GB2092191A

GB2092191A - Wet-heat treating textiles

Info

Publication number: GB2092191A
Application number: GB8202258A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Sando Iron Works Co Ltd
Current assignee: Sando Iron Works Co Ltd
Priority date: 1981-01-27
Filing date: 1982-01-27
Publication date: 1982-08-11
Also published as: JPS57128252A; FR2498646B1; GB2092191B; FR2498646A1; DE3202257A1; JPS607062B2

Abstract

Textiles such as yarn, string or sliver, are wet-heat treated in a steamer 51 fitted with inlet and outlet seal mechanisms 8 and 9, each mechanism having a tank 82 and 92 respectively associated therewith, disposed between the steamer interior and a respective pair of seal rolls 81 and 91. Lower and upper net conveyors 1 and 2 have a pair of runs 1' and 2' extending closely spaced and in parallel successively through the inlet seal rolls 81, treating solution seal tank 82, the steamer interior, cooling liquid seal tank 92 and outlet seal rolls 91. The textile 4 is carried in a curled state between the two conveyor runs 1' and 2' for treatment. On entering the steamer, the textile is saturated with treating solution in tank 82, the content thereof is adjusted by rolls 83, and then the textile is steamed by the saturated wet-heat vapour in the steamer. The textile is cooled down to about 50 DEG C by the cooling liquid in tank 92 before being carried out of the steamer. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of and apparatus for wet-heat treating of a textile product The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for wet-heat treating a string-like textile product (such as a yarn, string, sliver, or the like, which products will hereinafter be called simply a 'string-like textile product') on a continuous basis.

It is known to subject a string-like textile product to such treatments as a pretreatment, setting or dyeing, prior to the secondary processing thereof in producing such products as knitted and woven cloths. For instance, a stringlike textile product may be pulled out of a cheese, bobbin or the like, soaked with a treating solution by coating or immersion, and then be passed through a heat treating chamber in open air. In this case, however, there are restrictions on the method used to apply the treating solution, the heat treating time and so on, so that such a method is not suitable for high speed treatment and mass production.

Another method is to subject a string-like textile product soaked outside a high pressure steamer with a treating solution to wet-heat treatment in a wet-heat reaction chamber, i.e., a high pressure steamer having interior conditions of high temperature and pressure. However, in this case, since the string-like textile product previously soaked with the treating solution must be squeezed strongly on being supplied into the steamer body, the amount of treating solution adhering to the textile product, is diminished.

Consequently, wet-heat treatment can only poorly be performed owing to the deficiency of treating solution. Moreover, since an air seal has conventionally been adopted for sealing such a high pressure steamer, it is difficult to maintain the interior of the steamer body with the required wet-heat conditions, i.e., with saturated vapour.

The present invention seeks at least to reduce the above-discussed problems of the described known string-like textile product treatment processes. Thus, the invention aims at providing a treatment method and apparatus therefor, which allows a textile product to be subjected to such treatments as pretreatment, setting and dyeing on a continuous but rapid basis.

Accordingly, one aspect of this invention provides a method for wet-heat treating a stringlike textile product (as defined herein) in which a string-like textile product is fed continuously through in a high pressure steamer body by being carried by a net conveyor, the product is soaked with a treating solution immediately on entering the steamer body and is then steamed in the steamer body, whereafter the product is cooled slowly to below the boiling point of water in the vicinity of the outlet of the steamer body, and the product is taken out of the steamer body.

It will be appreciated that in this invention, the product is soaked with a treating solution on entering the steamer body, so that the product may carry sufficient solution for the proper treatment in the steamer body. Subsequently, the product is cooled -- preferably down to about 5000 - before leaving the steamer body, so that the characteristics of the treated product are not impaired.

According to a second aspect of this invention, there is provided apparatus for wet-heat treating a string-like textile product (as defined herein), comprising a high pressure steamer including a steamer body having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet and outlet being fitted with respective seal mechanisms, a pair of net conveyors provided one above the other and having a pair of closely- spaced runs extending through the inlet seal mechanism, through the steamer body and out of the outlet seal mechanism whereby a textile product may be carried therebetween into, through and out of the steamer body, the inlet seal mechanism including a liquid seal tank in which may be contained a treating solution which solution serves to effect a seal at the steamer body inlet and the outlet seal mechanism including a liquid seal tank in which may be contained a cooling liquid which liquid serves to effect a seal at the steamer body outlet, the textile product being constrained to pass through a treating solution on entering the steamer body so as to be soaked therewith and to pass through cooling liquid on leaving the steamer body so that the temperature of the product is lowered before the product leaves the outlet seal mechanism.

Preferably, means are provided continuously to supply the appropriate liquid to the two liquid seal tanks, whilst the apparatus is in use. Means such as a pair of rolls may suitably be disposed to adjust the amount of treating solution carried by the textile product on leaving the tank associated with the inlet seal mechanism.

It is advantageous for the textile product to be carried in a curled state through the seals and steamer body, whereby the product will not be subjected to any tension.

By way of example only, one specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, which shows diagrammatically a cross-section through apparatus for wet-heat treating a string-like textile product.

The apparatus comprises lower and upper endless net conveyors 1 and 2 respectively, having runs 1' and 2' lying parallel and closely spaced from each other. The endless conveyor nets are desirably in the form of nets made from wire, glass fibres, teflon fibres or the like, but a porous metal sheet or a plurality of endless ropes arranged in parallel may be employed therefor.

A curling device 3 is provided to feed a stringlike textile product 4 on to the net conveyor 1, in a curled (or zig-zag) state. The curled string-like textile product is transported, immediately after it has been deposited on the net conveyor 1, by being held between the lower net conveyor 1 and the upper net conveyor 2, in the direction from left to right in the drawing upon appropriate operation of the two conveyors.

Thigh pressure steamer 5 is provided with a steamer body 51 through which the string-like textile product is transported by the upper and the lower net conveyors. An inlet 6 and an outlet 7 of the high pressure steamer 5 are provided respectively with an inlet seal mechanism 8 and an outlet seal mechanism 9, to allow the stringlike textile products and the net conveyors to pass therethrough, whilst maintaining the interior conditions within the steamer body of a high pressure wet-heat at a temperature of about 1 600C.

The inlet seal mechanism 8 comprises a pair of rubber seal rolls 81 pressed into engagement with each other to define a nip seal, a liquid seal tank 8 provided between the rubber seal rolls 81 and the steamer inlet 6, a pair of squeeze rolls 83 for controlling the liquid content of the string-like textile product taken out of the liquid seal tank 82, liquid supply pipes 84 for supplying a treating solution to the liquid seal tank 82, from outside the steamer, and guide walls 85 to direct treating solution issuing from the liquid supply pipes 84 on to the seal rubber rolls 81, initially to cool the seal rubber rolls 81 before the treating solution is allowed to flow into the liquid seal tank 82.The outlet seal mechanism 9 also comprises a pair of rubber seal rolls 91 pressed into engagement with each other as in the inlet seal mechanism, a slow cooling tank 92 liquid supply pipes 93 for supplying slow cooling liquids (which also serve for washing) into the slow cooling tank from outside the steamer, and a guide wall 94 to direct the cooling liquid issuing from the liquid supply pipes 93 on to the seal rubber rolls 9r, initially to cool the seal rubber rolls 91 before the cooling liquid is allowed to flow into the slow cooling tank 9,.

Guide rolls 10 for the net conveyors are provided in the steamer body 51, and a liquid tank 11 provided outside the steamer body 51 for the treating solution. A pump 12 supplies the treating solution from the liquid tank 11 to the liquid seal tank 82 provided in the steamer body 51. A washing tank 13 is arranged to wash the stringlike textile product taken out of the steamer body 51, and a drier 14 then dries the product. Pipes 1 5 supply steam to the steamer body.

The operation of the above-described apparatus will now be explained. At first, the interior conditions of the steamer body 51 are maintained at an appropriate temperature with high pressure saturated vapour, for instance in the range up to 1 600C. A prescribed treating solution (for instance, a caustic alkali solution for a pretreatment process or a dye solution in a dyeing process) is supplied through the liquid supply pipes 84 to the liquid seal tank 82, and cool water is supplied through the liquid supply pipes 93 to the slow cooling tank 9.

Then, a string-like textile product 4 is fed on to the lower net conveyor by means of the curling device 3 so as to lie in a curled state. The curled string-iike textile product 4 shortly thereafter is pressed down by the upper net conveyor 2 and is transported from left to right in the drawing, between the two conveyors. The textile product is supplied through the inlet seal mechanism 8 into the steamer body 51, and is immediately immersed together with the net conveyors 1 and 2 in the treating solution in the liquid seal tank 82, so that the textile product is soaked with the treating solution.The textile product soaked with the treating solution is squeezed lightly by means of the squeeze rolls 83 so that the treating solution content is controlled, and is then steamed in the steamer body 5, to attain the object of the desired treatment, such as a pretreatment, dyeing or weight reduction.

The string-like textile product 4, when sufficiently steamed, is cooled slowly on passing through the slow cooling tank 92l taken out of the steamer body 5r, washed in the washing tank 13, dried in the drier 14 and coiled on a bobbin or into a cheese.

As described above, in the apparatus of the present invention a string-iike textile product 4 is soaked with a treating solution in the liquid seal tank 82 provided in the steamer body 5" so that the textile product can be steamed with a sufficient treating solution content, enabling a uniform and effective wet-heat treatment to be performed. Furthermore, since the sufficientlysteamed string-like textile product is set effectively by slow-cooling of the textile product in the slow cooling tank 92 (at about 500 C) just before the textile product is taken out of the steamer body 5, the 'feel' and bulkiness of the product is not impaired, even though the product is pressed on passing through the rubber seal rolls 9,; a high quality product thus results. The present invention has further merits, such as the use of high pressure air can be avoided by utilizing the treating solution and the slow cooling liquid as sealing mediums for the steamer body, and so that the interior of the steamer body 5, can be maintained with a sufficiently high quality wetheat (saturated vapour) interior, to perform an effective and excellent steaming.

Claims

1. A method for wet-heat treating a string-like textile product (as defined herein) in which a string-like textile product is fed continuously through in a high pressure steamer body by being carried by a net conveyor, the product is soaked with a treating solution immediately on entering the steamer body and is then steamed in the steamer body, whereafter the product is cooled slowly to below the boiling of point of water in the vicinity of the outlet of the steamer body, and the product is taken out of the steamer body.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the textile product is cooled down to no more than about 500C before being taken out of the steamer body.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the textile product is carried into, through and out of the steamer body when held between a pair of net conveyors having closely-spaced parallel runs.

4. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the textile product is carried in a curled state by the net conveyor.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawing.

6. Apparatus for wet-heat treating a string-like textile product (as defined herein), comprising a high pressure steamer including a steamer body having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet and outlet being fitted with respective seal mechanisms, a pair of net conveyors provided one above the other and having a pair of closely-spaced runs extending through the inlet seal mechanism, through the steamer body and out of the outlet seal mechanism whereby a textile product may be carried therebetween into, through and out of the steamer body, the inlet seal mechanism including a liquid seal tank in which may be contained a treating solution which solution serves to effect a seal at the steamer body inlet and the outlet seal mechanism including a liquid seal tank in which may be contained a cooling liquid which liquid serves to effect a seal at the steamer body outlet, the textile product being constrained to pass through a treating solution on entering the steamer body so as to be soaked therewith and to pass through cooling liquid on leaving the steamer body so that the temperature of the product is lowered before the product leaves the outlet seal mechanism.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein means are provided continuously to supply treating solution to the inlet seal mechanism liquid seal tank.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein means are provided continuously to supply cooling liquid to the outlet seal mechanism liquid seal tank.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the inlet and outlet seal mechanisms each include a pair of seal rolls urged together to define a nip seal, in each case the associated liquid seal tank being disposed between the nip seal and the steamer body interior.

10. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 6 to 9, wherein means are provided to adjust the treating solution content of the product on leaving the inlet liquid seal tank.

11. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 6 to 10, wherein textile product feed means are provided to supply the product into the space between the two adjacent runs of the upper and lower conveyors in such a way as the product is carried in a curled state.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 and substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.