New or Improved Apparatus for the Treatment of Textile Fibres or Yarns or the like, with Dyeing Fluids and Vapours.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus for the Treatment of Textile Fibres
or Yarns or the like, with Dyeing Fluids and Vapours.
I, EDUARD GESSLER, of Metzingen, in the Empire of Germany, Dyer, 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:―
Up to the present it has not been possible with the existing dyeing apparatus
which operates under pressure and with alternating directions of the currents of
the dye to wring or drain the material in the apparatus, for the purpose of
obtaining intensified color-effects. For the performance of this indispensable
operation it is necessary to take the yarn out of the apparatus, wring or drain it,
put it back again and repeat the operations. It has also been impossible with
existing apparatus to change or vary the direction of the different currents which
are formed in the dyeing-fluid, for the purpose of a more equal distribution of
these currents through the material. In other words it has not been possible to
It was necessary to
compel these currents to continually alter their direction.
take the material out of the apparatus, wring or drain it, put it back again, and
repeat the operations.
In those cases where the apparatus also served the purpose of rinsing, it was
altogether impossible to separate from the yarn, whilst in the apparatus, the
residue of the coloring fluid which would naturally remain in the material after
wringing or draining. Whenever this operation, on the frequent repetition of
which the correct rinsing of the yarn largely depends, becomes necessary, the
material has to be taken from the apparatus, wrung or drained put back again, and
the operations repeated.
By means of my invention (whereby the yarn can be pressed or wrung if
desired, even when the apparatus is in actual operation, and at the same time the
surplus coloring matter can be effectually removed), all the drawbacks enumerated
can be overcome, and also centrifugal draining or wringing can be dispensed with.
In other words the material undergoes treatment for the purpose of effecting these
objects that is to say,-wringing, for the purpose of obtaining intensified color-
effects, the production of continually changing currents through the material for
the purpose of the equal distribution of coloring matter or dye in the material,-
and the removal of the residue of the coloring matter left in the material after
the wringing or rinsing; all this without removing the material from the vat and
independently of the apparatus being in use or not.
The various parts and arrangements of my invention are represented in the
accompanying drawing, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Figure 1 represents a cylindrical dye vat consisting of two parts, an upper wide
dye vat a with an opening p and a lower and narrower part b with the sockets or
openings c and c². The upper and wider part a is connected with the lower part
by a ring shaped disc d perforated with a number of bolt holes a. The shoulder
or disc d serves as a packing surface as will be hereinafter described.
Figure 2 represents a cylindrical lid D consisting of a cap e with a number of
adjusting screws n with milled heads n'. A ring fis fitted to the cape and to this
ring is attached the flange g which extends so far inwards that the highest
positions of the grids or strainers o in the vessels C (Figure 6) are determined by
it (the said flange g) and by the fly nuts F on the partition walls S (Figure 3).
The flange g is perforated with a number of bolt holes a¹ and carries at its end
the vertical brim which allows the introduction of the lid into the dye vat a.

page_text: The opening or socket c in the periphery of the ring f may be provided with a
screw-coupling.
The flange g serves as packing surface as hereinafter described.
In the
Figure 3 represents a cylindrical vessel B' for containing the textile fibres or
yarn to be dyed or treated. The cylindrical shell 13 of the said vessel is
provided at top and bottom with the flanges 3, 13. In the said flanges a number of
stud screws k³, k³, are fitted to correspond with the holes and x' hereinbefore
described. The two flanges and also serve as packing surfaces.
cylindrical shell B³ of the vessel B' which is to contain the yarn, a number of
cylindrical vessels C are introduced (shown in plan in Figure 4). To every one
of these vessels two ways or tubes e and c are attached and these are connected
with each other by the tubes R', and the tubes R7 are all connected with one
another by the tube R which is provided with a cock 6. Separating walls S are
found between the cylindrical vessels C and to the lower ends of these walls the
flanges N are attached. The fly-nuts and washers F are at the upper end of the
separating walls.
Figure 6 represents diagrammatically the various parts of my apparatus
arranged and connected. In this figure B2 is a vessel, preferably of truncated
cone shape, for the purpose of saving dye or fluid and provided with a heating coil
as illustrated.
Figure 5 represents diagrammatically perforated cylindrical grids or strainers u
and o with rims and pointing upwards and downwards respectively.
Perforated truncated cones v are fitted on the grids or strainers o.
The grids or strainers u and o are made to fit and move easily in the vessels C.
Referring again to Figure 6 P is a pump and W is a lifting device.
The parts of the apparatus described above are connected and arranged in the
following manner :-
The dye-vat A is connected with the vessel B2 by tubes R1 and R2, the latter
provided with a cock 2 and the pump P, which is introduced between the two
tubes. Further connection is made through the pipe R' which is provided with a
cock 5.
The dye-vat A when the lid D is fitted to it is connected with the containing
vessel B2 by means of the tube R which tube is provided with a cock 4.
To allow of the easy removal of the lid D the tube R may be provided with a
screw coupling or connection at c. The tubes R2 and R' are connected by the
tube R³, also provided with a cock 3.
Before proceeding with the dyeing of the textile fibres or yarn some pre-
liminaries are necessary. The grids u with the brims z' pointing downwards are
put into the cylindrical vessels C. These grids rest on the flanges N which are at
the lower part of the separating walls S and when the grids are placed as above
described the vessels are filled with yarn. After the vessels C have been filled
with yarn the vessel B is lifted by means of the lifting device W and placed in
the dye-vat A resting on the shoulder d in such a manner that the screws
coincide with and fit in the holes a which are made for their reception. Between
the shoulder d and the flange a packing ring is fitted so as to secure a tight joint
when the nuts on the screw studs are tightened up. After this vessel has been
put into the dye-vat the grids o with their rims and the perforated truncated
cones pointing upwards are introduced into the vessel C. The movement of the
grids o is limited by the fly-nuts and washers F on the separating walls S and the
flange of the lid D. The lowest position of the grids u in the vessel C is
determined by the flange N at the lower part of the separating walls.
After the grids o have been put in the vessels Ċ the lid D is put on the
vessel B' and this lid fits with its flange g (in which are the holes) on the
flange so that the stud screws k fit into the holes of the flange g. A packing
ring is introduced between the flanges 3 and 9 and complete tightening between
the lid D and the vessel B' is obtained by means of the nuts on the stud screws k².
The screws n with the milled heads n¹ correspond exactly with the truncated

page_text: cones of the grids o. The vessel B2 containing the dye is connected with the
lid D by screwing the tube R on to the socket by means of a screw coupling or
connection. After completing these preliminaries the cocks 3 and 5 are opened
and the cocks 2 4 and 6 are closed. The pump P is then put into operation and
the dye is brought from the containing vessel B2 and forced through the tubes R³
and R, and through the lid D of the dye-vat at 3 and is forced from the top
downwards through the yarn in the vessel C, and thence into the lower part of the
dye-vat A, from whence it runs back into the vessel B2, through the tube R³ to be
again pumped and forced in the same direction as before. When the dye has
passed for a sufficient time through the material from the top downwards the
pump P is stopped and the cock 6 of the tube R is opened. Now the yarn
contained in the vessel C is compressed by screwing down the screws n, by their
heads n', so that they drive downwards the grids o with the perforated truncated
cones v, and the dye left in the yarn escapes from the vessels (through the lower
perforated grids u, the tubes or ways cand and the tubes R and R'. The
tubes or ways cand e enable the dye which is forced upwards during the
compression of the yarn to flow away at once. It will thus be seen that the yarn
is compressed in the vessels C by screwing down the grids o into the vessel C, by
means of the screws n, the yarn being thereby wrung or drained. After this
wringing process is completed the screws n are screwed upwards again, and the
pressure on the grids o is relieved so that they may assume their normal position in
the vessels C as determined by the fly-nuts and washers F and the flange g. The
cocks 2 and 4 are now opened; the cocks 3, 5, and are closed, and the pump is
again set in action. This operation forces the dye from the vessel B2 and through
the sockets or opening e' upwards into the vessels C through the yarn and into the
lid D, from whence it flows back into the vessel B2 through the tube R*, and this
operation is repeated as often as necessary.
In the passage of the dye through the yarn from the bottom upwards, the yarn
after having been pressed from the top downwards during the wringing or draining
process, is expanded again from the bottom upwards by the current of the dye
and resumes its original volume or thereabouts. The compression of the yarn, the
draining of this before the changing of the current of the dye; and the movements
of the grids u and o in the vessels C (caused thereby) is of great importance
because the current impressions in the material, either by the currents upwards or
downwards are different; and by the opposite movement of the dye new
impressions are formed which result in an absolutely equal distribution of the dye;
and this the more because both movements of the dye take place under pressure.
The draining of the yarn whilst being washed after dyeing is very important as
the residue of the dye which has been retained during the washing process is
hereby mechanically removed.
The change of current impressions of the dye and of the rinsing current in the
material, by the alternating change is also of great use in the rinsing process.
When the yarn has been treated with fluids or vapours from top downwards and
inversely sufficiently long, the pump P is stopped, the lid D removed from the dye-
vat A and the vessel B' containing the yarn lifted from the dye vat B2 by means
of the lifting device W and the yarn is taken out of the vessels C and dried.
The apparatus may be arranged in such a way that it can be operated under a
vacuum before the beginning of the dyeing.
This is done by fitting a vacuum chamber over the apparatus, and this chamber
is connected with an air-pump and the lid D.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An apparatus for the treatment of textile-fibres or yara or the like with
fluids and vapours, consisting of a cylindrical dye vat A provided with sockets c
and c; with a packed cylindrical lid D (provided with a socket c³) in which dye

page_text: vat the vessel B' for the reception of the yarn is placed, after its cylindrical
vessels C have been filled with the yarn; and in which the material is enabled to
remain during the whole of the dyeing process, owing to its being compressed by
the perforated grids u and o, actuated by screws n; and in which the expressed
fluid (or vapour) is conducted away by a special arrangement of tubes substantially
as described.
2. A. form of construction of the apparatus described in Claim 1, whereby the
perforated grids o are actuated by the screws n, introduced into the lid D, by
means of wheels n', which cause a compression and wringing or drainage of the
material; so that the expressed fluid escapes through the tubes and in the
walls of the vessel B', and through the perforated grids o; and is conducted
through the connecting tubes R' into the tube R, and is drawn off through these
tubes as well as through the tube R³.
Dated this 17th day of I..., 1902
J. G. LORRAIN, Mem. Inst. E.E., Mem. Inst. M.E.,
Norfolk House, Norfolk Street, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.
Per A. P. W.