US3440842A

US3440842A - Washing apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3440842A
Application number: US649642A
Authority: US
Inventors: James W Pace
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1967-06-28
Filing date: 1967-06-28
Publication date: 1969-04-29
Anticipated expiration: 1986-04-29

Description

April 29, 1969 J. w. m

WASHING APPARATUS Sheet of 2 Filed June 28, i967 INVENTORS James W. Pace W X) y; ATTORNEYS April 29, 1969 y J. w. PACE 3,440,342

WASHING APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1967 Sheet 5 of 2 INVENTORS James W. Pace 5% W m romazavs United States Patent Office 3,440,842 WASHING APPARATUS James W. Pace, 644 E. Arawe Circle, Irving, Tex. 75060 Filed June 28, 1967, Ser. No. 649,642 Int. Cl. .D06f 31/00, 37/04 US. Cl. 68-9 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a Washing apparatus and more particularly to a washing apparatus having a pair of foraminous belts for transporting material past nozzle assemblies which direct sprays of wash and rinse liquids at the material.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved washing apparatus having a pair of foraminous belts for transporting material therebetween past nozzle assemblies which direct sprays of wash and rinse liquids at the belts and the material carried thereby, and support means at the locations of impingment of the jet sprays on the belts for holding the belts and the material carried thereby against movement away from the nozzle assemblies.

Another object is to provide a washing apparatus wherein, the support means comprise rollers having perforate outer members which permit flow of the jet stream liquids through the belts and the material into the interior of the rollers and thus prevent wrinkling of the pieces of material which could otherwise occur if the belts were free to move at the location of impingement of the jet sprays relative to the nozzle assemblies and reltaive to one another.

Still another obpect of the invention is to provide a washing apparatus wherein the perforate outer members of the support rollers prevent splashing of the liquid after it has passed through the transport belts and the materials being carried therepast.

A further object is to provide a new and improved support roller which provides a rigid support for the belts and materials being moved therepast and which as cylindrical chamber for receiving the high velocity liquid of the jet stream after it has passed through the belts and material and decreasing its velocity to prevent undue splashing of the liquids in the washing apparatus.

A still further object is to provide a new and improved support roller having a central longitudinal inner support member and an outer perforate cylindrical member concentric with and spaced from the inner member and providing therewith a cylindrical chamber in which is received liquid which passes through the outer member.

Another object is to provide a support roller having means for transferring the substantially radial loads imposed on the outer perforate cylinder by the jet stream to the inner support member at longitudinally spaced locations spaced on opposite sides of the mid point of the outer member in order to minimize outward bowing or deflection of the outer member intermediate its ends.

Still another object is to provide a support roller wherein the outer member is formed of sections and its 3,440,842 Patented Apr. 29, 1969 apertures comprise to percent of the total area of the outer member.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the reading of the following description of a device constructed in accordance with the invention, and reference to the accompanying drawings thereof wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a washing apparatus embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic view illustrating the displacement of the material and one of the belts when the belts are supported at spaced locations by support rollers and the jet stream is directed at the belts and material at a location between the two suppor members;

FIGURE 3 is an end view, with some parts broken away, of a support roller and nozzle assembly embodying the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a reduced plan view of a support roller embodying the invention;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective view, with some parts broken away, of a nozzle assembly and its support roller;

FIGURE 7 is an exploded view of a support roller embodying the invention; and,

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of one of the sections of the outer member of the support roller.

The washing apparatus 30 embodying the invention includes a pair of continuous

foraminous belts

31 and 32 for transporting materials through a wash tank 33 and rinse tanks 34 and 35. The materials such as sheets, towels, and the like, are of course, washed during their passage through the washing apparatus. The belts have closed paths of movement including portions parallel and adjacent one another which extend forwardly from a roller 37 so the material to be washed is held in a fiat condition between the belts in a predetermined portion of their paths of movement through the wash and rinse tanks. The wash tank 33 is filled with a suitable wash liquid such as hot water having active agents such as an alkali, a detergent, a bleaching agent, and the like in solution therein.

Prior to the movement of the material into the wash liquid, it moves past the direction changing rollers 37a and 37b and is then subjected to transverse jet streams of the wash liquid from a pair of jet stream forming

nozzle assemblies

38 and 39 positioned in vertically spaced relation to one another and on opposite sides of the pair of belts in the upper portion of the wash tank above the wash liquid contained therein. The jet stream produced by the nozzle assembly 38 which extends transversely the full width of the belts is directed at the belts at the location of tangential contact of the belt 32, with a rotatable support roller 40 embodying the invention, and similarly, the jet stream from the nozzle assembly 39 is directed at the belts at the location of tangential contact of the belt 31 with a support roller 42. The support rollers hold the belts and the material carried thereby a predetermined distance from and against movement away from the nozzle assemblies in order to insure that the jet streams impinge with optimum force on the material carried between the belts, and at the same time permit the Wash liquid to flow through the belts and the material carried thereby and into the rollers as will be explained below.

A plurality of guide or direction changing rollers 48, 49, 59, 51 and 52 extend transversely through the wash tank to guide the movement of the belts through the wash liquid in the tank below and between the

nozzle assemblies

38 and 39 and a second pair of nozzle assemblies 53 and 54 which are identical in structure to the

nozzle assemblies

38 and 39. The nozzle assembly 53 directs transverse jet stream of the wash liquid at the belts at the location tangential contact of the belt 31 with a support roller and the transverse jet stream from the nozzle assembly 54 is directed at the belt at the location of tangential control of the belt 32 with a support roller 57.

The wash liquid may be continuously circulated from the wash tank to the

nozzle assemblies

38 and 39 by means of a conduit in which is connected a pump 61, one end of the conduit being connected to a manifold 62 which opens to the interior of the tank and its branch conduits 63 and 64 being connected to the

nozzle assemblies

38 and 39, respectively. The pump may be driven by an electric motor 68. The wash solution or liquid is similarly pumped from the manifold to the nozzle assemblies 53 and 54 through a conduit 72 having a pump 73 mounted therein and having branch ducts 74 and 75 connected to the nozzle assemblies 53 and 54. The pump is driven by a motor 76.

The wash solution may be circulated continuously through a filter by a suitable conduit means 91 in which a pump 92, driven by a motor 95, is connected and the active agent of the wash solution may be added to the wash solution from a supply reservior through a conduit 101 which is connected to the conduit means 91. An overflow conduit is provided to permit excess wash liquid to fiow from the tank to a suitable disposal point. The wash liquid may be heated by suitable heating means 112.

The belts upon leaving the wash tank 33 pass through a first wringer assembly 113, which includes rollers 114 and 115, the wringer assembly squeezing out excess wash liquid from the belts and the material being carried thereby and causing it to flow back into the wash tank 33 before the belts and the material carried thereby move into the first rinse tank 34. After passing through the wringer assembly, the belts and the material carried therebetween move over a direction changing roller 123, past a nozzle assembly which directs a jet stream of rinse liquid from the tank 34 onto the belts at the location of tangential contact of the belt 31 with a support roller 126, past a direction changing roller 128, and then past a nozzle assembly 129 which directs a jet spray of the rinse liquid onto the belts and the material carried thereby at the location of contact of the belt 32 with a support roller 130. The belts then move through the wringer assembly 131, which includes 133 and 134 which compress the belts and the material carried therebetween to remove excess rinse liquid and cause it to flow back into the first rinse tank before the belts move to the second rinse tank 35. A rinse liquid is circulated from the first rinse tank 34 to the nozzle assemblies 125 and by means of conduit 135 which has a pump 136 connected therein and driven by an electric motor 137, one end of the conduit opening to the first rinse tank and its other end having

branch conduits

138 and 139 which are connected to the

nozzle assemblies

125 and 130. After moving through the wringer assembly 131, the belts and the material carried thereby are moved over a direction changing roller 140, past a nozzle assembly 142 which directs a jet stream of the rinse liquid from the second rinse tank at the belts at the location of tangential contact of the belt 31 with a support roller 143 carried thereby, then about a direction changing roller 145, past a second nozzle assembly 147 which directs a jet stream of the rinse liquid from the second rinse tank at the belts at the location of tangential contact of the belt 32 with a support roller 148 and then through a third wringer assembly 150 which includes wringer rollers 151 and 152. The rinse liquid from the second rinse tank is circulated to the

nozzle assemblies

142 and 148 through a conduit 155 having a pump 156 connected therein which is driven by an electric motor 157. One end of the conduit communicates with the rinse tank 35 adjacent the lower end thereof and its opposite end has conduits 158 and 159 which are connected to the

nozzle assemblies

142 and 148 respectively.

The washing apparatus may have suitable sensing means, such as means 160, which senses a desired characteristic of the rinse solution, such as its pH, and which may control the operation of a pump 162 which causes suitable chemical agent to be introduced from a reservior 163 to the first rinse tank. The water is introduced as needed into the second rinse tank through a supply conduit means 165 which may pass through a heat exchanger 165a and a heater 165b. The water flows through the second rinse tank 35 to the first rinse tank through a passage or conduit 166 and is removed from the first rinse tank through an exhaust conduit 167 having a pump 168 connected therein and driven by an electric motor 169. I

The conduit 167 extends through the heat exchanger 165a so that some of the heat from the exhaust water may be transferred to the fresh water flowing in the conduit means 165.

The rinse solution from the first and second tanks may be circulated through a suitable filter 170a by means of suitable conduit means 170]; which has a pump 1700 connected therein driven by an electric motor 170d.

Upon moving through the last wringer assembly 150 which removes excess rinse liquid from the material and the belts as they move from the second rinse tank, the

conveyor belts

31 and 32 then moves forwardly and about a driver roller 171 which moves the lower belt and is driven by a suitable drive means, not shown, through a stripper assembly 127 and then past

direction changing rollers

173, 174, 175, 176, 177 and 178 to the roller 37. The upper belt moves from the direction changing roller 170 upwardly and forwardly past a stripper assembly 180, a drive roller 181 which moves the upper belt and is driven by a suitable drive means, and then forwardly past a tensioning roller 182 and the

direction changing rollers

183 and 184 back to the first direction changing roller 37. The stripper assemblies have bristles which move through the apertures of the foraminous belts to ensure that the material is stripped from the bottom and top belts and is then moved by and between the take-off rollers 186 and 187 to a delivery conveyor 188 which may then move the washed material through a dryer 190.

The exact structure and mode of operation of the means for moving the

foraminous belts

31 and 32 in the above described paths of movement through the wash and rinse tanks and the three wringer assemblies, of the nozzle assemblies, of the wringer assemblies and of the means for circulating the wash and rinse liquids to their appropriate nozzle assemblies, since these means are not a pair of the present invention, will not be further described herein.

Each nozzle assembly, as illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 6 which show the nozzle assembly 38, includes a nozzle pipe or manifold 200 which extends transversely through the wash tank and which is mounted by any suitable means, such as on a channel bracket 201 whose opposite ends may be rigidly secured, as by welding, to the opposite end walls of the tank. The end of the nozzle pipe remote from the end through which the wash liquid is introduced into the nozzle pipe is connected is closed so that the wash liquid introduced under pressure into the nozzle pipe at one end thereof must flow outwardly therefrom through the plurality of nozzles 202, secured by any suitable means to the nozzle pipe, which open into the interior of the nozzle pipe. The jets from the nozzles overlap and direct a substantially solid jet stream of the Wash liquid substantially perpendicularly to the belts at the location of the impingement of the jet stream on the belts. The jet stream at the locaion of impingement is of narrow width and extends substantially the full width of the belts. The velocity of the jets of liquid delivered from the nozzles is relatively great, for example, approximately 900 inches per second, and the discharge ends of the nozzles are close to the belts, for example only an inch and one-half away therefrom. As a result, the jet stream impinging on the belts exerts a substantial force on the belts and the material carried thereby which tends to move the belts away from the nozzles. The belts themselves are being moved at a substantial speed, for example 100 feet per minute. The force tending to move the belt remote from the nozzles increase as a piece of material is carried by the belts past such nozzles since the material is less porous than the belts and oflfers considerably more resistance to the passage of liquid theret-hrough than either of the belts. If such jet stream were directed at the belts, as illustrated in FIGURE 2 at a location between a pair of support means such as the support rollers 205 and 206, which are spaced too far apart, thebifectiveness of the jet stream, whether it be of wash liquid or rinse liquid, is decreased due to the fact that the farther away the material is from the nozzles of the nozzle assembly, the smaller is the velocity of the jetpstream at the location of its impingement on the material and the greater is the dispersion of the jet stream into'droplets.

In addition, the portions of material and the belt remote from the nozzle assembly between the support rollers are moved by the jet stream away from the belt near the nozzle assembly and as these portions are again moved into engagement with the near belt the material tends to wrinkle. Moreover, as the front or leading edge of a piece of material or cloth moves with the belts past the location of the roller 205, the liquid striking such leading edge tends to move the leading edge of the material upwardly between the belts and as the rear of trailing end moves past the jet stream, the force of the jet stream tends to move the trailing edge of such piece of material downwardly between the belts and causes it to Wrinkle. As described in our co-pending application, the spacing between supports may be made much smaller by substituting slide plates instead of rollers 205 and 206 but, since the belts are moving with a relatively high speed for example 100 feet per second, the frictional drag may become very great and may actually cause the belts to slip relative to their drive rollers.

If a solid support roller is provided for the belts at the location of impingement of a jet stream from a nozzle assembly, as in the case of the apparatus described in the patent to H. H. Woodworth In, No. 3,163,030, the jet stream cannot pass completely through the belts since such roller prevents a barrier to the flow of the liquid and portions of the jet stream are deflected perpendicularly to the direction of their movement from the nozzle assembly and tend to wrinkle the leading and trailing edges of each piece of material as it is moved past such barrier support roller.

The support rollers embodying the invention used in the washing apparatus embodying the invention support the belts and the material carried thereby against movement away from each nozzle assembly, prevent wrinkling of the forward and rear leading and trailing edges of the pieces of material as they pass through each jet stream, and also minimize the splashing of the liquid after it has passed through the belts and the material. Each of the support rollers includes an inner longitudinal support means or member 209 having a cylindrical member 210 and end shafts 211 and 212 whose discs 214 are telescoped in opposite ends of the cylindrical member and are rigidly secured thereto as by welding. The end shafts project outwardly of the cylindrical member and are secured by suitable pillow blocks or bearings for free rotation and are rotated by the belts engaged thereby as they move past and in engagement with the rollers.

The roller includes an outer perforate cylindrical member 215 which includes a pair of end sections 217 and 21 8 and a middle section 219. The end section 217 includes a cylinder 220 having an outer internal end flange or ring 221 and an inner flange or ring 222 of smaller width than the end flange 221. The end flange 221 has a reinforcing outer ring 225 welded thereto. Inner portions of the end flange 221 and of the reinforcing ring 225 overlap the disc 214 of the end shaft 211 and are rigidly secured thereto by bolts 227 which extend through aligned apertures in the reinforcing ring and the end flange into threaded bores 228 in the end disc. Washers 229 may be interposed between the heads of the bolts and the outer flange. The inner internal annular flange 222 of the cylinder 220 has an inner surface 230 which engages the outer surface of the inner cylinder 210 so that it supports the inner end of the cylinder 220 against inward movement. The inner end flange has a plurality of aligning pins 231 whose purpose will be described below.

The cylinder is provided through its full area with a plurality of spaced apertures 234 which open to the cylindrical chamber or passage 235g of the roller defined by the inner member 210, the cylinder 220 and the

end flanges

221 and 222. Preferably, the apertures are in a staggered alignment and take up between 40 and 60% of the total area of the cylinder. For example, the apertures may constitute 50% area of the outer cylinder if the apertures or holes are .075 inch holes on .100 inch center spacing. The end section 218 is identical in structure to the end section 217 and, accordingly, its elements have been provided with the same reference characters, to which the numeral subscript a has been added, as the corresponding elements of the end section 217.

The middle section 219 of the outer cylindrical member includes a cylinder 240 provided at opposite ends with inner flanges or rings 241 and 243 which are provided with

apertures

244 and 245, respectively, in which are received the aligning pins 231 and 231a, respectively, of the

end sections

217 and 218. The cylinder 240 is of the same dimensions as the cylinders 220 and 220a and is also provided with the apertures 245 in the same manner as the cylinders of the end sections. The end flanges or rings 241 and 243 are slidable on the inner cylinder 210 so that the middle section 219 is also supported in spaced relation to the inner cylinder or member 210 of the roller and defines therewith a cylindrical chamber 235]) to which the apertures open.

The outer cylindrical member may be assembled on the inner support member 209 by telescoping one of the end sections, for example, the end section 217, over one end of the inner member and then securing it to the inner member by means of the bolts 227. The middle section is then telescoped over the other end of the inner member, the aligning pins 241 entering into the apertures 244 of the end flange 241 to hold one end of the middle cylinder section against rotation relative to the end section 217. The other end section 218 is then telescoped over such other end of the inner support member with its aligning pins 241a being received in the apertures 245 of the end ring 243 and is then secured to the inner member by the bolts 227a.

The internal flanges or rings of the end and middle sections of the outer member engages the inner member and transfer the load imposed radially inwardly on the outer cylinder member to the inner member at longitudinally spaced locations therealong which are spaced from the mid-point of the inner roller to minimize the outward deflection or bending of the support roller as the material is transported by the belts moving therepast and is forced thereagainst by a jet stream. The loads imposed on the central or middle cylinder section 240 are transferred to the inner member at locations spaced from the mid-point of the inner cylinder.

The longitudinal annular or cylindrical chamber of the roller formed of the chambers 235a, 235b and 2350 between the inner and outer members is of substantial radial width, for example, if the external diameter of the inner cylinder is approximately three inches, the outer cylinder is made approximately six inches in diameter so that the radial Width of such cylinder will be approximately one and one-half inches.

The other support rollers of the washing apparatus which support the belts and material against movement away from the other nozzle assemblies are identical in structure to the support roller 40.

In use, the jet stream of the wash and rinse liquids delivered by a nozzle assembly passes through the belts and the material being carried thereby and then through the perforations of the cylinders of the three sections of the outer member and in flowing into the cylindrical chamber, the velocity thereof is dissipated and the energy absorbed therefrom as it strikes the surfaces of the roller defining the chamber. Since the jet stream is directed substantially perpendicularly to the central longitudinal axis, it cannot pass directly through the roller since the inner cylinder 210 is interposed in the path of movement of the liquid. The jet stream of liquid once it passes through the belts and material instead of traveling further at high velocity to splash against other structures of the apparatus flows to the lowermost portions of the chamber and then flows downwardly outwardly through the perforations of the outer cylindrical member by gravity.

Since the belts are held against movement away from the nozzles of the nozzle assembly at the location of substantially tangential contact of one of the

belts

31 and 32 remote from the nozzles of a nozzle assembly which direct a jet stream at the other of the belts at the location of such contact, and since the liquid after passing through the belts and the material passes through the apertures of the outer member into the cylindrical chamber, the leading trailing edges of each piece of material do not tend to wrinkle as would occur if the outer cylindrical chamber were not perforated. If the outer cylindrical chamber were not perforated, the liquid in the jet stream would not move outwardly through the remote belt but would tend to flow upwardly and downwardly between the belts thus cause the leading and trailing edges of the material to be wrinkled.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for washing material including: a wash tank; a rinse tank; a pair of foraminous belts for moving pieces of material in a flat condition therebetween sequentially'through said wash tank and said rinse tank and below the normal top level to which each tank is fillable with liquid; a nozzle means disposed in each of said tanks above the top liquid level of the tank; means for circulating a wash liquid in said wash tank to the nozzle means in said wash tank for directing a transverse jet stream of the wash liquid from the wash tank substantially perpendicularly at said belts, said rinse tank having means for circulating rinse liquid from the rinse tank to the nozzle means in said rinse tank for directing a transverse jet stream of rinse solution substantially perpendicularly at said belts; and support means in said wash and rinse tanks for holding said belts against movement away from said nozzle means at the locations of impingement of jet streams from the nozzle means with the belts and the material being transported thereby, said support means 8 each comprising a rotatable roller engageable by the bel remote from its associated nozzle assembly, said support roller being perforate to receive the liquids of the jet streams after they have moved through the belts and the material being transported thereby.

2. The washing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said support roller includes an outer perforate cylindrical member having perforations whose combined total orifice comprises between forty and sixty percent of the total area of the outer cylindrical member.

3. The washing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said support roller includes an inner longitudinal member and an outer perforate cylindrical member concentric with and spaced from said inner member, said inner and outer members providing a cylindrical chamber in which is received liquid which passes through the belts and the material carried thereby.

4. The washing apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of said support rollers has means for transferring the loads imposed on said outer member to said inner member at longitudinally spaced locations spaced from and on opposite sides of the middle of said outer member.

5. The washing apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said support rollers includes an inner tubular member having end shafts extending outwardly therefrom from opposite ends thereof; an outer perforate cylindrical member concentric with and spaced from said tubular member; and means rigidly securing said outer cylindrical member to said inner member.

6. The washing apparatus of claim 5, wherein said outer member includes a pair of end sections telescopical over opposite end portions of said inner member and a middle section disposed on said inner member between said end sections.

7. The washing apparatus of claim 6, wherein said middle section and said end sections have co-engageable means for securing said middle sections against movement relative to said end section.

8. The washing apparatus of claim 7, wherein each of said sections includes a perforate cylinder having-internal annular flanges adjacent its ends engageable with said inner member for transferring loads imposed on said cylinders to said inner member at longitudinally spaced locations.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,185,766 6/1916 Brunger 68-44 2,530,494 11/1950 Vigerust 68-44 X 3,163,030 12/1964 Woodworth 68-205 3,205,686 9/1965 Norton 68-62 X WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R.