Dyeing Textile Fabrics in an Open and Extended State by the Application of Guides to Keep the Fabric whilst being Operated upon in the Machine in a Straight Course.
Year: 1885

page_text: Dyeing Textile Fabrics in an Open and Extended State by
the Application of Guides to Keep the Fabric whilst being
Operated upon in the Machine in a Straight Course.
I, EDWARD KEMPE, Holbeck Mills, Leeds, Yorkshire Machine Maker, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SCOURING,
WASHING, STIFFENING AND DYEING TEXTILE FABRICS IN AN OPEN AND EXTENDED
STATE BY THE APPLICATION OF GUIDES TO KEEP THE FABRIC WHILST BEING
OPERATED UPON IN THE MACHINE IN A STRAIGHT COURSE to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to keep the fabric whilst passing through the
machine in a perfectly straight course and I effect this by means of Guides which
I place so as to govern the course of the fabric between the drawing and feed
rollers of the machine, these Guides may be made of various forms and materials
and placed adjustable to the widths of fabrics.
The invention is illustrated by the annexed drawing.
a is a vat in which is contained the liquid for the treatment of the fabric under
process.
bb is this fabric, the ends of the piece or pieces are sewn together.
cl cc are driven rollers by which the fabric is continuously drawn out from the
vat and returned to it.
dd are bars for maintaining a requisite tension.
The fabric as it descends from the roller
is received upon the straight guide
board e and between the straight side guides f
The board e is faced with metal corrugated longitudinally. The inclination of
these guides e. f. can be adjusted by varying the length of the supporting link g.
Within the vat there is also a straight bottom guide and straight side guides
jointed to the side guides f. The distance between the straight side guides is
adjusted to suit the width of the piece.
Dated this
1004

page_text: the Application of Guides to Keep the Fabric whilst being
Operated upon in the Machine in a Straight Course.
I EDWARD KEMPE Holbeck Mills, Leeds, Yorkshire, Machine Maker do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machines for scouring, washing,
stiffening and dyeing textile fabrics in an open and extended state by the application
of guides to keep the fabric whilst being operated upon in the machine in a straight
course.
In machines of this class the fabric which is sewn together so as to render it
endless is continuously lifted out of the liquor employed in the treatment, passed
between rollers and then returned to the vat. In order to ensure the fabric running
straight and not travelling off the rollers at the ends it has been necessary hereto-
fore that it should be guided by manual labour. My invention admits of this
hand labour being dispensed with. The way in which I keep the fabric whilst
passing through the machine in a perfectly straight course is by means of guides
which I place so as to govern the course of the fabric between the drawing and
feed rollers of the machine, these guides may be made of various forms and materials
and placed adjustable to the thickness and width of fabrics.
The invention is illustrated by the annexed drawing.
a is a vat in which is contained the liquid for the treatment of the fabric under
process.
bb is this fabric, the ends of the piece or pieces are sewn together.
c¹ c² c³ are driven rollers by which the fabric is continuously drawn out from the
vat and returned to it.
d d are bars for maintaining a requisite tension.
The fabric as it descends from the roller c³ is received upon the straight guide
board e and between the straight side guides f.
The inclination of
The board e is faced with metal corrugated longitudinally.
these guides ef can be adjusted by varying the length of the supporting link g.
Within the vat there is also a straight bottom guide h which is jointed to the
straight guide board e and straight side guides i jointed to the side guides f.
The distance between the straight side guides is adjusted to suit the width of
the piece.
The fabric as will be seen as it rises from the vat more or less completely extended
passes first between the bars d d. These as heretofore are set to deflect the fabric
out of the straight course sufficiently to cause the fabric to be stretched to the
extent desired as it passes from the bars & to the driven rollers. is another fixed
guide bar leading the fabric to the driven rollers c¹ c² between which it is pressed
and much of the liquor is squeezed out and runs back to the vat. The pressing
rollers c¹ c² may be such as have heretofore been employed, it is usual to make use
of rollers having a covering of cloth or india rubber lapped around them.

page_text: The roller c³ is driven at the same surface speed as the rollers c¹ and c² by an
endless belt or otherwise.
The fabric falls from the roller c³ on to the straight board e and lies on the
corrugated metal with which this is covered and between the side guides ft. The
fabric slides down the board e and it being straight the fabric passes down with
perfect regularity and does not change its arrangement from the time that it reaches
the board e at the upper end until it passes off at the lower on to the board h
within the vat. This lower board forms the bottom of the vat and it is in fact a
continuation of the board e but the inclination of the upper length is made
adjustable because the fabric passes onwards down the incline somewhat less freely
at the commencement of the operation than later when it has been worked for a
short time; for this reason it is desirable to have some power of adjustment. The
boards e and h are connected together by hinge joints on the under side at 7 and
the side guides f and i are connected at the top by hinge joints m. The side guides
are fixed in place upon the bottom guides by clamping screws n n passing through
slotted holes and also by clamping screws at the lower end at o entering slotted
pieces at the ends of the side guides.
When the nuts on the clamping screws n n are slack the parts e and f can be
moved freely (over a sufficient range) about their hinge joints land m the holes in
the board e through which the clamping screws pass being wide enough to admit
of the movement. When the desired adjustment has been attained the nuts on
the clamping screws are tightened.
In a machine to work always with fabric of the same width it would be
unnecessary that the side guides should be adjustable.
By these means the fabric is caused to retain throughout its passage through the
vat the arrangement it receives as it falls from the roller g on to the board e and
in consequence of this it slips continuously down the straight guide boards e and h
to the point where it is again lifted and this it does without deviation to either
side or with only such a small amount of deviation as the side guides are well able
to control.
This would not be the case if the surfaces over which the fabric bas to travel
were curved like the bottoms of the vats at present in use, any such curvature of
the supporting surface would cause a deviation which side guides could not control,
but on the contrary would exaggerate as the fabric would in such case bank up
against the side guide.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
(1.) My improvements in machines for scouring, washing, stiffening and dyeing
textile fabrics by which such machines are rendered automatic and consisting in
providing a straight bottom guide set at a suitable inclination to control the fabric
in its passage through the machine substantially as described.
(2.) The use in combination with such straight bottom guides of straight side
guides either adjustable or otherwise substantially as described.
(3.) My improved machines for scouring, washing, stiffening and dyeing textile
fabrics substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of Sentember 1885