Dyeing apparatus

A dyeing apparatus is disclosed, which comprises a vessel and a perforated cylinder or beam concentrical thereto, the cylinder having a material wound thereon which is to be dyed. The apparatus includes means for isolating idle space within the vessel from the dye liquid circulating region and means for supplying compressed air to the circulating region to dewater the dyed material upon completion of a cycle of dyeing operation. A stream of compressed air permeates the wet material and takes the moisture away as an entrainment. The same apparatus can perform both the dyeing and the drying operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention: 
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to a dyeing 
apparatus, more particularly to such an apparatus which is equipped with a 
perforated cylinder or beam for winding thereon a material to be dyed and 
with means for dewatering or demoisturing the dyed material. 
2. Prior Art: 
Conventional dyeing apparatus of the type described generally comprise a 
dyeing vessel connected to a dye circulating system including a motor, a 
pump, conduit piping and a heat-exchanger, the arrangement being that dye 
liquid is supplied to and withdrawn from the vessel and circulated back to 
the vessel, in which instance the vessel is required to be filled up so as 
to ensure complete soaking of the material within the vessel. With such 
conventional apparatus, increased amounts of dye liquid have been required 
to carry out the beam dyeing operation; usually about from 1:15 to 1:25 
bath ratios of material to dye liquid being used. Consequently, it has 
been necessary to increase the size or capacity of the motors, pumps, 
heat-exchangers and other equipment associated with the dyeing vessel, and 
furthermore to treat large quantities of waste liquid. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Whereas, the present invention seeks to provide an improved beam-dyeing 
apparatus which can accomplish the dyeing operation efficiently and 
completely with reduced equipment capacity and hence, minimum consumption 
of power and dye liquid (dye-stuff and assistants), and which can further 
effect the dehydration of dyed material at maximum speed. 
This and other objects and features of the invention will be better 
understood from reading the following detailed description taken with 
reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example 
a preferred embodiment which the invention may assume in practice.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings and FIG. 1 in particular, there is shown a 
beam-dyeing apparatus of the invention generally designated at 10, which 
apparatus comprises a horizontally mounted vessel 11 which is generally 
circular in its cross section. A perforated cylinder 12, commonly known as 
a beam, is mounted concentrically within the vessel 11. The beam 12 has a 
pair of rollers 13,13' at its opposite ends which are movably mounted on a 
rail 14 secured to and extending longitudinally of the vessel 11. The 
front end of the beam 12 upon being inserted into the vessel 11, is closed 
by a lid 15 which has a bevelled portion 16 (FIG. 3) engageable with a 
taper flange 17. A plurality of these taper flanges 17 are provided 
adjacent each end of the beam 12 to confine and hold a fabric F wound 
around the beam 12 which is to be dyed. 
The lid 15 is covered by a removable cap 18 which has a rim 19 for sealing 
engagement with a similar rim 20 formed on the vessel 11. The two rims 
19,20 are clamped together by a clamping ring 21. 
A dummy non-perforated cylinder 22 is mounted concentrically within the 
perforated cylinder or beam 12, and has a conically shaped, closed rear 
end 23 which is supported in place by arms 24 extending suitably from a 
rigid frame member not shown. The open front end of the dummy cylinder 22 
is closed by the lid 15, as a recessed rim 25 formed on the cylinder 22 is 
fitted with a projection 26 on the lid 15, as shown in FIG. 3. The dummy 
cylinder 22 is provided primarily for the purpose of minimizing idle space 
S.sub.1 within the beam 12 and hence economizing the use of operating dye 
liquid. To achieve the same purpose, a partition member 27 is provided to 
isolate idle space S.sub.2 at the rear end portion of the vessel 11 from 
the liquid circulating areas of the vessel, the member 27 extending 
inwardly circumferentially of the wall of the vessel 11. 
Another partition member 28 is provided to isolate idle space S.sub.3 
defined by the cap 18 from the liquid circulating areas of the vessel 11, 
the member 28 being secured circumferentially to the rim 19 of the cap 18. 
As better shown in FIG. 2, there are formed a first circumferential chamber 
39, hereinafter referred to as a circulation chamber, between the inner 
wall of the vessel 11 and the outer wall of the beam 12, and a second 
circumferential chamber 40, hereinafter referred to as a treatment 
chamber, between the inner wall of the beam 12 and the outer wall of the 
dummy cylinder 22. 
The vessel 11 is provided at its rear end with a rearwardly projecting neck 
29, to the bottom of which is connected a conduit 30 for withdrawing the 
dye liquid from the vessel 11. The conduit 30 is connected via valve 31 to 
conduit 32 which is in turn connected to a heat-exchanger 33 adapted to 
maintain the dye liquid at a predetermined temperature during a cycle of 
dyeing operation. A pump 34 driven by a motor 35 is connected at its 
suction side to the heat-exchanger 33 via conduit 36 and at its discharge 
side to a flared connector 37 via conduit 38, the flared connector 37 
having its flared end substantially coextensive in diameter with the beam 
12 to effect uniform distribution of dye liquid through the treatment 
chamber 40. 
In the operation of the dyeing apparatus 10 of the invention, the dye 
liquid is supplied by the pump 34 through the discharge conduit 38 and 
through the flared connector 37 whereupon the liquid is distributed 
uniformly through the treatment chamber 40. The liquid is forced radially 
outwardly through the perforated beam 12 and into the layer of fabric F 
wound thereon and after soaking the fabric layer F to depth, is allowed to 
overflow into the circulation chamber 39. The dye liquid is withdrawn via 
conduits 30 and 32 past the heat-exchanger 33 and conduit 36 back to the 
pump 34. The dye liquid is thus recirculated through the dyeing system to 
repeat the operation. Upon completion of the cycle of dyeing operation, 
the fabric F is dewatered or demoistured efficiently as desired by the 
same equipment, for which purpose there is provided means generally 
designated at 41 for storing and supplying compressed air to the interior 
of the vessel 11. The means 41 comprises an air tank 42 installed outside 
of the vessel 11 for storing compressed air supplied from a suitable 
source thereof (not shown) via valve 43. 
To the tank 42 are connected a first piping 44 leading to and communicating 
with the space S.sub.1 inside of the dummy cylinder 22, a second piping 45 
leading to and communicating with the space S.sub.2 at the rear end of the 
vessel 11 and a third piping 46 leading to and communicating with the 
space S.sub.3 at the front end of the vessel 11, the arrangement being 
that a closed circuit is formed for normally maintaining an equalized air 
pressure between the idle spaces S.sub.1, S.sub.2, S.sub.3 bounded by 
dummy cylinder 22 and partition members 27, 28, and the adjoining spaces 
of the circulation chamber 39 and the treatment chamber 40. The dummy 
cylinder 22, the partition member 27 and the partition member 28 can be 
considered as idle space isolating means as the idle spaces which they 
bound serve as a reservoir for holding compressed air within the vessel 
11. 
The advantage accruing from this arrangement is that the idle spaces 
S.sub.1, S.sub.2 and S.sub.3 as well as the tank 42 are effectively 
utilized to hold an inventory of compressed air required to dewater or 
demoisture the fabric F which has been soaked wet with dye liquid. An 
inlet piping 47 is connected to the tank 42 communicates with the 
treatment chamber 40 for introducing the air into the vessel 11. Another 
advantage of the apparatus according to the invention is that when 
treating the fabric F under elevated temperature and pressure conditions, 
any excess of dye liquid resulting therefrom can be taken through the 
piping 47 into and stored in the tank 42. Because of the equalized 
pressure communication between the vessel 11 and the tank 42, such 
excessive dye liquid flows spontaneously into the tank 42 via the piping 
47. 
When setting the apparatus 10 in a dewatering mode of operation, the valve 
31 is closed and the air supply valve 43 is opened to supply a stream of 
compressed air through the inlet piping 47 into the vessel 11, whereupon 
the pressure in the vessel 11 is increased. As this pressure reaches a 
predetermined point, a vent valve 48 in the conduit 38 is opened rapidly 
so that the compressed air passes through the layer of fabric F to dewater 
the same as the liquid is entrained with the stream of compressed air and 
carried out through the vent valve 48 into the atmosphere. This operation 
may be repeated as many times as is required to obtain a maximum 
dewatering effect. 
Although various minor modifications may be suggested by those versed in 
the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of 
the patent warranted hereon, all such embodiments as reasonably and 
properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.