An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Carbonizing Destroying Vegetable Matter Contained in or Mixed with Woollen, Silk, or other Animal Fibre or Fabric.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 9th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 13th July, 1888
or
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Carbonizing
Destroying Vegetable Matter Contained in or Mixed with
Woollen, Silk, or other Animal Fibre or Fabric.
We JAMES FITTON, JAMES FITTON, Junior, and EDGAR FITTON all of Dewsbury
in the County of York Mungo Manufacturers and Carbonizers do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of an improved method of destroying vegetable matter
contained in or mixed with wool silk or other animal fibre by moving it to and fro in
a stationary chamber and in means for effecting the same.
In performing our invention we make a chamber of brick or other suitable material
having three or other number of floors formed preferably of bars of flanged iron
extending from one end nearly to the other end of the chamber the alternate bars
being movable and connected to cranks which give them a rising and falling and a to
and fro movement the cranks which actuate the lowest set of bars may be connected
to the cranks above them by cog wheels or otherwise.
Motion is or may be communicated from the driving shaft to the cranks by worms and
worm wheels and by a strap and pulley. We fit in a box at one of the upper ends of
the chamber two pairs of feed rollers so arranged as to prevent the escape of the
carbonizing gases. The fibre to be operated upon is placed on an apron which conveys
it to the feed rollers which deposit it on the top floor in the chamber; the movable
bars lift and open it allowing the carbonizing gases to permeate it and at the same
time move it forward until it arrives nearly at the end of the chamber when it falls
on to the next floor the movable bars of which carry it in the opposite direction the
fibre being moved in a similar manner along each successive floor until it arrives at
the lowest floor from the end of which it falls down an inclined plane to two pairs of
delivery rollers (also arranged to prevent the escape of the gases) which deposit it on
an endless apron outside the chamber by which it is carried to any suitable receptacle
or place.

page_text: The carbonizing gases are admitted to the chamber by pipes or openings; and the
fixed bars, or any of the bars, forming the floors, are perforated to allow the gases to
circulate and to pass freely to the under parts of the fibre being operated upon.
We heat the chamber by fires with flues under the chamber, by steam pipes, or by
other means.
Any suitable mechanism may be employed to operate the movable bars so as to
cause them to agitate the fibre and move it along the floor or floors of the chamber
and the movement of the bars may be uniform and simultaneous or irregular and
intermittent.
Motion may be transmitted from the driving shaft or worm shaft to the feed and
delivery rollers and aprons in any convenient manner.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and
or
Apparatus for Carbonizing
Destroying Vegetable Matter Contained in or Mixed with
Woollen, Silk, or other Animal Fibre or Fabric.
We JAMES FITTON, JAMES FITTON Junior and EDGAR FITTON all of Dewsbury
in the County of York England Mungo Manufacturers and Carbonizers 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 :-
Our invention consists of an improved method of and means for carbonizing or
destroying vegetable matier contained in or mixed with wool silk or other animal fibre
or fabric.
In performing our invention we construct a chamber of brick metal or other
suitable material having three or other number of floors formed preferably of bars of
flanged iron extending from one end nearly to the other end of the chamber the
alternate bars or all of the bars being movable and connected to cranks which impart
to them a rising and falling and a to and fro movement the cranks which actuate the
bars being connected together by toothed wheels or otherwise and the motion is
transmitted to the cranks by worms and worm wheels connected to the cog or toothed
wheels on the crank shafts.
We feed the fibre or fabric to be operated upon into the chamber between feed
rollers fitted in a box at the top of one end of the chamber and so arranged as to
prevent the escape of the carbonizing gases these rollers are or may be driven at a
greater speed than the movable bars of the floors to lay the fibre or fabric on the top
floor in an open state so that the gas may permeate it freely. The movable bars lift
the fibre or fabric and move it forward until it arrives nearly at the other end of the
chamber when it falls on to the next floor the movable bars of which carry it in
the opposite direction the fibre or fabric being moved in a similar manner along each
successive floor until it arrives at the lowest Hoor from which it is taken by delivery
rollers also arranged to prevent the escape of gas which deposit it on an endless apron
outside the chamber by which it is carried to any suitable receptacle or place.
We generate the carbonizing gas in a dish or vessel fitted above a furnace con-
structed at one side of the carbonizing chamber we place a carboy or other vessel
containing muriatic acid on top of the brickwork surrounding the furnace and dish
and supply the acid to the dish through an S shaped pipe one arm of which is inserted
vertically through the brickwork above the dish the enclosed space above the dish
communicates directly with the interior of the carbonizing chamber and the products
of combustion from the furnace pass through a flue or Hues under the carbonizing
chamber and heat it. The chamber may be heated by steam pipes or by other means.
We perforate the fixed bars or any or all of the bars forming the floors of the chamber
to allow the carbonizing gas to circulate freely and act effectively on all parts of the
fibre or fabric being operated upon. Any suitable mechanism may be employed to
operate the movable bars so as to cause them to agitate the fibre or fabric and move, it

page_text: along the floors and the movement of the bars may be uniform and simultaneous or
irregular and intermittent or other means may be used to cause the fibre or fabric to
iravel through a stationary chamber. Motion may be communicated to the feed
and delivery rollers in any convenient manner we prefer to cover their ends and
parts of the box containing them with lead to avoid corrosion.
And in order that our invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect we will describe the accompanying drawings reference being had to the figures
and letters marked thereon.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
Fig. 1 is a plan partly in section of our improved carbonizing apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation.
Fig. 4 is an irregular cross section.
Fig. 5 is an end view of the apparatus and Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views.
aa are the walls of the carbonizing chamber a is the driving shaft, to which motion
is communicated by a belt on the pulley a' or in any other convenient manner are
worms fixed on the shaft a and gearing into worm wheels ed keyed on the crank
shafts cd on which are also secured toothed wheels de gearing into wheels c³ ³
fixed on the crank shafts e and the wheels ed³ gear into wheels ed. Keyed on the
crank shafts and h on each crank is a long bush or box (shown enlarged on Figs. 6
and 7) on which rests the barsj forming the movable part of the floors of the apparatus
the bushes only bear on the cranks at either end and the hollow portion may be
filled with oil or other lubricant. The bars forming the stationary part of the
floors are perforated as shown clearly on Fig. and 6 and they are supported by cross
bars which rest upon bars m fixed to the frames n n which carry the crank shaft
bearings o o are the feed rollers mounted in bearings in the box p which is cast with
or connected to the frames a: is a hinged plate which rests on the roller o and rises
and falls with it, is a fixed plate in contact with the underside of the roller o'
these plates extend from end to end of the box p and prevent the escape of gas. The
feed rollers oo receive motion from a chain wheels fixed on the crank shaft c'
through a chain s¹ and a chain wheel o² fixed on the shaft of the roller of which also
transmits motion to the feed apron 03 by suitable gearing. The delivery rollers t
are mounted in bearings in a box y connected to or cast with the frames n' and
receive motion from a chain wheel u on the crank shaft d' through a chain u¹ and a
chain wheel 2 fixed on the shaft of the roller t¹ which transmits motion to the delivery
apron apron a hinged plate t rests on the roller and a fixed plate t is fitted under
the roller t' to prevent the escape of gas vis the furnace which heats the carbonizing
chamber (by flues not shown) and also the dish w to generate the carbonizing gas
which passes through the opening w¹ directly into the carbonizing chamber w³ is the
carboy containing the muriatic acid which passes through a siphon tube w³ and
drops into the S shaped pipe w from one end of which it falls into the dish w
where it is evaporated.
The gas carbonizes or destroys all the cotton or other vegetable, matter contained in
or mixed with the wool or other animal fibre or fabric while it is passing through the
chamber.
Fig. 8 a side elevation and Fig. 9 an end elevation of a carbonizer constructed
according to our invention. Fig. 10 is a plan of part of the same with the top of
the chamber removed. These views show an alternative arrangement of mechanism
for operating the movable bars and also for the feed and delivery. The fixed bars are
not shown.
The movable bars are mounted on cross bars j¹ fixed on longitudinal rails which
bear on anti-friction rollers these rollers turn on studs secured to the frames l¹:
there are two frames one at each side of the chamber and they are suspended on
leverse (which may have on their ends antifriction rollers) inside the chamber the
levers el are fixed (and vibrate) on studs to which are fixed outside the chamber
leverse connected by links e to the short arms of levers e³ fulcrumed at the long
arms of the two levers e³ are connected by links g' to the cranked shaft g³ which is

page_text: connected by links g³ to bars j³ fixed to the highest and lowest set of bars jat
each side of the chamber is a lever fulcrumed on a stud fixed to the frame cach
end of the lever is slotted and one end receives a pin connected to the middle rail j
and the other end a pin connected to the lowest rail so that when the lowest rails
move in one direction they impart a movement in the opposite direction to the rails j
next above them o is the feed roller and t is the delivery roller.
The mode of operation is as follows-
The fabric or fibre to be operated upon is placed on the ends of the bars forming
the top floor which project outside the chamber and the crank shaft g' is set in motion
as it revolves it imparts an up and down movement to the frames by the links g
leverse links e* and levers and e¹ the ends of the latter bear against projections /
on the frames at the same time the crank by the links g³ and bars j³ transmits a
longitudinal movement to the bars of the top and bottom floors the rails which
support them running freely on the rollers when the ends of the bars j outside the
feed roller o are raised and moved inward they carry with them the fabric or fibre and
feed it under the roller o into the chamber a plate rests on top of the roller o and
fits against the edges of the opening through which the fibre enters the chamber
and thus prevents the escape of gas. The bars of the middle floor are moved longi-
tudinally by the lover 12 shown on Fig. 8. The delivery roller is actuated by the
bars in the same manner as the feed roller.
In place of a crank to operate the levers which raise and lower the frame cams
may be used so as to keep the frames and bars j in their lowest position during all
or nearly all of the return movement of the bars and in the highest position during
all or most of the forward movement of the bars j. Weights or springs may be con-
nected to the ends of the levers to counterbalance the weight of the frame
the movable bars of the floors that are carried on it.
and
Having stated the nature of our invention and described the manner of performing
the same we would have it understood that we do not limit ourselves to the details
herein set forth as they may be varied or modified without departing from our
invention. And we declare that what we claim is :-
1. The improved method of and means for carbonizing or destroying vegetable
matter contained in or mixed with wool silk or other animal fibre or fabric by passing
the fibre or fabric through a stationary chamber heated and fitted with gas which will
carbonize or destroy the vegetable matter without injuring the animal fibre or fabric
substantially as herein described and as shown on the annexed drawings.
2. For carbonizing or destroying vegetable matter mixed with animal fibre or fabric
the use of a stationary chamber filled with carbonizing gas and fitted with movable
bars and cranks or their equivalents for lifting the fibre or fabric and moving it
through the chamber.
Dated this 8th June 1888