IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN WASHING, SOAPING, DYEING, AND OTHER SIMILAR OPERATIONS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Birch, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN WASHING, SOAPING, DYEING, AND OTHER SIMILAR
OPERATIONS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Birch at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th January 1882.
WILLIAM BIRCII of Salford in the County of Lancaster, Machinist. "IMPROVE,
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN WASHING, SOAPING-
DYEING, AND OTHER SIMILAR OPERATIONS."
This Invention relates to the construction of apparatus employed in washing
soaping and dyeing woven fabrics and for other similar operations, wherein the
fabric operated upon is required to be squeezed in passing into or out of a vessel
or from one vessel or compartment to another to remove the superfluous liquid.
In such cases it is usual to employ a pair of squeezing rollers the lower one of
which is driven by gearing and the upper one is pressed into contact therewith
more or less forcibly by means of springs or weights and is either driven by
gearing also or by friction of contact.
The object of the present Invention is to dispense with the top roller and at the
same time to provide a self-acting means whereby the tension of the fabric under
operation is kept equal.
In place of the top or squeezing roller I employ a thin flat flexible bar or plate
resting upon the fabric above the bottom or draw roller and pressed down either
by its own weight simply or by additional weights or springs so as to give the
pressure required. The bar or plate is so mounted that its edge is past the centre
of the roller and does not come into contact with the fabric at all, so that there is
no scraping action, but the flat part of the underside of the bar or plate rests upon
the draw roller and gives the required pressure to the fabric.
Upon the axis or shaft of the draw roller I mount two levers, one at each end of
the draw roller. One arm of these levers carries a tension bar or small roller
which is parallel with and close to the circumference of the draw roller over which

page_text: the fabric passes. The other arm of each lever is weighted or provided with a
spring suitable to the tension required to be given to the fabric.
Instead of passing the fabric direct from the draw roller to the next friction
roller or other suitable support I pass it first over the bar or small roller above
mentioned in such a manner that the tension of the fabric shall hold the bar or
roller down against the force of the weights or springs.
Should the fabric become too slack the action of weights or springs will cause
the levers to raise up the bar or small roller sufficiently to take up the slack of the
fabric, and at the same time the bar or roller will raise a certain portion of the
fabric off the draw roller and thus by diminishing the amount of lap of the fabric
on the roller will decrease the friction between the two till it becomes insufficient
for the draw roller to propel the fabric, the draw roller then slips (the fabric being
held by the pressure of the squeezing bar) and the fabric between the draw roller
and the next support will be gradually drawn tight again by the succeding draw
roller the increasing tension of the fabric gradually pressing down the tension bar
or small roller against the pressure of the weights or springs into its original
position and thus restoring the previous amount of lap on the draw roller necessary
for the forward movement of the fabric.
To prevent the fabric from becoming too tight I decrease the surface speed of
the last or of each succeeding draw roller slightly either by decreasing the number
of revolutions or by diminishing the diameter thereof, and thus the fabric is kept
at or about one uniform state of tension throughout the operation.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Birch in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th July
1882.
WILLIAM BIRCHI of Salford in the County of Lancaster Machinist. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN WASHING SOAPING
DYEING AND OTHER SIMILAR OPERATIONS."
This Invention relates to the construction of apparatus employed in washing
soaping and dyeing woven fabrics and for other similar operations wherein the
fabric operated upon is required to be squeezed in passing into or out of a vessel
or from one vessel or compartment to another to remove the superfluous liquid. In
such cases it is usual to employ a pair of squeezing rollers the lower one of which
or "draw roller" is driven by gearing and the upper one or squeezing roller" is
pressed into contact therewith more or less forcibly by means of springs or weights
and is either driven by gearing also or by friction of contact.
The object of the present Invention is to dispense with the top roller and at the
same time to provide a self acting means whereby the tension of the fabric under
operation is kept equal.
In the accompanying Drawing in which similar letters of reference indicate like
parts Fig. 1. is a section and Fig. 2. a plan view representing a draw roller with
my improvements applied thereto. a, a is the draw roller.
In place of the top or squeezing roller I employ a thin flat flexible bar or
plate b, b resting upon the fabric above the bottom or draw roller a, a and pressed
down either by its own weight simply or by additional weights or by a spring or
springs c, c as shown on the Drawing so as to give the pressure required. The bar
or plate b, b is so mounted that its edge is past the centre of the roller a, a and
does not come into contact with the fabric d, d at all, so that there is no scraping
action, but the flat part of the underside of the bar or plate b, b rests upon the
draw roller a, a (see Fig. 1) and gives the required pressure to the fabric d, d.
Upon the axis or shaft e, e of the draw roller I mount two levers f, f one at each
end of the draw roller a, a. One arm of these levers carries a tension bar or small
roller g, g which is parallel with and close to the circumference of the draw
roller a, a over which the fabric d, d passes. The other arm of each lever is
provided with a weight h, h or a spring suitable to the tension required to be
given to the fabric d, d.
Instead of passing the fabric direct from the draw roller a, a to the next friction
roller or other support pass it first over the bar or small roller g, g above
mentioned in such a manner that the tension of the fabric d, d shall hold the bar
or roller g, g down against the force of the weights h, h or springs (see Fig. 1).
Should the fabric become too slack the action of the weights h, h (or springs) will
cause the levers ff to raise up the bar or small roller g, g sufficiently to take up
the slack of the fabric as shown in dotted lines and at the same time the bar or
roller g, g will raise a certain portion of the fabric d, d off the draw roller a, a and
thus by diminishing the amount of lap of the fabric d, d on the roller a, a will
decrease the friction between the two till it becomes insufficient for the draw
roller a, a to propel the fabric d, d; the draw roller a, a then slips (the fabric being
held by the pressure of the squeezing bar or plate b, b) and the fabric d, d between
the draw roller a, a and the next support will be gradually drawn tight again by
the succeeding draw roller, the increasing tension of the fabric gradually pressing
down the tension bar or small roller g, g against the pressure of the weight or
springs into its original position as drawn in full lines and thus restoring the

page_text: previous amount of lap on the draw roller a, a necessary for the forward movement
of the fabric d, d.
To prevent the fabric from becoming too tight I decrease the surface speed of
the last or of each succeeding draw roller slightly either by decreasing the number
of revolutions or by diminishing the diameter thereof, and thus the fabric is kept
at or about one uniform state of tension throughout the operation.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect I wish it to be distinctly understood that I claim as my Invention
First the substitution of a thin flexible pressing bar or plate in place of the top
pressing roller in apparatus employed in washing, soaping dyeing and other similar
operations substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated, and
Secondly I claim the combination therewith of a tension bar or roller carried by
levers mounted on the axis of the draw-roller, and operating substantially as
described for the purpose of "taking up the slack" of the fabric and regulating the
tension thereof.
In witness whereof I the said William Birch have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Seventh day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty two.
WILLIAM BIRCH. (LS.)