IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT AND SCOURING OR CLEANSING OF TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Fulton, of Paisley, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, Bleacher, for the Invention of IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT AND SCOURING OR CLEANSING OF
TEXTILE FABRICS."
Scaled the 19th November 1858, and dated the 19th May 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Fulton
at the Office of the Cominissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th May 1853.
I, WILLIAM FULTON, of Paisley, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Bleacher, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TREATMENT AND SCOURING OR CLEANSING OF
TEXTILE FABRICS" to be as follows :-
This Invention relates to an addition to or modification of the
ordinary scouring or preparing mangles employed in the preparation
and cleansing of woven goods. The goods under treatment are first
passed beneath guide rollers at the bottom of the machine or scouring
box, and thence up, behind the squeezing rollers of the mangle, to an
overhead guide roller. From this roller the fabric descends again in

page_text: a line parallel with its ascending course, and between these two lines
of the piece one or more revolving, scraping, or agitating rollers are
placed. These rollers are fitted with blades or scrapers extending from
end to end, and being driven at a high rate they work upon and
agitate both sides of the piece. The cloth is also passed through or
between a pair or more of breadthening rollers or cylinders, so that
both sides are well acted upon by the breadthening action. After this
treatment the piece passes through the mangle in the usual way. And,
in addition to this treatment, the goods, may by passed through or
between a pair of plates kept at a determined distance asunder, so
as to give the goods a certain frictional pressure. This increases the
scouring effect which takes place on both sides of the cloth, the plates
being adjusted by springs or otherwise. It will be obvious that the
positions of the several operating details may be variously modified to
suit different machines and different classes of fabrics. And, in addi-
tion to the powerful cleansing effect derivable from the scraping
working action of the agitating rollers, it is found that such process
materially hastens the preparation of the goods for being printed upon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Fulton in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 19th November 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1,
WILLIAM FULTON, of Paisley, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain,
Bleacher, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Fulton, Her special licence
that I, the said William Fulton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I; the said William Fulton, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no

page_text: others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE TREATMENT AND SCOURING OR CLEANSING OF TEXTILE FABRICS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Fulton,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particu-
larly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Fulton, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to he particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My said Invention relates generally to an addition to and modifica-
tion of the ordinary scouring or preparing mangles employed in the
preparation and cleansing. of woven goods. The goods under treat-
ment are first passed beneath guide rollers at the bottom of the
machine or scouring box, and thence up, behind the ordinary squeezing
rollers of the mungle, to an overhead guide roller; from this roller the
fabric descends again in a line parallel with its ascending course, and
between these two lines of the piece one or more revolving, scraping,
or agitating rollers or brushes are placed. These rollers are fitted
with blades or scrapers extending from end to end, and being driven at
a high rate they work upon and agitate one side of the piece. The
cloth is also passed through or between a pair or more of breadthening
rollers or cylinders, so that both sides are well acted upon by the
breadthening action. After this treatment the piece passes through
the mangle in the usual way.
And, in addition to this treatment,
the goods may be passed through or between a pair of plates
kept at a determined distance asunder, so as to give the goods a
certain frictional pressure. This increases the scouring effect which
takes place on both sides of the cloth, the plates being adjusted by

page_text: springs or otherwise.
It will be obvious that the positions of the
several operating details may be variously modified to suit different
machines and different classes of fabrics. And, in addition to the
powerful cleansing effect derivable from the scraping working action
of the agitating rollers, it is found that such process materially hastens
the preparations of the goods for being printed upon.
Figure 1, on my Sheet of Drawings is a transverse vertical section
of a scouring mangle, as fitted up according to my Improvements; and
Figure 2, is a corresponding side external elevation of the machine,
looking on the scouring side of the apparatus where the rotatory scrapers
and dashers are placed. Tu this modification of the machine it consists
mainly of the two vertical end frame standards A, bolted down to the
floor by the bottom flanges, and connected together transversely by the
overhead tie rod B. These standards are slotted down the centre at C,
as in ordinary mangles, for the reception of the end spindle bearings of
the three rollers or cylinders D, E, F. These bearings are fitted accu-
rately into the slots, and they are adjustable from above, by the vertical
screws G. These screw spindles C, also serve to convey downwards the
pressure of the overhead weighted levers H, set on end stud centres in
the standards, the spindles C, being passed through theun. From the
outer free ends of these levers pendant rods I, pass down to studs J, in
the bottom levers K, on the cross rod connecting which the adjustable
weight L, are hung. The spindle M, of the bottom cylinder F, is
prolonged at one side for connection with the driving power, and the
opposite projecting end of this spindle also carries a large spur wheel N,
and a flanged band pulley O, for actuating the rest of the working
details, the operation of which I shall herein-after describe in tracing
the course of the goods during the scouring action. At the front or
feeding side of the machine each standard A, has cast upon it a project-
ing bracket P, across which pair of brackets is bolted a slotted bar Q, for
the reception of a pair of vertical end standards R. These standards
are thus adjustable at different distances asunder for the reception of
the spindle of the cloth bean or roller S, on which the cloth T, to be
scoured and cleansed, is wound. In the space between the pair of
standards, and at a slightly lower level than their base, is a wooden

page_text: trough or water box U, for supplying the washing fluid, which is heated
at pleasure by the steam pipe V, descending to and passing along the
bottom. Inside this trough are also a set of four guide rollers W, X, Y, Z,
the spindles of which have fixed end bearings in the inner sides of the
trough. As the unscoured cloth T, is wound off the roller S, it passes
downwards in the direction of the arrow, and passes beneath the first
bottom guide roller W, in the trough, so as to become well immersed
in the fluid, as is usual in the ordinary system of scouring. After
leaving this roller the line of the fabric passes horizontally along the
bottom of the trough, and round up, beneath the opposite roller X, to
the rotatory cleausing apparatus at that side of the machine. This
apparatus is supported by the vertical standards a, having upper
angular end flange pieces b, for bolting to the upper parts of the main
standards A, one to each main standard, and curved bottom flanges c,
for similar attachment to the curved base portions of the main
standards. These additional standards a, have horizontal pieces d, cast
upon them to support adjustable end bearings for the spindles of the
four guide rollers e, e, f, f, as well as bearing brackets g, h, for the
two dashing vane or rotatory cleansing rollers i, j, and similar bear-
ings k, for the upper rotatory scraping cleanser roller t. Above all these
are bracket bearings m, for a top guide roller n, over which the goods
pass down to receive their secondary treatment. As the fabric emerges
from the scouring trough round the rollers X, it passes along as indicated
by the arrow, and round the inner side of a bottom fixed guid
roller o, carried in end spindle bearings in bracket pieces p, bolted to
the main standards. As it leaves this roller the passing fabric is directed
against the outer of the dashing vanes of the lower roller ', so that
the inner surface of the piece, or that side which is uppermost in
passing through the scouring trough, is thus exposed to the cleansing
action of the revolving vanes . The wooden roller i, carrying these
vanes, is of rectangular section, and the metal vane pieces 7. which
extend along the entire length of the roller, with their planes coincident
with the rollers axes, are screwed, one vane to each flat side of the
roller. Each vane is thus tangential to the roller, as defined by a
circle equal to the smallest diameter of the sectional square. The

page_text: outer working edge in each case is rounded off, so that it may give a
smoother dashing action to the goods as it rotates in a direction either
along with or opposite to the line of traverse of the goods. After being
thus operated upon by the revolving vanes as the primary scouring
action, the piece passes up inside the guide roller e, after which it is
directed against the rotating vanes of the intermediate roller j, where
the surface already operated upon by the lower roller is still further
cleansed. From this point the fabric passes inside the upper guide
roller e, by which it is directed to a greater or less extent against the
outer surface of the highest roller 1, carrying a series of narrow radial
scraping vanes or metal plates. These scrapers have sharp edges so
that they exercise a more powerful cleansing force upon the same side
of the goods which has been already treated. The top guide rollern,
then serves to direct the fabric down in a precisely similar course
between the same set of cleansers and their opposite corresponding
guide rollers f, so that one side of the piece thus receives an efficient
scouring. From the inner side of the dashing vane roller i..the cloth
descends beneath the fixed guide roller in the scouring trough, and
from this roller it passes horizontally through the trough to the corre-
sponding front guide roller Z. Round this the piece passes up and inside
a breadthening roller r, the spindle of which runs in end bearings in
the two brackets s, bolted to the main standards. This breadthener
may be of the ordinary right and left screw kind, or any other convenient
breadthener may be adopted. After passing from this breadthener the
fabric turns round the fixed guide roller t, also carried in end bearings
on the bracket pieces s, and thence over the top of the second breadth-
ening roller, supported in a similar way. On leaving this latter
breadthener the fabric passes through or between the two main
cylinders E, F, of the mangling apparatus, and thence round the
central cylinder E, and between it and the upper pressure cylinder D,
being finally wound up on a beam, as at v. This beam is carried by
the two ends of its spindle resting in slots in the upper free ends of a
pair of vibrating levers w, the lower ends of which levers are also slotted
widely for attachment to the squared portions a, of a horizontal spindle
supported in end bearings in the brackets y, bolted one to each main

page_text: standard A. The open ends of the slots are closed up in each case by
a wedge key so as to firmly embrace the spindle a, and at the central
portion of this spindle a double ended lever 2, is set upon it at about
a right angle to the direction of the levers w. This lever z, has a
pendant weight 1, on its lower end, so that it tends to keep the wound
up fabric v, pressed up against the top cylinder D. When, however,
the intended length of the fabric is wound upon the beam or roller,
the outer end of the lever a, is drawn over upon a supporting cross
piece 2, and the beamed cloth v, is thus relieved from pressure against
the cylinder D, preparatory to being removed. This completes one
operation, and when the fabric is to be repassed through the machine
it is reversed on being put in, so as to expose the opposite side of the
cloth to the frictional clashing cleansing effect. The arrows indicate the
direction of motion of the principal details, all the movements, as I
have before stated, being derived from the first motion shaft M. This
shaft carries at one end a spur wheel N, which gears with a smaller
spur wheel 3, fast on the spindle of the breadthener u, which is thus
made to rotate at the desired rate. This spur wheel 3, again gears
with a corresponding spur wheel 4, fast on the spindle of the first
breadthener. These are all the directly actuated movements on this
side of the machine. Those on the opposite side are actuated by the
endless crossed band 5, from the large pulley O, which band is passed
over the small pulley 6, fast on the projecting end of the spindle 7, of
the upper scraping cleansing roller l. Alongside this pulley on the
same shaft is a similar small pulley 8, from which an open endless
band 9, passes to a corresponding small pulley 10, fast on the projecting
end of the spindle 11, of the intermediate cleansing dasher roller j.
The opposite end of the spindle 7, of the upper scraper roller l, also
carries a band pulley 12, from which an open endless band 18, passes
down to a small pulley 14, on the projecting end of the spindle of the
lower dasher roller i, which roller thus receives its motion. It will be
obvious to the practical scourer that by varying the speeds of the
cleansing rollers, and adjusting the working distance of the guide
rollers, the cleansing operation may be widely modified to suit special
circumstances. Instead of the rotatory dasher scrapers which I have

page_text: described, rotatory, stationary, or traversing brushes may be used for
giving the required frictional effect, or fixed or traversing friction
scraper plates may be adopted, the two edges of such plates being
pressed towards each other, with the fabric passing between so as to be
well rubbed or frictionally treated on each side. These frictional plates
or edges I place immediately in front of the mangle, so that the dirty
matter on the goods may be scraped off both surfaces before the goods
enter the bowls or mangling rollers, and hence the foreign matters
carried up out of the scouring box are kept from being squeezed into
the fibres of the cloth in passing through the bowls. A frictional
scraping effect may also be produced by applying screw breadtheners,
or breadtheners of other kinds, instead of the rotatory or other frictional
details which I have described. And although I have described and
illustrated my arrangements as contrived to operate upon one side only
of the fabric at one time, yet I wish it to be understood that by a
suitable disposition of guide rollers and frictional details I am ena-
bled to work both sides of the piece simultaneously or at one passage
through the machine. I also produce very powerful frictional effect
by arranging guide rollers in such manner that the ascending and
descending surfaces of the fabric may be pressed in contact with cach
other, thus making the fabric its own scourer. This plan of scouring
by producing a frictional action between the surfaces of the fabric
itself may be carried out at various parts of the machine wherever two
oppositely traversing surfaces can be brought into contact conveniently
I also wish it to be understood that my Invention may be satisfactorily
employed as an auxiliary cleanser, scourer, or preparer in any machine
or process where the goods have to be passed through a solution or
fluid of any kind, such as in washing or drying.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confin
or restrict myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have
had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made
therefrom without deviating from the principles or main features of my
Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore

page_text: claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery, appa-
ratus, or means for the treatment or scouring and cleansing of textile
fabrics, as hercin-before described.
Second, the system or mode of treating, scouring, or cleansing textile
fabrics by incans of friction, in combination with the ordinary or other
Scouring machine, or general cloth finishing machinery.
Third, the application and use in scouring mangles of rotatory
dasher scrapers or brushes for cleansing, scouring, and preparing textile
fabrics.
Fourth, the system or mode of cleansing, scouring, and preparing
textile fabrics by means of rotatory scrapers or brushes combined with
rollers or mangling apparatus, as hercin-before described.
Fifth, the system or mode of treating, scouring, or cleansing textile
fabrics by causing the fabric rub against itself.
Sixth, the system or mode of treating, scouring, or cleansing textile
fabrics, wherein such fabrics are frictionally scoured or acted upon after
leaving the scouring box.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Fulton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.