Process for the continuous treatment of thick, voluminous textile materials

Claim 2

The process of claim 1, wherein said textile material is contacted with said steam in the heating-up zone of said steamer on the surface of sieve drum means subjected to a suction draft.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1, wherein the dyed textile material is finally dried by conveying the material over the surface of a sieve drum means and by drawing the hot air through said material.

Claim 4

The process of claim 4, wherein the textile material is tufted carpets.

Claim 5

The process of claim 5, wherein during the final drying stage the upper side of the tufted carpet does not come into contact with the surface of the sieve drum means upon which it is being conveyed.

Claim 6

A continuous process for uniformly dyeing or printing large widths of thick, voluminous textile material which comprises impregnating the textile material with dyestuffs and auxiliary agents, contacting said textile material with superheated steam at a temperature from 105* to 120*C. in a heating-up zone of a steamer on the surface of sieve drum means subjected to a suction draft by drawing the superheated steam in the heating-up zone through the textile material, steam-treating the heated textile material in a dwell zone in said steamer to set the dyestuff by conveying the material in the form of loops through a saturated steam atmosphere, said saturated steam atmosphere being eventually drawn from the dwell zone into the heating-up zone by the suction draft of the sieve drum means where the saturated steam is superheated by a heating means associated with the sieve drum means, washing the textile material in a washing zone by drawing a washing liquor through the textile material and drying the textile material in a drying zone by drawing hot air through the textile material while the material is conveyed on the surface of sieve drum means subjected to a suction draft.

Claim 7

The process of claim 7, wherein after removal from the sieve drum means in said drying zone, the textile material is conveyed in the drying zone before being removed therefrom.

Claim 8

The process of claim 7, wherein air is removed from the textile material as a steam-air mixture which is exhausted from the material prior to the introduction of the material into the heating-up zone to provide an air-free atmosphere within said steamer.

Claim 9

The process of claim 7, wherein saturated steam is generated in the lower portion of the heating-up zone and dwell zone, said steam passing through a sieve means to remove the water droplets therefrom in order to prevent water droplets from being carried along with the rising steam which could stain the material being treated.

Claim 10

The process of claim 7, wherein the textile material is stretched in its width to a final material width prior to being introduced into the drying zone.