Improved Bottle Washing Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1898-Accepted, 20th May, 1898
Improved Bottle Washing Apparatus.
I, CHRISTOPH GROTERJAN, of 130, Schönhauser Allee, Berlin, in the Empire of
Germany, Brewer, 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 relates to an apparatus for cleansing bottles having a considerably
increased output and effecting a very considerable saving in working expenses as
against the bottle washing apparatuses hitherto employed. In addition to the
practical general arrangement of the apparatus, this is mainly attained by the
brushes employed as the means for cleaning the interior of the bottles being adapted
to utilise directly the propulsive power of steam issuing from a nozzle and the same
steam being directly utilized for warming the washing water.
An apparatus for bottle washing arranged according to this invention
in the accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the whole apparatus ;
Figure 2 a plan view of same; and
shown
Figures 3 and 4 vertical and horizontal section respectively of the motor operated
directly by steam with the axle of which motor two brushes are directly connected.
The apparatus consists of the dipping tank a which is filled with water up to a
certain height and in which the bottles are first placed for a certain time in order
that the impurities adhering thereto may be softened and also partially
removed. On the upper edge of the longitudinal walls of this tank, bars or
rails a¹ are fixed and on these a drip or drain frame mounted on four wheels b¹ is
movably arranged. The bottles with their necks downwards are inserted in the
holes of this frame and after the bottles have been drained the draining frame b
The
together with the bottles is pushed to the right hand end of the rails a¹.
bottles then come into a comparatively shallow tank or vessel c arranged at this
Above the tank ca brushing
end where they are again partially filled with water.
apparatus d is mounted in a bracket-like support or carrier c¹. This brushing
apparatus consists of a wheel f revolubly mounted in a casing e, the rim g of said
wheel being made comparatively heavy in order that the wheeel may have a
considerable momentum. The wheel has a groove h running all round it which is
A brush is connected with each
provided with vanes by means of radial bars i.
end of the axle of the wheel which axle projects through the casing e at each end,
the connection being effected by means of a socket k.
A nozzle m opens into the casing e, which nozzle is connected with any suitable
steam supply, such for instance as a steam boiler or a steam supply pipe. The
nozzle is so arranged that the steam emerging therefrom with the expansive force
of the respective source of supply impinges as directly as possible at right angles
against the side of the vane i situated immediately below it. By the force of the
steam the wheelf and therewith also the two brushes are set in rotation, which
owing to the circumstance that each successive vane i receives an impulse, very
soon produces an extremely rapid revolution of the wheel f with the brushes ĭ.
The steam flowing into each separate compartment of the rim of the wheel is on the

page_text: rotation of the wheel of course carried with it. The lower part of the casing e is
widened out or expanded in such a way that a free space n results in which the
steam carried along in the compartments of the wheel rim is ejected by centrifugal
force. A pipe o runs downwards from this space n and the lower end of said pipe
dips in the water of the tank c. A second pipe p. also running from the space n
opens into the water of the tank a. As the tanks' a and c at first and also later on
(on the renewal of the water) are always again filled with cold water, a powerful
condensation of course takes place of the steam passing from the chamber n into
the pipes o and p, and in consequence of this condensation there very soon takes
place in the water contained in the said two tanks such a heating as is necessary
for the rapid softening and washing out of the impurities contained in and on the
bottles. A workman stands at each side of the tank c and removes the bottles
from the tank c and places them over the rapidly rotating brushes arranged at
each side so that the interior of the bottles is thoroughly cleansed. The workman
places the brushed out bottle which still contains some water into a second drip
frame adjoining him from which the bottles may be removed again by another
workman and finally washed in a third tank r containing pure water.
The steam consumption of the brush motor is a very small one and steam having
a pressure of 1-1 atmospheres suffices.
By using the double brushing apparatus hereinbefore described about 2,000
bottles may be cleansed per hour. For this, four workmen are employed at each
side of the washing apparatus so that in all eight workmen are necessary.
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 :-
A bottle washing apparatus having a vaned motor wheel (f) provided with
brushes () on the ends of its shaft in an axial direction adapted to be directly
rotated by the force of discharge of steam impinging from a nozzle (m) against the
vanes (i) of the motor wheel, the steam carried along with the vanes being thrown
off into an expanded part of the motor casing (e) from which it is condensed by
means of pipes (p and o) opening into the water of the bottle rinsing and washing
tanks (a c) whereby the steam is simultaneously utilised for warming the washing
water, and driving the brushes, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 28th day of March 1898.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.