US3165910A

US3165910A - Apparatus for dyeing textile material

Info

Publication number: US3165910A
Application number: US126835A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thies Alfred
Original assignee: B THIES KG
Current assignee: B THIES KG
Priority date: 1960-07-19
Filing date: 1961-07-18
Publication date: 1965-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 1982-01-19
Also published as: BE606294A; CH390854A; GB915615A

Description

Jan. 19, 1965 A. THIES 3,165,910

' APPARATUS FOR DYEING TEXTILE MATERIAL.

Filed July 18, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. AZ FRFO 779/55 United States Patent C 3,165,910 APPARATUS FOR DYEING TEXTILE MATERIAL Alfred Thies, -Coesfeld, Westphalia, Germany, asslguor to B. Thies K.G., Coesleld, Westphalia, Germany Filed July 18, 1961, Ser. No. 126,835 Ciaims priority, application Germany, July 19, 1960, T 18,711 2 Claims. (Cl. 6813) The present invention relates to an apparatus for dyeing textile materials, such as cotton, wool and synthetic fibres.

As is known, textile materials (e.g. in loose form, in the form of yarns, in carded form or in combed form) are usually treated in a separate receptacle before being transferred into the dyeing vat. Prior to the transfer of textile material, the dyeing vat is filled with water and with certain chemicals including the selected dyestufi or dyestuffs. Such dyestuffs are normally furnished in pulverulent form and must be added in carefully controlled quantities. In addition, they must be carefully stirred in water by means of wooden poles in order to avoid agglomeration. Such operation is time-consuming and requires extensive experience and substantial skill.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the dyeing of textile materials without agglomeration of dyestufis in the vat and according to which dye liquor may be formed in a more or less automatic way so that the apparatus may be serviced by semiskilled personnel.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the just'outlined characteristics according to which dye liquor may be formed in such a Way that the danger of spilling the dyestuif or of bringing undissolved. dyestutf into actual contact with the textile material is prevented at all times. I

A further object of the instant invention is to provide an apparatus wherein the consecutively formed quantities of dye liquor are of identical consistency so that the batches of consecutively introduced textile materials are dyed to the same shade.

An additional object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of the above described type which may be rapidly and conveniently converted for treatment of different textile materials and which may be rapidly converted for operation with dye liquors of different hues.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the 'above' outlined characteristics wherein the rate at which dye liquor-is formed may be controlled and varied in anextremely simple way.

A concomitant object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for dyeing textile materials wherein the forma-' tion of dye liquor may beobserved so that an operator can determine and alter the rate at which the dyestulf is dissolved in the liquid substance.

The improved apparatus comprises conduit means con- '7 nected to and forming with the vat an endless path for the liquid substance, pump means in the conduit means for recirculating the liquid in the endless path, a filter extendable into the path of the liquid at a point externally of the vat, and a supply of liquid-soluble dyestuff in the filter. It is preferred to provide a housing which is connected in the conduit means so that the liquid substance may flow therethrough, and the housing receives the filter in such a way that a predetermined portion of the filter dips into the liquid flowing through the housing. In such manner, the operator may control the rate at which the dyestuif contained in the filter is dissolved in the recirculated liquid. The housing and/ or the filter may be provided with observation windows including transparent or translucent panes through which the'operator may observe the rate at which the dyestuif is being dissolved and also the extent to which the filter and the dyestuft contained therein are immersed in the recirculated liquid substance.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of certain specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic elevational view of a dyeing apparatus which comprises a dyestuif admitting arrangement embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the dyestulf admitting arrangement; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a filter and of a container for dyesuff which may be used in the arrangement of FIG. 2.

Referring now in greater detail to the illustrated embodiments, and first to FIG. 1, there is shown a dyeing apparatus for textile materials which comprises a receptacle or vat 10 for the textile material and a system for recirculating dye liquor through the vat. This recirculating system comprises a supply conduit 11 which is connected to the bottom end wall of the vat and to the pressure side of a liquor-recirculating pump 12, e.g. a constant delivery gear or vane pump. The suction side of this pump is connected with a return conduit 13 which communicates with the vat 10 at a point above the connection of the vat with the supply conduit 11. The supply conduit 11 contains a heat exchanger 14 and an arrangement 15 for admitting a coloring material or dyestulf to the circulating liquid so that the preferably pulverulent dyestuff is admitted to and is dissolved in the liquid substance to form dye liquor before the latter reaches the vat 10. The flow of dye liquor through the conduists 11,

I 13 is controlled by a four-way valve 16 which, in the position of FIG. 1, permits the liquor to circulate inan end! less path through the vat 10, through the pump 12, through the heat exchanger 14 and through the dye admitting arrangement 15 in the direction indicated by the arrows 17. The return conduit 13 (or the suction side of I the pump 12) is connected with a conduit 18 leading to a liquid reservoir19.

The construction of the dyestutf admitting arrangement 15 is showninFIG. 2. This arrangement comprises a 7 housing 20 having nipples 21, 22 connected in the supply to the direction of liquid flow through the housing 20.

Thus, the operator may adjust the position of. the filter 23 so that a portion of the liquid may bypass the filter 5 (arrows 26) and that only a certain quantity of liquid will actually penetrate through the filter (arrows 27). In this manner, the operator may control the rate at which the dyestutf is dissolved in the liquid, i.e. he may control the rate at which the liquid is transformed into dye liq uor. The mesh of the cage or basket 28 forming part of the filter 23 is less than the dimensions of the particles constituting the coloring material, ie only the dissolved dyestufi can leave the filter to advance through the nipple 22 and toward the vat 10. The housing 20 supports a sleeve 29 whose internal threads mesh with the threads on the spindle 24, and it is preferred to provide in the housing an observation window 31 (FIG. 1) which enables an operator to determine whether or not the coloring material is still given oit by the filter 23.

The filter 23 preferably assumes the form of a cartridge which may be refilled with coloring material and which is removably mounted one plate 31 secured to the lower end of the spindle 24 so that it may be rapidly replaced by a new one. The upper part or cover 32 of the housing '20 is detachable to permit removal of the assembly including the spindle 24 and the filter :23. A bar or plate 33 is mounted in the internal chamber of the housing 20 to guide the filter 23 in its movements toward and away from the bottom wall of the housing.

The cage or basket 28 of the cartridge 23 preferably consists of a rustproof metallic material whose mesh, as stated before, is smaller than the dimensions of the particles of coloring material contained therein. This cage may be provided with a second observation window 34 which is alignedwith the window 30 so that the operator may immediately determine whether or not all coloring material is dissolved, i.e. whether or not the filter 23 must be refilled with dyestuit.

The operation of the dyeing apparatus is as follows:

The operator removes the cover 32 and attaches the filter 23 to the spindle 24. He then closes the housing 20 by securing thereto the cover 32 with the help of a channeled strap 35 or the like and adjusts the valve 16 to the position of FIG 1. When the pump 12 is started, the liquid is recirculated in the direction indicated by the arrows 17 and the coloring material in the cage 28 is dissolved at a predetermined rate of speed, depending on the nature of the coloring material, on the capacity of the pump 12, on the mesh of the cage 28, and on the extent to which the filter 23 extends into the housing 20, i.e. whether or not a portion of the liquid can bypass the cage 28 (arrows 26).

When the coloring material is dissolved, when the apparatus is to be used for dyeing a different type of textile material, or when a new batch of textile material is to be dyed to a different color, the operator arrests the pump 12 and opens the housing 20 by removing the cover 32 so that a new quantity of dyestufi" may be inserted into the cartridge 23. The operation is then repeated in the same way as described above.

An important advantage of the improved process and apparatus is that the dyeing operation is simplified and that the dissolution of dyestuff may be controlled with utmost accuracy. Furthermore, since the dyestuif cannot agglomerate in the conduits 11, 13 or in the vat 10, the dyeing action is much more uniform and the vat may remain sealed during the entire dyeing operation. Any losses owing to inadvertent spilling of dyestuff are eliminated because the dyestuff need not be introduced into the vatproper. Still further, since the quantities of dyestuff introduced into the cartridge 23 may be measured with utmost accuracy, the tedious and time-consuming work of weighing the dyestuif, which is necessary when the dyestutf is introduced directly into the vat, may be dispensed with.

If desired, the dyestuif may be supplied in liquid-soluble containers 36, such as bags, envelopes and the like, which are insertable into the cage 28 in such a way that the operators fingers never come into actual contact with the dyestuif. This is shown in FIG. 3.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications Without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. A dyeing apparatus for textile materials comprising, in combination, a dyeing vat for the textile material; conduit means connected to and defining with said vat an endless path for the circulation of a liquid through said vat; pump means mounted in said conduit means for circulating the liquid in said path; a housing connected in said conduit means so that the liquid may flow therethrough; a filter removably received in said housing and adapted to contain a supply of liquid-soluble particulate dyestufi, the mesh of said filter being less than the dimensions of the particles of the dyestutf to be placed in the filter whereby only the dyestufli dissolved in the liquid flowing through said filter can leave the filter to form with the liquid a dye liquor; and means for moving said filter substantially transversely to the direction of liquid flow through said housing so as to vary the extent to which the filter and the dyestulf are immersed in the liquid.

2. A dyeing apparatus for textile materials comprising, in combination, a dyeing vat for the textile material; conduit means connected to and defining with said vat an endless path for the circulation of a liquid through said vat; pump means mounted in said conduit means for circulating the liquid in said path; a housing connected in said conduit means so that the liquid may flow therethrough; a filter removably received in said housing, said filter being arranged in said housing; and a liquid-soluble container adapted to contain a supply of liquid-soluble particulate dyestuff placed in said filter, the mesh of said filter being less than the dimensions of the particles of said dyestufi whereby only the dyestufi dissolved in the liquid flowing through said filter can leave the filter to form with the liquid a dye liquor.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 829,188 8/06 Weiss 68-184 1,002,635 9/11 Bratkowski 68-207 1,327,662 1/20 Dudley 68-189 1,451,180 4/23 Schmelzer 134-93 2,343,233 2/44 -Watkins et al 8-34 2,382,726. 8/45 Korte 68-184 X 2,604,386 =7/52 -Arant 68-17 X 2,663,612 12/53 Gibson 8-34 2,707,382 5/55 Newcomb 68-184 2,868,005 *1/59 Johnson 68-184 FOREIGN PATENTS 194,793 1/ 5 8 Austria.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. M. O. WOLK, IRVING BUNEVICH, Examiners.

Claims

1. A DYEING APPARATUS FOR TEXTILE MATERIALS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A DYEING VAT FOR THE TEXTILE MATERIAL; CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO AND DEFINING WITH SAID VAT AN ENDLESS PATH FOR THE CIRCULATION OF A LIQUID THROUGH SAID VAT; PUMP MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID CONDUIT MEANS FOR CIRCULATING THE LIQUID IN SAID PATH; A HOUSING CONNECTED IN SAID CONDUIT MEANS SO THAT THE LIQUID MAY FLOW THERETHROUGH; A FILTER REMOVABLY RECEIVED IN SAID HOUSING AND ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A SUPPLY OF LIQUID-SOLUBLE PARTICULATE DYESTUFF, THE MESH OF SAID FILTER BEING LESS THAN THE DIMENSIONS OF THE PARTICLES OF THE DYESTUFF TO BE PLACED IN THE FILTER WHEREBY ONLY THE DYSTUFF DISSOLVED IN THE LIQUID FLOWING THROUGH SAID FILTER CAN LEAVE THE FILTER TO FORM WITH THE LIQUID A DYE LIQUOR; AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FILTER SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY TO THE DIRECTION OF LIQUID FLOW THROUGH SAID HOUSING SO AS TO VARY THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE FILTER AND THE DYESTUFF ARE IMMERSED IN THE LIQUID.