Apparatus for the wet treatment of tubular knitted textile material

Claim 1

Apparatus for controlling accurately the degree of inflation of wet traveling tubular knitted textile material, in order to prevent excessive distention of the tubular knitted material and to maintain an intermediate degree of inflation, comprising means for transporting the tubular knitted material substantially vertically upwardly, at least one nozzle arranged to direct a stream of air against one side of the upwardly traveling tubular knitted material and thus to inflate the tubular material, a device for measuring the width of the inflated tubular material adjacent to the nozzle, said device comprising a relatively light feeler element which is generally inclined to the horizontal and rests against the upwardly traveling tubular knitted material on the side opposite to the side against which the nozzle is directed, a throttle valve which varies the flow of said stream of air and which is operated by said feeler element, said feeler element operating to prevent excessive distention of the tubular knitted material by closing said valve, and thus operating to maintain an intermediate degree of inflation, and a roller arranged to bend the tubular knitted material substantially horizontally at the top of its upward travel and thus to support the weight of the upwardly traveling tubular material and to prevent passage of the air inflating the tubular material.