IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR WASHING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We JOHN M'NAUGHT and WILLIAM MCNAUGHT, Junior, both of St Georges
Foundry, Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the
nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR
WASHING WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
Firstly. Our invention relates to arrangements and apparatus for delivering, and
to some extent opening and drying the wool or fibrous materials as it comes from
the squeezing rollers of the washing machine.
Hitherto it has been common to use a fan, the blades of which act upon the wool
and remove it from the squeezing roller and we ourselves in the specifications of
Letters Patent granted to us Numbered 2772 dated 21st October 1870 and
Numbered 542, dated March 1st 1871 describe arrangements of fans the blades or
prongs of which came in contact with the wool and also at the same time produce
by their centrifugal action in a casing a current of air to discharge the wool-but
the action of fan blades or other equivalent beaters upon the wool is objectionable.
Our invention consists in arranging a fan or blower in any convenient position and
in conveying the blast of air from it so that it will strike against the delivery
periphery of the lower squeezing roller and detach the wool from it and blow under
the wool and carry it upwards into a tube or casing from which it falls on to the
floor of the room or other surface-The current of air thus acting operates to loosen
and dry the wool at the same time, without injuriously affecting it-In some cases
a roller or short endless apron is or may be used to detach the fibre. from the
delivery side of the lower, squeezing roller in which case the blast from the fan or
blower acts in front and under the roller or endless apron.
Secondly. Our invention relates to the arrangement of washing troughs when a
series of them are used together more especially in such cases where a long trough
is used as the first washer and the other troughs are shorter all the troughs being
on the same level. The troughs are each connected by a branch with the samo
main pipe, and there is a valve in each of the smaller troughs so that the com-
munication with the main pipe can be opened or closed when desired.
In the pipe between the large trough and the other smaller troughs we arrange a
steam jet transmitter or any suitable centrifugal or other pump or elevator, so that
by such arrangement and by means of the one transmitter pump, or elevator the
liquor from any one or all the smaller troughs is or may be passed into the large
trough.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
We JOHN M'NAUGHT and WILLIAM MCNAUGHT Junior of St Georges Foundry,
Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO MACHINES FOR WASHING
WOOL AND OTHER FIBROUS MATERIALS, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be "particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
Firstly. Our invention relates to arrangements and apparatus for delivering and
to some extent opening and drying the wool or fibrous materials, as it comes from
the squeezing rollers of the washing machine.
Hitherto it has been common to use a delivery fan the blades of which act upon
the wool and remove it from the squeezing roller and we ourselves in the specifi-
cations of Letters Patent granted to us Numbered. 2772 dated 21st October 1870,
and Numbered 542 dated March 1st 1871, describe arrangements of fans, the blades
or prongs of which came in contact with the wool and also at the same time
produce by their centrifugal action in a casing a current of air to discharge the 1
wool, but the action of fan blades or other equivalent beaters at high speeds upon
the wool is objectionable.
Our invention consists in arranging a fan or blower in any convenient position
and in conveying the blast of air from it so that it will strike against the delivery
periphery of the lower squeezing roller, and detach the wool from it and blow
under the wool and carry it upwards into a tube trunk or casing from which it
falls on to the floor of the room or other surface. The current of air thus acting
operates to loosen and dry the wool at the same time, without injuriously affecting
it-In some cases a roller or short endless apron is or may be used to detach the
fibre from the delivery side of the lower squeezing roller in which case the blast?
from the fan or blower acts in front and under the roller or endless apron.
Secondly. Our invention relates to the arrangement of washing troughs when a
series of them are used together more especially in such cases where a long trough
is used as the first washer and the other troughs are shorter, all the troughs being
on the same level. The troughs are each connected by a branch with the same
main pipe, and there is a valve in each of the smaller troughs so that the
communication with the main pipe can be opend or closed when desired.
In the pipe between the large trough and the other smaller troughs we arrange a
steam jet transmitter or any suitable centrifugal or other pump or elevator, so that
by such arrangement and by means of the one transmitter pump, or elevator, the S
liquor from any-one or all the smaller troughs is or may be passed into the large
trough.
Fig 1 is a sectional elevation at the delivery squeezing rollers of a washing
machine illustrating one arrangement for carrying out the first part of our
invention.
a the lower, and a¹ the upper squeezing roller, b part of the framing, ca centri-
fugal blowing fan, delivering its blast close, and at about a tangent to the periphery
of the lower squeezing roller a

page_text: It will be seen that the blast of air from the fan c will act directly against the
periphery of the lower squeezing roller a and under the wool delivered from between
the squeezing rollers.
;
An endless apron in an oblique position passing round two rollers driven in
any convenient manner in the direction shown by the arrows is or may be used
to deflect the air and wool forwards so that it is blown upwards and then falls to
the Boor below to any suitable receiving surface or into any suitable receptacle.
If desired a rectangular trunk & similar to that shown in fig 3 may be combined
with the apron so that the apron will be enclosed in the trunk leaving a space for
the air and wool to pass between the lower side of the apron and the lower side of
the trunk.
Fig 2 is a view of an arrangement similar to that shown by fig 1, except than an
inclined board or other suitable surface d' fixed in any convenient manner, is used
in place of the oblique endless apron and that the blast of air from the fan acts in
a line with the path of the tips of the vanes of the clearing roller e used for
detaching any of the wool, delivered from the lower squeezing roller that may
adhere thereto :-A trunk or casing similar to d fig 3 may be used in place of the
oblique board d. In fig 3, the wool is received from the squeezing rollers and
carried into the mouth of a rectangular trunk d of the width of the rollers; and of
the shape shown in fig 3 by an endless apron f on rollers driven in any convenient
manner in the direction shown by the arrows and the blast from the fan blows
against the under surface of the apron, when passing round the roller within the
trunk d as shown, and drives, the wool up the trunk from which it then falls to
the floor as described in reference to fig 1.
The second part of our invention is illustrated by fig 4 a side elevation and fig 5
a plan. These views represent an outline view of a series of washing troughs.
g is the feeding end of the large trough g of the series, g³ its delivery end, and a
and a the squeezing rollers.
The wool is first passed by the usual mechanism into and through the trough g,
and then in succession into and through the troughs h, i and j and after it has
passed through the last trough (5) it is or may be delivered from the squeezing
rollers a and a¹ of the last trough by the arrangement or one of the modifications
thereof, hereinbefore described under the first head of our invention.
There is a main pipe k extending between the large washing trough g and the
last of the series, and there is a branch pipe between this main pipe and that of
each of the smaller washing troughs-There is a valve connected with each branch
pipe which can be opened when communication is to be made between the wash
trough and the main pipe, and there is or may be a valve at the junction between
the main pipe and the large washing trough g.
In the main pipe there is a "steam jet transmitter" of well known construction
at k or there may be any other propeller or pump which will draw the fluid along
the main pipe k and force it into the large trough g.
With this arrangement it will be seen that the liquid from all or any one of the
Washing troughs connected with the main pipe & can, by opening the valves when
required, be passed to the large trough, when the transmitter or pump used in
place of it is set to work.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed We declare that what
we claim is
1. The employment of a blast of air to blow under the wool or material from the
squeezing rollers of washing machines whether delivered directly therefrom as
illustrated in fig 1 or first to a clearing roller (c) as illustrated in fig 2, or to an
endless apron as illustrated by fig 3 substantially as and for the purpose herein.
before described and illustrated by the drawings.
2. The several combinations and arrangements substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the tigs 1 to 3 inclusive of the drawings.

page_text: 3. The arrangement of a series of two or more washing troughs on the same
level in connection with a main pipe having a transmitter pump or other propeller
and provided with valves so that the liquid in all or any one of the separate
troughs is or may be drawn from them or one of them and forced into the first
washing trough of the series, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated 5
by the drawings.
:
Dated this demonte faith dow of Tol 10OK