IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Melville Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th December 1874,-A communication from abroad by Jules
Decoudun, of Paris, France.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in washing machines, whereby
they are simplified in construction, more easily operated, and rendered
more durable, besides being less expensive.
The machine consists of a rotary washing vessel of any suitable form
mounted in bearings and provided with an opening which is left
unclosed, the linen or other articles being cleansed by rotating the'
vessel in one direction and discharged by rotating it in the reverse
direction.
The action of the machine is illustrated by the four outline Ficuro

page_text: Figure 1 shows a section of the washing vessel in position for intro-
ducing the linen and washing liquid, as indicated by the arrow A.
Figures 2 and 3 show the machine in operation, the cleansing action
being obtained by the linen falling repeatedly from the uppermost part
of the vessel as it is carried round by the rotation of the washing vessel 5
in the direction of the arrows B, this action being repeated at each half
revolution of the washing vessel.
Figure 4 shows the position for discharging the cleansed linen by
rotating the washing vessel in the reverse direction, whereby it is caused
to slide down the partition a and pass out at opening 6 into any suitable 1
receptacle.
One great advantage of this machine consists in the absence of any
lid, which is objectionable on account of leakage, which is almost
unavoidable, even when fitted with india-rubber packing. The lid is
also liable to soon get out of shape under the impact of the clothes, 1
besides being of considerable weight and difficult to handle. Moreover
the lid fastenings are especially liable to get out of order, causing
serious inconvenience when the machine is in operation.
Another objection in machines having water-tight doors is that the
movement of the air contained is liable to burst the washing vessel; and 2
to guard against this some machines are fitted with safety valves opening
under the pressure of the air. These precautions are however not
needed in the improved machine of this Invention, which is not provided ·
with any lid nor otherwise closed.
Hitherto in machines in which the clothes are cleansed by being ?
thrown down from top to bottom, as before described, a certain and
uniform rate of motion has always being requisite. If the machine be
"driven too fast the centrifugal force causes the clothes to be carried
round through the entire revolution of the washing vessel, and so.
prevents them falling, which is indispensable to the cleansing action of
the machine. On the other hand if the motion is too slow the contri-
fugal force is insufficient, and the clothes are not carried round.
far enough, but become rolled up into a ball, and the cleansing is
not effected. Hence in order to ensure the efficient action of such
machines it is necessary that the motion should be a mean between the
two extremes above mentioned, and this is with difficulty obtained in the
majority of cases with the motors hitherto employed, such as hand power.

page_text: applied through a crank or a horse mill. Now in this improved machine
the partition a and projections c render the action independant of the
centrifugal force, so that the machine may be slowly rotated and yet the
clothes will be thoroughly cleansed. In order to render the present
description more complete I have shown three arrangements of the
machine.
Figure 5 shows an elevation of a small machine of simple construction.
To avoid the use of gear wheels the washing action is obtained by an
oscillating or rocking motion imparted to the vessel to the extent of
half a revolution, an entire revolution being required to discharge the
contents.
Figure 6 shows a machine of larger size operated through gearing by
a winch handle.
Figure 7 shows a machine of still larger size driven by belting. A stop
is provided in each machine for holding the washing vessel in position
for charging.
The liquid may either be discharged at the same time as the clothes or
it may be retained for further use by allowing it to drain back through
a grating d, as shown in Figure 8. A wringer of any suitable kind may
if desired be mounted on the framing of these improved machines.