Method and apparatus for processing fabrics in rope-like form

Claim 2

A combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein the second and third means are horizontally extending substantially circular drive rollers, and wherein the pleating means is a horizontally extending pleating bar below and in back of the rear drive roller, and wherein means is included for rotating the pleating bar so that the bar moves toward and beyond and then back from a horizontal position in back of the back edge of the rear drive roller so as to push the fabric toward the back of the vat and when the bar moves forwardly in front of the back edge of said rear drive roller to permit the fabric to swing under its own weight toward the front of the vat to form the pleated sections.

Claim 3

A combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein drive means is provided to rotate the front and rear drive rollers at the same tangential velocity so as to reduce the strain on the fabric as it is advanced by said rollers.

Claim 4

A combination as set forth in claim 3 further comprising means for applying a stream of said processing liquid onto said fabric in the direction of movement of said fabric after said fabric passes over said front drive roller and before said fabric passes over said rear drive roller so as to reduce the straining of said fabric as said fabric passes over said front and rear drive rollers and to increase the penetration of the processing liquid into said fabric so as to improve the overall processing of said fabric.

Claim 5

A combination as set forth in claim 5 wherein the tangential velocity of the front drive roller is greater than the tangential velocity of the rear drive roller.

Claim 6

A combination as set forth in claim 6 further comprising a set of guide plates positioned between said front and rear drive rollers and on opposite sides of said fabric so as to concentrate the stream of processing liquid onto said fabric, said guide plates including turbulator blades extending towards said fabric whereby said stream of processing liquid forms a turbulence and causes strands of said fabric to telescope inward so that said fabric passes over said rear drive roller and into the processing liquid in a relaxed fashion, so as to provide more effective treating of said fabric.

Claim 7

In a method for processing a fabric in a vat having a front and rear and which vat is partially filled with a processing liquid having an upper surface, the fabric being in rope-like form and having a leading and a trailing end, and in which method the fabric is wound into helical convolutions of which each includes a pleated section in the liquid, each pleated section having a leading portion and a trailing portion, and further in which method the leading end of the fabric is revolved in a closed path around the axis of the helix formed by the helical convolutions, the fabric from the leading portion of each previous pleated convolution section being drawn out of the processing liquid at the front of the vat and being deposited at the trailing portion of each previous pleated convolution section adjacent the upper surface of the processing liquid, said fabric being drawn out of the processing liquid at the front of the vat and being deposited back to the surface of the processing liquid at a rate per convolution faster than the fabric is wound into helical convolutions so that the fabric is formed into said pleated sections one for each convolution at the rear of the vat in the liquid and still further in which the convolutions are advanced toward the trailing end of the fabric, that improvement comprising: a. revolving the leading end of the fabric oNce through said closed path more speedily than the convolutions are rotated around said axis of the helix and then stopping such revolving of the leading end until the several helical convolutions have completed a single revolution around said axis, and b. advancing the convolutions toward the trailing end intermittently more speedily than the several convolutions are turned a single revolution around the helix and then stopping the advance of said convolutions towardthe trailing end until the convolutions have completed a single revolution around the said axis, c. so that the fabric as desposited at the leading portion of each pleated convolution section remains substantially constant axially while advancement of the convolutions toward the trailing end stops so that the deposited fabric of each convolution remains in a common plane perpendicular to the axis of the helix while advancement of the convolutions toward the trailing end is stopped.

Claim 8

In a method as set forth in claim 8 the further improvement comprising moving the convolutions of the fabric from the front to the rear of the vat by engaging the same with front and rear circular drive rollers and pleating the fabric as it descends from the rear roller to the pleated section of each convolution by passing said fabric over a pleating bar which moves toward and beyond and then back from a horizontal position in back of the rear drive roller so as to push the fabric toward the back of the vat and when the bar moves forwardly in front of the back edge of the rear drive roller to permit the fabric to swing under its own weight toward the front of the vat, such operation being practiced repeatedly to provide pleats.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 9 wherein said front and rear drive rollers are rotated at the same tangential velocity so as to reduce the strain on said fabric as said fabric is pulled over said front and rear drive rollers.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of applying a stream of said processing liquid onto said fabric in the direction of movement of said fabric after said fabric passes over said front drive roller and before said fabric passes over said rear drive roller so as to reduce the straining of said fabric as said fabric passes over said front and rear drive rollers and to increase the penetration of the processing liquid into said fabric whereby to improve the overall processing of said fabric.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 11 further comprising the step of telescoping strands of said fabric inward before the fabric passes over said rear drive roller so that said fabric passes over said rear drive roller and into the processing liquid in a relaxed state, whereby to increase the penetration of processing liquid into said fabric while reducing creasing of said fabric as it passes over said rear drive roller.