Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Drying Wool and other Fibrous Substances.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 28th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Drying Wool and other
Fibrous Substances.
I, WILLIAM TATTERSALL, of 8, Southfield Square, Bradford in the County
of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
==
This invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for drying
fibrous substances such as wool, hair cotton, rags and the like.
For this purpose I employ a grating or table provided with a number of longi-
tudinal slits and preferably formed of a series of tubes arranged to be heated by
hot water or steam. Said table is placed within a drying chamber from which the
air is exhausted by a revolving fan or its equivalent and a current created through
said grating or table. The material to be treated is placed uniformly upon said
grating and the fan draws a constant current of air through it. The air may be
heated before it is passed through the material. The material is carried from end
to end of the grating by means of spikes projecting through the grating from a
perforated endless band or endless chains mounted upon rollers and operated in any
convenient manner beneath. Instead of said endless bands or chains I may arrrange
the said spikes to project from a frame beneath or above the grating to which a
backward and forwards and rising and falling motion is imparted.
Dated this 26th day of November 1890.
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Drying Wool and other
Fibrous Substances.
I, WILLIAM TATTERSALL, of 90, Arden Terrace, Accrington in the County of
Lancaster, 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 improvements in machinery or apparatus for drying
fibrous substances such as wool, hair, cotton, rags and the like.
For this purpose I employ a grating or table provided with a number of longi-
tudinal slits and preferably formed of a series of tubes arranged to be heated by
hot water or steam. Said table is placed within a drying chamber from which the
air is exhausted by a revolving fan or its equivalent and a current created through
said grating or table. The material to be treated is placed uniformly upon said
grating and the fan draws a constant current of air through it. The air may be
heated before it is passed through the material. The material is carried from end
to end of the grating by means of spikes projecting through the grating from a
perforated endless band or endless chains mounted upon rollers and operated in any
convenient manner beneath. Instead of said endless bands or chains I may arrange
the said spikes to project from a frame beneath or above the grating to which a
backward and forwards and rising and falling motion is imparted
To fully describe my invention reference is made to the accompanying sheet of
drawings forming a part of this Specification in which similar letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures.

page_text: Figure is a side elevation or my improved apparatus noted with an chess C
having projecting spikes for traversing the material.
Figure 2, is a longitudinal section of the same.
Figure 3, is an end view, and
Figure 4, is a plan view of the table with a portion of said endless chain
beneath.
Figures 5, and 6 are respectively a plan view and a side view of a portion of said
endless chain on a larger scale.
Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of a reciprocating and rising and falling frame,
for traversing the material instead of said endless chain, fitted in the lower part of
a drying chamber, together with the mechanism for operating such frame.
Figure 8, is a plan view of the same.
The chamber A is made with openings B close to the bottom of each side and
the circular opening or openings Ċ at the top, is or are fitted with a fan or fans
adapted to draw or exhaust the air from the interior of A and so create a strong
upward current in the chamber A. The table D preferably formed of longitudinal
tubes a with longitudinal spaces 6 between them extends the whole length of said
chamber. Beneath each end of the table the chain wheels E, E are fixed on the
cross shafts F, F' mounted in the bearings c, c and the cross shaft F at the delivery
end of the apparatus is provided with a worm wheel G engaging the worm H
mounted on the driving shaft J operated in any convenient manner. The chains d, d
on each side are mounted upon and operated by the chain wheels E, E and such
chains are connected together by the cross-pieces e. These cross-pieces carry a
number of pins or spikes which are arranged to project up between the spaces b,
as the chains travel along below the table.
The material to be treated is fed on to the table by the endless band K or in any
other convenient manner and is caught by the pins i and traversed the whole length
of the table through the machine and is then pushed off the end of the table on to
the travelling apron L or any other device adapted to carry it out of the chamber.
The light rollers M, M fitted in front of the openings j, j by which the material
passes in and out of the chamber A. are mounted in slots m so as to leave them
preferably free to rise and fall to allow the material to pass.
The tubes or pipes a are preferably heated by steam and are connected at the
feed end to the steam chest N and at the delivery end are carried down, to allow
the material to be pushed off, and are connected to the exhaust chest O. Rollers e¹
(Figure 1) are provided to support the chains d at different points between E, E.
Solid bars or rods may be used instead of the pipes a and the air admitted to the
chamber heated in any other convenient way.
The reciprocating frame P shown in Figures 7 and 8 is provided with a number
of cross-pieces e² similar to e which also carry a number of pins i adapted to pass
up the spaces b between the tubes a. The frame P is represented in the drawing
made of Langle iron and the lower edge of the sides n rest in grooves formed in
the cams mounted upon the cross-shafts R. Each of the cross-shafts R is provided
with a worm wheels which wheels engage worms t on the longitudinal shaft T and
the bevel wheels S connect the shaft T to the driving shaft J' operated in any
convenient way. The cross shafts are in this manner connected together with the
cams all in the same relative position so that at each revolution of the cams the
frame is raised and lowered and the pins i are alternatively lifted above the surface
of the table and then lowered beneath. At the same time as this lifting and lowering
motion the table is reciprocated by the cranks U mounted upon the ends of the
central cross shaft R and connected by the rods W to the studs or arms u projecting
from the frame P through slots in the sides a of the chamber A. And the various
parts are so relatively arranged that at the forward stroke of the frame the pins
project above the table and at the backward stroke are lowered beneath.
Instead of having the drying table in one continuous length it may be arranged
in sections one above the other and the material dropped from one section to the
other and carried to and fro.

page_text: The longitudinal pipes or bars a may be dispensed with and endless travelling
chains or bands employed alone to traverse the material through the chamber in
which case the spikes i are not required and the cross-pieces are placed much closer
together.
In certain cases I employ a perforated partition over the table and between it
and the exhaust and increase the size of the openings or perforations the further
they are from the exhaust so as to cause the current to pass more vertically and
uniformly through the table, but I make no special claim to such a partition.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare what I
claim is:
1. In drying apparatus for wool, cotton and the like, a drying table formed of
longitudinal bars or tubes in combination with a travelling endless chain or band
beneath provided with spikes or the like arranged to pass between said bars
or tubes and traverse the material thereon, substantially as herein shown and
described.
2. In drying apparatus for wool, cotton and the like, a drying table formed of
longitudinal bars or tubes in combination with a reciprocating and rising and failing
frame having spikes or the like adapted to project between said bars or tubes and
traverse the material thereon, substantially as herein shown and described.
3. The general construction and arrangement of a drying chamber for drying
wool, cotton or the like having a perforated table or carrier for traversing the
material through the chamber and openings below for the admission of air with
means above for drawing or exhausting the air from said chamber, substantially as
herein shown and described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 27th day of August 1891.
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Agents.