Enects upon Vegetable Textile Materials.
Year: 1897

page_text: Enects upon Vegetable Textile Materials.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE HEYS, of 70, Market Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
-
This invention relates to the production of lustrous or silky effects on textile
materials having a vegetable origin, by mercerising or stretching.
According to the present invention the treatment of the textile material by liquid
or gas is aided by a vacuum.
Thus, in the case of a travelling stretched textile material, there may be arranged
above or below the material a suitable number of boxes having gauze or perforated
covers next to and in contact with the full width of the material. Each of these
boxes is connected with a receiver in which a vacuum is produced by a pump or
otherwise. Opposite to the first box there may be a perforated pipe or chamber
through which the mercerising or an impregnating liquid is supplied to the textile
material. Opposite to the third there may be a chamber from which a gas, a
neutralising solution, or any other desired fluid may be passed through the textile
material into the suction box. The second or intermediate suction box may simply
act to withdraw any of the liquid not withdrawn through the first box and thus
act as a drier.
There may be more or fewer of the suction boxes as will be determined by the
method of treatment and the character of the textile material, and it is not essential
that the mercerising solution should he applied to the stretched material provided
that it is stretched whilst still wet with that solution previously applied and that it
is submitted to the washing or neutralising fluids or both whilst still stretched,
and that the action of these fluids is aided by a vacuum, or suction.
It is known already that the production of the silky or lustrous effect referred
to is produced by the stretching of the goods before or during mercerisation with
the condition that the mercerising solution is removed by washing or neutralised
by a suitable solution or gas whilst the goods are still in a stretched condition.
Dated this 10th day of November 1897
W. E. HEYS & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in and connected with the Production of Lustrous
Effects upon Vegetable Textile Materials.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE HEYS, of 70, Market Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Chartered Patent Agent, 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:-
This invention relates to the production of lustrous or silky effects on textile
materials having a vegetable origin, by mercerising or stretching.
According to the present invention, the treatment of the textile material by
liquid or gas is aided by a more or less complete vacuum.
Thus, in the case of a travelling stretched textile material, there may be arranged
above or, and preferably, below the textile material, a suitable number of boxes,
having gauze, perforated or open covers or parts next to and in contact with the
cloth. Each of these boxes is connected with a chamber in which a more or less
complete vacuum is produced by known means as for example by a pump, a steam
jet, or otherwise. Above each box there is arranged an apparatus for the supply
to the surface of the cloth of the appropriate mercerising neutralising or washing
fluid as may be required. This fluid is forcibly drawn through the whole thickness
of the cloth by the suction boxes so that a thorough impregnation (or extraction)
is effected. In cases where it is desired simply to remove from the cloth an excess
of fluid, as for example between the mercerising and the washing elements, a
suction box alone need be employed, so that in merely passing over this box the
liquid is more or less completely aspirated from the cloth.
There may be employed as many of the suction boxes with or without their liquid
distributing accessories as will be determined by the method of treatment and the
character of the textile material, and it is not essential that the mercerising
solution should be applied to the stretched material provided that the material be
stretched or in tension whilst still wet with that solution previously applied, and
that it is submitted to the washing or neutralising fluids or both. whilst still in
tension, and that the action of the fluids is aided by a more or less complete vacuum
or suction. Obviously, since the action of the mercerising agent tends to shrink
the cloth, the stretching effect will be produced if the cloth is held to its normal
dimensions, more or less, during treatment.
It is already known that the production of the silky or lustrous effect herein-
before referred to, is produced by the stretching or the prevention of the natural
shrinking of the mercerised goods with the condition that the mercerising liquid
is more or less completely removed or neutralised whilst the goods are still in the
stretched or equivalent condition.
The improvements are most conveniently carried into practical effect in com-
bination with a tentering machine of any suitable and convenient construction,
and I will hereinafter so describe them, with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 indicates in partial elevation the machine with the elements for mer-
cerising, extraction and washing.
Figure 2 represents a partial plan.
Figure 3, a partial vertical transverse section,
Figure 4 the detail of a mercerising and suction element,
Figure 5 the cross section of one of the suction boxes, and
Figure 6, a cross section of a modified construction of the mercerising or washing
and suction element.

page_text: The constituents of the mercerising or washing and suction element, are arranged
one directly above the other as indicated in Figure 4, the cloth passing between
them. Or, and as preferred, the upper portion of the element may be arranged in
advance of or behind the suction box G. As shewn by Figure 6, there is arranged
below the upper portion of the element an inclined plane R, upon which the liquid
pours down and thence flows over the edge r, immediately over the opening A¹ in the
upper part of the suction box G. The function of this inclined plane is to ensure a
very equal distribution of the liquid upon the upper surface of the travelling cloth F
and it is adjustable relatively to the opening A¹ in such a manner that by its
adjustment the effective width of the opening A¹ may be varied so as to con-
sequently vary the force of the aspiration into the suction box. The mercerising
or washing liquid is delivered into the trough E by the supply pipe D, Figure 4,
and may issue from the trough either directly upon the cloth or upon the inclined
plane R, and either through a series of adjutages B or through a longitudinal
slot a.
It is preferred, if adjutages be employed, that each of them or at least
those nearer each side of the cloth, should be controlled by cocks as indicated by
Figure 6. To prevent the choking of these adjutages there may be arranged in
connection with each one, a clearing stem C, which normally is held up by a
spiral spring surrounding it, and which may be depressed by hand or mechanically
into its adjutage for the purpose of clearing out any obstruction which may occur.
When the supply of the liquid cannot extend over the edges or selvedges of the
fabric, this defect of supply may be remedied by means of short auxiliary liquid
supplying and suction apparatus resembling the main apparatus except in length
and arranged either a little behind or in advance of the main apparatus and over
the edges or selvedges of the fabric. These also may receive their supply of liquid
either from the pipes 1 or from the troughs E, and by their action it will be found
that the parts of the cloth treated by them will present no material difference
from the other part in the finished result. This arrangement applies equally to
the mercerising and to the washing or neutralising apparatus, but in any event it
will rarely be required.
The apparatus operates in the following manner:-
The cloth, as usual, enters the machine over the tension bars which are not
indicated by the drawings, but which serve to maintain the longitudinal tension
of the cloth. Near the tension staves the chain paths are brought to a distance
apart corresponding about with the normal width of the fabric to be treated, and
from this point they may or may not diverge to a slightly greater distance apart
or may, after passing the mercerising point, slightly converge but not in any case
to so great an extent as to be equal to the shrinkage set up by the mercerisation.
In other words, the distance apart of the chains must be such that
the cloth must be held in tension whilst wet with the mercerising liquid.
The impregnation by the mercerising liquid is made at A, Figure 1, where it
falls upon the upper surface of the cloth, through whose thickness it is forcibly
drawn into the suction box G, which communicates through the pipe Q, with a
receiving chamber H, in which a more or less complete vacuum is established and
maintained. After the cloth has for a certain time, determined by temporary
known conditions, been saturated with the mercerising liquid, it arrives at the
second suction box i, which also communicates through the pipe Q with the same
vacuum chamber H. This suction box removes all excess of the mercerising liquid
and the more or less dried fabric travels thence in due course to the devices J, K, L,
or only one or more of such devices which resemble in all respects the mercerising
device first described. Water is fed to the trough of this element or the troughs
of these elements, and the fabric thus receives a more or less complete washing.
The water passes through the suction box or boxes by the pipe or pipes M to a
second receiving chamber similar to H, in which also a more or less complete
vacuum is established and maintained.
It is not necessary that the washing should be absolutely complete: it will
suffice if it so attenuates the mercerising liquid that it will thereafter produce no,

page_text: or an inappreciable amount of, shrinkage in the cloth. After treatment, the cloth is
wound upon a tension roller or beam in the usual manner in tentering machines.
In order that, with various widths of cloth treated at different times, the liquid
should be distributed and aspirated along a space equal to the width of the cloth,
various arrangements may be applied.
Thus, as shewn by Figure 3, in which the trough E shewn by Figure 4 is supposed
to be used, two longitudinal sliding stoppers U may be employed. These are fixed upon
the chain races V, and, so far as they enter the trough slots, close them completely.
They are naturally adjusted with the chain races to which they are fixed, and
consequently by the adjustment of those races the effective outlet from the trough
is also automatically adjusted. Or, a tubular suction box G being used, cylin-
drical stoppers W also fixed to the chain races V may be employed, and enter the
ends of the box which they fit with slight friction and in this way lengthen or
shorten the effective opening in the upper part of the box. These stoppers may
carry a feather or strip which fits into the slot forming the suction opening, and
thus still more effectively operating. The stoppers U and W may be used in com-
bination or separately.
When the tap controlled adjutages are employed as indicated by Figure 6, the
width of the supply of liquid may be adjusted by opening or closing as many of
the adjutages on one or both sides of the machines as may be required.
Other equivalent means may be employed for adjusting the width of supply and
suction, which should always coincide.
The troughs E may be slung from the cross beams C¹ supported upon the
framing D E and the suction boxes may be supported on the framing B¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
:-
1. The herein before described method for the mercerisation of fabrics in a
stretched or equivalent condition, which consists in supplying the mercerising
liquid to one side of the fabric and withdrawing it from the other side by suction
apparatus, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described with refer-
ence to the accompanying drawings.
2. The hereinbefore described method for the production of a lustrous effect on
woven fabrics, which consists in firmly holding the fabric in tension or so as to
prevent shrinkage, in supplying the mercerising liquid to the fabric on one sido
and withdrawing it from the other by suction, and in thereafter, whilst the fabric
is still in tension, similarly supplying water or neutralising fluid to one side of the
fabric and withdrawing it by suction from the other side, substantially as herein-
before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
3. The hereinbefore described process for the production of a lustrous effect on
woven fabrics, which consists in placing the fabric in tension or so that it cannot
shrink and causing it to pass successively through an appliance whereby merceris-
ing liquid is supplied to one surface and is forcibly drawn through the cloth into
a suction box and a second similar appliance supplied with water or neutralising
fluid, substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.