US1952825A - Apparatus for conditioning textile materials - Google Patents

Description

1 March 27, 1934.

w. w. sTBsoN ET AL} APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING TEXTILE MATERIALS Filed July 27, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet l 5Q "J JIGLlEZ A TT EYS.

WITNESSES I March 27,1934. I w S BSON Em 1,952,825

APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING TEXTILE MATERIALS Filed July 27 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I' III WITNESSEIB INVENTORISI 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I IINVENTORIS'.

jmziamsmfi 0 1156 r TTORNEYS March 27, 1934. W. w. SIBSON AL APPARATUS FOR CONDITII'JNING TEXTILE MATERIALS Filed Jul -27, 1931 FIG 1 rIIIIIIIIllIIl I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I- I I U I I I I I I I I I I I I Patented Mar. 27, 1934 APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING TEXTILE MATERIALS Walter W. Sibson and Harold H. Belcher, Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to The Philadelphia Drying Machinery Company, Philadelphia, Pa.,

a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 27, 1931, Serial No. 553,364

3 Claims. (01. 26-46) This invention is concerned with conditioning textile materialsparticularly cloth and the like in continuous lengths-for the purpose of supplyingto them, after they have undergone drying or calendering, a natural amount of moisture or re-gain such as they would ordinarily absorb if left exposed indefinitely to the outside air.

In one method heretofore extensively employed for the indicated purpose, humidified air was introduced into a closed space through which the material was progressed slowly over a circuitous course. While this method operated satisfactorily for light, thin and loosely woven cloth -made from wool, silk, mohair, etc., whereof the fibers freely absorb moisture, it was diificult, due to quiescence of the humidified air, to secure uniform penetration of thicker cloth of the same kinds, cloth made from cotton, hemp or other vegetable fibers less receptive to moisture, or cloth previously sized on one side with a binding substance like rubber. In another method frequently employed heretofore for the purpose of conditioning, the humidity was created by spray nozzles or atomizers located within the closed space traversed by the material. The latter method was inturn unsatisfactory in that it was often attended by over saturation or excess wetting of the cloth in spots which sometimes eventually resulted in permanent injury to delicate fabrics, and, moreover made subsequent matching of colors diflicult of accomplishment.

The main object of our invention is to overcome the various drawbacks to which attention has been directed above, and this desiderata we attain as hereinafter fully disclosed, through provision of a simple conditioning method and apparatus in which the humidified air is circulated between an exterior generating source, and a treating chamber through which the material is progressed, and in which the air is separately circulated in greater volume so as to intimately and uniformly penetrate fibers of the material.

Other objects and attendant advantages of our invention will be manifest from the detailed description following in coordination with the attached drawings, wherein Fig. I shows, more or less diagrammatically, a plan view of a conditioning apparatus conveniently embodying the present improvements.

Fig. II is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus taken as indicated by the arrows II--II .in Fi I.

Fig. III is a cross sectional view of the apparatus taken as indicated by the arrows III-III in Figs. I and II.

Fig. IV shows a transverse section of the treating chamber in which the material undergoing treatment is subjected to the action of the humidified air, the section being taken as indicated by the arrows IVIV in Figs. I and II.

Figs.'V and VI are views corresponding to Figs. II and III showing our invention embodied in a somewhat difierent form of conditioning machine.

Referring first to Figs. I and II of these illustrations, our improved conditioning apparatus embodies an enclosure 10 whereof, after common practice in this art, the walls are constructed double from sheet metal with interposition of suitable thermo-insulation, and supported by a skeleton frame-work 11 of structural iron. The cloth C to be conditioned is directed into the top of the enclosure 10 at the left hand end in Fig. I, over a roller or drum 12 to a pole conveyor comprising a pair of spaced chains 13 which trace a rectangular course horizontally and vertically of the enclosure 10. This course of the chains 13 is determined by sprocket wheels 14, 15, 16 and 17 over which they are trained, the said sprocket wheels being respectively mounted in pairs on'transverse shafts 18, 19, 20 and 21 having journal support in suitable bearings on the frame 11 of the en'- closure 10-. The crosswise poles 22 of the conveyor are supported, after common practice, between opposite links of the chains 13 with the cloth C festooned over them, the direction of progression being from left to right as shown by the arrow in Fig. I. The pole conveyor is driven through power applied to a shaft 23 which extends crosswise of the top of the enclosure 10, and wherefrom motion is communicated to the sprocket shaft 19, at a greatly reduced speed, through worm gear couples conventionally indicated at 24 and 25. Upon leaving the feed drum 12 and previous to entering the enclosure 10 at the left hand end, the cloth C is guidedover a stationarily-positioned roller 26 directly to the conveyor poles 22. After progression through the enclosure 10, the cloth C is finally withdrawn from the conveyor poles 22 over another fixed roller 27 at the top of the opposite end of the enclosure 10. From the roller 27 the cloth C is guided by a drum 28 at the exterior, to a suitable delivery folding mechanism comprehensively designated 29. By means of a vertical longitudinal partition 30 (Figs. I, III and IV) the enclosure 10 is subdivided. into a main and an auxiliary compartment 31 and 32, respectively, the first-mentioned or wider one 'ment 31.

31 constituting a treating chamber, and being longitudinally traversed by the conveyor. These compartments 31 and 32 communicate over the top and beneath the bottom of the partition 30, which, as shown in Figs. III and IV, terminates short of the roof aswell as of the floor of the enclosure 10. A rapid circulation of the air is continuously maintained within the enclosure 10 between the subdivisions 31 and 32 as shown by the arrows in Fig. IV, by a pair of disk fans 33 and 34 which are respectively mounted on shafts 35 and 36. As illustrated, the fan shafts 35, 36 extend outward through one of the side walls of the enclosure 10 where they are coordinated for rotation in unison by a belt 37. The fan shaft 85 carries an additional pulley 38 for belt connection with a suitable source of power, not illustrated. To facilitate circulation by the fans 33, 34 within the enclosure 10, we have provided the latter with a sloped sub-ceiling 40 which tends to deflect the air downward through the vertical loops of the cloth C suspended from the conveyor poles 22. By virtue of its slope, the sub-ceiling 40 tends also to divert any water which may condense from the saturated circulating air, toward the side of the enclosure 10, thereby preventing it from dropping on the cloth C within the compart- It will also be noted that as a consequence of the insulating space above it, the subceiling is immune against the influence of outside temperature so that the condensation is reduced to a minimum. There is also provided beneath the fans 33, 34 an inclined baffle 41 which facilitates flow of the circulated air into the space above the pole conveyor. A longitudinally-extending slotted horizontal diaphragm 42 in the lower part of the subdivision 31 serves to b reak up the circulatory flow of the air, thereby to insure more thorough and effective distribution through and between the loops of the cloth C.

For the purpose of humidifying the air continuously circulated within the enclosure 10 as just explained, we employ a generating source 45, which, as shown, is entirelyseparate from, and located exteriorly of the said enclosure 10. This generating source 45 is conventionally represented as being a commercial humidifier of an upright type with suitable means (not illustrated) therein for atomizing' water under regulatable temperature, as well as a fan 46 for expelling the air therefrom. From Figs. I-III it will be observed that the humidifier 45 communicates with the enclosure 10 by way of upper and lower ducts 4'7 and 48. The upper duct 47 enters the enclosure through one of its side walls at the upper right hand corner thereof, see Fig. II, and extends almost to the opposite side wall, see Fig. III; and the said duct discharges vertically downward through a bottom opening 49 into the top of the compartment 31 through which the cloth C undergoing conditioning is progressed. The lower duct 48 on the other hand, enters the enclosure 10 through the same side wall as the duct 47, but at the left hand bottom corner thereof, and extends to the partition 30 at a level beneath the horizontally slatted diaphragm 42. By action of the fan 46 within the humidifier 45, the humidified air is separately circulated between the enclosure 10 and said humidifier by way of the ducts 47 and 48, but the volume of the air so circulated is small as compared to that recirculated within the enclosure by the fans 33 and 34. Due to the diagonal allocation of the ducts 47 and 48, by the combined action of the fans 33 and 34 within the enclosure 10 and the fan 46 of the humidifier 45, it will be seen that a spiral path will be determined for the air longitudinally of the treating compartment 31 in a direction contrary to that of the progression of the cloth C. However, the ducts 47 and 48 may obviously be otherwise located to determine a general spiral flow of the air within the chamber 31 in the same general direction as that of the progression of the cloth C if this should be found desirable or expedient in the treatment of certain classes of goods.

Thus, in the operation of the apparatus, as a consequence of being constantly circulated between the enclosure 10 and the humidifier 45, the air is maintained in a substantially even state of humidification; while the more voluminous circulation induced by the fans 33, 34 within the enclosure 10 through'the intervals between the cloth C, insures thorough penetration and uniform absorption of the moisture by the fabric fibers. Accordingly, with our improved method, it is possible to restore to the cloth C after it has been dried or calendered, the natural amount of moisture desired, with avoidance of over saturation locally or in spots, as well as stains or discolorations such as would render subsequent color-matching difficult of accomplishment.

In Figs. V and VI, we have shown our invention embodied in a somewhat different type of conditioning machine, which, instead of having a pole conveyor such as described in connection with Figs. I-IV, is fitted with two horizontal series of rollers 50 and 51 at vertically spaced levels, the said rollers defining a circuitous looped up and down course for the cloth C incident to progressing the latter through the enclosure 10a.

The rollers 50 and 51 may be intergeared, aftercommon practice, for actuation in unison, and driven, under power transmitted through a belt :52. from a pulley shaft 53 at the top of the enclosure 10a. In all other respects, the appurtenances associated with the apparatus of Figs. V and VI are identical with those of the previous embodiment; and, in order to dispense with repetitive description, we have designated all the corresponding parts with the same reference numerals heretofore used, distinguished, in each instance, by the subscript a.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. Apparatus for conditioning textile material such as cloth in continuous lengths comprising an enclosure afiording a horizontally elongate treating chamber; means for progressing the cloth longitudinally of the treating chamber; an external generating source of humidified air including means for maintaining a circulation of the air between it and the treating chamber with determination of a general flow continuously lengthwise of the treating chamber; separate means for concurrently circulating the humidified air within the treating chamber through and between the cloth; and an inclined sub-ceiling in the top fiow duct having a bottom opening for discharge of the humidified air vertically downward directly across the cloth; separate means for concurrently circulating the air within the enclosure through and between the cloth; and an inclined sub-ceiling in the treating chamber to deflect the humidified air vertically downward through the cloth.

3. Apparatus for conditioning textile materials, such as cloth in continuous lengths, comprising a horizontally-elongate enclosure with a main and an auxiliary compartment communicating above and beneath a longitudinal subdividing partition; means for circulating the air between the two compartments; means for progressing the cloth, longitudinally of the main compartment aforesaid; an external generating source of humidified air including means for maintaining a moderate general circulation of humidified air between it and the enclosure by way of flow ducts diagonally connecting into the top and bottom of the main compartment of the enclosure; the upper flow duct having a bottom opening for discharge ofvthe humidified air vertically downward directly across the cloth; and an inclined sub-ceiling in the main treating chamber to deflect the humidified air vertically downward through the cloth.

WALTER W. SIBSON. HAROLD H. BELCI-IER.

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