Process and apparatus for controlling shrinkage in tubular fabrics

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PRESHRINKING TUBULAR KNITTED FABRIC, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SUCCESSIVE PAIRS OF ENDLESS BELTS THE BELTS OF EACH PAIR HAVING STRAIGHT RUNS FACING EACH OTHER AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND COMPRESS THE FABRIC BETWEEN THEM AND TO MOVE IT FORWARDLY, SAID BELTS BEING OF SUBSTANTIAL THICKNESS SO THAT THEIR OUTER SURFACES AT THE TURNS THEREOF WILL MOVE AT A FASTER SPEED THAN THE STRAIGHTRUN PORTIONS THEREOF, MEANS TO DRIVE A FORWARD PAIR OF BELTS AT A RELATIVELY SLOWER SPEED AND A REARWARD PAIR OF BELTS AT A RELATIVELY FASTER SPEED, MEANS TO CONDUCT SAID FABRIC TOWARD A REARWARD PAIR OF BELTS IN A SHAPE WITH THE GREATER EXTENT THEREOF IN THE FORM OF SIDES SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AND TO ENGAGE SAID SIDES WITH THE TURNS OF THE BELTS TO IMPART TO THE FABRIC A GREATER SPEED THAN IT WILL HAVE WHEN BETWEEN THE STRAIGHT-RUN PORTIONS OF THE BELTS OF SAID REARWARD PAIR THUS COMPACTING THE FABRIC LONGITUDINALLY, MEANS TO CONDUCT SAID FABRIC TOWARD A FORWARD PAIR OF BELTS IN A SHAPE WITH THE GREATER EXTENT THEREOF IN THE FORM OF SIDES SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AND TO ENGAGE SAID SIDES WITH THE TURNS OF THE BELTS TO IMPART TO THE FABRIC A GREATER SPEED THAN IT WILL HAVE WHEN BETWEEN THE STRAIGHT-RUN PORTIONS OF THE BELTS OF SAID FORWARD PAIR THUS FURTHER COMPACTING THE FABRIC LONGITUDINALLY, THE SECOND-MENTIONED CONDUCTING AND ENGAGING MEANS HAVING AN EFFECTIVE TRANSVERSE EXTENT SUFFICIENT TO PRESS SAID SIDES AGAINST THE TURNS OF THE BELTS AND AN EFFECTIVE LATERAL EXTENT ONLY SUFFICIENT TO FLATTEN SAID SIDES BEFORE CONTACTING THE BELTS WITHOUT IMPARTING SUBSTANTIAL LATERAL STRETCH THERETO, AND THE SECOND-MENTIONED CONDUCTING AND ENGAGING MEANS HAVING A GREATER LATERAL EXTENT THAN THE FIRSTMENTIONED CONDUCTING AND ENGAGING MEANS.