Apparatus for spreading and mangling tubular knitted fabrics

An apparatus for spreading and mangling tubular knitted fabric, comprising a frame, a plurality of support rings (28, 29) rotatably mounted in said frame in horizontal planes for rotation about a longitudinal central axis (A), a rotatable fabric spreader (8) including a central carrier post (19) having a post axis coinciding with said central axis (A), said carrier post including an outer tubular member (19A), an inner member (19B) telescoping inside said outer tubular member, spreader rollers (12) and struts (20, 21) pivoted at one end to said central carrier post and pivoted at an opposite end to said spreader rollers (12) so that tilting said struts outwardly increases a diameter of said spreader (8) while tilting said struts inwardly reduces said spreader diameter, a plurality of mangling stations (13) circumferentially distributed around said spreader (8) and around said central axis (A), each mangling station comprising at least two inner mangling rollers (26) mounted to said central carrier post (19) and at least one outer mangling roller (23) and piston cylinder devices (27) mounting said outer mangling roller (23) to said support rings for cooperation with said inner mangling rollers (26), wherein said spreader is supported in the horizontal direction exclusively by said plurality of mangling stations (13), and wherein said apparatus further comprises means for adjusting said spreader diameter, said spreader diameter adjusting means cooperating with said spreader for tilting said struts (20, 21) to thereby vary said spreader diameter.