Combined machine for the crimping, heat setting and conditioning in succesion of band-grouped textiles, and a corresponding crimping method

Abstract

A combined machine for the crimping, heat setting and conditioning in succession of band-grouped textiles, and a corresponding crimping method The invention relates to machines submitting the material to be processed to successive mechanical (crimping) and fluid-flow (heat setting/conditioning) processing operations. The known machines are operated at highest mechanical limits, require high energy consumption, and cause damage to the material to be processed. The machine of the invention successively and in an uninterruptedly coupled process and without altering the packed arrangement carries out the crimping, heat setting and conditioning and comprises two feed rolls, a stuffer box carrying out the mechanical processing, a fluid-flow processing enclosure, and a pickup driving member concluding the conditioning. According to the crimping method of the invention the actuating member carrying out the checking function producing the stuffing/packing of the material simultaneously carries out the discharging function.

1 . A combined machine being provided for the crimping, heat setting and conditioning in succession of band-grouped textiles and being of the type comprising an elongated tubular duct forming a chamber being formed by enclosures where the mechanical (crimping) and fluid-flow (heat setting and conditioning) processing operations are carried out in an uninterruptedly coupled process, the material being fed into said chamber as it arrives from the upstream processes and being later on picked up at the exit of said chamber; said machine being characterized in that it comprises as its main components a set of two feed rolls receiving the material to be processed, a stuffer box where the mechanical processing is carried out, said stuffer box receiving the material from the feed rolls, a tight fluid-flow processing enclosure receiving the material from the stuffer box and being formed by the space being defined by an outer, stationary, enveloping stator forming a portion of the periphery of said fluid-flow processing enclosure in combination with an inner rotary rotor forming the wall innerly closing said enclosure and carrying out the positive transportation of the material in its inside, and a pickup driving member receiving the material from the upstream processing enclosure and concluding the fluid-flow processing of the material, said enclosure being open between the stuffer box and the pickup driving member concluding the processing, said processing consisting in submitting the band-grouped textiles to a successively and uninterruptedly coupled crimping, heat setting and conditioning process thereby conserving the packed arrangement having been produced in the stuffer box where the crimping is carried out.  
     
     
         2 . A machine as per  claim 1 , characterized in that the two feed rolls of which one is pressed against the other one by means of a piston are driven by a variable speed motor at a processing speed being related to the speed of the upstream machines from which the band material is received, said two rolls feeding the material to be processed into the stuffer box having a quadrangular cross-section and being closed by fixed lateral walls, the material being stuffed inside said box in terms of the ratio between said feed roll speed and the speed of the inner rotary rotor carrying out the positive transportation of the material in the fluid-flow processing enclosure, said rotor being driven by a variable speed motor in such a way that said ratio between the roll and rotor speeds allows to comfortably adjust the material stuffing degree inside the stuffer box.  
     
     
         3 . A machine as per claims  1  and  2 , characterized in that the rotor transporting the material inside the fluid-flow processing enclosure being installed immediately after the stuffer box carrying out the mechanical processing, said rotor carrying out the function of exerting the antagonistic force producing the stuffing/packing of the material inside the stuffer box, at the same time carries out the function of continuously and successively and in an uninterruptedly coupled process discharging said stuffed/packed material from the inside of the stuffer box thereby conserving the material's packed arrangement, all this resulting in that the material stuffing/packing degree and therefore the degree of crimp is a function of the ratio between the material feed rate (Va) corresponding to the peripheral speed of the rolls and the transport speed (Vt) corresponding to the peripheral speed of the transportation rotor of the fluid-flow processing enclosure.  
     
     
         4 . A machine as per claims  1 ,  2  and  3 , characterized in that the rotor of the fluid-flow processing enclosure successively and in an uninterruptedly coupled process and conserving the packed arrangement carries out the discharge and the positive transportation of the crimped material having been packed in the stuffer box into the tight fluid-flow processing enclosure and along this latter, the crimped and packed material being submitted in said processing enclosure to a series of processing operations being mainly carried out with saturated steam, hot air and vacuum and whose operating parameters/conditions vary in terms of the type of textiles to be processed, to be heat set and conditioned under thermodynamical conditions being higher and/or lower than the atmospheric pressure and temperature conditions; and in that the crimped and packed material is withdrawn at the exit of the fluid-flow processing enclosure by means of an external pickup driving member provided with means to conclude the conditioning of the crimped and packed material, after which and upon the completion of the whole crimping, heat setting and conditioning process the material is received on an apron to be thus transferred to the downstream processes.  
     
     
         5 . A machine as per  claim 4 , characterized in that the fluid-flow processing enclosure comprises a first preheating area being provided to preheat the crimped and packed material by means of indirect steam, a suction area exerting its suction action by means of vacuum and/or suction means possibly and as the case might be preceding said first preheating area, a second direct steaming area being provided to directly apply live steam to the crimped material to thus carry out the main heat setting process, a third air processing/hot air drying area, and a fourth area being provided for the conditioning of the crimped and packed band material and applying a cold air flow and/or a suction with a vacuum pump and/or a suction means, said fourth conditioning area comprising two subareas namely being a first internal subarea being located in the last portion of the fluid-flow processing enclosure and being operated by means of cold air flow and/or suction by means of vacuum and/or suction means, and a second external subarea corresponding to the area where the crimped and packed material conserving the packed arrangement having been created in the stuffer box exits the fluid-flow processing enclosure and is carried in an uninterruptedly coupled process and in the packed arrangement by means of an perforated pickup driving drum on which the conditioning is effected by means of a forced flow of ambient air being drawn in through the crimped and packed material by a suction being produced from the inside of said drum whose rotation produces a peripheral speed preferably being slightly higher than that of the rotor of the fluid-flow processing enclosure, the lower crimped material packing degree hence providing a higher permeability for the passage of the conditioning air thus concluding the uninterruptedly coupled material crimping process in its entirety, said processed material being thereupon collected by a lower apron transferring it to the downstream processes.  
     
     
         6 . A machine as per claims  1  through  5 , characterized in that the fluid-flow processing enclosure rotor carrying out the positive transportation of the crimped and packed material being processed is provided on its outer surface with a plurality of transversal, radial protuberances that carry out said positive transportation.  
     
     
         7 . A machine as per  claim 6 , characterized in that said transversal, radial protuberances practically occupy the rotor width and a maximum height of 40% of the height of the fluid-flow processing enclosure.  
     
     
         8 . A machine as per  claim 1 , characterized in that the fluid-flow processing enclosure comprises four lateral walls three of which are formed by the stator whereas the fourth one is formed by the very rotor, the sealing between the walls of the enveloping stator and the inner rotor of the fluid-flow processing enclosure being obtained by means of gaskets made of elastomeric material preferably being polytetrafluoroethylene, said gaskets being retained between the corresponding opposite surfaces.  
     
     
         9 . A band-grouped textile crimping method to be carried out by means of the machine of the preceding claims, and especially of claims  1  through  4 , said method being essentially characterized in that it provides that the actuating member carrying out the function of exerting the antagonistic force producing the stuffing/packing of the material inside the stuffer box contemporarily and simultaneously carries out the function of continuously, successively and in an uninterruptedly coupled process discharging said stuffed/packed material from said stuffer box thereby conserving the packed arrangement.  
     
     
         10 . A crimping method as per  claim 9 , characterized in that it employs as the actuating member simultaneously and contemporarily carrying out the function of exerting the antagonistic force and the function of discharging the packed/stuffed material the rotor of the fluid-flow processing enclosure, and in that it controls the material stuffing/packing degree and hence the degree of crimp by adjusting the ratio between the material feed rate (Va) corresponding to the peripheral speed of the rolls and the transport speed (Vt) corresponding to the peripheral speed of the transportation rotor of the fluid-flow processing enclosure, because the degree of crimp is a function of said speed ratio.  
     
     
         11 . A band-grouped textile crimping method of the type carrying out the stuffing/packing of the material in a crimping chamber by means of an actuating member carrying out the function of exerting an antagonistic force, said method being characterized in that it provides that said actuating member carrying out the function of exerting the antagonistic force producing the stuffing/packing of the material inside the stuffer box contemporarily and simultaneously carries out the function of continuously, successively and in an uninterruptedly coupled process discharging said stuffed/packed material from said stuffer box thereby conserving the packed arrangement.  
     
     
         12 . A crimping method as per  claim 11 , characterized by controlling the material stuffing/packing degree and hence the degree of crimp by adjusting the ratio between the feed rate at which the material to be processed is fed into said crimping chamber and the discharge speed of the actuating member due to the fact that the degree of crimp is a function of said speed ratio.