Improvements relating to the Drying, Bleaching, and Disinfecting of Wool, Cotton, Paper-pulp, or other Textile or Materials, and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1886

page_text: Fibrous
Improvements relating to the Drying, Bleaching, and Disinfecting
of Wool, Cotton, Paper-pulp, or other Textile or
Materials, and to Apparatus therefor.
1, JOHN HEWETSON LORIMER, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of any invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING
MACHINES, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has reference to an improved process for treating textile fibres or
materials such as wool, cotton, yarn, rags, paper pulp etc.; and consists in certain
improvements all of which are fully set forth in the following specification and shown
in the accompanying drawings which form part thereof.
My object is to supply the disinfectant or bleaching gas to the air being passed
through the drying machine whereby while the air is drying the passing material
conveyed back and forth through the drying chamber the disinfectant or bleaching
gas shall be simultaneously conveyed by said air currents and caused to act upon
every portion of the said material during its passage through the machine. By this
method the material is uniformly treated whether for bleaching or disinfectanting or
both combined. The bleaching agents may be moist chlorine gas, sulphurous acid etc.
and this may be generated in a separate chamber or compartment and supplied to the
current of air as it passes to the machine. Chlorine is very extensively employed for
bleaching linen and cotton the gas acting upon the coloring matter without effecting
the fiber, but silk and wool, present much less resistance to chemical actions and would
be much injured by chlorine hence they are invariably bleached by sulphurous acid.
The chlorine may be used in the form of hypoclorite of lime in solution which may be
vaporized or sprayed and fed to the passing air entering the drying chamber.
Sulphurous acid is generally used for bleaching silk, straw, wool, sponge, isinglass etc.
which would be injured by the great chemical energy of chlorine. In this case the
moist article or material when fed to the machine would be treated in its moist state
by the sulphurous acid which is conveyed by the passing air and after being bleached
the material is dried by the natural operation of the machine. The sulphurous acid
ID 077

page_text: might be generated by burning sulphur, and conveys into the supply pipe or into the
machine between the aprons. I do not limit myself to any particular disinfectant or
bleaching reagent as any gas or fluid might be used to suit the requirements of the
material.
In the drawings:-
:-
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a machine embodying my improvements on
line a a, and
Fig. 2 is a cross section of same on line y y
A B are two endless aprons, between which the wool or cotton to be dried is held
and conveyed through the drier or hot air chamber, and may be formed of link-chains
with slats between, or webbing, netting, or combination of any two or more of these
may be used, the particular construction of these endless conveyors or aprons being
immaterial to my invention. These aprons A B lie close upon each other in passing
through the heating or drying chamber H, and while passing around and over the
guide rollers GG, move back and forth or up and down through said chamber for the
purpose of being retained therein as long a time as necessary. The apron A is
guided outside the chamber H by rollers K, and apron B by rollers E E D is the
feeding end, and may be of any suitable construction and the yarns, wool or cotton
to be dried after being fed upon the apron B, is carried up over rollers F and between
it and the apron A, which passes around roller K. and enters the drying chamber H
through openings and while held between the aprons, (and if desired prevented from
displacement by slats C thereon) is conveyed over rollers GG, and after passing back
and forth a number of times emerges by apertures to the outside of the chamber
and the material from between the said aprons is discharged at W. The traveling
aprons may be made in any manner desired but should be of open netting or webbing
and may be secured to chains on its lateral edges, and may be furnished with slats
which would be preferably on the top of the net work or next to the cotton, wool,
yarn, etc. to be dried so as to prevent the same from being displaced on turning over
the drums or pullies in transit through the heating apparatus. The netting may be
formed of cord or twine or their equivalent, and if desired the slats may have teeth
or projections to more securely hold the material to be dried from displacement. The
cotton, wool, or yarns in skein or warp may be delivered to the endless aprons and
conveyed through the drying chamber. This drying chamber H may be simply a
large chamber into or through which hot air or gas is forced or drawn by one or
more blowers or fans J, or by any other means, the ingress or egress of air being
allowed by the openings at the top or bottom, for instance as at I.
Rrepresents the chamber for the generation of chlorine or sulphurous acid from
which the vapors or gases are fed by pipe S into the supply I for the air passing to
the machine or directly into the chamber H between the aprons as indicated in dotted
lines. The end of the pipe S may be turned into the direction of motion to the air as
indicated at T so that the passing air sucks out the disinfectant or bleaching reagent.
The pressure due to the generation of the gas will insure its being fed in requisite
quantities to the machine and if desired the same gas might be used over and over
again by connecting the pipe I with the blowers as indicated in dotted lines. The
bleached material fod to the machine would in a measure supply the moisture with
which the chlorine gas should be diluted hence ordinary chlorine gas might be used
in the machine as the irritating effect due to it upon the operator would in a measure
be overcome owing to the closed condition of the machine and the suction always
being from the outside of the machine to the interior thereof. The air used as a
drying medium may if desired be heated before passing through the machine by being
caused to pass over hot surfaces as indicated in Fig. 2 dotted lines.
When the disinfectant or bleaching reagent is a gas it may be fed directly to the
air supply pipe of the chamber but when it is a heavy vapor it should be fed between
the aprons at one or more places near their entrance to the chamber H and shortly
before the exit of the drying medium, but preferably so that it acts upon both sides of
the material to be dried.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :—
1st. The combination of the enclosed drying chamber having openings for the
admission of the endless belts, and provided with air openings, with a fan or blower
to cause a circulation of air through said drying chamber, the two endless belts or
aprons, guiding rollers therefor to guide said aprons back and forth in said drying
chamber and in the path of the air currents and convey the said aprons outside or
exterior to the closed chamber at two places for the feed and discharge and a pipe for
supplying a disinfecting or bleaching gas or vapor to the air currents passing through
the machine, the drying air being the medium by which the gases are conveyed to the
material to be treated and dried.
2nd. A close drying-chamber through which a continuous vertical column or current
of dry air is passed, in combination with two endless aprons or open-work adapted to
lie close together to hold the material to be dried, and arranged to pass back and forth
through the continuous vertical current of dry air exposing both sides of the material
to be dried and in alternation to the said current of dry air, and guiding-rollers for
said aprons to guide them back and forth within the chamber and bring them out
through openings therein for the feed and discharge the construction being such that
the material is fed into the machine and delivered from it in an atmosphere which is
cool and comfortable to work in, and is carried through a hot atmosphere within the
close chamber, and in which the dry air is passed directly through both sides of the
said material to be dried while in the custody of the aprons and a pipe for supplying
a disinfecting or bleaching gas or vapor to the air currents passing through the
machine, the drying air being the medinm by which the gases are conveyed to the
material to be treated and dried.
3rd. The herein described process for treating a textile material to be bleached or
disinfected, which consists in causing the material to be passed back and forth through
a closed chamber and exposed to strong currents of air impregnated with a bleaching
or disinfecting reagent in a gaseous or finely divided condition which substances are
drawn or forced directly through the material to be treated.
4th. The herein described process for treating a material to be bleached or disinfected
and dried which consists in causing the material in a wet or moist condition to be
passed back and forth through a closed chamber and exposed to strong currents of air
impregnated with a bleaching or disinfecting reagent which substances are drawn or
forced directly through the material to be treated and the action being continued
sufficiently long to thoroughly dry the said material.
Dated this 51-4 day of Dan 100