US2168479A - Soaking machine - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 8, 1939. u J, E. JoHNsoN r-:r nu. 2,168,479v

-SOAKING MACHINE Original Filed May 24, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. s, 1939. .L E. JQH'NSQN er u. 2,168,479

-soAKI'NG MACHINE original Filed may 24; 1935 4 sheets-sheet 2 A wzl/75E'. 05%

Heavy 17kg,

GWA/13a.

Aug. s, 1939; J., E. JOHNSON Ew. 2,168,479

SOAKING MACHINE Original Filed May 24, 1935A 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 @ttm/Quad,

Aug. s, 1939. J. E. JQHNsaN am, 2,168,479 s'oAKING MACHINE Original Filed May 24; 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOAKING MACHINE Application May 24, 1935, Serial No. 23,317 Renewed July 25, 1938 4 Claims. Y (Cl. (iS-62) This invention relates to soaking machines for dyeing, tinting and sizing yarn. Heretofore machines employed for this purpose have been large and costly and for that reason have not been available to small mills. Furthermore such machines have required the use of large quantities of the treatment fluid and after the uid has served its purpose there has been a large amount left over which has been withdrawn to permit clean- 10 ing of the machine so that it might be made ready for .another quantity of liquid. Many times the liquid thus withdrawn has been wasted and where machines can operate with only large amounts of liquids, this handling of the treatment material 15 has presented a serious problem.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a self-contained unit of simple and eicient construction which can be sold at low cost and will be economical in operation.

It is a further obj ect to provide a machine which will operate on a very small amount of treatment fluid which is maintained in constant circulation so that a thorough mixing thereof is insured.

Another object is to provide a means for malntaining `a constant predetermined temperature of the liquid, the circulating heated liquid being so directed upon supported skeins of yarn as to insure .thorough uniform impregnation.

A further object is to support the skeins of yarn upon suitably controlled rollers whereby motion can be transmitted to the skeins as desired during which time the treatment liquid will be directed against the skeins from within the space sursounded thereby 'so that the treatment liquid will be sprayed outwardly onto the yarn and drained downwardly therealong for subsequent accumulation and return to the yarn under treatment.

`Another object is to provide a machine of this character the yarn supporting portions of which 0 can be quickly and easily shifted upwardly or downwardly for the purpose of facilitating the placing of the skeins or hanks in or removing them from position and for lowering them into or lifting them from the tank provided for holding 45 the treatment liquid.

`Another object is to provide means whereby the treatment material can be so directed against the supported skeins or hanks as to avoid injury to the most tender laments or bers.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, 55 it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the complete machine.

Figure 2 is a side elevation, the tank and a portion of the frame being in section.

Figure 3 is a front elevation, the tanks and one of the skein supporting units being shown in section.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4--4 Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section through one of the spray pipes, its spraying core being shown partly in elevation and partly in section.

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-6 Figure 5.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, I designates a suitable frame supporting a tank 2 having a lining 3 formed preferably of Monel metal or the like, this lining, in the present instance, being formed with a partition 4 whereby two separate treatment compartments 5 and 6 are provided. The bottoms of these compartments are spaced from the bottom of tank 2 so that a steam chamber 1 is thus formed beneath the compartments and extends throughout the width and length thereof. Steam is adapted to be conducted to and from this chamber 'I through suitably located pipes 8. The bottoms of the compartments 5 and B are inclined downwardly to a low point as indicated at 9 and at this low point in cach compartment 5 and 6 is an outflow pipe Ill leading to a pump I I adapted to be actuated by an electric motor I2. Near one of the outlets there is also provided a thermostat indicated generally at I3 which can control any suitable means not shown, for the purpose of regulating the flow of steam to the chamber 'I whereby the liquid contents of the compartments 5 and 6 can be maintained at a predetermined temperature.

The frame I is provided with upstanding tubular posts III arranged in pairs, each post carrying a guide pulley I5 at its upper end. In each of these posts is a counterbalance I6 mounted to slide freely and a cable or other iexible element I1 is secured at one end to each counterbalance and' extends upwardly over the adjacent pulley I5 and thence downwardly to a carriage IB. The carriage includes upper and lower transverse axles I9 and 20 each of which has wheels 2l on its ends adapted to travel along the adjacent posts I4. The wheels on axle I9 are arranged to travel along mounted relative to the tube.

the back portions of the posts while the wheels on the axle 20 are adapted to travel along the front portions of the posts. It is to be understood of course that the two axles are suitably connected so as to be maintained constantly in proper relation to each other, the connection being preferably in the form of a casting 22 which extends between the posts and also between the axles to which they are joined.

Journaled in the center portion of each casting 22 is a shaft 23 which extends forwardly beyond the carriage and also a short distance rearwardly therefrom, this rearwardly extended portion carrying a relatively large worm gear 24 and a pair of sprockets 25 and 26. Additional shafts 21 and 28 are also journaled in the frame member of casting 22 and are extended forwardly and rearwardly therefrom, the rearwardly extended portion of each of these shafts 21 and 28 being provided. with a sprocket 29. One of these sprockets receives motion through a chain 36 from sprocket 25 while the other sprocket 29 receives motion through another chain from the sprocket 26. As all of the sprockets are of the same size they will obviously rotate in the same direction and at the same speed when motion is transmitted to any one of them.

A suitable guard 3| can be mounted on the carriage so as to extend over the worm gear 24, the sprockets and the chains.

The posts of each pair are connected by a cross bar 32 which carries a bracket 33 in which is located a worm 34 carried by a shaft 35. This shaft is provided with a pulley 36 designed to receive motion through a belt 31 from a pulley 38 on the shaft of an electric motor 39 which is also supported by the bar 32. The worm is so located as to be engaged by gear 24 when the carriage I8 thereabove is brought to its lowermost position. The two parts have been shown in mesh at the right of Figure 1 and in Figure 4.

Shaft 23 carries a longitudinally corrugated arm 46 formed preferably of porcelain and provided near its ends with heads or flanges 4|. Similar arms 42 are carried by the shafts 21 and 28 and these arms are regularly spaced, parallel, and in the same horizontal plane.

A forked pipe 43 is mounted on each carriage I8 and the arms 44 of the fork open into a transverse pipe or header 45 from which extend parallel spray pipes 46 one of which is located beneath and parallel with each of the arms 40 and 42. Each spray pipe is closed at its outer end, as by a cap 41 and is provided near its top at opposite sides of its vertical center with longitudinal series of small outlet openings 48 through which jets of fluid are adapted to be discharged in upwardly diverging series.

In order that fluid admitted to each spray pipe may be discharged at practically the same velocity from all ofthe apertures, an elongated conical spreader 49 is supported within the tube with its point or apex extended toward the inlet end of the tube. This spreader is concentrically Thus as the uid ows within the spraying tube or pipe 46 the loss in volume as it approaches the closed or capped end of the tube will be compensated for by the spreader 49.

Extending from each pump I I is an outflow pipe 5|] having a valve 5I for controlling the flow of fluid from the pump. At a point between valve 5I and the pump II is arranged a drain pipe 52 having a valve 53 which is normally closed.

A flexible pipe 54 extends from the outflow pipe to the forked pipe 43 of the unit associated with said pump.

If desired, and as shown in diagram in Figure 4, each of the motors 39 can be of the reversible type and provided with an automatic relay switch shown generally at 55 whereby said motor can operate for a predetermined length of time in one direction and then automatically reverse so as to operate a predetermined time in the opposite direction. Reversing relay switches of this type are so common in the art that it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate it in any manner other than that shown in Figure 4.

Bearings 56 are secured to each pair of posts near their lower ends and journaled in the bearings is a rock shaft 51 having crank arms 58 connected by links 59 to the bottom portion of carriage I8. Another crank arm 60 is extended from each rock shaft 51 and is joined by a link 6I to a hand lever 62 carried by a short rock shaft 63 journaled in the frame I.

It is to be understood that the machine as described includes two independent units each with its carriage, its pump, its motors, and its operating mechanism for raising and lowering the carriage. The two units are combined with the respective compartments 5 and 6. Thus while one unit is being employed for carrying out a treatment operation, the other unit can be in position for loading, etc., or both units can be in operation simultaneously. In the drawings one unit has been shown lowered while the other unit is in its uppermost position.

When it is desired to dye, size, tint or otherwise treat yarns which are arranged in skeins or hanks,

the treatment material is placed in that compartment of the tank to be used. The amount placed in the compartment need merely be suffcient to prime the pump, ll the pipes up to the spray nozzles or tubes, and leave a small amount of the uid on the bottom of the compartment.

Steam within chamber 1 will maintain the fluid at a desired temperature and by operating the pump the fluid will be forced in upwardly diverging series of jets from the spray tubes 46, gravitate to the compartment thereunder and return to the pump.

Before the Huid is set in circulation the carriage to receive the skeins is elevated by swinging lever 62 of that particular unit forwardly. That will cause the arms 58 to swing upwardly and thrust through links 59 against the carriage until the carriage is brought to its uppermost position at which time the arms 58 and links 59 will be approximately on a dead center so that the carriage cannot be lowered until the lever 62 is forcibly moved back to its former position. While the carriage is thus elevated the skeins or hanks to be treated are suspended from the arms 40 and 42 so as to extend around the spray tubes or pipes 46. The carriage is then lowered so as to position the lower portions of the skeins within the compartment 5 or 6 thereunder and while they are thus located the motor I2 is operated so as to drive pump II and set up a circulation of liquid. Consequently the liquid will be delivered in upwardly diverging series of small jets which will come against the inner sides of the hanks or skeins close to the supporting arms. The force with which the liquid will strike these skeins can be regulated by valve 5I.

It will be understood that the jets of liquid after coming against the yarn will be sprayed between the strands and will then flow downwardly therealong and finally through the skeins at the bottom where surplus liquid will be co1- lected in the tank and again Withdrawn by the pump. It is desirable to supply the treatment liquid to the skeins before the arms 40 and 42 are rotated in order that the skeins may become thoroughly wetted and thus avoid any tendency to slip and tear or break on the arms.

-After a predetermined interval has been devoted to the initial wetting of the skeins or hanks.

the motor 39 is actuated and as thev worm gear 24 moved into mesh with worm 34 when the carriage was lowered, this motor, when started, will cause shaft 23 and its arm 40 to rotate in one direction at a predetermined speed while at the same time the sprockets and chains will drive the other arms 42 in the same direction and at the same speed.

Attention is called to the fact that when the carriage is in its lowermost position as shown for example in Figure 4, the links 59 and arms 5B are sufliciently near a dead center to lock the carriage in its lower position unless shifted by lever 62. Thus positive meshing of the gear 24 and worm 34 is insured. As the arms rotate the skeins or hanks will be moved thereby and as the treatment liquid is at the same time being sprayed upwardly and outwardly against the inner sides of these skeins or hanks, they will soon become thoroughly dyed, sized or tinted, according to the treatment being given. This is particularly true if the motor 39 is designed to automatically reverse after predetermined intervals.

By directing the jets of liquid upwardly along diverging lines they act to spray the yarn close to the arms and also tend to thrust the yarn away from the rotating arms, thereby to offset any tendency to stick to the arms and wrap around them.

The iiuid which is not absorbed by the yarn will ow downwardly along the skein and will seep through the lowest portion of the skein. Thus as the skein is in motion the saturation or soaking will become effected quickly and thoroughly. This method of applying the treatment fluid to the skein from the inside is of great importance.

While the skeins supported by one unit are beingv treated as described, previously treated skeins can` be removed from the arms of the other unit and untreated skeins placed in position so that the second unit can then be lowered to permit treatment as heretofore described. Thus with the two units a substantially continuous treating operation can be carried on.

In view of the small amount of liquid necessary in this machine, the losses due to waste are reduced to the minimum and because of the further fact that the machine is compact and can be sold at low cost, it is particularly useful in small mills the outputs of which do not justify the installation of machines commonly employed.

Any small amount of liquid remaining in the compartments after the desired treatments have been completed can be removed readily through the pipes 52 and stored in small containers for future use if desired.

As the tanks are lined with Monel metal or the like they will not corrode o-r otherwise deteriorate and can be cleaned easily and quickly. As there is no large amount of liquid lying dormant at any time within the compartments Si and practically all of the liquid is maintained constantly in a state oi agitation so that it will be kept well mixed while in use.

What is claimed is:

l. A soaking machine including a compartment for holding a treatment fluid, a carriage mounted adjacent to the compartment, an arm on the carriage for supporting in the compartment a movable skein of material to be treated, a spraying element xed on the carriage and beneath the arm, said element being positioned to be surrounded by the supported skein, said element having means for directing jets upwardly along diverging lines toward opposed portions of the skein to free portions of the skein from its supporting arm, and means for directing a treatment uid from said compartment to the spraying element.

2. A soaking machine including a carriage, a tank, means for raising and lowering the carriage relative to the tank, a skein supporting arm on the carriage, a spraying element xed on the carriage below and separate from the arm and positioned to be surrounded by a supported skein, and means operating independently of the posi tion of the carriage for directing a treatment uid into the spraying element, said spraying element having outlets for directing treatment material upwardly in diverging series of jets against opposed portions of the surrounding skein to press them from the supporting arm, a driving element, and means controlled bythe movement of the carriage to its lowest position for operatively connecting the driving element to the arm on the carriage.

3. A soaking machine including a compartment for holding a treatment iiuid, means adjacent to the compartment for supporting in the compartment a movable skein of material to be treated, a spraying element carried by said means and extending thereunder, said element being positioned to be surrounded by the supported skein, said element having means for directing jets upwardly along diverging lines toward opposed portions of the skein to free portions of the skein from the supporting means, and means for directing a treatment iluid from said compartment to the spraying means.

4. A soaking machine including a tank, a skeinsupporting arm, means for raising and lowering the arm relative to the tank, a sprayingelement aiiiXed relative to and located below and separate from the arm, said element being positioned to be surrounded by a supported skein, and means for directing a treatment iluid into the spraying element, said spraying element having outlets for directing treatment material upwardly in diverging series of jets against opposed portions surrounding the skein to press them from the supporting arm, and means for rotating the arm.

JOHN EDWIN JOHNSON. HENRY FREY.

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