Device for the treatment of a fabric, in particular, by means of hydrodynamic needling

Abstract

A device for the hydrodynamic treatment of a fabric, or also a knitted fabric, of a certain width, with a jet bar and a jet strip arranged in it with a multitude of orifices arranged closely adjacent to each other for the formation of a water curtain during the passage of hard water jets that are directed at the threads and their crossing points of the fabric, or such, is already known. According to the invention it is now provided that for the shifting, spreading, evening out, and, if necessary, also for the splitting of the fibers of the threads, the jet bar is aligned at an even distance across its length, but laterally to the longitudinal direction of the product web, and across its entire effective width, and that additionally all jet orifices of the jet strip are directed not perpendicularly, but at an angle lateral to, and therefore the water jets also being lateral to, the product web.

Description

The invention relates to a device for the hydrodynamic treatment of a fabric, or also a knitted fabric, of a certain width, with a jet bar and a jet strip arranged in it with a multitude of orifices arranged closely adjacent to each other for the formation of a water curtain during the passage of hard water jets that are directed at the threads and their crossing points of the fabric, or such. A method usable for this device, and a product achieved thereby is known from EP-B-0 193 078. Depending on the thread, the individual fibers do not distribute parallel to one another by means of the water needling, but are adhered on top of one another, and do not result in the previously known pattern according to FIGS. 1, 3 of the EP.

It is known to direct the water jets in machine direction laterally against the product web; in this regard, reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,214,819, 3,873,255, 5,737,813, 5,806,155, or 6,253,429. However, this does not enable the water jets to have an influence on warp and weft of a fabric. The same applies to the solution according to EP-A-0 337 451, according to which the water jets are spread apart in the manner of a fan. In this configuration, the water jets adjacent to each other interfere with one another. Another solution of the lateral effect on the fibers has become known in an application on the hydrodynamic treatment of a non-woven fiber material, namely by means of WO 2002/034987. The evening out of the thickness of the non-woven material is performed by laterally impacting water jets, which protrude from a water bar that is normally arranged parallel to the product web, however, the jet strips are equipped with orifices extending laterally to the product web. According to FIG. 5 of this WO, the orifices may also protrude in the opposite direction from the water bar from right to left, which has the advantage that the product web does not laterally shift on the endless belt carrying it, due to a unilateral impulse. If applied to a fabric, this would result in the treatment of the warp threads. An even distribution of all fibers of a fabric, however, would still not be achieved.

Based on the device of the type named above, the invention is based on the task of finding a device, with which all threads of a fabric may be treated across their entire length and distribution with water jets, while spreading the fibers apart.

In order to solve this task, the invention provides that for the shifting, spreading, evening out, and, if necessary, also for the splitting of the fibers of all threads, the jet bar is aligned at an even distance across its length, but laterally to the longitudinal direction of the product web, and across its entire effective width, and that additionally all jet orifices of the jet strip are directed not perpendicularly, but at an angle lateral to, and therefore the water jets also being lateral to, the product web. In this case it is also advantageous if the discharging water jets of jet bars, or jet strips that are arranged behind one another, are directed against one another in order to avoid any shifting of the product web on the endless belt carrying the same.

A device of the type according to the invention is illustrated by way of an example in the drawings. They show:

FIG. 1 a schematic top view of a simple product web woven with warp and weft, with a jet bar extending laterally in accordance with prior art,

FIG. 2 a product web, with water jet treatment, as it would be desirable,

FIG. 3 a product web with jet bars extending laterally, but across the effective width of the web, having different angles to the machine direction.

FIG. 4 a product web with jet bars extending laterally to machine direction, but with jet strips supported in the same, with jet orifices extending laterally in segments.

FIG. 5 a product web with jet bars extending laterally, in the jet strips of which two jet orifice rows are integrated with the orifices being inclined in opposite directions, or two jet bars with only one jet orifice row each, which are then each inclined in opposite directions.

A product web according to EP-B-0 193 078, woven with warp and weft, extends in the direction of arrow 2 by means of a forward running endless belt that carries the same, and is subjected to perpendicularly impinging, hard water jets by means of the jet bar 3, which extends laterally across the width of the product web. This is according to prior art. According to FIG. 1 it is also known to incline the jets in machine direction of the product web, or in opposite direction of the machine direction. However, this does not result in an even treatment of all warp and weft threads within the fabric 1. The treatment according to FIG. 2, with a forward running product web 1 in the direction of arrow 2 is the desired treatment.

In order to achieve this mechanically, according to FIGS. 3 and 5, the jet bars 3′ are aligned laterally to the longitudinal direction of the product web 1, and across its entire effective width, and additionally all jet orifices of the jet strip are directed not perpendicularly, but at an angle laterally, and therefore the water jets laterally against the product web. The jet bars 3′ can extend parallel to, according to FIG. 3 a, or each alternating at an angle of 90°+a, or 90−a, according to FIG. 3 b, across the product web.

It is also advantageous if laterally aligned, and laterally spraying jet bars are combined with jet bars, the jet strips of which have orifices aligned perpendicularly on the product web. In this regard, an embodiment example of jet bars and assigned jet strips would be meaningful, which has jet orifices in the center spraying laterally in both directions, and a jet bar is arranged in front and behind, with jet strips that are aligned as usual perpendicularly onto the product web.

According to FIG. 4 a it is also possible to embody the jet bar 3 laterally, or just slightly inclined across the product web, but to equip the jet strip with jet orifices, which are arranged not parallel to the extension, but laterally, and adjacent to one another in segments 4′ at short distances (4) to each other. The jet orifices each extend laterally and are inclined in opposite directions, as is indicated in FIG. 4 b by the arrow 5. However, it is also possible in the case of the segments 4 to provide jet orifices 5′ in each segment that spray in the manner of a fan, which thus spray perpendicularly, as well as in both directions laterally to the product web.

In a jet bar according to FIG. 5 a that extends laterally across the width of the product web, the one jet strip, FIG. 5 b, may have two rows of jet orifices, wherein the jet orifices are laterally tapered in opposite directions 5, or at least two jet bars according to FIG. 5 c may be provided adjacent to each other with one jet strip each, wherein the orifices have jet orifices that are inclined in opposite directions 5.

Claims

1. A device for the hydrodynamic treatment of a fabric web of a certain width, comprising: a jet bar having a jet strip arranged in said bar and provided with a multitude of orifices arranged closely adjacent to each other for the formation of a water curtain of water jets that are directed at threads and thread crossing points of the fabric, wherein, for shifting, spreading, evening out, and splitting of the fibers of the threads, the jet bar is positioned at an even distance across its length from the web, but laterally of a longitudinal direction of the web, and across an entire width of the web, all of said orifices of the jet strip directed not perpendicularly, but at an angle lateral to the web so that the water jets are also lateral to the web.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein the angle of the laterally aligned water jets is inclined at 5 to 30 degrees from a vertical.

3. The device according to claim 2 wherein the jet strip has at least two rows of jet orifices, the jet orifices of the two being aligned against each other at the same angular incline.

4. The device according to claim 2 with several jet bars, the jet strips of which each have at least one row of jet orifices, successive jet bars having jet strips, the orifices of which are each directed at opposite, but equal angles to the product web.

5. The device according to claim 2, further comprising a jet bar with jet orifices directed perpendicularly to the product web.

6. The device according to claim 5 wherein at least three jet bars are arranged adjacent to each other, including a first jet bar with a jet strip with orifices aligned perpendicularly to the web, one or two additional adjacent jet bars with jet strips aligned laterally to the web and with orifices of both adjacent orifice rows aligned in opposite directions, and finally a jet bar with jet strips with orifices aligned perpendicularly to the product web.

7. The device according to claim 1 wherein the jet bar is arranged perpendicularly to the web longitudinal direction across the web, the jet orifices in the jet strip being arranged not parallel to the extension, but laterally, and adjacent to one another in segments at short distances to each other.

8. The device according to claim 7 wherein the direction of the lateral orifices for the jet strip extends in the opposite direction in each adjacent segment.

9. The device according to claim 7 wherein the orifices are aligned in the manner of a fan in the segments of the jet strip.

10. The device according to claim 7 wherein the incline position of two jet bars arranged behind and adjacent to one another changes, i.e. once at a 90°+an angle a to the web longitudinal direction, and subsequently at a 90°—an angle a.

11. The device according to claim 10 wherein the angle a is ±10 to 600.

12. The device according to claim 1 with an endlessly revolving base that carries the product web, the base being an endless belt that is driven vertically.