IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SCOURING PILE FABRICS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Worrall, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Dyer, and John Kershaw, of Wadsworth, in the Parish
of Halifax and County of York, Spinner, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SCOURING PILE FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Worrall and
John Kershaw at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 11th April 1872.
We, JAMES WORRALL, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Dyer, and JOHN KERSHAW, of Wadsworth, in the Parish of Halifax and
County of York, Spinner, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SCOURING PILE FABRICS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to the use of a novel arrangement of apparatus
whereby the scouring of cotton, piled cords, and other similar textile
fabrics may be effected in a more expeditious and satisfactory manner
than heretofore.

page_text: The apparatus consists of a series of tanks arranged in a line, and
provided with a series of guide rollers mounted transversely and in two
lines, the lower line being within the tanks near the bottom, and the
upper line above the tanks. The fabric to be operated upon is led under
and over these series of rollers, which hold it at tension while passing
through the liquor in the tanks. The upper rollers receive a slow
rotary motion from a longitudinal worm shaft, which drives the rollers
through worm wheels keyed upon the several axles.
The tanks are severally provided with rotary beaters, which besides
keeping the liquor in the tanks in constant agitation beat against the
surface of the fabric as it moves past them, and thus maintain a kind of
rincing action. The fabric, as it rises out of the tanks to the upper
tension rollers presents its piled or corded face upwards; and it is here
subjected to a brushing or rubbing operation. For this purpose there
are set over and parallel with the upper tension rollers of one or more
tanks endless chains of brushes, and on a tank in rear thereof recipro-
cating ribbed friction surfaces, which will act upon the pile and bring
the cords to roundness. The endless chains of brushes will receive
motion through suitable gearing from the worm shaft before mentioned,
and excentrics on this shaft may be employed to give the reciprocating
motion to the rubbers, which will by preference be made of wood ribbed
transversely. A longitudinal shaft and suitable gearing will be used to
set all the beaters in action.
The apparatus will be provided with suitable guide and delivery
rollers for passing the fabric into and out of the series of tanks. The
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Worrall and John Kershaw in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 11th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
WORRALL, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Dyer, and JOHN
KERSHAW, of Wadsworth, in the Parish of Halifax and County of York,
spinner, send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said James Worrall and John
Kershaw, Her special licence that we, the said James Worrall and
John Kershaw, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said James Worrall and John Kershaw, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no 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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
SCOURING PILE FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said James Worrall and John Kershaw, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 James Worrall, on behalf of myself
and of the said John Kershaw, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
3 particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to the use of a novel arrangement of apparatus
whereby the scouring of cotton, piled cords, and other similar textilo
O fabrics may be effected in a more expeditious and satisfactory manner
than heretofore.
The apparatus consists of a series of tanks arranged in a line, and
provided with a series of rollers for guiding and traversing the fabric
through the tanks. These rollers are mounted transversely of the tanks,
5 some being within and the others above the tanks. Situate immediately
above the top rollers are friction surfaces, to which an endway motion
is given for the purpose of acting upon the pile and setting it up where
crushed, and thereby restoring the roundness to the cords.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional
clevation of the improved apparatus; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;
and Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 2.
A, A, A, are three tanks set side by side, and intended to receive the
scouring liquor. These tanks are furnished with a series of rollers a,
which are mounted in bearings within the tanks, and also a series of
rollers 6, which are mounted in pairs in bracket castings B supported on
the ends of the tanks; care guide bars for the pile fabric set at the
entrance end of the series of tanks; and d are guide rollers situate at
the delivery end of the series of tanks. Overlying the rollers b are
rectangular frames C, which are supported in the bracket castings B,
and are capable of sliding endwise therein. These frames are fitted with
friction blocks D for acting upon the pile fabric under treatment, which
blocks may be ribbed transversely, as shewn best in the enlarged views.
Figs. 4, or furnished with tufts of bristles, as shewn in the enlarged
view, Fig. 5. The blocks are dropped into the openings in the frames,
and the pressure they put upon the fabric will be due simply to their own
weight. They may be made of or faced with glass or brass if desired to
enable them the better to resist wear, but hard wood will produce satis-
factory results. The fabric to be operated upon is led under and over
the rollers a, b, which hold it at tension while passing through the liquor
in the tanks, as shewn at e, e, Fig. 1. The rollers 6 receive a slow rotary
motion from a longitudinal worm shaft E supported in bearings in the
bracket castings B. This worm shaft E drives the rollers through worm
wheels keyed upon their several axles.
The tanks are severally provided with a pair of rotary beaters F, F,
which besides keeping the liquor in the tanks in constant agitation, beat
against the surface of the fabric as it moves past them, and thus
maintain a kind of rinsing action. The fabric, as it rises out of the
tanks to the upper tension rollers, presents its piled or corded face
upwards; and it is here subjected to a rubbing or a brushing operation
from the friction blocks D.
The reciprocating frames C are connected together in pairs by cross
heads f, and to these cross heads are attached excentric rods g leading
from excentrics G keyed on the worm shaft E. As therefore rotary
motion is given to the rollers 6 for the purpose of traversing the fabric
through the scouring tanks a quick reciprocating motion will be

page_text: imparted to the frames O, O, and consequently to their friction blocks,
whereby the longitudinal cords forming the pile of the fabric will be
acted upon, and brought to "roundness.”
It is preferred to drive the pairs of beaters F from overhead shafting, .
as this will facilitate the starting and stopping of the beaters in the
several tanks independently.
The fabric on leaving the tanks is to be dried as heretofore, and after
a slight brushing it will be ready for the singeing operation.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improved
Apparatus for Scouring Pile Fabrics," and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that we do
not claim the scouring of piled fabrics in tanks by the aid of rotary
beaters; but what we do claim under the above in part recited Letters
Patent is, the arrangement of apparatus above described for scouring
pile or corded fabrics, and raising the pile or cords of such fabrics at one
and the same operation.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Worrall, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Ninth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.