Process and apparatus for dyeing or performing related

Claim 1

IN THE ART OF TREATING TEXTILE MATERIAL IN CONTINUOUS LENGTH WITH AN AQUEOUS LIQUOR SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF DYEING AND DYE REDUCING LIQUORS AND WHEREIN THE TEXTILE MATERIAL IS PENETRABLE BY SAID AQUEOUS LIQUOR, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID TEXTILE MATERIAL, WITHOUT FIRST PASSING THE SAME THROUGH A BATH OF MOLTEN METAL WHEREBY THE TEXTILE MATERIAL WILL BE FREE OF METAL PENETRATIONS AND ADHESIONS, THROUGH A FLUID LAYER OF SAID AQUEOUS LIQUOR FLOATING ON A BATH OF MOLTEN METAL WHICH DOES NOT CHEMICALLY REACT WITH SAID TEXTILE MATERIAL AND THE AQUEOUS LIQUOR THEREON, PASSING THE TEXTILE MATERIAL DIRECTLY FROM THE AQUEOUS LIQUOR INTO SAID MOLTEN METAL BATH WITHOUT EXPOSURE TO THE ATMOSPHERE, AND CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THE TREATED TEXTILE MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY TO A SUBSTANTIAL DEPTH, LATERALLY AND UPWARDLY IN A CONTINUOUS MOLTEN METAL PATH, WHEREBY AQUEOUS LIQUOR TAKEN UP BY THE TEXTILE MATERIAL AS THE LATTER TRAVELS THROUGH THE FLOATING LAYER MAY BE SUBJECTED DURING ITS PASSAGE THROUG SAID PATH OF MOLTEN METAL TO CHEMICAL REACTION, PENETRATION AND UNIFORM SQUEEZING DUE TO THE TEMPERATURE AND THE PRESSURE OF THE MOLTEN METAL, THE MELTING POINT OF THE METAL OF THE MOLTEN METAL BATH BEING NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 100* C. AND THE MOLTEN METAL HAVING A TEMPERATURE BELOW THAT AT WHICH SUBSTANTIAL EBULLITION OF THE AQUEOUS LIQUOR OCCURS.