US718232A - Wool-scouring mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

1%.- 718,232. PATENTBD JAN. 13, 1903'.

WHITNEY. WOOL SGOURING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY-21; 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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KkwwY UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS L. WHITNEY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

WOOL-SCOURING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,232, dated January 13, 1903- Application filed May 21, 1902. Serial No. 108,429. (No model.) 7

T allsvhom it may concern.-

Be it known that LFRANoIs L. WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at 2029 Lagnna street, in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wool-scouring Mechanisms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of said invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it most nearly appertains to make, use, and practice the same.

This invention relates to improvements in wool and fiber scouring machinery, particularly to mechanicalpuddlers in this art.

The invention consists of a scouring-vat I adapted to contain the scouring solution and a mechanical puddler and discharger consistin g of a series of fork-teeth successively traveling through the vat,carrying thefibers from the bottom up an inclineand delivering to a draper which feeds into the squeezing-rolls,

from which the fiber isfreceived'and scat tered into the succeeding vat by a rapidly-revolving distributing-wheel, delivering the fiber onto a revolving s'ubmerging wheel.

The object accomplished by this invention is to eliminate manual handling from this process, with the resultant gain in time and uniformity of product.

The invention will be described in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which 7 Figure 1 is a side elevation, in cross-section, of the various mechanisms of this invention on the line X X, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan from above of the invention "complete.

In the description with reference to the drawings similar letters of reference designate similar parts throughout the several views.

The process of wool-scouring consists of passing the fiber through a succession of baths of varying scouring strength until it leaves the last thoroughly cleaned and rinsed. The mechanical handling in each vat is identical. Therefore only one set of mechanisms is shown and described. 7

The vat A consists of a long narrow trough having the perforated false bottom A, which permits the precipitation of dirt from the solution. The fiber is lifted from the vat by a series of weighted fork-teeth B, suspended perpendicularly from the sleeve 13, which is free on the shaft B extending between the ends of radial arms'B The shaftB, upon which the radial arms are fixed, is rotated by the large pulley B belted to the main drive-shaft X. The forks B, passing through the solution, carry a quantity of fiber up the incline C, from which it is delivered to the traveling draper D. From the draper the fiber passes between the squeezing-rolls E E, which wring out the moisture, thence to the rapidly-revolvingdistributing-wheelF,which throws it onto the submerger G, which carries it into the scouring solution of the succeeding tank, in which it is puddled by the agitation caused by the passage of the forks B through the solution until it is picked up andpassed into the next vat by the same process just described. The cheek-boards D provided at the sides of the draper and the splashboard Diabove prevent scattering of the fiber outside the vat.. The splash-board D is positioned a predetermined distance above the draper, so as to insure an even feed of the fiber and to prevent clogging of the squeezing-rolls.

For cleanliness and convenience the incline O is independent and readily removable from the vat. The draper consists of a belt D, traveling over the rollers D and D the latter beingdriven by a pinion meshed with gear E on the squeezing-roll E, which receives its impulse from the gear H on the secondary driving-shaft H, belted to the main driving-.

shaft X. The distributing-wheel F is driven by a reversed belt F, operating between the pulleys H and F The distributing-wheel consists of a plurality of vanes radiating from a center shaft adapted to revolve at high speed. The submerging-wheel G consists of a square drum having the tangential fingers G, upon which the fiber from the distributingwheel F settles as the submerging-wheel revolves. The submerging-wheel is actuated by the belt G operating between the pulleys G and H the scouring solution the fiber thereon floats off into the solu tion,to be picked up and passed onto the puddling and squeezing mechanisms operating therein. Where it is desired to only puddle-wash the fiber, it may be dis- As the fingers G pass-through charged directly from the incline into the succeeding vat, the intermediate mechanisms not being essential to the proper working of the puddler and (lischarger.

It is obvious that the various mechanisms above described may be altered in many respects without interfering with the spirit of the invention. As shown and described, the simplest forms are disclosed.

Having thus described this invention, what is c1aimed,and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wool or fiber scouring machine, a vat having a perforated false bottom; a removable incline plane extending longitudinally from said false bottom to the top of the vat; a paddling and elevating means consisting of loosely-mounted and a series of weighted fork-teeth, adapted to travel through the vat up the said incline plane and discharge the fiber accumulated in front of the said teeth onto a traveling draper discharging between a set of squeezing-rolls; a distributing-roll adapted to receive the fiber from the squeezing-rolls, and a submerging-drum: substantially as described.

2. In a wool orfiber scouring machine, a vat having a removable incline plane from the bottom to the top thereof; a puddling and elevating means consisting of a series of looselymounted and Weighted fork-teeth suspended between radial arms fixed upon a shaft and adapted to advance through the vat and up the said incline plane; aconveyer and a wringing mechanism interposed in the path of the fiber between the said incline plane and the succeeding vat: substantially as described.

3. Inawool orfiber scouring machine, avat having an inclined plane from the bottom to the top thereof; a paddling and elevating mechanism consisting of a series of looselymounted and weighted fork-teeth suspended between radial arms upon a rotatable shaft and adapted to advance through the vat and up the inclined plane and up the said inclined plane: substantially as described.

4. Inawoolorfiberscouring machine,avat; and a puddling and discharging mechanism consisting of a series of loosely-mounted and weighted fork-teeth suspended between radial arms fixed upon a rotatable shaft and adapted to advance through the vat: substantially as described.

5. In a wool-fiber-scouring machine, a vat having a perforated bottom, a conveyer above said bottom,a removable inclined plane adapted to rest on said bottom and to overlap said conveyer, means for elevating the fiber over theinclined plane, adistributingroll adapted to receive the fiber from the squeezing-rolls, and means for submerging the fiber in a second vat.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of April, 1902.

FRANCIS L. WHITNEY.

Witnesses:

GEORGE F. HATTON, BALDWIN VALE.

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