Treatment of materials

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR TREATING LENGTHWISE TRAVELING MATERIAL COMPRISING A DRIVING MEMBER, MEANS TO PRESS SAID MATERIAL AGAINST SAID DRIVING MEMBER TO DRIVE IT FORWARD, A RETARDING MEMBER ADAPTED TO SLIPPABLY CONTACT SAID MATERIAL, SAID RETARDING MEMBER LOCATED ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE MATERIAL AS THE DRIVING MEMBER, SAID RETRADING MEMBER HAVING A WIDTHWISE EXTENDING LEADING PART LOCATED ADJACENT TO SAID DRIVING MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE WIDTHWISE EXTENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE TREATED AND HAVING A SURFACE ADAPTED TO DIRECT SAID MATERIAL AWAY FROM THE SURFACE OF SAID DRIVING MEMBER AT AN ACUTE ANGLE TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID DRIVING SURFACE, AND A SURFACE MEANS EXTENDING OVER BOTH SAID DRIVING MEMBER AND SAID RETARDING MEMBER IN THE REGION WHERE THE MATERIAL MOVES FROM SAID DRIVING MEMBER TO SAID RETARDING MEMBER, SAID SURFACE MEANS ARRANGED TO SLIPPABLY CONTACT SAID MATERIAL DURING ITS PASSAGE THROUGH SAID REGION, SAID SURFACE MEANS AND THE DRIVING MEMBER DEFINING A PASSAGE WHICH DIVERGES TO SAID RETARDING MEMBER AND SAID SURFACE MEANS AND THE RETARDING MEMBER DEFINING A RETARDING PASSAGE THAT CONVERGES FORWARDLY FROM SAID LEADING PART.