234,488. Duhamel, E. C., and Compagnie GÚnÚrale des Industries Textiles. May 20, 1924, [Convention date]. Passing loose fibrous material through liquids and liquidapplying apparatus; spraying travelling materials; bleaching and washing, processes and materials for. - Relates to apparatus for washing wool and like materials by the processes described in Specifications 221,521, 234,055, 240,477, 240,482, 243,360 and 256,635, and comprises a system of five vats, the first containing suint of 4‹ BÚ., the second suint of 1‹ BÚ., the third either clean water or water from the fifth vat, the fourth soap solution, and the fifth clean water; alternatively, the first two vats may contain suint of 4‹ BÚ., the third suint of 1‹ BÚ., after which the wool is treated on a washing table with clean water or water from the fifth vat. Before entering the system the wool &c. is conveniently treated with suint, preferably heated, the treatment being, for example, carried out in a shoot either vertical or inclined. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, wool is fed to an opener 6,' passes to a feeder 7, and is fed to the first vat 1 containing, for example, suint of 4‹ BÚ., being submerged by a dipper 9; from the vat 1, the wool is carried by a conveyer 15 to the first press 16, expressed liquor being collected in a trough 18; the wool now passes to the small vat 2 containing suint of 1‹ Be., and then to the small vat 3 containing clean water; these three vats are worked in series, surplus liquor in vat 3 flowing into vat 2, and that from vat 2 flowing into vat 1. The wool is raised from vat 3 passes through the press 17, expressed liquor being returned to the vat, and is delivered to vat 4 of construction similar to vat 1 and containing soapy water; and finally it is passed through a similar vat 5 containing clean water, the surplus flowing into vat 4. The troughs used in this system are those ordinarily employed, and are conveniently constructed as follows :-Beneath the false bottom 10, Fig. 4, there are arranged a number of inverted pyramidal troughs 11 for the collection of dirt, there being four of these in vats 1, 4, and 5, and two in vats 2 & 3; at the base of each pyramid is a discharge valve 60, and the valves are opened periodically in succession by cams 120 on a shaft 62; where, as in the case of the later vats, smaller amounts of dirt have to be dealt with, the valves may be actuated by hand; the valves may be held closed by a lever 68; between each of the pyramids passages 12 are provided for the injection of air, the nozzles being inclined; alternatively, the nozzles may be arranged beneath or immediately above the false bottom 10, or other air-injecting arrangements may be adopted; the wool submerged by the dipper 9 is carried forward by forks 13, and is delivered on to the discharging-conveyer 15 by the fork-discharging apparatus 14, except that in the case of the shorter vats the conveying-forks may be reduced in number or they may be entirely omitted. The upper rollers of the presses at the delivery end of the vats are preferably constructed of a series of discs of coarse hempen or jute fabric with intervening thin metal discs of smaller diameter, the whole being pressed together and secured by end plates; and in order to obviate unequal wear as between the ends of the roller, either a gear drive for the upper roller is provided at each end thereof, or if a drive at one end only is adopted then provision is made for differentially loading the ends of the roller, and sets of interchangeable gears may be provided. Liquor expressed by the presses 16, 16<1> of vats 1 and 2, collects in troughs 18, which normally discharge into trays 20 placed below the vats to receive dirty liquors discharged through valves 60; by means of a communicating pipe 22 surplus liquor is returned to the vat. The dirty liquors are passed to a centrifugal mud-separator 21, Fig. 3, through a pipe 20<1> of large diameter heated by a steam coil; the separator is preferably of the type described in Specification 247,092, [Class 23, Centrifugal machines &c.], the dirt being collected on the non-perforated wall of the basket, and the liquor discharged at high speed is projected either into a tank 25 or directly into a grease-separator 24 of the high-speed centrifugal pattern with flat discs; alternatively, mud and grease may be separated in one machine, or the mud may be separated in two stages either before or after the separation of the grease, the first being carried out in a centrifuge of large diameter, and the second in a high-speed small diameter machine having a conical container; degreased liquor is returned to vat 1. A similar apparatus 30 is associated with vat 4. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91 3 (a), comprises also the following subject-matter which does not appear in the Specification as accepted. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 5 (Cancelled) the wool before entering the vats is given a pretreatment with suint in a shoot 31, down which the wool falls and into which suint from the vat is sprayed; and there are two vats 1, 1<1> containing liquor of 4‹ BÚ.; vat 2, as before, contains liquor 1‹ BÚ., while vat 3 is replaced by a washing-table. The wool, after passage down the shoot, collects as a thick bed on a table 32, and through this bed the suint is filtered, being afterwards collected and discharged to vat 1'; the wool then passes under a heavy roller 33, is opened by a beater 34, and then enters the first vat 1. After passage through vats 1, 1', and 2, the wool is delivered to a washing table 3<1> above which are arranged spraying-tubes for water circulated by a pump 9 and a pipe for clean water or water from the vat 5; at the points below the spraying-tubes, the band is supported by plates which prevent the passage of wool particles. The pump supplying these tubes may be arranged to supply the vat 2. This subject-matter comprised in Specification 259,969. In another modification shown in Fig. 8, (Cancelled) the wool after passage down the shoot 31, is passed to a press 16<6>, expressed liquor being discharged together with flushed liquor from vats 1, 1<1> to the mud and grease separator after having passed through a fibre-separating apparatus; from the press the wool passes into the first vat 1, being forced by the forks through a barrage of air bubbles from nozzles 12'; liquor expressed by the press 16 is forced by a pump 40 to the spraying-nozzles of the shoot 31; the wool then passes through vat 1', and is freed from suint in a washing-device 42, the volume of washing-liquor being reduced by partitions 76, any dirt that accumulates in the apparatus being added to the flushed liquors from the vat 1<1>; before entering the soap vat 4, the wool is passed through a steeping- trough 45 containing clean soap solution, and consisting of the end of a McNaught vat, the wool being moved along, for example, by rakes 46 carried by a chain 47; the liquor from the press 16<7> may be centrifuged and returned by a pump 50 to the vat 45. In a modification of the construction shown in Fig. 8, (Cancelled) the liquor expressed by the press 16<6>, together with the flushed liquor of the first vat 1 and that from the press 16, is after separation of mud and grease, discharged into the shoot; the liquor filtered through the wool is conveyed through a filter to the first vat of the series; the second vat, containing liquor of 1‹ BÚ., is short and is provided at its entry end with a dipping device; and the washer is of the construction of the device 3<1> shown in Fig 5, (Cancelled). For the separation of fibres carried by the liquors, the device shown in Fig. 11, (Cancelled) is used; it consists, of a pair of reciprocating screens 70, 71 provided with upwardly-turned overlapping spikes on which the fibres collect and by means of which they are lifted to a spiked collecting-wheel 38; the wool is removed from the latter by a water jet 74. When a single washing- agent such as soap is used throughout the system, the same general arrangements are adopted, but the vats are of reduced volume, and the pyramidal collecting-chambers, flushing-devices, and false bottoms may be dispensed with; the liquid expressed by each press is collected separately, thus, the liquor falling into the tray 124, Fig. 12 (Cancelled) is returned by means of a sliding door either to the vat or into the mud &c. separator, or into the drain, a pump being provided if necessary; the first three vats are provided with a mud &c. separator, and by treating the liquor from vats 2 and 3 in this apparatus, soap is economized, particularly if the treated liquors are returned to the first vat of the series. Still further to economize soap, the arrangement shown in Fig. 16 (Cancelled) may be employed ; it comprises three long vats 101, 102, 103, in which the wool can float each vat being preceded by a small soaking apparatus 104, 105, 106; apparatus 106 is supplied with soap solution, and apparatus 104 is supplied with liquor expressed by the press associated with the apparatus 105. This subject-matter is comprised in Specification 258,895.