US1572585A - Apparatus for use in stretching and drying textile fabrics - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 9 1926.-

J. H. WALSH APPARATUS FOR USE IN STRETCHING AND DRYING TEXTILE FABRICS Filed April 14, 3.922 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 A m W ,W M w w my I 5 z. 6 a f .3 M

1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 9 1926.

' J. H. WALSH APPARATUS FOR USE IN STRETCHING- AND DRYING TEXTILE FABRICS FiledApril l4.

Feb. 9 1926.

I J. H. WALSH APPARATUS FOR USE IN STRETCHING AND DRYING TEXTILE FABRICS Filed April 14, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Feb. 9 1926.

J. H. WALSH APPARATUS FOR USE IN STRETCHING AND DRYING TEXTILE FABRICS '4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 14, 1922 Z? m? eww T m Z 4 Patented Feb. 9,

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH WALSH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN'OR T J'OHNS-MANVILLE, INCORPORATED, NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK APPARATUS FOR USE IN STRETCHING AND DRYING TEXTILE FABRICS,

Application tiled April 14, 1922. Serial No. 552,726.

' To all whom it may concern:

7 Be it known that I, J osnrH H. VVALsi-r, a citizen of the United States of America, and

resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented newand useful Improvements in Apparatus for. Use in Stretching and Drying Textile Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process and apparatus useful in the drying of textile fabrics and concerns more particularly a process and apparatus useful in connection with stretching or tentering. machines whereby the heat employed in conditioning the fabric in its passage through such machine may be conserved and the material may be thoroughly heated and dried without danger of injury thereto.

As one of the usual-steps in the finishing of textile fabric, the web of material is passed through a stretching or. tent'ering ma chine by'which it is stretched and brought to a substantially uniform width. These Ina-- chines commonly consist in general of a pair of endless chains or cables arranged in horizontal, spaced relation and provided with hooks, clamps, pins or other means for engaging the oppositeedges of the fabric. The

two chains or cables are so moved as to cause the material to progress from one end of the machine to the other and during'its progress its opposite edges may be IIIO Qd rapidly backwardly and forwardly relatively to each other, to remove wrinkles from the fabric, whileat the same time such chains gradually are caused to im art an increasing transverse tension to t e fabric.

The fabric is commonly run in a damp condition from previous treatments, or dampened prior toits introduction. into the tentering machines and for'drying it and at the same time producing a permanent set in the stretched fabric, a heating device is usually arranged closely beneath the web as the latter travels from end to end of the little or no attempt has been made to fpreattribute to the wide variation in prevailing atmospheric conditions, with consequent change in the ability of the air currents employed to absorb moisture from the fabric. Thus at times the fabric maybe unduly dried and rendered harsh and brittle, while at other times the drying may be insufficient to produce'the, desired set 'in the fabric structure, or to prevent the formation of mildew in the finished fabric. Certain attempts have heretofore been-made to improve the operation of such apparatus, as for example by enclosing it within a casing of wood or metal whereby to prevent the escape of vapor into the work room, but in such cases the vapor evolved has commonly been discharged directly from the top or hottest part of the enclosure and vent the loss of heat through the walls o the casing or to conserve the heat of the air and vapor discharged therefrom.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a process, and an arrange- I ment of 'ap aratus useful in carrying the same into e ect, by which the fabric, duriug stretching may be dried in a much more uniform manner than heretofore and independently of prevailing atmospheric conditions, thus securing a product of superior quality having a permanent set such as to preserve the effects of the stretching operation while at the same time conserving the heat supplied to the apparatus so that far less heat is consumed than is usually the case, with consequent economy in operation.

In the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated by way of example, one embodiment of means suitable for carrying the invention into effect, and in such drawings,-

Figure 1 is a top plan View of the device;

Figure 2 is an cnd'elevation of the same, parts being broken away;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the device,

parts being broken away;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic vertical sec- Figure 5 is a partial diagrammatic section, to larger scale, on the line cd of Fig. 1; v

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, cross section, illustrating a heat insulating construction employed.

The apparatus as herein disclosed 'eomprises, see Figs. 1 and 2, a plurality of-housiugs H H and H respectively. The housing H is provided with longitudinal side walls 1, 2, and a top or roof 3, and is closed at its ends bythe walls 1, 5, thereby forming a substantially air tight chamber. The walls of the several housings are preferably of heat insulating material to prevent the ready escape offheat from the interiors thereof. Such walls, if desired, may be constructed as illustrated inFig. 6, wherein the studs m serve to support the outer sheathing a: and the inner sheathing 7 one or both of such sheathings being of heat insulating material, such for example as the cement and asbestos aggregate known as asbestos wood. The spaces between the sheathings may be filled with any desired heat insulating medium, loose asbestos fibre or corrugated sheet asbestos being efficient for the purpose. \Vithin the housing H is arranged a tentering machine of usual and well-known construction comprising the side frame members 6, 7, carrying at their upper portions the chain supporting members 8 p and 9 between which is stretched the fabric 10 which is to be treated. In the space heneath the plane of the fabric are arranged heating coils 11 which may be supplied with heating fluid from any desired source. In the space above the plane of the fabric a series of air discharge nozzles 12 are arranged, these nozzles being provided with narrow discharge slots which are downwardly directed and which extend transversely across the width of the fabric being treated. The several discharge nozzles 12 are spaced longitudinally of the housing and are sup lied with air from a common conduit 13 Figs. 1 and 3). This conduit may be of tapered form and may be connected at its larger end with a trunk 14v which leads from a heating chamber 144 having therein steam coils 145 controllable by valve 146, such heating chamber being connected to the discharge side 'of a fan or blower of usual construction (not shown) In the lower portion of the wall 1 of the housing H is a discharge orifice 16, such orifice being arranged substantially centrally of the length of the housing. This orifice opens into' a chamber 17 provided between the wall 1 and the parallel wall 18 of the adjacent housing H The latter housing may be provided with outer wall 19 and a roof 20, and may be furnished interiorly with a tentering frame and heating coils in the same manner as previously de-' scribed for the housing H The housing H is also furnished with air discharge. nozzles fed from the trunk 14 in the manner described in connection with the nozzles 12 of the housing H I The chamber 17 provides space for the reception of an economizer device, such economizer device extending longitudinally of the housings H and H and between the same. At its central portion, this economizer device is provided with a pair of vertical partitions 23, 24 spaced apart and each provided with series of openings for the reception of the ends of economizer tubes 25. These tubes are of metal or other suitable heat conducting material and extend in opposite directions towards the ends of the economizer chamber, the opposite ends of such tubes being seated in'partit-ions, such as 26, spacedsomewhat from the extreme ends of the economizer .chamber. The spaces between such partitions 26 and the end walls of the economizer chamber constitute educt flues 27 which at their upper ends maycommunicate with pipes 28 -,or other suitable means for conveying the warm and moistened air to any desired point of use, as for example the weave room of the mill, although such pipes may be dispensed with if desired, the warm air being exhausted directly into the outside atmosphere. In either case it is preferred to provide dampers such as 280 for controlling the discharge of moist air from the housing. At each end of the economizer device an inlet 29 is provided for admitting fresh air to the interior of the economizer chamber and into the space surrounding the pipes 25, such inlets also, if desired, being provided with controlling means as a damper 290. In order to insure an intimate contact of such incoming air with the pipes 25 suitable bafilc plates 30 may be provided, by means of which the incoming air is caused to flow in a tortuous course in contact with the exterior surfaces of the pipes 25. The incoming air moves from each end of the economizer chamber toward the center thereof and emerges through openings 31 at either side of the central flue 22, such openings communicating with a trunk 32 which leads to the intake side of the fan 15.

In order to permit the discharge of the warm and moisture laden air from the housing H a conduit 35 may be provided which extends toa point 34 ad acent the lower part of such housing and opens into the upper part of the flue 22 at the central part of the economizer. Air passing through this conduit 35 is thus discharged into the-flue 22 and from thence flows through the economizer tubes 25 in the same way that air is caused to flow from the housings H and H. i The operation of the device is substantially as follows, it being understood that the in through the intake openings 29, passing from opposite ends of theeconomizer housing toward the center thereof, while being constrained by the baffle plates 30 to move in heat transferring relationship to the metallic tubes of the economizer. This-fresh air, flowing through the trunk 32, passes to 1110 fan casing and thence to the heating chamber 144 where its temperature may be increased to the desired degree by the regula-ble heating coil 145. The air then passes through the trunk 14 to the several discharge pipes 13 in the housings. From such pipes the air is delivered through the nozzles 12 against the upper'surface of the material 10. This air which has been warmed by passage through the economizer device and further heated by coils 145 serves in a very effective manner to remove moisture and steam arising from the upper surface of the material it is evident that onlythe cooler portions of the air contained in the housings are removed, so that the heat within the housings is conserved, while rapid fluctuations in temperature in the housing are avoided. It is evident that any moisture which may be condensd in the housi s will tend to fall toward the lower portions thereof where it is picked up by the outgoing air so that an efficient removal of such condens'ed moisture is provided for, and it is also clear that by suitably disposing the dampers in the inlet and outlet fines, as well as by regulating the heat of coil 145, a very nice adjustment of the temperature and moisture conditions in the housing may be obtained, regardless of the outside atmospheric conditions.

While as herein disclosedcloth stretching or tentering machines have been illustrated,

it is evident that as respects the broader aspects of the invention, any desired apparatus for holding material in a sheet, layer or web might well be arranged within the housings without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It is also. clear that various rearrangements of the various elements of the device might well be made, as well as substitutions-of materials, and of the heating and drying media employed without departing from the spirit of the invention and without necessitating anything more than the exercise of mechanical skill in the making of such changes,

hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus of the class described comprising a heat insulated housing having therein a machine for tentering dampened textile webs, a series of heating coils arranged to radiate heat directly against the under surface of such. webs in passing through said machine, a series of transversely elongate nozzles spaced longitudinally of said tentering machine and constructed and arranged to deliver blasts of air downwardlyagainst the upper surface of such webs and throughout substantially the entirewidth thereof, means conducting heated air from said housing, and means for passing air on its way to the nozzles in heat transferring relation to such heated outgoing; l

air. v

2. An apparatus for use in the finishing of textile fabrics comprising a heat insulated housing having therein a tentering machine for stretching previously dampened fabric, a series of nozzles arranged within said housing and spaced longitudinallv thereof, said nozzles being elongate in a direction transverse of the length of the tentering machine and being placed adjacent to the surface of the fabric passing therethrough, means for supplying air to said nozzles, and means for conducting moist air away from the housing and passing it in heat transferring relationship to air on its way to the nozzles.

3. An apparatus useful in the finishing of textile fabrics comprising a heat insulated housing, means therein for transversely stretching a previously dampened web of fabric, a discharge nozzle. arranged above such' stretching means and positioned to deliver a blast of air against the surface of such fabric while being stretched, an econflow of air through said economizer device on its way to said nozzle while forc ng air from said housing to pass in heat transferring relationship to the air entering through livery through the nozzles into the several housings while simultaneously causing'the discharge of air from the lower parts of the respective housings and through said economizer device in heat transferring relationship to the incoming air.

5. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising .mizer device and means for inducing the a plurality of substantially parallel chambers, each of said chambers having cloth stretching means therein, nozzles within each of said chambers for delivering fresh air downwardly against the upper surface of a web while being stretched, educt openingsatthe lower portions of each of said chambers, a common economizer device comprising sets of passages for incoming and,

outgoing air respectively separated by heat conducting partitions, and means for causing air to flow inwardly through said economizer device and through one set of such passages for discharge through the several nozzles, while at the same time forcing'air through the educt openings of the several chambers and through the other set of passages of the economizer device.

6. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising a plurality of heat insulated chambers, each having cloth stretching means therein, air discharge nozzles in each of said chambers for delivering air directly against the surface of a web of fabric undergoing the stretching operation therein, an educt flue leading from each of said chambers, an economizer device having passages for air onits way to the nozzles and other passages, separated from the first passages by heat conducting partitions, for air discharged l'rom the educt fines of the several chambers,

and air heating means within the respective chambers.

7. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising a heat insulated housing having cloth stretching means therein, a plurality of air discharge nozzles in the upper portion of said housing for directing blasts of heated air directlvagainst the surface of a web while being stretched, and air educt flue leading from the lower part of said housing, heating means within said housing for applying radiant heat directly to the surface of the web, and means for withdrawing warm air ,from said housing through said educt flue and for causing such air to pass in heat transferring relationship to air on its way to said discharge nozzles.

8. Cloth finishing apparatus comprising an elongate housing having therein a tentering machine for stretching webs of previously dampened fabric, a plurality of air discharge nozzlcs in the upper portion of said housing and spaced longitudinally thereof and delivering air downwardly against the web while being stretched, an eduet' opening near the lower portion of said housing and atone side thereof, an economizer device arranged substantially parallel to said housing and outside the same, said economizer device comprising means for maintaining incoming and outgoing currents of air in heat interchanging relationship, an air delivery trunk for receiving the incoming air after its passage through the economizer device and for conducting it to the several nozzles within the housing, and means for conducting outgoing air from said educt opening to the economizer device.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, ths twenty-eighth dayof January, 1922.

JOSEPH H. WALSHZ

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