Apparatus for imparting a random wrinkled or crushed appearance to pile fabrics

Apparatus for imparting a crushed appearance to pile fabrics comprising a pair of compression rolls for applying a compressive force to a moving length of fabric fed therebetween, means mounting said compression rolls for rotation in side by side relation with an upwardly facing nip portion between said rolls for receiving fabric fed thereto, means positioned above said nip portion of said rolls for accumulating a moving length of fabric and for continuously gravitationally feeding the accumulated fabric into the nip portion of said rolls, and means for continuously feeding fabric to said fabric accumulating means to maintain an accumulation of fabric therein;

• said accumulating means including two opposed pairs of sidewalls extending downwardly toward said rolls and defining a fabric accumulating compartment of substantially rectangular cross-section, said compartment having an upper fabric inlet for receiving fabric from said feeding means and a lower fabric outlet positioned directly above and closely adjacent the nip portion of said rolls for continuously gravitationally discharging the accumulated fabric to the rolls, each of the opposed pairs of said sidewalls continuously converging downwardly from said inlet to said outlet to permit random folding of the accumulating fabric in said compartment in lengthwise and widthwise direction for gravitational discharge from said outlet to the nip portion of said rolls in randomly bunched configuration.