An Improved Apparatus for Treating Spun or Woven Fibrous Materials with Dyeing, Washing, Bleaching, Mordanting, and other Liquids.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Jan., 1895-Accepted, 9th Feb., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Treating Spun or Woven Fibrous
Materials with Dyeing, Washing, Bleaching, Mordanting,
and other Liquids.
I, LUDOLF FROTSCHER of 15 Gablerstrasse, Zittau, Germany, Director of
Manufactory, 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 :-
The apparatus of this invention is shewn in the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1
being a sectional side elevation and Fig. 2 a sectional end elevation of the
same.
Fig. 3 shews on an enlarged scale the method of fixing a cop spindle on the
material carrier.
d is a dyeing, washing, bleaching, mordanting or other liquid container in
communication by a pipe closeable by a valve m with a vacuum forming apparatus
and by a pipe closcable by a valve n with a reservoir (compressor) charged with
compressed air, or with an air pump. e is a vessel for auxiliary liquid and is in
communication by a pipe i closeable- by a valve s with the interior of the liquid
container. f is an open tank. g a hollow perforated cylinder or pipe which may
be suspended in said tank, is readily removable and serves for carrying, wound
upon the same, the material to be treated which may be any kind of spun or wover
goods, or perforated hollow spindles g² (Fig. 3) for the reception of cop bobbins
may be so fixed in the perforations that the interior of the spindles is only in
communication with the interior of the cylinder or pipe g, which is in commu-
nication by a pipe p jointed at p with the liquid container d. At the end of the
cylinder or pipe g are fixed discs h which serve partly to prevent injury to the cop
spindles g2 when the material carrier is being moved about and partly to facilitate
its transport from and to the tank by using said discs as wheels upon which it may
be rolled.
Upon commencing operations the carrier g, having upon it the material to be
treated, occupies the dotted line position g¹ of Fig. 2 and first the air is cxhausted
from it by opening the valve m. It is then after closing said valve, steamed
through by opening valve k which is interposed in a pipe connected with a steam
generator, the steam passing to the carrier through container d and pipe connec-
tions p. The carrier g is then by turning it on joints p¹ lowered into the tank f
charged with a dyeing, washing or other liquid or solution whilst the container d
contains air only. The valve m on a pipe leading to a vacuum forming apparatus
is now opened and the air thereby exhausted from the container d pipe p and
cylinder or pipe 9, consequently the liquid in the tank passes through the material
under treatment into the spindles 92 and pipe g, or into the perforated pipe only
when spindles are not used, and through pipe p to the container d. To force the
liquid back to the tank valve m is shut and according as the process is a cold or
warm one either valve n in the pipe communicating with the compressor, or valve k
is opened and either compressed air or steam admitted so that the liquid is forced
out of the container d and compelled to pass in the reverse direction, namely, from
the inside to the outside, through the material under treatment. This operation is,
or may be, repeated several times until the material has been sufficiently operated
upon by the liquid or solution. In the use for instance of a dye liquid or solution,
the goods will not by the above operation be dyed equally throughout, as in the

page_text: suction of the dye liquid to the container d the outer fibres or threads will be the
first to take up the dye and therefore the inner fibres or threads will be the more
lightly dyed whilst the dye liquid when forced back will be less concentrated and
too weak for dyeing purposes. In order to remove this disadvantage and be able
to dye the goods equably throughout, an auxiliary dye liquid is supplied to a special
vessel e which is in connection with the container d. When an addition of fresh
dye liquid is required, valves m and s are opened and the auxiliary liquid drawn
from the vessel e to the container d where it is intimately mixed with the weaker
dye liquid therein. Thus resaturated, the liquid is, in the manner before described,
forced back again to the tank f upon which the inner threads or fibres of the
material first take up the dye stuff. After this has been several times drawn and
forced to and fro through the goods they will be found to be equably dyed
throughout. This being the case, the material carrier is raised up out of the
tank into the position of g¹ (Fig. 2) and then by repeating the same exhausting
and forcing operations, atmospheric air or water steam is passed from the inside to
the outside, or inversely, or in both directions, through the material, to dry or oxidise
it. Therefore with the apparatus of this invention saturated liquid is driven first
from the outside through to the inside of the goods and then again saturated
liquid from the inside through to the outside of the same and is thus brought into
contact with the inner fibres or threads of the goods which is an important advantage
in the treatment of fabrics. Further, by means of this invention the treatment of
fibrous material or fabrics with two liquids or solutions in one operation is rendered
practicable, the procedure being as follows:-The goods carrier g is lowered into
the tank and then after opening the valve 7, the container d is, by opening the
valve m, placed in communication with the vacuum forming or exhausting apparatus
whereby the air is exhausted from the container d and pipe connections p, and the
liquid drawn through the goods from the outside. When the goods have been
sufficiently treated in this way, valve is closed and by opening the valve t the
liquid in the container d discharged into a suitable vessel placed underneath it, to
be used over again. A second liquid is then by opening the valves m and s and
closing the valve t drawn from reservoir e by vacuum into the container d where-
upon communication between d and a compressing apparatus is established, either
by opening valve n or valve k whereby the liquid in is, after opening valve g and
closing valves, forced by compressed air or steam through pipe connections p,
carrier g and from the inside to the outside of the goods under treatment, to the
tank f. In this way a tannic acid solution, for instance, may be passed into the
tank, drawn through the goods to the coutainer d and discharged, then container d
charged from vessel e, by means of a vacuum, with a mordanting liquid and this
forced by compression through the goods to the tank f, therefore so that the
goods may be treated with two different liquids successively or one directly after
the other, the one liquid passing from into d and the other liquid from d
into f.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. An apparatus for treating fibrous materials with dyeing washing, bleaching,
mordanting and other liquids, in which a perforated material carrier 9 having the
material to be treated wound or placed upon it, is steeped in an open tank ƒ from
which it may be readily withdrawn by means of jointed pipe connections p, p¹, so
that, as may be desired, liquids or solutions, atmospheric air, or steam, may be
forced or drawn through the fibrous material, according as a container & commu-
nicating with the jointed pipe connections, is, by opening a valve m placed in
communication with a pipe leading from a vacuum forming apparatus, or by opening
a valve n or a valve A, is placed in communication with an air compressor or a
steam generator, substantially as described and shewn.
2. An apparatus for the purpose referred to, in which the material to be treated

page_text: is placed upon a perforated hollow carrier g, and for the purpose of the equable
dyeing of said material, saturated or concentrated dye liquid is not only drawn or
pressed through the same in one direction, for instance, from outwards inwards,
but also in the contrary direction, from inwards outwards, in a state of like
concentration, by supplying at the suitable moment an auxiliary dye liquid
from the vessel e direct into the container d, substantially as described and
shewn.
3. An apparatus for the purpose referred to, in which the material to be treated
is placed upon a perforated hollow carrier g, and for the purpose of treating said
material with different dyeing, washing, bleaching, or mordanting liquids one after
another, the one liquid contained in the tank fis drawn thence, through the material
to the container d, and then discharged, whereupon another liquid contained in the
vessel e is drawn therefrom into the container d and forced thence, through the
material to the tank f, substantially as described and shewn.
4. In the apparatus referred to, the perforated hollow material carrier g in
combination with discs located upon the ends of the same which serve to protect
the material and on which the carrier may be wheeled or rolled to and from the
tank, substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1895.
CAPITAINE & VON HERTLING,
89, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.