Improvements in the Treatment of Carded Bands or Slivers in the Processes of Dyeing and Preparing for Spinning.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1893-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Carded Bands or Slivers in the
Processes of Dyeing and Preparing for Spinning.
1, EDUARD GESSLER, of Metzingen, Germany, Manufacturer, 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:-
Cotton fibre having been for some time since more or less successfully dyed in
the raw or flocculent condition and then spun into yarn, it has been endeavoured
from time to time to perfect this process; but notwithstanding that considerable
advance has been made in this manufacture, it has never yet been successfully
attempted to produce the same strength, uniformity and elasticity in yarns produced
from such cotton dyed in the fibre, as exists in yarns which are spun from the
raw white material, although as regards softness, similarity to wool, lustre, and
purity of colour, the first named yarns, far excel the latter.
A farther disadvantage arises from the fact that with cotton dyed in the fibre,
electrical phenomena appear in the drawing and roving thereof which interfere
with the proper action of the machinery and that the batting and carding waste
from such dyed cotton, although having a certain value on account of its colour, is
nevertheless of less value than the waste from raw white cotton.
In order to obviate these disadvantages it was endeavoured to dye the rovings
when wound parallel on perforated tubular stems, or on bobbins of bobbin-and-fly
frames. It was thought that the twisted rovings would be able to stand the dyeing
process without material injury.
But this process did not succeed, as in the spinning it could not be subjected
to the doubling process, and the production of uniform or mixed tints was not
possible.
In addition to this, there is the further difficulty that it is not possible to
untwist the bobbin-and-fly rovings again after dyeing for the purpose of doubling,
as the fibres stick together to such an extent or are so felted together that they
cannot be separated with sufficient ease, and thus give spun yarns of bad quality.
To avoid these difficulties it has also been proposed to dye the carded bands or
slivers, for which purpose the parallel winding process generally used in cotton
spinning was employed, such winding being effected on perforated tubes for the
purpose of dyeing. In adopting this method it was assumed that the carded bands
or slivers could not stand any other kind of winding without tearing, and that an
effectual dyeing could not be carried out without the use of perforated tubular
spindles.
Numerous trials have however shown that this form of winding in combination
with perforated tubular spindles is not suited for producing a perfect result.
According to the present invention the said carded bands or slivers are wound in
the form of cross-windings or balls upon well known machines for cross-winding or
balling filaments, and in this form they are operated upon for dyeing, and preparing
for spinning without being dependent on either tubular perforated or solid spindles
for this purpose.
The spinning is also effected in exactly the same manner as with
raw cotton.
In order to obtain the requisite strength for the carded bands or slivers for
standing the winding process, any desired number of bands or slivers are united
together in the winding.
The sequence of the several operations for carrying out this improved method is
as follows:-
The carded bands or slivers are wound by a cross winding or balling machine

page_text: into cross winding or ball form from the cans into which they are delivered from
the carding machine. When the bands have been thus wound they are submitted
in the usual manner to the dyeing process and are then dried.
The cross windings or balls are then placed in a preparing machine, such as is
hereinafter referred to in which the carded band is prepared in the known manner
for the further spinning processes. The bands of the cross winding or balls are
unwound during such preparing process and fall back into the cans, from which
they are then delivered to the spinning frames.
The fibres of the dyed carded bands draw somewhat less easily on the drawing
frame after dyeing than the raw white carded bands, on which account, for enabling
the spinning process to be carried out without difficulty, the said preparing machine
requires to be introduced between the dyeing and spinning processes.
preparing machine consists merely of a suitably constructed drawing frame, for
drawing the card bands after dyeing, so as to prepare them for the spinning
process.
This
On the above mentioned grounds this preparing machine is not to be considered
as part of the spinning machinery but is an independent apparatus serving solely
for preparing the dyed carded bands for the spinning process.
According to the present invention there are therefore required the following
four preparing manipulations for dyeing carded bands or slivers and for rendering
them suitable for spinning after the dyeing.
1. Winding the carded bands into the form of cross windings or balls, without
being dependent upon either perforated or unperforated spindles.
2. Dyeing the carded bands in the form of cross windings or balls.
3. Drying the bands in the form of cross windings or balls, without being
dependent upon either perforated or unperforated spindles.
4. Passing the bands through a preparing machine for preparing them for the
farther spinning process, and delivering them into the cans.
These four manipulations are absolutely necessary for enabling the carded bands
or slivers to be dyed and subsequently spun; that is to say, without correctly
carrying through this series of manipulations it is not possible to dye carded bands
or slivers in such manner that they can be effectually subjected to the spinning
process.
Any disturbance of this process by the omission of one of the steps would cause
an unsatisfactory result to be produced.
This process renders a repeated carding or combing of the band or sliver after
the dyeing superfluous, and it is consequently applicable both for combed as also
for uncombed bands with the same good result.
In addition, this process is an entirely independent and self contained one, and
materially simplifies the manufacturing process, as the dyer delivers the dyed
carded bands or slivers in such a condition to the spinner that the latter simply has
to replace the cans containing the same in the same place whence he took the cans
containing the raw white slivers to deliver them to the dyer, in order, at the end of
the further regular spinning process, to obtain by if necessary manifold doubling,
dyed yarn instead of raw white yarn from the spinning frame.
The process also materially cheapens the cost of manufacture of the product, as
the dyed combed or uncombed carded bands or slivers do not cause any farther
waste, either in the dyeing nor in the following spinning. A combing or carding
after the dyeing is entirely obviated.
During the entire spinning process commencing with the raw cotton fibre
and ending with the colored yarn coming from the selfactor, this process
consequently gives no coloured waste, and consequently there is no loss in the cost
of dyeing.
Also, the dyed yarn produced by this process is not subject to any loss of strength
when compared with the raw white yarn prepared from the same material.
As by the above described process all coloured waste is avoided, the carding
process is simplified, as only raw white cotton is treated therein.

page_text: On the other hand by dyeing cotton in the flock or fibre there arise, as herein-
before indicated, a series of difficulties that cannot be entirely obviated.
Firstly, the yarn dyed in the fibre or flock, loses strength and uniformity as
compared with the raw white yarn prepared from the same material.
Secondly, electrical phenomena cause considerable difficulties in the spinning of
the dyed material, and under circumstances render it quite impossible.
These phenomena consist in the "flying" of the flocks on the carding engine,
whereby the formation of the carded bands or slivers and the falling thereof into
the cans is impeded and even rendered impossible.
In the drawing frames the reverse phenomena are exhibited.
In these the
material adheres everywhere where it has to pass over polished metal surfaces, and
this with some colours takes place to such an extent that the material cannot be
passed through the drawing rollers.
Both the material and the machine become more or less strongly electrified in
the treatment of flock-dyed cotton, causing the above described difficulties and
subsequently proportionately increasing the cost of manufacture.
In carrying out the above described invention on the other hand, in which the
cotton is carded in the raw white condition and the carded bands or slivers are
dyed in the form of cross windings or balls, such electrical phenomena and the
accompanying disadvantages do not appear.
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 :-
The method of treating combed or uncombed carded bands or slivers in the
form of cross windings or balls, wherein the bands or slivers are first wound
from the cans into the form of cross windings or balls by a cross winding or
balling machine, and are then dyed and dried in this form, such cross windings
or balls being lastly placed upon a preparing machine for preparing the bands
or slivers for spinning or roving, from which machine the bands or slivers are
again delivered into cans, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of July 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.