Process of stabilizing thermoplastic knitted fabric containing cellulose ester yarns with superheated steam

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR IMPROVING THE DIMENSIONAL STABILITY OF WARP KNITTED FABRIC CONTAINING CELLULOSE ACETATE YARNS AFTER SAID FABRIC HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO HOT WATER UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS THAT THE NUMBER OF WALES PER INCH OF THE FABRIC HAS BEEN INCREASED, WHICH COMPRISES STRETCHING SAID FABRIC TO A DEFINTE WIDTH TO DECREASE THE NUMBER OF WALES PER INCH AND SUBJECTING SAID FABRIC CONTAINING 50-120%, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE DRIED FABRIC, OF WATER TO SUPERHEATED STEAM HAVING A TEMPERATURE ABOVE ABOUT 230*F., MAINTAINING SAID FABRIC AT SAID DEFINITE WIDTH AND AT A MOISTURE CONTENT ABOVE THE SATURATION REGAIN VALUE OF SAID CELLULOSE ESTER THROUGHOUT THE TREATMENT WITH SUPERHEATED STEAM, SAID TREATMENT WITH SUPERHEATED STEAM BEING CONTINUED UNTIL SAID CELLULOSE ESTER IS SWOLLEN AND THE INTERNAL STRESSES IN THE YARNS ARE RELEASED AND THE DIMENSIONS OF THE FABRIC ARE STABILIZED TO SUBSEQUENT WASHING, THE TIME AND TEMPERATURE OF SAID TREATMENT BEING INSUFFICIENT TO EFFECT FUSION OR COALESCENCE OF SAID YARNS, REMOVING THE FABRIC FROM CONTACT WITH THE SUPERHEATED STEAM BEFORE THE MOSITURE CONTENT WITH THE CELLULOSE ESTER HAS BEEN REDUCED BELOW SAID SATURATION REGAIN VALUE SO THAT SAID FABRIC STILL CARRIES AN EXCESS OF WATER ON THE FURFACE OF SAID YARNS, AND COOLING THE TREATED FABRIC, SAID FABRIC BEING SUPPORTED THROUGHOUT SUBSTANSTEAM.