Felting apparatus

Apparatus particularly suitable for felting and fulling of felt materials comprising a plurality of rollers having a given length arranged in two mutually overlying rows of rollers, said rows defining therebetween a path through which a fleece may be passed in a given direction between said two rows of rollers, driving means for rotating said rollers, a compression beam located intermediate every two adjacent rollers in said two rows of rollers, said compression beam having a longitudinal extension corresponding substantially to said length of said rollers, with each of said compression beams having a side facing said path defined between said rows of rollers through which said fleece may be passed, means defining an arcuate surface on said side facing said path of each of said compression beams, said arcuate surface of each of said beams being curved on the side thereof facing toward said given direction of passage of said fleece with a generally convex configuration curving away from said path to define on one side of said path an entry aperture facing toward said given direction of passage of said fleece, and driving means coupled with said compression beams located in both said overlying rows of rollers for axially reciprocating said compression beams, said driving means operating to reciprocate said compression beams with variable predetermined amplitudes.