Apparatus and method for washing an elongate textile article

A textile dye range comprising in combination:

• (a) a plurality of textile yarns collected in the form of an elongate rope of indeterminate length, the yarns of the rope having an affinity for indigo dye,
• (b) an apparatus for receiving the yarns of the rope for indigo dyeing thereof,
• (c) means for supplying indigo dye to the apparatus for indigo dyeing, and
• (d) an apparatus arranged for receiving the yarns of the rope from the apparatus for indigo dyeing for washing excess indigo dye from the yarns of the rope,
• wherein the washing apparatus comprises:
• (i) a containment structure having a bottom wall oriented at an upwardly extending angle with spaced-apart lateral side walls extending outwardly from the bottom wall, the bottom and side walls collectively defining therewithin a channel extending upwardly from a lower end to an upper end thereof, the channel being unconfined between outward extents of the side walls,
• (ii) a plurality of corrugations along the bottom wall within the channel, each corrugation extending transversely across the bottom wall between the side walls in spaced-apart relation to one another between the lower and upper ends of the channel,
• (iii) guide elements for directing the elongate textile rope to travel in its longitudinal extent within the channel upwardly from the lower end to the upward end and transversely across the corrugations, and
• (iv) means for delivering an unpressurized flow of cleansing liquid into the upper end of the channel onto the bottom wall to flow gravitationally downwardly across the corrugations oppositely to the upwardly traveling textile rope for cleansing thereof for substantially the entire length of the channel,
• (v) each corrugation having angular surfaces projecting in converging relation away from the bottom wall, the angular surfaces being configured to deflect the cleansing liquid as it flows downwardly through the channel to penetrate and separate the constituent yarns of the rope.