Improvements in Hank-dyeing Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 2nd July, 1890-Accepted, 2nd Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hank-dyeing Machines.
I RICHARD GEE of New Hay, Lindley near Huddersfield Yorkshire, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :--
This invention has reference to the means for and method of dyeing hanks of.
yarn; the object of such said invention being to subject or expose the yarn to the
action of the dye liquor contained in the vessel or tank in such manner that each and
every portion of the yarn is equally dyed, thereby producing a level or equal colour,
shade, or tint to the yarn in each hank, and this is accomplished without the felting
or intermingling of the threads of yarn with each other.
In order to carry out my invention I make use of an ordinary dye vessel wherein
I arrange in suitable order, a number of guide pulleys. the peripheries of each of
which or of one or more thereof may be provided with teeth or projecting studs
capable of entering into links of two endless chains arranged lengthwise one at each
side of the dye vessel; the said guide pulleys one or more of them being driven by
suitable mechanism deriving motion from any convenient shafting for the purpose of
giving a continuous traversing motion to the endless chains which pass over and.
around the said guide pulleys from one end of the machine to the other. To each
chain I attach a number of bobbins or creels placed in a vertical position and
arranged at equal distances apart, the bobbins on one chain being opposite the
bobbins on the other chain. preferably mount the bobbins on one chain in slotted
brackets projecting from one side of the said chain so that the hanks, being first
passed over the fixed bobbins, may be easily passed over those opposite by moving
them nearer the centre of the machine: this arrangement also enables the hanks to
be distended as required, and will admit of smaller or larger hanks being attached to
the same machine. Springs may be employed in conjunction with the slotted
brackets.
The hanks of yarn to be dyed being placed over the bobbins as described are
distended horizontally across the machine and are kept in a distended state whilst
the chain is traversing over the upper guide pulleys, but when they pass down and
under the lower guide pulleys, they are caused by the said pulleys to converge or
approach each other and slacken the banks, which are thus opened out by the.
resistance of the liquor to their traverse, and each thread of the yarn composing each
hank is thereby exposed to the dye liquor, by which means the yarn throughout is
dyed an equal or level colour, shade or tint, and this is accomplished without liability
to felting of the yarn.
When the hanks are in a distended state I cause the hobbins to turn a half.
revolution or thereabouts in order that the portion of yarn around the bobbins may
be constantly changed this being effected by means of suitable fingers or cam surfaces
caused to project from the side or sides of the dye vessel at stated intervals, and
alternately or otherwise by worm gearing or other arrangement of mechanism, such
projecting fingers acting upon a cam or its equivalent connected with the axis of each
bobbin. The number of turns given to the bobbins at each traverse of the chain
depends upon the number of fingers employed. At one end of the vessel the chain
may be caused to pass over a guide pulley placed clear of the liquor in the vessel so
that the bobbins thereon shall be successively exposed whilst the machine is in
operation thus enabling the attendant to examine or note the degree of colour, shade,
or tint given to the yarn and in this way ascertain when it is sufficiently dyed.
When attaching or removing hanks of yarn from the bobbins, the apparatus above
set forth is raised bodily out of dye vessel by suitable mechanical means, and if

page_text: necessary, the chains may be made to travel when so raised out of the dye liquor in
order to facilitate the emptying and filling of the bobbins, motion being given to one
of the guide pulleys from an upright shaft, or other source.
Dated this 1st day of October 1880
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hank-dyeing Machines.
I, RICHARD GEE, of New Hay, Lindley, near Huddersfield, in the County of York,
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 :-
This invention has reference to new and improved means for and method of
dyeing hanks of yarn; the object of such said invention being to subject or expose
the yarn to the action of the dye liquor contained in the vessel or tank in such
manner that each and every portion of the yarn is equally dyed, thereby producing
a level or equal colour, shade, or tint, on the yarn in each hank, and this is
accomplished without the felting or intermingling of the threads of yarn with
each other.
In order to carry out my invention I make use of an ordinary dye vessel wherein
1 arrange in suitable order a number of guide pulleys, the peripheries of each of
which, or of one or more thereof, may be provided with teeth or projecting studs,
capable of entering into the links of two endless chains, arranged lengthwise, one at
each side of the dye vessel; the said guide pulleys or one or more of them being
driven by suitable mechanism deriving motion from any convenient shafting for the
purpose of giving a continuous traversing motion to the endless chains which pass
over and around the said guide pulleys from one end of the machine to the other.
To each chain I attach a number of bobbins or creels placed in a vertical position and
arranged at equal distances apart, the bobbins on one chain being opposite the
bobbins on the other chain.
The hanks of yarn to be dyed being placed over the bobbins as described are
distended horizontally across the machine and are kept in a distended state whilst
the chain is traversing over the upper guide pulleys. but when the bobbins pass
down and under the lower guide pulleys, they may be made by the said pulleys to
converge or approach each other so as to slacken the hanks, which are thus opened
out by the resistance of the liquor whilst travelling, and each thread of the yarn
composing each hark is thereby exposed to the dye liquor, by which means the yarn
throughout is dyed an equal or level colour, shade, or tint, and this is accomplished
without liability to felting of the yarn.
When the hanks are in a distended state I cause the bobbins to turn a portion of
a revolution in order that the portion of yarn around the bobbins may be constantly
changed, this being effected by means of suitable mechanism employed for the
purpose.
When attaching or removing hanks of yarn from the bobbins, the apparatus above
set forth is raised bodily out of the dye vessel by suitable mechanical means, and if
necessary, the chains may be made to travel when so raised out of the dye liquor
in order to facilitate the emptying and filling of the bobbins, motion being given to
one of the guide pulleys from an upright shaft or other source.
Such being the nature and object of my invention, I will now, in order that the
same may be better understood, make reference to the accompanying sheets of
drawings illustrative thereof. wherein Fig. 1 is sectional elevation of my improved
hank dyeing machine taken through the line 1-2 of Fig. 2, the latter of which is
sectional end elevation taken through the line 3-4 of Fig. 1. a represents the dye
vessel or cistern, above which is situated a smaller vessel, into which the dye liquor

page_text: is pumped by any convenient arrangement of apparatus, after each set of hanks have
been dyed, so that the vessel a may be filled with clean water or liquor for washing
or
chroming" purposes. My improved apparatus comprises a pair of toothed chain
driving wheels c and also four pairs of flanged or grooved guide pulleys d around
which passes a pair of endless chains e caused to travel by means of the toothed chain
wheels c which receive rotary motion by means of worm wheel f, worm g, driven by
the vertical shaft h, the latter receiving its motion through the bevel wheels i from
the main driving shaftj driven by strap or other convenient motive power. The
chains e receive one end of a series of bobbins k, the bobbins in one endless chain
being opposite to the bobbins in the corresponding endless chain, and around these
bobbins the banks of yarn to be dyed are passed, and as the chain travels it is
obvious that the hanks will be carried through the dye liquor contained in the
vessel a, and in order to cause each hank to travel either continuously or inter-
mittently around the pair of bobbins holding such hank, I provide means for
accomplishing this purpose, consisting of two vertical bars 1, the inner sides of which
are covered with leather or other suitable material so that when either of the vertical
leather covered bars are brought into contact with the flanges of the bobbins as
they are being carried around by the chains, the frictional contact between the
flanges of the bobbins and the bars imparts a partial rotary motion to the said
bobbins, consequently causing the position of the hanks to be changed, so that every
portion of the yarn may receive the action of the dye liquor. The means I employ
for bringing the vertical bars into contact with the flanges of the bobbins consists
of two cains m and m¹, see Figs. 2 and 3, mounted on a short stud m2 upon which
stud is also mounted a worm wheel m³ receiving rotary motion from the worm m
mounted on the shaft m' upon which are keyed the toothed chain driving wheels c.
As these cams revolve they come alternately against the studs n, n', secured to two
rods n² and n³, which rods on being slided end wise carry the vertical bars I alternately
backwards and forwards into contact with the flanges of the bobbins; spiral springs n
and being employed to bring the said bars back to their original position. It
will be understood that by alternately forcing the vertical bars into contact with
the flanges of the bobbins, the rotary motion thereof, and also of the banks, will be
reversed. In order to ensure that the endless travelling chains e do not get
displaced whilst travelling through the machine, the upper part of the framework o
(see Fig. 4) is provided with internal flanges p. The feeding end of the machine is
shewn at A, and in order that the hanks may be easily placed upon the vertical
bobbins, or removed therefrom, the framework o' and o' is connected to the
framework o by means of pivots or hinges o³ to allow of the said frames o' and o'
being contracted or made to approach each other as shewn in dotted lines in plan
view Fig. 6, the said frames of and o² being made to move upon their pivots by
means of screwed shaft of working in nuts attached to the framework and operated
by hand wheel o. Thus by bringing the bobbins nearer together the hanks can be
easily placed on the bobbins or removed therefrom. When the hanks have been
sufficiently dyed, the framework carrying the guide pulleys, together with the
endless chains and bobbins, are bodily raised clear of the dye liquor, and this is done
by means of hydraulic pressure. To do this I employ four or other number of
cylinders provided with pistons s, the upper ends of which are attached by
brackets to the framework o, so that when water is admitted through the valve s
(see plan Fig. 7) and pipes to the cylinders r, the pistons are forced upwards, and
the framework, chains, and bobbins are thereby raised above the dye liquor; the
worm g, driven by vertical shaft h, working in a feather or groove in the said shaft,
so that whilst the said shaft drives the worm g the latter is at liberty to slide up
and down thereon, whereby motion can be given to the apparatus, when raised clear
of the liquor, this being useful when removing the banks, and also when replacing
undyed hanks upon the bobbins.
In order to make the machine capable of receiving different sizes of hanks, I
employ four or other number of screw shafts t, which are operated by the chain t
passing around the chain wheels t' on the ends of said shafts, by turning the handle

page_text: or swaife 3, thereby bringing the frames closer together or forcing them further
apart.
In some cases it may be expedient for the yarn to be slack when entering the
dye liquor. For this purpose the guide pulleys B are brought closer together than
the remaining pulleys d, so that at this point the hanks are slack, which will permit
the dye liquor io permeate through the yarn more freely than if the yarn were in a
stretched or distended state.
By constructing and arranging a machine as herein shewn and described, hanks of
yarn may be readily dyed, whilst every facility is afforded for changing the hanks
on the bobbins. The construction of the machine also allows for the hanks being
continuously or intermittently rotated on their bobbins for the purpose of changing
the position of the said hanks when dyeing, whereby every portion of the yarn is
subjected to the action of the dye liquor."
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 ·
Firstly: In a hank dycing machine, the use of endless travelling chains carrying
vertical bobbins for supporting hanks of yarn, substantially as shewn and described.
Secondly. In a hank dyeing machine, the use of endless travelling chains carrying
vertical bobbins, made to revolve intermittently, for purposes described, and in the
manner shewn in the drawings.
Thirdly. In a hank dyeing machine, having endless travelling chains carrying
vertical bobbins, the means employed for causing the frames o' and o² to converge
towards each other for purposes described and in manner substantially as shewn in
the drawings.
Fourthly. In a hank dyeing machine, having endless chains and vertical bobbins,
the combination therewith of hydraulic rams for raising the bobbins out of the dye
liquor, all arranged as described and shewn in the drawings.
Fifthly. The general arrangement and combination of parts forming my improved
hank dyeing machinery, substantially as herein fully illustrated.
Dated this 1st day of July 1890.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Huddersfield and Halifax, Agents.