Improvements in Dyeing Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 5th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1896
Improvements in Dyeing Apparatus..
1, JOHN GEORGE HASLAM, of Lehigh Avenue and Howard Street, in the City
and County of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,
Dyer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
-
The invention is particularly adapted for dyoing yarn in the skein and relates
partly to improvements upon the apparatus disclosed in my Letters Patent,
No. 18,517, dated October 3, 1892.
Part of my improvements relate to the yarn carrying frame whereby the
efficiency and capacity of the machine may be increased. In addition to the
usual upper and lower sets of yarn sticks I employ an additional or intermediate
set of sticks between the upper and lower sticks with suitable supports therefor,
by means of which the two sets of skeins may be simultaneously dyed in the
machine.
By providing the sets of yarn supports with capacity of relative adjustment the
sets of sticks may be adjusted to suit sets of skeins of different sizes so that large
and small skeins may be dyed simultaneously.
My invention also embraces improvements in the construction and arrangement
of the lifting devices for raising and lowering the yarn frame with reference to
the vat, and also other improvements in construction and combinations of parts
which are more fully set forth hereinafter.
Another part of my invention relates to the employment of an automatic valve
device for controlling the supply of steam to the vat, whereby, whenever the dye
liquor is in danger of boiling over the valve is automatically closed and the steam
supply is shut off until the excessive ebullition has subsided,
In the Letters Patent above referred to I have shown a yarn frame composed
of uprights and upper and lower end cross pieces connecting the uprights at
the top and bottom, longitudinal side pieces at the bottom, and a central
longitudinal cross piece at the top. The lower end cross pieces may be used
as supports for the lower sets of yarn sticks. The
upper yarn sticks are
supported by vertically adjustable supports which may be adjusted on the uprights
by means of threaded rods extending through the ends of the cross pieces and
raised and lowered by adjusting nuts.
That part of my invention which relates to improvements in the construction
of the yarn frame consists of the employment of an additional pair of yarn sticks
located between the upper and lower supports which may be made adjustable
upon the uprights of the frame by rods extending through the upper end cross
pieces or through guides thereon, and provided with adjusting nuts on their
threaded ends. An additional set of yarn sticks is carried by these additional
stick supports so that the yarn frame thus contains at each end three supporting
frames for the yaru sticks, located one above the other and capable of adjustment
to vary their relative distances apart. The intermediate fraines are preferably
provided with two sets of supports or holders to receive two sets of sticks so
that there may be a separate row of intermediate sticks for each of the upper and
lower sets of sticks. The lower supports may be stationary, and the upper and
intermediate supports adjustable, or either the upper or intermediate supports may
be stationary, or two of the supports may be made stationary and one adjustable.
I prefer the construction in which the lower supports are stationary and the

page_text: intermediate and upper supports adjustable, as it permits the adjustment of the
Jarn sticks to be made from the top of the frame without raising the frame from
the vat, and this is particularly desirable when the skeins are to be supported
loosely upon the sticks so that they may rise and fall upon them during the
reciprocations of the frame.
It is preferable to arrange the pair of sticks between which any of the skeins
are supported out of tho direct vertical line so that the skein will receive a more
or less inclined position. This will cause the dye liquor to act more or less
laterally upon the skein and thereby to open the skein at the middle and permeate
the fibres more evenly and quickly.
The adjustable supporting frames may be provided on their ends with tenons
fitting vertical slots or grooves in the uprights.
My preferred manner of constructing the yarn frame so far as uniting the
uprights, lower end cross pieces and lower longitudinal side pieces is concerned, is
to lap joint the ends of the uprights and longitudinal side pieces and to pass a
bolt directly through the lap joint into the end of the lower end cross piece where
it may be secured by a nut let into a recess in the end cross piece.
In
In the former Patent I have shown, as the means for raising and lowering the
yarn frame out of and into the vat, a lifting cylinder suspended from a movable
carriage on a fixed independent rail above the vat. In the present improvement
the lifting apparatus is supported over the vat by means of an overhanging frame
which permits the yarn frame to be lifted over the vat and move laterally
away from it, and then to be lowered to the floor outside of the vat.
carrying out this part of my invention I employ a frame extending above
the vat and having overhanging arms which extend materially beyond the
front of the vat. In the upper part of this frame at the front and rear,
are journalled guides or idlers. A rail located over the vat is carried
by cables or chains which pass over the idlers and connect with the piston of
the lifting cylinder, which may be fastened directly to the rat or to a frame
thereon as desired. The operation of the lifting cylinder will raise and lower the
rail. The yarn frame is connented with a lifting frame substantially as shown in
the former Patent; and this lifting frame is provided with a trolley which runs on
the suspended rail. The rail is of sufficient length to extend laterally beyond the
vat, and when it is raised by the lift the yarn frame is lifted with it, and when it
has been properly lifted it may be moved upon the rail by means of its trolley
until it reaches a position beyond the vat when the rail may be lowered to permit
the yarn frame to descend to the floor. To raise the yarn frame from the floor
and introduce it into the vat these operations are reversed. The rail may be
steadied when it is elevated by seats on the overhanging frame adapted to receive
the rail when it reaches its highest position.
As a modification of this construction, instead of employing tho movable rail
operated by the stationary lifting cylinder, the lifting cylinder may be carried by
a movable carriage movable laterally upon the top of the overhanging frame.
In this case the cylinder must be connected with the source of power by a jointed
or flexible pipe.
When steam is unpplied excessively to the vat to heat the dye liquor the
liquor is liable to boil over. It has been usual to provide the vat with an overflow
pipe or outlet to permit that liquor to escape which boils above the normal level.
This is objectionable because it does not affect the steam supply which is the cause
of the difficulty, and also because it results in waste and materially reduces the
quantity of dye liquor in the vat.
My improvements are designed to obviate these objections by providing the
steam pipe with a valve devico which shall automatically shut off the steam supply
whenever the liquor boils above the proper level. For this purpose 1 employ a
valve in the steam supply pipe connected with an expansible pipe or piece
subjected to the liquor.
The usual steain pipe which enters the vat near the bottom is provided with

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'a valve case in which is located a valvo adapted to a seat in the case.
The stem
of the valve extends through the case and is carried by the closed and of au
overflow pipe which leads from the vat into the usual overflow level. Whenever
the dye liquor boils above the level of the overflow outlet the boiling liquor will
pass into the overflow pipe and heating it, will cause it to expand. The expansion
of the pipe will move the valve carried by it into the seat in the valve case
and will thus shut off the supply of steam. The overflow pipe may be provided
with a waste outlet to permit such liquor as passes into it to escape, and the
quantity of liquor thus wasted will be very little compared with the amount that
is lost with the ordinary overflow.
When the temperature of the liquor becomes reduced by the shutting off of
the steam supply and ceases to boil into the overflow pipo that pipe becomes
cooled and contracts thus withdrawing its valve froin the seat in the valve case
and opening the steam supply to the vat. The expansible overflow pipe should, of
course, be constructed of metal having a high coefficient of expansibility. To
insure the greatest expansion of the pipe taking placo in the direction toward the
steam pipe, the rear end of the overflow pipe may be held to the valve case by
a cross piece at the rear and tie rods. By this means the rear end of the overflow
pipe will be held in a more or less fixed relation with reference to the valve seat,
while the front end which carries the valve will be free to extend and move
forward. The amount of movement for the opening and closing of the valve need
be very slight..
The meaus for imparting the reciprocations to the yarn frame to move the
skeins through the dye liquor may be the same as shown in my Letters Patent
No. 18,517 of 1893, before referred to. These devices consist of rocking levers
baving notched ends which engage trunnions on the ends of the yaro frame and
are operated by eccentrics and eccentric rods. The lifting frame which is
connected with the lifting apparatus is loosely connected with the longitudinal
top. piece of the frame so that the yarn frame may reciprocate in this lifting
frame.
Dated thla Thirteenth day of February 1895.
Improvements in Dyeing. Apparatus.
I, JOHN GEORGE HASLAM, of Lehigh Avenue. and Howard Street, in the
City and County of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of
America, Dyer, 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 :-
My invention is' particularly adapted for dyeing yarn in the skein, and relates
partly to improvements upon the apparatus disclosed in my Letters Putent
No. 18,517 dated October 3, 189.3.
A part of my improvements relate to the yarn carrying frame, whereby the
efficiency and capacity of the machine may be increased. In addition to the usual
upper and lower sets of yarn sticks I employ an additional or intermediate set of
sticks between the upper and lower sticks, with suitable supports therefor, by means
of which two sets of skeins may be simultaneously dyed in the machine. By
providing the sets of yarn sticks supports with capacity of relative adjustment,, the
+

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•
sets of sticks may be adjusted to suit sets of skeins of different sizes, so that large
and small skeins may be dyed simultaneously.
My invention also embraces improvements in the construction and arrangement
of the lifting devices for raising and lowering the yarn frame with reference to the
vat, and also other improvements in construction and combinations of parts which
are more fully set forth hereinafter.
Another part of my invention relates to the employment of an automatic valve
.device for controlling the supply of steam to the vat, whereby, whenever the dye
liquor is in danger of boiling over, the valve is automatically closed and the steam
supply shut off, until the excessive ebullition has subsided.
I shall now refer to the accompanying drawings for the purpose of particularly
describing my improvements.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a dyeing machine embodying my improvements.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the yarn frame.
Fig. 3 is an end elevation of a dyeing machine illustrating a modification of the
.devices for lifting and lowering the yarn frame.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of the dye vat with the valve for automatically controlling
the supply of steam shown in vertical section.
Fig. 6 is a horizontal view of the corner of the yarn frame taken on the line x-x
of Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale.
Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the automatic valve for controlling the
steam supply taken on the line y-y of Fig. 4 on an enlarged scale.
Fig. 7 is a front view of a portion of the yarn stick supporting frames.
Figs. 8 and 9 are transverse vertical sectional views of yarn frames illustrating
inodifications in the arrangement of the yarn sticks.
Fig. 10 is a front elevation of the dyeing machine shown in Fig. 1.
A is the dye vat.
B is the yarn frame which is preferably of the general construction, shown
consisting of the uprights B', the end oross pieces B' B and B B', connecting the
uprights at the top and bottom and the central longitudinal cross piece C at the
top. The lower cross pieces B'B' may be used as the supports for the lower set
of yarn sticks.
D,D, the the supports for the upper yarn sticks and are vertically adjustable
upon the uprights B', B', extending through the ends of the cross piece C, and the
adjusting nuts D' upon the threaded ends of the rods.
E are the upper yarn sticks carried by the frames D, D, and F are the lower
yarn sticks carried by the frames B*, B*.
The yarn frame is supported by the cross bar C in a frame K within which the
bar C may reciprocate when the frame B is moved up and down in the liquor, so
that it is not necessary to detach the yaru frame from the supporting frame while
it is being reciprocated in the liquor.
To raise the yarn frame from the vat and to lowor it therein suitable lifting
devices connected with the supporting frame K are employed. These lifting
devices are preferably operated by a hydraulic, air, gas or steam lift G.
The yarn frame is reciprocated in the liquor by means of rocking levers M
having notched ends n which engage trunnions on the end of the yarn frame.
The levers which are pivoted to the vat as at o, are operated by eccentrics O' and
eccentric rods O'.
So far as I have described the apparatus it is substantially the same as the
apparatus shown in my Letters Patent No. 18,517 beretofore referred to, to which
reference may be made for greater particularity.
A part of my present improvements relate particularly to the construction of the
yarn frame. To enable a single yarn frame to be employed for the purpose of
simultaneously dyeing two sets of skeins, I employ an additional pair of yarn stick
supports H located between the upper supports D and the lower supports B³.
These additional or intermediate franes H may be made adjustable upon the
uprights B', as by the upright rods H, H, extending up through the cross

page_text: pieces D or guides_07
threaded onds.
thereon, and carrying adjustable nuts 11 on their
I are the yarn sticks carried by the frames H, H. The yarn frame thus
contains at each end three supporting frames for the yarn sticks located one
above the other and capable of adjustment to vary their relative distances
apart.
One set of skeins may be supported by the upper sticks E, and the intermediate
sticks I, and a second set by the sticks I and the lower sticks E. The
intermediate frames H, H, are preferably provided with two sets of supports.
or holes i to receive two sets of sticks I, so that there may be a separate row of
sticks I for each of the upper and lower sets of sticks E and F. This, however,
is not necessary to the invention, as the intermediate sticks I may all be arranged
in one row if desired.
While I have shown the lower supports B stationary and the upper and
intermediate supports D and H adjustable, it is apparent that this arrangement
may be varied, and all of the supports may be adjustable or either the upper or
intermediate supports may he made stationary, or two of the supports may be made
stationary and one adjustable. I prefer the construction shown, however, as it
enables the adjustment of the yarn sticks to be made from the top of the frame and
without raising the frame from the vat, and this is particularly desirable when the
skeins are to be supported loosely upon the sticks so that they may rise and fall
upon the sticks during the reciprocations of the frame.
I prefer to arrange the pairs of sticks between which any skein is supported out
of a direct vertical line, as is shown in Figs. 8 and 9, so that the skein will receive
a more or less inclined position. This will cause the dye liquor to act more or less
laterally upon the skein, and thereby to open the skein at the middle and
permeate the fibres more evenly and quickly. For this purpose the supports in.
the two frames should be arranged out of a vertical line as shown.
The upright B' may be provided with slots or grooves b to form guideways for
the ends of the adjustable frames, which may be provided with tenons fitting
the slots.
In Figs. 2 and 5 is shown my preferred construction for uniting together the
pieces B', B, B, of the yarn frame. The ends of the pieces B and B are lap
jointed and the bolt B' is passed directly through the joint and into the end of the
piece B where it is secured by a nut 6 let into a recess.
In my former Patent, No. 18,517, the lifting cylinder G is shown suspended from
a movable carriage on a fixed independent rail above the vat. In the present.
improvement the apparatus is supported from the vat by means of an overhanging
frame, which permits the yarn frame to be lifted from the vat and moved laterally
away from it. The yarn frame may then be lowered to the floor outside
of the vat.
In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 10 J is a frame extending above the
vat A and having overhanging arms J' which extend materially beyond the front
of the vat. L, L' are guides or idlers journalled in the upper part of the frame J
at the front and rear. N is a rail carried by cables or chains P, P', which pass up
over the idlers L, L, respectively and conuect with the piston rod R of the lifting
cylinders G which may be fastened directly to the vat A or to the frame J. The
operation of the lifting cylinder G will raise and lower the rail N. Tho frame K
is provided with a trolley K' which runs upon the rail N. The rail. N is of
sufficient length to extend laterally beyond the vat A as shown. When the rail N
is raised by the lift G, the yarn frame B is lifted with it from the vat. When
the rail is properly elevated, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the yarn frame
may be moved upon the rail N until it reaches a position beyond the vat. The
rail N may then bo lowered permitting the yarn frame to descend to the floor.
To raise the yarn frame from the floor and introduce it into the vat these
operations are reversed. To steady the rail N when it has been elevated, the

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frame J may be provided with sets, into which the rail is received when it
renches its highest position.
In the construction shown in Fig. 3 instead of employing the movable rail N, the
cylinder G is carried by a movable carriage N¹ which may be moved laterally upon
.the top of the frame J. In this case the cylinder must be connected with its source
of power by a jointed or flexible pipe G¹.
In Figs. 4 and 6 are shown the valve devices for automatically controlling the
supply of steam to the dye vat. When steam is supplied excessively to the vat,
the dye liquor is liable to boil over. 1t.has been usual to provide.the vat with an
overflow pipe or outlet to permit that liquor to escape which boils above the normal
level. This is objectionable because it does not affect the steam supply, although
that is the cause of the difficulty, and also because it results in waste and
materially reduces the quantity of dye liquor in the vat. My improvements are
designed to obviate these objections by providing the steam pipe with a valve
device which shall automatically shut off the (steam supply whenever the liquor
coils above the proper level. For this purpose I employ a valve in the
steam supply pipe connected with an expausible pipe or piece subjected to
the liquor.
י
Qis the usual steam pipo entering the vat. near the bottom. This pipe is
provided with a valve case Q', in which is located a valve.s adapted to a seat g in
the case.
The steam of the valve extends through the caso Qand is carried by
the closed end of an overflow pipe S, which leads from the, vat at. the usual
overflow lever. The particular construction of the valve is: immaterial. I have
shown it as a gate valve adapted to a seat q in the case Q. The overflow pipe S
may be provided with an outlet S¹. Whenever the dye liquor boils above the level of
the overflow.outlet, the boiling liquor will pass into the pipe S and heating it will
cause it to expand. This expansion of the pipe S will move the valves carried by
it into the Beat q, and. will thus shut off the steam supply to the vat through the
pipe Q. Such liquor as passes into the pipo S may escape through.the.outlet S'.
The quantity of liquor thus wasted will, however, be very little, compared with
the amount that is lost with the ordinary overflow.
When the temperature of the liquor becomes reduced by the shutting off of the
steam supply, and ceases to boil into the pipe S, that pipe becomes cooled and
contracts, thus withdrawing the valve from the seat g and opening the steam
supply through the pipe Q. The pipe S should of course.be constructed of metal
having a high coefficient of expansibility.
To insures the greatest expansion of the pipe Staking place in the direction
toward the pipe the rear end of the pipe S may be held to the case Q' by a
cross: piece T and rods as shown in Fig. 4.. By this means the rear end of
the pipe S will be held in a more or less fixed relation with reference to the valve
Beat q, while the front end which carried the valve s, will be free to expand and
move forward. The amount of movement for the opening and closing of the valve
need be very slight.
Such minor details of construction as I have shown for the purpose of illustrating
and explaining my invention may be varied as may be desired and are not to be
taken as limitations of the invention.
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 :-
.
First. A yarn frame for a yarn dyeing machino having upper, lower and
intermediato yarn sticks and supporting frames.
Second. The means for adjusting one or more of the three sets of yarn sticks
with reference to the others.
Third. The intermediate yarn stick supporting frames provided with two rows
or seats of stick supports.

page_text: Fourth. The lifting devices embracing the movable rail or frame for the movable
carriage from which the yarn frame is suspended.
Fifth. The yarn frame consisting of uprights B', side bars B' and end piece B*
united together at the corners by a single bolt, and of the upper end pieces B' and
top piece C.
Sixth. The automatic valve devices for controlling the supply of steam to the
dye vat.
JOHN GEORGE HASLAM.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.