Apparatus for treating materials

Claim 1

Apparatus for the treatment of wood, textiles, rope and cordage, which apparatus comprises: a treatment chamber having a lower part for containing a treating liquid, and an upper part; a support for material to be treated; means connected to said support for moving said support from the upper to the lower part of the treatment chamber, so as to immerse material on the support in a treating fluid entrained in the lower port of the treatment chamber and for returning the support to the upper part of the treatment chamber; a port in said treatment chamber for access to the upper part of the treatment chamber for loading material onto and unloading material from, the support when the support is in the upper part of the treatment chamber; means coupled to said treatment chamber for altering the pressure within the treatment chamber relative to ambient pressure; a holding tank for holding a reserve supply of treatment liquid; and an amplifying vessel coupled between the holding tank and the treatment chamber, said amplifying vessel being of small horizontal cross-section relative to the treatment chamber, and having a capacity at least equal to the largest volume of treatment liquid to be consumed in a single operation of said apparatus; means operatively coupled for transferring a measured amount, within said largest volume, of treatment liquid from said holding tank through said amplifying vessel and into said treatment chamber; means operatively coupled for transferring, after completion of the treating operation, the remainder of said measured amount from said treatment chamber to said amplifying vessel; and means operatively associated with said amplifying vessel for indicating the amount of liquid consumed by said treating operation.