Fibrous Substances in the Process of Manufacture.
Year: 1885

page_text: Fibrous Substances in the Process of Manufacture.
I FRANK SUTCLIFFE, of 3 Heaton Grove Bradford in the County of York
Cotton Spinner do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR TREATING COTTON, WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES IN
THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE to be as follows:-
It is well known that cotton wool and other fibrous materials become deterio-
rated by age and lose their natural oil, moisture and strength, and the object of my
invention is to damp or "condition" such fibrous materials and by adding thereto
natural or artificial oils or other ingredients to improve and straighten the fibre
whereby it will card better, as all the curl is taken out of the same, and there
will be less waste in the manufacture, it will work and spin better and make a
stronger yarn and at the same time there will be more yarn produced from the
same weight of cotton or other fibrous material.
The improved apparatus consists of a box of suitable dimensions according to
the machine to which it is to be adapted and divided (by preference) into two
compartments.
The first compartment is partly filled with water and soap or gum oil, glycerine,
or other ingredients according to the nature of the fibre to be treated and the
particular quality desired to be imparted thereto whether of an oily, gummy anti-
septic or other nature.
The liquid is fed into the box through a tap from a tank at a higher level, and
an overflow pipe is provided for keeping the liquid always at or about the same
level.
Through the liquid in this compartment passes a steam pipe for the purpose of
boiling the same and this steam pipe passes on into the second compartment
where the steam is discharged.
The top of the box is of zinc or other material perforated or made with open
bars, and as the greasy or otherwise impregnated steam rises from the boiling
liquid in the first compartment it mixes or assimilates with the pure steam from
the second compartment and as it rises through the perforated top of the box, or
through the bars it becomes condensed and mixes with the cotton or other
fibrous material which is being carried over the same by a current of air caused
by a fan or blast.

page_text: If preferred the box may be made with one compartment only and the greasy or
other impregnated steam arising from the boiling liquid may be employed without
the admixture therewith of the pure steam.
For instance in a cotton lap machine the box is placed between the beater and
the cages (the ordinary bars being removed) and the oily or other steam rising
through the perforated tap, or, the bars, is condensed or partially so and becomes
intermixed with the small flakes of cotton as they are drawn against the cages
by the action of the fan, and will pass on with the fibre into the lap ready for
carding.
The cotton or other fibre so "conditioned" and damped and with natural or
artificial oils or other ingredients thus added will card and spin much better than
without such treatment and will produce stronger and better yarn with less waste
than heretofore.
This apparatus can be adapted to any other machine for opening or preparing
fibres for carding wherein a fan or blast is used.

page_text: Improved Apparatus for Treating Cotton, Wool, and other
Fibrous Substances in the Process of Manufacture.
I FRANK SUTCLIFFE of 3 Heaton Grove Bradford in the County of York
Cotton Spinner do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR TREATING COTTON WOOL, AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES IN THE
PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
It is well known that cotton, wool, and other fibrous materials become deterio-
rated by age and lose their natural oil, moisture and strength, and the object of my
invention is to damp or "condition" such fibrous materials and by adding thereto
natural or artificial oils or other ingredients to improve and straighten the fibre
whereby it will card better as all the curl is taken out of the same, and there will
be less waste in the manufacture, it will work and spin better, and at the same
time there will be more yarn produced from the same weight of cotton or other
fibrous material.
My improved apparatus will be readily understood on reference to the annexed
sheet of drawings and to the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1. is a cross section of modifications of the apparatus. Figs. 2 and 3 are
side and front elevations of a second modification thereof. Fig. 4 is a cross section
of a further modification, and Fig. 5. shows my invention applied to a lap finishing
machine,
The apparatus consists of a box a, a of suitable dimensions according to the
machine to which it is to be adapted. It may be divided into two compartments
as shewn at Fig. 1. or it may be made with one compartment only as shewn
at Figa. 2. 3. 4. and 5.
The box a, a (or one compartment a¹ thereof) is partly filled with water, and
soap or gum, oil glycerine or other ingredients according to the nature of the fibre
to be treated and the particular quality desired to be imparted thereto whether of
an oily, gummy, antiseptic or other nature.
b
The liquid is fed into the box through a tap 6 (provided with a ball float B¹)
from a pipe 6s, leading from a suitable tank at a higher level, and an overflow
pipe c is provided for keeping the liquid always at or about the same level.
Through the liquid in the box (or the compartment a¹) passes a steam pipe d for
the purpose of boiling the same, and when the box is divided into two compart-
ments this steam pipe d passes on into the second compartment a³, where the
steam is discharged; or instead of a single pipe d several pipes, or a coiled steam
pipe or pipes may be employed to boil the liquid, or the steam pipe may boil the
liquid without any steam from the steam pipe entering the same.
The top a³, of the box is of zinc or other material perforated or made with open
bars, and as the greasy or otherwise impregnated steam rises through the perforated
top of the box or through the bars it becomes condensed and mixes with the cotton
or other fibrous material which is being carried over the same by a current of
air caused by a fan or blast. When the divided box is used the steam from the

page_text: compartments a¹ and a³ will become mixed or assimulated together before passing
through the perforated top a³.
In some cases (see Fig. 5) I provide the perforated top a³ with a protecting
ledge a which projects over the perforations and prevents them from becoming
choked or filled with the cotton or other fibres and if preferred I may form the
top or cover of overlapping plates a³, and a with a space between them (see Fig. 4)
instead of perforating the cover a³, as shown on the other figures.
I may also employ a perforated pipe e shewn dotted on Fig. 2. either in
conjunction with or instead of the open cover as to admit steam above the fibrous
material, and this pipe e may be supplied either from the pipe d or from the box a
so as to admit either plain or impregnated steam to the fibrous material. I also
provide a man hole x for examing the interior of the box a when required.
When applying my invention to a cotton lap finishing machine the box is
placed between the beater f and the cages 9, g¹ (the ordinary bars being moved)
and the oily or other steam rising through the perforated or open cover a³, or the
pipe e is condensed or partially so and becomes intermixed with the small flakes
of cotton as they are drawn against the cages g, g¹ by the action of the fan h and
will pass on with the fibre into the lap ready for carding.
I prefer to apply a dabbing brush i to the cage g¹ in order to keep the
perforations thereof open. This is a long narrow brush (shewn in section at Fig. 5.
mounted on a shaft which has a rocking motion imparted to it by any convenient
means, so that the bristles of the brush enter the perforations in the cage gl as the
latter revolves. The bristles of this brush i should not be too close together so
that they may the more easily enter the perforations in the said cage g¹.
The cotton or other fibre so "conditioned" and damped and with natural
or artificial oils or other ingredients thus added will card and spin much better
than without such treatment and will produce better yarn with less waste than
heretofore.
This apparatus can be adapted to any other machine for opening or preparing
fibres wherein a fan or blast is used.
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 improved apparatus for treating cotton, wool and other fibrous substances
in the process of manufacture by impregnating the same with oily or other steam,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
Dated thin what dose of T... 100F