GB2055903A

GB2055903A - Treating textile goods

Info

Publication number: GB2055903A
Application number: GB8031111A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Pellerin Milnor Corp
Current assignee: Pellerin Milnor Corp
Priority date: 1980-06-17
Filing date: 1980-09-26
Publication date: 1981-03-11
Also published as: NL8006607A; SE8006843L; AU6431080A; LU82934A1; DE3045465A1; FR2484483A1; BE886080A

Abstract

A machine for washing, rinsing or dyeing textile goods and which is of the type in which a perforated cylinder 11 has an opening in one end to receive the goods and is mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis and within a shell 12 which contains the wash, rinse or dye liquor at a level above the goods in the cylinder 11, is operated so that, during a washing, rinsing or dyeing cycle, the cylinder is rotated at a speed which causes the goods to be plastered against the inner side of its perforations 22 and the liquor to be circulated through the plastered goods and the perforations into the space AS between the shell and cylinder, and through the space FES into the end opening 17 in the cylinder. An annular perforate wall 23 is fixed to the cylinder 11 and an imperforate wall 24 is fixed to the door 19 to deflect liquor towards the opening 17. Vanes 25 propel the liquor towards the wall 23 and vanes 26, 27 are provided externally on the cylinder 11. The axis of both the shell and the cylinder may be inclined slightly to the horizontal. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method and machine for treating cloth goods This invention relates to a method and machine for washing, rinsing or dyeing cloth goods. More particularly, it relates to an improved method and machine of a type in which the goods are contained, during the wash, rinse or dye cycle, within a cylinder which is mounted in a generally horizontal position for rotation about its axis, and a shell is disposed in spaced relation about circumferential and end walls of the cylinder for containing a wash, rinse or dye liquor above the lower side of the cylinder, the cylinder having a front opening in one end wall through which the goods may be moved into and out of the cylinder, and the shell having a front opening aligned with the cylinder opening and adapted to be closed by a door in order to contain the liquor, suitable plumbing being provided for filling or draining the shell, and the circumferential wall of the cylinder being perforated to permit the liquor to circulate into and out of the cylinder during each such cycle.

Machines of this general type are now made by the assignee of the present application, as well as by others, for use as a washer-extractor or as a dye machine. In the former case, a suitable cleaning chemical is mixed with water added to the shell to provide a wash liquor for removing soil from the goods. Normally, the water forming the rinse liquor which removes the wash liquor from the goods is devoid of chemical. When the machine is used for dyeing purposes, a dyestuff is of course mixed with the water to form a dye liquor. Whether used as a washer-extractor or for dyeing purposes, the machines are basically the same, with the major difference residing in the manner in which the cleaning chemical or dyestuff is added.

In each case, it is important that the liquor be thoroughly and evenly intermixed with the goods ~whether for the purpose of impregnating them with the wash liquor, rinsing the wash liquor from them, or impregnating them with the dye liquor.

Whether the machine is used to wash and extract or to dye, the cylinder is rotated at a speed which causes the goods to "tumble" therein - i.e., to move the goods with the cylinder to a position near its top side and then permit them to drop by gravity into the pool of liquor above its lower side.

Following such a cycle, the liquor is extracted from the goods by increasing the speed of rotation of the cylinder in order to impart sufficient centrifugal force to the goods as to cause them to be plastered against the inner side of the circumferential wall of the cylinder. Just prior to or as the goods are being so distributed about the inside of the cylinder, a drain is opened to empty the liquor from the shell.

The invention seeks to provide a method and machine of this type in which, during a wash, rinse or dye cycle thereof, the liquor is caused to be more uniformly distributed throughout the goods.

As a result, the possibility of undue wear upon or damage to the goods, may be lessened, and the use of less cleaning chemical or dye-stuff may be permitted.

Preferred embodiments of this invention accomplish the foregoing with only a minimum of modification of a conventional machine of this type.

More specifically, the present invention provides a method and machine of the types described wherein the goods are plastered against the inner side of the circumferential wall of the cylinder during the wash, rinse or dye cycle, and the liquor, whether it be wash, rinse or dye liquor, is repeatedly recirculated through the plastered goods throughout at least a substantial portion of such cycle. Thus, the cylinder is rotated at a speed which causes the goods to be so plastered against the inner side of the circumferential wall, and the liquor within the cylinder to circulate outwardly through the goods and the perforations into the space between the shell and the cylinder, and from said space into the opening in the end of the cylinder.Thus, recirculation occurs only within the machine itself, without the need for pumps or other equipment requiring moving parts other than the cylinder itself.

In the preferred and illustrated embodiment of the invention, the front end wall of the cylinder is spaced a greater distance from the front end wall of the cylinder than in conventional machines of this type, and a perforated, annular wall extends across the space between the end openings in the shell and cylinder. The perforations permit the liquor to circulate freely from the space between the end walls of the shell and cylinder into the front end opening in the cylinder, and at the same time prevent even smaller articles of cloth goods from falling into the space. More particularly, the liquor is caused to circulate first into that portion of the space about the circumferential wall of the cylinder and then into and through that portion of the space between the end walls of the cylinder and shell in which the openings are formed prior to passing into the opening in the cylinder.In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, this perforated annular wall is fixed to the cylinder for rotation with it.

Preferably, an imperforate annular wall extends within and is spaced from the perforated annular wall so as to deflect liquor passing through the perforated wall in a direction toward the opening in the cylinder. As illustrated, this inperforate annular wall is preferably fixed to the door of the shell so as to be positioned, as described, as the door is closed.

Vanes are arranged within the space between the front ends of the shell and cylinder to propel liquor in said space inwardly toward the perforated annular wall. As shown, these vanes are fixed to the inner side of the end wall of the shell so as to be fixed against rotation. The machine also includes vanes arranged between the closed or rear end walls of the shell and cylinder to propel liquor within such space in an outward direction. As illustrated, these vanes are mounted on the rear end wall of the cylinder and serve to propel liquor quickly into the space between the circumferential wall of the cylinder and the shell, whereby it may circulate therethrough into the space between the opposite front end walls of the shell and cylinder.Preferably the liquor within the space about the circumferential wall of the cylinder is propelled toward the front end walls of the shell and cylinder by means of additional vanes mounted on the outer side of the circumferential wall of the cylinder.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing, particularly in connection with the drawings to be described to follow, that the improved machine requires little modification of the conventional machine of this type for washing, rinsing and/or dyeing cloth goods, as above described.

Furthermore, the modifications are of a nature which are relatively inexpensive.

Applicant is aware of certain prior art patents which may be construed in such a manner as to be superficially relevant to the present invention. For example, Ridge 2,357,909 appears to describe a washing machine of this type in which the cylinder is rotated at slightly more than one G during the washing cycle. However, as Applicant understands this patent, it does not anticipate any internal pumping, as in the present invention, because it describes the use of an extermal pump to recirculate the liquor, during rotation of the cylinder, in order to create jets which assist in disengaging the goods from the top side of the cylinder. Marshall 3,388,410 also appears to suggest rotating the cylinder of a machine of this type at slightly more than one G during a cleaning cycle.However, the cylinder does not have perforations in its circumferential wall, but rather in its end walls, and the patentee states that the liquor passes in an axial or longitudinal direction out through the perforations. Furthermore, there is again no description of any internal pumping action, and in fact the opening in the front end wall of the cylinder shown in the Marshall patent appears to be so close to the aligned opening in the shell that it would not permit adequate flow of liquor into the end opening in the cylinder to accomplish the recirculation contemplated by Applicant's invention. Chamberlain 2,556,490 also shows a machine of a somewhat similar type in which the cylinder is rotated at a speed to cause the goods therein to be plastered up against the inside of its circumferential wall during at least part of the washing cycle.However, there does not appear to be an end opening in the cylinder so that there would be no way to recirculate the liquor through the cylinder perforations in the manner contemplated by Applicant's invention.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters are used throughout to designate like parts: Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a machine constructed in accordance with the present invention, taken along the axial length of the machine, and with a portion of the circumferential wall of the cylinder shown in plan; Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the machine, as seen along broken line 2-2 of Fig, 1; Fig. 3 is another partial cross-sectional view of the machine, as seen along broken line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the machine similar to Fig. 1, but on a reduced scale and showing the cloth goods arranged in a pool of liquor in the lower side of the cylinder prior to rotation of the cylinder;; Fig. 5 is a view of the machine similar to Fig. 4, but during rotation of the cylinder at a speed which plasters the cloth goods against the inner side of the circumferential wall of the cylinder, and which causes the liquor to circulate outwardly through the plastered goods and the perforations in the circumferential wall of the cylinder, and from the space between the cylinder and shell back into the opening in the front end wall of the cylinder, as indicated diagrammatically by the arrows of Fig. 5; and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the machine, as seen along broken line 6-6 of Fig. 5, and illustrating the goods plastered against the inner side of the circumferential wall of the cylinder, as seen in Fig. 5.

With reference now to the details of the abovedescribed drawings, the overall machine shown in Fig. 1, and indicated by reference character 10, includes a cylinder 1 1 mounted within a shell 12 for rotation about its axis. More particularly, and as in a conventional machine of the type described, rear wall 1 B of cylinder 1 1 is carried by a stub shaft 14 which is mounted within a bearing 1 5 carried within the rear wall 1 2B of the shell. The shell is in turn supported on a pedestal 13 which disposes the axis of both the shell and the cylinder at a small angle with respect to the horizontal. The shaft is rotated at a desired speed by means of a variable speed motor M contained within a housing H on the back side of the pedestal 13.

As shown, the circumferential wall of the shell is rather close to the circumferential wall of the cylinder to provide a relatively narrow annular space AS between them, and the rear wall 1 1 B of the cylinder is also rather close to the rear wall 1 2B of the shell to provide a relatively narrow space RES between them. However, for reasons which will be more apparent from the description to follow, the front end wall 1 2A of the shell is spaced a substantial distance from the front end wall 11 B of the cylinder to provide a relatively wide space FES between them.

Liquid is added to the shell at the beginning of a cycle through an input conduit 15 in its upper end, and liquid is removed from the shell at the end of a cycle by means of a drain conduit 16 connecting with its lower end. Liquid may be supplied to and withdrawn from these conduits by pumping equipment of a conventional type in machines of this type. During rotation of the cylinder for the purposes of this invention, valves leading to and from the inlet and outlet are closed so that all liquor recirculation is within the machine itself.

Goods may be moved into and out of the cylinder 11 through aligned openings 17 and 18 in the front end walls 1 A and 1 2A, respectively, of the cylinder and shell. When the machine is being operated during one of its cycles, opening 18 in the shell is closed by means of a door 19 having a glass window 20 and a gasket 21 about its periphery for sealing against the outer side of the shell close about its opening 18. The door may be latched in a closed position in any suitable fashion, as is common in machines of this type.

As is also common in machines of this type, the circumferential wall of the cylinder 11 has perforations 22 formed therein which permit liquor to circulate therethrough and thus form a pool in the bottom of the cylinder. Normally, the liquor level is above the pile of cloth goods contained in the bottom of the cylinder, as shown at G in Fig. 4. As previously described, in the conventional mode of operating a machine of this type, during a wash, rinse or dye cycle, the goods are "tumbled" in the sense that the cylinder is rotated at such a speed that the goods move upwardly with it until they reach a point near the top side of the cylinder, at which time they drop free back into the pool in the bottom of the cylinder.

As previously described, however, this invention contemplates that during at least a substantial portion of the wash, rinse or dye cycle of the machine, the cylinder will be rotated at such a speed that the goods will be plastered against the inner side of the perforated circumferential wall of the cylinder, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and that the liquor will be caused to pass through the goods and the perforations in the cylinder, and from the space between the cylinder and shell into the opening 1 7 in the end of the cylinder, so that, upon continued rotation of the cylinder at such speed, the liquor is repeatedly recirculated through the goods.More particularly, and as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5, upon circulating through the goods and circumferential perforations, the liquor will pass into the annular space AS between the cylinder and shell, from such annular space toward the front end of the machine and into the space FES between the front end walls of the shell and cylinder, and then radially inwardly through the space FES and into the cylinder opening 17. As also indicated by the arrows therein, liquor within the annular space RES at the rear end of the machine is moved radially outwardly toward the annular space AS where, with the liquor entering such space through the cylinder perforations, it is moved toward the front end of the machine, as previously described.

As also previously described, this invention contemplates that during at least a portion of the cycle, the speed of rotation of the cylinder may be slowed down sufficiently to permit the cloth goods to be tumbled in a conventional manner. It is further contemplated that the machine may be converted to a tumbling operation intermittently throughout the entire cycle. This is believed to be useful in preventing the cloth goods from matting or otherwise becoming entangled in such a manner as to prevent them from being thoroughly impregnated with the liquor during circulation of the liquor through the plastered goods.

As previously described, in order to insure adequate flow area for the liquor through the space FES, the front end wall 1 A of the cylinder is spaced rearwardly from the front wall 1 2A of the shell a somewhat greater space than would be required in the operation of a machine of this type in a conventional manner. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, an annular perforated wall 23 extends across the space between the aligned openings 17 and 18 of the front end of the cylinder and shell so that the cloth goods, and especially small articles of same, are prevented from being caught between the relatively rotating cylinder and shell. As shown, the annular wall 23 is fixed to the front wall of the shell for rotation therewith and has an outer end which is close to the opening 18 in the front end of the shell.

As best shown in Fig. 1, the space between the front walls of the cylinder and shell is also wide enough to accommodate vanes 25 arranged to propel liquor from the annular spaceAS inwardly toward the perforated annular wall 23. As illustrated, the vanes are helically shaped and fixed to the inner side of the front wall 1 2A of the shell.

More particularly, each helix extends in a clockwise direction from its inner to its outer end so that, with the cylinder also rotating in a clockwise direction, liquor within the space FES will, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, be propelled by the vanes in a radially inward direction.

As also previously described, an imperforate annular wall 24 extends within and is spaced from the perforated annular wall 23 so as to deflect liquor circulating through the perforated wall in a longitudinal axial direction toward the opening 17 in the cylinder. As shown, this imperforate wall 24 is fixed to and extends inwardly from the inner side of the door 19.

As shown in Fig. 1, vanes 26 are arranged on the outer side of the circumferential wall of the cylinder 11 to propel liquor within the annular space AS in a direction toward the front end of the machine, and thus into the space FES. With the cylinder rotating in a clockwise direction, as seen from its front end, the spirals extends from a leading edge at the front end of the cylinder to a trailing edge at the rear edge of the cylinder.

Additional vanes 27 are arranged within the space RES between the rear end walls of the cylinder and shell for the purpose of propelling liquor within such space in a radially outwardly direction, and thus toward the space AS. As shown, and as previously described, these vanes are mounted on the outer side of the rear wall 1 B of the cylinder and are so angled that, with the cylinder rotating in the direction described, they will exert a radially outwardly directed force on the liquor.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the apparatus and method.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

1. In a method of treating cloth goods within a machine of the type in which a cylinder for containing the goods is mounted in a generally horizontal position for rotation about its axis and has perforations in its circumferential wall through which a wash, rinse or dye liquor may circulate and an opening in an end wall thereof through which the goods may be moved into and out of the cylinder, and a shell is disposed in spaced relation about the circumferential and end walls of the cylinder for containing the liquor at a level above the lower side of the cylinder; the steps of rotating the cylinder at such a speed, during a wash, rinse or dye cycle of the machine, that the goods within the cylinder are plastered against the inner side of its circumferential wall and the liquor within the cylinder is caused to circulate outwardly through the goods and the perforations into the space between the shell about the cylinder, and from said space into the opening in the end of the cylinder, so that, as the cylinder continues to rotate at such speed, the liquor is repeatedly recirculated through said goods and perforations throughout at least a substantial portion of such cycle.

2. In a method of the character defined in claim 1, including the step of intermittently rotating the cylinder at a lower speed, during such cycle, so as to cause the goods to be tumbled within the cylinder.

3. A machine for washing, rinsing and/or dyeing cloth goods, comprising a generally horizontally disposed cylinder mounted for rotation about its axis and having perforations about its circumferential wall, a shell about the cylinder for containing a wash, rinse or dye liquor at a level above the bottom side of the cylinder, the adjacent end walls of the shell and cylinder being spaced from one another and the walls at one end thereof having aligned openings through which the goods may pass into and out of the cylinder, said shell having a door for closing the opening in its end wall, a perforated, annular wall across the space between the end openings in the shell and cylinder, and means for rotating the cylinder at a speed which causes the goods therein to be plastered against the inner side of its circumferential wall and the liquor within the cylinder to pass through the goods and the perforations into the space within the shell about the circumferential wall of the cylinder, from said space into the space between the walls at one end of the cylinder and shell, and from said lastmentioned space through the perforated annular wall and into the opening in the end wall of the shell, so that, upon continued rotation of the cylinder, the liquor may be repeatedly recirculated through the goods and perforations in the cylinder throughout a substantial portion of said cycle.

4. A machine of the character defined in claim 3, wherein the perforated wall is fixed to the cylinder for rotation therewith.

5. A machine of the character defined in claim 3, including an imperforate annular wall within and spaced from the perforated annular wall so as to deflect liquor passing through said perforated wall toward the opening in said cylinder.

6. A machine of the character defined in claim 5, wherein the imperforate annular wall is fixed to the door.

7. A machine of the character defined in claim 3, including vanes mounted within the space between the ends of the shell and cylinder in which the openings are formed and arranged to propel liquor in said space inwardly toward the perforated annular wall.

8. A machine of the character defined in claim 7, including an imperforate annular wall within and spaced from the perforated annular wall so as to deflect liquor passing through said perforated wall toward the opening in said cylinder.

9. A machine of the character defined in claim 3, including vanes mounted within the space between the closed end walls of the shell and cylinder and arranged to propel liquor within said space outwardly.