US446050A - Apparatus for dyeing straw goods - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 1.

J. A. YOUNG. APPARATUS `POR DYBING STRAW GOODS, am. No. 446,050. Patented Feb. l0, 1891.

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68. TEXTILES, FLUID TREATING APPARATUS.

2 Sheats-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J` A. YGUNG.

APPARATUS FOR DYEING STRAW GOODS, zc- No. 446,050.

'Patented Feb. 10,1891.

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JAMES A. YOUNG, OE MANSFIELD, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO TI-IE YOUNG COLORING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,050, dated February V10, 1891.

Application tiled April Z1, 1890. Serial No. 348,940. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. YOUNG, of Mansfield, county of Bristol, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Apparatus for Dyeing Straw Goods, dre., of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

to My invention relates to an apparatus for dyeing straw goods, which apparatus may also c be employed for performing analogous operations in which material is to be subjected to the action of surrounding liquors or chemicals-as, for example, in bleaching. As is now generally practiced, the braided straw is dyed in large masses previous to being made up into hats, and the process of dyeing takes a long time, which is very objectionable with 2o goods of this kind, as it frequently happens that there is a quick demand for hats of a certain color; but as a considerable amount of time is required to dye the straw and then make it u p into hats it is often the case that the goods are not wanted by the time that they are ready, and thus considerable loss to the manufacturer ensues. Another objection to the method of dyeing the straw before it is made up is that it requires that the thread should match the straw in color, while if it were possible to dye the hats after being made up the straw and thread might be made to receive the same color in the dyeing process.

The object of the present invention is to produce an apparatus capable of dyeing goods in large quantities after being made up into hats or other articles, the process of dyeing bythe improved apparatus requiringbut very little expenditure ot' time, so that if the uncolored hats are made up an order for any given color may be supplied within a few hours after it is received. This obviates the necessity of carrying` a large stock of colored goods,which, owing to changes in fashion, are likely to go out of demand, and thus cause loss to the owner.

In the process of dyeing straw heretofore generally practiced the straw is boiled in the dye-liquor in open kettles, and, owing to the 5o peculiar character of the enamel or surface of Vthe straw,the boiling has to be continued for a long time, and in some cases the straw has to be treated by alkalies, the effect of which has to be subsequently neutralized, sometimes requiring that duringA the dyeing process the material should be repeatedly removed from the kettle, so that it becomes cool and causes precipitation when again acted upon in the kettle, thereby increasing the time and labor required for properly dyeing the goods, and 6o after the dyeing is completed additional time is required to thoroughly dry the straw before it' can be used to make a satisfactory product. l

In accordance with the present invention V the straw hats or articles to be dyed, which may have been previously made up into finished shape, are supported on a suitable carrier and then placed in a closed chamber or vessel capable of standingaeensiderablein- 7o ternal pressure, in which vessel the dyeing and subsequent drying of the straw are carried on, and, owing to the fact that the vessel is closed, the material may be retained at a sufliciently high temperature to soften the sur- 7 5 face of the straw and cause it to take the dye Y without requiring the action of alkalies to effect this result.

Means are provided for admitting dry steam to the cylinder or chamber containing the 8o r goods to be dyed, subsequently exhausting the air and water ot' condensation from the said chamber, and then admitting the dyestuff thereto, heating the same, and maintaining ebullition or agitation of the said dye-stuff in the chamber, so that it acts uniformly upon all parts of the goods.

Means are also provided for withdrawing the liquor from the chamber and then drying the dyed material while still in the chamber 9o by causing hot air to iiow through the same or by permitting cool compressed air to eX- pand around the same.

Apparatus has been devised for subjecting fibrous materials, such as threads, yarns, woven fabrics, the., to the action of bleaching or dyeing agents or other liquids or gases in a closed tight chamber under pressure; but with such apparatus the liquids were caused to circulate into and out from the chamber roo and were forced through and through the inaterials to be treated--an operation which could not be employed` to dye the materials for which the apparatus forming the subject of the present invention was devised, the main feature of which consists in the means hereinafter described for maintaining agitation or ebullition of the dye-liquor without producing bodily movement thereof into and out from the chamber and through the material to be dyed contained therein. In other words, I imitate the action of the open-kettle boiling process in so far as that the dye-liquor, while continually in ebullition or agitation,is at all times contained in the kettle or vessel and does not circulate in, through, and out from the same, this action being one most advantageous and efcent in producing regularity of color and work; but whereas, in the openkettle boiling process the pressure can never exceed that of the atmosphere and the heat can never exceed 2120, with the resul-t of making the dying operation a tedious, prolonged, and expensive one, by my improvement that pressure can be and is greatly enhanced, as is also the heat,so that the boilingtakes pla'ce under a pressure of manyatmospheres anda greatly-'increased temperature, thus greatly reducing the time required for thedyein g operation and obtaining important advantages in, other vrespects- 21s, for example, the increasedheat and pressure serve to soften the enamel on the straw without making necessary the use for that purpose of alkali'es, which must be used in the open-kettle boiling process, but which are detrimental to the proper actioirot certain dyes, such as an-iline dyes".

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portionof an'apparatus for dyeing embodying this invention Fig. 2, a sectional and diagram view illustrating` the operative relations of the several parts of the apparatus and the passages -for the various fluids employed in the apparatus; Fig. 3, a plan view ot' the-portionof the apparatus shownin Fig. l; Fig. 4, an enlarged detail illustrating the construction of the frame or support upon which the goods to` be dyed are heldwhile undergoing-,the dyeing process; Fig. 5, a modification ot' the means for supporting the material to be dyed, and Fig. G' a detail to be referred to.

The various operations on the material to be4 dyed take place in a chamber a, shown-as cylindrical in shape, which in practice may be ii-ve or six feet in length and diameter, so as to contain a large quantity of the material to be dyed.

In a working apparatus there are preferably two or more of the cylinders a, as represented in Fig. l, used in connection with the other parts of the apparatus, so that one operation may be going on inA one while another operation is going on in another cylinder. For example, while the material is being subjected to the action of the dyeingliquor in one cylinder the material already dyed in the other cylinder may be dried, re-

moved, the cylinder again filled', and the material prepared ior receiving the dye-liquor, during which time the material in the first cylinder will have been thoroughly dyed and ready for the drying and removal and restocking of the saidcylinder while the dyeing operation is going on in the other one, and so on. t

The cylinders a are provided with covers a2, so arranged that they can be conveniently operated for opening and closing the cylinders. As shown in Figs. l and 3, each cylinder has near its top an enlargement to receive the covered, which seats from below against an overhanoino lanv'e d3 against which it 23 D D 1 b may be pressed by suitable cams or eccentrics at, operated from outside the cylinder, as will be understood from Figs. l and 3. Then the cylinder is under pressure, the said pressstance as each provided with a rack a7 at its under surface, which comes into engagement with a pinion as whenthe cover is lowered by turning downthe eccentrics a4. The pinions as are operated by hand-wheels a (see Fig. 3) in convenient: position, and by rotating said hand-wheels the cover maybe moved laterally into the recess a, leaving the tops of the cylinders open and unobstructed, as shown at the left hand of Fig. l. The racks of the two covers are slightly offset with relation toV one another, as shown in Fig. 3, (in which their position is represented in ydotted lines,) so as to economize space, the rack of the left-hand cover passing by the pinion that operates the right-hand cover, as shown in IOO IIO

Fig. l. The two recesses a are completely' cut oft' fromV one another, as shown in Fig. l, so as to prevent communication between the two cylinders. Vhen the cylinder is open, the cage or frame b, (see Fig. 1,) upon which the material to be dyed is supported, is lowered into the cylinder, a suitable crane or hoisting apparatus being provided for facilitating this operation when required. The said frame consists of a central stem b2, on which are supported foraminous shelves b3, provided at their middle with socket-pieces capable of longitudinal movement on the stem b2, and provided with set-screws h4, by which they are nia-de fast When placed at the proper height. (See Fig. et.)

For certain kinds of material it is desirable toleave a small space-an inch or two,'for exdyed at various levels in the dyeing-chamber a. In vthis way I avoid danger of channeling the goods or making passages through them,

which is apt to occur when the liquor is forccd through goods placed in layers directly one upon the other. The clear spaces between the layers afford a place where the liquid, after passing one layer, can gather and then exert an even action upon the next layer.

In filling` the cage or support Z) the lowermost shelf willhave the articles to be dyed placed upon it as close as possible to oneanother, after which the next shelf is lowered down to just engage the upper part of said articles, so as to prevent them from being displaced by the agitation of the liquor, and in some cases the articles may be placed immediately upon the next shelf, and so on; but in other cases the articles may be placed on every alternate shelf with the space intervening between the shelf that rests on the top of the articles below and the next shelf above that supports articles upon it, as has just been stated.

In packing the articles to be dyed they are commonly nested one within the other to form long columns, which may be coiled u p spirally upon the shelves of the supporting-frame, as shown at the lowermost shelf in Fig. l, although it may occasionally be necessary or desirable to set the articles side by side on the shelves, as indicated at. 3, Fig. l.

Fig. et represents the construction in which spaces are to be left in the cylinder between the horizontal rows or layers of the material to be dyed, in which case two of the shelves having such space between them may be connected with a single sleeve or thimble, which is adjusted on the stem b2 so that the lower shelf just engages the top of the material supported on the next shelf below to prevent the same from rising or becoming displaced by the agitation of the liquid.

For some kinds of goods, especially those which are kept in shape by size, it may be necessary to provide supports for each hat or article to keep the same in shape while being operated upon in the cylinder, such support being made of soft wire, which can be bent to sustain the hat or other article being operated upon.

The chamber a is provided with a steaminlet pipe c, by which steam may be taken from a boiler CZ and admitted to the interior of the said chamber.

The pipes and passages communicating with the chamber a are best seen in Fig. 2. The steam-pipec is controlled by a stop-valve c2. The chamber a also communicates by a pipe c with the exhaust-chamber f, from which air may be exhausted by a pump f2 or other suitable exhausting device, and, if desired, the same pump maybe employed to compress air into a compressed-air receiver g at any suitable point, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

The pipe c is controlled by a stop-'valve e2,

Vand as both pipes c and c communicate with the chamber a through a common inlet entering at the lower end of the chamber one of said valves c2 or c? will commonly have to be closed before the other is opened. The passage entering the lower end of the chamber is also extended, so as to form the outlet or drain pipe 7L, controlled by a valve h2.

At some suitable position at a higher level than the chamber a is placed a preparing-` chamber tw, in which the various liquors required for dyeing-such as mordants, dyes, and .raising or saddening liquorsare prepared, such chamber 71,10 being filled with water and being provided with a steam-inlet pipe h2o, controlled by valves h3() L31,(see Fig. 2,) so that steam may be admitted to raise the liquid to the boiling temperaturevor above the usual boiling-point, if required, as the said vessel hw is closed, so that it can withstand an internal pressure.

In order to introduce dye-stuff into the chamber hw without reducing the pressure of said chamber, and also to insure the proper solution or distribution of the dyein the liquid, the chamber is provided with the following mechanism for introducing the dye-stuff, (best shown in Fig. 6:) vided with an inlet pipe` or passage i', having two valves or gates 21's at a sufficient distance apart to provide a chamber or space bctween them in said pipe of sufficient size to receive a cage or basket it, which may be of wire-netting and may contain the dye-stuff. The said cage 'i4 is connected with a cord or chain wound upona pulley 5, operated by a handle i at the outside of the chamber, so that the cage may be raised or lowered by turning the said handle. The stem connecting the pulley and handle i works in a stuffing-box and is longitudinally movable, so that the pulley may be withdrawn laterally from the port of the pi-pe'ito permit the cage i4 to pass it.' .lVhen the dye-stuff is to be introduced, the valve 'i2 is closed and the valve i? opened and the d ye-stuff placed in the basket i4, which may be Withdrawn from the pipe to receive the dye-stuff, if required, and is then lowered into the chamber or space in the pipe t' between the valves i2 and The valve is then closed and the valve 2 opened, and the basket i4 is then lowered by turning the handle i6 into the liquid, where it remains suspended until the dye-stuff is all dissolved or taken up by the liquid. These appliances prevent the dye-stuff from settling to the bottom of the chamber hn?, as might happen if the dye-stuff were merely permitted to drop by gravity.

In working the apparat us th us f ar described the materials to be dyed, after having been suitably packed or loaded upon the cage t, are introduced into the chamber a., the cover of which is then closed, and steam is then admitted through the pipe c to the chamber, all other passages leading to and from the said chamber being closed by their respective valves. Dry steam is then caused to permeatethrough the material to be dyed at a sufficiently high temperature to soften the The chamber is proj IOO IIO

enamel or surface of the straw and prepare it tol receive thezdye. Theheatof the steam expands the air in the straw and expcls it therefrom. The steam is then cut off by closing the valve c2,` and the chamber-placed in communication with theexhaust f by opening the valve c2 when any water of condensation which may have formed will pass out from said chamber7 together with the steam and air' contained therein, so that a nearly perfeet vacuum is formed The expulsion. of the air from the straw and subsequent withdrawal of the air from the. chamber leave the meshes of the straw readyl to receive and draw in the dye-liquor when introduced into-the chamber, so that the latter willact upon all parts of the surface of the straw and color the same between overlying' portions or layers ofthe braid, so that in the subsequent shaping ofthe hat by pull ing and shaping over blocks thereis no danger of exposing any undyed portion. The valve e2 isy then closed, and the dye-liquor,y which hasbeen previously prepared in the reservoir hm by introducing a sufiicienft portion of the coloring-matter into a, body of Waterin sadchamrber and heating the sameby admission-of steam 'through the pipe h2o, m-ay be permittedv to. flow by gravity through the pipe hm; controlled by the valve h5, intov the chamber a..

W ith some dye-liquors it Will be necessary or desirable to ifntroducethe dye-liquor tothe chamber a Withv great, rapidity in order that itsA effect maybe uniform on theV materials contained in the said chamber, and for this purpose the introduction of the liquorr from the chamber'h10 intothe chamber@ maybe accelerated by steam-pressure, which may be introduced to the upper part of the. chamber 7110 through the steampipc 71.50, controlled by the Valve hm. The liquor' is thus introduced into the. chamber a, soj asl to act directly on the. material to be. dyed; but it is necessary in most casesl for efficient action that the liquor should be agitated, as otherwise the coloring material is likely to settle upon the material to be dyed or intothe. bottom of the chamberinstead of bei-ng applied uniformly over the material. In order to effect such agitation of the liquor in the chamber, so as tohave a similar effectto that of boiling. in an open kettle, with the advantage that the action can becarried on at a much higher temperature and pressure, owing to the fact that the chamber a is confined and may be subjected mospheric pressure, the following means are provided for effecting such agitation of the liquid. lt may, however, first be necessaryto adm it m oresteam fro mthe boiler directly into the mass of theliquor in order to raise thesame to substantially the temperature of the Water inthe steaingenerator, which may-bel done by admitting more steam through the pipe. c. lVhen, however', the steam has brought, the

liquor to substantially the same temperature in the chamber.`

to. a greater pressure than the atas that in the steam-generator, there would be no further agitation of the liquor, and in order to provide for such agitation the. upper portion of the chamber a is provided with a passage 7c, denser (shown as a coil) 7a2, contained a chamber m, into the lower portion of which cold water is admitted through Ythe pipe 'm2, sai-d cold Water surrounding the pipe k2 and condensing any steam which may pass into the said pipe throughthe pipe 7c from the chamber a. The passage 7c is provided with a pressure-valve h2o, which may be similar to an ordinarysafcty-valve and operate to maintain any desired pressure in the pipe k below it' andinl the chamber a; the pressure increases beve the point for which the valve is set and permits the steam @to pass out through the valve and into the condenser-coil 7a2. The Water that condenses y in the pipe k2 is led through a pipe to an injector n, which may be of any suitable or usual construction and which is, set in operation by admitting steam through the pipe c3 to said injector. An overflow is p-rovided'at n2, which may be opened in order tostart the operation of the injector, anda check-valve is provided at n3 between the. injector andthe inlet to the chamber a. Afterthe' operation of the'injectol`- is started the overflow-passage 912 is closed by a suitable stop-cock n, and the combined jet of steam and condensed water passes on through the check-valve n3 into the chamber a, thus agitat-ing the liquor therein, .while a sufficient portionof steam forms in the upper part of said chamber' and isv conveyed therefrom to the condenser k2 to keep up the operation, it being understood that when the operation begins the liquor does not qnitefill the chamber a. By this means a continued agitation or ebullition of the liquid is maintained in the: chamber a without bodily movement or flow of the liquid, and the dye becomes very rapidly applied to the material to be dyed, owing tothe high temperature and pressure at which the operation takes place, and in practice it is necessary to maintain this operation for a period varyingfor a few minutes, to two'or three hours instead of for many hours or even a day, as is necessary in the operation of dyeing as heretofore generally practiced. After-this operation has been carried ony for asuficient length of time steam is shut off from the linj ector and the discharge-passage h is opened, permitting the liquor that has been used to flow ont from the chamber a`, after which it is only necessary to dry the material that has beendyed tomake the ma.- terial ready for use. This drying operation is preferably performed While the material still remains in the chamber a by means of the following appliances: The Water in the chamber fm becomes heated in condensing the steam inthev pipe 7a2 and is permitted.4 toescape from the-upper part of the chamber m through a pipe o.7 which passes in the form of communicating with a suitable conbut is 'opened when l IOO a coil through a chamber 02, into which comthrough a suitable pressure or safetyvalve fr,

which thus'causes the pressure to be maintained in the chamber a, so that the air penetrates and acts upon all parts of the straw, the said air rapidly absorbing` the moisture from the material that has been dyed, so that it is quickly dried,'and it is then ready for removal from the chamber, which can be immediately used to dye another lot. The air becomes cool and laden with moisture in acting on the wet straw, and the cool moist air naturally passes to the bottom oi the chamber and escapes through the valve r as it is displaced by the dry air entering` at the top of the chamber through the pipe p.

In some cases it may be objectionable to subject the goods to dry heat, and in such cases they may be dried by the action of cool compressed air, which may be admitted from the chamber g through the branch pipe p20, controlled by a suitable valve, or when necessary the said air may be cooled at'ter being compressed. During the time the compressed air from chamber gis being admitted into the dye-chamber the action ot the compressorpump is ot' course suspended.

For drying by cool airthe outlet-pipe 7i may be partly open, so as to permit the air to es-' cape more freely, t-hus giving it an opportunity to expand in the chamber ct, and thereby take up the moisture from the straw.

The dye-preparin g chamber hw is preferably provided with a gage (shown as a oat) T10, the stem of which passes through a suitablypacked opening in the said chamber, and by its position indicates the height of the liquor in the reservoir. By this means it is possible to determine the proportions ot the various materials very accurately, the material to be dyed being weighed, it necessary, while upon the frame or cage b, the amount of liquid in the chamber hw being measured accurately, so that there need be no waste of the dyeing material, which may be prepared in capsules or small packages properly proportioned for definite amounts ot liquid and material to be dyed. The said capsules may be coated with parafiine or other material that will protect the coloring-matter in handling, but will melt or'dissolve when the capsule is lowered into the liquor in the chamber a, and as the said liquor is properly heated the said coloring-matter will dit'tuse itself throughout the liquor.

It maybe necessary or desirable at times to maintain an artificial ebullition or agitation in the prepari11g-chamber hm, in order that the dye stuft may be properly distributed in the liquor and the latter brought to a higher temperature than it otherwise couldl This result may be effected by substantially the same means as are employed in connection with the chamber a, there being a branch pipe h2 leading from the injector a to the lower portion ot the chamber 77.10, the said pipe containing a check-valve 7L53 and stop-valve 7U, and the vapor is permitted to escape from the upper part of the chamber through the pipe ho, which for this purpose communicates with a branch W5', controlled by a stop-val ve 7156 and pressure-valve hm, and with the condensercoil 7a2, it being understood that the stop-valve h51 is closed while this operation is going on. As the vapor escapes from the chamber a. at a high temperature and pressure, it may in some cases be employed to ettect the ebullition in the chamber hw. For this purpose a stopvalve 71531 in the pipe 7c, leading from the chamber a to the condenser, is closed, and a branch pipe 7h32 from the outlet of the valve k2() to the pipe h2o is opened, the Valve 7L31 on the boiler side ot said branch in the pipe h2o being closed and the valve h3() being opened. Thus the vapor which passes out from the upper part ot the chamber a would pass through pipes 7u, Z532, and't20 into the lower part of the chamber hw. The pipe hm, opening into the upper part ot' the chamber hw, would have its valve h5? closed, while the lvalve h@ in the pipe 7t55, leading to the condenser, would be open, thuspermitting the vapor to pass from the chamber h1" to the condenser. lVith this mode ot operation ebullition would be maintained in the chamber a by the steam entering i rom the injector n, while the vapor that escaped from the upper part of the said chamber @would enter the lower part of the chamberh10 at somewhat less pressure, and the vapor would escape from thel upper part of the chamber hw and pass to the condenser 7c, where it condenses and is returned by the injector 1t to the cylinder a. The pressure on the valves L20 and h5T would be properly ad- IIO j usted for this operation to maintain the desired pressure in the two chambers.

It it is desired, t-he same apparatus may be used for sizing the articles after they have been dried, the sizing material being prepared in a suitable reservoir above the level ot the chamber a and caused to tlow into the chamber in the same manner as the dyeing materials, and then the surplus size maybe drawn ott and the articles dried to the proper temper for the subsequent blocking or shaping.

It is frequently necessary in the process of dyeing to subject the material to the action of diiterent liquids. In the process heretofore commonly practiced in dyeing braided-straw goods this necessitates the removal ot` Vthe material from the kettle or receptacle in which it is exposed to the action otone liquid and the loosening or opening up ot' said material,

which may have become matted 'during the previous boiling, so that the next liquid to which ,it is exposed may have access to all parts of the material. In the apparatus torining the subject of the present invention,how ever, the materials to be treated may be exposed to different agents successively without being removed from thc chamber a, it being merely necessary to draw otl the liquid that has been acting upon the material from the said chamber d and introduce the liquid the action of which is next required into the chamber d from the preparing-receptacle hw, in which the said liquid has been prepared, While the rst liquidis acting upon the materials in the chamber a. The steam or Avapor that passes from the dyeingchamber to the condenser does not carry the coloring-matter with it, and it may sometimes be necessary or desirable to permit a portion of the condensed liquid to escape instead of carrying it back into the dyeing-chamber. For example, if the material to be dyed and the liquor used are such as to require the ebullition to be maintained for a considerable length of time, ther constant addition of steam delivered through the injector will increase the body of liquid and thus dilute it, and if such increase becomes objectionable in amount the flow ot steam through the injector may be reduced and the overow opened, permitting a portion of the condensed liquid to escape, after which the normal operation of the injector may be again carried on. f

The valves r and 7c20 are called safetyvalves, because they are or may be of the saine construction as an ordinary safetyvalve; but it is to be understood that their function is not primarily to protect the chamber a against overpressure, but to hold back,

as it were, the tiuid, so as to maintain it under` a certain amount of pressure in the chamber, so that it will tend to enter and'permeate all parts of the material being acted upon, it being understood, however, that the pressure of the fluid entering the chamber is higher than that maintained by the said safety-valve, so that-there is practically a constant admission of fluid to the chamber and escape of fluid from the chamber through the said valve r While the operation is going on.

It may in some cases be desirable to dye the braid before bein g made up into hats or other articles, in which case the line of braid may be wound spirally and preferably only a single layer deep upon tubular cores b2 (see Fig. of. gauze, perforated plate, or other foraminous material, the said tubes being of ditierent size, so that one can be placed Within another, being supported, for example, upon a spider-or perforated base-piece Z222, provided with a rod b21, by which the material can be lowered into and removed from the chamber d.

The lherein-described plan of maintaining ebullition or agitation of the liquid around the material that is being acted upon by the liquid may be applied advantageoi'isly in some cases when itis not desired to raise the tcm peratu re above the boiling-point or when it is desired to keep the temperature below the normal boiling-point. For example, itis desirableiu bleaching at times to subject the material thoroughly to the action ot liquid without raising the temperature to any great extent, although the effectiveness of the liquor on the material `would be increased if its pressure could be raised, as the liquor 'would thus more thoroughly penetrate the interstices and meshes ot the material. This result can be effected with the herein-described apparatus by introducing air with or without condensed liquor into the chamber aand permitting it to escape through the pressure-valve 7G20, which may be set to maintain any desired pressure. To accomplish this result the apparatus may be provided with a pipe c3, extending from the compressed-air chamber to the-inlet of theinjector n, the pipes e30 and c3 being provided with stop-valves, so that either may be closed when the other is open. In this manner air at any desired temperature may be caused to enter the chamber a under sufficient pressure to maintain an agitation or" the liquor therein similar' to that produced by boiling, the said air passing out through the pipe 7c and pressure-valve 7t20, the outlet ot' which may, if desired, communicate Vwith a pipe 722, opening into the open air; but

as the air escaping from the chamber d will usually be heavily laden with moisture it may be desirable to close the pipe R22 and permit the air to pass into the condensing-coil 7s?, where the moisture will condense out. This pipe 732 also serves as a by-passage, through which steam in excess of that required to maintain the proper level of liquid in the chamber CL may be discharged from the apparatus; or as an equivalent for this purpose the overiioW of the injector may be used, the opening of theA overow permitting the water of condensation taken by the action of IlO the injector to be discharged at that point instead of being carried into the chamber d. In this way dilution of the dye-liquor can be prevented and it can be' maintained atthe proper strength. The return-pipe 7c3 is provided with a branch pipe 7a2", extending upward, which may then be opened to permit the air to escape while the liquid Hows by gravity down the pipe 7e3 and is carried back into the chamber a with the jet of air. It is as it might if the moisture were carried oft and dispersed,

I claim h l. In dyeing apparatus, the combination, with a tight-closed d ye-chamber having an inlet at the bottom and an outlet in the top thereof, of means for in jectin g through said inlet steam or heated air into the body of the dye-liquid to keep the same in ebullition under pressure in said chamber, and a pressurevalve controlling the outlet for permitting the escape at a predetermined pressure of steam or other gaseous fluid which may gather in the top of said chamber above the liquor, whereby the dye-liquor in the chamber is keptin continual ebullition or agitation under pressure, but without bodily movementinto, through,and ont of said chamber, and a condenser communicating on the one hand with the pressure-valve and on the other hand with the injector, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. In dyeing apparatus, the combination of a tight-closed dye-chamber having an inlet at the bottom and an outlet at the top thereof, means for injecting through said inlet steam into the body of the dye-liquid, a pressurevalve controlling the outlet for permitting the escape of steam, a condenser communicating on the one hand with the pressurevalve and on the other hand with theinjector, and a valve or cock controlled discharge-passage, such as 7022, whereby Huid in excess of that required to maintain the proper level of dye-liquor in the dye-chamber may be discharged from the apparatus, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. A dyeing apparatus comprising, in coinbination with one and the same tight-closed dye chamber, the preparing chamber and the compressed-air reservoir communicating through valve or cock controlled pipes with the upper part of said dye-chamber, the pressure-valve controlling an outlet in the top of the dye-chamber, the injector communicating with an inlet in the bottom of the dye-chainber, the condenser communicating on the one hand with the pressure-valve and on the other hand with the condenser, the exhaust f, and the pressure-valve r, connected by a valve or cock controlled pipe with the inlet in thebottom of the dye-chamber, all under the arrangement and for operation substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

4.- The combination, with a preparing-chamber provided with an inlet-passage, of two valves inclosing a chamber between them in said inlet-passage, a foraminous cage working through said passage, and a raising and lowering device for said cage, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the tight dyeingchamber and the. frame or support fort-he material to be dyed therein with an air-compressor and ducts for introducing compressed air into the upper partof said chamber and an outlet-duct at the lower part of said chamber provided with a pressure-valve, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. rlhe d ye-chamber provided with an overhanging flange around its open end and a lateral recess below said liange, combined with the laterally-movable cover working in said recess and adapted to seat against the under side of said fiange to close the cylinder, substantially as described.

7. The dye-cylinder provided with an overhanging iiange around its open end and a lateral recess below said flange, combined with the laterally-movable cover working in the said recess land adapted to seat against the under side of the said ange to close the cylinder, and cams provided with operating-handles outside the cylinder for seating and unseating the cover, substantially as described.

S. The dye-cylinder provided with an overhanging tiange around its open end and a lateral recess below the said flange, combined with the laterally-movable cover working in the said recess and adapted to seat against the under side of said ange to close the cylinder, and a rack and pinion for moving the said cover laterally into and out from the said recess, substantially as described.

9. Asupporting-frame for goods to be dyed, comprising a central stem and foraminous shelves, between which the goods to be dyed are placed, each pair of shelves between which goods are placed being separated from adjoining pairs by clear spaces to afford an unobstructed body of dyeing-liquor at various levels in the dyeing-chamber and between the several layers of goods, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.A

JAMES A. YOUNG.

Witnesses.

Jos. P. LIVERMORE, Jas. J. MALONEY.

IOO

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