Improvements in Washing Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1895-Accepted, Sth June, 1825.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Washing Machines.
I, JOHN JONES of 17 Ravenscourt Park, Hammersmith in the County of
Middlesex, Laundry Machinist 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:-
This invention has for its object to improve that class of washing machine which
has a steam-tight drum or casing adapted to be revolved and to contain the clothes
within it and to whose interior steam is supplied through a hollow trunnion or
shaft and the drum or casing whereof if desired is divided by diaphragms or
partitions into two or more segmental compartments.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figure is a transverse vertical section of one form of the washing machine
constructed according to this invention siz, that form shown in Figure 2, and
Figures 2 and 3 are longitudinal sections of two different arrangements these
two figures representing machines having respectively two and three juxtaposed
drums or compartments.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A is the drum which is provided with trunnions B and which is preferably
constructed of galvanized corrugated iron of thickness sufficient to withstand a
pressure of say 15 to 20 lbs. per square inch at which it is desired to work the
I prefer
machine and which may be lined with copper or other suitable material.
to make the drum A. of greater diameter than length which is contrary to the usual
arrangements where the length is greatly in excess of the diameter. C are the
bearings in which the trunnions B are free to rotate and which may be secured to
or formed in part with the standards D which latter are connected together by
one or more tie-bars D. A¹ is a perforated or openwork corrugated diaphragm
which divides the drum into two chambers A2 A3 and E are doors one of which is
provided on each of these chambers for giving access thereto for the insertion and
removal of the articles to be washed. Each of these doors as shown in Figure !
is hinged conveniently to a frame E' fixed to the annular wall of the drum and
when closed is secured by bolts or equivalent E2 to ensure the making of a steam-
tight joint, an indiarubber or equivalent washer or packing being provided for this
purpose.
B' is the passage formed in one of the trunnions B, and B2 is a pipe leading from
any suitable steam supply for introducing steam through the passage B' into the
drum A. Steam may be admitted through one or both of the trunnions. F are
nozzles secured to the drum A in any convenient manner and each screwed
externally so as to receive a cap F¹, but instead of these nozzles and caps I may
employ valves or cocks or other equivalent devices.
A are ribs which may be of solid wood but which in the accompanying
drawings are represented as of perforated metal. These ribs are secured to the
shell of the drum A in any convenient manner and when the machine is rotated
assist in turning about the articles being washed; they also prevent the nozzles F
from being choked by the clothes when the water is being run out of the machine.

page_text: The foregoing description applies principally to a single drum A divided
internally into two or more segmental compartments, but in a machine as I now
prefer to construct it I provide two or more such drums all arranged to rotate as
one body about the same axis whether the drums be co-axial or otherwise.
The two drums shown in Figure 2 are placed in communication with each other,
so far as relates to the free passage from one to the other of steam and water
(but not of the clothes) by perforations A' in the partition wall A which latter
otherwise renders the two drums independent of each other. In this example the
steam enters one of the drums by the hollow trunnion B B and the other one
through the perforations A®.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 3 the partition walls A are not perforated
and the steam is admitted into all of the drums A by the hollow perforated
shaft G forming substantially a continuation of the hollow trunnion B B
When it is desired to use the before described machine, the covers or doors E
having been previously opened, or removed, the articles to be washed together with
a suitable quantity of soap or the equivalent are placed in the various chambers A² A³
and the doors E replaced and secured in position so that the joints between them
and the drums will be sufficiently steam tight. The caps, plugs or cocks then
at the upper side of the drum are next removed or opened and a sufficient quantity
of water is introduced into the drums. The water may however be introduced
through the then uppermost of the doors E the others at the time being closed.
The caps or cocks F' are then replaced or turned off and the drums thereby
made steam tight. The drums are then caused to rotate by any of the well-known
means and steam is turned on so that it will enter the drums A by way of the
pipe B and hollow trunnion B B' to which it is connected the articles to be washed
being subjected to a pressure of preferably from 15 to 20 lbs. per square inch.
The machine may be fitted with any of the usual belt shifting or equivalent
devices for automatically and periodically reversing the direction of rotation of
the drums.
During the rotation of the drum the water will flow through the perforated
diaphragms A from the chambers A to the chambers A³ and vice versa and thus
pass and repass through the articles being washed.
The articles being washed are thus tossed, and by the ribs A' and the corrugations
of the annular walls and of the diaphragms A' turned about through a considerable
distance and will be found better washed than in drums of greater length than
diameter such as has heretofore generally been employed and with approximately
even or smooth walls.
When the operation is finished the steam supply is cut off and the machine is
stopped and the water run off by the nozzles For doors E which are removed or
opened, and the washed articles removed and a fresh batch of unwashed articles
placed in the drums for a repetition of the process.
If desired the drum A instead of being divided into two segmental chambers A² A³
as before described may be divided into any other desired number of segmental
chambers and the diaphragm or partition A may be formed either of perforated
or openwork as previously described, or of unperforated or solid material and if
necessary each of the doors E may be arranged so as to serve two segmental
chambers or compartments A² A³.
Besides the last named variations the apparatus may be modified as regards the
steam connections, for example, I may support the drums on a solid shaft or two
solid trunnions and carry the steam pipe along the outside of the drums and
connect it to the steam supply pipe by means of a suitable joint admitting of its
free rotation and to the several drums by means of or through valves or cocks so
that any one or more of the drums may be cut out of or left in operation.
Further than this the drums may be at a slight distance apart instead of quite
close together as in the drawings, though the arrangements illustrated are preferred
and one or more may be eccentric to the axis about which they are arranged to
turn all as one body.

page_text: 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 I
claim is :-
1. A washing machine comprising two or more drums such as A arranged side
by side and turning as one body about the same axis substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. A washing machine comprising two or more drums arranged side by side and
turning as one body about the same axis and whose annular walls are corrugated
in a direction parallel to the axis of the drums substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. A washing machine comprising two or more drums arranged side by side
and turning as one body about the same axis and each divided by one or more
diaphragms into two or more segmental chambers or compartments the walls and
diaphragms of the drums being corrugated substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete washing
machine substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the
accompanying drawings.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete washing
machine substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of May 1895.
JOHN JONES.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.
JOHN JONES.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.