Apparatus used in the treatment of a continuous strip of metal and method of use thereof

An apparatus used in the treatment of a continuous web, comprising:

• (a) at least two adjacently disposed tanks with horizontally spaced and elongated chambers through which the continuous web successively travels for treatment in a horizontal pathway free of rollers normally used to engage and guide the web as it travels through the chambers;
• (b) means for supporting the web on turbulent streams of liquid as the web travels through the chambers of the two tanks, including two vertically spaced rows of treatment nozzles disposed in each of the chambers and extending longitudinally thereof in the direction which the web travels through the chambers, the rows of nozzles in adjacent chambers being substantially horizontally aligned and positioned to sandwich the web therebetween as it travels in the horizontal pathway, each of the nozzles extending transversely of the direction in which the web travels and having at least one continuous slot which faces the traveling web and extends transversely thereacross;
• (c) means for circulating liquid, used in the treatment of the traveling web, into the nozzles and uniformly out the slots thereof in the direction of the traveling web, the nozzles and liquid circulating means coacting to impinge turbulent streams of liquid against the traveling web;
• and
• (d) a deflector adjacent each of the slots and coextensive therewith for directing liquid, under pressure, from the nozzles against the traveling web at an angle which is substantially less than 90.degree. relative to the plane of the traveling web and in a direction which is upstream and opposite the direction which the web travels past the nozzles.

An apparatus used in the treatment of a traveling web, comprising:

• (a) at least two separate adjacently disposed tanks with horizontally elongated treatment chambers in spaced end-to-end relation through which a continuous web successively travels in a substantially horizontal pathway, each of the chambers being free of any rollers for contacting the web and including opposing end walls with horizontally aligned and elongated openings through which a traveling web enters and exits the chamber;
• (b) means for supporting the web on turbulent streams of liquid as the web travels through the chambers of the two tanks, including two vertically spaced rows of elongated treatment nozzles in each of the chambers and positioned for sandwiching the traveling web therebetween, the rows of treatment nozzles of the adjacent chambers being substantially horizontally aligned, the treatment nozzles having parallel longitudinal axes which are normal to the direction which the web travels past the nozzles, each of the treatment nozzles including:
• (I) longitudinally extending compartment having an inlet;
• (II) at least one continuous slot communicating with the compartment and confronting the traveling web, the slot extending transversely across the web;
• and
• (III) means for uniformly distributing the liquid to the slot from the inlet;
• (IV) a deflector disposed adjacent the slot and coextensive therewith and angularly disposed to a plane which contains a longitudinal axis of the nozzle and is normal to the plane of the nozzle, for directing liquid from the nozzle angularly against the traveling web at an angle which is substantially less than 90.degree. to the plane of the traveling web and in a direction upstream and opposite the direction which the web travels past the nozzle;
• (c) means for circulating a liquid, used in the treatment of the traveling web, through the nozzles in each chamber, the nozzles and liquid circulating means coacting to impinge turbulent streams of liquid against the traveling web;
• (d) a turbulator between each pair of adjacent nozzles of each row of nozzles for directing a jet of liquid, used in the treatment of the traveling web, under pressure, directly against the traveling web at right angles thereto to cause more turbulent flow of liquid along the traveling web;
• (e) a liquid seal disposed adjacent each of the openings in the end walls of the chamber to prevent the escape of liquid through the openings, each of the liquid seals including:
• (I) a pair of confronting sealing nozzles sandwiching the traveling web therebetween and having continuous longitudinally extending slots facing the traveling web and through which liquid passes, under pressure, from the sealing nozzles;
• (II) deflectors disposed adjacent the slots of the confronting sealing nozzles and converging in the direction of the traveling web and adjacent chamber for directing continuous streams of liquid angularly against the traveling web in the direction of the adjacent chamber in sufficient mass and velocity to block the escape of liquid through the openings;
• and
• (f) a pair of confronting blowoff nozzles spaced from the chambers beyond each of the liquid seals and sandwiching the traveling web therebetween, said confronting pairs of blowoff nozzles likewise having continuous openings which face the traveling web and through which streams of air, under pressure, are directed angularly against the traveling web in the direction of the seals and chambers to aid in the support of the traveling web and help prevent the escape of liquid from the tanks.

A method of treating a traveling web, in a chamber comprising:

• (a) moving the web through the chamber along a substantially horizontal pathway free of contact with any rollers in the chamber, the traveling web entering and exiting the chamber through openings in end walls of the chamber;
• (b) contacting opposing planar surfaces of the traveling web in the chamber intermediate the openings with successive turbulent streams of liquid, under pressure, to treat the traveling web while supporting it on a liquid bed formed by said streams which contact the traveling web at angles substantially less than 90.degree. to the plane of the web and in directions which are upstream and opposite the direction in which the web travels;
• and
• (c) contacting the opposing planar surfaces of the traveling web adjacent each of the openings with two turbulent streams of liquid, under pressure, which converge upon the web at angles substantially less than 90.degree. thereto and in the direction of the chamber to prevent the escape of liquid from the chamber through the openings.