Improvements in Machinery for Finishing Dyed and Undyed Fabrics.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Finishing Dyed and Undyed
Fabrics.
We, SAMUEL WHITELEY, of West Croft, Wyke, Yorkshire, Finisher, and
THOMAS WILLIAM STEAD, of Heath View, Halifax, Yorkshire, aforesaid,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention has reference to machinery operated by hydraulic or other motive
power for finishing either dyed or undyed woven fabrics, the primary object of
our improvements being to give to the fabric a highly lustrous and permanent
finish. The press employed may be of any ordinary construction, our improve-
ments therein having reference only to the plates or pressing surfaces employed
in the pressing and finishing of fabrics.
According to our invention, the bottom and top pressing plates are made
hollow, and with their opposing faces perforated. The fabric or fabrics to be
pressed and finished by our improved apparatus may already have been "faced"
by calender rollers or hydraulic press and are passed or placed in a folded condition
between the perforated pressing plates in a series of lengths or folds a sheet of
cloth or other material being used between the perforated plate and the fabric
to be pressed, so as to avoid marking or impressing the pattern of the perforations
on the fabric; after which the press plates are closed upon the fabric with the
required pressure, whereupon, steam is made to enter the lower press plate,
escaping through the perforations therein, passing up through the compressed
and folded fabrics, entering through the perforations in the upper pressing plate,
and finally escaping from the hollow chamber therein. After the steam has passed
through the fabric sufficiently long, the steam is turned off, and hot dry air is
pumped or otherwise forced through the hollow perforated plates and through
the pressed fabric for the purpose of removing any moisture that may be left in
the fabrics; by which means a lustrous and permanent finish is imparted to the
fabric. In combination with the hollow perforated pressing plate as above
described, we may employ ordinary press plates for the purpose of keeping up
the temperature in the hollow perforated pressing plates, and to prevent any chance
of the steam therein condensing.
The pressing plates are now separated, and the pressed portion of the fabric
removed and a fresh or unpressed length or fold takes its place, when the operation
of pressing, steaming and drying is repeated; and if the press be what is known as an
intermittent press, the operations above recorded go on continuously, pressing one
length of the fabric after another. Our improved hollow perforated pressing
plates, and method of blowing steam and hot air through the lower pressing plate
and up through the fabric and passing out through the top pressing plate may
be used in connection with any well known form of hydraulic press used in the
finishing of dyed or undyed fabrics.
Dated this 10th day of December 1890.
ATTR
O
ADAOOT V
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Finishing Dyed and Undyed
Fabrics.
We, SAMUEL WHITELEY, of West Croft, Wyke, Yorkshire, Finisher, and
THOMAS WILLIAM STEAD, of Heath View, Halifax, Yorkshire aforesaid,
Mechanical Engineer, 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 :-
Our invention has reference to machinery operated by hydraulic or other motive
power for finishing either dyed or undyed woven fabrics, the primary object of our
improvements being to give to the fabric a highly lustrous and permanent finish.
The press employed may be of any ordinary construction, our improvements having
reference only to the plates or pressing surfaces employed- in the pressing and
finishing of fabrics.
In order that our invention may be better understood, we will now describe the
same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein
Fig. 1 is plan view of one of our improved pressing plates,
Fig. 2 cross section,
Fig. 3 sectional plan shewing the interior of plate, and
Fig. 4 an end view of a series of our improved plates arranged one above the
other with the folds of fabric lying between the plates.
The improved plate A is perforated on the upper and under side as seen in the
drawings, but the top and bottom plates of a series are only perforated on their
inner or under faces. B represents handles, by which the workmen lift the plates
into and out of position, by means of lever and chain, but the said plates always
remain in the press, and slide up and down between the vertical pillars H. The
steam enters one set of press plates at both ends through the inlets C, and to
prevent such steam from rushing to the opposite end of the said plates, we place
therein, at suitable distances apart, certain partitions or midfeathers D so as to
cause the steam to circulate through every part of the plate, and to be forced
through the perforations therein, the excess of steam escaping through the
outlets E attached to the press plate above and below the steam inlet plate.
The modus operandi is as follows:-The fabric or fabrics to be pressed and
finished by our improved apparatus (which fabrics may already have been faced by
calender rollers or hydraulic press) are passed or placed in a folded condition
between the perforated pressing plates, as shewn in Fig. 4, a sheet of cloth or other
material being used between each perforated plate and the fabric being pressed, so
as to avoid marking or impressing the pattern of the perforations onto the fabric,
after which the press plates are closed upon the fabric with the required pressure,
whereupon steam is admitted to the inlet plates through pipes C, such steam
escaping through the perforations on both sides of the plates (except the top and
bottom plates), such said steam passing up through the compressed folded fabrics,
and also into the perforated plate above and below it, as indicated by arrow in
Fig. 4, whilst the excess of steam escapes through the outlets E connected to the
outlet plates. It must be understood that some of the plates are exclusively for
steam or air inlet, and other plates for outlet of steam or air, but we do not confine
ourselves to this arrangement. After the steam has passed through the fabric
sufficiently long, the steam is turned off, and hot dry air, or steam and air, is caused
to enter inlets F (see Figs. 1 and 3) such air or steam being pumped or otherwise
forced through the hollow perforated plates and through the pressed fabric,
following the course of the steam before it, for the purpose of removing the
moisture that may be left in the fabrics, such hot air or steam and air finally
escaping through the outlets E connected to outlet plates, by which means
a lustrous and permanent finish is imparted to the fabric.

page_text: Our improved plates may be used in that class of press known as an intermittent
press, where the operation of pressing is intermittent, and where one length of
fabric after another is pressed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
Firstly. The construction of hollow perforated plates for pressing and finishing
dyed or undyed fabrics, as described herein.
Secondly. The construction and arrangement of hollow perforated pressing
plates substantially as herein shewn and described, and the method of imparting
a lustrous finish to fabrics by the introduction to the said plates, first of steam,
and afterwards of hot air, or air and steam combined.
Dated this 10th day of September 1891
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.