Method and apparatus for treating a tow of filaments or threads in a limited space

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF TREATING IN A NON-TENSIONED CONDITION A CONTINUOUS TOW OF FILAMENTS WITH A TREATING LIQUID HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY GREATER THAN THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF THE TOW COMPRISING SUBJECTING SAID TOW TO A RAPIDLY MOVING CURRENT OF SAID TREATING LIQUID IN AN ELONGATED DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED NARROW CONFINED ZONE, SAID TOW BEING CARRIED BY THE TREATING LIQUID WHICH FLOWS CONCURRENTLY THEREWITH INTO THE LOWER END OF AN UPWARDLY INCLINED ELONGATED CONFINED ZONE HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE CROSS-SECTION ARE OF SAID NARROW ZONE TO THEREBY REDUCE THE LINEAR VELOCITY OF SAID TREATING LIQUID TO INSURE AN ABSENCE OF TURBULENCE IN THE MAJOR PORTION OF SAID UPWARDLY INCLINED ZONE AND CAUSE THE TOW TO FOLD IRREGULARLY AND FORM A LOOSE COLUMN OF FIBER WHICH MOVES SLOWLY UP SAID UPWARDLY INCLINED ZONE AGAINST THE CONFINING UPPER SURFACE THEREOF, THE POINT OF EXIT OF SAID TREATING LIQUID FROM SAID UPWARDLY INCLINED ZONE BEING BELOW THE POINT WHERE SAID TREATING LIQUID ENTERS SAID NARROW ZONE TO THEREBY PERMIT FLOW OF SAID TREATING LIQUID DOWN SAID NARROW ZONE AND THROUGH SAID UPWARDLY INCLINED ZONE, AND WITHDRAWING THE THUS TREATED TOW AT THE UPPER END OF SAID SECOND CONFINED ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CONTROLLING THE VELOCITY OF SAID TREATING LIQUID IN SAID UPWARDLY INCLINED ZONE BY WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF SAID TREATING LIQUID FROM SAID UPWARDLY INCLINED ZONE NEAR THE INLET END THEREOF.