IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEAMING WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1885

page_text: We JOHN HAWTHORN and JOHN PEMBERTON LIDDELL of the firm of John
Hawthorn and Company of Newtown, New Mills in the County of Chester
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR STEAMING WOVEN FABRICS "
to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to the steaming boxes or the apparatus principally
employed in the steaming of woven fabrics in the operations of printing the
same. In such apparatus the fabric is led into or suspended in a close chamber
into which steam is discharged. The principal objects of our Invention are to
convey the cloth through the box in such a manner as to obtain a prolonged
exposure without bringing the face of the cloth into contact with the conveying
rollers and to avoid the dropping of moisture upon the cloth. To accomplish these
objects we arrange the conveying or cloth leading rollers with their axes upon lines
which radiate from a common centre or thereabouts in order that the cloth may be
passed several times around such centre with the back of the cloth alone coming
into contact with the rollers. These rollers are mounted within a chamber or box
and we prefer that this shall be made of a polygonal form having an inner open
space in the centre so that the said chamber resembles a number of boxes joined
together at an angle so as to form as it were an endless ring of a polygonal form.
The cloth is led in through a slot in the outer wall and after passing around a
number of times leaves through a slot in the inner wall and is plaited down upon
a stillage which is in the inuer open space or the cloth is led or conveyed away
from the said space or this course may be reversed the cloth entering from the
inner space and passing out through a slot in the outer wall. The chamber is so
shaped and is fixed with its walls at such angles as that the water of condensation
tends to flow down the walls so that the dropping of moisture upon the cloth is
avoided as for example in the case of a hexagonal chamber we fix it with the.
vertical line passing through two of its angles so that no part of the walls is
horizontal. In case the cloth passes below a horizontal or only slightly inclined
wall we make such wall as a steam box and heat it to such a degree as shall
prevent the condensation of steam upon the surface which is within the chamber.
Prica 8d1

page_text: We also form the cloth carrying rollers as steam rollers and similarly heat them to
prevent condensation. We deliver the steam into the chamber through perforations
or slots in pipes which are so arranged as that the cloth passes close to the said
pipes so that the steam is discharged directly on to the cloth and penetrates and
partly passes through the same thereby expediting the process. We may arrange
carrying rollers within the inner open space so as to carry the cloth around to dry
to some extent before bringing its face into contact with any rollers or surfaces.
The apparatus may be used in the treatment of any woven fabric which requires
to be steamed.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Steaming Woven Fabrics.
"
We JOHN HAWTHORN and JOHN PEMBERTON LIDDELL of the firm of John
Hawthorn and Company of Newtown New Mills in the County of Chester
Engineers do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR STEAMING WOVEN FABRICS" and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying drawings :-
Our Invention relates to the steaming boxes or the apparatus principally
employed in the steaming of woven fabrics in the operations of printing the same.
In such apparatus the fabric is led into or suspended in a close chamber into which
steam is discharged. The principal objects of our Invention are to convey the
cloth through the box in such a manner as to obtain a prolonged exposure without
bringing the face of the cloth into contact with the conveying rollers and to avoid
the dropping of moisture upon the cloth.
Our Invention will be most readily understood when described with reference to
the accompanying sheet of drawings wherein Fig. 1 represents a vertical section of
a steaming apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention Fig. 2 being an
end elevation of the same both figs. being drawn to a scale of about one half inch
to the foot.
In the said Figs. a is a steaming box or chamber b. b. are carrying rollers and c.
is the cloth being steamed. The chamber a is of peculiar formation having a clear
open space d. which extends through the chamber from side to side and is shut off
from the interior of the chamber by means of inner walls a¹. The carrying rollers
are so disposed as that the cloth is led a number of times entirely around the said
open space. In the example the cloth is supposed to enter through a slot at e.
near the roof of the chamber and after passing in the direction indicated by the
arrows eleven or a greater or less number of times entirely around the walls a¹ the
cloth passes through a slot at f. into the open space and passes over other carrying
rollers g. g. to a plaiting down apparatus of an ordinary or suitable description
such apparatus being represented at h. The steam is admitted into the chamber
through pipes i. i. which are formed with slits as indicated on a larger scale in
Fig. or are perforated the slits or perforations being upon the upper sides of the
pipes so that the steam is discharged upward through the cloth which is passing
over the pipes. The steam being thus forcibly discharged upon the cloth penetrates
and passes through the same to some extent thereby expediting the process. The
roof as of the chamber is formed to slope toward the outer side walls a³ in order
that any moisture which may arise from condensation of steam upon the said roof
may not fall upon the cloth but be directed to flow down the sloping roof to the
said side walls. We may greatly vary the form of the chamber as for example we
may make the said side walls to slope that is to say we may make the chamber
wider at the line of contact with the roof than at the floor line. When so formed
the chamber may be in the form of a pentagon or we may make it in the form of
a hexagon or in form similar to a pentagon or of a hexagon or in any other form
which will be suitable to the peculiar progress of the cloth through the chamber,

page_text: In all cases we prefer that the roof or ceiling shall not be level for the reason
hereinbefore stated but if for any reason the chamber has wholly or partly a level
or only slightly inclined roof or ceiling we should prefer to make such part as a
steam casing and to heat it with steam so as to prevent the deposition of moisture
upon such part. In the example the walls and and floor a¹ which surround the
inner open space are so formed to be steam heated the intention being not only to
lessen the condensation of the steam within the chamber but also to dry the cloth
after it leaves the chamber and for this reason the cloth is led around the space
over the rollers g. so as to pass close to the hot walls a¹. In the example the
carrying rollers b. b. are also heated with steam in order to prevent the deposition
of moisture upon their outer surfaces. The arrangements we have adopted for
The end
this purpose are illustrated upon a larger scale by Figs. 3 and 4.
journals 61 of each roller pass out through the walls of the chamber and are
mounted to revolve in bearing pedestals k. which are bolted to ribs l. which are
cast or fixed upon the wall plates. The roller journals are hollow and a steam
pipe m passes entirely through each roller the several pipes being connected in any
suitable manner in order that steam may be caused to circulate or flow through
the pipes or be conveyed into each pipe. The said pipes are not intended to be in
contact with the rollers as we consider that sufficient heat will be radiated from
the pipes especially if superheated steam be used. If preferred steam may be
admitted directly into the hollow rollers as in the cases of ordinary drying rollers.
We do not however confine ourselves to such heating of the rollers or to the use of
the hollow steam heated walls as we might prevent excessive condensation of
steam by using suitably superheated or high pressure steam. We might also use a
heating medium other than steam. It will be seen that the same side of the cloth
is in contact with the rollers throughout the progress of the cloth through the
apparatus. This is of importance when printed goods are to be steamed as the
face side of the goods can be kept from contact with any roller or surface whilst
the goods are passing through. If preferred the goods might enter at f. and leave
at e. In the example the enclosing walls of the chamber are supposed to be
composed of cast iron plates but we do not confine ourselves to this construction.
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:
1. The apparatus for steaming woven fabrics substantially as set forth and
indicated hereinbefore and in and by the accompanying drawings.
2. A steaming chamber for woven fabrics formed around an open space into
which the goods pass or from which they enter the chamber the said chamber being
provided with carrying or guide rollers so arranged as that the fabric passes several
times around the said space before leaving the chamber substantially as set forth
and indicated.
3. In apparatus for steaming woven fabrics the peculiar involved progress of the
fabric through the steaming chamber whereby the fabric is passed several times
over the steam discharge pipes whilst one side only of the fabric is brought into
contact with the carrying or guide rollers.
4. In apparatus for steaming woven fabrics passing the fabric through the
steaming chamber in an involved course substantially as set forth and indicated.
DL L
M. 1000