US1399230A - Process of dyeing and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Description

B. F. TOUCHSTONEfT. E. GARDNER, J. A. BANGLE, D. M. SULLIVAN AND J. E. HARDIN.

PROCESS OF DYEING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23. 1920.

1 399230, Patented Dec. 6, 1921..

6 SHEETS-SEEN l.

Hung

B. F. TOUCHSTONE, T. E. GARDNER, J. A. BANGLE, D. M. SULLIVAN AND J. E. HARDIN.

PROCESS OF DYEING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. s. 1920.

Patented Dec 6, 1921.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JQWEHarcZ-in attozswtg S B. F. TOUCHS'TONE, T. E. GARDNER, J. A. BANGLE, D. M. SULLIVAN AND J. E. HARDIN.

PROCESS ,OF DYEING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

' APPLICATIONHLED SEPT.8. 1920.

1,399,23U, Patented Dec. 56, 1921.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

gmcntoz B. F. TOUCHSTONE, T. E. GARDNER, J. A. BANGLE, D. M. SULLIVAN AND J. E. HARDIN.

PROCESS OF DYEING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8. 1920.

3,3992%; mama Dec. 6, 1921.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

5 II'LLLWLLLLLLLLLL I ifl il i I ILLILIILIILILIILLLL a B. F. TOUCHSTONE, T E GARDNER, J. A. BANGLE, D. M. SULLIVAN AND J. E. HARDIN. PROCESS OF 0mm; AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. B. 1920.

Patented Des. 6, 1921..

a SHEETSSHEET 5.

atton-mt E D. M. SULLIVAN AND J.

PROCESS OF DYEING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

, I. A. BANGLE B. F. TOUCHSTONE, T. E. GARDNER E. IIARDIN APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8. I920.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921 6 SHEETSSHEEI 6.

gwoa'ntoz uirsn STATES PATENT OFFHCE.

BENJAMIN IE. TOUOHSTONE, THOMAS E. GARDNER, -J'AMES A. IBAll'G-LE, DAVID M. SULLIVAN, AND JOHN ERNEST HARDIN', OF GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA.

PROCESS OF DYEING AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

Application filed September 8, 1920. Serial No. 408,896.

To all whom it'may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN F. ToUcHs'roNn, THOMAS E. GARDNER, JAMES A. BANGLE, DAVID M. SULLIVAN, and JOHN E. HARDIN, citizens of the United States, residing at Greensboro, in the county of Guilford, State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Dyeing and Apparatus Therefor, and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,- and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to machines and processes for dyeing and is designed primarily for the efficient and economical dyeing of warps, as Well as other materials in sheet, as distinguished from rope form.

In the treatment of yarn between the completion of the spinning operation and the making of the yarn ready for'the loom, there is in the present day process a series of steps involving handling of the product both in the practice of the step and in the transportation of it from one set of machinery to another and it is the prime object of this invention to eliminate these multiferious successive steps with the losses in product incident to breaking and other injuries with the losses in time incident to transportation from the place of one step to that of an'-. other; with the enormous and expensive equipment in machinery; with the excessive floor spaceoccupied by the machinery; with the excessive number of attendants essential in the carrying out of the separate steps and the transportation from one to another, and the loss in energy incident to the number of separately operated mechanisms, as well asother disadvantageous items, well known to those skilled in the art.

With the mechanisms and processes in common use, the first step is the spooling of the yarn from the bobbins. Second, the filled spools are placed in a creel. Third, the

yarn from the spools in the creel are run Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921,

denims, a ball is wound to contain 4,000 yards and includes 480 ends or warp threads, the size of the ball being limited by the weight that it is practical to handle in the succeeding steps of the process. In the making of a 28inch denim such as is ordinarily employed in the manufacture of overalls, there are 1,920 ends or warp threads, thus requiring four balls.

Now in dyeing in conformity with the common practice, it is impossible to obtain a constant shade from successive batches of dye liquor, nor even throughout extensive runs of ropes from succesive balls through the same batch of liquor. Hence, whatever vnumber of balls are required to provide the entire number of ends for a fabric of different width, that number of balls, from the time they leave the warp machine, must be carried through all of the succeeding steps of the process to and, including the final the same conditions andwill, therefore, be

the same as nearly as possible.

The four balls are then individually trucked into a different room to the boiling out apparatus andvare stopped in transit, :sufliciently long to have knotted identification strings attached to certain of their ends or warps. Y

lhese identification strings have all the same arrangement of knots in them and are the means for identifying these particular ropes-throughout their treatment, so that it may be made certain that these identical ropes will be wound together uponthe single beam when finally ready for the loom and'thus to constitute the entire number of warps or ends for that particular-length of fabric. I

After this the four ropes from the four balls are thensimultaneously put through the same boiling vat and are squeezed to express the excess moisture and are then rewound on shells to provide four balls, as originally. r

. v The four balls are then trucked into the dye house.- The ropes from the four balls are then successively passed through a dye vat, then squeezed, then run over a frame for exposure to the atmosphere for oxidation and then again wound into balls. The ropes from the four balls are then once more passed through the dye vat, squeezed, oxi dized and wound onto. their shells into what is technically known as balls, when they are ready for washing.

From the dye house, the four balls are trucked to the washing apparatus where the ropes are successively run through a washing tank of hot water, then squeezed to express excess moisture, then through a cold water wash tank, then again squeezed to ex press excess moisture and are then wound back into balls.

The four balls are next trucked into a drying room where the four balls are taken simultaneously about a series of steam heated drying cans and after drying are coiled loosely each'upon a section of tarpaulin or other suitable material. When the four ropes have been completely dried, the corners of each tarpaulin are caught up and the four coils are then trucked into a beaming room. Here the yarns are separated and the yarns of each coil are wound upon a large spool or what is technically known as a section beam, for the reason that it contains a section of the entire number of warp yarns or ends that are to constitute the warp of the fabric to be woven. This section beaming is the most tedious and expensive step in the process, in the matter of labor as it is found that many of the yarns or ends are broken and many misplaced with resultant tangles. Here the operator must unite the broken ends, often supplying various lengths, and must straighten out the snarls so that the ends on the section beam may be evenly laid, ready for the slashing and final beaming operation. When the four section beams have been filled with their respective ends from the the four section beams are trucked to the slasher room Where they are placed in a creel. From this creel, all of the ends are fed to the slasher in the form of a sheet, where they are sized and then dried and thence are carried over the splitting rods where they are separated previous to wind ing onto'the loom beam, ready-to be fed to the loom in the weaving of the final fabric.

, The present invention contemplates the embodiment on a single machine ,of mechanism for completely treating the warp threads or ends from the time they are spun until they are dyed and slashed and beamed read for the loom, and without any intermedlary handling or transportation [and i with the absolute elimination of man of the expensive steps in the process as 'therto practised. In the present invention the warping, balling and section beaming with warper and to which they have been fed from creeled spools that'have been supplie from the spinning frame bobbins although it may be found preferable to omit the section warping and feed the ends as a warp sheet direct from the spools that are received from the bobbin or direct from the bobbins themselves.

In any dyeing process. in which the dye stuff is held in suspension in its vehicle, the richness of the shade contributed varies in proportion to the decreasing density of the. batch. The decreasing density is'due primarily to the removal of dye stuif from the vehicle by the material treated but there is also a considerable diminution incident to sedimentation. It is common to rake up the batch from time to time, which under the old system above described, occurs once for approximately 4,000 yards of rope run through the batch.' It is ,an object of the present invention to prevent'loss in richness from sedimentation by constant and continuous circulation of liquor between the sevtime. four coils that originally were the four balls,

To maintain constant the shade of the warp sheet, not only must the richness of the batch of liquor be substantially constant, but the time of immerg'ence of the warp sheet must be constant and hence, not only must the speed of movement of the sheet be practically constant, but the immersed portion of the sheet must not be permitted to stop in its movement. It is, therefore, a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus of this character, in which there will be nodiminution or other change in movement of the warp sheet in the dye vats, even during the time consumed in removing a filled beam and substituting a beam'to be A further object of the invention is [0 provide an apparatus that may be employed not only for dyeing a single shade or color throughout the entire width of the warp sheet, but which may with equal facility be used for d eing the successive threads either individual y or in any desired groups, with various shades or colors.

In the present apparatus, the ends instead of being roped are introduced in sheet form, directly to the boiling box, side by side to the number of the warps of the ultimate fabric and in the form of which there are given the successive treatments even to and through the final slashin and beaming so that there are eliminated the various and expensive steps heretofore necessary in forming a rope from a sheet of threads and then after the dyeing operation, the returning of the rope to sheet form .so that it may be subjected to the slashing process. It must be borne in mind that the only reason for roping the threads has been to facilitate the dyeing underv the heretofore. practised method and the roping and subsequent unroping of the threads has brought about this unprofitable handling and rehandling, with injury to the threads and losses in time, all of which the present apparatus eliminates.

Other objects and advantages of the in-- vention will be understood from the followin description.

in the drawings: I

Figuresl and l jointly show partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section the complete apparatus for presenting the ends in sheet form from a plurality of section beams and for boiling, mashing, dyeing, oxidizing, drying, slashing and final beaming of the ends with the addition of the selvage and the compensation in the sheet for the dofling of the beam.

Figs. 2 and 2 show jointly and at the upper portion of the figure, a plan View of one machine and at the lower portion of Fig. 2 the boiling and first washing boxes together with successive dye vats of a sec ond machine, the dye vats having their guide or direction rollers omitted so as to illustrate the feed and draw ofi' pipes through the medium of which circulation of the dye stuff is maintained between these vats and the supply reservoir which is illustrated centrally of Fig. 2

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the dye vats of a pair of contingnous machines supplied with dye liquor from a common supply reservoir, between which and the vats of the separate machines circulation is maintained in the structure excepting for the vats being illustrated in elevation,

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the dye reservoir and the stock tank and showing the means for automatically feeding stock to the reservoir to maintain richness of the-dye liquor.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of the compensator that serves to take up the sheet in advance of the slashing when the slasher beam is being dofied.

Fig. 6 is a detall plan of one side portion of the compensator withportions in section and showing how that alternative rollers through different vats, to effect a multicolored stripping of the sheet.

Fig. 8 isa plan view of the boiling and washing boxes and those of the vats shown in use in Fig. 7 and with their guide and direction rollers having the sheet trained over them.

Fig. 9. is a detail view showing only the initial boiling box of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1 and with the ends fed thereto direct from a creel of spools, without the in termediary of the usual section beaming apparatus.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 showing the ends taken directly from the several groups of bobbins and in which their end is drawn from the bobbins successively of each group to give the full length to the end, this arrangement dispensing with both the spooling and the section beaming apparatus.

Fig. ll-isa section taken transversely through a washing box and showing the arrangement of the supply and drain pipes.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1 and the associated views that illustrate the machine in operation to dye the entire warp sheet with an indigo dye as practised by us and to subsequently supply to the sheet the selvage threads, there are assembled in a continuous succession, the initial boiling and washing tanks, the several dyeing tanks and the final washing tanks, the warp threads or ends being passed from one to another in the order just named and over an oxidizing frame after their emergence from each of the dye tanks.

There will be first described this succession of tanks with the oxidizing frames, the means for maintaining practically constant the richness of the batches of dye liquor within the separate tanks and the other mechanisms having particularly to do with thetreatment of the warp sheet from the time of the initial'boiling to the final washing after dyeing, the manner of presenting the warp threads or ends in sheet form and I 24 upwardly and out of the box and between a pair of squeeze rollers 25 and 26 mounted transversely of the rear end of the box. These squeeze rollers are of conventional form and their axes are directly over the rear wall 27 of the box 22 so that the sheet may pass from the lower wall downwardly into a wash box 28 and in spaced relation to the wall of the box. The wash box 28 is equipped with upper and lower direction rollers 29 and 30 respectively, which are in staggered relation so as to direct the sheet in a circuitous path through the box, the sheet passing finally upwardly from the box at its rear end and between a second pair of squeeze rollers 31 and 32 whose axes are directly above the rear end of the box 28, as illustrated. It "will be noted that the direction rollers 23, 24, 29 and 30 are submerged in their respective boxes and in practice, the water with whichthe box 22 is sup plied, is kept at a boiling point through the medium of a steam coil 33 of any suitable character to maintain the water at a boiling point so as to rid the warp of the well known objectionable matter, the water that is expressed from the sheet by the squeeze rollers 25 and 26, returning to the box, as will be of course understood. While the water with its detergents in the box 22 is maintained at a boiling temperature, the water that is supplied to the box 28 is free from detergents and is continuously supplied from the ordinary service main through a pipe 34, the Waste water being carried'from the bottom of the box by means of a pipe that extends first downwardly as shown at 35 and then returns and extends upwardlyto the maintained fluid level in thebox and then downwardly to the waste pipe. This arrangement of drain pipe is designed to carry off the production of sedimentation while ermitting the proper level of water in the ox.

Directly following the wash box is a series of dye vats 36,- 37 and 38 which, of course,

may be in any desired number although we have elected to illustrate three in the embodiment of the invention that it has been elected to show. Directly succeeding the dye vats is a hot water'wash box that is directl followed by a cold 'water wash box. bove these boxes and vats is arranged a sectional oxidizing frame'to a corresponding section of which the war sheet passes for oxidation after emerging rom a dye vat and before entering the next vat, as also before enterin the hot water wash box.

Referring now particularly to the threedye vats that are illustrated, it will be noted that they are also disposed end to end and in direct succession to the wash box 28. Each of, these dye vats is provided with a lower horizontal and longitudinally extend- 1 passing upwardly and downwardly about the rollers in succession and passing finally from the last lower roller 39 upwardly and between a pair of squeeze rollers 41 and 42 whose axes are directly above the mutually contacting end walls of the vats 36 and 37 so that the liquor expressed from the sheet,-will return into the vat 36.

The oxidizing frame at present in use includes a rectangular frame work 43 at the upper and lower side of which are mounted longitudinally extending series of horizontal direction rollers that may be considered in three groups or sections 44 and 45, 44 and 45 and 44 and 45 I The warp sheet is carried from the squeeze rollers 41 and 42 to-the section of the oxidizing'frame that includes the rollers 44 and 45 and is trained up and down over these rollers and from the endmost lower roller is taken downwardly and into the next vat 37.

In the vat 37, the sheet is trained around the direction rollers the same as in the vat 36, is then taken between the squeeze rollers 41" and 42 to the oxidizing frame section that includes the rollers 44' and 45' and then' "hot water wash box 47 that abuts the end Within the box 47 are the of the vat 38. upper and lower longitudinally extending series of horizontal direction rollers 48 and 49 around which the sheet is taken as illushated and from the endmost roller of the lower series, the sheet passes upwardly and between squeeze rollers 50 and 51 directly over the rear wall of the box 47. From the rollers 50 and 51 the warp sheet is taken downwardly and into a cold water wash box 52 having upper and lower direction rollers 53 and 54 and from the rear roller 54 the "sheet passes upwardly from the box and between squeeze rollers-55 and 56.

Now it will be noted that the squeeze rollers in each instance are positioned to discharge the expressed liquid into the tank from which it was directly carried by the sheet. It will also be notedthat in each instance, the journal boxes 57 of the upper squeeze roller are each forced downwardly throughthe medium of a lever 57 suitably fulcrumed at one end and having connected 62, through the medium of which the tension which engages gages a sprocket wheel 77 on the shaft of the a of the spring may be adjusted, thus to determine the pressure of the upper squeeze roller against the sheet asit is carried over the lower squeeze roller. It is the lower squeeze roller in each instance that is directly driven from a single longitudinal shaft 63 having drive pinions 64 that mesh with gears 65 on the lower squeeze roller shafts. The shaft 63 is in practice electrically driven, the motor being arranged midway of the ends of the shaft, for reasons that are obvious.

The wash box 47 is supplied with water throu h a pipe 66, the drain pipe from the box, shown at 66, having the same arrangement'as the pipe 35 described in connection with the box 28, so that the products of sedimentation will be carried off from the box. To heat the water in the box 47 to the proper temperature, a steam pipe 67 is carried into the bottom of the box and is perforated so that steam of proper temperature and in sufiicient quantity is let into the water to maintain it at well known working temperature. The box 52 is supplied with cold water through a pipe 53 and it has a drain pipe 54 with the same arrangement also as the pipe 35 and for the same pur ose. From the last set of squeeze rollers a ove described, the warp sheet passes to a set of drying cans. Each of these cans, shown at 70, is a hollow cylinder, rotatably mounted in a suitable frame 71 and having gears 72 at one end that intermesh so that the cans are rotated one from another, the meshed series of gears being driven from a pinion 73 that engages one of them. The gear 73 is carr ed by a shaft 74 having-a sprocket wheel 75 with a chain 76 that in turn enlower'squeeze roller ofthe box52.

The drying cans are rotatably mounted through the medium of trunnions that project from their ends which trunnions at each end are connected with the branch arms 78 .of a pipe 79. One of these pipes constitutes a supply for steam while the othercarries off from the can, A and such vapor as may .pass with it. This stack of drying cans, however, is such as are commonly used and requires no further specific description. From the squeeze rollers of the final wash box 52, the sheet passes around the series of drying cans successively and is then ready for slashin After the dyed warp s heet has been washed and dried as described, it is sized after having its selvage threads added to .it and is then dried, then split and finally beamed. When a beam has been filled, it must be substituted by an empty beam but during this substituting operation, the passage of the sheet through the wash-boxes and dye'vats and over the oxidizing frames and around in order that the shade of the resultant product may not change. It is, therefore, necessary that some compensating mechanism be employed to take up the sheet at a point between the drying cans and the delivery rolls of the slasher. In the present embodiment of the invention and in the practical operation of the present invention by us, we have arranged this compensating mechanism be tween the drying cans andthe size box of the slasher. A conventional slasher is employed by .us and includes a size box 80 with its well known equipment, the drying cylinders 81 and the head 82 with its equipment of split rods and its delivery rollers 83 from which the warp sheet is delivered to the loom beam 84 that during this delivery operation, is supported in suitable bearings in common use and which is rotated in the manner well known.

The compensator employed by us consists of a frame, each side of which includes vertical and parallel angle iron guides 85, these guides at each side of the frame being arranged in pairs. Between each pair of guides is held for vertical sliding movement, a journal box 86 and in corresponding boxes at opposite sides of the frame are journaled the trunnions of metal rollers 87 which in practice are sections of steel sha'fting so as to have the desired weight. Between each pair of guides 85 is journaled in the upper part of the frame, a roller 88 and the warp sheet from the drying cans is carried'under all of the vertically movable rollers 86 and over all of the remainin rollers-88 that have no bodily movement. Then, so long as the tension of the sheet in its passage under and over these rollers, is such as is contributed during the complete operation of the a paratus, including the beaming, these ro lers 86 remain at their upper limits of movement. When, however, the sheet feeds from the drying cans at a speed greater than it is the water of condensation the drying cans, must continue,

taken from the slasher, the resultant slack is taken up by gravity of one or more of these comparatively heavy compensating or taking up rollers 86. When the slasher is stopped, as in the substitution of an empty beam for a filled beam, the same thing takes place and these take up or compensating rollers 86 move downwardly by gravity, to such degree and in suflicient number to take up the slack. It will, of course, be understood that the compensator is made with such capacity as to permit of stoppage of the slasher sufficiently long to permit of shifting of beams under even abnormal conditions.

It will, of course, be understood thatthis compensator permits of the stopping or slowingdown of the slasher for any purpose whatsoever, such as for the replacing of broken ends, or for the inspection of the warp sheet.

It will be noted furthermore, that a selvage creel 90 is arranged at each side of the apparatus between the compensator and the size box and receive the selvage spools 91 from which the selvage threads are added to the warp sheet just before its passage into the size box of the slasher.

It will, of course, be readily understood that each complete piece, theproduct of a loom, must be of uniform shade and when variations occur beyond certain specific and well defined limits, that piece becomes a second. It is, therefore, essential that their condition inductive of such excessive variation in shade must be assiduously guarded against. Some of these safe-guards have already been brought out, such as the continuous and constant feed of the warp sheet through the washing boxes and dyeing vats. 'The dye liquor, however, must be maintained at a substantially constant rich- .ness throughout the complete dyeing of a set of warps, such as a complete sheet is ordinarily termed. In the present apparatus,,there is associated with the several vats of the dyeing element, a supplemental reservoir between which and each individual vat there is a continuous and constant circulation of dye liquor, thus tomaintain uniformity in richness of liquor not only in the several vats with respect to one another,

but also in all parts of each vat. In indigo dyeing, the coloring matter or indigo is in suspension in the vehicle and in consequence, the bath becomes progressively impoverished during the dyeing operation and in the dyeing processes ordinarily practised, the batch is enriched at the beginning of the run of each set of warp ends. re'enriching of the batch ated shade that becomes or to the final end of the set. It is for this reason that under the old process above outlined, that the rope is run through a vat This intermittent results in a graduprogresslvely weakof a given length twice, with first one end first and then the other end first, instead of being given a single dip through a vat of double length or instead of running it through more slowly, with the object of taking up the proper quantity of pigment.

In the present apparatus as illustrated, and as operated by us, instead of intermittent replenishing of the batch, we add to the supplemental reservoir referred to, a continuous and constant supply of stock of a definite richness that is determined by the weight of warp that is treated in a given time. In the apparatus now in operation, the enriching liquor in which the indigo is carried is fed into the reservoir at such rate as that the weight of indigo contributed in a given space of time is tenper cent. of the weight of the yarn that is treated in the same length of time. Y

lVhere a battery of mechanisms is employed, all dyeing with the same color, a single supplemental reservoir and stock tank is employed for the entire number of mais shown a machine A and a machine B,

there is arranged between them upon a suitablestand 92 a reservoir 93 of suitable size and dimensions from the bottom of which leads a supply pipe 94 having at its lower end the branch arms 95 and 96 that connect with the mains 97 and 98 that run longitudinally of the machines A and B respectively. From the mains 97 and 98 there lead service pipes 99 and 100 that enter over the side walls of the, vats near to the ends of the latter and between the entering warp sheets and the corresponding ends of the vats where they are provided with transversely disposed heads 101 that are perforated as shown at 102 to direct their streams away from the warp sheet and, toward the adjacent end wall of the vat, so that the incoming jets may not strike and split the warp sheet, thus rolling one end upon one or more of the adjacent ends. Thus is the proper correlative positions of the individual ends or warp threads maintained.v p

In the bottom of each vat is a T-shaped draw-oil pipe, the head 103 of which is disposed longitudinally of the vat and midway of its sides and has perforations 104 in its upper side for'passage of the liquor into the pipe. The stem 105 of this draw-off pipe extends through the side of the vat and has connection with a pipe 106 that leads to the return main 10'? that extends longitudinally a discharge pipe 111 that inturn leads to the upper portion of the reservoir 93, so that a circulation of liquor may thus be established between the reservoir and all of the vats so that the condition of theliquor in all of the vats may be uniform. It will be noted that these various pipes are provided with hand valves through the medium of which the flow through them may be varied or cut off, to suit specific conditions that may arise.

To maintain constant the richness of the liquor in the reservoir 93 and correspondingly in the several dye vats, a stock tank 112 is mounted above the reservoir and this stock tank is kept supplied in suitable quantity with the carefully prepared stock includingthe pigment and the other ingredients that go to make up with the vehicle, the dye liquor.

The stock'is fed from the stock tank 112 into the reservoir 93 at the carefully determined rate above referred to through the medium of any desired expediency such as a worm fed faucet 113 that is engaged in the stock tank and discharges into the reservoir. The gear 116 of the faucet worm is engaged by the worm 117 of a shaft'118 havlng a finger disk 117, the face of which is traversed by a friction pinion 119 splined to shaft 120 mounted in bearings 121' and connected with a flexible shaft 122', the latter being rotated in fixed relation to the feed of the warp throu h the machine by means of the beveled pinion 119 meshing with beveled pinion 120 on one of the squeezed rollers herein above referred to. The friction pinion 119 is slipped over the face of the disk 117 by the lever 122', to effect a different ratio between the movement of the sheet and the feed of stock to the stock tank. I

As previously stated, the squeeze rollers are all driven from the longitudinally extending drive shaft 63 and it is through the medium of these presser rollers, that the sheet is drawn through the boiling boxes, dye vats, wash boxes and the oxidizing apparatus. It has been previously explained also how the drying. cans are operated from the shaft 63.

The slasher is driven 121, in the usual manner, the shaft 121 be ing rotated through the medium of a belt- 122 that engages its pulley 123 and the pulley 124 of a counter-shaft 125 havin also a pulley 126 provided with a belt 12? that engages the pulley 128 on the shaft 74:.

The present apparatus may be employed for dyeing the ends of various colors in groups while one or more other groups remain undyed, as for use in weaving pattern from the head shaft work. In that event the separate vats may be cut off from the reservoir, through the medium of their valves before referred to and they may be supplied with dyes of different colors, it being customary in dyeing for pattern work, to use dye stuffs thatrequire no oxidation.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings, there is illustrated in diagram the same arrangement of boiling and washing boxes and dye vats as previously described, having supplemental equipment for maintaining separation. of the differently colored groups of ends in their transit to the'drying cans, to prevent cross-dyeing of one from another. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 7, all of the ends are carried through the boiling box 22 and the wash box 28 and between the pairs of squeeze rollers 25, 26 and 31, 32. From the squeeze rollers 31, 32, that roup or those groups of ends that are to %e dyed in the vat 36, are carried from the sheet but themselves in sheet form, down into and through the vat 36, around its-guide rollers and thence between the squeeze rollers 41 and 42 and then back to the sheet. Into the next vat 37 are similarly carried that group or those groups of ends that are to be given the color in that vat, those ends being taken from the vat through the squeeze rollers 4.1, 42 and then back to the sheet. Into thethird vat 38, are taken those ends that are to be given the color in that vat, they being thencarried between the squeeze rollers 41 42 and then back to the sheet. Those ends that are to remain undyed, are carried over all of the vats instead of being deflected from the sheet and returned to it.

Above the squeeze rollers 41 and 42 is a guide roller 129 which is provided with spaced circumscribing flanges 130, similar rollers 129' and 129 being disposed over the pairs of squeeze rollers 41', 42 and 41 42 respectively.

the possibility of cross-dyeing. When using those dyes ordinarily em loyed, it is not necessary to wash after t e dyeing operation, and'in consequence, with this specific multi-dyeing process, the sheet is carried from the roller 129 above and beyond the wash boxes 47 and 52 and is taken over such number and arrangement of fiangeddirection rollers 131 and-132 as may be found desirable in the carrying of the sheet to the drying cans. Where the flight of the sheet from the roller 129 to the drying cans is not sufficiently long to insure drying toan extent to preclude cross-dyeing, then the initial drying can 70 and such successive dryv of the various groups.

In Fig. 10 of the drawings, the warp ends or threads 20 are introduced to the machine over the roller 21 in sheet form, direct from the bobbin as takendirect from the spining frame and placed in a creel 140. These bobbins are creeled in groups, threads of the successive bobbins of each group being tied together so that after the thread is drawn from the end of one bobbin, it will then draw from the next bobbin and throughout the group. Thus is provided the length necessary to produce the proper length of the warp sheet.

In Fig. 9 of the drawings, is shown an arrangement in which the warp ends or threads are introduced over the roller 21 in sheet form, from a creel of spools 141 that have been filled in the well known manner from bobbins after the manner ordinarily employed in preparing the threads for introduction to the warp machine by which is formed the rope that is used in the old method for which the present is substituted.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings there is shown a third arrangement that is used where it is found convenient to feed the warp threads or ends in sheet form over the rollerv 21 from consists in reducing either the bobbins or the spools. Then, the threads or ends are spooled and then passed through a warp machine in which they are wound on section beams 142 that are placed in a creel 14:3 in suflicient number to provide the requisite number of ends, the ends from the several section beams being then taken over the roller .21 and presented in sheet form to the boiling box 22. In this method of procedure the baller attachment of the warp machine is omitted and the warp sheet is wound directly onto the section beam.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of treating warp which consists in reducing a complete set. of yarn ends or threads to sheet form, conducting the sheet continuously through common yarn dyeing and treating means, and then in continuous pursuance to said treatment, winding the same directly flipon a loom beam. i

2. The method of treating warp which a complete set of yarn en'ds'or threads to s set form as it is received from the spinning mechanism, conducting the sheet continuously as it is formed and at a uniform rate of movement through yarn dyeing vats and conditioning means, and then in continuous pursuance to said treatment. winding the same directly upon a loom beam.

3. The method of treating warp which consists in reducing a complete set of yarn ends or threads to sheet form, conducting the sheet continuously and at a uniform rate of movement through common boiling, dyeing and rinsing vats and through intermediate oxidizing means and then in con-,

tinuous pursuance to said treatment winding the same directly upon a loom beam.

4. The method of treating warp whichconsists in reducing a com lete set of yarn ends or threads to sheet farm, conducting the sheet continuously and at a uniform rate of movement through common boiling, dyeing and rinsing vats and over intermediate means for exposing the dye to fixing conditions and then in continuous pursuance of said treatment winding the same directly upon a loom beam.

5. The method of treating warp which consists in reducing a complete set of yarn ends or threads to sheet form, conducting the sheet continuously and at a uniform rate of movement through common boiling, dyeing and rinsing vats and over intermediatemeans for exposing the dye to fix ing conditions and then in continuous pursuance of said treatmentwinding the same directly upon a looinbeam, diiferent portions transversely of the sheet being simultaneously exposed to the contents of different dye vats. 6. The method of treating warp which consists in reducing a complete set of yarn ends or threads to sheet form, conducting the sheet continuously and at a uniform rate of movement through common yarn treating agencies including dye vats and oxidizing means and through a variable capacity takeup or compensating means and finally and in continuous pursuance of said treatment winding the same directly upon a loom beam, the takeup or compensating means serving to continuously receive the war from the treating means during the substitution of loom beams.

7. The method of treating warp which consists in reducing a complete set of yarn ends or threads to sheet form, conducting the sheet continuously through common treating and conditioning means including dyeing vats, continuously'and uniformly replenishing the dye vats with dye stock, and in continuous pursuance'to said treatment winding the sheet upon a loom beam.

8. The method of treating warp which consists in reducing a complete set of yarn ends or-threads to sheet form, conducting the sheet continuously through common treating and conditioning means including dyeing vats, continuously and uniformly replenishing the dye vats with dye stock at a 9. The methodof treating warp which consists in conducting the same continuously and at a uniform rate of movement through .common yarn treating agencies, including i the yarn.

. for directing the entire warp through the 10. The method of treating warp which consists in conducting the same continuously and at a uniform rate of movement through common yarn treating agencies, including dye vats, and continuously maintaining a circulation of dye stock at the maximum strength through the said vats to compensate for the removal of the pigment by the 11. A dyeing apparatus comprising a-successio'n of dyeing vats, means for presenting a sheet warp and means for directing separate ends through different respective vats. 12. A dyeing apparatus-comfprising a succession of dyeing vats, means or presenting asheet warp and means for directing separate ends through different respective vats, and means for reassembling the separately dyed series of ends into a sheet.

13. In an apparatus of the class describedi the combination with successive dye vats an aboilingapparatus in advance thereof, of means for-presenting a sheet warp, means boiling box, means for subsequently directing separate series of ends through separate vats respectively and means for reassembling the ends into sheet form.

14. The method of dyeing yarn which consists in assembling the ends from separate containers into sheet form, dyeing the sheet, slashing the sheet, and finally beaming the sheet.

15. The method of dyeing yarn which consists in assembling a plurality of ends from a pluralityof containers into sheet form, subjecting the ends in sheet form to dye stuff with a continuous movement of the sheet and subjecting the dyed sheet .intermittently to a slasher.

16; The method of treating yarn comprising the assembly of a plurality of ends in sheet form from a plurality of containers,

I successively boiling, dyeing, oxidizing, washing the sheet and drying the sheet; and intermittently sizing and beaming the sheet with continuous movement of the sheet through its drying operation simultaneously with the feeding of the sheet from the containers.

In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN F. TO'UQHSTONE. THOMAS E. GARDNER. JAMES A. BANGLE. DAVID M. SULLIVAN.

JOHN ERNEST HARDIN. Witnesses:

J. T. CAnnu'rmms, R. P. Boom

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