Process and apparatus for dyeing sliver

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS METHOD OF DYEING A RUNNING LENGTH OF UNWOVEN FIBER, COMPRISING, PASSING THE RUNNING LENGTH INTO THE NIP BETWEEN THE CONVERGING SURFACES OF PRESS ROLLS MOVING AT A CONSTANT LINEAR SPEED, CONFINING THE MATERIAL LEAVING THE NIP UNDER RESILIENT PRESSURE THEREBY CRIMPING IT AND CAUSING IT TO WIPE THE DIVERGING COMPESSING SURFACE OF THE PRESS ROLLS SUBSEQUENT TO THE NIP, CONTINOUSLY APPLYING LIQUID DYE TOO THE CONVERGING SURFACES PRIOR TO THEIR POINT OF CONTACT WITH THE RUNNING LENGTH IN AN AMOUNT ABSORBABLE BY THE RUNNING LENGTH, THE SPEED OF THE ROLLS, THE AMOUNT OF RESILIENT PRESSURE AND THE SPEED OF FEED OF THE DYE BEING COORDINATED AND CONSTANT WHEREBY THERE IS CONTINUOUS COMPLETE REMOVAL OF DYE FROM THE ROLL SURFACES AND ABSORPTION BY THE RUNNING LENGHT.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING DYE TO STRANDS OF TEXTILE MATERIAL, COMPRISING, A PAIR OF SMOOTH-SURFACED CRIMP ROLLS ARRANGED TO ROTATE ON PARALLEL AXES WHEREBY THEIR PERIPHERAL SURFACES FORM THEREBETWEEN A NIP THROUGH WHICH THE STRAND IS PASSED, A CRIMP BOX RELATED TO THE ROLLS AT THE DELIVERY SIDE OF THE NIP IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO RECEIVE THE STRAND FROM THE ROLLS AND TO SUBJECT IT TO CRIMPING PRESSURE, A PAD HELD TO RIDE ON THE SURFACE OF EACH ROLL TO DISPERSE THE DYE ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE ROLL AT A POSITION PRIOR TO THE NIP, A CONDENSER FOR THE STRAND ARRANGED IN ADVANCE OF THE NIP TO DELIVER THE MATERIAL TO THE NIP, AND MEANS FOR SUPPYLING METERED AMOUNTS OF DYE IN LIQUID FORM TO THE PADS.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING DYE TO STRANDS OF TEXTILE MATERIAL, COMPRISING, A PAIR OF SMOOTH-SURFACED CRIMP ROLLS ARRANGED TO ROTATE ON PARALLEL AXES WHEREBY THEIR PERIPHERAL SURFACES FORM THEREBETWEEN A NIP THROUGH WHICH THE STRAND IS PASSED, A CRIMP BOX RELATED TO THE ROLLS AT THE DELIVERY SIDE OF THE NIP IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO RECEIVE THE STRAND FROM THE ROLLS AND TO SUBJECT IT TO CRIMPING PRESSURE, A PAD HELD TO RIDE ON THE SURFACE OF EACH ROLL TO DISPERSE THE DYE ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE ROLL AT A POSITION PRIOR TO THE NIP, A CONDENSER FOR THE STRAND ARRANGED IN ADVANCE OF THE NIP TO DELIVER THE MATERIAL TO THE NIP, AND MEANS FOR SUPPYLING METERED AMOUNTS OF DYE IN LIQUID FORM TO THE PADS.