US3365752A

US3365752A - Continuous processing machine for scouring, dyeing and carding wool fibers

Info

Publication number: US3365752A
Application number: US260949A
Authority: US
Inventors: Farell Jaime Cirera
Original assignee: Farell Jaime Cirera
Current assignee: JAIME CIRERA FARELL
Priority date: 1963-02-20
Filing date: 1963-02-20
Publication date: 1968-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 1985-01-30

Description

3,365,752 DYEING J. C. FARELL Jan. 30,

CONTINUOUS PROCESSING MACHINE FOR SCOURING,

AND CARDING WOOL FIBERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 2O

A'noanms 3,365,752 CONTINUOUS PROCESSING MACHINE FOR SCOURINC, DYEINO J. C. FARELL Jan. 30,- 1968 AND CARDING WOOL FIBERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2O 1963 n: .DE

INVENTOR JAIME CIRERA FARELL 6L-IMC ATTORNEYS Jan. 30, 1968 Y .1.c. FARELL Y CONTINUOUS PROCESSING MACHINE FOR SCOURING, DYEING AND CARDING WOOL FIBERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 20, 1965 INvBNToR JAIME CIRERA FARELL ATTORNEYS Jan. 30, 1968 1,C, FARELL 3,365,752

CONTINUOUS PROCESSING MACHINE FOR SCOURING; DYEING AND CARDING WOOL FIBERS Filed Feb. 20, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG.

INVENTOR JAIME CIRERA FARELL ATTORNEYS Ullfes Patent 3,365,752 CONTINUOUS PROCESSING MACHINE FOR SCOURING, DYEING A ND CARDING WODL FIBERS Jaime Cirera Farell, Barcelona, Spain Filed Feb. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 260,949 4 Claims. (Cl. 19-66) This invention concerns a machine for scouring, dyeing and carding wool in a continuous process.

The method employed at present in textile mills to carry out the wool scouring, carding and dyeing operations requires lthe utilization of individual machines and arrangements for each of said operations and which are often carried out in different plants or divisions which exclusively carry out each of the mentioned processes. Initially, the scouring is effected by means of bowls, wherein Wool bers are bathed in a detergent solution, and are kept under a steady stirring with the help of forks; 'this stirring inducing elting of the iibers into tufts and the breakage of many of them, thus reducing the yield and making necessary a further carding action which produces the breakage of more iibers and the yield is still further decreased.

The dyeing process requires, such as it is at present, prior wetting of fibers to make easier the fixation and penetration of the dyestui, it being further essential that bers be subjected -to a continuous stirring to regularize the dye tone, and consequently, new elting is produced requiring a further carding, which also causes brea'kages and loss of Ifibers, as well as Ia decrease in yield.

An object of the present invention is to provide a continuous wool scouring, dyeing, drying and carding machine, wherein the wool fibers are not subjected to any stirring during the scour-ing, dyeing or drying operations, ber losses and felting being reduced in this way.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine wherein the scouring, dyeing, drying and carding operations take place Awithout any gap and the iibers do not have to be dried between the rst and second stages.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine wherein the scouring and dyeing processes are not carried out by immersion in a prepared bath, but through spraying of the tibers with warm Water, with or without detergents, .and through spraying also with warm dyeing solutions, by passing a continuous layer of wool fibers among corresponding groups of sprayers and collecting reservoirs, that layer being placed on a continuous conveying belt moving -among the said sprayers and reservoirs.

Another object of `the invention is to provide -a machine where without any gap in time, and by means of a continuous process, the -Wool fibers once scoured and tinted are dried and afterwards carded, the tibers emerging in lap form and gathered -as a thick roving. The roving may be 'fed to a roving frame as the rst stage of spinning, the process being extended in a more complete cycle.

These and other objects will appear more clearly from the description of the drawings constituting an integral part of the specification, wherein several partial views of the machine are represented.

In the drawings, FIGURE la is a longitudinal schematic sectional view of the scouring section of the machine; FIGURE 1b is a longitudinal sectional view of the dyeing section; FIGURE 4lc is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the drying section and entrance into the carding section; and FIGURE 1d is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the carding and ber grouping section.

raice kIn FIGURE itz-1 is the electric motor coupled to a reducer Z which drives through the bar 3 and worm gear 4, a sprocket -5 secured to the roller shaft 6. An endless chain having an upper run 7 and lower run 8 is driven by sprocket l5, the chain being moved as indicated by the arrows. The whole machine is covered by a casing 9 which is horizontal at 10 and shaped like a table, cut at 11 in -order to enable the laying of the wool iibers 12 to be treated on `the endless upper chain run '7. This chain goes into the machine, carrying -a continuous layer of wool, through the opening `13 provided in the top cover y14. The upper run of the endless chain passes over the rollers 15 arranged between the posts 15 in order that it may be maintained as lilat as possible without taking the shape of `a catenary. The chain, with the wool layer 12 thereon passes over the reservoir C17 llcd with warm water up to the level 18, water being drawn out of the reservoir through the conduit 19, and as the valve 2G is opened, the motor driven pump 21 irnpels it through the pipe 22, which ends in an elbow shape at 23 and goes through 24 into the higher reservoir 25. In the latter, a pipe is arranged with holes -27 connected through pipe 28 to a steam producing device, and therefore the water is heated and passes through holes 29 in the plate 3Q and afterwards through the holes 31 in the base plate 32, the warm -water passing in thin and speedy jets onto the layer of wool :fibers 12 running under the top reservoir. -Plates 39 and B2 are parallel and spaced to prevent any turbulence from altering the regular outlet of the water in thin jets through holes 31. This warm water bathes, by circulation, the whole fibrous layer 12 and then yfalls in the lower reservoir |17 to go on continuously in the above disclosed avay. At t-he bottom of the lower reservoir 17, plate 33 has been arranged with holes 34 of large diameter and therefore, the foreign particles of the wool are -deposited on the lower part 35 and emptied through the pipe 36 upon opening valve 37 to be discharged into conduit 3S connected to the sewer.

Into the same reservoir 25 empties pipe 39' which is coupled by pipe 40 to the valve 41 which is also connected with pipe 42 discharging through 43 in the second spraying .reservoir for scouring, marked with the same numbers -as the first one, the latter being of identical construction, except with regard to the arrangement of the said valve 41 with branches 40 and '42. The third spraying reservoir for scouring is identical to the second one, except t-he -water inlet through pipe 44 which by means of valve 45 and iloater 45, maintains a predetermined level inside said reservoir.

The running speed of chain '7 with the layer of wool bers thereon is suitably regulated and thus passes under the sprayers; which remove, carrying oli and dissolving, the foreign particles, without disturbing any fiber. By the arrangement of valves 41 in the re-feeding conduits to the spraying reservoirs 25, the ones 20 for re-feeding, and the ones 37 to discharge residual products, there may be provided in this scouring section re-circulation individually in each group of spraying reservoirs and its lower container, as well as controlled circulation by steps, and to this end the valves 37 of the second and third reservoirs are kept closed, and the valves 41 are opened to give more passage to conduit 40 than to the conduit 42. Thus water from the third reservoir 17, which is the cleanest as it receives the wool completely scoured, passes to the second one and from this to the tirst one, maintaining the valve 41 of the second reservoir in the same ow conditions as the one into the third reservoir.

Bearing in mind that the dirty wool fibers contain animal fats which are set apart during the warm scouring,

their recovery is provided in that all lower reservoirs 17 have a liange 47 above the normal water level, and in the positions 5.8 conduits 49 are placed, -which empty into pipes 50 through which the said fats pass, that float on the water of the aforementioned reservoirs, and at the same time provided for overfiow if any irregularity arises in the regulation of

valves

20, 37 and 41.

When the chain 7 leaves the three spraying reservoirs 25, the wool layer 12 is completely scoured, and then the chain passes through other spraying reservoirs as represented in FIGURE lb. The containers 51 have steam heaters constituted by blind tubes 52 having holes 53, which are not charged with water, but with dyeing solution passing through holes 54 in the plate 55 and through holes 56 in the base plate 57, being directed in thin jets on the wool layer 12 carried on the chain 7. In this way the dyestuff goes into the wool fiber, the penetra-tion being helped as well as the fixation thereof because the fibres are wetted due to the previous scouring operation. This dyeing solution traverses the wool layer and falls down into the lower reservoir S where a level 59 lower than that in the scouring containers is maintained, and likewise this container is fitted with a plate 60 with holes 61 to create the residue separating chamber 62, which is discharged by pipe 63 through valve 64 and from this to sewer line 65. This reservoir is also connected through pipe 66 to the valve 67 and this valve to the motor driven pump 68 which through pipes 69 and 70 provides for the dyeing solution being recirculated, the end 71 of pipe 70 going inside the reservoir 51. The replacement of the solution is effected through conduit 72, valve 73 and

pipes

74 and 75 inside each reservoir 51. Therefore, with two or more groups of sprayers and lower containers, like the ones described, the result is that the wool fibers continuously passing among them are well dyed and when chain 7 passes over the reforwarding roller 76, the wool layer 12, scoured and tinted, is delivered to the squeezer rollers 77 and 78 installed in the post 79, and which are loaded by means of a resilient device (not shown). Consequently, the wool layer 12 is squeezed and is then transferred upon a second continuous chain 80 mounted on roller 81 and travels through an opening made in a casing wall into the continuous drying chamber appearing in FIGURE 1c. In this chamber, a warm atmosphere is established with Ithe air being circulated about the continuous chain 80 and the wool layer 12 thereon and to this end the top side is closed by plate 85 having holes 86, through which the warm air coming from the lower side enters, drawn by conduit S7 through opening 88 inside the said chamber. This conduit is connected with the motor driven pump 89 which forwards the air to the heater 90 and radiator 91 fed by steam through the tube 92, the flow and the air temperature being regulated, in accord- Vance with the running speed of the continuous chain and of the degree of moisture of the wool layer.

To avoid that the air circulating inside of the drying chamber takes on an excessive degree of moisture, there is provided, outside of the said circulation of warm air, a complementary ventilation by means of chimneys 93 opening at the lower side in the chamber, the differences in tiow circulation being also made up through outside outlets as window 95 fitted with an adjustable blind. Therefore, the wool layer 12 on the chain 80 loses practically all its moisture, remaining scoured and tinted, and leaves this drying chamber through the open work 96 made in wall 97.

The wool layer 12 scoured, tinted and dried, goes then to the chamber 99 and falls into the small trough 100 provided with drilled bottom 101, wherein drum 102 with pins 103 is installed, rotating at sufficient speed to separate the wool fibers of layer 12, dispersing and throwing them to the second drum v102 with pins 103 identical with the first one. The broken fibers fall on the grid 101 and are drawn towards chamber 104 through conduit 105 and 4 the exhaust 106, passing to exhaust 107,`outside of the machine.

The second drum 102 receives the fibers 108 coming from Vthe first one, and in turn separates the short fibers not already removed, building up there on mass of fibers 109, which are gathered at by'endless driving belt 111 running between rollers 112 and 113 to build a lap which is carried and delivered to tangential rollers 115 and 116, from which it ensues at 117 to the first carding drum.

Drums

121 and 127 are providedwith pins 119 and rotate at different speeds, each of which is faster than the preceding one and slower than the following one, and therefore in the Itangential or intercrossing places of their pins, a guiding action is performed on the fibers, so that the material leaving the drum is 127 a lap well orientated fibers. A roller 12S separated from the drum 127 delivers the lap to the drum 129, the diameter of which is considerably larger than the preceding ones. In order `that the lap 130 may be taken off the final drum 129, a comb 131 is provided to discharge the lap onto plate 132 which is flanged and has a triangular shape so that the lap gathers in its vertex in the shape of a thick roving which is taken up by

rollers

133 and 134, into the reel 135, ready to feed a combing installation.

The endless chains or belts 7 and 80 move at substanprising atleast two alined reservoirs, a second group com-V prising at least two alined reservoirs which are in alinement with the reservoirs of the first group, a movable end- `l`less belt extending over all of said reservoirs and adapted to carry a layer of wool fibers from the first reservoir of the first `group to the last reservoir of the second group and over all the intermediate reservoirs, a separate sprayer over each reservoir of the first group, each said sprayer being adapted to supply vertical yjets of warm water upon the layer of wool fibers, a separate pump connected with each reservoir of the first group and its sprayer, means connecting the pump of a subsequent reservoir of the first group with the sprayer of the preceding reservoir of the first group, a separate sprayer over each reservoir of the second group, each said sprayer being adapted to supply vertical jets of a warm dyeing solution upon the layer of wool fibers, a separate pump connected with each reservoir of the second group and its sprayer, with the sprayer of the preceding reservoir of the second group, two squeezing rollers located adjacent the last reservoir of the second group and receiving the layer of wool fibers from said endless belt, a drying chamber, a second endless =belt extending through said drying chamber, a group of rotary carding drums located outside -of said drying chamber, Ithe second endless belt receiving the layer of wool bers from said squeezing rollers and transporting it through the drying chamber and means delivering said wool fibers from said second endless belt to said carding drums.

2. A machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second endless belt moves at substantially the same speed as the first endless belt, wherein the drying chamber has a temperature of between 50 C. and 80 C. and wherein the length of the drying chamber is less than the length of the two groups of reservoirs.

3. A machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means delivering wool fibers from the second endless bel-t to the carding drums comprise a first chamber, a pin-carrying drum located in said first chamber and receiving Wool fibers from the second endless belt, a perforated bottom in said first chamber for receiving broken fibers, a second chamber, a pin-carrying drum located in the second .chamber and receiving wool nbers from the pin-carrying drum in the first chamber, a perforated bottom in said second chamber for receiving broken fibers, and means transporting wool bers from the pin-carrying drum in the second chamber to the carding drums.

4. A machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein said carding drums extend parallel to each other, each of said carding drums having pins meshing with the pins of an adjacent carding drum, Lthe layer of Wool bers extending over a lower surface of one carding drum and over an upper surface of an adjacent carding drum, said apparatus further comprising a pin-carrying drum which is larger than said carding drums and which receives the wool ber in lap form from the carding drums, a comb removing the lap from the last-mentioned drum, a plate having converging edges and receiving the lap from said comb to form it into a sliver, and a reel located adjacent said plate for winding the sliver.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Wilkinson.

Sinclair 68-22 X Rusden 68-62 Dear 68--205 X Shuman 68-205 X Meyer.

Mitchell 19-93 McLean 19-93 X Alexopoulos 68-208 X Fairbaim 19-65 X France.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Prilzary Examiner.

Claims

1. A MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUSLY SCOURING, DYEING AND CARDING WOOL, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A FIRST GROUP COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO ALINED RESERVOIRS, A SECOND GROUP COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO ALINED RESERVOIRS WHICH ARE IN ALINEMENT WITH THE RESERVOIRS OF THE FIRST GROUP, A MOVABLE ENDLESS BELT EXTENDING OVER ALL OF SAID RESERVOIRS AND ADAPTED TO CARRY A LAYER OF WOOL FIBERS FROM THE FIRST RESERVOIR OF THE FIRST GROUP TO THE LAST RESERVOIR OF THE SECOND GROUP AND OVER ALL THE INTERMEDIATE RESERVOIRS, A SEPARATE SPRAYER OVER EACH RESERVOIR OF THE FIRST GROUP, EACH SAID SPRAYER BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPLY VERTICAL JETS OF WARM WATER UPON THE LAYER OF WOOL FIBERS, A SEPARATE PUMP CONNECTED WITH EACH RESERVOIR OF THE FIRST GROUP AND ITS SPRAYER, MEANS CONNECTING THE PUMP OF A SUBSEQUENT RESERVOIR OF THE FIRST GROUP WITH THE SPRAYER OF THE PRECEDING RESERVOIR OF THE FIRST GROUP, A SEPARATE SPRAYER OVER EACH RESERVOIR OF THE SECOND GROUP, EACH SAID SPRAYER BEING ADAPTED TO SUPPLY VERTICAL JETS OR A WARM DYEING SOLUTION UPON THE LAYER OF WOOL FIBERS, A SEPARATE PUMP CONNECTED WITH EACH RESERVOIR OF THE SECOND GROUP AND ITS SPRAYER, WITH THE SPRAYER OF THE PRECEDING RESERVOIR OF THE SECOND GROUP, TWO SQUEEZING ROLLERS LOCATED ADJACENT THE LAST RESERVOIR OF THE SECOND GROUP AND RECEIVING THE LAYER OF WOOL FIBERS FROM SAID ENDLESS BELT, A DRYING CHAMBER, A SECOND ENDLESS BELT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID DRYING CHAMBER, A GROUP OF ROTARY CARDING DRUMS LOCATED OUTSIDE OF SAID DRYING CHAMBER, THE SECOND ENDLESS BELT RECEIVING THE LAYER OF WOOL FIBERS FROM SAID SQUEEZING ROLLERS AND TRANSPORTING IT THROUGH THE DRYING CHAMBER AND MEANS DELIVERING SAID WOOL FIBERS FROM SAID SECOND ENDLESS BELT TO SAID CARDING DRUMS.