DK158798B - PROCEDURE AND APPARATUS FOR SURFACE DESIGN OF A MATERIAL COAT - Google Patents

Description

DK 158798 B

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating surface patterns on a textile material web containing thermoplastic fibers, passing the web over an outflow manifold 5 extending over the web from which branched streams of heated gas under pressure can be established. is directed toward the surface of the material web.

It is known how certain acrylic pile fabrics are imparted to a surface pattern at roll embossing, whereby the pile surface is brought into contact with raised surfaces on the roll, whereby the heated pile fibers are pressed down against the back of the fabric and the surface pattern of the roll is transferred to the fabric surface. A roll stamp printing on heated luv fabrics is rather expensive because a different pattern roll is required for each pattern to be applied to the fabric and the length of a pattern repetition on the fabric is limited by the circumference of the pattern roll. In addition, it is believed that the patterns produced on acrylic pile fabrics by embossing can generally not be obtained by roll stamping on melt-spun thermoplastic wire fabrics such as nylon and polyester pile fabrics due to the difficulty of obtaining the required high temperatures. which causes the threads to shrink sufficiently and become heat-attached, as well as due to the included propensity for the threads to adhere to the embossing roller.

25 In the dyeing of fabrics, it is known where a continuous fabric is patterned by using continuously supplied liquid streams of dye which, by means of intersecting air currents controlled in accordance with the pattern information, are deflected so that they do not hit the fabric.

30 U.S. Patent No. 3,969,779 and U.S. Patent No. 4,059,880 describe apparatus used for this purpose.

It is well known how apparatus which conducts compressed air or steam to the surface of textile fabrics is used to change the location of or modify the thermal properties of the fibers or wires to provide a change in the surface of such fabrics.

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2 flat looks. U.S. Patent No. 3,010,179 discloses apparatus for treating synthetic pile fabrics by directing a plurality of dry steam jets to the surface of a by-pass fabric to change the direction 5 of the pile fibers in the areas brought in contact with the steam, after which the fabric is dried and heated to heat cure the fibers in the bent position and provide a visible effect simulating a fur coat. U.S. Patent No. 2,563,259 discloses a pattern forming pattern on sealed pile fabric by conducting a plurality of air flows toward the sealed surface of the fabric prior to the last heat treatment of the adhesive in which the fibers are positioned to change the plywood. the direction of the fibers and produce certain patterns therein. U.S. Patent No. 3,585,098 discloses an apparatus for treating the peat surface of a fabric by hot air or dry steam to loosen the stresses of the synthetic fibers and cause the fibers to change direction and curl throughout. substance. U.S. Patent No. 2,241,222 discloses an apparatus having a plurality of nozzle openings for conducting compressed air or vapor perpendicular to a fluffy fabric surface to thereby raise and curl the fluffy fabric of the fabric. U.S. Patent No. 2,110,118 discloses a manifold with a narrow slot for conducting compressed air to the surface of a fabric containing groups of tufts in order to render the tufts downy during a textile treatment procedure.

Although it is generally stated in the above-mentioned patents that compressed air and vapor can be used to change the surface appearance of the fabrics, the devices described lack sufficient accurate and precise control of the 30 high temperature gas streams to produce very precise and complicated surface patterns with well defined boundaries. but can generally only be used to produce relatively roughly defined surface patterns or random, undefined surface fiber modifications. Finally, with the devices only a limited number of different patterns can be produced on the fabrics.

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By modifying surface appearance of relatively moving substrates such as a textile fabric using fluid flows, many difficulties arise in controlling flow rate, pressure and flow direction with a reliability and accuracy sufficient to impart accurately defined and complicated patterns to the fabric. In addition to difficulties in the efficient treatment of very high temperature fluids, at the same time maintaining a uniform temperature in the fluid streams across the passing substance, and in connection with getting heated streams rapidly activated and deactivated by conventional means. valves arranged in the heated fluid flow tube.

When a heated fluid such as heated air or steam is applied to the surface of a substance in one or more distances spaced along an elongated manifold, difficulties arise in maintaining a uniform temperature in the stream or streams throughout the width of the manifold. If a pressurized heated fluid is introduced into the manifold from a single point along the manifold for outflow from an elongated narrow slot or a plurality of openings along the manifold, the varying flow distances of the fluid through the manifold and the varying distances from the heat source of fluid 25 varying temperature drops in the fluid streams flowing from the manifold.

When the heat of the fluid in the streams is used to thermally modify the thermoplastic yarns and fibers of the fabrics so as to produce longitudinal contraction and molecular rearrangement to produce a desired pattern in the fabric, temperature differences in the currents affecting the fabric can produce undesirable irregularities in the pattern applied thereto. Therefore, it is important to ensure that all currents affecting the fabric are of practically uniform temperature. In addition, impurities in the heated fluid can easily block and clog the fluid application means 4

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small nozzle openings, which means that time has to be spent removing the treatment apparatus to clean the clogging and waste of material due to improper pattern making in the apparatus during such clogging.

From US Patent No. 3,585,098, it is known in the art to treat a web of material by a series of successive fluid streams, each extending across the web. Further, GB patent specification 1,063,252 discloses producing a textured surface of new 10 textile materials by means of a pressurized liquid. Liquid jets are sent to the surface of the material from a variety of jet nozzles which may be provided with outlets of varying shape and size. Also, the devices mentioned in the latter two letters cannot be used to surface pattern a textile material web by means of heated gas under pressure.

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus which, more safely and accurately than has hitherto been possible to obtain by known apparatus and methods, produce surface patterns on textile web materials by means of pressurized heated gas.

The stated object is achieved by a method of the kind according to the invention which according to the invention is peculiar to the measures according to the characterizing part of claim 1 and an apparatus which is of the kind specified in the preamble of claim 6 and which according to the invention is peculiar in the characterizing part of claim 6.

The process according to the invention is characterized in that uniformly heated pressurized gas is supplied to the outflow manifold, formed into a flat stream of pressurized gas of uniform thickness and temperature, which extends over the path of the textile material web and straight to the surface of the material web. the flat heated pressurized gas stream extending across 5

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the longitudinal direction of the web, mechanically and / or pneumatically, is divided into a number of subcurrent extensions extending along the width of the web.

In one embodiment of the method, the mechanical current splitting in the outflow manifold can be effected by introducing spaced blocking elements located in the transverse direction of the web to divide the main stream into a plurality of parallel partial streams.

The splitting of the flat main stream can also be made pneumatically, by leading a plurality of cold gas pressurized splitting jets across the direction of movement of the main stream at a number of spaced apart transverse directions of movement of the web to provide seen parallel partial flows. The pressurized cold gas splitting jets 15 can be introduced into the manifold in the space between the blocking elements. The temperature of the heated gas can be controlled by supplying the gas to the manifold in the form of several single streams, which are heated individually and temperature controlled individually.

As mentioned above, the invention also includes an apparatus for practicing the aforementioned method. The apparatus is of a kind including a conveying device for the material web and an outlet manifold by which a heated gas flow under pressure against the surface of the material web 25, the outlet manifold including an internal chamber for receiving pressurized heated gas and a narrow, elongated outlet slot for and the characteristic of the apparatus is that at least one mechanical power divider is located in the outlet slot and / or at least one outlet for 30 cold compressed air is located in the wall of the slot for dividing the gas flow under pressure in the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction of the slot.

The mechanical power divider may be configured as a plate with ribs projecting into the outlet slot of the chamber and forming between them recesses extending in the direction of movement of the material web. The apparatus may be formed with 6

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a pattern control device which controls valves for supplying cold gas under pressure to the outlet nozzle of the manifold depending on the pattern information.

The manifold may be connected to pressurized gas supply lines for which individual heating and temperature control devices are provided, which are equipped with individual valves for flow control, and the internal chamber of the manifold may be provided with a thermocouple which cooperates with control. devices.

10 Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the apparatus according to the invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic view of the front side of the portion of FIG. 1, which shows the pressurized heated gas and shows the design of its individual parts which supply pressurized both heated and relatively cold gas to the hot gas distribution manifold of the applicator 20; 2A is a schematic block diagram showing the manner in which the electrical energy is fed to the heater assembly of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 in order to control the temperature of the pressurized fluid which is then fed to the distribution pipe for distribution of the heated fluid; FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic perspective view of a portion of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, some parts are removed and shown in section to show some of the inner components and an intermediate plate disposed in the oblong slot of the manifold for the purpose of imparting a desired surface pattern to a textile material; . 4 is a schematic section through the hot gas distribution manifold of FIG. 3, which further illustrates the use of the 35 compressed gas distribution means to selectively block parts of the hot gas flowing from the branch pipe 7

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fig., to produce a pattern on the textile material; 5 is a schematic sectional view of a portion of FIG. 4, the section 5 being taken along the line V-V in FIG. 4 and seen in the direction indicated by the arrows; FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a modified design of the hot gas manifold with the intermediate plate removed from the gas manifold side of the manifold and only with the coolant gas distributors 10 used to control the hot gas outflow from the slot; FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of parts of the embodiment of FIG. 6, taken along the line VII-VII shown in this figure and seen in the direction indicated by the arrows; FIG. Figure 8 is an enlarged schematic perspective view of those of an intermediate plate used in the hot gas manifold to distribute the gas in narrow, separate streams over the surface of the substrate; Figures 9 and 10 show schematically the method by which the treatment apparatus according to the invention can be used to lift the pile on a substrate of a textile pile fabric, the pile yarns of the fabric having a substantially similar slope, and fig. 11-15 are photographs of the surface of certain new textile fabric products which have been applied to patterns of treatment in accordance with the apparatus and method of the invention.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for restructuring the surface of textile material in order to provide them with visible surface change by means of heated gas under pressure. In particular, the apparatus comprises a distribution manifold for a heated gas having a narrow elongated slot disposed across the path of movement of the substrate and close to the surface to be treated.

A pressurized gas, such as air, of high temperature, e.g. 150 ° -370 ° C, is passed to the manifold and passed from 8

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the slit is generally perpendicular to the surface of the passing substrate, while the hot air outflow is controlled to guide it in one or more narrow, precisely defined streams which hit the substrate surface for the purpose of imparting it a desired surface change. In the case where the substrate comprises textile fabrics containing thermoplastic yarns or fibers, the heated air hitting the substrate causes thermal changes to the thermoplastic fiber and yarn components of the fabric, thereby changing its physical appearance as the fibers and yarns in selected regions contract. longitudinally together so that patterns with precisely defined boundaries are formed.

In one embodiment of the invention, a heated gas species such as air is selectively divided into precisely defined streams by means of an elongated spacer along which one spaced apart edge, the edge along which the notches are formed, is arranged along with the bore of the manifold, thereby providing spaced-apart ducts which direct the air in a number of narrow streams toward the surface of the passing textile material. The spacer plate is further configured to provide filtration of foreign particles from the air to prevent clogging of the ducts while maintaining continuous flow of air through them.

In a further embodiment, the treating apparatus comprises means for selectively conducting pressurized relatively cool gas streams across the slit of the manifold from areas spaced along it, thereby effectively blocking the passage of hot air, thereby preventing it from hitting the textile material in such areas in accordance with the pattern guide information. The pressure means for the pressurized cooling gas comprise suitable valves for individually controlling the flow of each of the blocking streams of cooling gas, such as air, and the cooling gas locking means can be used in the slit of the manifold.

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or without the above-mentioned interlayer plate for selectively producing a pattern on the surface of the textile material in accordance with the pattern information.

In a further embodiment, pressurized air is supplied to each heater through separate conduits, each containing a fluid flow metering valve to independently and accurately control the fluid flow through each heater.

Referring now to the drawing, which 10 shows a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the entire treatment apparatus. As shown schematically, a textile fabric web 10 is continuously fed from a source of supply, such as a roller 11, by means of driven feed rollers 15, 12, 13 whose speed can be varied, to a means 14 for treatment with a pressurized heated gas. . The moving web 10, while the heated gas is applied to it, is supported by a support roller 16, and the treated fabric is then guided to a fabric winder roll 20 by means of driven take-off rollers 18, 19, whose speed can be varied.

A conventional fabric edge guide member 21 well known in the art may be placed in the fabric web between the feed rollers 12, 13 and the processing means 14 to maintain the lateral direction of the fabric as it passes 25 over the support roll 16. The speed of the feed rolls 12, 13, of the support roll 16 as well as the take-off rolls 18, 19 can be controlled in a known manner for the purpose of providing the desired rate of substance feeding as well as the desired tightening of the substance being introduced, passing through and leaving the processing means 14.

As shown in FIG. 1 and 2, the pressurized fluid treatment means 14 comprises an elongated heated gas discharge manifold 30 extending perpendicular to the direction of movement of the fabric web 10 and provided with a narrow 35 elongated outflow slot 32, the purpose of which is to conduct a pressurized heated gas such as air , against the fabric surface

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10 at an angle generally perpendicular to the surface during its movement over the support roll 16.

A pressurized gas, such as air, is fed to the interior of the outflow manifold 30 by means of a compressed air pump 34 connected through the conduit 36 to the two opposite ends of an elongated cooling air manifold or main pipe 38. the flow and pressure of the air in the manifold 38 is arranged in the conduit 36 a main control valve 40 and an air pressure control valve 42.

There is also a suitable air filter 44 for removing impurities from the air entering the cooling air manifold 38.

The pressurized air in the cooling air manifold 38 is passed from the manifold 38 to the interior of the hot air manifold 30 through an assembly 46 of individual electric heaters of which two, 48 are shown in FIG.

2. Each heater is connected to the inflow and outflow pipes 50 and 50, respectively. 52, arranged at regular intervals along the two branches 38, 30 for the purpose of heating the pressurized air from the manifold 38 and distributing it evenly along the entire length of the outlet manifold 30. For a typical approx. 1.5 m long outflow manifolds can 24 one kilowatt electric heaters whose outflow pipes 52 are arranged with approx. A 6.5 cm gap along the manifold is used in the heater assembly 46. The heater assembly 46 may be mounted in a suitable insulated housing.

In each of the inflow pipes 50 for each heater 48 in the heater assembly is provided a manually adjustable flow meter valve 61, the purpose of which is to precisely control the flow rate of the pressurized air from the main pipe 38 through each of the heaters 48. The valves may advantageously be of the needle-life type for accurate flow control, and this application is explained in more detail below.

A temperature sensing means such as a thermocouple 11 is arranged in the outflow tube 52 from each of the heaters.

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of which an element 54 is shown in FIG. 2, and whose purpose is to measure the temperature of the air flowing from each heater.

Each of the thermocouples 54 is electrically connected by means of a suitable wiring to a conventional electric waveguide 58, at which all the air temperatures in the outflow pipes from the heaters can be observed and read either visually or by audible signals. The electric current is fed evenly and as needed to the individual heating bodies from a common power supply source commonly designated 60.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the electric heaters 48 are connected in parallel by suitable electrical wiring 22 to a common power supply source 15 60. In the power supply source wire to the individual hot bodies 48 is placed a known power control means 24 such as a controlled silicon inverter, model 7301, manufactured by "Electronic Control Systems ". In the interior of the outflow manifold 30 is disposed approximately in the middle thereof a temperature sensing means or thermocouple 26 (Fig. 2A) electrically connected to a conventional temperature control means 28 such as a control unit / model 6700 manufactured by "Electronic Control Systems" . The temperature control means 28 is in a known manner electrically connected to the power control means 24, so that a desired temperature can be maintained in the interior of the outflow manifold 30 by periodically supplying uniform electrical energy to the heaters 48 in the heater assembly 46.

As best seen in FIG. 3, 4 and 6, the outflow manifold 30 is formed of upper and lower wall portions 62, 64, which are removably secured to each other by suitable fasteners such as double bolts 66 for forming the inner chamber 68 of the outflow manifold 68 and the elongated outflow slot 32 facing 35 parallel walls 70, 72.

Before it is effected through the slot 32, it is guided 12

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heated air, which is discharged from the outlet pipes 52 of the heater assembly 48 into the chamber 68 of the outflow manifold 30, backwards and thereafter by a reversing path through the outflow manifold chamber (shown by the arrows) by means of a baffle 74 forming a narrow elongate bore chamber 68 for the purpose of allowing the air to pass from the upper portion of the chamber to its lower portion. In this way, the baffle 74 provides a more uniform distribution of air in the outlet manifold chamber and further facilitates the maintenance of a uniform air temperature and air pressure in the outlet manifold. The guide plate 74 is supported in the chamber 68 by the spacer sleeves 76 around the bolts 66.

As best seen in FIG. 4-7, a plurality of cooling air outlet openings 78 are provided in the wall surface 72 of the lower wall portion 72 of the outlet manifold 15 along the outlet slot. which in turn is connected to a compressed air pump by means of the one shown in FIG. 2, pipe 20 86. In the pipe 86 there is arranged a main control valve 88, an air pressure control valve 90 and an air filter 92.

As schematically shown in FIG. 2, each of the solenoid valves is electrically connected to a suitable pattern control means 94 which transmits electrical pulses which open and close selected solenoid valves in accordance with a predetermined pattern information. Various conventional conventional pattern control means well known in the art can be used to activate and deactivate the valves in the desired order. The pattern guide may typically be of the type described in U.S. Patent No. 3,894,413.

As shown in FIG. 4, 5 and 6, each cooling air outlet opening 78 is disposed in the lower wall surface 72 of the outflow slot 32 to direct a compressed air stream of relatively cool air over the heated air outflow 13.

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in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the heated air through it. The pressure of the colder air streams is maintained at a level sufficient to effectively shut down and stop the movement of heated air in the portion (s) into which the cold air stream flows.

By activating and deactivating the individual cooling air streams by means of the solenoid valves 82 in accordance with the information of the pattern controller 94, the pressurized heated air passing through the slit is conducted in one or more bounded streams to desired areas of the fabric surface which is in motion thereby producing a pattern effect in the surface of the fabric web 10 as it moves past the outflow manifold. The cooling air, which blocks the movement of the heated air, flows out through the slit instead of the heated air and spreads in or around the fabric surface without altering the chemical properties of the fabric or causing a noticeable disturbance to the yarn or its fibers. Note the arrows showing the direction of the air flow in FIG. 4, 6 and 7.

20 In order to ensure that the cold barrier air is kept sufficiently cold so that the substance is not affected or thermally altered, the ambient air can be further cooled before it flows out through the outlet slot 32 by means of a cooling water main pipe 95 through which the cooling air conduits 80 walks.

However, while refrigerated air barrier means, as specifically described herein, are preferred for controlling the outflow of the pressurized heated gas streams, other types of barrier means such as movable baffles 30 or the like may, however, also be used in the elongate slot 32 to selectively prevent outflows. the pressurized heated air to the fabric.

Upon starting the fluid treatment apparatus, electrical power is applied uniformly to the heaters 48 of the heater assembly 46 of the power supply source 60, and pressurized air is passed through the heaters of the compressed air.

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14 the pump 34. The temperature control means 28 is set to a selected temperature. When the air temperature in the outflow manifold chamber, which is measured by the thermocouple 26, reaches the desired temperature setting, the individual air temperatures in the air outlet tubes are observed from each of the individual heaters of the curve printer 58. If there are temperature differences between one or more of the curve printers at the output air temperatures observed for the individual heaters, the control flow needle valve 61 is manually set in the heater unit (s) in which the deviation is observed with a small size to increase or decrease the air flow through the heater, thereby correspondingly decreasing or increasing the temperature of the air. flowing from the individual heaters. Thus, the individual 15 outlet air temperatures from the entire heater assembly can be "precisely" balanced by small air flow adjustments through it for a uniform temperature, thereby compensating for variations in heater manufacturing tolerances or minor flow variations 20 in the heaters of the fluid flow system. Thereafter, a uniform temperature can be maintained throughout the length of the outlet manifold by adjusting the power supply uniformly to all the heaters by means of the thermocouple 26 centrally located in the manifold chamber.

Also provided are means which cause a heat transfer fluid to circulate within the interior of the rotary support roll 16 (Fig. 1), around which the unbroken substrate passes, while being contacted with the heated fluid, from the outflow manifold 30. As it can be appreciated, the heated liquid also heats the underlying adjacent surface of support roll 16 when the pressurized heated fluid flow or flows impinges on the surface of the textile material for the purpose of modifying it and providing a desired visible change thereof. Such local heating of the support roller can produce differences in thermal expansion and contraction along the roller, especially 15.

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when the running textile material is temporarily stopped during the treatment procedures. Such a different expansion and contraction of the support roll 16 can produce distortion and distortion of the roll surface adjacent to the outflow slot 32 on the outflow manifold 30, which causes the varying distance from the outflow slot 32 along this outflowing slit along this one to rise. an irregular pattern on the textile material due to temperature and pressure differences in the heated fluid affecting the surface of the textile material.

In order to prevent such bending or distortion with subsequent irregular pattern generation on the surface of the textile material, means are provided which cause a liquid heat transfer medium to circulate through the rotating roller 16 during the fluid treatment processes. As seen in FIG. 1, a suitable fluid such as cooled or heated water, steam or the like is fed to and from the interior of the roller 16 from a suitable supply source, designated as 96, through a conduit member 91. Connected to the central hollow support shaft 201. In the art, apparatus which causes a liquid to circulate through a rotary roller from a stationary fluid supply source, well known and commercially available, and details of these are not disclosed herein. such circulators may typically be of the type manufactured under the trade name 8000 Series Rotary Union Joints, Daff-Norton Company, Charlotte, North Carolina.

As indicated, the heat transfer fluid may be cooled water or it may be a heated fluid such as steam or hot water, if desired, in order to facilitate the heating of the textile material during the liquid treatment procedures. Thus, the heat transfer fluid circulating through the interior of the rotating roller 16 distributes the local heating of the surface of the roll 16 located near the outflow slot 32 evenly along the entire circumference of the roller, thereby preventing the aforementioned various heat expansion and 16

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-contracting the roller during the treatment procedures.

In order to avoid damage to the substance from the hot air (gas) when the dust supply is stopped, the outflow manifold 30 and its heaters 48 are pivotally hung, as 5 by 97, and the liquid piston member 98 is used to rotate the outflow manifold and its outflow slot away from the web of substance 10.

FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment or embodiment of the heated gas outflow manifold, in which an intermediate insert plate 99 having a plurality of elongations, generally parallel groove 100, uniformly distributed along one edge of the plate, is removably secured in the manifold chamber 68; the cut-out side edge extends into the elongated outflow slot 32, thereby forming, together with the walls 70, 15 72, a plurality of similarly heated air outflow channels to conduct narrow, separated streams of pressurized heated gas toward the surface of the passageway. continuous textile fabric. As seen in FIG. 3 and 4, the notches 100 extend into the gas outflow manifold chamber 68, 20 so as to form an elongated inflow above and below the plate in each of the outflow channels formed by the cut-out edges of the intermediate plate and outflow slot 32 · walls 70, 72. thus, not only to guide the pressurized gas in narrow flows through the channels arranged at constant intervals, but the edges of the insert plate defining the upper and lower openings in the narrow elongated inflows (see Fig. 4) serve to capturing and filtering foreign particles contained in the pressurized gas while allowing the gas to flow continuously around the particles and through the ducts.

The outflow channels formed by the interlayer plate and the outflow slot thus direct a plurality of separate, individual flows toward and into the surface of the passing textile fabric to form narrow, spaced, generally parallel lines extending in the direction of movement of the fabric past the outflow branch. By holding toupe- 17

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the temperature and pressure of the heated gas streams at a sufficient level pulls puffs which are contacted with the heated gas streams containing thermoplastic pile yarn together lengthwise, are compressed in the pile surface and heat cured to form continuous separate grooves in the fabric, thereby enabling pattern formation in various ways on the fabric surface. The groove pattern can be changed simply by loosening the bolts 66 and replacing the respective insert plate with another insert plate 10 having a different groove size and / or spacing along the edge of the insert plate. FIG. 8 shows another intermediate plate 102 having an irregular distance between the notches 104 along the plate, thereby providing a variation in the pattern which can be applied to the surface of the fabric. Thus, it is seen that different surface patterns can be applied to the bypass fabric alone by means of the interlayer plate and without the additional control of the flows from the pressure outlet openings to the cooling gas described above.

FIG. 4 and 5 show an embodiment of the invention in 20 which interlayer plates together with cooling gas outlet openings in the outflow slot 32 are used to form more intricate or detailed patterns on the fabric. As seen in FIG. 5, the outlet openings 78 are disposed in the duct formed by the intermediate and slit walls 70, 72, 25 for selectively blocking the ducts with cooling gas thereby allowing intermittent outflow of selected heated gas streams to produce surface patterns which vary across the fabric web and in the direction of movement of the fabric past the outflow manifold.

FIG. 6 and 7 show another embodiment of the invention in which the pattern formation on the fabric is carried out by means of the elongated slot 32 and the cooling gas outlet openings without the use of intermediate plates. As shown in FIG. 7, by selectively activating the cooling gas supply to some of the outflow ports 78 in accordance with the pattern information, the heated 18 may be blocked.

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gas' passage through the slot 32 by means of cooling gas in corresponding regions of the slot to draw a pattern on the passing fabric.

The gas outflow manifold used in accordance with the invention may also be used to uniformly raise the thermoplastic pile yarns on a pile fabric made by cutting or splitting pile yarns consisting of double woven fabric to form pieces of fabric. with double vent. In the case of pile fabric made in this way, the 10 pile threads on the two pieces of fabric generally have the same inclination in a direction that is the opposite of the direction in which the fabric moves during the cutting procedure.

As shown schematically in FIG. 9 and 10, it has been found that when a unidirectional inclined fabric is passed past the elongated outflow slot 32 of the outflow manifold 30 in a direction of movement, the inclined vent threads are surprisingly directed upwardly to a standing position generally perpendicular to the the surface of the fabric, and the heated gas flow affecting the fabric surface heats the pile threads in this position. FIG. Figures 9 and 10 show the peat fabric base 106, the air wires 108, their inclination direction and the direction in which the heated gas stream 100 impacts the peat surface.

As shown, it is preferable that the gas stream 100, as indicated by the arrows, strike the fabric surface at an angle of about 90 ° or greater relative to the direction of movement of the fabric to cause the air strands to occupy the erect uniform position. If the fabric is guided in a direction different from a direction of inclination of the pile thread, or if the pressurized gas stream has a direction which is outside said angles, the pile threads do not get a uniform position, but either gets a further slope or is randomly oriented on the surface of the pile fabric.

The use of the apparatus of the invention to carry out certain of the processes described herein is better understood by the following specific examples which provide

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manages the operating conditions of treating textile fabric containing thread components to produce a desired surface appearance or pattern.

Example 1

A knitted polyester plush pile fabric weighing 440 g / l. square meters and having an airy council height of 2.5 mm were fed continuously to that of FIG. 1 at a rate of 4.5 m per second. minute. The temperature and pressure of the heated air in the outflow manifold chamber were maintained at 315 ° C, respectively.

0.4 kg / cm2 overpressure. The outflow slot in the outflow manifold was approximately 1.25 mm from the pavement surface and was provided with a spacer plate formed with a notch as shown in FIG. 3. The intermittent outflow channels formed in the slot had a rectangular cross section of 0.28 mm x 1.57 mm. The length of each of the channels through the slot was 6.25 mm and the distance of the channel centers was 5 mm along the outflow manifold.

The heated gas streams affecting the pile surface 20 of the fabric caused the pile wires to extend longitudinally in the contact areas, thereby lowering and collapsing into the fabric, resulting in narrow, clear grooves of elongated shape , which extended along the direction of movement of the surface. Luv strands adjacent to the sides of the grooves remained essentially unchanged and undisturbed to form distinct upright side walls in the grooves. The fabric had a surface pattern as shown by the photograph of the fabric of FIG. 11 of the drawings.

Example 2

A smooth polyester weave with a weight of 118 g / m2 and constructed with a warp density of 36.8 per. cm and one shot thread density of 3.6 per cent. cm was passed through the FIG. 1 with a fabric velocity of 3.6 m per at 35% and with 12% overload of fabric between rollers 12, 13 and rollers 18, 19. Support roll 16 was run at high speed, 20

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while the fabric passed over it. The temperature and pressure of the heated air and the size and distance of the outlet duct in the outflow manifold were the same as in Example 1.

High-temperature compressed gas streams which affect the fabric which is supplied to the support roller in the chain direction caused longitudinal thermal contraction of the chain wires as they continuously contact them along the wire. Intermediate portions of the fabric between the lines, which contain threads that were not thermally compressed, assumed a crepe or wrinkle-like appearance as shown by the photograph of the fabric of FIG. 12 in the drawings.

Example 3 A pile fabric constructed as described in Example 1 was passed through the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 at a rate of 1.8 m per second. minute. The heated air temperature in the outflow manifold was maintained at 371 ° C and its pressure maintained at 0.14 kg / cm 2 overpressure. Using a fabric velocity 20 of 1.8 m per per minute, the hot air outflow ducts corresponding to the interlayer plate of Example 1, but with a center spacing of 2.5 mm were selectively blocked with pressurized cooling air streams from the cooling air outlets in the outflow slot according to the pattern information. A cooling air pressure of 0.84 kg / cm 2 overpressure was maintained in the cooling air manifold. The treated fabric was given a pattern composed of a series of narrow, clearly defined grooves as shown in the photograph of the fabric of FIG. 13th

30

Example 4

Two polyester woven fabrics constructed as described in Example 2 were treated in accordance with the conditions and with the cooling air pattern controller of Example 3 for the purpose of generating thermal contraction of the warp threads at certain intervals along the direction of movement of the fabric. The 21

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obtained fabrics, according to the pattern information supplied, gave a wrinkled and blistered appearance as shown in the photographs in question in FIG. 14 and 15 of the drawings.

Example 5

An unstained and non-heat treated polyester velvet pile fabric constructed as described in Example 1 was passed through the embodiment of FIG. 1 with a processing speed of 3.6 m per minute. The pile fabric had a unidirectional pile thread 10 inclined and passed uninterrupted outflow slits past the outflow manifold in a direction opposite to the pile direction inclination direction as shown in FIG. 9 and 10. Heated under pressure of air whose temperature and pressure in the outlet manifold were respectively. 149 ° C and 0.105 kg / cm 2 overpressure, 15 were fed continuously to the passing peat surface perpendicular thereto. The treated fabric exhibited a uniform, upright pile surface.

Example 6 A knitted nylon plush pile fabric and a knitted acrylic plush pile fabric each weighing about 407 g / m2 and a pile height of 2.5 mm were treated by the one shown in FIG. 1 and under operating conditions and an intermediate plate design as described in Example 1. The untreated nylon 25 pile fabric exhibited a well-defined, clear pattern of surface grooves with pile threads which, when contacted with the heated air streams, extended longitudinally into the the backing of the fabric. The acrylic fabric also had a grooved surface pattern, but with a less clear appearance and groove definition 30 than with the thermoplastic threads, such as the polyester and nylon fabrics described in the examples.

In the foregoing specific examples, the velocity of the puff fabric through the apparatus may be increased by preheating the fabric before passing past the outflow manifold discharge slot. In the typical case, the fabric may be preheated by means of infrared heating means of known type, and / or

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clay by heating the support roll 16.

However, although the foregoing examples describe typical operating conditions for treating textile plywood and woven fabrics in order to provide visible surface changes and patterns to them, it is clear that the treatment fluid as well as the temperatures and fluid treatment conditions may vary depending on the structure of the substrate concerned. and of the surface appearance in question to be applied. Excellent results have been obtained by pattern application to peat fabrics containing thermoplastic air yarns at treatment rates of about 3.6 m to 5.5 m per head. per minute and with air temperatures at the heater exits of between 315-371 ° C and pressure in the outflow manifold chamber from about 0.14 to 0.49 kg / cm 2 overpressure. As a rule, higher pressures can be used when the outflow slot or channels formed therein have smaller cross-sectional dimensions. It may also be desirable to use higher gas temperatures when pressurized cooling gas is used to control the flow rate of the heated gas streams.

To support the ability to alter and modify various textile materials using pressurized heated fluid streams in selected area of the textile material surface in accordance with the method of the invention, a number of textile materials of varying structure and composition were contacted with a pressurized heated air flow which was directed against them from a single fixed nozzle opening. The textile materials were moved arbitrarily near the nozzle aperture under processing conditions, which are set out in the following table.

35 23

DK 158798 B

Table I

Distance from nozzle opening to 5 Air pressure Air temp. the surface of

Substrate_kg / cm2__ substrate 1) woven fabric containing a layered peat-like surface of polyethylene filament material 0.07 204 2.5 mm 2) paper sheets with a 15 laminated pulpy surface of polyethylene filament material 0.21 177 2.5 3) Needle punched non-woven polypropylene woven fabric 1.05 315 2.5 mm 4) tinned polypropylene airwoven 0.42 315 2.5 mm 255) woven rayon plus plywood 0.35 315 2.5 mm 6 ) spunbonded nylon 66 fabric (34 g / m2) 0.42 315 2.5 mm 30

Visual inspection of the textile material treated according to the conditions defined above shows that narrow grooves appeared in the surface areas of the textile materials 1-5 which were contacted with the heated air flow, the grooves formed in the textile materials 1-4 containing melt spun thermoplastic fiber material was more sharply defined than for non-thermoplastic fibers such as rayon (textile material 5) or for acrylic fibers as in

DK 158798B

24 column 6.

In the aforementioned substance 6, the conditions under which the treatment was carried out were such that the air flow completely intersects the fabric, showing that the invention can also be used to produce lace effects in sheet-shaped substrates and fabrics.

By using the apparatus and method of the invention, it is seen that the surface changes in textile fabrics containing thermoplastic in spun fibers and threads can be used to give these precise, well-defined and complicated surface patterns. The fabric treatment may be performed prior to dyeing to effect a different color uptake in the thermally altered and unaltered fibers and threads, resulting in double-toned color effects and surface patterns 15 on the fabrics.

The method of the invention and the apparatus for carrying out the method are particularly suitable for producing surface patterns in textile material containing melt-spun thermoplastic airgam, surface patterns having hitherto been considered impossible to produce by means of a heated fluid. Surface loading patterns can also be produced on materials containing non-thermoplastic yarn components, e.g. rayon yarn, although the boundary in such patterns is usually not as accurate as in patterns in materials containing thermoplastic yarn. Furthermore, the method and apparatus of the invention can be used in the selective treatment of woven materials containing thermoplastic yarn to produce new crepe or crepe type patterns in such elements.

Claims (9)

DK 158798 B A method for surface patterning a material web of a textile material containing thermoplastic fibers, passing the material web past an outflow manifold extending over the web from which branched streams of heated gas under pressure can be directed to a predetermined pattern toward the surface of the material web, characterized in that uniformly heated pressurized gas is fed to the outflow manifold, which gas is formed into a flat stream of pressurized gas of uniform thickness and temperature, extending over the material web path and directed to the surface of the material web, the flat heated gas flow under pressure extending across the longitudinal direction of the material web is mechanically and / or pneumatically divided into a number of adjacent flow streams extending in the width direction of the web. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that a mechanical current splitting in the outflow manifold is effected by introducing locking means located in the transverse direction of the material web at a distance from one another to divide the main current into a number of mutually parallel partial flows. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that pneumatic splitting of the flat main stream is effected by introducing a plurality of pressurized cooled gas dividing jets across the direction of movement of the main stream in a number of transversely spaced locations of the web of material. providing substantially mutually parallel partial flows. 4. A method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the partitioned jets of cooled gas are pressurized into the manifold in the spaces between the locking means. 5. A process according to claims 1-4, characterized in that the gas heating temperature is controlled by passing the gas to the manifold in several single streams, which are individually heated and whose temperature is controlled individually. Apparatus for surface patterning a material web of a textile material containing thermoplastic fibers, passing the material web past an outflow manifold extending over the web from which branched streams of heated gas under pressure can be directed to a predetermined pattern against the surface of the material web. and including a conveying device for the material web and a gas outlet manifold (30) from which heated gas streams under pressure 10 can be directed to the surface of the material web, the outlet manifold (30) including an inner chamber (68) for receiving the pressurized heated gas and a narrow elongated outflow slot (32) for the pressurized gas stream, characterized in that at least one mechanical current splitting means is provided in the outflow slot (32) and / or at least one outlet opening (78) is provided ) for cold compressed air, for dividing the gas flow under pressure in the material web TV rretning and slit length. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the mechanical current splitting means is formed as a plate (102) with ribs projecting into the outflow slot (32) of the chamber (68) and forming grooves (104) extending in the material web. the direction of movement. Apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that a pattern control means (94) controls valves (82) for supplying cold gas under pressure to the outlet nozzle of the manifold depending on the pattern information. Apparatus according to one or more of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the main pipe (30) is connected to pressurized gas inlet pipe (50) to which pipes are provided individual heating and temperature control devices, the pipes is provided with individual valves for flow control, and that the inner chamber (68) of the main pipe 35 (30) is provided with a thermocouple (26) which cooperates with the control devices.