AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CLEANING WOOL
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CLEANING WOOL." A communication
from abroad by Victor Weiss, of Langensalza, Germany.
Sealed the 11th June 1878, and dated the 13th December 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th December 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CLEANING
WOOL." [A communication from abroad by Victor Weiss, of Langensalza,
Germany.]
This Invention relates to a machine for cleaning wool, and consists in the com-
bination of two principles which may be each separately applied to the cleaning of
wool, that is to say,-
First, in the stirring about of the wool in the wash water by means of forks or
rakes; and, secondly, in passing the wool between a row of smooth rollers lying in
the water, and in which the wool by means of being pressed together and loosened
again is freed from the dirt adhering thereto.
By using forks or rakes only the wool is somewhat matted together and entangled;
a rather large quantity of soap is also required, because by means of the constant
stirring the dirt is continually brought up from the bottom; the wash water is
therefore often required to be renewed.
By using the said rollers the wool is not matted together, and the wash water
only very slightly stirred up. The dirt, therefore, has time to settle at the bottom,
and the wash water remains clean for a longer time. It is for this reason less often
required to be renewed, whereby a saving of soap is effected.
To obviate the disadvantages attending the use of the two said methods separately,
I have constructed my said combined machine. With the roller machine alone
there is a too feeble rinsing out of the loosened dirt, and the wool moves casily side-

page_text: wise, over the rollers on to the axle of the same and into the wheels, and hinders
the working and causes damage.
The said improved combined machine consists of a long trough of cast iron, which
contains the wash water. In the same lie at full length two parallel bearers as axle
holders for a row of 12 or more pairs of rollers of cast iron turned smooth. Each
pair of rollers, one lying over the other, come closely together, so that the fleece of
wool passing between them is pressed. Each pair of rollers is by means of a pair
of toothed wheels connected together in such manner that the rollers must turn
against each other. The first pair of rollers has these wheels on the right side, the
second pair on the left side, and so on alternately. The said wheels are placed out-
side the said iron bearers.
Besides the said two wheels for uniting the pairs of rollers, there is also with each
group of two pairs of rollers lying together a driving toothed wheel for the purpose of
bringing the rollers into contact. The two under rollers of the group have on one
side a wheel which does not gear with the adjacent wheel, whilst both the wheels gear
into a mutual driving wheel and receive from it their motion in the same direction.
The axle of the mutual driving gear wheel presses, by means of a stuffing box,
laterally through the side of the said trough. Outside the same runs on the prin-
cipal driving shaft, and by means of a conical wheel sets the axle of the driving
wheel for each group of rollers in motion and all in one direction as it corresponds
to move the wool through the course of the rollers.
The said principal driving shaft receives its motion from a transmission shaft by
means of bands and conical or driving wheels.
At each end of the roller course are placed rollers for the introduction and
discharge of the wool. There are also endless cloths or bands for the same
purpose.
The leading rollers at the end of the roller course have also to squeeze out the
wool on its way out of the wash water, and (freed as much as possible from wator)
to deliver it on the endless band which now carries the same to another machine
for further treatment. The frame or parallel bearers, which serve as supports for
the rollers must from time to time be lifted with the latter out of the trough, in
order that the same may be properly cleaned from the accumulated dirt. For this
purpose the said frame is divided in the centro, and each division turns on horizontal
pins or pivots fixed on the trough. By means of pulleys each division can be lifted
up, and the cleaning of the trough can then be effected.
Upon each division of the bearers or pair of bearers for the supports of the rollers,
there is a mechanical arrangement for actuating the forks These forks are con-
structed of two or four horizontal parallel iron bars which move in a circular direction,
in which however the forks always remain vertical, and between each two pairs of
rollers go down into the water. They descend in the water to the end of the roller,
stir underneath against the middle of the roller, and on rising up out of the water
again move against the end of the washing rollors. The wool becomes thereby gently
rinsed out, and is also constantly kept away from the end of the roller and can
thereby never fall on the driving shaft and get rolled up.
Every row of forks moves against tho opposite one, that is to say, they dip down
at the same time, move nearer to the middle, rise out at the same time, and both
move away from the middle. The wool becomes thus at one time pressed together
in the middle, and on coming apart the forks are lifted up. This motion is similar
to the one which is made when a person with both hands plunged in a washing
trough packs together in the middle the material floating in the water, and lifts it
out of the water and again plunges it underneath. The motion of the fork
mechanism is so gentle that the matting together of the wool thereby cannot
take place.
The wool to be washed falls from the said endless band first upon a large roller
to be led from the same between the washing rollers. The said roller receives its
motion from the under roller of the first pair of rollers by means of an intermediate
wheel. On its exit from the washing rollers the wool passes between two rollers,

page_text: then between two others, and, lastly, between one of the last-mentioned two
rollers and another roller; it becomes thus freed from the greatest part of its water
and passes now on the endless band to the machine or apparatus for further treat-
ment. The driving of the last-described leading and squeezing rollers can be effected
from any of the shafts near by means of wheels.
The fork mechanism is constructed in the following manner, that is to say :-On
each of the two halves of the said divisions is fixed a pair of stands, in each of which
lie four shafts. The two first lie one over the other. Each of these shafts carries &
small wheel, each being of the same size as the others. Between these wheels are
placed intermediate wheels. There is a shaft which is caused to revolve by means
of a revolving disc with the assistance of conical wheels. On each end of the four
outer shafts are fixed cranks, each two cranks being placed one over the other.
They are parallel and are connected by means of coupling rods. Each two coupling
rods are again connected by means of cross rods on which the forks are brought.
These cross rods move in a circular direction, the radius of the cranks, and as the
said coupling rods remain always parallel and vertical, the forks also remain so, and
thus cause the motion herein-before described. The connection to carry the
motion from one side to the other of the divided frame is effected by means of
a kind of universal joint, by which two of the inner shafts are connected with
each other.
The advantages of the said wool-washing machine consist principally in the
following features, that is to say:-The wool in its passage through the washing rollers
will only be squeezed in the intermediate space between each pair of rollers; the
dirt may be allowed to fall to the bottom, which will be accelerated by means of
the gentle raising by the forks. By this means the wool will not become matted
together or curled up, but the fleece passes the washing cylinder without the lay of
the threads of wool becoming essentially turned against one another.
A further advantage exists in the quiet motion of the washing cylinder. The
water will not be stirred up, and the dirt may be thus placed quietly at the
bottom. The washing water remains useful a long time, from which results economy
of soap.
I desire to point out that there is in my improved machine a great advantage in
the combination of the forks and wheels, and in thus uniting of the advantages of
both methods of washing or cleaning.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th June
1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CLEANING
WOOL." A communication from abroad by Victor Weiss, of Langensalza,
Germany.
This Invention relates to an improved machine for washing or cleaning wool, and
whose construction is based on the combination of two principles or methods, each
of which alone can be applied to the cleansing of wool, that is to say, the rinsing out
of the wool in the washing water, according to one method, is effected by means of
forks and rakes, and according to the other, by passing the wool between a row
of smooth rollers lying in the washing water, whereby the wool is freed from the
adherent dirt Both of these principles or methods of operation have their peculiar
advantages and disadvantages.
By washing with the forks the wool is easily entangled, and a rather large
quantity of soap is required, because the dirt is constantly being raised from the
buttom by the continual stirring, and the washing water has therefore to be frequently
renowed
In the roller-washing machine the wool does not become entangled, and the
washing water is only slightly stirred. The dirt has, therefore, time to settle, and
the washing water keeps clean for a greater length of time; it therefore does not
need such frequent renewal, and a saving of soap is effected. On the other hand,
the roller-washing machine has the following imperfections or disadvantages, that
is to say, the insufficient rinsing out of the loosened dirt, and the frequent tendency
of the wool to run sidewise over the rollers to the spindles of the same and into
the gear wheels, thus retarding the work and causing a loss. These disadvan-
tages are avoided in the herein-described improved wool washing or cleaning
machine, and the advantages of both methods of operations are united in the
same.
The said machine has a long trough of cast iron or other suitable material, wherein
the washing water is contained. In this trough, in the direction of its length, are
two parallel iron girders, which give support to a row of twelve or more pairs of
smoothly turned cast-iron rollers. In each pair one 1oller is placed above the other,
and they are nearly in contact, so that the wool in passing between them is com-
pressed. The roilors of each pair are connected with each other by tooth wheels, in
such a manner that the rollers revolve together. The first pair of rollers has these
wheels on the right side of the machine, the second pair has them on the left side,
and so on alternately. The said wheels are arranged outside of the said irou girders
or bearers.
In addition to the wheels for connecting the pair of rollers, every group of two
adjacent pairs of rollers have one gear wheel for causing the said rollers to revolve.
Both the lower rollers in each group have on one side another wheel, which does
not gear into the wheel next to it, but, on the contrary, both wheels gear into a
common gear wheel and receive from this their motion in the same direction. The
shaft or spindle of this common gear wheel passes through a stuffing box in the side
of the trough. Outside of this trough runs the main driving shaft, which drives by
means of bevel gear wheels the shafts of the spur wheels for the groups of rollers,
and all of them in the same direction, according to the direction in which it is
intended to pass the wool through the row or series of rollers. This main driving
shaft receives its motion from an engine shaft by means of straps or belts or bevil or
spur gear wheels.
At each end of the series of rollers other rollers are arranged to guide the wool in
and out; there are also endless guide boards for the same purpose.

page_text: It is also intended that the guide rollers at the end of the roller series should as
he wool passes them squeeze the washing water out of the same, and having
freed the wool as much as practicable from the water, discharge it upon the
endless guide boards, which again carry it on to other machines for further
manipulation.
Those frames or parallel bearers, which give support to the rollers, must bo
raised out of the trough from time to time, together with the rollers, in order to be
able to cleanse them sufficiently from the accumulated dirt. For this purpose, the
said frames aro divided in the middle, and each arm is moveable round a horizontal
pin or pivot fixed in the trough. By means of a conveniently arranged rope,
each arm must be raised, and the required cleaning of the trough can then be
effected.
On each arm, formed by the bearers or pair of bearers for supporting the rollers,
there is another mechanical contrivance for moving the forks. These forks are
placed on two or four horizontal iron bars, whose motion is in a circlo, although the
forks always retain a vertical position, and pass down into the water between each
two pairs of rollers. They dip into the water at the end of the roller, move along
immersed towards the middle of the roller, and on coming out of the water return to
the end of the washing rollers. The wool is by these means rinsed out gently, and
being constantly kept away from the ends of the rollers, it cannot fall down into
the necks of the rollers and be twisted round them.
Each row of forks moves in correspondence to the one just opposite it, that is to
say, they both dip down at the same time, approach the middle, rise out of the
water at the same time, and move away from the middle. The wool is therefore
partly pressed together in the middle, and thus at the same time dipped down, and,
on the forks separating from one another, is raised. This action is very similar to
the movement which takes place when a person puts both hands into a washing
tub, presses the stuff floating in the water together in the middle, and then raises
it out of the water and again immerses it. The movement of the gearing for
moving the forks is so gentle that no entanglement of the wool can be caused
thereby.
I will now more particularly describe the construction of the said improved wool
washing machine by the aid of the accompanying Drawing, in which,-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine.
Figure 2 is a similar view, with the roller bearers raised out of the water.
Figure 3 is a plan of the said machine.
Figure 1 illustrates the principle of the movement of the said forks.
Figure 3 illustrates the principle of the movement of the washing rollers.
O is the cast iron trough which contains the soap and water, and in which the
iron girders or bearers M, moveable round the pins P, are situated. In these girders
are the bearings for the washing rollers. The lower rollers lie in closed and fixed
bearings; the top rollers in bearings which are moveable in vertical slots in the said
bearers; E is the main driving shaft, which derives its motion from the
engine's shaft, by means of the pulleys C and the wheels c and D. The transverse
shafts are driven from the shaft E by means of the bevel gear wheels e, F. On
each shaft there is a wheel G, see Figure 3ª, which gears into both the wheels H
and I on the lower rollers of each group, and drives these in the same direction.
Each pair of rollers has a pair of coupling or connecting wheels.. The direction of
the rotation of these wheels is indicated by the arrows in Figure 3º. This arrange-
ment of gearing is repeated in each group, and all the rollers therefore run as shewn
in Figure 3º.
The wool to be washed falls from the aforesaid endless guide boards upon a larger
roller N, to be guided from the same between the washing rollers. The roller N
is driven from the lower roller of the first pair of rollers by means of an inter-
mediate wheel n.
The wool coming from the washing rollers passes between the rollers 1 and 2,
then between 3 and 4, and lastly away between 4 and 5, Figure 1, and is by them

page_text: freed from the greatest portion of the water which it contained; it then passes on
the endless guide boards to other machines or apparatus for further manipulation.
The aforesaid wringing and squeezing rollers can be driven by means of suitable
gearing from any of the adjacent shafts.
The gearing for working the forks is arranged in the following manner, that is to
say-On each of the two halves of the frames M is a pair of standards; each of
these standards supports four spindles q, q¹, 93, 9³. The first two of these spindles
lie one above the other. These spindles carry pinions 7, 71, 72, 73, all the same size.
Between these four pinions are the intermediate wheels R and T, as shewn in
Figure 1. The spindle q is driven from a pulley Q by means of bevel wheels.
The spindles and wheels revolve in the directions indicated by the arrows.
On the four outside shafts are cranks at each end of the same, and the cranks in
each pair have the bottom one parallel with the top one, and connected by con-
necting rods U, U. The connecting rods are connected by a cross bar W, on which
the forks X, X, are fixed. Each cross bar W moves in a circle whose radius is equal
to the length of one of the cranks, and as the connecting rods U, U, remain parallel
and vertical, the forks will also remain in the same position, and therefore move as
above specified.
There are two sets of the gearing just above described, one set for each half of
the frame The connection and transmission of motion are effected in a very simple
manner by means of a universal link, by which two of the inside shafts are con-
nected with each other, that is to say, either the shafts S or the shafts 8. This
coupling is required because the frame M is made to be separated. It is seen in its
raised position in Figure 2 where the lifting tackle is indicated. Any suitable lifting
tackle may be employed. The apparatus shewn consists of chains and pulleys,
which may be connected with the drum of a crab.
The chief advantages of this improved wool washing or cleaning machine are the
following, namely:-The wool is only squeezed on its passage through the washing
rollers, in the spaces between each pair, the dirt will be allowed to fall to the bottom,
its removal being aided by the gentle rinsing, due to the action of the forks. The
wool therefore does not become entangled or disarranged, but the mass passes the
washing rollers without changing the position of the threads of the wool to any
great extent.
A further advantage is to be found in the gentle motion of the washing rollers or
cylinders. The water is not much disturbed or agitated, either by the said rollers
or by the gentle rinsing action of the forks, and the dirt can therefore quietly settle
at the bottom of the apparatus; consequently, the water remains clean, and can
therefore be used for a long time, and thus a saving of soap is effected. And by
the combination of the forks and the rollers I-unite in one machine the advantages
of both methods of operation.
Finally, this machine excels other wool washing machines with regard to the
large amount of work it is able to perform in a short time, and its consequent capacity
for work on a large scale.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim for the purposes specified,―
First. The combination of the fork and roller apparatus or mechanism for washing,
as above described.
Second. The dividing of the frame into two parts, each of which is moveable
around or upon a pivot or pin.
Third. Driving each group of two pairs of rollers by one shaft, which passes
through the sides of the trough, outside of which all of the transverse shafts are
driven by means of bevil gearing from one main shaft, as above described.
Fourth. The apparatus comprising the forks and gearing, as above described.
Fifth. The inlet roller at one end of the series of rollers L, and the wringing or
squeezing rollers at the other end of the same, as above described.
Sixth. A wool cleaning or washing machine, consisting of the parts or devices

page_text: shewn in the accompanying Drawing, constructed, combined, and operating as above
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
WM. ROBT. LAKE (L.S.)