A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS OF AND MACHINERY FOR WASHING AND SCOURING WOOL
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, of Kensington, Middlesex for an
Invention of A NEW OR IMPROVED PROCESS OF AND MACHINERY FOR
WASHING AND SCOURING WOOL" communicated to him from abroad by
E. Tromsal, of Loth, in the kingdom of Belgium
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert John Haddan at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th June 1883.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of Kensington, Middlesex, "A NEW OR IMPROVED
PROCESS OF AND MACHINERY FOR WASHING AND SCOURING WOOL," a communication
to me from abroad by E Tremsal, of Loth, in kingdom of Belgium,
This invention has for its object to wash wool (crude or yolk-wool or imperfectly
washed wool) and to extract the grease therefrom.
For this purpose I cause the wool to circulate through various washing and
grease-extracting baths without manual or mechanical agitation, so as to avoid
the defects of the processes hitherto used, namely the felting, twining and inter-
lacing of the filaments which compose the staples. This process may be carried
out by placing the wool between two endless bands or sheets situated one over the
other and carrying the wool through the bath. Several pairs of endless sheets or
series of boxes may be used for repeating or continuing the process. Various
mechanical means may be employed in the described process, for instance, an
endless band which delivers the wool at one end of the bath to the lower one of
the said travelling bands, a second endless band which receives the wool at the
other end of the bath and transports it to a pair of wringers, from which it is
transported by a third endless band to a second set of travelling sheets for treating
the wool in a second bath and so on, the endless bands or sheets being set in
motion and guided by rollers actuated by tooth gearing or any other suitablo
mechanism. The endless sheets or bands which carry the wool through the baths
travel between fixed guides or cheeks to prevent the escape of the wool. The
endless sheets may be composed of wooden or metallic slats attached to flexible
belts or chains, or they may be inade entirely of textile material, sheet metal or
betting. The endless sheets may be armed with blados running across the sheet
D

page_text: at any suitable angle, so as to form compartments and transport the wool in layers
of approximately equal thickness. Instead of discharging the wool from the
boxes directly upon a travelling apron, it may be caused to fall on an inclined
plane or shoot which delivers it to the apron.
The process may also be carried out by introducing the wool at one end of a
channel or trough containing the grease-extracting bath, and delivering the latter
at the other end together with the wool suspended in the liquid, upon an inclined
strainor which allows the greatest part of the liquid to fall through the strainer
into a trough, while the wool slides down the strainer & is received by a pair of
wringers wbich press out the greatest portion of the remaining liquid and deliver
the wool to an endless travelling band, which carries.the_wool upward and delivers
it to a second bath, where the same operation is repeated, the liquid separated-from-
the wool and fallen into the said trough being meanwhile conducted back by the
latter and lifted into the said upper trough or channel by a pump or other suitable
apparatus at the end where the wool enters, so that the same liquid passes through
the troughs repeatedly, and a continuous circulation is maintained. In the upper
channel turn two or more wheels in the same direction and with the same speed
with which the liquid moves, the said wheels being provided with radial arms or
series of prongs, which form compartments, the wheel or wheels on the entrance
side serving to plunge the wool into the liquid, while the wheel or wheels on the
discharge side of the channel serve to equally distribute the wool, so as to prevent
accumulation on the inclined strainer.
The lower trough or return channel has several vertical partitions leaving
alternately a passage at the bottom and at the top, so that the liquid takes a
zig-zag course and impurities may be kept back by a filtering cloth stretched from
the top of one partition to the bottom of the next or vice-versa. The compartment
of the return channel, situated under the inclined strainer and the wringer, is
covered with a strainer, and a part of the bottom of the upper channel is deepened
and provided with a discharge opening and valve for allowing impurities to settle
and to be drawn off when necessary. The deepened portion of the channel is
covered with a sieve or strainer.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Herbert John Haddan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th December 1883.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of Kensington, Middlesex, “A NEW OR IMPROVED
PROCESS OF AND MACHINERY FOR WASHING AND SCOURING WOOL," a communication
to me from abroad by E. Tremsal, of Loth, in the kingdom of Belgium,
This invention bas for its object the washing and scouring of raw wool, yolk-
wool or imperfectly washed wool.
For this purpose I cause the wool to pass through a series of washing and
scouring baths without stirring the same either by hand or by machinery, thereby
avoiding the drawbacks of the systems hitherto applied, for instance the felting,
twisting and entangling of the fibres forming the staples.
For carrying out this process, I employ an apparatus constructed strictly on the
above named principle, that is to say, passing the wool through the scouring bath
without stirring.
In the following description reference will be made to Figs. 1 and 2 of the
accompanying drawings which represent in longitudinal section two different
forms of the apparatus embodying this invention, the same letters of reference
indicating the same or corresponding parts.
A tank or receptacle A, A' (Figs. 1 and 2) containing the water and the
aubstances necessary for extracting the grease, also called the scouring and washing
bath, is surmounted by a long chest or trough E E' proferably of rectangular
shape (hereinafter called the circulating trough) into which water or other liquid
is caused to flow from the tank A A¹ by means of a pump F or by any other
suitable water lifting apparatus (such as a pulsometer, an injector, a chain pump, a
spiral pump) see Fig. 1, the suction pipe of which is connected with the tank A A¹
while the discharge pipe terminates in a reservoir L, Fig 1, arranged above the
inlet side of the trough E E' which is shorter than the tank A A' and supported
by the same.
'
The tank L into which passes the scouring and washing liquid from the lower
tank A, A¹ is provided with a pipe M or any other suitable appliance for discharging
the liquid (controlled by means of a tap) and through which the liquid passes into
the circulating trough E E¹.
The tank L is provided with a suitable overflow pipe N through which any
excess of liquid falls back into the tank A A¹.
The above described arrangement serves to maintain as far as possible a uniform
level in the circulating trough.
The reservoir L may be omitted in which case the discharge pipe of the lifting
apparatus leads directly into the circulating trough E E.
The material to be washed and scoured is introduced in a continuous manner
into the receptacle E E, at the same time as the scouring liquid, either by hand
or by means of a feeding apron on which the material is placed.
At the outlet side of the circulating trough E E¹ is placed an overflow cock or
valve P, Fig. 1, through which the whole or part of the scouring liquid passes
back into the tank A, A¹.
The opening of the valve P may be suitably controlled by a float which works
in a pocket arranged near the outlet of the trough E E' and in the interior of the
latter.
This float which is not shown in the drawing may be adapted to regulate the
action of the cock P by various mean which are not shown in the drawings, as
they will readily suggest themselves

page_text: The cock or overflow pipe P may also be omitted, in which case the liquid is
discharged directly at the end of the outlet side of the circulating trough E E¹.
At the outlet of the trough E is situated a feeding apron or fixed shoot C
terminating into a grating O¹.
When the scouring liquid which is constantly fed by the apparatus F has
reached the height of the outlet of the trough E E¹, the float above mentioned
opens the cock which permits the scouring liquid to pass into the trough A A¹.
That part of the liquid which does not pass through P passes through the
grating C¹ into the trough A A¹
By this arrangement a current is established in the trough E E¹ owing to which
the material to-be-scoured-and-washed and which is suspended in the circulating
trough E E is carried off. The circulating trough E Eis furthermore-provided_
inside with two or more wheels G G¹ divided into sections or compartments.
These wheels are set in motion at a speed corresponding to that of the liquid in
the trough E E', and the quantity of liquid raised by the apparatus is regulated
accordingly.
The wheel G immerses the wool into the scouring liquid, and the wheel G¹
acting as a distributor receives the wool between its divisions and throws it on the
apron or sheet C (Figs. 1 and 2).
This wheel G' has for its object to provent the accumulation of wool and to
supply to the apron C not more at a time than the maximum quantity contained
in one of the divisions.
According to the nature of the wool the wheel G¹ may be provided with rows of
teeth, pins or leaves serving to form the divisions above mentioned.
The wool thrown on the apron or wire netting CC by the wheel Q¹ moves
towards the press B B¹ and leaving the same is received by the apron D which
carries the wool into the next apparatus, similar to that described above and so on,
the operation being automatically repeated as many times as it is intended to wash
the wool, until the latter leaves the fast apparatus for being collected and subjected
to further treatment.
It should be observed that in every apparatus the wire netting or apron which
conducts the wool towards the wringing rollers may be wider or narrower or of
the same width as the outlet of the circulating trough E E¹.
A sieve K in the compartment A' of the tank serves to receive the wool which
may accidentally escape before passing into the press B B¹, or fall over the edge
of the cloth or wire netting C C².
The tank or receptacle A A¹ is provided with partitions H H H forming
compartments alternately open above and below. These partitions have for their
object to retain at the bottom of the trough and especially in the part A' the
impurities given off by the wool so as to cause a constant decantation of the
scouring liquid, which, if necessary, is also clarified by means of the screens I I
forming filters and made of woollen cloth or other suitable material fixed on
frames.
The bottom of the receptacle E E¹ is provided with a recess forming a basin or
sink M serving to receive the impurities which escape through a valve, a plug or
cock, either into the tank A or outside.
This basin or sink is covered by a false bottom perforated or made of wire
netting.
The trough E E¹ may be placed inside the trough A A¹ or at any height above
the latter according to circumstances. Fig. 2 represents the trough E E' placed in
the interior of the lower tank A A¹ at a longer or shorter distance from the bottom
of the latter, and resting on beams or iron supports.
In this arrangement the trough E E' communicates with the tank A A' through
one or more apertures 0 0¹ in the sides or at the end of the trough E E' so as to
establish a circulation of the scouring liquid without the use of a pump.
The whole or part of the bottom of the trough E may also be perforated.
The wool is suitably conducted towards the wringing rollers by incans of the

page_text: wheels G G¹, and a feeding apron C (which may or may not dip into the liquid),
a wire netting or by both combined.
For certain kinds of wool I arrange between the wheels G Q₁ an oscillating
plunger or float Z which serves to immerse into the bath the flocks of wool floating
on the surface of the scouring liquid without being penetrated by the same.
This plunger consists of a plate of wood or metal provided with a counterweight
or a spring and mounted in journals fixed to the long sides of the trough E EL.
This float or plate oscillates cach time it comes in contact with the boards or arms
of the wheels G G¹.
This oscillating motion may also be obtained by means of cams, eccentrics or
by any other suitable mechanical appliance.
It will be seen that in both arrangements (Figs. 1 and 2) the wool conducted
into the receptacle or circulating trough E E by the liquid raised to the required
temperature, is perfectly washed and scoured without stirring, being carried along
at the same speed as the liquid, without felting or twisting. The staples of wool
consequently remain perfectly intact.
CLAIMS
1. The process of washing and scouring wool without manual or mechanical
stirring, which consists in causing the bath to travel with the wool through
suitable troughs or tanks, connected with each other by aprons, gratings or inclined
planes and compressing apparatus or wringers.
2. Producing the circulation of the bath by lifting the liquid from a lower trough
or tank A A¹ into the upper trough or tank E E¹ by means of a pump or equivalent
apparatus F, and allowing the liquid to fall subsequently into the trough A A',
from which it is again lifted by the apparatus F.
3. The combination of the circulating trough E E¹ with a tank L receiving liquid
from the trough A.A' and provided with discharge pipe M and overflow pipe N.
4. The use of a discharge cock or valve P applied to the outlet side of the
circulating trough E E' and adapted to be controlled by a float dipping into the
trough E E¹.
-
5. The combination of the circulating trough E E¹ with one or more wheels G G₁
forming compartments or buckets, the wheel G being adapted to plunge the wool
into the bath, while the wheel G₁ receives the wool in its compartments and
discharges it on the aprons, gratings or inclined planes C, C'.
6. The use of partitions H, H₁, H placed in the trough A A' and serving to
retain at the bottom of tho said trough the impurities given off by the wool, with
or without the addition of strainers I I.
7. The combination of lower trough A A', with upper trough E E¹, revolving
wheels G G¹, gratings, aprons, or inclined planes C C and wringers B, B¹.
The whole substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof I the said Herbert John Haddan have hereunto set my
hand and seal this 14th day of December A.D. 1883.
TT T TIADAN