Padding apparatus for goods in web-form

Padding apparatus for web-form goods comprising:

• a bath structure and a bath of pad liquor charged thereinto,
• a guide disposed within the bath for guiding the web-form goods therethrough,
• a steam jacket communicating with a source of steam and having an inlet for leading steam from the source into the jacket,
• the jacket being in vertical disposition upwardly of the bath and having apertured top and bottom walls,
• a partition disposed within the jacket and connecting to the jacket top wall in registry with the aperture thereof and suspended downwardly from the top wall and having a primary passage extending therethrough and open at its upper end to atmosphere and open at its lower end into the jacket,
• the primary passage accommodating downward movement of the web-form goods therethrough and into the jacket,
• the jacket and partition cooperantly constraining steam flow through the jacket in a first flow direction downwardly and exteriorly of the partition in heat transfer relationship therewith and in a second flow direction upwardly and interiorly of the partition through the primary passage in counter direction to the downward direction of movement of the web-form goods, and
• a seal having a secondary passage extending therethrough and being disposed with an upper portion extending in a sealed manner through the aperture in the jacket bottom wall and into the jacket in vertical alignment with the partition and with a lower portion extending into the bath,
• the secondary passage accommodating movement of the web-form goods in an absence of air and steam in movement from the jacket into the bath and toward the guide.