, and the fabrics or yarns or
threads are consequently drawn forward according to the arrows before
alluded to, during which passage the air which has been forced into the
cylinder a passes through the perforations formed in its periphery and
through the goods which travel therewith, by which means the moisture
is carried off and they become dry.
The above description explains the principle of this part of my In-
vention, and I have spoken generally of the introduction of air to the
cylinder, but I prefer using it in a heated condition, which heating may
be effected by causing it to pass through a series of chambers heated by
steam or by other means now in use for heating air, I also provide means
for regulating the space through which the air can pass outward so as
to obtain an active surface corresponding to the width of goods to be
dried. This arrangement is shewn in Fig. 3 before referred to extending
into the pipe; * is a right and left handed screw m, n, capable of being
turned by means of a pulley handle o. Upon this screw are nuts p, I,
provided with arms r, s, which extends through the slits k, and are
connected at their other ends to collars t, u, which are capable of sliding
upon the pipe i*. To these collars are attached discs v, w, equal in
diameter to the cylinder a and constituting diaphragms which divide the
cylinder into three chambers, the central, of such chambers enclosing the
slits by which it is supplied with air. By turning the pulley handle o
in the one direction or the other this central chamber may be enlarged
or contracted, and air allowed to pass through perforations h for any
width corresponding with that of the goods to be dried.
The next part of my Invention is shewn at Fig. 4, which represents in
side elevation a partial view of a drying apparatus of the known con-

page_text: struction aforesaid.
The usual steam cylinders are shewn at 1, and the
course of the goods to be dried is represented by the blue and dotted
line. Between the said goods as they pass from one teir of cylinders to
another I adapt cross chambers 2 into which air, heated by preference,
is forced by means of a fan or equivalent apparatus. These vessels are
provided at the points 3 with slits or with perforations through which
the compressed air passes in streams and impinges upon the goods as they
travel onward and by these means the drying process is assisted.
The next part of my Invention refers as before mentioned to "ageing."
woven fabrics. For this purpose I employ the apparatus before described
in reference to Fig. 1, 2, 3, but in this instance I impart moisture to
the air before it passes into the cylinder. This moisture may be obtained
by mixing a portion of steam with the air by passing it over damp
surfaces or by other ordinary means.
In reference to this part of my Invention and to the formerly
described arrangements it will be obvious that the action of the air upon
the goods may be increased or shortened by the speed at which they are
caused to pass through the machine and by the diameter of cylinder used;
I would also observe that if desired two or more cylinders as illustrated
at Figs. 1, 2, 3, may be employed the goods passing from one to the
other or others, and that instead of the said cylinders being driven by the
motive power they may be caused to revolve by the goods being drawn
forward;
I would also further remark that instead of air being forced
into the cylinder a and vessels 2 it may be exhausted therefrom so_as
to cause air to be drawn through from the outside. The cylinder a
may be constructed of any suitable material which will not injure the
goods and may be formed with perforations as shewn or of wire
gauze, or the two methods may be combined, the wire gauze constituting
a covering.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood that I claim as secured to me under the above in part recited
Letters Patent,-
Firstly. For the purpose of drying woven fabrics and yarns or
threads the use of the perforated or similarly formed cylinder supplied
with air, as illustrated at Figs. 1, 2, 3.
Secondly. The use of the air chambers 2 used in conjunction with the
ordinary steam cylinders as in Fig. 4.

page_text: Thirdly. And for the purpose of "ageing" woven fabrics the use of
the perforated or similarly formed cylinder supplied with moist air, as
illustrated in reference to the aforesaid Figs. 1, 2, 3.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Farmer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.