US2260075A - Adjustable paddle wheel for dyeing machines - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 21, 1941. w. H. JEFFERIES' ADJUSTABLE PADDLE WHEEL FOR DYEING MACHINES 2 Sheets -Sheet' 1 Filed Nov. 23, 1940 I I I |||||l| I Illl Oct. 21, 1941. w. H. JEFFERIES 2,260,075

ADJUSTABLE PADDLE WHEEL FOR DYEING MACHINES I Filed Nov. 23, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 21, 1941 ADJUSTABLE PADDLE WHEEL FOR DYEING MACHINES 'William H. J efieries, Moylan, Pa.

Application November 23, 1940, Serial No. 366,839

6 Claims.

My inventionrelates to stirring means for circulating the bath in textile dyeing tanks and particularly to mechanism for adjusting the stirring to different depths of bath.

One purpose of the invention is to accommodate the so-called paddle wheel stirring means Within textile dyeing tanks or baths to vertical adjustment so as to permit the stirring :to be made effective within partially filled dye baths.

A further purpose is to mount the paddle wheel and its driving mechanism intended for stirring a bath in a tank upon vertically adjustable guided mechanism and to lift and lower the Wheel and mechanism as may be required according to the depth of intended engagement of the paddles with the bath.

Further purposes will'appear in the 'specifica tion and in the claims. 7 I have preferred to illustrate my invention b one form only selecting a form which has been found to be practical, effective and highly successful and which at the same time well illustrates the principles involved.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tank stirring paddle Wheel and mechanism for adjusting the paddle wheel height, embodying my invention.

Figure 1a is a fragmentary side elevation showing a modified form.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the structure seen in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged top plan view, partly in section, of the structure seen in Figure 2. V

Figure 4 is a fragmentary enlarged section corresponding generally to a portion of Figure 2i.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary enlarged section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2 to show a detail of :the construction.

In the drawings similar numerals indicate like parts.

In the dyeing of textiles such as the bath dyeing of stockings for example, it has been common for a great many years to provide a tank or vat .9 with curved bottom It] in which to hold the bath H', including the batches of stockings Within the bath, and to stir the bath at the top by a paddle wheel type of stirrer rotated about a horizontal supporting shaft 12. The individual paddles dip down far enough into the bath effectively to stir the bath and textile content. This has been very successfully applied to stirring a full bath, but has not had of course the same stirring effect when the bath was lowered and has been incapable of stirring a bath whose level is below the reach of theipaddles.

There .are many times when a small batch only of stockings, for example, is to be dyed and when a small quantity only of dye liquor is needed to supply the 'proper quantity ofdye. The dyer normally uses a tank such as :9 having curved bottom wall ID as shown in Figures 1 and 2. When a small batch is to be dyed he finds it necessary to use a bath of greater depth than that which otherwise would be required in order that he may get the stirring effect of the paddles. He cannot correspondingly dilute the bath and get the same dyeing'eifeot and as a consequence he must supply additional dyeing liquor for the purpose largely, if not entirely, of raising the bath level to a height at which the paddles will ive the bath proper circulation.

My invention affords quick, easy and effective means for varying the height of the paddle wheel with respect to the tank and thereby varying the 'depth of dip of the paddles into the tank to suit the height of the bath level.

In my invention as illustrated I not only provide in new construction variation in the height of the paddle wheel-and therefore in the height of bath requiredif the bath is properly to be stirred by the paddles, but also offer mechanism which can secure this result to advantage in existing tanks. v

Where it is intended to supply old tanks with .30 my invention I prefer to use a paddle wheel 13 of larger diameter than the paddle wheel which was in use previously in the tank, lifting the position of the bearings 14 and I5 :of the larger (new) paddle Wheel in normaluse with a full tank by approximately the distance by which the lengths of the new paddles I6 exceed the lengths of the paddles of the former wheel. I may, alternatively cut the upper part of the opposite walls I! of the tank to recess thetank at i8-to permit 40 the bearings of the old wheel or of a new but small wheel to go down farther into the tank, as in Figure la, or may use both such means. When applying the invention to existing tanks I prefer to secure my result by using a paddle wheel of larger diameter than that of the wheel previously used,and to make it adjustable upwardly from a lower limit at which the paddle wheel bearings lie approximately in the same position as the fixed paddle wheel bearings of the present constructions. This is preferred as compared with having the wheel drop into the tank through bearing-receiving recesses in the tank wall because the tanksof existing dyeing machines are designed fora normal fnll bath' and 55 content to be dyed makingit undesirable to .cut

its paddles are lifted or lowered to new posieij' tions.

The bearings at one end of the shaft are in-. t Y

terrupted to mount a worm wheel 24 upon the shaft. This worm wheel is engaged byla worm 25 on shaft 26 driven by a pulley 21. The shaft.

turns in suitable bearings 28. The pulley 21 is' driven as shown through a belt 29 from apulley 30 upon the same shaft 3| with the armature of electric motor 32. The motor is -mounted upon the slide by bracket 33.

The motor and drive through the worm and worm wheel rotate the paddle wheel whatever the height of adjustment of the wheel.

Near each end of the shaft I2 is located a fitting 34 which passes beneath the shaft to engage it or its bearings and which is flexibly connected as by cord or chain 35 with a drum 3%. The drum may be turned by hand wheel 31 and is held in its new position by engagement of a latch 38 with a ratchet 39 turning with the drum. The latch swings about a fixed pin 48. The two drums, one at each side of the tank, and the ratchet adjacent one of them are keyed to the same shaft 4|, which causes them to rotate together. Each flexible connection 35 is shown as passing over pulleys 42, 43 supported by any fixed frame member 44 so that the two slides may be lifted or allowed to lower within their intended range or adjustment by means of the hand-wheel 31 and latch and ratchet 38 and 39.

As thus constructed the paddle wheel in the preferred form is capable of adjustment from a height at which its bearings rest upon the sides of the tank, and at which the paddles have their maximum reach down into the tank, to stir a bath having a level below normal level, up to a height at which the paddles engage properly a full bath or even lift clear of the'batheven when the bath is of full quantity.

The height of location of the paddle wheel is determined by the handwheel and the wheel held by latch 38 fitting into ratchet 39. This affords any predetermined range of adjustment limited in downward position by the engagement of the bearings of the paddle wheel with the top of the tank or with the bottoms of any grooves which it is permissible to make in the side of the tank, The upper range of movement is that at which the paddles barely make the necessary cont act with the bath when it is full. The depth of adjustment is therefore controlled in large measure by the radial length of the paddles.

In whatever position the paddle wheel is set the wheel is driven through the motor, pulleys, worm wheel and worm so as to secure the desired circumferential speed of stirring paddle engagement with and in the bath. 7

Because the mechanism for rotating the paddle wheel is carried by one of the slides there will be proper driving of the paddle wheel in any of its adjusted positions. Because of the coincident lifting and lowering of the slidesor bearings-of the paddle wheel, the-axisof the wheel will be kept in parallel positions at all times and may be lifted and lowered without regard to whether the wheel be rotating at the time or not. The ratchet mechanism provides for holding the paddle wheel in any of its adjusted positions.

It will be evident that with the normal (eX- isting) smaller paddle wheel a considerable depth of bath must be supplied so that it has some such level as is indicated at A; in order that the paddles may be effective for the stirring, Whereas with the various additional depths of paddle extension down into the tank available by adjustment of the position of the larger wheel the paddles will stir variant depths of bath such as shown having level B, or level C, and even lower levels where the side of the tank is recessed to permit further lowering of the paddle wheel.

It should be noted also that because of the curved bottom of the bath a small quantity of bath will occupy a larger maximum depth of tank than will a corresponding addition of bath when the bath is more nearly full. As a result the lower level bath does not require as much depth of immersion of the paddles for corresponding stirring as is the case when the bath level is high.

In operation, the bath is made reasonably proportionate in quantity to the Volume of textile which is to be dyed, increasing the bath slightly above its proportion where the quantity is small. With the bath in place the paddle wheel is adjusted in height until the paddle blades dip into the bath to the desired extent. They need not dip quite so deeply into a low bath as into a full bath. The dyeing is then'effected as with existing tanks and their paddle wheels, the paddle wheel being turned forstirring as is the present wheel and without regard to the height of paddle wheel adjustment In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore; claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spiritand scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what'I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1

1. In dyeing mechanism a tank adapted to contain a bath, paddle wheel stirring mechanism for the bath, means for lifting the paddle wheel or for allowing it to lower with respect to-the tank and for holding the wheel at any height in its path of lifting and lowering and a motor gearing lifting and lowering with the paddle wheel, constantly connected with the wheel for rotating the paddle wheel to cause it to perform the stirring function.

2. In dyeing mechanism, a tank, paddle wheel means for circulating a bath within the tank, guides adjacent opposite walls of the tank, slides movable-up and down in the guides,'bearings for the paddle wheel mounted upon the slides, means mounted upon one of the slides for rotating the paddle wheel and means common to both slides for lifting the slides or for allowing them -to lower together.

3. In dyeing mechanism, a tank, a paddle wheel stirrer mounted above the tank, adapting its paddles to dip down into the tank and stir the tank content, adjusting means for raisingand lowering the paddle wheel bodily to alter the depth of entry of the paddles into the tank and driving mechanism including gearing for rotating the wheel, constantly connected with the wheel to rotate it at all heights of adjustment of the paddle Wheel.

4. In dyeing mechanism, a tank, paddle Wheel means for circulating the bath within the tank, guides upon opposite Walls of the tank, slides movable up and down in the guides, bearings for the paddle Wheel mounted upon the slides, means for changing the positions of the slides, and rotating mechanism for the paddle wheel including driving mechanism and transmission mechanism connected with the wheel to rotate the paddle wheel at all heights of slide movement.

5. In dyeing mechanism, a tank adapted to hold a dyeing bath, a paddle wheel having paddles which dip down into the tank, a paddle wheel shaft, bearings for the shaft extending at both shaft ends beyond the walls of the tank, slides, one for each end of the shaft, guides secured to the tank walls and controlling the path of movement of the slides, a drum shaft supported upon the tank, drums upon the drum shaft, means for rotating the drum shaft, pulleys supported above the tank walls, flexible connections through the pulleys, one between each drum and one end of the shaft, whereby rotation of the drum lifts the two slides together along with the paddle wheel or allows them to lower, and rotary means, connected with the wheel throughout the range of slide movement for turning the wheel in different positions of height adjustment.

6. In dyeing mechanism, a tank, paddle wheel means for circulating a bath within the tank, guides adjacent opposite wall-s of the tank, slides movable up and down in the guides, bearings for the paddle wheel carried by the slides, a paddle wheel shaft, a worm wheel carried by the shaft, a worm supported from one of the slides engaging the worm wheel, motor driving mechanism for the worm also carried on the slide and means for raising the slides together or allowing them to lower.

WILLIAM H. JEFFERIES.

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