CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING OR FREEING FROM LIQUID OR MOISTURE WOOLLEN, COTTON, SILK, AND DIFFERENT FIBROUS MATERIALS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND ALSO FOR STRETCHING CERTAIN FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN.
KEELY the younger, of Nottingham, in the County of Nottingham, Dyer,:
and ALEXANDER ALLIOTT, of Lenton, in the same County, Bleacher, send-
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Second day of March, in the sixth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said John
Keely the younger and Alexander Alliott, Her especial licence, full power;
sole privilege and authority, that we, the said John Keely the younger and
Alexander Alliott, our exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as we,
the said John Keely and Alexander Alliott, our exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of Her Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion
of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, an Invention, communicated.
to us by a Foreigner residing abroad, of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING OR FREEING FROM LIQUID OR MOISTURE WOOLLEN,
COTTON, SILK, AND DIFFERENT FIBROUS MATERIALS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND
ALSO FOR STRETCHING CERTAIN FIBROUS MATERIALS;" in which said Letters Patent:
there is contained a proviso that we, the said John Keely and Alexander:
Alliott, or one of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said:
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, under our
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, to be inrolled in Her

page_text: Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
-immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had; will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
John Keely and Alexander Alliott, do hereby declare that the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following Specification thereof,
reference being had to the Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed marked
A and B, that is to say :-
The Drawings in Sheet A represent a machine for drying goods solely or
freeing them from liquid or moisture. Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in
section, of this machine.. A, A, is the framework. ..B, a-vertical shaft which
turns in a socket a in the bottom bridge b, and carries at top a friction cone c,
by which a rotary motion is given to it in manner afterwards explained. Cis
a. drum of two- concentric compartments d, e, of the shape shewn, in the
Drawing, which is fitted loosely. on the shaft B, and rests when not in motion.
on two conical projections f, g, turned upon the shaft. Both compartments.
have one common bottom of metal, and are formed at the sides each of a
continuous length of tinned iron wire wound in a series of circles, at small
distances apart, and connected transversely by slips of metal soldered thereto..
The top or cover of the inner compartment dis secured by nuts and screws.to
a ring of angle iron which binds the wire sides together at top, but that of
the outer compartment e, in which alone the goods to be dried are placed, is
made to lift off in order to introduce and remove the goods, and has a rim
both on its outer and inner periphery, so that when fixed in its place the inner
ring presses against the outside of the inner compartment, and the outer rim
overlaps the sides of the outer compartment itself. When the machine is at
work the cover of the outer compartment is further secured in its place by
bolts or pins (not seen in the Drawing). The sides of the inner compartment
d are connected to the bottom by prolonging the transverse slips of metal,
which connect the circles of wire, and rivetting and soldering them to; the
plates. The wire sides of the outer compartment are bound together at top.
by a ring of angle iron to which they are rivetted and soldered, and are con-
nected to the bottom plate by turning up the plate over the sides and soldering
and rivetting as before. D is a governor suspended within the inner compart-
ment d of the drum C, the two weighted arms h, h, being loosely, affixed at
their elbows to two studs in the top plate of the drum, so as to turn freely.
thereon, and resting by their upper ends on a ruff i projecting from the shaft.

page_text: E is an outer case which surrounds the whole of the drum, except at top, and
is intended for the reception of the water driven off from the goods, but is
fixed (not to the drum but) to the framework'A, A.. Aty there is a tap for
drawing off the water, and in the bottom an orifice for the insertion of a pipe
to admit hot air. When a rotary motion is given to the vertical shaft B, it
carries round with it. the drum, and in proportion to the velocity of the motion
there is a centrifugal tendency imparted to the liquid particles contained in the
goods (which is the useful effect desired to be produced by the machine); but
as the same centrifugal tendency in the parts of the machine would, in case of
any unequal distribution of the weight, cause, if not counteracted, an inju-
rious strain on the central shaft B, and might cause, at the high velocities
necessary for drying goods quickly, an actual disruption of the machine,' and as
this difficulty is increased when. the weight of the goods happens not to be
quite equally distributed over the drum, the governor D has been introduced
in order to prevent such consequences; for as the 'speed of the shaft encreases
the arms of the governor expand and gradually raise the drum C from off its
seat on the conical. supports f, g, and so leaves the.drum free to adjust itself
according to its natural gravitating tendencies; so as to bring the centre of
gravity in uniform coincidence with the centre of rotation. The drum. is
gimbled to the shaft in the manner shewn' at, Figure 1, & allows of the
drum moving in any direction. To prevent the drum from rising too suddenly,
there is a spiral' spring kaffixed to the shaft immediately above 'the conical
support g. For still further maintaining the drum in a state of equilibrium,
it is encircled 'at the middle by a hollow ring or girdle F, of which a plán and
section are given separately in Figures 3 and 4, which is about half filled with
water or other suitable fluid; as this ring rotates, should the goods' weight
incline to preponderate at any part, the weight of water getting to the opposite
side serves more or less to prevent and counteract such preponderance.. The
equilibrating effect of this ring is increased if the interior is divided into two
or more channels. G is a pipe by which steam or hot air 'can be introduced
into the centre of the drum when it is desired by these means to accelerate
the drying of the goods, the bottom of the drum.being perforated at the centre
with a number of holes to admit the same. The rotary action of the shaft B
is obtained in manner following:-I is a disc affixed to the end of a shaft;
which disc is bevelled off near to its periphery to correspond at that part with.
the surface of the cone c at the top of the shaft B, so that when made to
revolve-in a horizontal direction it shall cause the cone cand shaft B to revolve
in a vertical direction. L' is a cone affixed to the end of the shaft K', and
Lanother cone of the same dimensions, but placed with its base opposite the

page_text: apex of the other, which is affixed to a shaft K2 communicating immediately
with the first inover, which may be either a steam engine, water mill, or any
other suitable machine. M is the belt which connects the two cones, and by
the unwinding of which, from the larger end of one cone upon the smaller
end of the other, or vice versa, with the help of a guide, in the known manner
of working such alternate cones, motion is communicated to the shaft K', and
is retarded or accelerated or kept at one constant rate according as may be
desired: N is the pulley to which the power of the engine is directly applied.
Instead of one friction disc only (I) being made use of, two such discs may be
employed, if found needful, as shown in Figure 5, and having an additional
friction cone at top, the better to equalize the action of the rubbing parts, but
in that case the additional disc and cone must turn loosely in their own
bearings. Instead also of the vertical shaft B being stepped at bottom in the
manner represented in Figure 1, the arrangement shewn in Fig. 6 may be
adopted. The bottom of the shaft is surrounded immediately above the step
with a loose ring m, and that ring with a quantity of small shot or other
granulated substance, and the whole is enclosed in a box n, the bottom of
which forms the 'step, and in the top of which there is an opening into which
a collar p on the shaft dips when the machine is at rest. When the drum C
is raised by the action of the governor D, the collar is also raised out of its
place, and the shot yields just sufficiently to the sideward movement of the
shaft to enable it to adjust itself to any change in the centre of gravity.
Another machine for stretching and also drying is represented in the
Drawings on Sheet B, hereunto annexed. Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2
a side elevation, and Figure 3 a cross section. A, A, is the foundation plate.
B is an axis fully shewn in Figure 3, which turns in bearings in the front part
of the standards C, C. The parts a', a, a, are plain; the parts b, b, are a
little raised above the others, and are cut, the one with a left-handed and the
other with a right-handed male screw upon it. D, D, are a number of wire
hoops (over which the cloth or other material is to be stretched), each con-
sisting of four, five, or more rings of tinned iron wire secured together by
transverse slips of metal similar to the wire sides of the drum first before
described), each of which is attached by radial arms to a separate collar,
which slides on the smooth central part a² of the axis B. The hoops, when
brought together, have the appearance of one continuous drum, but are free to
separate a little in the course of the working of the machine. E, E, are two
ventilators, of the form shewn separately in Figure 5, which are attached to
moveable collars, with female screws inside, which work on the screwed
parts b, b, of the axis B, and may be brought up. more or less close to the

page_text: series of hoops. On the rims c, c, of these ventilators there are rows of pins
stuck, to which the selvages of the cloth or other article which is to be
stretched may be secured. In the centre of each ventilator there is an orifice
left for the introduction through it by a moveable pipe F of a supply of steam
or hot air into the interior of the hoops, round which the goods are stretched:
G, G, are rings of the form shewn on an enlarged scale in Figure 4, which,
when the cloth or other article has been wound round the hoops and secured
to the pins on the peripheries of the ventilators, fit upon these peripheries, and
interlock with and support the pins. When all matters are thus adjusted; if a
rotary motion be given to the axis B, and the drum be secured from turning
(by any convenient means), the ventilators will each have a tendency to move
in an outward direction from each other, and thus cause a continued stretching
of the goods laterally. To keep the goods at the degree of tension required,
and prevent the ventilators from returning, there are two coupling pieces, each
furnished on their inner surface with a small stud which slides in a groove cut
on each of the screwed parts b, b, of the shaft B; these coupling pieces are
pushed forward, and have projecting sides which take into corresponding
recesses formed on the collars of the ventilators. But besides being stretched
laterally the goods may require to be stretched longitudinally, and for this
purpose the machine is provided with the additional parts next to be described.
K', K, and K³, are three cross rods or poles fixed between the tops of the
standards C, C, in a triangular position as regards one another. L', L², are
two bars, one at each end, which turn freely on bearings in the back of the
standards C, C, and carry each two rollers, which are connected by an endless
band armed with a number of small projecting teeth. M is a roller which
turns on an axis between the standards C, C. N, N, are two longitudinal rods
which turn freely on bearings in the back of the standards C, C,. at one end;
ánd in the shorter standards O, O, at the other end, and are cut with a thread
upon them of a progressively decreasing pitch from C, C, towards O, O.
P, P, are tubes which slide on the rods N, N, having a catch o projecting.
from the inside, which takes into the threads on these rods. R, S, are two
additional rollers, which turns in bearings raised upon the top of the sliding
tubes P, P, and are connected together at the ends by bands in the manner
shewn. The roller R has à number of bristles affixed to it for the purpose of
brushing the goods as they pass in contact with it. The drum.or cylinder
of hoops before described, D, is connected with the roller M by wheel
gearing in the manner shown in the Drawings, and these again with the longi-
tudinal shafts N, N, which carry the other rollers R, S, by means of bevel-wheel
gearing, which is also shewn. The distance between the rollers M and the

page_text: rollers R, S, must be regulated at starting according to the degree of stretching
- required to be given to the goods; which will be readily ascertained by practice, and
the roller M must have a tacking piece permanently fixed to it, to which the
goods may be attached, which tacking piece must be equal in length to a lin
carried from the bottom of the roller M, round the roller S, and back to the
hoop cylinder D. The mode of operation with the entire machine is as
follows: We first throw, the wheels out of gear by means of two small levers
1, 1, attached to the inner ends of the longitudinal rods N, N; we then carry
one end of the goods over the fixed poles K1, K2, and K³, in the manner
shewn, and thence down the face of the endless roller bands L1, L2, the teeth
of which catch into the selvages of the goods and serve to keep them evenly
distended in the direction of their width. The goods pass from the endless
bands to the roller M, and are then joined to the tacking piece on on the
roller, on which they are then wound by means of the winch handle attached
to its axis; the bevil wheels are then put in gearing again. The endless band
rollers Land L2 are brought into a horizontal position, the cloth unwound
from the roller M, and carried under and over the wheel S, whence it is
carried back in a direct line to the drying cylinder of hoops D, and in its pro-
gress comes into contact with the brushes on the face of the cylinder R, and
is again caught at the selvages by the teeth of the endless bands L', L. By
turning the screw-threaded horizontal rods N, N, by means of the winch
handles at the ends, any degree of tension required can be given to the goods;
for according as these rods are turned in one direction or the other the sliding
tubes P, P, are caused to recede or advance, and the rollers R, S, along with
them. When the goods have been all wound on to the hooped cylinder D,
the wheels are thrown out of gear and the cylinder D made to revolve by
itself. When the hot air is used to assist the drying, and the goods are put
into the machine in a damp state, the hot air should not be introduced till
after the principal part of the moisture has been driven off by the centrifugal
process. For the purpose of. better maintaining the equilibrium of the
machine, a ring or girdle T containing. water or any other suitable fluid similar
to that before described is introduced inside the hoops in the manner shewn in
Figure 3. When the goods are mounted on the drum B they are ready to
be stretched laterally, as before described. The drum may then be discon-
nected from the intermediate wheel X of the gearing, and a swift rotary motion
being given to its axis, the liquid particles contained in the goods will be driven
off by the centrifugal action, as before described under the: first head of our
improvements. Although the drum.D is shewn in the Drawings in a horizontal
position, it will be better, where the drying is the chief object, to place it in an

page_text: upright position, and then connect it with driving machinery such as is
described under, the first head of our said improvements. The outer cylinder;
in which, the drum is encased, and which should be some inches 'larger in
diameter, has a pipe at the bottom for the purpose of admitting steam; and
another for the admission of heated air. It is further provided with a tap at
bottom for drawing off the liquid that collects there. After the greater part
of the water has been thrown off by the centrifugal action, we admit a supply
of steam for the purpose of heating the goods previous to the admission of the
heated air, as we find that the goods dry much quicker by introducing a supply
of steam previous to the heated air...
And having now described the nature of the Invention communicated as
aforesaid; and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
the improvements in machinery and apparatus for drying refer to such machines
only for that purpose as act by centrifugal motion. And what we claim in
respect thereof is,―
First, the use of a drum or cylinder (c, Figure 1, Sheet A) loosely connected
with the driving shaft, as aforesaid.
Second, the combination of conical bearings (f, g,) with such drums.
Third, the application thereto of a governor (D) deriving its action from the
same centrifugal motion.
Fourth, the ring or girdle F, Figure .1, Sheet A, containing the water or
other fluid for better preserving the equilibrium of the drum.
Fifth, the driving of the machine by friction discs and cones, in manner
before described; and,
Sixth, the formation of the drum, to the extent aforesaid, of tinned iron, or
any other suitable sort of wire.
And with respect to the stretching as well as drying of goods, we declare
that what we claim is,-
First, the machine lastly herein-before described in the general combination
and arrangement of parts of which the same consists, whereby goods in a
stretched state, or in the state of being stretched, are dried by the centrifugal
action in combination with the application of hot air.
Second, the use for drying only of the parts of the said machine applicable
to that purpose; and,
Third, the use for stretching only of the parts thereof applicable thereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Alliott, on behalf of myself
and John Keely, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second
day of September, One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.
ALEXANDER (L.S.) ALLIOTT.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Second day of September;
in the year of our Lord 1843, the aforesaid Alexander Alliott came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her. Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifica-
tion aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in
form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped 5
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Second day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-three.