EP0158777A1 - Device for crumpling and irregularly pleating a fabric - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for producing permanently set crumple pleat crease patterns in fabric webs, having a heatable crumple tube with an oscillatingly driveable stuffing element with which a fabric web in rope form is batchwise successively inserted into the crumple tube, compressed and finally forced out. Upstream of the entry end of the crumple tube there is a rope feed tube of smaller diameter than the crumple tube. The rope feed tube has a through-hole connected on the outside to a vacuum source, while part of the crumple tube is concentrically surrounded by a jacket tube. Annular gaps between the crumple and jacket tubes are tightly sealed by annular walls, thereby forming a heating chamber with an inlet and an outlet for a fluid heating medium. In the heating chamber there are an electric resistance heating element, a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor for determining the temperature and pressure respectively of the fluid fed into the heating chamber, and a control circuit for continuously processing temperature and pressure proportional signals developed by the sensors to control connection and interruption between an electric power supply and the resistance heating element.

Description

The invention relates to a device for producing permanently fixed pleated pleated patterns in fabric webs with a heatable crumple tube, at one end of which an oscillatingly driven press-in element is provided, with which the fabric web formed into a strand is successively pushed into the crumple tube, pressed together and finally on the opposite side End is pressed out, as well as a method for treating the fabric web following the creation of the crumple pleats.

Skirts and dresses made of pleated fabrics, i.e. fabrics with a permanently fixed pleat pattern, are an integral part of women's fashion, whereby the mechanical production of pleats in fabric panels has so far mainly been done in the form of so-called machine pleats, in which a pleating machine with so-called pleat knives extends across the fabric panel extending parallel folds of the same width are folded in and these folds are permanently fixed in a calender with at least one heated roller by the action of heat. In individual fabric cuts, for example skirt cuts for bell-like, wide women's skirts, fold patterns were also used in the form of sun pleated blinds and - more recently - also in the form of so-called artificial pleated blinds, by manually inserting and then tightening the blanks between pleated forms made of rigid cardboard according to the fold pattern, which are then clamped together in so-called steaming cabinets or autoclaves by the action of superheated steam and subsequent drying can be permanently fixed.

In addition to the generation of regular folds in fabric webs, the continuous production of so-called crease pleats in fabric webs is known (DE-OS 31 45 404), in which the originally smooth fabric web is formed into a tubular strand and the strand is then relatively reduced in diameter by an elongated tubular nozzle small diameter is pulled through, in which superheated steam is simultaneously applied to the fabric strand. After passing through the nozzle, the fabric web strand is unfolded, pulled apart and dried, the crease pattern generated in the nozzle being fixed. Wrinkle crease patterns produced in this way have irregularly wide and long folds, but mostly oriented in the longitudinal direction of the fabric web. Finally, devices for producing crumple pleated fold patterns in webs of fabric have already become known (US Pat. No. 3,987,519; DE-OS 29 32 495), in which the web of fabric - instead of being pulled through a crease nozzle - is stuffed into a crumple tube, pressed together and the resulting wrinkles are fixed by exposure to superheated steam and subsequent drying. The crumpled pleat pattern created in this way differs from the aforementioned crease pattern in that that the folds produced have no predominant direction of the orientation of their folds, but run completely randomly. In the known devices, the element pressing the fabric web into the crumple tube is either an oscillating ring provided with wire brushes with wire bristles inclined towards the pressing direction, which cooperates with corresponding wire brushes at the entry-side end of the crumple tube (US Pat. No. 3,987,519) or a press ring also oscillating back and forth, the retraction of the fabric web from the Knauisch tube upon the return stroke of the press ring being prevented by clamping jaws then placed on the fabric web strand (DE-OS 29 32 495). Feeding the fabric web into the crumpled tube using wire brushes is, however, forbidden for thin and sensitive, fine-thread fabrics that can be perforated by the wire bristles and possibly even damaged. On the other hand, the requirement of the drive of the clamping jaws, which is synchronized with the stroke of the pressing ring, complicates the device. In both cases, the compression of the web of fabric in the crumpling tube and thus also the sharpness of the crumpling folds formed by the friction between the inner wall of the crimping tube and depends on the fabric graft. With changing friction conditions between the web plug and the crumple tube as a result of different web materials, the sharpness of the fold pattern also changes without being able to influence it.

In contrast, the invention has for its object a device for the production of permanently fixed crumpled pleated patterns in fabric with high To create performance that enables the processing of a wide variety of fabrics without fear of damage due to the darning process or - especially with thicker fabrics - indistinct fold patterns.

Starting from a device of the type mentioned at the outset, this object is achieved according to the invention in that a strand feed tube with a diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the crush tube is connected upstream of the inlet end of the crush tube, which has a rectilinear end section aligned approximately centrally with the crush tube, which passes over a curved transition section into an insertion section inclined towards the end section, that the press-in element is a plunger entering the end section through an opening in the wall of the curved transition section, and that the end section of the strand feed pipe has at least one, preferably a plurality of through-hole (s) has, which is or are connected to a vacuum source on the outside. When the ram is pulled back, the fabric web strand is held against pulling back by the suction effect of the vacuum applied to the through bores, and damage can be excluded with certainty by reducing the vacuum, even with very sensitive substances.

The connection of the through-hole (s) to the vacuum source is preferably effected in that the end section of the strand feed tube in the area provided with the through-hole or the through-holes is surrounded by an essentially closed chamber, which in turn is connected via a corresponding line to the vacuum source can be connected.

The space between the outer wall of the strand feed tube and the inner wall of the entry-side end of the crumple tube is preferably sealed by an annular wall, which centers the strand feed tube in the crumple tube on the one hand, and on the other hand the access of ambient air into the crumple tube or the exit of if necessary into Prevented crushed steam.

In an advantageous development of the invention, the outlet-side end of the crumple tube can be closed by a pivotally hinged cover, which is resiliently biased into the position closing the outlet-side end of the crumple tube, the prestressing of the spring element urging the cover into the closed position can preferably be changed by the Opening resistance, which the lid opposes to the exit of the part of the fabric web strand compressed in the crumple tube during continuous repressing of material that has not yet been treated, can be adjusted depending on the material to be treated in each case or the sharpness of the crease folds to be produced.

It is advantageous if the spring element which prestresses the cover into the closed position is a gas spring element, the spring force of which can be changed in the desired manner by the application of compressed air or ventilation.

In a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, the device has at least one superheated steam inlet which opens into the inside of the crumple tube in a manner known per se and can be connected to a superheated steam source.

The superheated steam inlet can be formed by one or more through bores (s) in the annular wall which closes the core space between the strand feed tube and the crumple tube, one then connectable to a superheated steam source at the through bore (s) Line is connected.

Alternatively, the superheated steam inlet can also be formed by one or more through holes (s) in the wall of the crumple tube itself.

In order to heat the crush tube, electrical resistance heating elements can be arranged on its outer wall, a thermostatic switch sensing and preferably adjusting the wall temperature of the crush tube advantageously being switched on in the electrical lead to the resistance heating elements in order to avoid overheating.

Alternatively, a tube coil through which a liquid, gaseous or vaporous heating medium can flow can be arranged on the outer wall of the crumple tube, which coil transfers the heat supplied via the heating medium to the wall of the crumple tube.

Another possibility of heating the crumple tube is that the crumple tube is concentrically surrounded at least over part of its longitudinal extent by a jacket tube, the inside diameter of which is larger than the outer diameter of the crumple tube, the end face between the outer surface of the crumple tube and the Inner surface of the jacket tube existing annular spaces are sealed by ring walls and thus a heating chamber is formed between the crumple and the jacket tube, which has an inlet and an outlet for a liquid, gaseous or vaporous heating medium.

If superheated steam is used for heating the crumple tube, which is also to be brought into effect on the material of the web, the outlet can also be formed by one or more through-holes (s) in the part of the crumple tube surrounded by the jacket tube. The superheated steam which is initially fed in to heat the crumple tube then exits into the interior of the crumple tube.

If the crushed tube is heated with superheated steam and then the fabric material is treated with the superheated steam in the manner indicated above, it is advisable to precede the through hole or the through holes with a throttle device in which the superheated steam introduced into the heating chamber is relaxed before flowing into the inside of the crumple tube. In this way, the overpressure of the hot steam in the heating chamber and thus its temperature in the heating chamber can also be kept above 100 ° C.

A pipe coil is expediently switched on between the through-hole or the through-holes and the throttle device in the heating chamber, through whose wall the steam relaxed in the throttle device and flowing to the through-hole is reheated by the superheated steam introduced into the heating chamber under excess pressure. As a result of this reheating, water condensing from the steam is converted back into vapor form during the throttling process, thereby avoiding discolouration or stains which could occur in the case of sensitive substances when exposed to condensation

In order to prepare the fabric web material treated in the device according to the invention for further processing, the crumpled and cooled fabric web strand is continuously unfolded again into a fabric web, dried by blowing in heated air and thus fixing the fold pattern generated, whereupon the fabric web is wound up again into a roll becomes.

• Fig. 1 eine schematische Seitenansicht einer Anlage zur kontinuierlichen Herstellung von dauerfixierten Knautschplissee-Faltenmustern in ursprünglich glatten Stoffbahnen
• Fig. 2 einen Längsmittelschnitt durch ein erstes Ausführungsbeispiel einer die eigentliche Knautsch-Station der in Fig. 1 gezeigten Anlage darstellenden Vorrichtung; und
• Fig. 3 einen Längsmittelschnitt eines zweiten Ausführungsbeispiels der die Knautsch-Station bildenden Vorrichtung.

The invention is explained in more detail in the following description of two exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawing, which shows:

• Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a plant for the continuous production of permanently fixed squeeze pleated patterns in originally smooth panels
• FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal central section through a first exemplary embodiment of a device which represents the actual crumple station of the system shown in FIG. 1; and
• Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal central section of a second embodiment of the device forming the crumple station.

The plant shown in its entirety with 10 in FIG. 1 has at its right end a frame 12 for rotatably holding a smooth fabric web 16 wound into a roll 14. The fabric spool 16 is drawn off from a frame 18 arranged adjacent to the frame 12 with motor-driven rollers and then fed to the crumple station 20 which forms the subject of the invention, in which the fabric web 16 is first pulled together to form a strand, the strand then compressed in the transport direction and is preferably heated with hot steam flowing through it, as a result of which the irregular folds formed when pressed together are formed with sharp edges. After exiting from the crumple station 20, the still hot and possibly slightly damp, crumpled strand of fabric 16 is stored in a buffer store 22, where it can already cool somewhat and the moisture can evaporate. A further frame 24 with motor-driven rollers pulls the still strand-shaped, crumpled fabric web out of the intermediate store 22 and feeds it to a fold-out station 26, only shown schematically, in which the strand is opened and unfolded in the transverse direction, without breaking edges during the crumple treatment generated Wrinkles are completely pulled out. By blowing heated air onto the unfolded fabric web 16, it is completely dried and then passes through a cooling section 28 before it - now provided with an irregular pattern of crumpled fold edges - is wound up into a roll 32 in a frame 30.

An embodiment of the internal structure of the actual crumple operation, i.e. the pressing together of the fabric web which has already been gathered into a strand and the heat and possibly steam treatment device 34 in the crumple station 20 is shown in FIG. 2. The device 34 has an elongated cylindrical crumple tube 38 which can be heated on the outside by a winding of electrical resistance heating elements 36 and which is expediently made of stainless steel. At the left end of the crumple tube 38 on the outlet side, a likewise heatable metallic cover 40 is pivoted in such a way that it can be swiveled up from the closed position shown into a position in which the crumple tube 38 is released. By means of a spring shown in the illustrated case as a gas spring element 42, the cover 40 is pressed onto the crimp tube end with a certain pretension - which can be changed by changing the gas pressure in the spring element 42.

On the inlet side, the crimp tube 38 is preceded by a strand feed tube 44, which has a rectilinear end section 46, which is introduced approximately in the center into the inlet-side end of the crumple tube 38 and is held there, and has a curved transition section 48 merges into an insertion section 50 oriented obliquely to the end section 46. Through an opening in the wall of the transition section 48, the front end of a plunger 52 entering approximately centrally into the end section 46 is guided so that it can be driven in an oscillating manner by a drive device (not shown) formed, for example, by a pneumatic piston-cylinder unit. The end section 46 is surrounded over part of its length by a housing 56 which is sealed on all sides except for a connecting piece 54, which thus forms a chamber 58 on the outer wall of the end section 46, which can be connected to a vacuum source via the connecting piece 54. Within the housing 56, in the end section 46 of the strand feed tube 44, a plurality of through bores 60 are provided, through which the vacuum generated in the chamber 58 acts on the fabric web strand located in the strand feed tube 44. This vacuum tends to suck the web of fabric onto the inner wall of the end section 46, whereby the oscillating plunger 52 can be withdrawn from the end section 46 without simultaneously pulling back the web. On the other hand, when the plunger 52 is pushed forward, the negative pressure is insufficient, and the strand of fabric entering via the insertion section 50 is inevitably advanced into the interior of the crumpled tube 38, where it is compressed and compressed.

The existing between the outer wall of the end of the feed pipe end portion 46 entering the crumple tube 38 and the inner wall of the crumple tube 38 annular space is closed by a welded ring wall 62. The end of a pressure line 66 opens into a through-bore 64 in this ring wall 62, via which pressure line superheated superheated steam HD, which is under overpressure, can be fed in and blown into the inside of the crumple tube 38. In order to prevent the superheated steam blown into the crumple tube 38 from condensing inside the cabbage tube when starting up or after the device has been taken out of operation and possibly then lead to the formation of stains in a fabric web to be processed, a number of bores 68 are provided along the deepest surface line of the crumple tube 38. which open into an outer condensate discharge channel 70, from which the condensate can be discharged via a condensate valve 72. It should be noted that there is no fear of condensate formation during the operation of the device 34 due to the heating of the crumple tube 38.

Instead of the electrical heating described by means of resistance heating elements which are expediently controlled via an adjustable thermostat switch, the crumple tube can also be heated by liquid, gaseous or vaporous heating media. The resistance heating elements 36 are then to be thought of as being replaced by a tube coil arranged on the outer wall of the crumple tube 38 and through which heated heat transfer oil, heated air or superheated steam flow.

Shown in FIG. 3 is a configuration example / in which the crumple tube 38 is heated by means of the superheated steam HD, which is then also used to treat the fabric web strand pressed into the rubber tube 38. For this purpose, the crush tube 38 is surrounded concentrically by a jacket tube 74, the inside diameter of which is larger than the outside diameter of the crush tube 38. The annular gaps existing at the front ends between the outer surface of the crumple tube 38 and the inner surface of the jacket tube 74 are sealed by ring walls or flanges 76, 78, as a result of which a heating chamber 80 is formed between the crumple tube 38 and the jacket tube 74, which has a bore 82 in the flange 78 can be charged with superheated steam HD. The superheated steam entering the heating chamber 80, for example at a temperature of 160 ° C. and a pressure of 6 bar, flows through the heating chamber and then enters the inlet of a throttle valve 84 provided on the inside of the flange 76 inside the heating chamber 80, the outlet of which flows to a Connected in a plurality of turns around the crumpled tube 38 is a coil 86, the other end of which opens into a through hole 88 in the wall of the crumple tube. The throttling action of the throttle valve 84 can be adjusted from outside through a bore 90 in the flange 76, so that the steam pressure prevailing in the heating chamber 80 and thus also the temperature of the steam in the heating chamber 80 can be influenced via the setting of the throttle valve 84. In contrast, in the steam flowing through the coil of tubes 86 after exiting the throttle valve 84, the pressure is already largely released, so that its temperature lowers and it increases its relative humidity.

However, the rewarming effect of the steam as it flows through the coil 86 prevents the formation of condensate during the operation of the device.

It can be seen that, within the scope of the inventive concept, modifications and developments of the exemplary embodiments described can be implemented, which, as already mentioned, relate, on the one hand, to the type of heating and the choice of heating medium, and, on the other hand, to the number and arrangement of the hot steam inlets can get the crumple tube.

Claims (18)

l. Device for the production of permanently fixed crumple pleat patterns in fabric webs with a heatable crumple tube, at one end of which an oscillating press-in element is provided, with which the fabric web formed into a strand is pushed in parts into the crumple tube, pressed together and finally pressed out at the opposite end, characterized in that the inlet end of the crumple tube (38) is preceded by a strand feed tube (44) with a diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the crumple tube (38) and which has a rectilinear end section (46) aligned approximately centrally with the crumple tube (38) which passes over a curved transition section (48) into an insertion section (50) inclined to the end section (46), that the press-in member receives a plunger (52) entering the end section (46) through an opening in the wall of the curved transition section (48) ), and that the End section (46) of the strand feed pipe (44) has at least one, preferably a plurality of through bores (60), which are connected to a vacuum source on the outside. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the end section (46) of the strand feed tube (44) in the area provided with the through-hole or the through-holes (60) is surrounded by a substantially closed chamber (58) which is connected to a vacuum source. 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that between the outer wall of the strand feed tube (44) and the inner wall of the inlet end of the crumple tube (38) existing space is sealed by an annular wall (62). 4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the outlet-side end of the crumple tube (38) can be closed by a pivotably hinged cover (40) which is resiliently biased into the position closing the outlet-side end of the crumple tube (38) . 5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the bias of the cover (40) in the closed position urging spring member (42) is variable. 6. The device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the cover (40) in the closed position biasing spring member is a glass spring element (42). 7. Device according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the cover (40) is heatable. 8. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by at least one inside the crumpling tube (38) opening, connectable to a superheated steam source superheated steam inlet (64; 88). 9. Apparatus according to claim 3 and 8, characterized in that the superheated steam inlet of one or more through-hole (s) (64) in the gap between the strand feed tube (44) and the crumple tube (38) closing ring wall (62 ) is formed, and that to the through hole (s) (64) each have a line (66) that can be connected to a hot steam source. 10. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that the superheated steam inlet of one or more through hole (s) (88) in the wall of the crumple tube (38) itself is formed. 11. The device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the crumple tube (38) is heated by arranged on its outer wall electrical resistance heating elements (36). 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that in the electrical supply line to the resistance heating elements (36) a wall temperature of the crumpled tube (38) sensing thermostat switch is turned on. 13. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that on the outer wall of the crumple tube (38) is arranged with a liquid, gaseous or vaporous heating medium through which coil is arranged. 14. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the crumple tube (38) is concentrically surrounded at least over part of its longitudinal extent by a jacket tube (74), the inside diameter of which is larger than the outside diameter of the crumple tube (38), the annular spaces at the front ends between the outer surface of the crumple tube (38) and the inner surface of the cladding tube (74) being sealed by ring walls (flanges 76; 78), and thus a heating chamber (80) between the crumple and the cladding tube is formed, which has an inlet (82) and an outlet (88) for a liquid, gaseous or vaporous heating medium. 15. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the outlet of one or more bore (s) (88) is formed in the part of the crumpled tube (38) surrounded by the casing tube (74). 16. The apparatus according to claim 15 for heating with superheated steam (HD), characterized in that the through hole (88) or the through holes is preceded by a throttle device (84) in which the under pressure in the heating chamber (80) introduced superheated steam (HD) is released before flowing into the inside of the crumple tube (38). 17. The apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that between the through hole (88) or the through holes and the throttle device (84) in the heating chamber (80), a pipe coil (86) is turned on, through the wall of which in the throttle device ( 84) expanded steam flowing to the through-bore (88) is reheated by the pressurized superheated steam (HD) introduced into the heating chamber (80). 18. A process for the continuous production of permanently fixed crumpled pleat patterns in fabric webs, in which the fabric web is unwound from a roll and put together in the form of a string into an upsetting tube, in which it is compressed, heated and pressed through the crumple tube with simultaneous supply of steam, whereupon the crumpled fabric web emerging from the crumpled tube is cooled, characterized in that the crumpled fabric web strand is continuously unfolded again into a fabric web, dried by blowing in heated air and the set of wrinkles thus fixed, whereupon the fabric web is wound up again into a roll.

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