Improvements in Machinery for Washing and Scouring Wool and other Fibrous Substances.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1886.
Complete Left, 30th Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 30th Sept., 1887.
Improvements in Machinery for Washing and Scouring Wool
and other Fibrous Substances.
We, JOE BOOTH WHITELEY and WILLIAM WHITELEY, of Prospect Iron Works,
Lockwood near Huddersfield, Yorkshire, Machine Makers, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists in a new arrangement and construction of machinery for
scouring and washing wool and other fibrous substances.
According to the present construction of wool washing machines, certain well known
reciprocatory forks are employed for carrying the fibre from the feeding end of the
machine to the delivery end of the machine, thereby causing the fibre to pass through
the scouring and washing fluid.
According to our invention we propose to dispense with the reciprocatory forks and
use instead thereof, another form of apparatus for accomplishing the same objects.
In carrying out our invention we employ a perforated plate or tray of any con-
venient size, which plate we give a reciprocatory motion horizontally, and also an
upward and downward motion. The fibre to be washed and scoured is fed into the
machine in any convenient manner, and when it is deposited on the perforated tray,
the said tray is caused to advance, carrying the fibre thereon forward, to the extent of
its stroke, the plate or tray which during its forward movement had been out of the
liquid, now descends into the liquid, in doing which it leaves the fibre floating on the
water, but in order to immerse the fibre into the liquid we may use a moving or
stationary grate which causes the fibre to be immersed, meanwhile the perforated plate
receeds back towards the feeding end of the machine, and when it has reached the
extent of its stroke backward, it is caused to ascend out of the water lifting the wool
with it, and then to advance towards the delivery end of the machine, in doing which
the fibre is again carried forward in combination with a fresh supply of fibre, and this
goes on as long as the machine continues to work, whereby the fibre is fed from front
to back of the machine, where it is received by any suitable form of mechanism, and
the liquid squeezed out by means of rollers.

page_text: By the employment of the advancing perforated plate, the fibre is carried forward
steadily, without becoming entangled, or without disturbing or injuring the staple, as
is the case with the reciprocatory forks. As dirty heavy charged wool, is heavier than
wool with less dirt upon it, it follows that the dirty heavy wool would not so readily
float on the water as the clean or lighter wool would, but it would follow the perforated
plate or tray and descend into the water, consequently it would not travel forward so
fast as the lighter or clean wool, but would remain longer in the water and receive
more washing and scouring, and when it got cleaner it would also get lighter, and
would then rise to the surface of the liquid, when it would more quickly traverse
forward. This will be found of considerable advantage as the dirty wool receives
more washing than the clean wool, whereas when reciprocatory forks have been
employed the clean and dirty alike get the same scouring.
Instead of using the perforated plate for carrying the fibre, an endless travelling
slicet may be employed, composed of wire net work or any suitable material, the said
apron being caused to rise and fall out of the liquid in the same manner as the
perforated plate or tray.
Dated this 29th day of November 1886.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.

page_text: L
Improvements in Machinery for Washing and Scouring Wool
and other Fibrous Substances.
We, JOE BOOTH WHITELEY and WILLIAM WHITELEY, of Prospect Iron Works,
Lockwood, near Huddersfield, Yorkshire, Machine Makers, 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:-
Our invention consists in a new arrangement and construction of machinery for
washing and scouring wool and other fibrous substances.
According to the present construction of wool washing machines, certain well
known reciprocatory forks are employed for carrying the fibre from the feeding end
of the machine to the delivery end of the machine, for the purpose of causing the
fibre to pass through the scouring and washing fluid.
According to our invention we propose to dispense with the reciprocatory forks and
use instead thereof another form of apparatus for accomplishing the same objects.
In carrying out our invention we employ a perforated plate or tray of any con-
venient size, to which plate we give a reciprocatory motion horizontally, and also an
upward and downward motion. The fibre to be washed and scoured is fed into the
machine in any convenient manner, and when it is deposited on the perforated tray,
the said tray is caused to advance, carrying the fibre thereon forward to the extent of
its stroke, the plate or tray which during its forward movement had been out of the
liquid, now descends into the liquid, in doing which it leaves the fibre floating on the
water, but in order to immerse the fibre into the liquid we may use a moving grate
which causes the fibre to be immersed, meanwhile the perforated plate recedes towards
the feeding end of the machine, and when it has reached the extent of its stroke back-
ward, it is caused to ascend out of the water, lifting the wool with it, and then to
advance towards the delivery end of the machine, in doing which the fibre is again
carried forward in combination with a fresh supply of fibre, and this goes on as Long
as the machine continues to work, whereby the fibre is fed from front to back of the
machine, where it is received by any suitable form of mechanism, and the liquid squeezed
out by means of rollers.
In order that our invention may be more fully understood, we will now make
reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings illustrative thereof, wherein Fig. 1
is longitudinal section of a wool washing machine having our improvements applied
thereto. A is the ordinary vessel containing the washing or scouring liquid, and B is
an endless travelling apron placed at the feecing end of the machine, and employed
for the purpose of feeding the wool thereto. C is our improved perforated plate or
tray, connected by bar D and lever 1¹ to one end of bell crank levers E and E¹, the
former of which is fastened on its shaft. F, whilst the latter is loose upon its shaft F1,
consequently as the bell crank lever E is coupled to bell crank lever E¹ by connecting
rod W, it follows that the two sets of levers E and E' will oscillate together, but as
the latter is loose upon its shaft, such said shaft is stationary during the upward and

page_text: downward movement of the trays. Another perforated plate or tray is shewn at G
which is also connected to the hell crank levers E and E by connecting rods H and H¹;
so that the two grates C and G rise and fall together, but different distances, in con-
sequence of being supported on different centres, the wool carrying tray (having
the greatest upward and downward movement.
The modus operandi is as follows: The fibre to be washed and scoured drops from
the endless apron B into the vessel A. and is lifted out of the liquid by the first upward
movement of tray C, which is then caused to advance by means of the box cam I, in
doing which the fibre is carried nearer to the delivery end of the machine to the extent
of its forward movement, the said plate or tray, which during its forward movement
is out of the liquid, is then caused to descend into the liquid as shewn in dotted lines,
leaving the fibre floating on the surface of the liquid, but in order to insure the
immersion of the said fibre into the scouring liquid, the upper perforated plate G also
descends simultaneously with the tray C, such upper tray G causing the fibre to be
immersed or dipped into the liquid and retaining it there until released by the upward
motion of the tray G. Meanwhile the perforated plate C is, through the medium of
the cam I, travelling backwards to the feeding end of the machine, and when it has
reached the extent of its stroke backward, the said tray G and tray Care both caused
to ascend out of the liquid, the latter lifting the wool with it and afterwards advancing
towards the delivery end of the machine, in doing which the fibre which has been
immersed in the liquid is carried forward in combination with a fresh supply of fibre,
which drops from the feeding apron B, and these movements go on as long as the
machine continues to work, whereby the fibre is fed from front to back of the machine,
where it is received by the endless travelling apron J and carried forward to the
squeezing rollers K, where the liquid, on being squeezed out, falls into the dish Lin
the ordinary manner. By this means the fibre is carried forward steadily, without
becoming entangled or without disturbing or injuring the staple of the said fibre, as
is commonly the case where the reciprocatory forks are employed.
As heavily dirt-charged wool is heavier than wool with less dirt upon it, it is evident
that the dirty heavy wool will not so readily float on the surface of the liquid as the
clean or lighter wool would do, but the dirty heavy wool would follow the perforated
plate or tray, and descend into the liquid of its own weight, consequently it would
not travel forward so fast as the lighter or clean wool would do, but would remain
longer in the liquid and receive more washing and scouring when, however, such
wool got cleaner, it would also get lighter, and would thus rise to the surface of the
liquid and more quickly traverso forward. This will be found of considerable
advantage, as the dirty heavy wool receives more washing and scouring; whereas,
where reciprocatory forks are employed, the clean and dirty wool alike get the same
amount of scouring.
At the feeding end of the machine the perforated tray C has a flexible sheet con-
nected to it, as shewn at M, which, whilst being no detriment to the ascending and
descending tray C, yet it prevents the fibre getting to the underside of tray Cat the
feeding end of the machine. The letter N shews the position of the flexible sheet
when the tray has descended to its lowest point. At the delivery end of the machine
the wool is carried to squeezing rollers K by endless apron J, which passes over and
under guide rollers P, which readily permits the said endless apron J to descend with
the tray C, as indicated by dotted lines.
Instead of employing the form of endless apron as shewn at J, we may employ the
form of endless apron as shewn at J in Figs. 2 and 3. In this case a perforated
sheet the width of inside of trough A is attached to grooved bars R which are
hinged at S, and within the grooves of the bars R are bowls T connected to lever
arms T, to which also is attached a perforated sheet T. These arms T and sheet T
are fixed at a suitable angle to the end of the hinged grooved bars R, allowing the
tray C to descend, as shown in dotted lines Fig. 2, and also allows the said tray to
advance, as shewn in Fig. 3, such grooved bars R in no way interfering with the
movements of the tray ( It will be understood that the bowl T can traverse up and
down the grooves in the bars R.

page_text: The mechanism we employ for giving the various motions to trays Cand G is shewn
in Fig. 1, where two cams I and X are employed, the former imparting the backward
and forward horizontal motions to the tray C, whilst the latter, which is fixed upon
rotary shaft X2, gives the upward and downward motion to the combined trays C
and G. The cam X acts upon a bowl at the bottom of vertical rod X' hinged to
bell crank lever E, such cam causing the vertical rod X' to descend and the trays C
and G to ascend. The two trays and their respective rods D, D', H, and H', descend
by their own weight without the assistance of the cam X, which is only employed to
lift the trays out of the liquid. As the bell crank lever E and shaft F are caused to
oscillate, such oscillatory motion is transmitted by connecting rod W to bell crank
lever E, working loosely upon shaft F, by which means the rods D' and H' aro
operated simultaneously up and down with rods D and H, which gives the desired
upward and downward movement to the trays. The shell cam I acts upon a bowl
fixed near the bottom of vertical rod V, which vertical rod is connected by a pin to
bell crank lever E fastened upon cross shaft F¹, one arm of such bell crank lever E
being connected by link Y to the extended end of lever D', having its fulcrum at D²,
so that as the shell cam I revolves the rod V is moved up and down, thereby
oscillating bell crank lever E2 and consequently the lever D¹, the lower end of which
lever being connected to tray C imparts to such tray a horizontal or backward and
forward motion for carrying fibre forward and for receiving fresh supplies, as already
described in this Specification. It must be understood that there are four bell crank
levers on the shaft F, two at each end thereof; the levers E¹ are loose on the said
shaft and are only employed during the upward and downward motion of the trays,
whilst bell crank levers are fixed upon the said shaft F and are employed only to
give the horizontal or backward and forward motion to the tray C.
Instead of using the perforated plate for carrying the fibre forward, an endless
travelling sheet may be employed, composed of wire netting or any other suitable
material, the said endless travelling sheet being caused to rise and fall out of the
liquid in the same manner as the perforated tray, the application of which will easily
be understood by mechanicians.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :
Firstly. In a machine for washing and scouring wool or other fibre the employment
of perforated tray C, operated in the manner substantially as herein shewn and
described.
Secondly. In a machine for washing and scouring wool, the combination of
oscillating tray C and immersing tray G for the purpose of ensuring the immersion
or dipping of the fibres in the washing liquid.
Thirdly. In a machine for washing and scouring wool, the arrangement of cams I
and X, together with the series of bell crank levers and parts connected therewith for
giving the several necessary motions to the perforated trays C and G, all substantially
as described.
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