Apparatus for the continuous treatment of endless material, especially the shrinking thereof

An apparatus for the continuous wet treatment, especially shrinking, relaxing and/or bulking of endless material, including webs having an operating width, made of textured polyester fabric or knit which comprises a container for retaining a treatment liquor at a liquid level, said container having an inlet and an outlet for said endless material, an endless conveying means having support rods extending transversely across the width of the endless material within said container for transporting the material through the liquor in the form of suspended loops in an operating direction from the inlet to the outlet of the container, vertically disposed partition means positioned within said container for defining a treatment chamber having a top portion and a bottom portion and a liquid recycling chamber, said partition means having an upper portion and a lower portion, being spaced from an outer wall of the container and being arranged so that the treatment chamber and the recycling chamber are in communication with one another at the upper portion and at the lower portion of the partition means, means for producing a liquid circulation from the treatment chamber into the liquor recycling chamber, said liquor being directed from the top portion of the treatment chamber to the bottom portion of the treatment chamber, means for supplying heat to the liquor within said container and take-off means for removing the endless material from said liquor in a substantially tension-free manner, said take-off means being arranged at the outlet of said container and having a supporting surface positioned at the liquid level therein and means immediately adjacent and down-stream of said take-off means for cooling said liquor treated endless material to fix the volume of said material.