Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Immersing and Stretching Fibres, especially applicable for Mercerising Vegetable Fibres in the Form of Hanks.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd June, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Mar., 1899-Accepted, 13th May, 1899
Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Immersing and
Stretching Fibres, especially applicable for Mercerising Vegetable
Fibres in the Form of Hanks.
I, PERCY SYKES MARSHALL, of The Union Laboratory, Half Moon Street,
Huddersfield, Analytical and Consulting Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
In mercerising vegetable fibres so as to impart a silky gloss and also to prevent
shrinkage of the material, it is necessary that the hanks should be tightly
stretched before or immediately after the mercerising liquid has been eliminated
from them. This operation has generally been performed by stretching the hanks
on a frame, which is successively immersed in tanks containing the mercerising,
washing or neutralising liquids, and the said hanks require turning during the
immersions so as ensure uniform action.
The object of this invention is to construct apparatus whereby the said hanks
may be immersed, stretched and turned, in a continuous and more efficient manner
than heretofore, thus effecting considerable saving in time and labour and
producing a more uniform fibre than heretofore.
According to my invention, I employ two wheels or discs, hereinafter called
discs, which are mounted at opposite ends of an axle carried in a tank, and the
said discs are provided with radial arms which are adjustable to and from the
centres, the said adjustments being effected separately or simultaneously as
desired. A second pair of discs are mounted on an axle situated in another tank,
the position of the said dises being arranged so that their planes are in line with
the planes of the first pair of discs, and the axles of the said two pairs of discs
are geared together so that they move simultaneously, and at the same speed.
One or more guide rollers is or are employed between the two pairs of discs, and
auxiliary rollers or squeegees may be employed for the purpose of expressing any
excess of liquid from the material passing over the guide roller or guide
rollers.
The hanks to be mercerised, are threaded on pairs of rods, the said rods being
situated at opposite ends of the interior of the hanks. The pairs of rods thus
charged, are coupled together by means of links, which are shaped at their ends
so as to facilitate the connection of the rods, and the centres of the links are
shaped so as to facilitate their connection to the extremities of the radial arms.
A chain is thus made up, consisting of batches of hanks and connecting links,
and the said chain can then be fed to the arms of the first pair of discs and
thence over the guide rollers, to the second set of radial arms on the second pair
of discs; and as the amount of expansion of the radial arms from the centres
of the discs, corresponds with the proportion of the distances between the extremi-
ties of the arms, any suitable amount of stretch may be imparted to the chain
by altering the proportion of expansion of the arms of the first pair of discs,
with those of the second pair of discs. During the passage of the hanks through

page_text: the tanks, the said hanks may be turned and moved in position so as to ensure
uniform action on the fibres, by turning the rods during their passage through
the tanks, and this movement may be obtained by the use of spiders or spur
wheels on alternate rods, taking into pins or racks situated in segmental form
in the tanks.
It is obvious that any number of pairs of discs and cisterns might be employed,
according to the material to be treated and the result desired to be obtained.
Dated this 23rd day of June A.D). 1898.
BREWER & SON,
London & Leeds, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or connected with Apparatus for Immersing and
Stretching Fibres, especially applicable for Mercerising Vegetable
Fibres in the Form of Hanks.
I, PERCY SYKES MARSILALL, of The Union Laboratory, Half Moon Street,
Huddersfield, Analytical and Consulting Chemist, 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:
-
In mercerising vegetable fibres so as to impart a silky gloss and also to prevent
shrinkage of the material, it is necessary that the hanks should be tightly
stretched before or immediately after the mercerising liquid has been eliminated
from them. This operation has generally been performed by stretching the hanks
on a frame, which is successively immersed in tanks containing the mercerising,
washing or neutralising liquids, and the said hanks require turning during the
immersions so as ensure uniform action.
The object of this invention is to construct apparatus whereby the said hanks
may be immersed, stretched and turned, in a continuous and more efficient manner
than heretofore, thus effecting considerable saving in time and labour and
producing a more uniform fibre than heretofore.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I will proceed to describe
the same with reference to the accompanying drawing in which similar letters
refer to like parts in both figures.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation and Figure 2 is a plan of a machine constructed
according to my invention.
A, are two dises which are mounted on an axle B carried in bearings on the
sides of a tank C, and D are radial arms which are carried in guides E on
the discs in such a manner that the arms 1) may be moved towards or from the
axle B and be clamped in position as required.
F is a second tank with an axle G carrying discs H and radial arms J, and
the latter are adjustable towards and from the axle G in a similar manner to
that of the arms 1). K is a segmental rack situated in the tank C, and K¹ is
a similar rack situated in the tank F. L, L' are guide rollers situated between
the tanks C and F.
The hanks to be mercerised are threaded on pairs of rods M, M, and links N
are employed for coupling the rods together, so as to form a chain. The links N
are shaped at their ends so as to facilitate the connection of the rods M, M', and
the centres of the links N are formed with slots to enable them to take onto the
ends of the radial arms D) and J. The rods M are provided with star wheels P

page_text: for gearing with the segmental racks K, K, and the axles B and G are geared
togather through the medium of gearing R. The said gearing R is adjustable
so that the axles B and G may be turned and adjusted relatively to each other.
The chain of hanks and connecting links, is carried on the ends of the radial
arms 1 through the tank C, and then between the rollers L, L' to the radial arms J
in the tank F and the discs H being set a certain distance in advance of the
discs A, and the radial arms J being expanded in proportion, the hanks are
stretched in the space between the two pairs of discs and they are taken in their
stretched state on the expanded radial arms J. The chain is built up at the
discs A. and the hanks are thus first brought into contact with the liquid in
the tank (', and as the discs revolve, the star wheels P come into contact with the
segmental rack K and thus impart a turning effect to the rods M, which has the
effect of slowly moving the hanks as they pass through the tank and ensuring
uniform action. As the chain leaves the discs A, the hanks become stretched,
and on leaving the tank C they pass between the rollers L and L¹ where any
excess of liquid is expressed. On descending into the tank F, the hanks are again
immersed and they can then be removed at the opposite side of the discs H.
It is obvious that any number of pairs of discs and cisterns might be employed,
according to the material to be treated and the result desired to be obtained.
Instead of employing a segmental rack as before described, a chain or flexible
rack capable of being raised or lowered at its ends might be used, and this would
enable the star wheels to gear without regard to the positions occupied by the
radial arms.
In cases where a greater rotary speed is required to be imparted
to the rods M, M', the rack or chain could be given a movement in the reverse
direction to the direction of travel of the said rods. The radial arms D and J
could be moved by spiral gearing or other suitable movement, in such a manner
that the arms D could be expanded or contracted equally and simultaneously,
the arms being capable of a similar movement. In the case of the arms D being
adjusted in position separately, the guides E or the discs A would be marked with
graduations to facilitate the even expansion or contraction of the same.
The machine can be conveniently started by means of an elastic chain, which
allows the amount of stretch to be adjusted before passing the hanks to be treated
into the tank. As the machine moves very slowly the attendant can make up
a quantity of chain formed of the rods, links and hanks, which would be held
on a frame or conveyer and drawn into the machine as required; and the chain
of hanks after treatinent could also be withdrawn by a suitable travelling table
or other receiver.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In an apparatus for stretching fibres, an axle holding a set or sets of radial
arms carrying a chain of material to be stretched, in combination with a second
axle holding a second set or sets of adjustable radial arms, the two axles being
geared by adjustable gearing and so as to be driven at the same speed, substan-
tially as and for the purposes set for h.
a set
2. In an apparatus for immersing and stretching fibres, an axle holding
or sets of adjustable radial arms dipping into a tank containing suitable liquid,
in combination with a second axle holding a second set or sets of adjustable radial
arms dipping into a second tank, a guide roller situated between the two tanks,
and the two axles being geared together by adjustable gearing, substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
3. The combination of the discs A, axle B, tank C, radial arms D, guides E,
tank F, rack K, axle G, discs H, radial arms J, rack K, and guide roller L,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
4. A chain composed of hanks threaded on rods M, M. coupled together by
links N, the said links being of suitable form for taking onto discs, radial arms

page_text: or cylinders of varying diameters, for the purpose of imparting a stretching, or
a stretching and immersing effect on the fibres under treatment, substantially as
set forth.
5. The combination of the discs A, axle B, tank C, radial arms D, guides E,
tank F, axle G, dises H, radial arms J, racks K, K¹, guide rollers L, L',
rods M, M, links N, and star wheels P, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.