IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR WASHING WOOL, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WRINGING OR SQUEEZING ROLLERS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John McNaught and William McNaught, junior, of
St. George's Foundry, Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and
Machinists, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO
MACHINES FOR WASHING WOOL, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WRINGING
OR SQUEEZING ROLLERS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, AND FOR OTHER
SIMILAR PURPOSES."
Sealed the 23rd September 1879, and dated the 3rd April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John McNaught and William
McNaught at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd April
1879.
JOHN MCNAUGHT and WILLIAM M°NAUGHT, junior, of St. George's Foundry,
Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and Machinists. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR WASHING WOOL, AND IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF WRINGING OR SQUEEZING ROLLERS USED IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH, AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES."
In wool washing machines made by us the wool has been placed in a trough
partly filled with washing liquor and has been agitated and carried forward by
swinging rakes and ultimately lifted above the surfaco of the liquor in the trough
and deposited upon an incline surface through holes in the bottom of which prongs
have lifted to keep the wool from slipping back which has been dragged up the
incline by a reciprocating "harrow" to pass on to the squeezing rollers; and our
present improvement relates,-
Firstly. To a combination and arrangement of mechanism for preventing the
wool deposited upon the incline from slipping back, which mechanism is substituted
for the prongs coming up through holes in the bottom of the incline, and consists in
one or more shafts having prongs secured in or formed on them; this shaft or
shafts being arranged in suitable bearings across the said incline so as to be free to
oscillate.
The shaft (or each of them if more than one) is acted upon by a weight or spring,
which will tend to bring the prongs on the shaft into a vertical position or nearly

page_text: so, consequently they ill give way to the wool brought on to the incline and
when being dragged up, but will rise again and retain the wool if it tends to slip
down.
These oscillating pronged shafts are or may be actuated by cam or other
mechanism.
In place of the oscillating pronged shaft or shafts above referred to, there is or
may be one oscillating pronged shaft alone or acting in combination with those
described placed at or near the angle formed between the curved end of the trough
and the bottom of the incline, this shaft being oscillated by cam or crank mechanism
and actuated so that its prongs will be nearly close to the curved end of the trough
until the delivery or lifting rake has nearly attained its highest position; then it is
caused by the cam to oscillate and follow the rake, the prongs of the oscillating
shaft passing between the prongs of the rake so as to take the wool from them and
carry it to and retain it on the incline until the harrow takes hold, then the oscil-
lating pronged shaft moves back to its first position against or near the curved end
of the trough, and so on.
Secondly. Our Invention relates to an improved mode of actuating the harrow
for dragging the wool up the incline, and our present improvement consists in
employing two cams for lifting and lowering the harrow in place of four, hitherto
used, which cams are placed near the lower end of the harrow, the upper ends of
the harrow or its frame resting and moving on bowls, the to and fro end movement
of the harrow being produced by mechanism similar to that hitherto used for the
purpose.
Thirdly. Our improvements relate to arrangements for conveying the wool from
the top of the incline to the squeezing rollers. The wool is either deposited upon
an apron (described below) to be carried to the squeezers, or it is or may be dropped
from the top of the incline upon another reversed incline, and it will descend by its
own gravity to the squeezers. But when we use an endless apron for conveying
the wool from the top of the incline to the squeezers our Invention consists in
making it of flexible sheet metal such as will not readily oxidize, such as phosphor
bronze, or like material, and it is or may be formed in one breadth of material or
in several breadths.
We prefer to arrange this apron so that it will pass round the lower squeezing
roller at one end and at the other end round my ordinary roller. In combination
with either modo above described of conveying the wool to the squeezers we prefer
to arrange the top squeezing roller a little in advance of the lower roller, so that the
gravity of the wool will assist its passage between the rollers.
Fourthly. Our Invention relates to a combination and arrangement for dragging
the wool to the squeezers from the bottom of the washing trough directly from the
nearest agitating rake, which does not lift the wool above the surface of the liquor,
and consists in prolonging the incline to the bottom of the trough and arranging
the agitating rake nearest that end to bring the wool to that position, when the
harrow takes and drags it from below the surface of the liquor and up the incline
to the squeezing rollers.
The wool is or may be prevented from slipping back on the incline by prongs or
teeth fixed in the bottom of the incline trough in an incline position, and tho
wool is conveyed to the squeezing rollers by a reversed incline.
Fifthly. Our Invention relates to a combination and arrangement for lifting wool
from a washing trough to the incline, which is more particularly applicable for wool
of fine qualities, and consists in a pronged shaft arranged so that it can rotate and
be oscillated to and fro.
The pronged shaft is arranged across the trough, and by suitable gearing makes a
complete revolution and then stops. When it stops the prongs are parallel or nearly
so with the incline, and then the pronged shaft while thus stationary as to rotation
is moved so that its prongs carry the wool on them up the incline; then the harrow
takes hold and pronged shaft moves backward to its first position, then another

page_text: rotation takes place and the above described movements are repeated. The shaft is
carried on levers or slides, and is moved to and fro by a crank or cranks, or cam or
cams and connected mechanism.
For the stationary incline an endless metal apron similar to that above described
is or may be substituted. In place of a rotary pronged shaft an oscillating pronged
shaft is or may be used, the oscillations being produced by a cam, while the to and
fro movements of the shaft are produced by a cam or crank and connected
mechanism. When using either an oscillating or rotary pronged shaft, as above
explained, the curve of the end of the washing trough is or may be made of such
form as to agree or nearly so with the curve described by the points of the prongs
and produced by the combined rotary or oscillatory movement and the to and fro
movement of the shaft in their lower course.
Sixthly. Our Invention relates to improvements upon the elastic squeezing or
wringing rollers described in the Specification of a Patent granted to us, numbered 984,
and dated the 5th April, A.D. 1866, which elastic roller was formed of a series of
rings of india rubber of rectangular cross-section alternating with metal rings or
discs.
Our present Invention consists in forming the india-rubber rings as above
described, except that the inner surface is of a V or wedge shape, or a circular
shape, or similar form.
These india rubber rings are placed upon V grooved pulleys of the same
width or nearly so as the rings, or they are placed between double bevel discs,
which when placed side by side on the shaft form a V groove for each ring,
or a solid roller is used with a series of V grooves formed in its surface, and the
rings are sprung until they can be placed in the grooves.
The pulleys or discs are placed on a shaft and screwed together without putting
any undue pressure upon the india rubber rings on the pulleys or between the
double bevel discs.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Lotters Patent filed by
the said John MoNaught and William McNaught in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th September 1879.
"
JOHN MCNAUGHT and WILLIAM MCNAUGHT, junior, of St. George's Foundry,
Rochdale, in the County of of Lancaster, Engineers and Machinists. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR WASHING WOOL, AND IN
CONSTRUCTION OF WRINGING OR SQUEEZING ROLLERS USED IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH, AND FOR OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES."
THE
In wool washing machines made by us the wool has been placed in a trough
partly filled with washing liquor and has been agitated and carried forward by
swinging rakes and ultimately lifted above the surface of the liquor in the trough
and deposited upon an incline surface through holes in the bottom of which prongs
have lifted to keep the wool from slipping back which has been dragged up tho
incline by a reciprocating "harrow" to pass on to the squeezing rollers, and our
present improvement relates,-
Firstly. To a combination and arrangement of mechanism for preventing the wool
deposited upon the incline from slipping back, which mechanism is substituted for
the prongs coming up through holes in the bottom of the incline, and consists in
one or more shafts having prongs secured in or formed on them, this shaft or shafts
being arranged in suitable bearings across the said incline so as to be free to
oscillate. The shaft (or each of them if more than one) is acted upon by a weight
or spring, which will tend to bring the prongs on the shaft into a vertical position
or nearly so, consequently they will give way to the wool brought on to the incline,
and when being dragged up, but will rise again and retain the wool if it tends to
slip down.
These oscillating pronged shafts are or may be actuated by cam or other
mechanism. In place of the oscillating pronged shaft or shafts above referred to
there is or may be one oscillating pronged shaft alone or acting in combination with
those described, placed at or near the angle formed between the curved end of the
trough and the bottom of the incline, this shaft being oscillated by cam or crank
mechanism, and actuated so that its prongs will be nearly close to the curved end
of the trough until the delivery or lifting rake has nearly attained its highest
position, then it is caused by the cam to oscillate and follow the rake, the prongs of
the oscillating shaft passing between the prongs of the rake so as to take the wool
from them and carry it to and retain it on the incline until the harrow takes hold,
then the oscillating pronged shaft moves back to its first position against or near
the curved end of the trough, and so on.
Secondly. Our Invention relates to an improved mode of actuating the harrow
for dragging the wool up the incline, and our present improvement consists in
employing two cams for lifting and lowering the harrow in place of four hitherto
used, which cams are placed near the lower end of the harrow, the upper ends of
the harrow or its frame resting and moving on bowls, the to and fro end movement
of the harrow being produced by mechanism similar to that hitherto used for the
purpose.
Thirdly. Our improvements relate to arrangements for conveying the wool from
the top of the incline to the squeezing rollers. The wool is deposited upon an
endless apron to be carried to the squeezers.
The endless apron is formed of flexible sheet metal that will not readily oxidize,
such as phosphor bronze or like material, and it is or may be made in one breadth
of material or in several breadths.
We prefer to arrange this endless apron so that it will pass round the lower
squeezing roller at one end and at the other end round any ordinary roller.
Fourthly. Our Invention relates to a combination and arrangement for dragging

page_text: the wool to the squeezers from the bottom of the washing trough directly from the
nearest agitating rake which does not lift the wool above the surface of the liquor,
and consists in prolonging the incline to the bottom of the trough and arranging
the agitating rake nearest that end to bring the wool to that position when the
harrow takes and drags it from below the surface of the liquor and up the incline
to the squeezing rollers.
The wool is or may be prevented from slipping back on the incline by prongs or
teeth fixed in the bottom of the incline trough in an incline position, and the wool
is conveyed to the squeezing rollers by a reversed incline.
Another modification under this head consists in a combination and arrangement
of the metal apron hereinbefore mentioned with other mechanism for taking the
wool brought by the delivering rake to the squeezing roller.
Fifthly. Our Invention relates to a combination and arrangement for lifting wool
from a washing trough to the incline, which is more particularly applicable for
wool of fine qualities, and consists in a pronged shaft arranged so that it can rotate
and be oscillated to and fro.
The pronged shaft is arranged across the trough, and by suitable gearing makes
a complete revolution and then stops; when it stops the prongs are parallel or
nearly so with the incline, and then the pronged shaft while thus stationary as to
rotation is moved so that its prongs carry the wool on them up the incline, then
the harrow takes hold and the pronged shaft comes backward to its first position,
then another rotation takes place and the above described movements are repeated..
The shaft is carried on levers or slides and is moved to and fro by a cam or cams
and connected mechanism.
For the stationary incline an endless metal apron similar to that above described
is or may be substituted.
When using a rotary pronged shaft, as above explained, the curve of the end of
the washing trough is or may be made of such form as to agree or nearly so with
the curve described by the points of the prongs in their lower course.
Sixthly. Our Invention relates to improvements upon the elastic squeezing or
wringing rollers described in the Specification of a Patent granted to us, numbered
984, and dated the 5th April, A.D. 1866, which elastic rollers was formed of a
series of rings of india rubber of rectangular cross section, alternating with metal
rings or discs placed between them.
Our present Invention consists in forming the india rubber rings as above
described, except that the inner surface is of a V or wedge shape, or a circular
shape, or similar form, or of rectangular section, as hereinafter described.
These india rubber rings are placed upon V grooved pulleys of the same width
or nearly so as the rings, or they are placed between double bevel discs which,
when arranged side by side on the shaft, form a V groove for each ring; or a solid
roller is used with a series of V grooves formed in its surface, and the rings are
sprung or extended until they can be placed in the grooves; or the india rubber is
vulcanized upon the pulleys so as to adhere to them, especially when formed of
rectangular cross section.
The pulleys or discs are placed on a shaft, and screwed together without putting.
any undue pressure upon the india rubber rings on the pulleys or between the
double bevel discs. This improved mode of constructing elastic rollers allows
damaged or worn parts to be removed without having to renew the entire surface
of the roller, which may thus at comparatively little expense be maintained in.
perfect working order.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of so much of a wool washing machine as will be
necessary for explaining the first part of our Invention.
a is part of the bottom of the trough of a wool washing machine; b, part of the
incline up which the wool is dragged to the squeezing rollers; c and c¹ are two
shafts (there may be one or more) extending across the incline (b) and oscillating
in suitable bearings on the sides of the trough. These shafts c and c³ have prongs

page_text: or teeth formed on or secured in them, and at one end of each shaft or at both ends
there is a weighted arm (shown in dotted line) which will tend to keep the prongs
vertical, as shown in full time, but these weighted arms will give way in the
direction in which the wool is being dragged up the incline and assume the position
shown in dotted line, but they will rise again to the erect position when the
dragging force ceases.
•
Springs may be used instead of weights if desired, or the shafts c and c¹ may be
coupled by a connecting rod attached to the arms and worked by a cam from any
convenient moving part of the machine.
Fig. 1 also illustrates a modification under the first head of our Invention, where
an oscillating shaft is placed in the position of the shaft c at the angle between the
incline b and the bottom of the trough a, and this shaft is made with long prongs
which will pass between the prongs of the ordinary oscillating delivery or lifting
rake.
The oscillating shaft in this case is actuated by a cam which is shaped to hold
the prongs in the position shown by dotted line against the bottom of the trough
until the points of the prongs of the delivery rake have ascended a little above the
points of the prongs of the oscillating shaft, when the cam causes the shaft to move
so that the points of its prongs will describe the curve shown by the dotted arc,
and then wait there, the prongs nearly touching and being parallel to the incline
(b) until the wool is dragged forward, then the cam oscillates the shaft back to the
first named position shown in dotted line.
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of so much of a wool washing machine, as will be
necessary for explaining the second and other parts of our Invention,
a is the bottom of the trough; b, the incline up which the wool is dragged; d is
the delivery rake.
The top part of the rake is jointed with a rod d¹ that is jointed to a bracket or
part from the framing; d³ is the crank for working the rake which is arranged and
actuated in the ordinary manner.
e is the harrow for dragging the wool up the incline (b). It has stands e¹ con-
nected to it on each side, to which a bar e2 is secured, one on each side of the
harrow. These bars e³ at the higher end rest, move, and oscillate upon anti friction
bowls e³, which are on studs or on a shaft in bearings carried by stands on the
framing.
The lower end of the harrow is lifted up and down by cams e* on a shaft in the
usual manner, and this shaft has a crank e³, which by a rod (shown by a dotted
centre line) is connected with a stand eo from the frame of the harrow, and thus
imparts the necessary to and fro motion to it.
Thus arranged the harrow (e) has the greatest amount of lifting movement at its
lower, and the least at its higher end.
Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a modification under the third head of our Inven-
tion, where an endless apron of metal g is used, which works round the bottom
squeezing roller f1 and another roller g'.
By this means the wool is taken from the top of the incline to the squeezing
rollers.
Fig. 2 also illustrates the mode of carrying out the fourth part of our
Invention.
It will be seen that the incline 6 extends straight to the bottom of the trough a,.
and the harrow takes the wool directly from the delivery rake.
The bottom of the incline (b) has or may have inclined teeth 63, as shown, which..
will prevent the wool from sliding back down the incline. The wool is conveyed
by a reverse incline b' to the squeezing rollers.
Another modification under the fourth part of our Invention is illustrated by
Fig. 4, a sectional elevation, and by a plan view, Fig. 5, which Figures show so
much of a machine for wool washing as will be required for explaining this part of
our Invention.
a is the washing trough; its bottom is curved at the delivery end

page_text: to correspond or nearly so with the path described by the points of the prongs of
the delivery rake (d), which is arranged in the ordinary manner, and as herein-
before described in reference to Fig. 2. In place of the ordinary incline an inclined
endless apron of metal is substituted, this endless apron (h) being formed by three
separate breadths (as shown) of endless belts of thin sheet metal, such as phosphor
bronze, which work upon the lower squeezing roller f¹, and round another roller or
shaft, having pulleys upon it, which shaft works in bearings below the water
level of the trough. The bearings of the shaft (h¹) are in bars h³ that can slide
end ways in brackets secured to the frame or trough, and the ends of these bars are.
acted upon by screws h³ in brackets attached to the frame to adjust the tightness
of the endless metal belts or aprons. There is one or more rollers h in suitable
bearings under the upper side of the apron, and this roller and the pulleys on
the shaft h have thin flanges to keep the belts separated and in their proper
places.
Above the endless apron h there is a shaft i in suitable bearings, which has arms
upon it carrying teeth or prongs i, and this shaft rotates so that the teeth as they
come round pass between the prongs of the delivery rake when in the position shown
in Fig. 4, and take the wool from them and deliver it on to the inclined endless
apron h, which conveys it to the squeezing rollers.
The shaft i is geared and arranged so that the teeth or prongs of the arms are
about arriving opposite to the point where the delivery prongs meet them just a
little before the prongs of the delivery rake arrive at their highest position.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 7 a cross section illustrating the fifth.
part of our Invention.
a, bottom of trough; b, ordinary incline upon which a harrow works for dragging
up the wool, or it is an incline formed by endless metal belts (h), as herein before
described; j is a rotary shaft having lifting prongs; the shaft has its bearings in
two arms k, which are secured to a shaft kabove that oscillates in bearings formed.
in brackets secured to the side frames. In these brackets there are also bearings
for a shaft l, driven by a belt working on pulleys . This shaft (1) has a crank 13
in it for actuating the ordinary harrow, and it has cams upon it for acting upon
the arms that carry and give oscillating motion to the rotary lifting shaft j. On
the shaft there is a wheel that gears with one on a stud, to which wheel
there is another wheel attached, one half only of the periphery of which has
teeth upon it, which gear with teeth on a wheel j' on the rotary pronged lifting
shaft j.
When the wheels 15 and j¹ are in gear the shaft ; is rotated on revolution, at the
end of which it is left with the prongsjx in the position shown in Fig. 6, then
the shaft is moved towards the incline b, carrying the wool on the prongs, from
which it is taken by the harrow or other mechanism; then the shaft j is oscillated
by the frame (k) carrying it to its first position shown in Fig. 6, by which move-
ment the wheel j' on the shaft j and the half wheel 5 on the stud are brought into
gear, and the shaft is again rotated.
There is a large projecting tooth on one side of each of the wheels ¹ and l³,
will ensure their entering properly into gear.
which
On the shaft j there is a wheel m secured, which has only a ratchet notch in it,
and there is a pawl m' jointed on one arm k of the oscillating frame, which rests
on the edge of this wheel m, and enters the ratchet notch when the shaft ; has
made its revolution, and thus prevents it moving back, and retains it in that
position while moving to and from the incline b. The lever frame k is oscillated to
and fro by two cams, one cam (k²) acting upon a projection k³ on the arm k to
move the armis from the incline (b), and hold the wheels in gear, the other (k¹)
to push the arms k towards the incline (b). There are two duplicate cams k³
and k* to act upon each of the two arms k of the oscillating frame carrying the
pronged shaft.
.
But instead of two cams one box or double acting cam may be used acting upon

page_text: a bowl on a stud in the side of the arm k, or one double acting cam may act upon
each arm k.
It will be seen that the bottom of the trough a is curved to the path of the
points of the prongs j* of the rotating shaft in their lower course.
On the left hand side of Fig. 7 another arrangement is illustrated, which may be
used in place of that shown on the right side of that Figure. n is a wheel on a
stud or short shaft; it is geared by an intermediate wheel n¹ on a stud with a
wheel n² on the shaft . The wheel n is geared to make two revolutions to one
revolution of the shaft l:
In the face of the wheel n there is a driving stud p, which will drive a stud q in
the disc m, or an arm on end of the pronged shaft j as long as the axis of that shaft
is kept central or in a line with the axis of the wheel n, but when the shaft j begins
to move towards the incline b the driver and driven pins or studs (p and q) are
separated; the pawl m' enters the notch and prevents the pronged shaft ; from
moving back, and it swings to the incline and back, and by the time it gets back
the driving and driven pins p and q come opposite each other again, and the shaft j
is again rotated, and so on. The pins p and q go in and out of gear when in the
position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6. The pronged shaft (j) may have an arm
upon it to counter balance the weight of the prongs j*.
Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 are sectional views, illustrating the mode or modes of carrying
out the sixth part of our Invention.
Fig. 8 shows a series of V grooved pulleys, each with an india rubber ring upon
it.
"
The rings may either be sprung or extended to pass upon the pulleys, or
vulcanized upon the pulleys so as to adhere to them. The pulleys r are all placed
upon a shaft r, and screwed together by nuts, as shown.
"
In Fig. 9 various sections of india rubber rings are shown, and they may be
sprung on or vulcanized on the pulleys; those of rectangular cross section are
vulcanized on the pulleys.
Instead of separate pulleys there may be a solid roller (r³) with V grooves, and
the rings sprung upon the roller into the grooves.
We have now particularly described the nature of our Invention and the modes
of carrying the same into effect, and claim as our Invention,-
Firstly. The combination and arrangement of mechanism, according to the first
part of our Invention, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by
the Drawings.
Secondly. The combination and arrangement of mechanism, according to the
second part of our Invention, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
by the Drawings.
Thirdly. The combination of incline (6) descending to the bottom of the trough
(a), with a reverse incline 6', and with a harrow for dragging the wool up the
incline, as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Fig. 2 of the Drawings.
Fourthly. The combination of metal aprons with squeezing rollers, substantially
as hereinbefore described under the third head of our Invention and illustrated by
the Drawings.
Fifthly. The combination and arrangement of incline b, trough a with the delivery
rake and the harrow, as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Fig. 2 of the
Drawings.
Sixthly. The combination with wool washing machines of metal aprons for con-
veying the wool from the trough to the squeezing rollers, and also the combination
and arrangement of mechanism, substantially as hereinbefore described and illus-
trated by Figs. 4 and 5 of the Drawings.
Seventhly. The combination and arrangement of mechanism, substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 6 and 7 of the Drawings.
Eighthly. The construction of elastic squeezing rollers by using separate rings of
india rubber in V grooves, or by a series of pulleys or discs with rings sprung or

page_text: placed upon or between their peripheries, or with india rubber vulcanized on their
peripheries so as to adhere thereto, substantially as hereinbefore described, and
illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said John McNaught and William McNaught, junior,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty seventh day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.