An Improvement Applicable to Machines for Washing, Soaping, Dyeing, and Dunging Woven Fabrics.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 27th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 29th Nov., 1887
An Improvement Applicable to Machines for Washing, Soaping,
Dyeing, and Dunging Woven Fabrics.
I WILLIAM BIRCH of Milton Street Iron Works Lower Broughton Manchester in
the County of Lancaster Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
In machines of the class above indicated the cloth or fabric passes alternately over
and under rollers arranged in two tiers, one in the liquid contained in the vat or
vessel and the other at a certain distance above the same; a certain number of
the latter rollers are driven, and the rest revolve merely by the pull of the cloth or
fabric.
In such apparatus it frequently occurs (especially when hot liquors are used) that
owing to the shrinkage of the cloth the tension of the same becomes far too great
and hence too much strain is put upon both the cloth and the machine.
To remedy this defect I make these driven rollers of a larger diameter than the
nip
or squeezing rollers, or I drive them at a greater surface speed which unless
otherwise controlled, would have a tendency to pass the cloth through the apparatus
faster than the "nip" or drawing rollers would take it up, which on the other hand
would have the effect of making the cloth run too slack.
To prevent either of these faults taking place and to give the attendant facility for
correcting the same I mount a small tension or surface relieving roller a short distance
from each of the driven rollers on the "taking-on "side, or that side on which the
cloth or fabric goes on to the roller.
The axle of the said tension or surface relieving roller is carried by two levers
which are pivoted on the bosses of the pedestals of the driven roller or otherwise so
hat the position of the tension or surface relieving roller with regard to the driven
oller may be altered in the arc of a circle either upwards or downwards.
The levers which support the tension or surface relieving roller may be fixed when
djusted by means of set screws or otherwise.

page_text: When the surface relieving roller is in its lowest position the contact of the cloth
with the driven roller is at its maximum point and the cloth will then be delivered at
about the same surface speed as the driven roller, but if this should be found to be
too much, and the cloth should consequently run slack it may be remedied by raising
the surface relieving roller so as to diminish the area of contact of the cloth with the
surface of the driven roller and thus decrease the speed of its delivery.
On the other hand if the cloth becomes too tight on the "giving off" side of the
roller the remedy is to lower the tension or surface relieving roller so as to increase
the area of contact and thus increase the speed of delivery.
When the cloth on the "giving off" side has a tendency to run too light it takes
an increased grip of the driven roller which increases the speed of delivery, and when
the cloth becomes too slack it loosens its grip which decreases the speed of its delivery
and thus it corrects its own faults and keeps the cloth at a normal tension under all
circumstances.
When the fabric is being threaded through the machine and the driven rollers are
not required to pull the cloth, these tension or surface relieving rollers may be raised
(by suitable means) on their lever bearings above the said driven rollers.
GEORGE DAVIES,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: An Improvement Applicable to Machines for Washing, Soaping,
Dyeing, and Dunging Woven Fabrics.
I WILLIAM BIRCH of Milton Street Iron Works Lower Broughton Manchester in
the County of Lancaster 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:
In machines of the class above indicated the cloth or fabric passes alternately over
and under rollers arranged in two tiers, one in the liquid contained in the vat or
vessel, and the other at a suitable distance above the same.
A suitable number of the latter rollers are driven and the rest revolve merely by
the "pull" of the cloth or fabric.
In such apparatus it frequently occurs (especially where hot liquors are used) that
owing to the shrinkage of the cloth, the tension of the same becomes far too great
and hence too much strain is put upon both the cloth and the machine.
To remedy this defect I make these driven rollers of a larger diameter than the
"nip" or squeezing rollers, or I drive them at a greater surface speed which, unless
otherwise controlled would have a tendency to pass the cloth through the apparatus
faster than the nip or drawing rollers would take it up, which on the other hand would
have the effect of making the cloth run too slack.
To prevent either of these faults from taking place, and to give the attendant
facility for correcting the same I have devised a tension relieving apparatus, the
nature of which will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying drawing
and the following explanation thereof.
The drawing represents an end view of one of the driven rollers with this part of
my invention shown as applied thereto, a, a being the driven roller.
I mount a small tension or surface relieving roller b, b a short distance from each
of the driven rollers on the "taking on side, or that side on which the cloth or
fabric goes onto the roller a, a.
The axle c, c of the said tension or surface relieving roller b, b is carried by two
levers d, d which are pivotted on the bosses e, e of the pedestal of the driven
roller a, a or otherwise so that the position of the tension or surface relieving roller b, b
with regard to the driven roller a, a may be altered in the arc of a circle either upwards
or downwards as shown by the dotted circles.
The levers d, d which support the tension or surface relieving rollers b, b may be
ixed when adjusted by means of set screws g, g or otherwise.
When the surface relieving roller b, b is in its lowest position the contact of the
loth with the driven roller a, a is at its maximum point, and the cloth will then be
elivered at about the same surface speed as the driven roller a, a but if this should be
ound to be too much, and the cloth should consequently run slack, it may be remedied
y raising the surface relieving roller b, 6 by suitable means (say by means of the handle

page_text: or prolongation d¹ of one of its levers) so as to diminish the area of contact of tho
cloth, with the surface of the driven roller a, a and thus decrease the speed of its
delivery.
On the other hand if the cloth becomes too tight on the "giving-off" side of the
roller a, a the remedy is to lower the tension or surface relieving roller b, b so as to
increase the area of contact and thus increase the speed of delivery.
When the cloth on the "giving-off" side has a tendency to run too tight it takes
an increased grip of the driven roller a, a which increases the speed of delivery, and
when the cloth becomes too slack it loosens its grip which decreases the speed of its
delivery, and thus it corrects its own faults and keeps the cloth at a normal tension
under all circumstances.
When the fabric is being threaded through the machine and the driven rollers a, a
are not required to pull the cloth, these tension or surface relieving rollers b, b may
be raised on their lever bearings above the said driven rollers as shown by the upper
dotted circle. This invention is also applicable to machines for steaming or ageing
cloth in the open state.
It will also be evident that instead of the rollers b, b, rods or bars may be employed,
and these latter may either be plain, or what are known as
* Fish" bars.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:
--
The combination with the driven rollers of the class of machines hereinbefore
mentioned, of a tension or surface relieving roller or bar mounted upon levers pivotted
on the same centre as the said driven roller, so that they are capable of being adjusted
in the arc of a circle with regard to such rollers so as to diminish or increase the area
of contact of the cloth with such rollers, substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before particularly set forth and illustrated by the drawing annexed.
Dated this 26th day of October 1887
GEORGE DAVIES,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester,
Agent for the Applicant.