IMPROVEMENTS IN BLEACHING, WASHING, OR CLEANSING TEXTILE FABRICS AND MATERIALS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Agnes Wallace, of Nether Place Bleach Works, in
the County of Renfrew, North Britain, and John Wallace, of the same
Place, Bleachers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BLEACHING,
WASHING, OR CLEANSING TEXTILE FABRICS AND MATERIALS."
ed the 14th March 1856, and dated the 15th December 1855
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Agnes Wallace and
John Wallace at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 15th December 1855.
We, AGNES WALLACE, of Nether Place Bleach Works, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, and JOHN WALLACE, of the same Place, Bleachers,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
BLEACHING, WASHING, OR CLEANSING TEXTILE FABRICS AND MATERIALS," to be as
"
follows, that is to say:-
t
This Invention relates to the application and use of heated air or gases in
connection with the various processes of bleaching, washing, and cleansing
textile fabrics and other materials, for the purpose of aiding the effect of the
said processes. Under one modification by which this Invention is carried out
in practical working, the heated air is admitted to the ordinary "dash wheel,”
as at present employed in various manufacturing, processes, so as to aid the
effect of such dash wheel as a bleacher and cleanser of goods. The dash
wheel when worked in this way is mounted upon a tubular shaft, which
"
'
"

page_text: communicates with a hot-air pipe or duct by means of a stuffing box. Hot
air of the required temperature is thus supplied to the several sections or
compartments of the wheel, through perforations in the tubular shaft, or
through openings in branch pipes connected to such shaft, and passing into
the compartments of the wheel. The wheel being supplied with the usual
bleaching, washing, and cleansing ingredients, the heated air supplied to and
mingled with such ingredients exercises a most powerful effect upon the
fabrics or goods deposited in the wheel, and greatly economises the cost of the
processes, whilst the operations are considerably quickened. Although this
application of heated air or gases is peculiarly suitable for use in the common
dash wheel, it is intended to supply heated air and gases in various ways to
chambers, receivers, or wheels of various other kinds, to effect the ends.herein-
before 'described or referred to. Instead of supplying heated air directly
amongst the bleaching and cleansing ingredients and the goods, the wheel or
holder may be made with a double case surrounding such wheel or holder, the
heated air being supplied to this enveloping case alone; similarly, steam may
be supplied to such an enveloping case with a like result; and in addition to
the use of such an enveloping heating case, the radial arms or the divisions
of the wheel, chamber, or holder may also be made hollow to answer as
additional heating surfaces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Agnes Wallace and John Wallace in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 14th June 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, AGNES
WALLACE, of Nether Place Bleach Works, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, and JOHN WALLACE, of the same Place, Bleachers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto.
us, the said Agnes Wallace and John Wallace, Her special license that we,
the said Agnes Wallace and John Wallace, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Agnes Wallace and John
Wallace, our executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,,

page_text: and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BLEACHING, WASHING, OR CLEANSING TEXTILE FABRICS AND MATERIALS," upon the'
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Agnes Wallace and John
Wallace, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Agnes Wallace and John Wallace,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
Our said Invention relates to the application and use of heated air or gases
in connection with the various processes of bleaching, washing, and cleansing
textile fabrics and other materials, for the purpose of aiding the effect of
the said processes.
Under one modification by which this Invention is
carried out in practical working, the heated air is admitted to the ordinary"
"dash wheel," as at present employed in various manufacturing processes, so
as to aid the effect of such dash wheel as a bleacher and cleanser of goods.
The dash wheel when worked in this way is mounted upon a tubular shaft,
which communicates with a hot-air pipe or duct by means of a stuffing box."
Hot air of the required temperature is thus supplied to the several sections or
compartments of the wheel through perforations in the tubular shaft, or
through openings in branch pipes connected to such shaft; and passing into
the compartments of the wheel. The wheel being supplied with the usual"
bleaching, washing, and cleansing ingredients, the heated air supplied to and
mingled with such ingredients exercises a most powerful effect upon the
fabrics or goods deposited in the wheel, and greatly economises the cost of the
processes, whilst the operations are considerably quickened. Although this
application of heated air or gases is peculiarly suitable for use in the common
dash wheel, it is intended to supply heated air and gases in various ways to
chambers, receivers, or wheels of various other kinds to effect the ends herein-.
before described or referred to. Instead of supplying heated air directly
amongst the bleaching and cleansing ingredients and the goods, the wheel or
holder may be made with a double case surrounding such wheel or holder, the-
heated air being supplied to this enveloping case alone; similarly, steam may

page_text: or
the
be supplied to such an enveloping case with a like result. And in addition
to the use of such an enveloping, heating case, the radial arms
divisions of the wheel; chamber, or holder may also be made hollow to answer
as additional beating surfaces.
1
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood, we have
hereunto appended, and shall now proceed to describe, a Sheet of explanatory
Drawings relating thereto.
I
Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings is, a front elevation, partly in vertical sec-
tion, and Figure 2 is a vertical section, taken at right angles to Figure 1, of a
dash wheel, as constructed for the practical carrying out of our said Invention.
The outer casing A of the wheel consists, in this instance, of thin copper, but
it may of course be made of any other suitable material. The circumferential
portion of this casing is made double, that is to say, there is a second concen-
tric casing B within it, contrived so as to form a divided-off space all round
the wheel. The interior of the wheel is divided in the usual manner into four
compartments by four radial diaphragms C, which in the present instance
consist each of two plates of metal, set at a short distance asunder so as to.
leave a space between. These radial division plates are terminated towards
the centre of the wheel by the thin copper cylinder D, which encloses a small
space round the shaft E, upon which the wheel is mounted. This shaft,
which is carried in pedestal bearings F, G, and may be driven in the ordinary
way, is made hollow, and is connected at one end by means of a stuffing box
joint with a pipe H, by which heated air is conveyed to the interior of the
dash wheel. The portion of the shaft E inside the wheel is perforated to
allow the heated air to pass into the space enclosed by the cylinder D, which
is likewise perforated to admit the heated air thence into the several compart-
ments of the wheel. The casing A of the wheel is furnished with the usual
doors I, one to each compartment, through which doors the goods to be
bleached, and the water, and the chemical ingredients required, are introduced.
The dash wheel may be additionally heated when in operation by the introduc-
tion of heated air or steam into the circumferential space divided off by the
casing B, and into the spaces between the radial division plates C; for this
purpose any convenient number of pipes J are arranged to communicate at
their outer ends with the space between the circumferential casings A and B.
The inner ends of these pipes J communicate with an annular box K upon
the shaft E, and this box K. works with a stuffing box joint in a box L fixed
upon the pedestal F. A pipe M admits heated air or steam to the box L,
whence it finds its way by suitable passages in the box K to the pipes J,
and thence into the internal spaces in the wheel.

page_text: Having now described, and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, we may observe in conclusion that we do not confine or restrict
ourselves to the precise details or arrangements which we have had occasion
to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of our Invention; but what we
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the system of mode of aiding, hastening, or improving the action of
dash wheels or other chambers or vessels used in bleaching, washing, or
cleansing textile fabrics and materials, by introducing heated air into such
wheels, chambers, or vessels, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of aiding, hastening, or improving the action
of dash wheels or other chambers or vessels used in bleaching, washing, or
cleansing textile fabrics and materials, by introducing heated air or steam into
spaces surrounding or dividing the interior of the wheel, but not in communi-
cation therewith, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Agnes Wallace and John Wallace, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eleventh day of June, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
AGNES WALLACE. (L.S.)
JOHN WALLACE.
(L.S.)