Method and apparatus for condensing and continuously treating staple length fibrous materials

In apparatus for the treatment of continously moving textile fibrous materials, including a liquid dye or chemical applicator having driven nip roller means carrying liquid dye or other chemical theron for impregnating into and expressing the liquid from textile fibers passing therebetween, means for delivering liquid impregnated fibers into and from the applicator and into and through an elongate heating tube under compression to react or fix the liquid dye or chemical in the fibers, and means for collecting the fibers after dye or chemical reaction;

• the improvement therewith wherein said means for continously delivering the fibers to the nip roller means includes fiber condenser means located in the path of movement of the fibers to the nip roller means for forming the loose staple length fibers into a cohesive web of fibers by pneumatic pressure differential deposition onto a moving surface, and wherein said cohesive web has sufficient cohesive integrity such that said cohesive web is passed into and through the liquid on the driven nip roller means and the nip portion of the driven nip roller means without parting, and means for separating the web into discrete smaller fiber portions while continously delivering the same from the driven nip roller means into the elongate heating tube.