Improvements in Apparatus for Washing and Scouring Wool and other Fibres, such said Apparatus being applicable for Mor- danting and Dyeing Wool and other Fibres, and also for Extracting or Separating Animal from Vegetable Fibre.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 18th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 20th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Washing and Scouring Wool and
other Fibres, such said Apparatus being applicable for Mor-
danting and Dyeing Wool and other Fibres, and also for
Extracting or Separating Animal from Vegetable Fibre.
We, JOSEPH SMITH and ISAAC SMITH of the firm of David Smith & Co., of
Kensington Works, Siddall, Halifax, in the County of York, Commission Wool
Combers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention has reference to a new combination and arrangement of apparatus
for washing, scouring, mordanting, and dyeing fibrous substances and also for
extracting and separating animal from vegetable matter.
In constructing a machine according to our invention we employ any suitable
form of steeping tank or vessel made with or without a perforated false bottom.
The feeding end of the machine is preferably in the form of an inclined plane
where the attendant feeds the fibre to be operated upon, but at the feeding end of
the machine we employ a perforated pipe or grate through which is ejected a
continuous stream of washing, dyeing, or other liquor, the perforations in the grate
being at an angle with the surface thereof towards the outlet end of the machine
so that the liquor is ejected at an angle and under pressure, so as to cause the
liquor in the steeping pan to run in the form of a stream over the outlet end of the
steeping pan, carrying the wool with it, which on its way passes under one or more
perforated dipping rollers which dip the fibre in the liquor, which fibre is prevented
from adhering or sticking to the rollers in consequence of the liquor escaping
through the perforations and washing it off. At the delivery end of the machine
another perforated roller is employed upon which is a squeezing roller of suitable
size and weight, between which rollers the fibre passes, the upper roller squeezing
the excessive liquor from the fibre, which liquor passes either back to the steeping
tank, or through the perforations in the bottom roller, from whence it falls into a
lower receiving or supply tank. After the fibre passes between the rollers last
mentioned, it is stripped or doffed off the perforated roller by means of a revolving
roller, having flexible wings or bars, which strips the fibre and transfers it into a
hopper, or inclined dish, which guides the said libre to squeezing rollers employed
to squeeze the liquor therefrom, where it may drop onto the floor or into a suitable
receptacle placed to receive it, another revolving winged or other form of roller
being employed to assist in the operation. The liquor is raised by a pump from
the lower tank to the perforated pipe at the feeding end of the machine whereby
the liquor is used and re-used.
By the employment of a machine or apparatus as above described, the fibre is
fed into the machine by the operative, and is carried forward through the steeping
tank by the travelling liquor, being immersed or dipped as it travels along by the
perforated dipping rollers, and it leaves the machine in the form of a web, and in
an unfelted condition, with the staple unbroken, and this class of machine is
capable of washing and scouring larger quantities of fibre than those at present in
use; and it can with equal advantage be used for mordanting dyeing or
extracting.
Dated this 16th day of April 1891.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Washing and Scouring Wool and
other Fibres, such said Apparatus being applicable for Mor-
danting and Dyeing Wool and other Fibres, and
Extracting or Separating Animal from Vegetable Fibre.
also for
We, JOSEPH SMITH and ISAAC SMITH, of the firm of David Smith and
Company, of Kensington Works, Siddall, Halifax, in the County of York, Com-
mission Wool Combers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
Our invention has reference to a new combination and arrangement of apparatus
for washing, scouring, mordanting, and dyeing fibrous substances, and also for
extracting and separating animal from vegetable matter.
In order that our invention may be more clearly understood, we make reference
to the accompanying sheet of drawings where Fig. 1 is longitudinal section of a
machine with our improvements applied thereto. A represents a steeping tank
having a false bottom 13, part or whole of which is perforated as at C to permit of
sediment escaping to the chamber D, which from time to time may be discharged
or let out by removing the plug E or by means of any ordinary form of mechanical
trap actuated by means of a screw handle. The steeping tank at the feeding end
of the machine is made in the form of an inclined plane, as shewn at F, as is also
the outlet end of the machine as shewn at G, which latter forms a bridge for the
liquor to overflow into a lower tank H, but the said overflow liquor first falls upon
the sieve I, which clears the liquor from solid matter or impurities. The liquor to
be used in our machine is removed from the lower tank H, by a pump, and carried
up pipe into the upper tank A continuously, so long as the machine is at work,
and in order to discharge the liquor into the steeping tank in streams in the form
of spray or rain, the pipe K, which extends across the machine, is provided with a
perforated plate or grate L, the perforations leaning towards the outlet end of the
machine so that the centrifugal pump, forces the liquor upon the fibre in the
steeping tank in such a manner as to open and spread it out thereby greatly
facilitating the separation and deposit of earthy impurities always found in wool.
A sectional detail of the pipe K and grate L is shewn at Fig. 2. The wool or
other fibre to be operated upon is fed into the machine by the workman, and is
carried away on the surface of the liquor, but the fibre is not permitted to travel
at so rapid a rate as the stream of liquor, as the said fibre is retarded in its progress
by being continuously dipped by the revolving dipping rollers M whereby the
liquor runs through the fibre. We also employ one or more pairs of squeezing
rollers as shewn at N, between which the fibre passes and is squeezed once or twice
in its passage through the steeping tank, in addition to its being dipped, whereby
the washing, scouring, or dyeing of the fibre is effectually performed. When the
fibre reaches the bridge or outlet end of the machine it is received by a pair of
squeezing rollers O, the lower one of which is perforated so that on the liquid being
squeezed from the fibre it either flows back into the steeping tank, or through the
perforations in the bottom roller, as indicated in the drawing. This pair of nipping
rollers are not intended to squeeze all the liquor from the fibre, but only partially,
so as to prepare the fibre and get it into a condition to be more easily received or
to more easily enter the nip of the heavy squeezing rollers hereinafter mentioned,
whereby we overcome a special difficulty in connection with this part of the
scouring process as there is always a difficulty in getting masses of wet and soapy
fibres to enter the nip of heavily pressured squeezing rollers, thus by partially
removing the liquor from the fibre by a pair of auxilliary nipping rollers the said
fibre is prepared for the subsequent nipping process.

page_text: In this machine we employ a revolving roller or stripper as shewn at P provided
with flexible wings or bars a employed for the purpose of stripping or doffing the
fibre off the perforated roller O, such fibre dropping into a bopper or inclined
dish Q, after which the fibre is received by a powerful pair of squeezing rollers R
which squeezes the remaining liquor from it, such liquor flowing back into the
lower tank through the sieve I; and finally the fibre is removed from the last pair
of nipping rollers by another revolving stripper S.
When this machine is used for extracting animal from vegetable fibre, the
process or operation is the same as that described with dyeing, with this exception,
that the liquid employed is a solution of bichloride of calcium, or an admixture of
hydrochloric acid or other suitable acids which will destroy the vegetable matter
contained in the fibre.
By the employment of a machine or apparatus as above described, the fibre is
fed into the machine by the operative, and is carried forward through the steeping
tank by the flowing stream of liquor being immersed or dipped as it travels
along by the perforated dipping rollers M, and it leaves the machine in the form of
a web, and in an unfelted condition, with the staple unbroken, whilst this class of
machine is capable of washing and scouring larger quantities of fibre than those at
present in use; and it can with equal advantage be used for mordanting, dyeing, or
extracting.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be perforined, we declare that what we
claim is :-
Firstly. In a machine for operating upon fibres for purposes described, the use
of a steeping tank A, dipping rollers M and squeezing rollers N, in combination
with other squeezing rollers O, stripper P, and squeezing rollers R all arranged as
described and for purposes set forth.
Secondly. In a machine for operating upon fibres, the opening out of the fibres
and displacing earthy matter therefrom by injecting upon it, a stream of liquor at
the feeding end of the steeping tank, in combination with the nipping rollers O,
stripper P, and squeezing rollers R, in manner described and for purposes
set forth.
Dated this 16th day of January 1892.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Ageuts.