US554289A - Wool-washing machine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

M. MUSGREAVE.

WOOL WASHING MAGHNB. 4 No. 554,289. Patented Peb. 11-,` 1896).

IN VEN TOI?? WITNESSES: um

MARK MUSGREAVE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

wooL-WASHI'NG lvfAopHlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,289, dated February 11, 1896. Application tiled August Z3, 1-894. Serial No. 521,077. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern: Y

Be it known that I, MARK MUsGRnAvE, of

ment in "Wool Vashin g or Securing Machines,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wool washing or scouring machines; and it consists of certain improvements which are fully set forth in the following specification and are shown in the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a wool-washingmachine in which the Wool is carried through the liquor in a suitable tank by means of a traveling conveyer provided with depending rakes or frames which 'act upon the wool.

It is the object of my invention to produce a machine of this character of compact, simple and economical construction, and to enable the wool to be more positively and easily carried through the liquor and delivered to the squeeze-rolls. For this purpose I employ a series of rakes loosely connected or hinged to a traveling conveyer, so as to be normally free to depend by gravity, in combination with a guide arranged along the tank and extending to a point adjacent to the squeeze-rolls adapted to act upon the rakes and lock them with reference to the conveyer while they are traveling through the tank,and until they reach the squeeze-rolls, so that they will act positively upon the wool to move it along. lVhen the rakes pass from the guide they are free to swing into a vertical position by gravity and to remain in that position as the conveyer travels. The rakes remain rigid until they deliver the wool to the squeeze-rollers and then are released and swing back into a vertical position or beyond a vertical position. The rakes thus remain rigid until they deliver the wool directly tothe squeeze-rollers, and as they are released and allowed to hang vertically or substantially so after they have delivered the Wool to the rolls they may move closer to them and will not carry the wool beyond the rolls. As the rakes hang vertically as the conveyer passes about the guides instead of projecting radially, as would be the case if they were rigidly connected with the conveyer, it is apparent that a shorter and more compact machine may be employed. lliyinvention also embraces novel constructions and combinations, which are hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

I shall now refer to the accompanying drawlings for the purpose of more particularly de- C O are the squeeze-rollers at the delivery end of thetank. In the drawings I have shown the rear end of the diaphragm B inclinin g upward to the squeeze-rollers.

D are a pair of endless chains which carry the rakes E and travel about suitable pairs of spocket-wheels F F F2 F3, of which preferably one pair, as F, is operated to drive the chain. The chains travel for a portion of their length over the tank A so as to submerge the rakes E in the liquor.

The rakes E are pivotally connected with the chains D, as by the lateral studs d carried by links of the chainsand engaging holes g in elongated heads or blocks G on the ends of the upperportion of the rakes, or vice versa. These blocks or heads G are adapted to enter ways or guides I-I, arranged along the ytop of the tank A and adapted to lock the rakes against movement on their pivots d, whilethe blocks are traveling through ways Il. I prefer'to make the ends of the blocks or heads with curved or inclined faces 7L, so as to reduce friction and permit the blocks to easily enter the ways and turn through the bend therein, where the Ways incline up to correspond with the inclination of the diaphragm B to the rollers C C. i

The front entrance to the ways II I-I is preferably enlarged, as atf, to receive the heads G.

The rakes E are provided with the depending portions or fingers I, which extend down close to or in contact with the face of the diaphragm B. As the blocks or heads G enter the Ways I-I and become locked against movement on their pivots, the rakes are held fixed IOO and remain so until the blocks G pass out of the ways Il at the rear end of the machine. The rakes are thus locked while they travel over the diaphragm B, and they will carry the wool over the diaphragm and deliver it to the squeeze-rollers C C. When the blocks G pass from theV ways H the rakes become unlocked and are permitted to swing upon their pivots, and to hang freely until they again enter the forward ends of the ways. Then released the rakes may assume a position slightly to the rear of a vertical line. The rakes may pass freely between the pairs of spocket-wheels F F P2 F3, which are preferably supported on independent brackets on each side of the machine. It will be observed that as the rakes pass through the inclined portion of the ways .they are thrown from a vertical position so that their ends travel in an upwardly inclining position to the squeezerolls, thus carrying the wool out of the liquor and delivering it directly to the rolls. This movement of the rakes directly to the bite of the rolls C C ispossible because the rakes are released and permitted to assume a more or less vertical position immediately after they have reached the rolls() C.

The release of the rakes E E, so that they assume a more or less vertical position, prevents them from carrying the wool beyond the squeeze-rolls, asthe wool will slip oif the iingers I Iby gravity.

By supporting the rakes so that they will swing back slightly beyond the vertical line, the freeing of the rake-fingers from such portions of Wool as may tend to adhere may be more effectively accomplished.

I have shown the upper squeeze-roller C carried in spring-pressed bearings c depressed by a lever or leversJ restingupon the bearings c and having its free end connected by an adjustable rod K with aleaf-spring L on the frame of the tank A. The upper end of the rod K passes through the lever J, and a spring M is interposed between the upper end of the rod and the lever. The tension of the spring M may be regulated by a nut II on the rod.

The sprocket-wheels F may be driven in any suitable manner. I have shown them operated from a shaft O through sprocketwheels P P', chain P2 and pairs of gears P3 P4.` The gears P3 may be carried on a common shaft p, and may each gear with agear P4 connected with one of the sprocket-wheels F.

Q is asubmerging-rolier journaled over the diaphragm Bin the front of the tank, which is extended beyond the line of travel of the chains D. This submerging-roller is provided with radial wings R curved in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the roller. The roller Q vis journaled so that the wings or fingers will pass into the liquor in the tank. front end of the tank is depressed by the wings or fingers R, and is submerged in the liquor. Thus the concave face of the wings The woolwhich is thrown into the acts upon the wool and the wool will not adhere to the win gand be lifted from the liquor as the same rises, but will freely slip from the concave face. The wings R are shown continuous across the length of the roller.

The construction and use of the submerging-roller are not material to my invention.

The wool which is submerged by the roller Q falls upon the diaphragm and rests there until it is taken by the rakes E. It is then carried forward upon the diaphragm through the squeeze-rools C C, as has been described.

The roller Q may be rotated in any suitable manner, as by asprocket-ehain S driven by a sprocket-wheel T on the journal of the sprocket wheel F2 and passing about a sprocket-wheel T on the shaft of the roller Q.

The details of construction shown may be varied without departing from the invent-ion.

Having lnow described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wool washing lor scouring machine, the combination with the tank and squeezerolls, of a traveling conveyer moving over the tank, a series of loosely-supported depending rakes carried by the conveyer, a rake-lockin g guide arranged along the tank and extending up to a point adjacent to the squeeze-rolls adapted to lock the loosely-supported rakes against movement with reference to the conveyer while they are being carried up to the squeeze-rolls, whereby the rakes. may be caused to convey the material in the tank directly to the squeeze-rolls, and may then be released or unlocked from the guides.

2. In a wool washing orscouring machine, the combination with the tank and squeezerolls, of a guide within the tank extending up to the squeeze-rolls, a traveling conveyer movingl over the tank, Aa series of loosely-supported depending rakes carried by the conveyer, a guide arranged along the tank and extending up to a point adjacent to the squeeze-rolls and over the guide within the tank leading to the squeeze-rolls, adapted to lock the loosely-supported rakes against movement with reference to the conveyer while they are being carried up to the squeezerolls, whereby the rakes may be caused to convey the material in the tank directly to the squeeze-rolls, and may then be released or unlocked from the guides.

3. In a wool washing vor scouring machine, the combination with the tank and squeezerolls, of a perforated diaphragm within the tank havingA an upwardly-extending` portion to the squeeze-rolls, a-traveling conveyer, a series of loosely-supported rakes carried by the conveyer and depending, into the tank when carried over it, and a guide arranged over the tank to lock the rakes against movement with reference to the conveyer when travelingA over the tank, having an upward extension over the upward extension of the diaphragm-to the squeeze-rolls, whereby the rakes are locked by said guide up to the point IOO IIC)

of delivery to said squeeze-rolls and are then unlocked and permitted to swing into normal position under the action of gravity.

4. In a Wool Washing and scouring maehine the combination of a tank, a pair of squeezerollers at one end of the tank, a perforated diaphragm Within the tank below the liquorlevel and inolining upward at one end above the liquor-level to tl1e.squeeze-rolls, a conveyer arranged to travel over the tank provided with a series of ldepending rakes loosely supported by the oonveyer at their upper ends, and a guide arranged along the tank above the perforated diaphragm and having an upwardly-inelinng portion extending above the upWardly-nolining portion of the diaphragm, adapted to aot upon the rakes and look them against movement with reference to the oonveyer While they are traveling over the perforated diaphragm and until they deliver the Wool to the squeeze-rolls.

In testimony of which invention l have hereunto set my hand.

MARK MUSGREAVE. Titnesses z ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER,

' C. H. NEWCOMB.

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