IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Foster, of Black Dike Mills, near Bradford,
in the County of York, Spinner and Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING WOOL AND OTHER
FIBROUS MATERIALS."
Sealed the 12th February 1856, and dated the 18th November 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Foster at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
November 1855.
I, WILLIAM FOSTER, of Black Dike Mills, near Bradford, in the County
of York, Spinner and Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING WOOL
AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS" to be as follows:-
This Invention of improvements in drying wool and other fibrous materials,
consists principally in the application to those purposes of the machinery or
apparatus for cleansing wool and other fibrous materials, for which Letters
Patent for Great Britain were granted to me on or about the Eighth day of
March last, certain modifications in such machinery or apparatus being of
course necessary for this new purpose.
The machinery or apparatus consists of a slightly-inclined wire grating
or perforated plate, whereon the fibrous material to be dried rests, and passes
gradually over it. This wire grating or perforated plate is kept in constant

page_text: vibratory motion by a tappet wheel, or other mechanical contrivance, for
giving a shaking motion when required for agitating the wool or other fibrous
material, and allowing a current or currents of either hot or cold air to be
forced downwards through all the parts of the material to be dryed.
Although cold air will be found to answer to a certain extent for drying
the fibrous material, I prefer to use hot air, which is obtained either from
one or more steam chests, in connection with one or more fan blowers, placed
above the wool or other material to be dried, or any other convenient means,
the blowers being fitted with numerous branch pipes in order to distribute the
air evenly over the surface of the material to be dried. One or more fan
blowers are placed underneath the material to be dried, and act as exhausters
to draw off the moisture from the fibrous material & expel it into suitable
outlet pipes. A self-acting feed motion at the top of the machine serves to
pass on the wool or other fibrous material continually without intermission.
By this means the wool is perfectly dried without damaging the fibre, and
emerges from the machine in one uniform and dry state; whilst the arrange-
ment, being altogether within one machine or apparatus, is exceedingly con-
venient, as the whole may be placed in any room with other machines without
in the least interfering with their action.
'SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Foster in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th April 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FOSTER, of Black Dike Mills, near Bradford, in the County of York, Spinner
and Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Foster, Her special license that I, the said William
Foster, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Foster, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS
MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Foster, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Foster, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention of improvements in drying wool and other fibrous
materials, consists principally in the application to those purposes of the
machinery or apparatus for cleansing wool and other fibrous materials, for
which Letters Patent for Great Britain were granted to me on or about the.
Eighth day of March last, certain modifications in such machinery or appa-
ratus being of course necessary for this new purpose.
The machinery or apparatus consists of a slightly-inclined wire grating or
perforated plate, whereon the fibrous material to be dried rests, and passes.
gradually over it. This wire grating or perforated plate is kept in constant.
vibratory motion by a tappet wheel, or other mechanical contrivance, for giving
the shaking motion which is required for agitating the wool or other fibrous
material, and allowing a current or currents of either hot or cold air to be
forced downwards through all the parts of the material to be dried.
Although cold air will be found to answer to a certain extent for drying.
the fibrous material, I prefer to use hot air, which is obtained either from one
or more steam chests, in connection with one or more fan blowers, placed
above the wool or other material to be dried, or any other convenient means,
the blowers being fitted with numerous branch pipes in order to distribute the
air evenly over the surface of the material to be dried. One or more fan.
blowers are placed underneath the material to be dried, and act as exhausters.
to draw off the moisture from the fibrous material, and expel it into suitable
outlet pipes. A self-acting feed motion at the top and end of the machine.
serves to pass on the wool or other fibrous material continually.
By this
means the wool is perfectly dried without deranging the fibre, and emerges
from the machine in one uniform and dry state; whilst the arrangement, being
altogether contained within one machine or apparatus, is exceedingly convenient,

page_text: as the whole may be placed in any room with other machines without in the
least interfering in their action.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed particularly to describe the same; and for that purpose I shall refer
to the several Figures on the Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1, on Sheet 1 of the Drawings, represents a complete side elevation
of my improved wool-drying machine; Figure 2, on Sheet 2, is a longitudinal
section of the same, taken through the centre thereof; Figure 3, on Sheet 3,
is an elevation of the delivery end of the machine; and Figure 4, on the
same Sheet of Drawings, is a similar view, with the closed end removed to
shew the internal arrangement of mechanism for feeding or propelling the
wool.
A, A, are the main standards of the machine, which are closed or boxed in
all round, as shewn at Figure 3, in order to prevent any dust or small particles
of wool from escaping into the apparatus in which the machine is situated; B is
the main driving shaft, fitted at one end with the fast and loose driving pulleys
C, C', and at the other extremity carrying the spur pinion D, which gears
into the spur wheel E, which with the second pinion F works loose on the stud
centre G. The pinion F gears into the spur wheel H, which is fast on one end
of the crank shaft I. On the other end of this shaft is fitted the small driving
pulley J, which imparts motion to the roller K by means of the driving band L.
The rollers K and M work in bearings in the additional side standards N,
and carry the endless apron O, which serves to introduce or feed the wet wool
continuously into the drying machine. P, P, are two tappet wheels fast on
the main driving shaft, the tappets of which, by depressing the pullies Q, Q, on
the ends of the four levers R, R, keep the handles S in a constant state of
vibration or agitation. These levers work on the fixed studs T, T, and are slotted
at that part, as shewn in the Drawings, whilst their other ends are jointed
at U, U, to the hurdle. This hurdle may be composed of plates of perforated
zinc or wire gauze, so that a current or currents of hot or cold air, as herein-
after described, may be readily forced through the wool as it passes along
the hurdle. The crank shaft I has two cranks V, V, formed upon it, to which
cranks are fitted the ends of the two connecting rods W, W. These rods are
jointed at their opposite ends to the two vertical oscillating arms X, X, forming
two of a series, as shewn in Figure 2 of the Drawings. These arms work on
fixed centres at Y, and are weighted at Z, to facilitate or ease their vibratory
movements. Near their lower extremities they carry in bearings a, a, the

page_text: oscillating rake bars b, b, which are fitted with teeth c, for the purpose of
taking into and propelling the wool forward through the machine. d, d, are
short lever arms, fitted on to the ends of the rake bars, and connected by stud
pins to the continuous connecting rods e, e; f is a similar rod, connecting the
lower ends of the vibrating arms X, so that they will all vibrate or oscillate
simultaneously, such motion being obtained from the crank shaft I. The rake
bars are all made to oscillate or partially rotate in their bearings simulta-
neously by means of the lever arm g, fixed on to the end of one of the rake
bars. This arm is connected at h to the end of the lever i, which works on
the stud centre k, and is actuated by the grooved cam l, fast on the crank shaft,
a small antifriction pulley being fitted into the end of the lever, such pulley
working in the groove of the cam. It will thus be obvious that the whole of
the rake bars will be caused to turn partly in their bearings, so that the rake
teeth will enter the wool during the traverse of the arms X in the direction
of the arrows, and will drive it forward on the hurdle.
During the passage of the wool along the perforated hurdle, one or, more
currents of either hot or cold air are directed on to and through it from the
several distributing blast pipes or passages m, m, which are fitted to the
under side of the rectangular air chest n. This air chest may be composed of
any thin sheet metal, such as tin or zinc, or of wood, when cold air only is used.
It is made to extend from one extremity of the machine to the other, and
communicates by a pipe o with the fan or other suitable blowing apparatus.
An exhaust fan p or other suitable exhausting apparatus may be introduced
beneath the hurdle, if found desirable, for drawing off the damp or moisture
from the wool, and expelling such damp air or dust, should any arise through
the outlet pipe q. In order to facilitate the drying of the wool and exhaustion
of the damp atmosphere therefrom, the entire machine is boxed in at the sides,
suitable side doors r, r, with glass pannels being employed for facilitating the
inspection of the wool during the process of drying, and a similar door s,
Figure 3, Sheet 3, is placed at the delivery end of the machine.
The delivery mouth t is made to overhang, so as to afford sufficient space
for the vibration of the rakes, and also to leave a delivery aperture at u for the
Iried wool to fall through. The air for drying the wool may, when found
desirable, be heated by causing it to first enter an air chest filled with steam-
heating pipes, from which chest it is exhausted and forced in a heated state
along the pipe o, and thence into the air chest n, whence it escapes, as before
described, by the distributing pipes m, m.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried

page_text: into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion
to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my said Invention; but what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general construction and arrangement of machinery or apparatus
for drying wool and other fibrous materials, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of drying wool and other fibrous materials, by
feeding and passing the material to be dried continuously over a perforated
vibrating hurdle, and subjecting it at the same time to a current or currents of
hot or cold air.
Third, the peculiar construction and arrangement of self-acting mechanism
for feeding forward or traversing the wool over the hurdle during the process
of drying the same, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the application and use of vibratory perforated hurdles in wool-
drying machines, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Foster, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six.
WILLIAM FOSTER. (L.S.)