IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BLEACHING COTTON AND LINEN FIBRES, YARNS, AND WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Mather, of the Firm of Messieurs Mather and
Platt, of the Salford Iron Works, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND
APPARATUS FOR BLEACHING COTTON AND LINEN FIBRES, YARNS, AND WOVEN
FABRICS."
(Void by reason of the Patentee having neglected to file a Specification in
pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mather at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th April 1881.
WILLIAM MATHER, of the Firm of Messieurs Mather and Platt, of the Salford
Iron Works, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS
THE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BLEACHING COTTON AND LINEN
FIBRES, YARNS, AND WOVEN FABRICS."
IN
The object of this Invention is to bleach cotton and linen fibre and yarn, and to
bleach cotton and linen woven fabrics in a continuous manner, and open or at full
width, as well as in the form of a rope. To carry out my Invention I pass the
materials to be bleached through a solution of caustic soda or other solution having
a similar chemical action until it is thoroughly saturated. It is then squeezed out
and passed into a continuous steaming chamber, by preference such as patented by
W. Mather (in conjunction with H. F. A. Cordillot) on the 9th Feb., A.D. 1875,
No. 479; by W. Mather on the 21st Jan., No. 250, and on the 18th March,
No. 1174, A.D. 1876; by John Thom on the 9th Dec., A.D. 1874, 4236; and by
James Smith on the 28th Dec., A.D. 1877, 4917. I place in the steaming chamber
perforated steam pipes so arranged as to eject strong blasts of steam against the
fibre, yarn, or fabric under operation on its entering the chamber, or at any stage
of the steaming operation. The action of the steam shall continue upon the
material for two hours, more or less, whilst it is saturated with the caustic soda or
other chemical solution. The temperature of the steaming chamber may be
adjusted, and the strength of the caustic soda or other chemical solution regulated
Uni 71

page_text: according to the material under treatment, whether fibre or yarn of cotton or flax,
or woven fabrics of cotton and linen, and according to the lightness or heaviness of
such material. After steaming the material is passed through the usual. chemical
processes of bleaching which occur after boiling in soda or ash, that is to say,
through the chloring process, wasbing, and souring and washing, all of which
operations may be performed in the case of woven fabrics with the cloth in an open
or full width condition, as described in Patent applied for by W. Mather on the
Fifth of April 1881, No. 1478. In the case of fibre and yarn they would follow
the customary processes in the usual way, after having been treated as above
described by my process. Similar results may be obtained in bleaching by using
any form of vessel or chamber in which the material under treatment can be placed
and closed in to admit of steam being introduced, so as to expose the material
whilst stationary to its action for the requisite length of time, and at the requisite
temperature and pressure. The novelty of this Invention is the steaming of cotton
or flax, fibre and yarn, and cotton or linen woven fabrics, after having been
saturated with caustic soda or other chemical agent having a like effect. By this
means the tedious processes of boiling such materials in kiers for many hours is
avoided or diminished.