Patent GB-1326284-A (GB)
Title: Treatmetn of pile fabrics
IPC: D06C23/00
Filed: 1970-12-01
Abstract: 1326284 Finishing fabrics BUNKER RAMO CORP 1 Dec 1970 [2 March 1970] 57099/70 Heading D1S Apparatus for treating or advancing pile fabric 14 comprises a grooved heated cylinder 4 mounted for rotation at a surface speed greater than the speed of fabric advance, means 30 for pressing the pile 18 of the fabric 14 into contact with the surface of the cylinder 4 to cause the pile fibres to be brushed and heated by the cylinder 4, and texture inducing means 54 mounted to press against the heated pile fibres emerging from the zone of action of the cylinder 4. As shown in Fig. 3, the fabric 14 having a backing 16 and a pile 18 passes around tension bars 20, 22 and over a roller 24 driven at a regulatable speed and covered with card-clothing to grip the fabric. A second roller 28 covered with card-clothing is located at the rear of the apparatus. An endless apron 30 passes around rollers 32, 36 mounted on a cradle structure 34 pivotable about the axis of the roller 28 by a piston 48 acting in a pneumatic cylinder (50), Fig. 1 (not shown). The tension in the apron 30 is controlled by a spring (44), Fig. 1 (not shown), acting on the roller 36. The cylinder 4 is formed from heatconducting material, e.g. steel, and contains electrical heating elements 6. Helically arranged grooves 8 are formed in the outer surface of the cylinder 4 and the trailing wall of each groove is radially shouldered and has a metal wear plate 10 secured thereto to produce brushing, combing, beating and polishing or ironing effects. A ventilation hood 12 is provided. In this embodiment, the means 54 comprises a wood roll having a relief pattern thereon. The roll 54 has end parts 56, 58, Fig. 4, rotatably mounted in bearings 60 extending through slots 61 in arms 62 of a subframe assembly 64 which is pivotable about a shaft 66 to permit lifting of the roll 54 during the initial threading of the fabric through the machine. The pressure exerted by the roll 54 against the pile 18 may be adjusted by adjusting the position of weights 72 and/or using weights of different values. The axial positioning of the assembly 64 with respect to the shaft 66 is controlled by a cam 74 fixed on a shaft 76. During patterning, the shaft 76 may be rotated slowly so as to axially oscillate the roll 54. Alternatively, the shaft 76 is only rotated during setting up of the machine to align the roll 54 and is held stationary during patterning. With a clutch 90 de-activated, the roll 54 may rotate freely, i.e. the fabric rotates the roll at the same surface speed as the linear speed thereof. When the clutch 90 is activated to couple the output shaft 92 of an adjustable speed reversible motor and braking unit 94 to a shaft 88, (a) the braking system may be brought into use to hold the roll 54 against rotation to exert a dragging action against the pile, (b) the motor may rotate the roller 54 in a direction contrary to that of fabric advance also to exert a dragging action, (c) the motor may rotate the roll 54 in the same direction as that of fabric advance and (d) the speed of the motor may be changed to change the effects produced on the pile. After patterning, the pile fibres are allowed to cool or are cooled by blowing chilled air across the fabric and/or festooning the fabric to prolong the cooling time. In modifications, the roll 54 is replaced by (a) a metal roll covered with a layer of insulatting material bearing the relief pattern, e.g. an endless natural or synthetic rubber belt passing around a pair of spaced apart rolls and having moulded pattern on the outer surface thereof, the lower roll acting to impress the pattern into the pile, Fig. 8 (not shown); (b) a hollow metal cylinder having a patterned outer surface and which is heated by electrical elements, Fig. 9 (not shown), controlled to maintain the cylinder body at approximately the same temperature as the pile, or (c) a rectangular section solid body either having plane faces, Fig. 6 (not shown), or having at least one face provided with grooves extending thereacross, the grooves being S-shaped in longitudinal configuration, Fig. 7 (not shown). Specified fibres for the pile are acrylic, nylon, polyester and cellulose acetate.