Improvements in Apparatus for Dyeing and Washing Yarn in the Hank.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 11th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Mar., 1894
Improvements in Apparatus for Dyeing and Washing Yarn in
the Hank.
We, JOHN RHODES, and JOHN RHODES, Junior, of Marshfield Dye Works,
Bradford, in the County of York, Dyers, and ARTHUR BRAMHAM PERKINS,
of Ashgrove, Bradford, aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for dyeing and washing yarn
in the bank or skein and its object is to provide simple mechanical arrangements
or appliances for manipulating or turning the hanks in the vats or bowls as well as
for changing them from one vat or bowl to another thus in a great measure
dispensing with the skilled labour usually required for these operations.
For this purpose we may employ the ordinary vats or bowls which may be placed
closer together than is practicable when the hanks are manipulated by hand.
And we employ a suitable framework approximately fitting the interior of the vats
so as to be interchangeable. This framework supports a number of cross rollers
or rotary hank carriers capable of being readily removed or having one end free or
unsupported to facilitate putting the hanks on or off. During the dyeing, washing
or drying process the hanks are supported upon these rollers or carriers and guide
or tension rollers may be provided above or below to guide or stretch the hanks as
they are turned by the rotation of the rollers or carriers.
The rollers or carriers may be geared together and driven by independent driving
mechanism in or on each vat or the same driving shaft may be continued through
the whole series of vats. Or a continuous worm may be employed to engage a worm
wheel on each roller or carrier.
Instead of rotating the bank carriers all in one direction their motion may
from time to time be reversed.
Those portions of the apparatus not made of wood may be made of iron or steel
or other metal covered with a suitable vitreous enamel. Or toughened glass,
earthenware or other cheap non-corrosive material may replace the metal where
practicable.
A travelling block or crane is fitted above to transfer the said framework and
hanks bodily from one vat or bowl to the other. And two or more travelling
blocks may be used provision being made to allow them to be diverted to pass
each other.
Dated this 10th day of March 1802
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Dyeing and Washing Yarn in
the Hank.
We, JOHN RHODES, and JOHN RHODES, Junior, of Marshfield Dye Works,
Bradford, in the County of York, Dyers, and ARTHUR BRAMHAM PERKINS, of
Ashgrove, Bradford, aforesaid, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for dyeing and washing

page_text: yarn in the bank or skein and its object is to provide a simple mechanical
arrangement or appliances for manipulating or turning the hanks in the vats or
bowls as well as for changing them from one vat or bowl to another thus in a
great measure dispensing with the skilled labour usually required for these
operations.
For this purpose we employ the ordinary vats or bowls which may be placed
closer together than is practicable when the hanks are manipulated by hand.
And we employ a suitable framework approximately fitting the interior of the
vats so as to be interchangeable. This framework supports a number of cross
rollers or rotary hank carriers capable of being readily removed or having one or
both ends free or unsupported to facilitate putting the hanks on or off. During
the dyeing, washing or drying process the hanks are supported upon these
rollers or carriers and guide or tension rollers may be provided above or below
to guide or stretch the hauks as they are turned by the rotation of the rollers or
carriers.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying sheet of drawings forming a part
of this Specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in each of the figures.
Figure 1, represents a side elevation of our improved apparatus placed in a vat,
which latter is represented by broken lines only.
Figure 2, is a plan view of the same without the vat.
Figure 3, is an end view of Figure 1 (without the vat) partly in section.
The lower side of the framework A is represented in the drawings formed of two
pieces of angle iron B, B of "trough" section fixed with their hollow faces towards
each other so as to leave an interior space. And the vertical ends of the frame
are each formed of two pieces of iron C, C rigidly secured to the ends of B, B
and also to the extremities of the casting D which latter forms the top of the frame.
A slide piece E is also provided the ends of which are arranged to slide within the
guides formed by the ends C, C of L section. This adjustable piece is also formed
of double trough iron and is supported and adjusted by means of the three screws F
rigidly secured thereto and fitting the rotary nuts or female screws G, G' and G³
mounted in the casting D. The left hand end of D in Figure 1 is shown in section
to clearly illustrate this construction. These nuts are arranged to be slowly
rotated by the worm wheels H secured thereto engaging the worms H¹ fixed upon
the horizontal shaft J mounted in bearing brackets K, K and K secured to D.
But to enable the slide E to be more quickly adjusted the chock L pivoted upon D
and normally resting upon the shaft between the boss of the hand wheel K³ and
the bracket K', is raised thus leaving the shaft J free to be moved longitudinally
in the direction of the arrow (Figure 1) to disengage the worm H' from the worm
wheels H. Then the central nut ( may be directly rotated in either direction by
means of the hand wheel M secured to it, and the end nuts (and G are simul-
taneously adjusted by means of the chains N and sprocket wheels (), 0) and O¹, 0)¹
connecting them to the central nut.
The rollers P for carrying the lanks or skeins are mounted in bearings formed
in D and project equally on each side. These rollers are driven by the worm
wheels R keyed to them and as these wheels lie in the recess S formed between the
trough iron they confine the rollers longitudinally. The worm wheels R are driven
by the continuous worm or screw T mounted in bearing blocks U fixed at each end
in the recess S and this worm is confined longitudinally by the collar U₁ fixed on
one end and the bevel wheel U2 fixed on the other end bearing against the
face of the bearing blocks U. The right hand end of E Figure 1 is represented
broken away to show a portion of the worm and two of the wheels R in full. The
worm T is driven by the bevel wheel U- engaging the bevel wheel T mounted upon
the vertical shaft T and this vertical shaft is in turn driven by the bevel wheels T
and T respectively secured upon this shaft and the driving shaft T. The shaft T
is mounted in bearings formed in the bracket piece D' projecting from the end
of Dandid eft is provided with both boud wheel T and a sprocket wheel T

page_text: so that it may be driven either by hand or power. To allow the slide E to be
adjusted without interfering with the driving mechanism the bevel wheel T' is
supported by the bearer U projecting from E and said bevel wheel is free to be
moved along the shaft T*.
It is evident that the rollers P may be driven in any other convenient way-as
for instance they may be geared together and be driven by one or more of the
central rollers, or from one or both ends.
The lower rollers V are mounted, in a similar manner to the rollers P, in B, B
and a collar may be secured upon the middle of the rollers arranged to lie in the
recess S¹ formed in B, B to prevent them moving longitudinally. Or said rollers
may be driven in a similar manner to the rollers P by a worm operated by bevel
gearing from the shaft T².
In operation the hanks of yarn to be treated are placed side by side upon the
rollers P and V somewhat as shown in Figures 1 and 3. To facilitate this the
rollers P may be adjusted towards V and afterwards raised to put any requisite
tension upon the hanks. The guide rods W, W supported by the arms W, W₁,
projecting from B, B and E, are provided to prevent the hanks working off the
ends of the rollers.
When the apparatus is fully loaded it, is lifted by the links V₁, V₁ secured to D
by means of a suitable crane and is transported to and placed in the first vat in
which the hanks are to be treated and after remaining the required time therein
it may be bodily raised therefrom and placed in the second vat and be thus
successively passed from vat to vat, until the dyeing and analogous or subsidiary
processes such as washing or drying are completed, without the necessity of
disturbing the hanks. Moreover the slide E being adjustable the hanks may be
very readily stretched if required whilst immersed in the vat.
And
Whilst in the vat the apparatus is driven to continuously turn the hanks at a
suitable speed either by the hand wheel T or by means of a chain connecting the
sprocket wheel T' with a sprocket wheel on an adjacent revolving shaft.
instead of driving the hanks always in one direction this adjacent shaft may
be provided with any well known device for reversing its motion at suitable
intervals.
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:
1. An apparatus for dyeing and washing hanks of yarn by mechanical means,
consisting of a suitable framework provided with a number of rotary hank carriers
adapted to be moved bodily with the hanks thereon from vat to vat, substantially
as herein shown and described.
2. An apparatus for dyeing and washing hanks of yarn by mechanical means
provided with a stretching device adapted to enable the hanks to be stretched
whilst they are immersed in the vat, substantially as herein shown and described.
3. An apparatus for dyeing and washing hanks of yarn by mechanical means,
consisting of a series of rotary hank carriers having one or both ends free or
unsupported to facilitate placing the hanks thereon substantially as herein shown
and described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. An apparatus for dyeing and washing hanks of yarn by mechanical means
consisting of a series of rotary hank carriers driven by a worm and worm wheels
arranged substantially as herein shown and described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 9th day of January 1891
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Agents.