THE London JOURNAL AND REPERTORY OF Arts, Sciences, and Manufactures. CONJOINED SERIES. No. CXXXVIII. Recent Patents. TO JOSEPH PARTRIDGE, of Bowbridge, near Stroud, in the county of Gloucester, dyer, for certain improvements in cleansing wool.-[Sealed 23rd July, 1842.] THESE improvements in cleansing wool consist in the adaptation of certain machinery for rolling, stamping, or beating and " swilling" the wool, after it has been passed through a scouring lye, or after it has been dyed; by means of which, the extraneous matter, adhering to the fibres of the wool, on its coming from the scouring or dyeing process, may be effectually removed. The usual mode of washing or cleansing wool, after scouring or dyeing, is by putting it in small quantities into a swilling basket, or a swilling trough; the former consists of an oblong frame of wood, wicker, or other material; on each side of which is placed a fence of fine wire-work, and at each end, either wire-work or a fence of pierced wood, or of copper, or other metal; the latter, or swilling trough, is usually an oblong wooden box, with wire-work at one end, and through these vessels a stream of running water is VOL. XXII. 2 M made to pass, the wool being agitated or thrown about therein by a long rod, having generally an iron fork or prong at the end of it, for more effectually taking hold of the wool. This throwing or dashing about of the wool is usually continued until it is supposed that the wool has become sufficiently cleansed; but this method has been found to be very defective, leaving a large portion of the scouring lye or dyeing matters attached to the wool, which is found to be very detrimental to the working of it up into cloth, and occasions an unnecessary expenditure of soap and oil, and mill-power, during the process of manufacture. The present improvements consist in forcing from the pores, tubes, or interstices of the wool, the soapy matter, or uncombined dyeing or other matter which it may contain. This is effected by the alternate compression and expansion of the wool whilst it is immersed in the stream of water, which is caused by passing it under rollers, stampers, or beaters, as the condition, color, or quantity to be cleansed, may require. same. In Plate XIV., fig. 1, is a plan or horizontal view of the rolling apparatus, and fig. 2, a sectional elevation of the A circular trough of wood a, a, a, about eighteen inches wide, is constructed and placed perfectly level upon horizontal masonry; in which trough one two or more rollers b, b, are made to travel round, somewhat after the manner of a cider-mill. The diameter of the trough, and the number of the rollers to be employed, must depend upon the quantity of work required to be performed by the machine. The rollers may be made of wood, stone, metal, or any other suitable material, not liable to injure the wool; they should be of about three feet diameter, and not less than 400 to 600 pounds in weight. The axle of each roller may be inserted into the socket of a jointed arm c, extending from a vertical shaft d, and this shaft may be made to revolve, for the purpose of giving rotary motion to the rollers by bevil gear, as represented. A pipe or pipes e, e, will be required to conduct a continuous stream or streams of water into the trough, which may be done by means of pumps, or an elevated head of water, and perhaps will have the best effect, if introduced through the bottom, in the circular space in the centre of the trough. There are also sluices, weirs, or water-falls f,f, at the sides of the trough, covered with gratings, or wire gauze, or perforated plates, for the discharge of the foul water; and these may be regulated by sluice-gates, or moveable shutters. The rollers should be made of such a width as would leave a free passage, on the side, for a portion of the water in the trough to recede, as the roller passes onward; and where two rollers are employed, as shewn in the figures 1, and 2, they should be so mounted on their axles, that one of them may roll round close to the outer periphery of the circular trough, and the other close to the inner periphery of the trough, by which means the whole of the mass of wool, in the trough, will be operated upon. The wool, intended to be cleansed, is to be spread over the bottom of the trough, when becoming immersed in the running stream of water, the mass of wool will expand or open; that is, its fibres will be separated by the saturation. As the rollers travel round the trough, they will pass over the mass of wool, and compress it, thereby squeezing out the water, and with it the foul matters attached to the fibres; and as soon as the roller has passed, the water again enters into the mass of wool and expands it as before. Thus, by the alternate compression of the wool by the rollers, and its expansion by the water, the current is enabled to cleanse and carry off all foul or extraneous matters, and bring the fibres of the wool into a sufficiently clean state for use. Where the supply of water is scanty, it has been found convenient to employ a stamping apparatus for cleansing wool, similar to that shewn in the two sectional elevations, figs. 3, and 4;-fig. 3, being a view, taken endways, and fig. 4, in front. A trough a, a, of about eighteen inches in width, and as long as may be convenient for the place in which it is to be situate, is to contain the wool; and b, b, are two stampers, raised and let fall perpendicularly by the agency of rotary tappet-arms c, c, or by any other con venient means. The sides of this trough may be made with strong perpendicular bars, at about one-eighth of an inch apart; or more open, if covered with perforated plates or wire gauze. The water, which is only required to keep the wool wet during the operation of the stampers, is introduced by jets, from a perforated pipe d, extending along the trough. The wool having been first washed, in the ordinary baskets, is placed in the trough a, a, under the stampers b, b, and the tappet-arms c, c, put in rotary action, by means of which the stampers will be raised and let fall in rapid succession. By thus beating upon the mass of wool, for a short time, the foul matters, upon its fibres, will be disturbed; after which, it is to be again washed in the ordinary basket, and by the repetition of these operations, a few times, the wool will become perfectly cleansed: this machine is chiefly useful where a fall of water cannot be conveniently obtained. The third machine is designed for the more perfect cleansing and opening of wool, after it has been scoured or dyed. Fig. 5, is a plan or horizontal representation of the machine; fig. 6, a vertical section of the same, taken longitudinally through the trough, at a short distance from the side; and fig. 7, a transverse section, taken through the trough, near the beaters. It consists of an oblong trough a, a, a, rounded at the ends, (somewhat like the trough of a paper or flock mill,) in which there is a water-course, of about two feet six inches in width; and also weirs, waterfalls, or sluices, to drain off the foul water as it passes round. The wool, to be cleansed, is placed in this trough, which is supplied with the needful quantity of water by one or more pipes, in any convenient way. Two peculiarly formed rollers b, b, are mounted in the sides of the trough, and made to revolve by bevil gear, connected to their axles, as shewn in the drawing. The peculiar construction of these rollers b, will be perceived by reference to the three lastmentioned figures of the drawing. Each roller has two, three, or more longitudinal ribs c, c, c, intended to operate as beaters upon the wool; and between these several beaters there are longitudinal rows of spikes or points d, d, d, intended to enter into and open or separate the locks or fibres of the wool. Both the beaters and points incline backwards at their operative parts, in order to prevent the wool being thrown over the roller. An adjustable bed e, occupies the bottom of the trough under the roller; which bed is capable of being slidden a little distance along the bottom of the trough, for the purpose of enabling the elevated part of the bed to be occasionally brought into closer approximation to the roller, in order that the wool may be more effectually operated upon by the rotary beaters and points, as it passes under them. This adjustment of the bed may be effected by a key, working in a recess below, as shewn; or by a rack and pinion, or other means. The wool, to be cleansed, having been placed in the trough, and the flow of water supplied thereto, rotary motion is given to the rollers, which produces a circulation of the water, and of the wool floating in it, round the trough. In this course, the wool passes over the beds, and beneath the rollers, and is thereby operated upon by alternate compression and expansion. Passing over the curved surface of the bed, the rotary beaters strike the wool and compress it, and the points separate or open it; which alternating operations cause the soap, filth, or coloring matters, to be removed from its fibres by the current of water; and this water, as it becomes foul, escapes at the weirs, water-falls, or sluices, in the ends of the trough. This last-described machine differs from the flock or papermills, both in its construction and in the purpose to which it is applied, inasmuch as it has weirs, water-falls, or sluices, to drain off the foul water; spikes, affixed to the roller, for opening, parting, or scattering the wool; and beaters for compressing it; but it is not designed, and consequently has no contrivance for grinding the wool into flock. The number of beaters and rows of points upon each roller must depend upon the character of the wool required to be cleansed; and so must also the speed at which the rollers are to be driven. The adjustment of the beds also, that is as to their approximation to the rollers, must depend upon |