IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINERY WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR MILLING FULLING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1885

page_text: I THOMAS WHITE of 24 Hyde Park Terrace, Hyde Park Road in Leeds in the
County of York, Engineer and Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINERY WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
ALSO APPLICABLE FOR MILLING FULLING AND OTHER PURPOSES and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates more particularly to that class of machine in domestic use
known as washing and wringing machines. It is intended more especially for
general washing but it may also be used for the milling and fulling of cloth or
other woven fabrics and for other purposes. I use a frame and two rollers in some
respects similar to those in general use but whereas in ordinary machines the
rollers are fixed within the frame so as to have the power to revolve only I use
oscillating rollers that is to say I make my rollers to be capable of revolving and
at the same time to be capable of moving endway one upon the other in contrary
directions so as to produce a rubbing motion resembling the action of the knuckles
in hand washing; and for certain purposes I cover the rollers with cord, india
rubber, vulcanite, zinc, or other suitable material coiled round or otherwise fixed
in rings, or so as to form rings, upon the circumference so as to produce a corrugated
surface; for other purposes I prefer to use plain rollers which however may be
covered with felt or other suitable material; but instead of being covered the
rollers may themselves be turned with corrugated surfaces or may be formed by a
series of discs fastened together with the shaft passing through them.
In order that the nature of my invention and the manner in which the same is
to be performed may be fully understood I shall now proceed to describe the same
by the aid of and by reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a front
elevation of a machine made according to my present invention. Figure 2 is an
end elevation of the same machine and Figure 3 is an enlarged front sectional
view of the vertical arms of the double crank "d" hereinafter mentioned so.as to
exhibit the method by which the roller ends are attached thereto. The same
letter indicates the same part in each figure:
The top roller "h" works in sliding bushes fitted in slots in the side standards
of the machine (shown in figures 1 and 2) in the usual way so as to be free to rise
n

page_text: "
or fall; and pressure (which requires to be only very light) is given by means of a
spring or springs or by weighted levers in the usual way. In the drawing figure 1
a straight spring "n is shown extending from side to side and regulated by a
screw in the centre, but spiral springs may be used at each end, which may be
placed in the spaces "o, o¹." The bottom roller "" works in solid or moveable
bushes but whereas at one end the shaft "j" rests upon the bush as shown at "j","
at the other end it passes through a socket cast solid with the long toothed spur
wheel ""which gears into a similar wheel "" on the shaft of the upper
roller "h" and so causes the two rollers to revolve together and it is this socket
which rests upon and revolves within the bushes. The bushes may be provided
with friction rollers. The outer end of this socket passes through a fixing
lettered "m" and "8" at the end of the machine for keeping the spur wheels in
position and on its outer end receives the spur wheel "t" by means of which
motion is imparted to the rollers.
"
The motion to the machine is imparted as follows:-On suitable mountings on
the top of the frame or standards of the machine I use a shaft "g" which I call
the main shaft one end of which carries a driving pulley "k and a pinion
wheel "n." This pinion wheel gears into a spur wheel "" carrying another
pinion "w" mounted on a stud attached to the fixing "m" and "8" at the end of
the machine and this latter pinion "w" gears into the spur wheel "t" which is
keyed on to the outer end of the socket first above mentioned mounted on the
shalt of the bottom roller as shown at "j." This socket has a key way cut through
it and the shaft of the bottom roller carries a key morticed into the shaft which
working within the key way of the socket causes the bottom roller to revolve with
the spur wheel whilst the shaft is at the same time free to move endway through
it. The upper roller "" is similarly fitted into the long tooth spur wheel ""
mounted on its end and by means of which it is made to revolve. I however
do not confine myself to the particular arrangement of gearing above described and
shown in my drawings. The arrangement may be varied without departing from
the principle of any invention. The lateral motion of the rollers is obtained as
follows: On the outer end of the main shaft "g" I place a disc (which may if
preferred be compound) or eccentric or a crank or crank plate "u" for the purpose
of giving the necessary upward and downward motion to a connecting rod "f"
attached thereto. For the purpose of better regulating the length of stroke I prefer
to use a boss which I will call a disc with a dovetailed groove cut across the centre
of its face and a stud pin made to slide in the groove. Upon the stud pin I place
a hard metal socket made a little longer than the boss of the connecting rod so
that the nut and washer nip the socket firmly on the face of the disc thereby
holding it fast at whatever position it may be whilst leaving sufficient room for the
boss of the connecting rod to work freely upon it as the disc revolves. The lower
end of the connecting rod is attached by means of a two eared link to the central
arm "d" of a double crank (that is to say to the end of a lever with arms
projecting at right angles above and below) the outer arms of which are forked at
their ends as shewn, in figure 3 so as to permit of the roller shafts working within
them either with or without the intervention of bushes. The ends of the roller
shafts are provided with collars as shewn in figure 1, two on each shaft, one of
which (the outer one) may be made removeable and the other fixed, and the forked
ends of the double crank work between the collars as also shown in figure 1. If
bushes "
c, c¹" are used they will be fitted between the collars and will have grooved
ends so as to slide freely on stud pins "b, b, b, b," working within the grooves and
fitted into the forked ends of the double crank as shown in figure 3. The double
crank is hinged upon a pin "el" passing through the end of a bracket at the end
of the machine as shown at "e" in figure 1.
Above the top roller is a trough "i" containing soap, soap powder or other.
article to assist in the process of washing.
The machine as above described may be driven by steam power. But it may
driven by treadle motion as shown in my drawings, or. by hand. In the latter case
be

page_text: instead of the driving pulley a fly wheel will be substituted such as in common
use in wringing machines.
The way in which washing is done by the machine is as follows:-The material.
to be washed is first placed in a tub which may either be fixed to the machine in
front of or underneath the rollers or be detached from the machine and is there
subjected to the action of hot water or steam or both at the same time. On being
taken out of the tub the material passes through the rollers "h, h¹," and as it does
so a portion of the soap is extracted from the trough above mentioned by the
revolution and oscillation of the rollers and imparted to the material being operated
upon. The working of the machine is as follows:-Power is applied to the main
shaft either by belt or by crank wheel in the usual way. As the shaft revolves it
puts in motion at one end the train of wheels which give motion to the two rollers
and at the other end the double crank which causes the rollers to oscillate or rub
endway one upon the other. The rollers oscillate once to each revolution of the
crank shaft but they revolve much more slowly. I generally make the rollers to
traverse some 13 or 14 times to one revolution but I do not confine myself to this
proportion.
In large laundries the machine may be fitted with an endless sheet shown in my
drawings figure 2 which shall carry the material from the washer to a wringing
machine or other place where it is next required.
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 use of rollers moving laterally whilst at the same time revolving for the
purpose of imparting a rubbing motion for the purpose and in manner herein before
described.
2. The use in washing machines of rollers with corrugated surfaces for the
purpose herein before mentioned.
3. The method of mounting the spur wheels imparting motion to the rollers on
the roller shafts so as to leave the shaft free to move laterally through them in
manner and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
4. The general arrangement of the machine as and for the purposes herein before
described.
5. The use of a machine such or substantially as herein before described for the
milling or fulling of cloth or other woven fabrics.
Dated this thirty first day of March 1885.