US2037841A - Wool washing machine - Google Patents

Description

April 1936- w. w. WINDLE I WOOL WASHING MACHINE Filed March 12, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 P 1936. w. w. WINDLE WOOL WASHING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 627 reZWZZwi 4 WW:

Filed March 12, 1934 Patented Apr. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for washing or scouring wool'or other similar fibers, and for removing grease and dirt therefrom. In such washing or scouring machines, the wool is fed loosely into an elongated tank partially filled with water or with a soapy or alkaline solution, according to the condition of the wool to be treated. The wool is loosely suspended in the solution and is gradually worked toward the delivery end of the machine during the washing operation.

It is essential that the wool fibers be gently handled while in the machine, as otherwise an undesirable felting action may take place, particularlywhen a soapy solution is used.

It has been customary in certain wool washing machines to use a mechanically operated rake for thus gradually advancing the wool along 'the tank. These rakes have been given a forward motion when in the solution and an idle return movement when raised out of the solution,

so that the action has been intermittent and the feeding device has been inoperative more than one-half of the time.

.It is the object of my invention to provide a wool washing machine having improved means for advancing the wool through the solution and for causing the wool to progress toward the discharge end of the tank.

A further object is to provide forwarding means which is continuous in its action, so that the ,wool is given a substantially uniform and continuous advance movement through the machine, instead of being alternately pushed ahead and brought to rest as in certain previous machines.

A still further object is to provide means for giving the wool an elongated path of travel through the machine, by introducing a transverse component into the forwarding action.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of portions of my improved wool washing machine;

Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the forwarding members;

Fig. 4 is a sectional end elevation thereof; Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the paddles or blades;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the part shown in Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a modified forwarding member.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, my improved wool washing machine comprises an elongated tank I0, preferably rectangular in cross section and usually entirely open at the top. The tank is filled with water or other suitable liquid to a substantial depth, as shown in Fig. 2, and is preferably provided with a perforated screen or false bottom I l which keeps the wool in the upper part of the solution, while dirt removed from the wool may drop through the screen II and accumulate in the bottom portion of the tank, from which it may be occasionally removed as desired.

I have indicated a supply chute 12 at the lefthand end of the machine, as viewed in Fig. 2, through which chute the loosened fibers are dropped into the tank I 0. Any suitable and usual mechanism may be provided for feeding the loosened fibers to the chute l2.

At the right-hand end of the machine, as viewed in Fig. 2, I have shown the perforated screen or false bottom II gradually approaching the surface of the solution in the tank and connecting with a guide-plate M which forms a continuation of the perforated screen H and guides the wool or fiber between a pair of press rolls 1 5 by which the wool is squeezed and delivered to a conveyor l6, which takes the wool to a second washer or to a drier according to the stage to which the wool treatment has progressed.

Suitable means is provided for delivering wool to the rolls I5, and in Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown the usual type of such mechanism.

As shown, the delivery mechanism comprises a rake 20 pivoted on a cross shaft 2|, the outer ends of which are supported in bearings in blocks 22 provided with rolls 23and slidable on inclined fixed guideways 24. Levers 26 (Fig. 1) are also pivoted on the shaft 2| and at their opposite ends are connected to an elongated crank portion 21 of a crankshaft 28, pivoted in bearing brackets 29 mounted on the tank 10.

The arms 26 are connected by links 30 (Fig. 2) to the rake 20. The crankshaft 28 is provided with a pinion 3| (Fig. 1) connected by an intermediate gear 32 to a drive gear 33. The crankshaft 28 is thus continuously rotated and the rake 20 is moved to the right while in lowered position and is returned to the left while in raised position, thus intermittently advancing the wool. to the press rolls l5.

This delivery mechanism is illustrative only and forms no part of my present invention, which relates more particularly to the construction of the forwarding members by which the Wool is advanced through the solution in the tank l0.

Each of these forwarding members comprises a body portion or barrel (Figs. 3 and 4) mounted on a shaft 4! supported in brackets or bear ing blocks 42 on the top edges of the tank I0. Any convenient means may be provided for continuously rotating the shaft 4| and in Fig. 1 I have shown the shaft 41 provided with a sprocket 44 engaged by a drive chain 45.

It will be understood that in. practice the machines are very much elongated and that any desired number of forwarding members may be provided. The sprocket chain may be arranged to engage sprockets 44 on all of the shafts 4| and thus simultaneously rotate all of the forwarding members. Preferably the chain 45 is connected to a driving sprocket operated in timed relation to the movement of the drive gear 33.

The barrel 40 of each forwarding member is provided with a plurality of blades or paddles (Figs. 3 to 6). These blades are arranged in a plurality of longitudinally extending series on the barrel 40. The blades 50 in one series are somewhat sharply inclined to the axis of the barrel 40 in one direction and the blades 50 of the next series are correspondingly inclined in the opposite direction.

The shape of the blades may be varied but is preferably substantially as indicated in Fig. 6, so that the bottom of the blade fits the polyangular surface of the barrel 40, while the top of the blade is provided with a beveled leading outer corner 5| and with a beveled leading edge 52. The rear outer corner is preferably rounded as indicated at 53.

The blades 5t! are similar to the blades 50 except that the beveled leading edge 52 (Fig. 3) is oppositely disposed. The blades 50 may be firmly secured to the surface of the barrel 40 in any desired manner, as by angle brackets Bl] (Fig. 3).

The operation of my improved machine will be readily understood. By continued rotation of the forwarding members, the blades or paddles 50 and 5!] thereon are successively submerged and advanced through the water toward the right or delivery end of the machine, thereby gently urging the suspended wool in the desired direction.

Furthermore, as the blades of successive series are oppositely inclined, the wool is first pushed transversely toward one side wall of the tank 10 and then transversely toward the opposite side wall, thus progressing along a more or less zigzag path of travel.

The length of travel is further substantially increased by the action of the blades in producing limited whirlpool effects in the water, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. As the wool passes beyond the field of action of one forwarding member, it comes into the field of action of the next forwarding member and is thus given a substantially continuous although somewhat irregular advance movement toward the delivery end of the machine.

I sometimes find it desirable to mount spray pipes 19 (Fig. 1) between successive forwarding members, and these spray pipes are provided with perforations which are inclined downwardly and rearwardly, so that water will be delivered therefrom as indicated in Fig. 2. These rearwardly and downwardly directed jets of water serve to further agitate the wool in the solution and also tend to submerge the wool to greater depth, it being found that the wool has a tendency tofloat at or near the surface of the solution.

The spray pipes may also be used to Vary and control the rate of travel of the wool through the tank as the rearward direction of the jets tends not only to agitate and submerge the wool, but also to retard its travel toward the delivery end of the machine. Thus by increasing the force of the jets, the rate of travel of the wool may be correspondingly decreased and the time of the washing operation may be lengthened when desired.

In Fig. 7 I have indicated a modified construction of forwarding member which is Well adapted for construction from suitable sheet metal. This modified forwarding member 90 comprises a deeply corrugated metal barrel mounted on a. suitable drive shaft 9|. The corrugations of the member 90 are oblique to the axis of the shaft 9|, however, so that different portions of the corrugations produce transverse components of action alternately disposed as in the form previously described.

With the modified forwarding member shown in Fig. '7, the wool is pushed gently first toward one side wall and then toward the other wall, at the same time advancing toward the deliveryvend of the machine, all as previously described.

In practical operation, it has been found that a wool washing or scouring machine equipped with my improved forwarding members will effectively remove dirt or other foreign substances from the wool without felting action, and will accomplish this at a Very substantially increased speed, so that substantially more wool can be passed through the machine in a given length of time.

My improved machine is also extremely simple, comprising many less parts than the commonly used rake feeding mechanism, and there are no relatively moving parts which are liable to become loosened or get out of adjustment.

The modified construction shown in Fig. 7 forms the subject matter of a divisional application Serial No. 48,083, filed by me November 4, 1935.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A wool washing machine comprising an elongated tank to contain a washing solution and a plurality of driven forwarding members each rotatably mounted on said tank, each forwarding member extending transversely of said tank and having a plurality of rows of peripheral wool-engaging portions, said portions in one row being angularly displaced in a clockwise direction from coincidence with a plane perpendicular to the axis of said forwarding member and said wool-engaging portions in an adjacent row being similarly angularly displaced but in a reverse direction.

2. A wool washing machine comprising an elongated tank to contain a washing solution and a plurality of driven forwarding members each rotatably mounted on said tank, each forwarding member extending transversely of said tank and having a plurality of separate peripherally disposed wool-engaging blades arranged in a plurality of adjacent axially extended series, the

blades in one series being angularly displaced in a clockwise direction from coincidence with a plane perpendicular to the axis of said forwarding member and the blades in the next adjacent series being similarly angularly displaced but in a reverse direction.

3. A wool washing machine comprising an elongated tank to contain a washing solution, and a plurality of driven forwarding members each 10 rotatably mounted on said tank, each forwarding member extending transversely of said tank and comprising a plurality of wool-engaging blades arranged in successive axially adjacent series,'

the blades in one series being angularly displaced in a clockwise direction from coincidence with a plane perpendicular to the axis of said member and the blades of the next adjacent series being oppositely displaced with respect to said plane, and. the blades in any one axial series being out of circumferential alignment with the blades in the next adjacent series at both sides of said axial series..

WINFRED W. WINDLE.

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