Improvements in the Method of Dyeing, Washing, Bleaching and in the Apparatus used therein.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of Dyeing, Washing, Bleaching and in
the Apparatus used therein.
I, PAUL SCHIRP, of Barmen, No. 22, Alleestrasse, Rhenish Prussia, Germany,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
In the method and in the apparatus used hitherto for dyeing, bleaching,
washing, impregnating and similar treatment of textile materials, where the
dyeing liquid acts upon the goods by a circulating stream, and where the recep-
tacle for the goods to be treated is open at top, the liquid is caused to pass through
the material by force. The suction pipe of a suitable pump, in most cases a rotary
pump, being thereby fixed in the bottom of the tub containing the material to
be dyed and therefore the liquid rushes in the most direct way towards or into
this pipe and consequently it can not come in intimate contact with material
lying out of its direct way and it also remains in contact with the fibres too
short a time and it is therefore unable to give out its dyeing agencies properly.
In working with machines having a closed top and where the dyeing liquid is
pressed through the material, other drawbacks make themselves felt, here the
lower parts of the material generally are dyed in a less degree than the upper
parts.
Now it is the object of my invention to avoid these evils and to dye the goods
in such a manner that all parts of the same will be exposed equally to the action
of the dyeing liquid and therefore will be of uniform colour both in respect of
the tint and of the quality of the colour.
I attain this by working in the folowing manner: The material to be dyed is
placed in a tub standing in a raised position directly over a tank containing the
dyeing liquid, the tub and the tank communicate with each other by a straight
pipe leading from the bottom of the upper vessel into the lower one, a valve at
the upper end of said pipe allowing to regulate the outflow of the liquid from
the tub. A pump serving to raise the dyeing liquid from the tank and to
discharge it on the upper side of the tub containing the goods to be dyed, so
that it can flow through this gradually by its own gravity and without any
exterior or mechanical assistance, such as the suction of a pump for instance,
care being taken that the level of the liquid in the tub always stands somewhat
higher than the upper parts of the material, so that this is not exposed to the air.
This is of importance with such dyeing liquids, which, when coming in contact
with the textile fibre in the open air, are subject to a certain oxydation, whereby
their dyeing effect will be influenced.
On the accompanying drawing is shown the new apparatus for carrying out
my method of dyeing.
Figure 1 is a vertical view partly in section,
Figure 2 is a top view of the same.
In the example shown two tubs A and A¹ are arranged a certain distance
that straight tubes C and C¹fixed in the
tonk R in such
a manner

page_text: bottoms of the tubs A and A lead direct into the tank B. In front of the tank B
I place a pump D, the suction pipe E of which comes from the bottom of the
tank, while its force pipe F goes up high enough, so that its bent branch G
reaches over the upper edges of the tubs A and A¹. This branch G is connected
to the force pipe by means of a socket piece H allowing it to be turned round,
so that its discharge end may be directed to stand over either the tub A or A¹.
These tubs have each a false or perforated bottom K and K' a few inches above
the real and tight bottoms L and L' respectively. In the latter, as mentioned
above, are fixed the pipes C and C. Valves M and M' are provided and connected
to rods N and N', so that by means of hand wheels and O¹ the width of the
opening of the pipes C and can be varied or closed entirely.
The material to be treated is placed in either or only in one or other of the
tubs A, A and the pumi D set to work, and the tubs are filled with dyeing
liquid, that it covers the material in the tub, then the valve M or M is opened,
so that now the liquid will flow out at the bottom into the tank B below, whence
it will be raised again in a continuous circulating stream.
From this description and from the drawings it will be understood, that the
dyeing liquid will pass through the material in the tubs quite gradually and
altogether in a vertical stream, and through the perforated bottom into the
space between this and the tight bottom L or L', and that in consequence of this
the material will be dyed absolutely uniformly and equally throughout. There
may be arranged more than two receptacles or tubs for taking up the material
to be dyed and the most economical manner of working is so, that, while the
process is going on in one tub another one will be emptied and refilled for the
next period.
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 The method of dyeing and similarly treating textile materials by a circu-
lating stream consisting in this, that the liquid used is pumped up from a
collecting vessel arranged below one or more vesels placed above the collecting
vessel into these vessels and which contain the textile material to be treated,
allowing then the liquid to flow through the material by its own gravity only,
without the assistance of any exterior mechanical or other agency, so that it will
sink or flow down quite perpendicularly and regularly into a space, from which it
will flow back into the collecting vessel, the whole as described and for the
purpose set forth.
2/ An apparatus for carrying out the process claimed in Claim one consisting
in the combination of a collecting vessel B with two or more dyeing tubs A, A
for taking up the material to be treated and placed above said vessel B, a
pump D having a suction pipe E coming from the vessel B and a force pipe
capable of discharging the liquid into either of the vessels, A, A¹, false
bottoms K, K₁ in said vessels; discharge pipes C, C₁ leading direct from the
vessels A; A into the collecting vessel B, valves M. M being provided for
regulating the width of the entrance into the pipes C, C₁ the whole as described
and illustrated and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 17th day of November 1899
PAUL SCHIRP.'
Per Karl J. Meyer,
Agent.