US2325475A - Ironing machine - Google Patents

Description

' J y 27,19 3- F. B. CLARK 2,325 75 IRONING MACHINE Filed Jan. 11 1940 INVENTOR :emm/c 5. CLARK ATTORNEY Patented July 27, 1943 UNIT-ED} STATES PATENT -OFFICE IRONING MACHINE Frederic B. Clark, nnglewoba, N. J. ApplicationJanuary 11, 1940, Serial No. 313,312 (o1. 3s 9) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to an ironing machine and particularly to a'flatwor'k ironer of the type at present Widely used in large laundries.

In this type of fiatwork ironer, there is a steam chest assembly provided with cradle-like depressions extending across the assembly transversely with respect'to the direction of movement of the goods being ironed. There are also ironing rolls disposed above and registering with'the said depressions. These rolls are provided with padding for pressing the goods'against the ironing surface of the depressions. The goods to be ironed are normally delivered wet to the ironer, direct from the centrifugal wringers, the ironing operation dries the goods;

Heretofore, it has been considered that drying is accomplished largely by absorption 'of water vapor into the permeable padding of the ironing rolls'during the pressing of it against the goodsand subsequent escape of thisvapor during the remainder'of one cycle of rotation of the rolls. It was; therefore, considered necessary to have a large number of rolls, ordinarily six to eight, under which the goods to be ironed are passed in succession in order to obtain adequate drying. In'fact the rolls conventionally are placed about as close together above the steam chest assembly as feasible'mechanically. The use of such a number of rolls involves not only a large expense for initial equipment (usually about a thousand dollars per roll contained in the complete assembly), but also additional operating and maintenance expense.

I have now found that I can obtain drying that is substantially equal to or better than that obtained with the usual number of rolls; by reducing the number of rolls to approximately half or slightly more, provided I do not decrease greatly the area of the upper surface of the chest.

My invention, briefly stated, comprises an ironer in which the space of a large part of the steam chest ordinarily overlaid by rolls is exposed directly to the atmosphere, thus reducing the number of rolls and eliminating the depressions.

corresponding to the eliminated rolls.

The invention resides sub'stantiallyin the combination, construction, arrangement and relative location of the parts of the" machine described 3 and under'the ironing rolls.

herein and will be illustrated by description in connection with the attached drawing to which reference 'is' made.

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View of my ironer.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the ironer.

padding assembly therearound.

conventional.

Certain parts of the drawing are diagrammatic. Parts not shown or features not illustrated are There is'shown the steam chest assembly I, ordinarily of cast iron, provided with an upper ironing'surface of smooth metal. The upper part of the steam chest is provided also With the usual spaced transversely extending cradle-like depressions 21 Steam is admitted to the chest in any usual manner to give therein a conventional ironing temperature, say about 310 to 320 F.

The chest may be made in sections each of one depression and intermediate parts, the several sections being assembled end to end, to give the construction shown.

Mounted in usual manner above and registering with the depressions are the ironing rolls 3 usually of steel or semi-steel which are driven, as, for example, through the sprockets 4, in the rollfa resiliently yieldable felt or mat 6 and a cover cloth-l of cotton, wool, or the like.

Tapes 8 pass over the guide rollers 9 and I0 travel of the exposed goods.

The goods to be: ironed are fed in usual manner, tothe'bightbetween the steam chest and the roller at the right in'Fig. 1. The movement of the rolls 3 moves the goods over and against the ironing surface of thecradles of the steam chest. For flat goodsin the form of relatively small pieces such as towels, additional means include suitably the driven rollers l2 which rest to "advantage upon-thefcrests 0f the intermediate I portions of the chest between the cradles. It is "not" necessary that'these rollers IZ'be heated or covered. However, it is desirable that these rollers be bare and that they be geared, through members [3, l4, and I5, to move slightly faster peripherally than the rolls 3. With this arrangement, the goods are smoothed on their upper side as they pass over the crests of the steam chest assembly. They may rest upon the tapes, by gravity. I prefer them of three to six inch diameter. Means such as the chain l3 and the sprockets l4 and I5 suitably proportioned make the peripheral speeds of rollers l2 and rolls 3 those desired. I have found little interference of the rollers [2 with the rate of drying when they are small, say of diameter not more than half and suitably a third to a fourth the diameter of the rolls 3. a

The tapes 8 of usual type strip the goods from the said rolls'and rollers and hold the goods upon the steam chest at positions not overlain bythe rolls or rollers. The goods are deliveredfromthe.

ironer in the direction of the arrow at the left of Fig. 1.

,When the ironing rolls are spaced a sufiicient distance apart, I may use four of the rolls in the smaller number of rolls, it-is necessary that a the width ofthe spaces between-adjacent rolls be greatly increased. Thus,- itis necessary that the ironing rolls 3 at theirportionsnearest to each other be spaced by a distance about one and-a quarter-times.thediameter of the rolls. For -some purposes this distance .should beincreased toone and one-halfto twice thediameter of the rolls. Using, for instance,-rolls 3 of 12- inch diameter to the number of .4, inthemachine shown in Figs; 1 and 2, therolls are spaced on 32 inch centers.v This gives aspace of twenty inches between the nearest portions pf 12-inch rollers. In another example, 15;. inch rolls are spaced at their nearest portionsata distance of twenty-four to thirty-two inches, which means that the rolls-are on 40 to 48inch centers. These diameters of the rolls includethe padding. Without-thepadding the diameters are about half an. inch-less than stated. 7 a 1 In placeof the set of four rolls; disposed as shown with respecttothe'steam chest, there maybe used for some purposes a fiatwork-ironer includingonly three rolls. In such a case the rolls are spaced asdescribed above and register with three cradle-like depressions, the chest being made sufficiently-long to accommodatethe rollers and provide the intermediatespaces, with feed and deliveryv ends arranged asshown in Figst land 2. Such a3-roll ironer-has practically the same drying capacity per hour as the conventional and more expensivefi-roll ironer of the same over-all length of steam chest as-my S-roll 'machine.

While. the invention is not' limited to any theory of explanation of'the results obtained; it is;.my theory that drying ofthe goods-being ironed is caused largely by vaporization of water from the goods directlyinto theair, and not by vaporization through the'permeable packing of assembly provided with an upper ironing surface the ironing rolls as'previously believed. If my theory is correct, the drying rate will not vary directly with the number of ironing rolls, and such lack of direct relationship has been found to be the case.

The exposure of the goods to the air in passing over the increased exposed surface of the steam chest in my machine is at least as effective as the expensively accomplished additional distance of travel under the permeable padding of the ironing rolls of machines used heretofore.

It will be understood that the details given are for the purpose of illustration, not restriction,

and that variations within the spirit of the in- .vention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A flatwork ironer comprising a steam chest assembly provided with an upper ironing surface "andwith'spaced transversely extending cradlelike depressions therein, portions-of the chest of curvilinear crosssection extendingupwardly between the depressions, ironing rolls disposed abeve andregistering with the said depressions, padding. disposed over the rolls and normally contacting with the chest, means for passing goods to be ironed between the ironing surface and the said-padding, and small driven rollers disposed between the saidrolls and above the said portions for moving the goods over the said portions, the ironing rollsbeing spaced apart at their nearest portions at a distance at least one and a quarter times the diameter of the padded rolls and being of the order'of at least twice the diameter of the said small rollers.

2. A flatwork ironer comprising a steam chest assembly provided with an upper ironing surface and with spaced transversely extending cradlelike depressions therein, portions ofthe chest of curvilinear cross section extending upwardly between the depressions, ironing rolls disposed above and registering with the'said depressions, padding disposed over the rolls and normally contactingwith thechest, means for passing goods to be ironed between the ironing surface and the said padding, tapes extending through the ironer in the directionpf movement of the said goods, adapted to rest upon the goods, and to hold the goods .uponthe ironing, surface, small rollers disposed between the'said rolls, above the said portions of thesteam chest, and resting upon the-saidtapes, andmeans for driving the said rolls. and rollers.

3. A fiatwork ironer comprising a steam chest and with'spaced'transversely extending cradlelike depressions therein, portions of the chest of curvilinear cross section extending upwardly between the depressions, ironing rolls disposed above and registering with the said depressions, padding disposed over the rolls and normally contacting with the chest, means for passing goods to be ironed between the. ironing surface and the said padding, small bare'rollers disposed between the said-rolls and above the said portions-of the steam chest, in close proximity thereto, and means for driving the said rolls and rollers, the said means driving the small rollers slightly fasterthan the said rolls to increase the ironing effect. 7

FREDERIC B. CLARK;

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