Apparatus for treating traveling textile material in a pressurized fluid

Abstract

An apparatus for treating traveling textile material in a pressurized fluid, e.g., for heating synthetic filaments to a heat-set temperature in a saturated steam atmosphere is disclosed to comprise a housing defining at least one upstream sealing chamber, an intermediate treatment chamber pressurized with saturated steam, and at least one downstream sealing chamber, separated from one another by constricted strand passageways for traveling movement of the strand successively through the chambers. A pressurized fluid holding chamber is provided between the steam supply and the treatment chamber to reduce condensation within the treatment chamber and the sealing chambers. The sealing chambers and the constricted passageways cooperate to cause the pressurized steam or other treating fluid escaping into the sealing chambers from the treatment chamber to expand sufficiently so that the housing is generally sealed from substantial loss of the steam or other treating fluid and the treatment chamber is sustained substantially pressurized, without the use of mechanical seals and substantially without physically contacting the traveling strand. A venturi nozzle at the downstream end of the housing provides easy suction thread-up of the strand eliminating any need for openability of the housing, which simplifies and reduces the cost of housing construction. Alternatively, a needle or other threading implement may be provided for attachment thereto of a leading end of the strand to guide passage of the strand through the apparatus. A shutter assembly may be associated with the passageways to selectively open them for material thread-up and close them into a constricted state for normal operation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.