Improvements in Apparatus for Washing and otherwise Treating Wool and other Fibre.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd July, 1895-Accepted, 31st Aug., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
'Improvements in Apparatus for Washing and otherwise Treating
Wool and other Fibre.
I, GUSTAV POLITZ, of No. 72 Sternstrasse Barmen Rhenish Prussia, Germany,
Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to those processes of treating wool and other textile fibres
in raw or prepared state, in which these materials are subjected to washing, to
treatment with mordant liquors, to dyeing, to water extracting or such like
operations and consists in a method of forcing the liquids through the textile fibre
in such a way, that a continuous and repeated circulation of the liquids is main-
tained by suction or pressure effects throughout the whole quantity of material
treated, which is contained in a separate vessel surrounded by, or crossed by
circulation channels for the passage of the actuated liquid, and in arranging an
intermediate free space between the partitions separating the room containing the
driving medium and that containing the material to be treated.
The new apparatus is described and represented in three variations and the
accompanying drawing will clearly demonstrate the process, as follows:
Fig. 1 to 4. The outer cylindrical tank or vat a has the inner circumference
divided into a number of separate vertical channels e formed by projections or
ribs d of vat a, when the inner holder with sieve-bottom i (Fig. 4) is put in place
in the vat; this latter has a false bottom flaid in it, resting on the projections d
and having a circumferentially grooved rim g to receive the bottom edge of the
inner holder and a central hole as outlet for the liquid into the space between
the bottom of vat a and the false bottom f, said hole leading the liquid into
the centre of a horizontal fan wheel e revolving tightly between the bottoms
mentioned and being driven from a belt by a pulley and a spindle running in a
stuffing-box; a cover or a lid a serving for closing hermetically the vat a.
This apparatus when filled with wool and set to work, acts as follows: The
centrifugal wheel evacuates the chamber between the bottom f and the sieve-
bottom of holder b, therefore the liquid above the wool in 6 penetrates through
the whole mass coutained in 6 in all parts equally well, distributing so its effect
uniformly; and through the central hole in the false bottom fit is taken up by the
wings of the centrifugal wheel and thrown up again by the channels e in the
circumference of vat a into the upper space above the wool to circulate again in
the way described.
The channels are disposed all round the inner circumference of a in order to
keep the liquid on top of wool in b in thorough agitation and thereby, aided by
the velocity given to the circulating streams, to prevent any settling of dye
irregularly.
The modification shown by Figs. 5, 6 and 7 is based on the same working
principle; the circulator differs in construction only and forces up the liquid through
the centre instead of the sides and accordingly the vat a' and holder b' are also
of somewhat altered construction. The projections d and the channels e are here
avoided and the liquid being forced up through the centre and therefore a central
pipe o passes through the holder, and a flange a* being arranged to support the
holder. The circulator consists of a fan-wheel c' mounted in a casing composed
of two parts; the lower part k has a central hole / underneath, for the entrance of
the liquid, the top part carries a disc m parallel to the bottom, leaving an annular
passage round the circumference of the casing. The upper part or cover n is
surmounted by a vertical central standpipe o, reaching through the pipe o' in the

page_text: centre of the holder to the upper space above the wool or material under treat-
ment in said holder. By this arrangement the liquid can be driven through the
material equally distributed by the forcing action of the fan-wheel and by its
sucking power combined.
In Figs. 8 to 11, another modification is shown, in which the circulator or driving
agent is made in form of a vertical screw- or helical conveyor w arranged in a wide
pipe o in the centre of vat a² of same construction as that shown in Fig. 5. The
liquid entering from below in the space between the two bottoms ² and ƒ of the
vat, is lifted by the rotating screw to the top of holder to circulate as before
through the whole mass contained in 62.
The screw blades forming the conveyor or water-screw are not flat, but have a
curved concave form on their top-side the helical surface being generated not by a
straight line
Fig. 11, but by a line with upward curvature pr; by this arrange-
ment of the rotating conveyor its lifting capability is increased so that the liquid
is lifted in greater measure.
In order to spread the liquid at the upper end over the surface of the wool in
the holder b² the screw blades are curved at the top as shown at s in Fig. 9, so as
to insure an equal distribution of the lifted liquid over the material.
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.) An apparatus for washing, treating with mordants, dyeing and extracting
the liquids from textile fibres, in which the material to be treated is enclosed in a
hermetically closed holder with a sieve-like bottom, underneath which sieve is a
free space, closed by a false bottom having a central hole forming the suction-
entrance of a circulating apparatus taking up the liquid and throwing or lifting
the same again to the upper part of the holder and circulating it again over and
through the material to be treated.
2nd.) In an apparatus as claimed under 1) the arrangement, in a vat a having
projections d and channels e formed between them, and a solid bottom / and being
hermetically closed by a cover æ; of a holder having a sieve-like bottom and
standing upon a false bottom so as to leave a free space between the sieve-like
bottom and the false bottom, in the centre of which false bottom a hole is left open
forming the entrance to the space between said false bottom and the solid bottom
named, this space containing a fan wheel by which the liquid is caused to circulate
down through the material in the holder band up the channels e in a continuous
circulating stream.
3rd.) In an apparatus as claimed under 1) the arrangement, in a vat a¹ having an
inner Hange a*, a solid bottom and a hermetically closed cover, of a circulator,
composed of a casing with a central hole 1, a disc m and a cover n; a fan
wheel e made to turn round between them; the cover n being surmounted by a
central stand-pipe o through which the liquid is forced upwards, said pipe passing
through a central pipe o' of the holder & up to the upper space in the vat a¹ above
the surface of the material to be treated.
4th.) In an apparatus as claimed under 1) the arrangement in a vat a², of a
vertical helical conveyor w, placed in a pipe o2 in the centre of the holder 2 said
conveyor being open at the bottom and reaching into the free space between the
perforated bottom of the holder 62 and the solid bottom of the vat a² and
discharging the liquid at the top into the space above the upper surface of the
material to be treated.
Dated this 15th day of July 1895
GUSTAV POLITZ,
Per Karl J. Mayer,
Agent.