US2088465A - Dyeing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

July 27, 1937. E. CLARK 2,088,465

DYEING APPARATUS Filed June 22, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

WKW;

ATTORNEY.

July 27, 1937. E. CLARK .DYEING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 22, 1933 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT] OFFICE DYEING APPARATUS Ernest Clark, Abington, Mass.,

assignor to Abington Textile Machinery Works, Boston, Mass., a. trust of Massachusetts Application June 22, 1933, Serial No. 676,990

6 Claims.

This invention relates to beam, package, and tube dyeing systems on the order of that shown in United States Patent No. 836,101, L. Dumons, Nov. 20, 1906, and has as sion of new and improved devices and combinations of parts for performing in improved and simplified manner the necessary steps .in dyeing textile fibers when wound as roving or as yarn on the above named carriers.

Leading objects of the invention are to provide as far as possible a coordinated and mechanically interlocked arrangement of the flow-controlling valves and their controls so as not only to make easier the manipulation of the many valves in--- volved, but particularly to facilitate or compel their operation in the proper order and. timing and from one central operating post, to remove the risk of injury to the stock, and waste of material, always involved in prior systems and resulting from a momentary slip of the operator in failing to work each valve at the proper time and in proper order.

Other objects include the provision of means for oxidizing the dye in the textile material while the dye liquor is in process of being circulated through the system, and for performing a preliminary moisture expelling operation on the material while. still in the kier. A further object of the invention is to provide for washing the material while in the kier, with a running wash in which fresh water is presented to the material and thereafter-discharged immediately into the waste pipe, without remaining in or returning into contact with the material as heretofore necessitated. Other objects are as will be indicated hereinafter.--

To these ends, the invention provides. dyeing apparatus in which a dyeing tank or kier and a pump are connected with sources of supply of which directs the flow from the pump either from the outside of the wound masses occupying the tank or kier inwardly of such masses, or in the reverse direction, suchvalve also having a supply-port for the introducio'n of at least one and preferably allof the aforesaid three fluids. As illustrated, also, the valve has a part formed on it or combined with it which opens or closes the waste or drain pipe .to release any fluid passing through the valve into such waste pipe if desired. In the preferred arrangement, compressed air is introduced into the circulating liquor, so that the oxidizing oi. the dye can in my invention proceed continuously throughout the process. The air its object the prcvi-' V enough to rupture the yarns.

pressure on the wound masses, when applied in the direction to flow from the inside of the wound masses outwardly, which might burst them, is balanced during circulation of the mixture of air and dye liquor by hydraulic and air pressure on the outside of the packages to an extent preventing the building up of pressure differences great The system provides for passing air alone through the wound masses to extract the greater part of the moisture following the dyeing operation while the stock is still in the kier, and to prevent bursting of the wound masses under this condition when not protected by hydraulic pressure the air inlet is put on the suction side of the pump, and the drain-port, so that if the drain is open, no material amount of air-pressure can be put on the inside of the wound stock, because the air merelypassed down the drain; while if the drain-valve be closed, there is no other escape from the system and a static condition is created, with equal pressure at both inside and outside of the wound stock, the air passing through the pump whether running or at rest to effect this equalization. The manner of attaining other aimsof the invention will appear as hereinafter.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Fig. 1"is an elevation system or machine. Y

Fig. 2 is a plan view of certain of the parts of Fig. 1-. I V I Fig. 3 is an elevation of the main and certain auxiliary valves of Figs 1 and 2, together with of the complete dyeing their connections, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the main valve and its controls.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the rotor of the valve.

Figs. 6 and 7 are horizontal sections of the rotor on lines 6--6 and l1, respectively,'of Fig.

5, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 8. is a plan view of the rotor and its rotation-limiting pin.

Fig. 915 a more or less diagrammatic 'represen tationof the various directions of flow in the system.

The improved dyeing system or machine hasthe usual devices essential to the performance of the operation known in the art as beam dyeing, including a pair of kiers I with tight covers 3, to receive thestock to be dyed, a mixing tank 5, a

valve 21 being provided in the connection to one of the kiers, (or to all but one of the kiers, in case more than two are provided) to renderunneeded kiers inoperative. Portl5, near the bottom of the valve-casing i1, is connected by similar piping 29, 3|, 39, with the bottom of the kier, a similar hand-operated shut-off valve or valves 95 being provided. It is to beunderstood that as usual in these systems the connection -or pipe, made up of the portions 29, 3|, 33, which enters the kier axially at the bottom discharges into the interior of the beam, packages, or tubes, or alternately vents fluids from the said interior of the beams, packages or tubes, and hence delivers the neces sary fluids to the kier when the direction of flow is from the interior of these wound masses outwardly through the fibers composing them, and hence is termed the insideout pipe. Similarly, the pipe or connection between the port l3 and the side of the kier, made up of portions l9, 2|, 29, 25, discharges into or vents from the space within the kier surrounding the wound masses, and hence delivers fluids to the kier when the direction of flow is from the outside of such wound masses inwardly to the interior of their porous or hollow carriers, and hence istermed the outside-in pipe.

Port 31 in the valve-casing I1 is connected by pipe 39 with the mixing tank 5, to permit the contents of'the latter to be let into the system. Pipe 4| entering the pipe 39 is in communication with a water supply through the pipe 43, a checkvalve 45 inserted in the pipe 39 preventing the water from flowing upward into the mixing tank 5,- while the feed water to the tank is supplied through pipe 41 under control of hand-valve 49. A valve 5| operated by a stem 53 and a'handwheel 55 located above theoperators platform or floor 51, controls the admission of water from the main 4: through pipes II- and 39 into the valve II to accomplish the running wash.

A pipe 59 from a source of gas, preferably com-- pressed air, also communicates with the pipe 39 attached to port 31, the flow of the air being controlled by valve 5| having its stem 68 also extended above the floor51 and equipped with a hand-wheel. A check-valve 65 provided in pipe 59 prevents the dye liquor or the water used in the running wash from backing up into the compressed air line or tank in case both valves 5| and SI are open simultaneously and the air pressure happens to be low.

Thus it will be seen that port 31 by means of pipe 99 supplies the interior of valve II with dye liquor, water, or compressed air selectively or simultaneously at option.

At opposite sides of the casing l1, midway of the height ofthe latter, and 90 away from the port 31 in each direction, there are provided ports 61, 69, connected respectively to the suction side of the pump 1 by pipe 69 and to the discharge side of the pump by pipe 1|, a gate valve 13 being located in the latter pipe and controlled from the floor above by shaft 15 and an appropriate hand-wheel.

To the port 11, located in the casing |1 midway between the outside-in port l3- and the insideof the pump and serves as a by-pass which through its,adjustable relief-valve 9|, equipped with sprocket and chain control 02, 94, from the operators platform, controls the maximum fluid pressure allowed to be developed within the kier, thus preventing bursting of the wound masses therein, and regulating the working 1 pressure within the system as needed. From its particular location, the relief valve relieves excess pressure in either direction of dyeing, and. hence a single-acting relief valve serves. A strainer, made easily removable for clearing it, is located across pipe 69 at 10, on the pump side of the bypass pipe 19.

The bottom of the valve casing I1 is closed-by a head 83 bolted tightly to the casing, having a port 85 formed as a valve-seat and surrounded by a flange or other means for coupling to a drain-pipe 81, the drain-pipe being adapted to support the weight of the valve ii and its attached piping, valves, and other associated parts,-

as by means of the foot 89 on the elbow 9|, which foot rests on the floor or abutment 92.

- The movable valve member or rotor of the ward extremity of the V will just come into full communication with the outside-in port II of the casing when the rotor is turned At the bottom of the V a branch 99 .of the channel is carried, around the circumference of the rotor clockwise as viewed from above for sufliciently more than 90, as shown in Fig. 6, so that this branch will be simultaneously in communication with the port 61 connected with the suction pipe 69, and with the feed-port 31 through which pipe 99 supplies dye liquor,'wash water, and compressed air. Thus when the ports are in the relations of Fig. 4, in which the rotor is in the relation shown inFig. 5, both the feed-port 91 and the outside-in port It are in communication with the suction pipe 69 of the pump.

' The lower half of the rotor is provided with a similar but inverted V-shaped channel I00 (see Fig. 5) having at its apex a communicating cirjust enough more than 90 around the circuit of the rotor to be simultaneously in communication with the port 68 into which the pump discharges by means of pipe 1|, and also with port 11 of the by-pass 19, so that the discharge from the pump cumferential channel I02 extending clockwise for will be directed downwardly through the lefthand branch of the V and out through-the insideout port l5 when the rotor is in the position shown in Fig. 4, and a portion of the flow diverted through the by-pass 19 if necessary in order to reduce the pressure on the goods in the kier.

It is to be noted that the extremities of the inverted V-channel I00 pass vertically downward through the bottom end of the rotor at diametrically-opposite points as indicated by the lines fixed in the cap I08 bolted to and closingthe top of the valve-casing II, the stop-pin bringing up against the ends of a groove I I0 cut in the top face of the rotor 95 for the proper portion of the latters circuit. The stop and groove permit the rotor to move a half turn clockwise from the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5, so that the discharge pipe II from the pump and its port 69 are put in communication through the other branch of the upper V-channel 91 with the outside-in port I3, to efiect the reversal of the flow of the dye liquor discharged by the pump. The feed-port 31 is cut off from communication with this upper V-channel, and the by-pass port is put into communication with its circumferential branch 99, so that the safety pressure-controlling feature is still efiective. By this move, the suction pipe 69 and its port 61 are put in communication through inverted V-channel- I00 with the bottom inside-out port I5, and the feedport 31 likewise in communication with thesuction side of the pump through the circumferential branch I02 of the channel, so that dye liquor from the mixing tank 5 or water from the mains are properly drawn in to fill the system and keep it full in either position of the valve and in either direction of dyeing.

v The rotor 95 is supported within the valve casing by a web II2 having passages I I4 registering with the extremities of inverted V-groove I00 which extend through the bottom face of the rotor, when the rotor is in either extreme position permitted by the stop I06. Thus the inverted V-channel I00 is in communication at both its extremities through the passages I I4 and the communicating space H6 with the port 85 venting into the drain 81. This port 85 is adapt- 0 ed to be closed by a cooperating valve member I I8 fixed by nuts I20 on the bottom end of a stem I22 passing. through an axial bore I24 in the rotor 9, and in screw-threaded engagement with ahole formed for it in the web 2, so that rotation of the stem by means of the hand-wheel I26 'fixed on its uppenend abovethe floor 51 serves to move the valve-member I8 vertically toward and from its seat to cut off communication between the system and the drain, or to effect such communication and empty the fiuid contents of the system down the drain. The

stem I22 is shouldered above its screw-threaded portion and fitted with packing material I28 confined between washers 'and compressed by jam' nuts into sealing engagement with the bore I24.

To work the rotor 95, a sleeve I30 surrounding the stem I22 is fitted tightly within the bore I24 and held from rotation by key I32, the sleeve having fixed on its upper extremity a collar I34 from a socket in "which extends a long operating handle I36. A gland I38 in the cap I09 and a packing collar, I40 provide for packing the sleeve in the cap.

Steam is provided for heating the fiuid contents of the system by means of a pipe I42 coupled to a suitable source and connected through a thermostatic heat control valve I44 with the discharge pipe II of the pump, a thermostatic plug I46 located in the suctionpipe 69 controlling the action of this valve in known manner. The diagram of Fig. 9 indicates the general directions of fiow' attainable in the actual dyeing operation, the feathered arrows representing the constant fiow to and from the pump I, the solid lighter arrows the inside-out direction of flow from valve II to kier I and back, and the dotted arrows the outside-in direction between the valve and the kier. Since the fiow to and from the pump through the respective pipes 69 and 1| is always in one direction irrespective of any reversal of the fiow in the kier, namely in the direction of vided in the steam line before the thermostatic' valve I44, to shut off thesteam after the flow, of the dye liquor has been completed, and has its stem I50 extended upward above the floor 51 and equipped with a hand-wheel grouped with the other controlspabout a standard I52 surrounding the sleeve I30 of the main valve II and the included stem I22 of the drain valve. The standard has a bracket I54 holding an instrument board I56 containing the respective inside-out and outside-in pressure gauges and a gauge recording the temperature within the kier.

The usual expansion or vent pipe I58 is provided from the top of the kier to the mixing tank, equipped with hand-valve I60. I

With the improved organization described, the ordinary performance of filling the system with water or with dye liquor can be effected through filling the mixingtank 5 by means of the handvalve 49, or-the system can be filled with water alone, by introducing water directly into the pip-- is carried out to effect the dyeing of the stock,

the dye liquor being brought to the proper concentration through additions of the dye to the mixing tank, with observation of the absorption of the dye through the discharge from the vent pipe I59 with hand-valveI60 open, and the appropriate periodic reversal of the direction of flow through the stock accomplished by rotation of the rotor of valve II. It is to be noted that oxidizing air can be continuously put through the stock along with the dye liquor, so that the oxidation forms a concurrent part of the actual dyeing operation, with known improved results, and is no longer a separate and" time-consuming step, the air being allowed to escape freely and continuously from the vent-pipe I58 when and as it frees itself from the emulsion. The usual oxidation'following draining-off of the dye-liquor is performed where indicated.

-At the completion of this simultaneous dyeing and oxidizing process; the pumpand the flow of air are both shut off, hand-valve I60 in the vent pipe shut, and the drain valve at the bottom of valve II is opened by lifting valve-.member IIO from its seat 85 through manipulation of hand wheel I26, thereby permitting the entire contents of the system to escape down the drain 81, whence it may be either wasted or removed to a suitable' yea" tending up above the platform 51 to the operators central, control station, the main valve II is rotated to outside-in relation as in Fig. 4, and wash water is admitted from the mains through 5 pipes 39, 4|; and 43 upon opening valve 5| by means of its hand-wheel 55. This wash water entering the feed-port 31 of main valve II is prevented by the closing of valve 13 from shortcircuiting through the pump to the drain, and is compelled to travel through the outside-in pipe l9 into the kier to surround the stock therein, entering through the fibers of the stock and leaving the kier through the axial port in the bottom thereof, thence returning through pipe 29 to the valve H, whence it escapes freely through the still open drain valve in the bottom and leaves through drain pipe 81. This makes a continuous and running wash, as previously referred to. Not'only is the operation of the pump and the power thus consumed obviated, but the washing is effected wholly with clean water, which I believe myself to be the first to have accomplished in such a system.

At the completion of the washing operation,

I drain valve H8 is restored to its seat to close valve 6|; it enters the kier through the outside-in pipe, passing through the stock until a static condition is reached with all parts of the system filled with air of the full pressure available. Thereupon, drain valve H8 is lifted widely from its seat, allowing a sudden drop in the pressure between the stock and the drain as a result of the escape of the air down the drain, producing a rush of the remaining air in the system through the stock in the safe outside-in direction, which blows out of the stock and down through the axial port of the kier the greater part of the moisture remaining therein after the washing. Thus there is performed in the kier itself a moisture-extracting operation preliminary to the actual drying operations which must follow, having the eifect of greatly shortening the period needed for this subsequent operation. I

As to the safety features of the invention,

among other such features already indicated, if I the operator fails to close valve 13 at any time wise injured. If though closing valve 13 properly he fails to open the drain previous to turning on the water or air, no bursting or other harm can result because there is no vent to the system and any harmful inside-out pressure is balanced by an equal and opposed outside-in pressure. If hand valve I60 be wrongly left open, the rush of air is instantly audible. If the main valve ll be wrongly set for inside-out direction of the fluids, with the drain valve open, these fluids aremerely wasted down, the drain, and with the drain valve closed the same static] relation at both inside and outside surfaces of the stock is attained, before any harmful pressure whatever can be built up between the inside and the outside of the stock, since the system beyond outside of the stock is closed.

within the valve casing.

2. In dyeing apparatus, in combination, a kier, a pump, intermediate circulation conduits, a reversing valve reversing the direction of flow through the kier, and a relief valveregulating" the maximum pressure of the flow from the pump before leaving the reversing valve.

3. In dyeing apparatus, in combination, sources of supply of dye liquor, of washing liquid, and of a gas, a dyeing tank, a pump,

intermediate conduits joining all these elements, and a valve having a single moving part in the conduits and in conjunction therewith directing the flow fromthe pump optionally from the outside of the stock occupying the tank inwardly of such stock and also in the reverse direction,

the valve also having in addition to its circulating ports a. supply port for the introduction of at least one of the aforesaid three fluids, and a by-pass acting to prevent excessive pressures within the apparatus through putting the discharge side of the pump directly in communication with the suction side thereof, before the discharge flow from the pump leaves the valve.

4. In dyeing apparatus, in

liquid, and of a gas, a dyeing tank, a pump, intermediate conduits joining all these elements, and ayalve in the conduits and in conjunction therewith directing the flow from the pump optionally from the outside of the stock occupying the tank inwardly of such stock and also in thereverse direction, the valve also having in addition to its circulating ports a supply port for the introduction' of at least one of the aforesaid three fluids, and a drain port in the valve emptying the apparatus and also opened or closed by said valve.

5. In dyeing apparatus, in combination, sources of supply of dye liquor, of washing liquid, and of a gas, a dyeing tank, a pump, a pump ypass, a drain, intermediate conduits joining all these elements, and a valve having ports t'espectively connected by said conduits to the discharge side and the suction side of the pump, to axil and radial connections to the tank, to the drain, to the by-pass, and to at least one of the saidsources of supply.

having an angularly-movable portion reversing the direction of flow in the tank while receiving and directing the said fluids always into the suction side of the pump, af'drain port in the valve.

connected to the drain, the valve having a memcombination, sources of supply of dye liquor, of 'washing her-axially movable to empty the contents of the. 1

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