US1117112A - Washing-machine. - Google Patents

Description

F. B. VOEGELI.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION TILED DEC. 4, 1913.

1,117,112. Patented Nov. 10,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Wanna i THE NORRIS PEIERS 130.. PHOICLLA I "0.. WAa'HlNG ION, D4 C F. B. VOEGELI.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED DEC. 4, 1913.

1,1 17, 1 1 2, Patented Nov. 10, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

THE NORR/b PETERS 00., PHOTO LlTHv WASH/NC run, 0 c

FREDERICK B. VOEGELI, OF MANSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

WASHING-MACHINE.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'Nov. 10, 1914.

Application filed December 4, 1913. SerialNo. 804,769.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I,F uiDER1c-K B.VOEGELI, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at lWIansfield, county of Bristol, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Washing-Mm chines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention is especially intended for use in crping and slack washing cloth preparatory to bleaching during the bleaching and subsequent washing process, but it is applicable to machines for simply washing cloths, whether intended to be creped or not,

and irrespective of whether it is subse-v quently. to be bleached. y

In machines of this character it is customary to let the cloth by its own weight drop into water where it is caught by a revolving pin and allowed to again drop, and

I so on repeatedly. In machines heretofore web of cloth.

in use, so far as I am aware, it has been impossible to do this work on a very long It has been found necessary to out the web into relatively short lengths and even with the short length it willbecome tangled and finally form a tight knot which requires a long time to disentangle. One object of my invention is to produce a machine in which a web of any length desired may be put through the process of washing without the necessity of cutting it into shorter lengths and which is capable of performing its work continuously, whatever length of web may be presented and without entangling the cloth. Its feed and delivery are continuous. Its production is increased many fold as compared with the present method of slack washing. The cloth is not dropped by its own weight but is slapped forcefully back and forth. I

The invention will be fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying draw ings, and the novel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of the specification.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a machine embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation viewed from the right-hand end of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the oscillating box sectioned through the hangers which support the box. Fig. a is a detail end view showing in full lines the box at the extremeend of its oscillating stroke onone side, and showing in dotted lines the'box' at the extreme end of its oscil lating stroke in the other direction.

Referring now to the drawings,l represents an oscillating box through which the cloth iscaused to pass during the process of washing. This box is preferably provided with a lining 2 of sheet copper or other suitable metal which will resist-chemmale and will minimize the friction between the cloth and the bottom of the box caused by the kinetic power of the cloth. Th1s box is suitably hung so as to oscillate laterally and preferably hangs in an inclined position, the entrance end of the box being higher than the other end so that the water and cloth will travel downward toward the exit end of the box. Any suitable number of oscillating hangers may be provided, two. or more according to the length of the box, but for ordinary purposes one hanger near each end of the box is sufficient and in the drawings two of these hangers 3, 4 respectively are shown. As it is important that each end of the box shall oscillate through the same arc, each of these hangers 3, 4 should be of the same length and therefore the pivotpoint'or center of oscillation of the hanger 3 should be at as much higher elevation thanthe pivot support and hanger may be provided. For

convenience of designation the exit end of the machine is termed the front and the entrance end the rear. In the drawings, the frame for supporting the hangers andthe machine consists of two upright posts 5, 6, at the front end of the machine, that is, at the exit end, two rear posts 7, 8, which are of greater height than the front posts 5, 6, a cross beam 9 at the top of the two front posts, a cross beam 10, at the top of the two rear' posts 7, 8, and two side bars 11, 12 extending from the front posts to the rear posts, but it is not intended to limit the invention to any particular form of frame.

which may be turned back on its hinges so as to afford access to the interior of the box, Any other suitable cover may be provided, as for instance, of wood if it is not desired to observe the interior while the cover is closed. The box is stayed by a metal frame 14 having a plurality of straps 15, to two of which the hangers 3, 4 respectively are connected. The hanger 3 is fastened rigidly at its upper end to a shaft 16, which makes a partial rotation alternately in opposits directions in bearings 17, 1? which are secured to the under side of the rear cross beam 10. The front hanger 4 is rigidly connected with a shaft 18, which makes a partial. rotation alternately in opposite directions in bearings 19, 19, secured to the under side of the front cross beam 9.

Connected with the upper end of the oscillatingbox is a platform 20 having an inclined surface at a steeper inclination than the bottom of the box 1 and having sides 21 whereby it is secured to the side walls of the box 1. It has an open top, thus forming a sort of hopper. it is adjustably secured to the box 1 in such manner that the inclination of the platform 20 may be varied more or less, as desired. The means for doing this, as shown, consists in forming the side walls of this platform or box with curved slots through which thumb screws 23 pass to clamp it to the side walls of the box. It is obvious that by loosening up the thumb screws 23 the platform may be adjusted to vary the inclination, and that by setting up the thumb screws again the platform may be held in its adjusted position.

A water pipe 24 supplies a stream of hot or cold water as desired which falls upon the platform 20 and flows down through the box, furnishing a constant supply of fresh water to the cloth as it is traveling through the box. The box is provided with small holes both in the sides and in the bottom of the box at different portions of its length so that there will be a constant discharge of water at different points throughout the length of the box, thus keeping the water fresh throughout all parts of the box. A pipe 26 which also supplies water enters the top of the box near its lower end and connects with a spurt pipe 27 which extends lengthwise through the box just beneath the cover and midway of its width nearly or quite to the upper end of the box, said pipe 27 being formed with apertures to allow the water to escape in fine jets and fall upon the upper sideof the cloth as it is passing through the box. In order to accommodate the pipes 24 and 26 to the oscillations of the box, they are both provided with flexible connections 45, 46, respectively.

Any suitable means for giving regular oscillation to the box 1 may be provided.

. The means shown in the drawings are as f the rolls.

follows,-an eccentric 28 mounted on shaft 50 is driven by suitable means, as for instance by a belt 47 running from a driving pulley 48 onto a driven pulley 49. Said eccentric is formed with a slot 31 from which there projects a pin 51, said pin 51 having a pivot connection with a rod 32, said rod 32 being connected with a shaft 33, mounted in a bracket 34 on the side of the box 1.

The cloth in large pieces or pieces of any length desired is preferably folded in yard folds 35 and placed on a truck 36, which is rolled into a convenient station near the rear end of the machine and the end of the cloth is drawn off until it passes through an eye 37 mounted on a suitable support. Thence it passes between the two feed rolls 38 and 39, thence down onto the platform 20 down through the box 1 out through an openlng 40 in the lower end of the box,

thence through an eye 41 and between the rolls 42, 43 whence it falls onto a box truck 44, the rolls 38, 39 serving to draw the cloth up from the truck and the rolls 42, 43 serving to draw the cloth from the box 1 and allow it to drop into the box truck 44. They are not necessary, iowever, to cause the travel of the cloth through the box 1, because that movement of the cloth will be performed by the vibration of the box and the current of water inconnection with the fact that the box is set at an incline.

Mounted on shaft 50 is a pulley 52 from which a bel 29 runs to a pulley 30 on shaft 53 which carries the feed roll 39. The roll 33 is journaled so as to be permitted a ver tical yielding movement and is virtually a presser roll as well as a feed roll and is driven by frictional contact with the roll 39 or by the friction of the cloth between The draw roll 43 is driven by connections with the same shaft 53, which 1 drives the feed roll 39, so that the two rolls 39 and 43 will have the same speed. Any

suitable means may be employed. The .method shown for doing this is to run a belt 60 from the same pulley 30 through which the roll 39 is driven over an idler 61 mounted in suitable supports and thence over a pulley 62 on the shaft 63 which carries the feed roll 43. Thus the feed roll is driven in unison and at the same speed as the feed roll 39. The roll 42 is journaled in elongated slots 64 in hangers 65 supported by the frame, only one of said hangers being shown, one being behind the other in the drawings. The cloth will not be drawn taut in its passage through the box, but will be slack and will also be in what is termed rope form rather than passing through in flat sheet form. That is, as it passes through the eye 37 it will be drawn some what into folds lengthwise and will pass into the box in that same form and this fact taken together with the slapping action and throwing of the cloth from one side to the. other of the box as it oscillates will tend to keep the cloth in its so termed rope form, not twisted, but lying in parallel folds.

The are of vibration or oscillation of the box is .not necessarily of: any particular length, that is through any particular number of degrees, but it is preferable to have it swing on each side of the vertical line a distance equal to about the full width of the box, as shown in Fig. 4. It is obvious that the machine maybe kept in continuous operation as long as desired, thus. taking care of cloth put up in pieces of any length that may be offered The machine may be speeded up to any speed desired, whether fifty oscillations or five hundred oscillations of the box per minute, or more or less, according to the requirements. The cloth should be drawn out through thelower end of the box at the same rate of speed that it is drawn into the box, but ifthere be allowed a considerable length of cloth to accumulate in the box before the drawing off begins, then the length of time that each new portion that comes in at the entrance end will remain in the box before being drawn out at the lower end will be greater than if no accumulation were allowed, and thus it will be more thoroughly washed. For instance if in starting, the box is allowed to hold six hundred yards and the rate of feed and of delivery are equal, as for example one hundred yards per minute, the cloth will be six minutes in passing from entrance to exit and be subjected to the wash for that period of time. This period can be increased or diminished-by. allowing the box to hold more or less respectively .of the goods. In order to provide for this leeway, it is preferable to tie a rope onto the starting end of the cloth and draw the rope through the box and exit opening 40 then allow the cloth to accumulate before drawing any of the cloth'out. After the cloth has accumulated to the desired amount'before beginning to draw it out, the rope is passed between the draw rolls 42, 43, and then they will begin to draw the rope and consequently draw out the cloth. It will thus be seen that by allowing the clothito.

accumulate in this way, then after it is once accumulated, the actual rate of feed both into and out of the box may be very rapid,

that in a. comparatively short space the cloth can be left for a relatively long period in constant motion in the water yet have a" an exit opening at. the other end, means for introducing water into the box, means for oscillating the box laterally, means for feeding the cloth into the entrance end of the box, and means'for drawing'the cloth out of the exit end of the box.

3. A washing machine, comprisinga box. through which the cloth passes, said box having an entrance opening at one end and an exit opening at the other end, means for introducing water into the box, and means for oscillating the box laterally, means for hangingsaid box at an incline so that the exit end is lower than the entrance end, and

means foroscillatingsaid box laterally-with an equal radius ofoscillation for'theentire length of the box.

4. A washing machine, comprising a boxthrough which the cloth passes, said box having an entrance opening at one end and an exit opening at the otherend, means for introducing water into the box, oscillating hangers secured to said box at different points in its length, all of thehangers being pivotally connected attheir upper ends and havingequal length of radius of oscillation, the pivot connection for the hanger at the head being at a higher'elevation than that at the foot whereby the box is held at an incline, and means for oscillating the box.

5. A washing machine, comprising a box; through which the cloth passes, said box.

an exit opening at the other end,-means for oscillating the. box laterally, saidbox being having an entrance opening at one end {and hung at an incline so that the exit end is lower than. the entrance end, means. for introducing water into the upper end of the ,box', a spurt pipe extending lengthwise of the box above the cloth in the box and hung at an incline so that the exit end is lower than the entrance end, means for introducing hot or cold water into the upper end of the box, a spirit pipe extending lengthwise of the box over the cloth in the box and formed with perforations whereby the water introduced through the pipe will pass out in jets onto the cloth as it passes through the box, said box being formed with small outlet orifices at different portions of the box.

7. A washing machine, comprising a box through which the cloth passes, said box having an entrance opening at one end and an exit opening at the other end, means for introducing water into the box, and means for oscillating the box laterally, said box being hung at an incline so that the exit end is lower than the entrance end, an inclined platform or chute connected with the entrance end of the box whose bottom stands at a greater inclination than the inclination of the bottom of the box, and means for feeding the cloth into said chute.

8. In a. washing machine, a box through which the cloth passes in the washing operation, oscillating hangers which hold said box in an inclined position with its outlet end lower than its inlet end, all of said hangers being of the same radius of movement, means for oscillating said box in a plane at right angles with its length, said box having an opening at each end for the entrance and exit of the cloth, means for introducing hot or cold water into said box said chute being set with its bottom at a greater inclination than the bottom of the box, a guide through which the cloth passes to the chute, means which draw the cloth through the guide to said chute, a guide through which the cloth passes from the outlet end of the box and means which draw the cloth through the said last guide.

9. In a washing machine, an oscillatory box inclined lengthwise thereof in which the cloth is washed, means for causing a circulation of water through the box, means for oscillating the box laterally, the box being formed with an entrance opening to admit the cloth at one end and an outlet opening for the discharge of the cloth at the other 'end, means for feeding the cloth continuously into the box at the entrance end, means for continuously drawing the cloth out of the box at the other end, means whereby the feed of the cloth into the box and feed out of the box are at equal speed, said box being of a width and height to permit the cloth to accumulate therein in folds in a much greater quantity than a single strip of the cloth of the same length as the box so that the cloth can be fed into and drawn out of the box at a greater speed than the speed of linear travel of the cloth through the box.

10. In a washing machine, an oscillatory box in which the cloth is washed, means for oscillating the box laterally, the box being formed with an entrance opening to admit the cloth at one end and an outlet opening for the discharge of the cloth at the other end, means for feeding the cloth continuously into the box at the entrance end, means for continuously drawing the cloth out of the box at the other end, means whereby the feed of the cloth into the box and feed out of the box are at equal speed, said box being of a width and height to permit the cloth to accumulate therein in a much greater quantity than a single strip of the cloth of the same length as the box, so that the cloth can be fed into and drawn out of the box at a greater speed than the speed of linear travel of the cloth through the box.

11. In a washing machine, an oscillatory box inclined lengthwise thereof in which the cloth is washed, means for oscillating the box laterally, the box being formed with an entrance opening to admit the cloth at one end and an outlet opening for the discharge of the cloth t the other end, means for feeding the cloth continuously into the box at the entrance end, means for continuously drawing the cloth out of the box at the other end, and means whereby the feed of the cloth into the box and feed out of the box are at equal speed.

12. A washing machine comprising a box through which the cloth passes, said box having an entrance opening at one end to admit the cloth and an exit opening at the other end to permit withdrawal of the cloth,

means for introducing a continuous flow of water into the box, means for allowing a continuous flow of water out of the box, means for oscillating the box laterally, means for feeding the cloth into the entrance end of the box, and means for drawing the cloth out of the exit end of the box at the same rate of speed that it is drawn into the box, said entrance and exit feeds for the cloth running simultaneously.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

, FREDERICK B. VOEGELI. Witnesses KATHERINE OMALLEY, ALICE M. CARROLL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. U.

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