JPH026436B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides wet-processed tubular knitted fabrics (wet-treated tubular knitted fabrics).
This invention relates to a highly efficient drying method for processed tubular knitted fabric.

Tubular knitted fabrics are typically produced on circular flat knitting machines in semi-continuous lengths of tubular fabric. In most cases, the tubular fabric is processed by finishing and cutting while remaining in tubular form. Typically, such processing involves multiple wet processing steps, such as washing, bleaching, and sometimes dyeing. At the end of this wet processing stage the fabric is dried and conditioned for finishing.

In a typical conventional wet processing line for knitted tubular fabrics, at the end of the wet processing stage, the semi-continuous tubular fabric is run through an internal spreader device designed to restore the fabric width to some desired proper size. directed upwards. In this regard, knitted fabrics are inherently unstable in shape (unlike woven fabrics, which are rather stable) and typically undergo longitudinal tension applied to the fabric during wet processing. It will be appreciated that substantially increases the length and decreases the width. After passing through the spreader, the fabric passes through extractor rolls, conventionally in the form of one or more opposed sets of elastic nip rollers.
These act to physically remove water from the fabric,
Typically, the moisture content is reduced to approximately 85% (meaning 85 pounds of water per 100 pounds of dry fabric). Typically, the fabric is then dried in a tension dryer, usually steam-heated or gas-fired.
less dryer). A typical dryer for this purpose is Fretuza's U.S. Patent No.
Described in No. 3496647.

According to common practice, the above-mentioned U.S. patent no.
In a two drum dryer of the type shown in No. 3,496,647, the maximum drying capacity can be about 350 pounds per hour. For more economical drying equipment, especially open-fire equipment, the drying cost at modern energy cost levels is typically around 30% per pound of water removed.
It is on the order of 1.5 cents.

In accordance with the invention, a so-called Mach nozzle of the type described and claimed in Brugman U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,045 is used before a conventional drying device. As a result, considerable economic efficiency is achieved. The nozzles are arranged to act on the tubular knitted fabric before the dryer and to remove a significant portion of the liquid content of the fabric before it enters the dryer. Nozzle treatment acts to reduce the liquid content of the fabric to typically less than 50%, well below the 85% level that can be achieved with conventional rollers, and thus for a given amount of fabric. Significantly reduces the load on the dryer. The energy cost per pound of water removed by the nozzle process according to the invention is significantly lower than with conventional drying equipment. Significant overall manufacturing cost savings are therefore achieved. Additionally, a given amount of fabric contains considerably less water that must be removed by the dryer, greatly increasing the operating speed of an entire processing line that tends to be limited by dryer capacity. can do.

The theoretical advantages of the so-called Matsuha nozzle system are well known from the disclosure of Braggman US Pat. No. 4,137,045, which even suggests applicability to knitted fabrics. Nevertheless, the conventional state of the art was that the Matsuha nozzle process could not be used for knitted fabrics, at least for tubular knitted fabrics. The reason for this is the large deformation of such fabrics during their infiltration by high velocity steam jets and the need to hold the fabrics under considerable tension. Thus, while the patent itself states that processing of knit wear can be accomplished, the state of the art is at least as good as producing a commercially acceptable product at a commercially acceptable cost. The standards that make it possible to achieve
Such treatment was virtually impossible to implement.

In accordance with the present invention, a novel method and apparatus is provided that makes it practically possible to effectively treat and dry tubular knitted fabrics using a Matsuha nozzle treatment step prior to a tensionless dryer.

According to one aspect of the invention, the wet processed fabric can be removed directly from the trolley or similar container and, while still in wet form, can be flattened and predetermined. can be expanded to the width of This moistened spread fabric is then fed directly into an elastic control nip consisting of a pair of opposing elastic rollers. From this pair of rollers, sometimes referred to as inlet rollers, the fabric is guided downwards and around a high velocity nozzle and then upwardly to a pair of elastic rollers on the outlet side. According to one aspect of the invention, each pair of rollers does not crease the edges of the fabric, but nevertheless involves some wrap-around of the fabric around the lower roller. Make very light contact with the fabric, enough to give relatively firm control over the movement of the fabric.

In typical textile mill practice, the predrying extraction operation is usually performed on an off-line basis from the dryer body. This is because such operations can be accomplished at speed ratios much greater than typical dryer operating speeds. Thus, an extraction device can serve more than one dryer, and in many cases multiple rows of tubular knitted fabrics are run side by side through the dryer. Nevertheless, it is contemplated by the present invention that the fabric may be processed with a Matsuha nozzle section in-line with a dryer having multiple nozzle sections feeding perhaps two or more webs into a single dryer. .

The method and device of the invention, contrary to the state of the art, make it possible to process highly deformable tubular knitted fabrics with a Matsuha nozzle system and achieve very significant economies in energy costs. as well as a significant increase in processing speed with a concomitant reduction in labor costs per manufacturing device.

The method of the invention involves wet-on-wet foam processing.
has additional advantages regarding the application of in general,
The use of foam-based chemicals in fabric treatment is advantageous. This is because the lower liquid content of foam-based chemicals reduces subsequent drying costs. However, the application of form-based chemicals to wet-processed fabrics is difficult under conventional practice due to the high liquid residual content of the incoming fabrics, resulting in savings in drying costs. It was not possible to realize it. However, in accordance with the present invention, the liquid content level of the incoming fabric is sufficiently low that the low moisture content of the foam-based chemistry results in a significantly lower total liquid content after foam processing.

Thus, in summary, the present invention comprises: (a) providing a wet-treated knitted tubular fabric in wet form; (b) spreading the wetted knitted tubular fabric in a first stage into a flat, smooth configuration; (c) guiding the laterally spread tubular knitted fabric around and in contact with the gas exhaust nozzle to advance in a substantially V-shaped path; (d) the tubular knitted fabric passing through the gas exhaust nozzle; (e) adjustably controlling the rate of advancement of the tubular knitted fabric on the inlet side of the gas discharge nozzle; f) Adjustably driving a knitted tubular fabric on the outlet side of the gas discharge nozzle to elongate the knitted tubular fabric and to place the knitted tubular fabric under tension as it advances over the gas discharge nozzle. (g) the tubular knitted fabric is
(h) substantially immediately thereafter, the tubular knitted fabric is laterally spread in a second stage to form a flattened fabric; a method of treating a knitted tubular fabric comprising: (i) then further processing the knitted tubular fabric to complete drying;

The present invention also relates to an apparatus for processing wet tubular knitted fabric according to the method of claim 1, comprising: (a) receiving a wet-treated tubular knitted fabric and spreading the tubular knitted fabric into a flat configuration; (b) means for controlling the rate of advancement of the incoming moist tubular knitted fabric; and (c) spreader means within the first stage and across the path of travel of the tubular knitted fabric. (d) means for supplying a gaseous drying medium under pressure to said nozzle;
(e) the nozzle and the supply means are in such a relationship that the gaseous drying medium is discharged from the nozzle at approximately the speed of sound, and (f) the gaseous drying medium is capable of being discharged through the tubular knitted fabric. means for guiding a tubular knitted fabric around and in contact with the nozzle;
(g) the guiding means includes an exit drive roller that engages the tubular knitted fabric across the width of the tubular knitted fabric;
(h) controllable drive means for driving said first stage spreader means and said exit drive roller, whereby said tubular knitted fabric is stretched and said first stage spreader means and said exit drive roller; (i) second stage spreader means positioned downstream of said exit drive roller for laterally spreading the tubular knitted fabric to a predetermined width; It also includes devices consisting of:

For a better understanding of these and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawings.

Referring first to Figure 1 of the attached drawings,
Reference number 10 is untwisted in preparation for drying,
Indicates a trolley or other container, usually on wheels, for holding a length of wet-processed tubular fabric ready for wet-spreading and extracting. The fabric 11 is typically pulled upwardly through an eye guide 12 and to the forward end of an adjustable width spreader 13. This width spreader 13 is, for example, Woodside,
S.Cohen, owned by Samcoe Holding Corporation of New York
U.S. Patent No. 3,207,616 to Frezza et al.
U.S. Patent No. 3,875,624 or Freza U.S. Patent No.
It can be of the type described in No. 4103402,
These patents are incorporated herein by reference.
In accordance with known practice, the spreader, designated generally by the numeral 13, consists of oppositely spaced belt frames 14, 15 connected by bars 16 of adjustable length. As shown in FIG. 3, the belt frames of the illustrated form include an inlet belt and an outlet belt 17, 18, respectively.
including. Adjacent drive sheaves 19, 20 for each belt are engaged by rotatable edge drive rollers 21, 22 on either side of the machine;
supported and driven. The edge driven roller is
In order to support and drive cloth spreaders set to various predetermined widths, according to known practices:
It is mounted on a carriage 23 which can be moved towards and away from the center line of the processing device.

Immediately downstream of the spreader 13 in the direction of fabric travel is a water (liquid) removal device comprising in part a so-called Mach nozzle 24, which is described in Braggman U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,045. and is set forth in the claims of that patent, which are hereby incorporated by reference. Each side of the nozzle has a pair of cloth drive and control rollers upstream and downstream thereof. Rollers 25, 26 are positioned on the inlet side of the nozzle, and rollers 27, 28
is located at the outlet or discharge side of the nozzle.

According to the invention, the upper rollers 25, 27 of each pair of rollers straddling the Matsuha nozzle are not loaded. That is, it is not forced downwardly toward the corresponding lower roller by springs, air loading devices, weights, etc. Conversely, the upper rollers are desirably relatively light in weight and are loosely supported over their respective lower rollers, such as by loose vertical guide slots (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the first stage spreading device 13 delivers the spread wet cloth directly to the first pair of rollers 25,26. Although uncharacteristically, the fabric at this stage is completely wet from the previous wet processing operation, the roller pair 2
5,26 are not required to perform a significant liquid extracting function. In this respect, there is no advantage in keeping the liquid intact as it passes the first roller stage, and there is no advantage in removing some of the liquid at that stage. This is because the operation of the Matsuha nozzle 24 is not significantly affected by the presence or absence of the amount of liquid that can be expressed by the first pair of rollers. On the other hand, the loading force required to achieve a large amount of liquid expression in the first pair of rollers increases power consumption, reduces roller life, and possibly some fabric loss resulting from the squeezing action of the rollers. Causes deformation. By equipping the rollers with elastic covers that have a good grip on the fabric, roller pairs 25, 26 and 27, 28 use relatively light upper rollers without any external loading. can perform their primary function of controllably and adjustably advancing the forward movement of the fabric.

According to the teachings of Braggman U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,045, liquid removal from the fabric 11 is accomplished by having a wedge angle of 60° to 90° and evacuation of a high velocity gaseous drying medium, typically steam in this case. This is done by passing the cloth around and in contact with a wedge-shaped nozzle having a somewhat rounded lower edge with a transverse slit for the purpose. As shown in FIG. 1, the nozzle 24 is positioned below the face of the roller pair to cause the fabric 11 to turn downwardly around the nozzle and back to the roller pair on the exit side. The fabric thus forms a V-shaped trough and is in intimate contact with the wedge-shaped surface of the nozzle which emits high velocity steam.

4 and 5 are front and partial cross-sectional views, respectively, of a high-speed nozzle 24 according to the aforementioned Braggman patent used in the method and apparatus of the present invention. Typically, the nozzle consists of two half-sections 29, 30 of somewhat symmetrical shape arranged to be bolted together as shown in FIG. An inlet passage 31 is formed in one of the sections 30 and is arranged to connect to a pipe 32 (FIG. 1) leading to a suitable source of steam under pressure. Passageway 31 connects to a horizontally elongated manifold cavity 33 which is closed at each end and extends substantially the entire width of the nozzle. A plurality of distribution passageways 34 diverge at 35 into a second manifold cavity 36 that communicates downwardly from the manifold cavity and also extends along substantially the entire width of the nozzle. dent 3
A narrow slot forming 7 is machined in the area of one or both nozzles and defines a narrow discharge slot 38 extending transversely.
The size and shape of the slot are such that, in accordance with the teachings of the Bragman patent, the gaseous processing medium, typically steam, is sized and shaped to exit at very high velocities approaching the speed of sound.

Wedge-shaped lower surface 3 of assembled nozzle half
9,40 is included angle from 60° to 90°
and is desirably polished smooth to accommodate the movement thereon of the fabric to be treated. The lower end of the nozzle is rounded as at 41 to allow relatively abrupt changes in cloth orientation without wear or damage.

Desirably, a steam recovery chamber 42 is provided below the nozzle. The chamber opens into a discharge duct 43 which discharges excess steam.

According to one aspect of the invention, the tubular knitted fabric treated by the high speed steam nozzle 24 is unsupported, ie it is neither carried by nor supported from below by the carrier web. Rather, it is held in tension contact with the high speed nozzle by longitudinal tension in the fabric itself. Of course, as will be appreciated, the wetted cloth delivered from the first stage spreader 13 is highly dimensionally unstable and when placed under the tension necessary to maintain working contact with the high speed nozzle 24. It will elongate significantly (e.g., typically by 50%) and become correspondingly narrower, as indicated at 44 in FIG. To this end, each inlet and outlet roller pair is adjustable by a variable speed drive 56 (PIV) such that the speed of operation of the outlet roller can be adjusted to be suitably faster than the speed of operation of the inlet roller. will be synchronized. This can be adjusted visually by the machine operator so that the proper tension is maintained in the fabric without excessively deforming the fabric. This is a matter of empirical determination in various cases depending on the specificity of the fabric structure, but adjustment is readily made by a uniform, reasonably competent operator.

a high-speed nozzle 24 and a pair of rollers 27 on the exit side;
The fabric leaving 28 has a significantly reduced liquid content.
Typically the liquid content of nozzle treated fabrics is 50
% (i.e., 50 pounds of water per 100 pounds of dry fabric), whereas fabrics subjected to roller wringer according to the prior art more typically have a water content of 85%. (i.e., a content somewhat greater than 70% after nozzle treatment).

According to the invention, immediately following liquid removal by nozzle treatment, the now-damp cloth is transferred to a second stage belt spreader device which can be of the same construction as the first stage spreader 13, for example. 51 to a predetermined uniform width approximating the desired finished width. Typically, the second stage spreader 51 can be integrated directly into the nozzle treatment device, and this is of course contemplated by the disclosure. However, in the particular system illustrated, a multi-purpose system is provided in which the second stage Spretzder is S. U.S. Patent No. S. Cohn et al.
It forms part of a so-called Tri-Pad unit as shown in No. 3,207,616. In the illustrated system, the second stage spreader 51 delivers to a set of inverted triangular rollers.
If no further treatment of the fabric is desired, it is
The fabric is simply rolled over the surfaces of the synchronously driven treatment rollers 52, 53, 54 without any nip pressure being applied, but with the fabric being geometrically stabilized by contact with the roller surfaces. Moving.
The fabric leaving the treatment roller 54 is, for example, S. It may be directed to a tensionless drying device 62 of the type shown in Kohn et al. US Pat.

In the illustrated form of the invention, the control drive for the processing line is a variable speed motor 45, which is connected directly to the tripad unit rollers 52-54 via a drive mechanism. A second stage spreader device 51 forming part of the tripad unit is connected to the main tripad drive 46 via a variable speed pulley or the like 47 so that a range of speed adjustment of the spreader relative to the tripad rollers is possible. Driven from. Most typically, this is adjusted to provide a slight overfeeding of the fabric by the spreader 51 to ensure tension-free conditions as it passes over the tripad rollers. The drive device 48 for the drying device 62 also ensures that the speed of the drying device
The tripad drive 46 via a PIV or similar variable speed drive 49 can be adjusted slightly slower than the operating speed of the tripad rollers in order to maintain a tension-free condition relative to the tripad roller.
Driven from.

First stage spreader 13, roller pair 25,
The extractor section consisting of 26 and 27, 28 and the high speed nozzle 24 can advantageously be driven independently by a second variable speed motor 50. However, the operation of the extractor device is controlled by the dancer control unit 5.
8, it is controlled to automatically follow the operation of the tripad. As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of guides forming part of the dancer control system 58 between a tripad unit, generally designated by the reference numeral 63, and an extractor unit, generally designated by 64. rollers 56, 60
and a dancer roller 61 that is movable in the vertical direction. The speed of the extractor unit motor 50 is controlled by the position of a vertically movable dancer roller 61 according to known control techniques. Thus, depending on the extent to which the speed of operation of the extractor device tends to be slower than the speed of operation of the tripod unit, the dancer roller 61 is forced upwardly by the increasingly shorter loop 59 of cloth passing around the dancer roller. will move to. In response, the operating speed of the motor 50 is proportionally increased so that on average the dancer roller 61 seeks a predetermined average rate of rise, and as such the speed of the extractor device 64 increases to a tripartite rate. This allows it to closely track the speed of the unit.

As shown in FIG. 2, the extractor unit motor is operated via an extractor drive 55 to directly drive the lower roller 26 of the inlet roller pair. The lower roller 28 of the exit roller pair is driven from the extractor drive 55 via a variable speed PIV device 56;
Unit 56 drives the exit roller pair at a somewhat higher speed than the inlet pair to allow the fabric to be stretched sufficiently to maintain the desired level of longitudinal tension in the fabric. The first stage spreader unit 13 is also driven from an extractor drive 55 via a variable speed pulley system 57 etc. so that the speed of the spreader unit can vary slightly with respect to the speed of the inlet roller pair. be done. Typically, there may be a slight overfeed of fabric from the spreader unit 13.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, as the fabric enters the second stage spreader 51, the width of the fabric is substantially increased. To accommodate this width increase, the average speed of advance of the fabric during the tripad stage is considerably slower than the average speed of advance of the stretched fabric being delivered from the pair of rollers 27, 28 on the exit side of the extractor unit. However, this
However, this does not pose a problem as long as the fabric width variations and the resulting differences in fabric advancement speed are automatically compensated for by maintaining a predetermined average loop 59 of the fabric.

An important theoretical advantage arises if the tubular fabric, after the second stage of spretting, can be directed immediately to the drying device for completion of the drying operation. This means that the fabric immediately after nozzle treatment is very hot and is essentially at the temperature level for the start of drying, so that additional energy savings and increased operating speeds can be realized in the dryer. partially arises from. On the other hand, the speed of operation of the nozzle treatment device is typically
Much greater than the maximum operating speed of a typical commercial tensionless dryer. As a result, many processors fold the wet fabric as it emerges from the second stage spretting operation, transfer the folded fabric to a dryer located elsewhere, and then unfold the fabric. We find that it is more economical to feed the dryer from a dry cloth feeder. By the method mentioned last,
A nozzle processing unit operating at a speed significantly greater than the dryer speed can feed fabric to several dryers and/or feed several rows or webs of fabric to a given dryer. In this regard, it is very common for dryers to process multiple webs side by side to increase the overall throughput of fabric even when operating at relatively low linear forward speeds.

Folders suitable for that purpose are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,761,678 to Eugene Cohn et al. and/or U.S. Pat. . In an actual commercial size apparatus according to the present invention, a nozzle unit approximately 43 inches wide was provided for processing tubular knit fabrics up to a maximum width somewhat less than the nozzle width. Steam was supplied at a pressure of about 80 psi (about 5.6 Kg/cm ² ) corresponding to a steam temperature of about 325 °C (about 163° C.).
Under such conditions, the nozzle temperature in the tip region can be stabilized at about 220°C (about 104°C). Steam at a rate of 460 lbs/hr (approximately 209 Kg/hr) at approximately the speed of sound over a width of 1 mil (0.001″ (0.0254 mm))
was ejected through the slot. 1 pound of steam consumed under certain conditions
Approximately 1.4 pounds of water can be removed from the fabric each time the fabric is processed, so the fabric processing rate can be controlled as a function of the weight of water per pound of dry fabric. For comparison, a conventional tensionless dryer of the type described here and commonly used throughout this industry uses approximately 2.5 pounds of steam to remove 1 pound of water. . In comparison, the nozzle treatment method of the present invention produces approximately
It weighs 0.7 pounds (approximately 0.318Kg).

Equally important, a typical two-drum commercial dryer of known and widely used construction has a maximum water removal capacity of 350 pounds per hour. can. Under conventional practice, using fabric roller extraction before drying, the fabric entering the dryer is approximately
It contains 85% water, which is approximately 410 pounds dry weight cloth per hour's
The content is such that it can be processed (time). By way of comparison, fabrics subjected to nozzle treatment according to the present invention have a liquid content of 50% or less, which is approximately 700 pounds (318 Kg) or more of dry weight fabric per hour. The content is such that it can be treated. Thus, in addition to the obvious energy savings, the fact that a given dryer can be almost doubled in capacity means a significant reduction in capital investment, factory space, and perhaps even more important This allows for a significant reduction in labor costs.

Another significant advantage that can be derived from the method and apparatus of the invention is the practical improvement of so-called wet-on-wet foam processing to the point of greater economic viability. In this respect, the so-called foam treatment of tubular knitted fabrics allows the application of dyes and other treatment chemicals by foam media rather than the more conventional liquid media;
Moreover, it results in a reduction in liquid input to the fabric and a concomitant reduction in energy costs in the subsequent drying and/or curing of the foamed fabric. However, foam-based chemicals (foam-
For wet-on-wet treatment, which is applied to fabrics that have been wet-treated with
The economics of foam processing, at least using conventional extraction processing methods, are not significant. For example, with a conventional roller wrung wet cloth containing a moisture level of approximately 85%, the addition of foam-based chemicals may cause the cloth to be exposed to liquid-based chemicals in a conventional manner. This increases the moisture content of the fabric to about 95%, compared to perhaps 105% when treated with water followed by roller squeezing of excess processing liquid.
Thus, under conventional practice, the moisture content of the fabric entering the dryer after a wet-on-wet treatment operation is 105% for liquid-based chemical treatments compared to approximately 95% for foam-based treatments. , a difference that often does not allow for modification of processing lines to utilize form processing. However, if the incoming fabric has been treated by the high speed nozzle method according to the present invention, the moisture level of the incoming fabric will be about 50% or less, which may be, for example, 60% or less after application of the foam-based chemicals. Only increases within less moisture water content. Under these conditions, the application of chemical form bases in wet-on-wet processing is limited to 105% moisture content resulting from liquid processing (liquid processing, as understood, is not the same as the moisture level of the incoming fabric). Achieve a benefit of 60% or less moisture going to the dryer, compared to approximately 105% independently.

The method according to the invention makes it possible for the first time to treat knitted fabrics by the so-called Matsuha nozzle method of Braggman US Pat. No. 4,137,045. Thus, despite the general observation in the Braggman patent about its applicability to knitted fabrics, experience prior to the present invention has shown that knitted fabrics cannot be effectively treated according to this method. It has only reached the technical level. Among the novelties of the present invention that make this possible contrary to the state of the art are, first, the damp fabric immediately before nozzle treatment, and then the first and second stages of the damp fabric immediately after nozzle treatment. driving the exit roller at a speed ratio higher than the entrance roller sufficiently to maintain tension in the fabric and accommodate the resulting width reduction and length elongation of the unstable wet fabric; Independent variable speed control of the inlet and outlet rollers provides tension control of the wet shaped unstable fabric passing through the high speed nozzle. however,
The fabric is passed through the inlet and outlet roller pairs without loading any of the roller pairs, especially the inlet pair, for the purpose of squeezing liquid from the fabric. Rather, the upper roller of each pair of rollers ensures that the fabric is in frictional engagement with the lower driven roller of each pair so as to provide the necessary tension control of the fabric without undesirable creases at the edges of the fabric. It is a relatively lightweight, non-load roller whose function is only to promote

In one advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention, the nozzle-treated and damp
After being spread laterally to the desired width in a form, the fabric is gathered, e.g. by folding,
It is then sent in its collected form to a suitable dryer. In another form of the invention, the wet cloth at elevated temperature from the high speed steam nozzle is placed in a dryer which can be operated at a somewhat increased rate of speed with reduced energy usage. substantially directly and continuously. However, the last-mentioned method logically requires a dryer whose nominal operating speed matches the processing speed of the nozzle processing device.

Nozzle treatment according to the invention comprises foam treatment of a fabric in a wet-on-wet process in which a foam-based chemical is applied to the fabric in wet form but after reduction of its liquid content by the nozzle treatment according to the invention. Make it highly attractive for the first time. Using conventional roller wringer methods for reducing the liquid content of fabrics, the benefits of wet-on-wet foam processing are rather minimal, and typically due to the use of foam technology. is insufficient to permit conversion of processing lines. However, with the nozzle treatment according to the invention, the reduction in liquid content of the fabric is
It is significant enough that very significant benefits can be achieved by wet-on-wet foam treatment.

The energy savings that can be realized by the method and device of the invention are so impressive that the return on capital invested in the device for implementing this new method can be realized in less than one year. At the same time, since the drying equipment is typically the slowest operating unit in the line, the entire sequence of plant processing is expedited with consequent savings in equipment costs, plant utilization, labor, etc. .

It is, of course, to be understood that the particular forms of the invention illustrated and described are intended to be illustrative only and that certain changes may be made without departing from the express teachings of this disclosure. It is. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims to determine the full scope of the invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified partial schematic side view illustrating a processing system for tubular knitted fabrics including a Matsuha nozzle system for subsequent folding and pre-extraction prior to subsequent off-line drying or immediate in-line drying; FIG. It is. Figure 2 is the first
1 is a simplified partial schematic top view of the illustrated system; FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial view of the fabric spreader apparatus used in the system of the present invention. 4 and 5 are end elevational views and longitudinal cross-sectional views of a high speed steam discharge nozzle used in the method of the present invention. In the figure, 10... a trolley or other container, 11
... Wet-processed tubular knitted fabric, 12 ... Eye guide, 13 ... First stage spreader, 14,15
... Belt frame, 21, 22 ... Rotatable edge drive roller, 24 ... Matsuha nozzle, 25,
26, 27, 28... Roller, 45... Variable speed motor, 46... Drive mechanism, 47... Variable speed pulley, 49... Variable speed drive device, 50... Variable speed motor, 51... Second stage Spretzda,
52, 53, 54...processing rollers, 58...dancer control device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1 (a) providing a wet-processed tubular knitted fabric in wet form; (b) spreading the wet tubular knitted fabric laterally in a first stage into a flat and smooth form; ( c) guiding the laterally spread tubular knitted fabric around the gas discharging nozzle so as to bring it into contact with the gas discharging nozzle in a substantially V-shaped path; (d) the tubular knitted fabric passing through the gas discharging nozzle; (e) adjustably controlling the rate of advancement of the tubular knitted fabric on the inlet side of the gas discharge nozzle; f) Adjustably driving a knitted tubular fabric on the outlet side of the gas evacuation nozzle to elongate the knitted tubular fabric and to place the knitted tubular fabric under tension as it advances over the gas evacuation nozzle. (g) the tubular knitted fabric is stretched and reduced in width in a region immediately in front of the gas discharge nozzle and in a region immediately downstream of the gas discharge nozzle; h) substantially immediately thereafter, the tubular knitted fabric is laterally spread in a second stage into a flat configuration and a predetermined width; (i) the tubular knitted fabric is then further processed to complete drying; Method of processing tubular knitted fabric consisting of. 2. The gaseous drying medium is at an elevated temperature, and the drying of the tubular knitted fabric is performed substantially immediately after treatment of the tubular knitted fabric with the gaseous drying medium so that the tubular knitted fabric is at an elevated temperature. 2. The method of claim 1, which is completed while still retaining substantial heat from the drying medium. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the gaseous drying medium is steam. 4. Claim 1, wherein the gaseous drying medium is discharged through the tubular knitted fabric at a speed close to the speed of sound.
The method described in section. 5. The step of further treating and drying the tubular knitted fabric comprises: once the tubular knitted fabric is in a flat configuration, it is loosely folded in a wet state; and the loosely folded wet tubular knitted fabric is then dried. A method according to claim 1, comprising: 6. The step of further treating and drying the knitted tubular fabric comprises impregnating the knitted tubular fabric with a foam-based chemical and then drying the impregnated knitted tubular fabric. Method described. 7. The tubular knitted fabric is adjustably driven on the outlet side of the gas discharge nozzle at a higher speed than on the inlet side, whereby the tubular knitted fabric is stretched and narrowed in width in the region of the gas discharge nozzle. The method according to claim 1, wherein 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of further treating and drying the tubular knitted fabric comprises drying the tubular knitted fabric while holding the tubular knitted fabric so that there is no tension in the longitudinal direction. . 9 (a) internal spreader means of the first stage for receiving the wet processed knitted tubular fabric and spreading the tubular knitted fabric into a flat configuration; and (b) controlling the rate of advancement of the incoming wet knitted tubular fabric. (c) a nozzle located downstream of said first stage spreader means across the path of travel of the tubular knitted fabric; and (d) directing a gaseous drying medium under pressure into said nozzle. (e) said nozzle and said means for dispensing are in such a relationship that said gaseous drying medium is ejected from said nozzle at substantially sonic speed; and (f) said gaseous drying medium is ejected through a tubular knitted fabric. (g) means for guiding the knitted tubular fabric around the nozzle and into contact with the nozzle so that the knitted tubular fabric is engaged with the knitted fabric across the width of the knitted tubular fabric; (h) controllable drive means for driving the first stage spreader means and the exit drive roller, whereby the tubular knitted fabric is stretched and the first stage a second stage of the spreader held under tension between the first stage spreader and the exit drive roller, and (i) positioned downstream of the exit drive roller for laterally spreading the tubular knitted fabric to a predetermined width; a stage spreader means;
Equipment for processing wet tubular knitted fabrics. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said guiding means further comprises an inlet drive roller, said controllable drive means being connected to an inlet drive roller and an outlet drive roller, respectively. 11 The inlet drive roller and the outlet drive roller are each a cooperating roller pair consisting of a driven lower roller and an undriven upper roller, each of the upper rollers of the roller pair being of lightweight construction. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the device is held free of external loads, thereby minimizing roller pressure on the tubular knitted fabric.