GB952681A - Method and apparatus for treating fabrics - Google Patents

Abstract

952,681. Fabric .treating apparatus. SAMCOE HOLDING CORPORATION. Jan. 24, 1962, No. 2744/62. Heading D1L. Treating tubular knitted fabric comprises distending the fabric laterally to set the fabric to a predetermined width, immediately bringing the fabric into edge to edge control contact with a dimensionally stable moving surface and maintaining this control throughout the treating operation, subjecting the fabric to a first rolling pressure and immediately thereafter immersing the fabric in a treating solution, conveying the fabric through said solution while maintaining the fabric completely immersed therein and removing the fabric from said solution immediately after subjecting the fabric to a second rolling pressure. In Fig.1 fabrics 11 is taken from a box 10 passed through guide 12 and is drawn on to a spreaderpropeller 13 which forms the fabric into a flattened tube of predetermined uniform width. The fabric then passes to a combined extracting and padding station 14 consisting of three treating rollers 15-17. The rollers 15,16 and 17 define a trough or reservoir 18 which is closed at its ends by sealing plates contacting the ends of the rollers, and contains a treating solution. Rollers 15,16 from a first nip which exerts predetermined pressure on the fabric and thereby extracts a substantial amount of residual water so as to leave the fabric with a desired uniform moisture content. The fabric then enters directly into the treating solution in reservoir 18 and absorbs the solution before passing through a padding nip formed by rollers 16, 17. During the entire passage of the fabric through the treating station the fabric is maintained in positive, edge to edge control contact with the dimensionally stable surface of a roller. The pressure exerted by the padding nip is less by a predetermined amount than that of the extracting nip and limits the amount of treating liquid carried away by the fabric and insures thorough uniform penetration of the fibres. After the fabric has emerged from the padding nip it may be conveyed to a dryer 19 and finally to a folder 22, 23, 24. In the treating station roller 16 is mounted in fired bearings whilst rollers 15 and 17 are mounted on pivoted beams loaded by means of fluid pressure to give the desired nip pressures with roller 16. Roller 16 is driven and in turn drives the other two by frictional contact. The propelling means associated with the spreader 13 is driven in synchromism with the roller 16. The rollers are preferably covered with a resilient material e.g. rubber but may be of different densities and hardness. Doctors 46,47 are provided on rollers 15,16 and treating liquid drained from the fabric arid removed from the rollers is returned to a tank from whence it is returned by a pump via pipe 53 to distributor header 64. Make-up solution is supplied to the tank through a supply controlled by float and switch means. In treating initially dry fabric the fabric may be steamed by means of steamers 48 during its passage over spreader 13. In a second embodiment a plurality of small control rollers are spaced over the exposed upper portion of roller 16. In a further emibodiment to treat two or more webs simultaneously, separate spreaders generally spaced apart vertically in different and intersecting planes are provided so as to lead the webs together tangentically to roller 15. Specifications 875,782 and 884,324 are referred to.