Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 14th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th July, 1888
We, PAUL HEILMANN-DUCOMMUN and CHARLES VINCENT STEINLEN (trading as
La Société Heilmann-Ducommun et Steinlen) of Mulhouse, Alsace, Manufacturers do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to processes and apparatus for steaming woollen yarns.
Woollen yarns are usually steamed in order to fix the twist and prevent the yarn
kinking in winding off, the process being generally conducted in the following
manner The baskets containing the bobbins are placed in a chamber into which moist
steam is introduced and allowed to remain in contact with the yarns. The result. is,
however, imperfect, as the inner coils of yarn are with difficulty penetrated by the
steam and if this is sought to be accomplished by prolonging the steaming
operation, or by raising the temperature, the bobbins become mis-shapen and wind
off badly.
With a view to remedy these objections we first exhaust the chamber containing
the bobbins to be steamed and then introduce therein a mixture of steam, air, and
water, in regulated proportions; by reason of the vacuum, the vaporizing atmosphere
readily penetrates to the undermost layers of yarn, so that so prolonged a steaming
as heretofore is unnecessary. In order to accelerate the operation, the chamber is
repeatedly exhausted and a fresh moist atmosphere introduced, the portion of the
atmosphere immediately surrounding the bobbins and from which the moisture has
been abstracted being thus renewed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this
specification which illustrates the apparatus employed in our improved process;
figure 1 being a longitudinal section and figure 2 a front elevation thereof.
A is a cast iron chamber lined with copper or other metal not liable to oxidation
and provided with a grating for the basket of bobbins to stand on and a trough-shaped
bottom below for collecting the water of condensation. B is a cover for the chamber
hinged at and made perfectly tight by means of a packing c and locking bolts d.
C tackle for raising and lowering the cover B. D is a water tank placed beneath

page_text: the chamber A and connected at top with the bottom thereof by pipes Ẹ controlled
by cocks F. F. operated by a lever E. Steam is introduced to tank D by the
submerged pipes e. The basket of bobbins to be steamed is brought up to the mouth
of chamber A on a truck G which is on a level with the grating in the chamber on to
which the basket is slid beneath a screen I to prevent the condensed moisture falling
upon the bobbins. K is a perforated deflector placed just above the inlets E to
distribute the moist vapors equally throughout the chamber. L vacuum gauge.
M. M M thermometers. N steam injector, the steam injected passing through pipe O,
in order to produce by absorption, a vacuum in the chamber A.
Dated this 20th day of September 1887.
P.
HEILMANN-DUCOMMUN.
C. V. STEINLEN.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: We, PAUL HEILMANN-DUCOMMUN and CHARLES VINCENT STEINLEN (trading as
La Societé Heilmann-Ducominun et Steinlen) of Mulhouse, Alsace, Manufacturers,
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 processes and apparatus for steaming woollen and worsted
yarns. Such yarns are usually steamed in order to fix the twist and prevent the
yarn kinking in winding off, the process being ordinarily conducted in the following
manner-The baskets containing the bobbins are placed in a chamber into which
moist steam is introduced and allowed to remain in contact with the yarns. The
result is, however, imperfect as the inner coils of yarn are with difficulty penetrated
by the steam and if this is sought to be accomplished by prolonging the steaming
operation or by raising the temperature, the bobbins become mis-shapen and wind
off badly.
With a view to remedy these objections, we first exhaust the chamber containing
the bobbins to be steamed and then introduce therein a mixture of steam, air, and
water, in regulated proportions, the temperature and hygrometric condition of this
atmosphere being regulated according to circumstances. By reason of the vacuum,
the vaporizing atmosphere readily penetrates to the undermost layers of yarn so that
so prolonged a steaming as heretofore, is unnecessary and the consequent injury to
the bobbins is avoided. In order to accelerate the operation, the chamber is repeatedly
exhausted and a fresh moist atmosphere introduced, whereby that portion of the
atmosphere immediately surrounding the bobbins and from which the moisture has
been abstracted, becomes renewed.
Reference is to be had to the drawing left with our Provisional Specification which
illustrates the apparatus employed in our improved process; figure 1 being a
longitudinal section and figure 2 a front elevation thereof.
A is a cast iron chamber lined with copper or other metal not liable to oxidation
and provided with a grating for the basket of bobbins to stand on and a trough-
shaped bottom for collecting the water of condensation. B is a cover for the chamber
hinged at b and made perfectly tight by means of an india-rubber packing c and
locking bolts d. C, tackle for raising and lowering the cover B. D is a water tank
placed beneath the chamber A and connected with the bottom thereof by pipes E
controlled by cocks F F operated by a lever E¹. Steam is introduced to tank D by
the submerged pipes e.
The basket of bobbins to be steamed is brought up to the mouth of chamber A after
the cover B has been raised, upon a truck G at the same level as the grating in the
chamber, on to which the basket is slid beneath a screen I to prevent the condensed
moisture falling upon the bobbins. K is a perforated deflector placed just above the

page_text: inlets E to prevent the moist vapors impinging directly on the bobbins and distribute
them equally throughout the chamber. L is a vacuum gauge and M, M, M, are
thermometers. N is a steam injector, the steam injected passing through pipe O, in
order to produce by absorption, a vacuum in the chamber A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1st. The hereindescribed process of steaming yarns, which consists in subjecting
the baskets of bobbins when contained in an exhausted chamber, to a mixture of
steam, air, and water, the said mixture impinging against a perforated deflector
whereby it becomes atomized and distributed uniformly throughout the chamber as
specified.
2nd. The apparatus for steaming yarns, consisting in the combination of a closed
chamber A provided with a grating upon which to stand the basket of bobbins, a
water tank D in which steam is injected through the submerged pipes e, and a truck G
for delivering the baskets of bobbins to and removing them from the vacuum
chamber A, all arranged substantially as described and represented in the drawings.
P. H. DUCOMMUN.
C. V. STEINLEN.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.