GB931462A - Improvements in or relating to the cleaning of cloth - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0931462/IV(a)/1> <PICT:0931462/IV(a)/2> <PICT:0931462/IV(a)/3> A process for cleaning cloth prior to bleaching and/or dyeing, comprises impregnating the cloth with caustic alkali solution, winding the impregnated cloth on to a perforated drum rotatable about its longitudinal axis, heating the impregnated cloth by p passing steam into the drum and through the perforations thereof into the cloth, whilst rotating the drum slowly, then washing the caustic alkali from the woundup cloth by passing boiling water into the drum whilst rotating the drum rapidly. The caustic alkali solution may be of a strength of from 1 to 5 DEG B<\>e and it may contain other textile auxiliary agents. In carrying out the process cloth 1 is first passed in loop form through trough 3 (Fig. 1), containing dilute caustic soda solution and after passing through squeeze rollers 4 is wound up on perforated drum 5. After the cloth is wound on drum 5 steam is led through pipe 11 (Fig. 3) into drum 5 and thence through the perforations into the cloth, whilst the drum is rotated at about 15 r.p.m. The lower half of the drum is surrounded by a trough 12 to collect the condensate. After this a cover is placed over the top half of the drum and boiling water is led into the drum through pipe 11 whilst the drum is rotated at between 50 and 300 r.p.m. depending on the thickness of material on the drum. The cloth may be finally rinsed by passing in loop form through a washing trough. The perforated drum (Fig. 2) comprises a perforated hollow shaft 6 and an outer perforated drum jacket on which the cloth is wound. The perforations of the jacket may be covered at the ends, e.g. by a rubber sleeve for a short distance beneath the edge of the cloth. The shaft 6 has a journal 7 with a central inlet at one end and a journal 8 with means for rotating the drum at the other end.