IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR WASHING OR SCOURING, RINSING, AND DRYING WOOL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Erastus Brainerd at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 29th May 1878. A communication_from
abroad by Charles Kempton Bradford, of Lynnfield, in the County of Essex,
State of Massachusetts.
ERASTUS BRAINERD, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts,
United States of America, and at present of Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR WASHING OR SCOURING, RINSING, AND
DRYING WOOL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES." [A communication from abroad by
Charles Kempton Bradford, of Lynnfield, in the County of Essex, State of Massa-
chusetts aforesaid.]
This Invention consists in the combination of a horizontally rotating, reticulated,
or foraminous basket or cage, which constitutes a receiver to contain the wool or
other substance under treatment, and allow the treating liquid to be forced through
the latter, and escape through the meshes of the receiver, a curb or cistern to
contain such rotary cage and the liquid, a steam pump or other mechanical means
for forcing or carrying the cleansing liquid into the cage and cistern, and connecting
with the tank containing the said cleansing liquid, and, lastly, of a suitable water
supply, connecting also with the interior of the cage or cistern, the said cistern
being provided at bottom with two clapper or other suitable valves, one of which
valves governs communication with the interior of the cistern and with a reservoir
to contain the cleansing liquid after escaping from said cistern, and the other
valve permitting the rinse water after it has done its duty to run to waste.
According to this Invention the cistern or curb is supported upon a suitable
platform, and communicates with the tank placed below the latter by a valve, and
opening in the bottom of such cistern, such valve being raised to permit of the
escape of the liquid from the cistern by the inner end of a trip lever or latch. The
body of this lever is disposed below the bottom of the cistern, and fulcrumed by a
pin to a hanger depending from such bottom. The outer end of said lever or latch
is connected to the lower end of an upright shipper rod, which rises alongside of the
cistern, and into a position to be readily grasped by the attendant, and the upper
part of such bar is provided with a rack of teeth to engage a ledge on the upper

page_text: part of said cistern to maintain the rod in a depressed position, and against the
gravitating power of a weight which is affixed to the inner end of the lever, and
serves to overbalance the outer end of the lever and the shipper rod, and when such
rod is unlatched to raise the outer end of the lever and close the valve.
The last-described mechanism, that is, the valve and its attachments, are dupli-
cated upon the opposite side of the cistern, the only point of difference between the
two being that the opening in one case, in lieu of communicating with the interior
of the tank, passes off to waste.
The cage or receptacle for the wool is preferably provided with a corrugated
metal bottom, and is disposed concentrically within the cistern, and suspended from
a tripod on a standard erected upon such cistern by an upright shaft, the upper end
of such shaft being journalled in the standard, and carrying a pulley, and its lower
end secured to the lower central part of the cage, the whole being so arranged that
by means of the pulley and an endless band connecting it with a driving pulley the
cage may be put in rotation within the cistern.
The outlet or eduction pipe of the steam pump communicates with the interior
of the cistern or near its periphery, while the induction pipe of such pump com-
municates with the interior of the tank or reservoir which contains the supply of
cleansing or scouring liquid.
The water is introduced by means of a pipe or conduit provided with a cock, and
communicating at one end with a suitable water supply under pressure, and at the
other end with the interior of a conical hood or cowl, which is disposed within the
upper part of the cistern, and surrounds the upper part of the shaft.
From the bottom of the cage rises a foraminous tube, which surrounds the lower
part of the shaft, such tube constituting a shield to prevent the wool from getting
access to the shaft, and serving also as a means whereby the stream of water flowing
through the pipe into the cowl shall enter the centre of the mass of wool in the
cage, such water flowing outward through such wool, and escaping at the periphery
of the cage, and carrying with it such dirt and foreign matters as may be left in
such wool after the cleansing operation.
If found preferable in practice the cleansing liquid may also be introduced through
the tube at the centre of the cage.
In proceeding to treat wool according to this Invention I place a mass of wool
in the cage in such quantity as to fill the same with a greater or less compactness,
and then put the cage in rotation, and start the pump.
The action of the pump operates to drive the cleansing fluid in a stream from the
tank through the pipe into the interior of the cistern, and against the outer surface
of the mass of wool in the latter, the supply of liquid being kept up until the entire
body of wool has been thoroughly impregnated with the said liquid, the detersive
nature of which serves to dissolve, loosen, or disintegrate the foreign matters adhering
to or incorporated with the wool.
I now stop the pump and open one of the valves (both the valves having been
previously closed), and permit the liquid to escape from the wool and flow from the
cistern into the tank, which, having been accomplished, I close the valve and shut
off further access of liquid from the tank to the cistern.
By rotating the cage and the mass of wool within it simultaneously with
the influx of liquid from the tank to the cistern, I distribute the said liquid
uniformly about the wool, and impregnate the latter to much more advantage than
would be the case did the liquid get access to the wool but at one point.
With the closing of the one valve I open the other valve and the cock of the
water pipe, and permit water to flow through such pipe into the hood, and from
the latter downward into and through the shield and into and through the wool,
and escape from the outside of the cage, such water in its passage and escape carrying
away from the wool the impurities remaining in it, and with the latter running to
waste.
During the last-named operation of rinsing the wool the cage may be in rotation
or at rest, as may be deemed best, but when the water pipe has been shut off, which

page_text: is done when the wool is considered to be thoroughly rinsed, the cage is to be put
in rotation in order that the centrifugal action generated by such rotation shall
tend to throw off and discharge the water remaining in the wool, and thoroughly
dry the latter.
The cleansing liquor, after passing into the tank, may be used for one or more
additional cleansings until it has become too foul for use, when it is to be thrown
away, and a new supply placed in the tank.
It will thus be seen that the cleansing, rinsing, and drying of wool, according to
this Invention, is effected at different stages of one operation, and the machine effects
successively the said operations of cleansing, rinsing, and drying without removing
or rehandling the wool, thereby avoiding the serious evil of "felting" the wool, and
greatly economizing time and labour.
Though I have described a steam pump as a means of forcing liquid from the
tank into the cistern for the treatment of the wool, I do not confine myself to such
pump to effect the purpose, as other means may be used for the purpose,