Method and apparatus for treating a textile fabric

Abstract

An apparatus for desizing and/or shrinking a textile fabric, the textile fabric having a length and a width, the method including moving, lengthwise, the fabric, and wetting the fabric within a first pool of liquid, the first pool of liquid including water; passing the fabric through a chamber, and in the chamber contacting the fabric with at least one heatable roller heated at a treatment temperature; soaking the fabric with a main pool of liquid, the main pool of liquid including water; and treating the fabric with ozone. The apparatus includes a first module for wetting the fabric, a second module with a heatable roller for heating the fabric, a third module for soaking the fabric, and fourth module for treating the fabric with ozone. The second module may optionally be integrated with the first module.

1 . An apparatus for desizing and/or shrinking a textile fabric, the textile fabric having a length and a width, the apparatus comprising: a first module that is configured for containing a first pool of liquid comprising water for wetting the fabric when the apparatus is operated, a second module that comprises a chamber wherein there is at least one heatable roller, and the second module is configured for heating said at least one heatable roller at a treatment temperature of between 80° C. and 160° C. and for heating the fabric via contacting the latter with said at least one heatable roller when the apparatus is operated, a third module that is configured for containing a main pool of liquid comprising water for soaking the fabric thereat when the apparatus is operated, and a fourth module that is configured for treating the fabric with ozone when the apparatus is operated, the apparatus being configured for moving lengthwise the fabric successively passing it through the first module, the second module, the third module, and the fourth module when the apparatus is operated; the fourth module being configured for treating the fabric with ozone gas, and comprising:
 a pre-treatment tank that is configured to contain water and is configured for the fabric to pass through and be wetted at said pre-treatment tank when the apparatus is operated; 
 a roller configured for receiving the fabric from the pre-treatment tank and for squeezing out water from the fabric when the apparatus is operated; 
 an ozone treatment hollow chamber adjacent to the pre-treatment tank, wherein the ozone treatment hollow chamber comprises rollers and the apparatus when operated is configured for lengthwise moving through the ozone treatment hollow chamber the fabric when the latter exits the pre-treatment tank and the roller, the rollers being configured for directing the movement of the fabric through the hollow chamber when the apparatus is operated, and the apparatus comprises an ozone generator configured to generate and provide to the ozone treatment hollow chamber ozone when the apparatus is operated, the apparatus being further configured when operated to move the fabric through the ozone treatment hollow chamber along a linear path when said apparatus is operated; and 
 a post-ozone treatment tank that is configured to contain water for wetting the fabric when the apparatus is operated, and is configured for receiving the fabric from the ozone treatment hollow chamber when the apparatus is operated. 
 
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the first module comprises a first tank that is configured to contain the first pool of liquid when the apparatus is operated, and the first module also comprises a rotatable washing drum positioned in said first tank and is configured to agitate said first pool of liquid when the apparatus is operated, and is also configured to contact and guide the fabric so that the latter enters and exits said first pool of liquid when the apparatus is operated. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the chamber of the second module has a second module entrance with an entrance tank thereat that is configured to contain an entrance pool of liquid when the apparatus is operated, and the second module further comprises:
 a second module exit with an exit tank thereat that is configured to contain an exit pool of liquid when the apparatus is operated,   a heatable ceiling, and   a plurality of heatable rollers within said chamber,   wherein   each of said heatable rollers is configured to be heated at the treatment temperature, the heatable rollers are rotatable and are configured to guide the fabric so that the latter successively contacts each of said heatable rollers and moves from the second module entrance towards the second module exit when the apparatus is operated,   the second module entrance is configured to allow the fabric to enter into the chamber via passing through said second module entrance and through the entrance pool of liquid thereat when the apparatus is operated,   the second module exit is configured to allow the fabric to exit from the chamber via passing through said second module exit and through the exit pool of liquid when the apparatus is operated,   the second module entrance is configured to prevent air from passing through the second module entrance and from inside the chamber to outside of it without said air passing through the entrance pool of liquid when the apparatus is operated, and   the second module exit is configured to prevent air from passing through the second module exit and from inside the chamber to outside of it without said air passing through the exit pool of liquid when the apparatus is operated.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the first module is integrated with the second module entrance and the first pool of liquid is the entrance pool of liquid. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the third module comprises liquid flow means, a plurality of guiding rollers, an entrance part, an exit part, the main pool of liquid extending from said entrance part to said exit part, wherein the plurality of guiding rollers are configured to guide the fabric so that the latter moves from the entrance part to the exit part while successively entering and exiting multiple times the main pool of liquid when the apparatus is operated, and the liquid flow means are configured to induce a flow of the liquid within the main pool of liquid from the exit part towards the entrance part when the apparatus is operated. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the ozone generator is configured to generate and provide to the ozone treatment hollow chamber ozone at a concentration in gas that is between 2 g/Nm3 and 150 g/Nm3 when the apparatus is operated, the apparatus being further configured when operated to move the fabric through the ozone treatment hollow chamber along a linear path of a length that is of between 5 m and 120 m when said apparatus is operated. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the first pool of liquid has a pH of between 4 and 12. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the first pool of liquid has a temperature of between 10° C. and 100° C. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the roller configured for receiving the fabric from the pre-treatment tank and for squeezing out water from the fabric when the apparatus is operated is a Foulard type roller.