A DEVICE FOR TEXTILE PROCESSING Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a device for textile processing, in particular to a rotatable drum for use in textile processing.

Background of the invention

In the textile industry, some textile products are subjected to (mechanical) abrasion in several stages of the production process. The abrasion is usually performed for partial decolorization or softening of the textile product. Such abrasion can be applied in a rotating drum, using various abrasion means which can be exemplified such as textile- based flat bodies, pumice stones, synthetic abrasive stones mimicking pumice stones, polymeric bodies, bodies formed from compressed powders. The abrasion is partial since the textile product is expected to substantially maintain its weight at the end of the respective process. For the case where textile-based flat items are used as abrasion means; such items can be defined as having two sides forming substantially parallel surfaces with a distance therebetween. Said sides have a width and length along said surfaces, and a perpendicular height between said surfaces. Such item can be hereby defined flat if the ratio of the width or length to the height is 30 or higher. This is especially the case if said item has an aspect ratio between 1 and 10, calculated by dividing the length to the width.

At the process of partial abrasion of a textile product, such textile-based flat item is expected to temporarily stick onto the textile product and to partially cover the textile product without providing a transient friction thereof to achieve abrasion on a respective zone of the textile product. Other zones of the textile product which are not covered with the textile-based flat item at such period, are exposed to a higher extent of transient friction unlike the covered parts.

This phenomenon decreases the predictability of the extent of abrasion throughout the textile product, creating uneven spots with different colors thereon. Pumice stones as abrasion means provides an increased predictability of the extent of abrasion throughout a textile product. Yet, pumice stones are quickly eroded and therefore lose size throughout the partial abrasion process. Thus the predictability of the extent of abrasion declines with further use of a pumice stone without replacement. Accordingly, pumice stones are to be replaced frequently to maintain said predictability, which results in increased process costs.

As a further technical problem, pumice stones erode inner surfaces of the drums, thus the drums are likewise to be replaced frequently, which relates to increased hardware maintenance costs. As an even further problem, pumice stones subjected to collisions with each other and with the inner surfaces of the drum turn into dust rather quickly, which leaves the drum usually in the form of an aqueous suspension. Thus, separation costs incur at treatment of process water, upon its use in the partial abrasion process.

The problems related to the use of pumice stones are also mainly applicable to the use of bodies formed from compressed powders. The polymeric bodies inherently cannot reach to details of a textile product, such as recesses around stitches.

As a further technical issue, abrasion means placed into the drum along with textile products to be processed, must be separated from the textile products at a further step upon ending a respective partial abrasion step. This increases the processing costs.

Considering the above mentioned technical problems related to alternative abrasion means used in textile processing, an alternative approach is to be sought for overcoming the present disadvantages.

Hence, it is desirable to improve rotatable drums for use in textile processing, considering the abovementioned shortcomings.

Objects of the invention

Primary object of the present invention is to overcome the abovementioned shortcomings encountered in the prior art. Another object of the present invention is to provide a textile processing device with decreased costs.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a textile processing device with increased predictability.

Summary of the invention

The present invention proposes the use of a rotatable drum as a mechanical abrader for processing textiles, wihtout necessitating further abrasion means to be temporarily placed thereinto. The present invention thereby enables a textile processing device and method with decreased costs, and increased predictability is provided by the present invention.

To this end, the present invention proposes a device for use in a partial abrasion step of textile processing. The device has an inner surface for being brought into contact with a textile product to be partially abraded. Said inner surface is provided with one or more abrasion means attached thereonto. Said abrasion means having a body which is substantially formed from one or more elongate members selected from the list consisting of yarns, plies, fibers or strands.

Brief description of the figures The accompanying drawings are given solely for the purpose of exemplifying the invention whose advantages over prior art were outlined above and will be explained in detail hereinafter:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein the abrasion means is substantially heightwise attached onto an inner surface of the device, considering that the device has a geometric shape with a substantially planar base, and the orientation of the abrasion means is substantially perpendicular to the base.

Fig.2 is a perspective view of an alternative exemplary embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein a plurality of elongate abrasion means are substantially heightwise attached onto an inner surface of the device, considering that the device has a geometric shape with a substantially planar base, the orientations of the abrasion means are substantially perpendicular to the base.

Fig.3 is a perspective view of an alternative exemplary embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein a plurality of podgy abrasion means are substantially heightwise attached and discretely distributed onto an inner surface of the device, in aligned rows; considering that the device has a geometric shape with a substantially planar base, the orientations of the abrasion means are substantially perpendicular to the base.

Fig. is a perspective view of another alternative exemplary embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein a plurality of podgy abrasion means are substantially heightwise attached and discretely distributed onto an inner surface of the device, in a shifted fashion with respect to adjacent rows; considering that the device has a geometric shape with a substantially planar base, the orientations of the abrasion means are substantially perpendicular to the base.

Fig.5 is a perspective view of another alternative exemplary embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein one or more elongate abrasion means are substantially circumferentially attached onto an inner surface of the device, substantially contiguous with adjacent abrasion means; considering that the device has a geometric shape with a substantially planar base, the orientations of the abrasion means are substantially parallel to the base. In this example, even the ribs of the device (drum) are covered with abrasion means, such that the extent of contact between the abrasion means and textiles to be processed is increased for shortening the duration of processing.

Fig.6 is a perspective view of another alternative exemplary embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein one or more elongate abrasion means are substantially circumferentially attached onto an inner surface of the device, distant to neighboring abrasion means; considering that the device has a geometric shape with a substantially planar base, the orientations of the abrasion means are substantially parallel to the base.

Fig.7 is a perspective view of another alternative exemplary embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein one or more podgy abrasion means are substantially circumferentially attached onto an inner surface of the device, distant to neighboring abrasion means; considering that the device has a geometric shape with a substantially planar base, the orientations of the abrasion means are substantially parallel to the base.

Fig.8 is a perspective view of another alternative exemplary embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein one or more elongate abrasion means are substantially circumferentially attached, and one or more podgy abrasion means are substantially heightwise attached onto an inner surface of the device, distant to neighboring abrasion means; considering that the device has a geometric shape with a substantially planar base, the orientations of the abrasion means are substantially parallel to the base.

Fig.9 shows a perspective view of another alternative exemplary embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein one or more elongate abrasion means are substantially obliquely attached onto an inner surface of the device, distant to neighboring abrasion means; i.e. considering that the device has a geometric shape with a substantially planar base, the orientations of the abrasion means are substantially oblique to the base.

Fig.10 shows a perspective view of an upper base (lid-side) of an exemplary embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein one or more elongate abrasion means are substantially circumferentially attached onto an inner surface on said upper base of the device, i.e. the abrasion means substantially encircle a textile inlet opening of said upper base.

Fig.11 shows a perspective view of a base of an exemplary embodiment of the device according to the present invention, wherein one or more elongate abrasion means are substantially circumferentially attached onto an inner surface on the base of the device, i.e. the abrasion means substantially encircle a geometrical center of the base.

Fig.12 schematically exemplifies abrasion means with (a) both ends free, (b) both ends whipped, and (c) both ends covered with caps.

Fig.13 schematically exemplifies several podgy abrasion means substantially in the form of (a) sphere (e.g. a spherical clew), (b) ellipsoid, (c) cylinder, and (d) torus. Fig.14 schematically depicts various exemplary A-A cross-sections of the abrasion means shown in Fig.12(b).

Detailed description of the invention

Referring to the figures summarized above, the present invention proposes a device (1) for use in textile processing. An exemplary embodiment of the device (1) according to the present invention is depicted in the Fig. l, and several alternative embodiments thereof are depicted in Fig.2 to Fig.10.

The device (1) includes an inner surface (11) for being brought into contact with a textile product to be processed. Said processing of textile can be partial abrasion in a rotatable drum. Hence, the device (1) according to the present invention can be considered as a part of a rotatable drum for partial abrasion of textiles.

Said inner surface (11) is provided with one or more abrasion means (2) attached thereonto. Said abrasion means (2) has a body (21) which can be, in an aspect of the present invention, substantially formed from one or more elongate members (22) selected from the list consisting of yarns, plies, fibers or strands. The body (21) can be formed by twisting of one or more elongate members (22) or by braiding of such elongate members (22) together.

The abrasion means (2) can be substantially in the form of a rope. This embodiment of the device (1) enables recycling of ropes discarded at the end of their service life in another technical field, and gives the opportunity to propose a new field of use thereto with low purchasing cost. Therefore, proposition of using ropes as abrasion means (2) adds further value to the textile processing with the device (1) according to the present invention.

One or more ends (23) of such abrasion means (2) (e.g. rope) may be left open to allow fraying thereof.

Alternatively, one or more ends (23) of said abrasion means (2) can be locked to substantially prevent fraying. Such locking may be performed by whipping. As an alternative, the locking may be performed by covering such ends (23), e.g. with a polymer-based material such as a rubber compound.

Further alternatively, the body (21) can be substantially formed by knitting of one or more of said elongate members (22). Even further alternatively, the body (21) can be substantially in the form of a clew. The body (21) can substantially have a form of sphere, an ellipsoid, a cylinder, a torus, a prism (not shown), etc.

Fig.13(a) to Fig.13(d) respectively show exemplary drawings to represent the forms of sphere, ellipsoid, cylinder and torus of abrasion means (2) to be provided on the inner surface (11) of the device (1) according to the present invention.

Thus, the locking of the ends (23) can be achieved by placing said ends (23) at an inner portion of the abrasion means (2); thus the abrasion means (2) can have one or more ends (23) placed at an inner portion thereof. Here, said respective ends (23) are locked by leaving the same at a rather central portion of the abrasion means (1). Said inner portion is inherently not available any friction by the textile to be processed, or by any other abrasive item placed into the same device (1) (e.g. drum).

In a possible embodiment of the device (1) where the abrasion means (2) used has one or more locked ends (23) as described above, details of the textile (e.g. details of a textile product to be partially abraded) such as recesses around stitches are protected from abrasion, and abrasion is applied mainly on textile regions distant to the stitches. Thus, a device (1) provided with abrasion means (2) with locked end(s), enables an extensive optical contrast around the indentations of the partially abraded textile, which enables the production of a partially abraded textile product with increased optical contrast around its recesses (e.g. stitches). Furthermore, with such embodiment, fraying of the locked ends (23) is prevented and thereby the abrasion means (2) remains functional for an extended service life.

In all of the alternative embodiments of the device (1) according to the present invention, one or more abrasion means (2) is employed which can be considered as being different from a textile based abrasive item with a substantially flat form (e.g. a towel-type abrasion means). Thus in the device (1) according to the present invention, one or more abrasion means (2) with an extent of flexibility is employed, said extent being lower than that available in substantially flat abrasion means used in the prior art. Thus the abrasion means (2) employed in the device (1) according to the present invention has a relatively low extent of flexibility and therefore high extent of compressive strength when compared to substantially flat abrasion means such as towels; thereby the partial abrasion of textiles can be effectively achieved in a short processing time.

Within the technical sense of the present invention, prior to the performance of the partial abrasion, said body (21) can have a width (W) defined as a maximum distance across a cross section thereof, and a length (L) substantially perpendicular to said cross section, such that the ratio of the length (L) to the width (W) is within the range between 1 and 100. This ratio renders the abrasion means (2) more functional in terms of abrading textiles, by limiting the flexibility of the abrasion means (2). The abrasion means (2) can have a width (W) defined as a maximum distance across a cross section thereof, and a length (L) substantially perpendicular to said cross section; such that the ratio (L/W) of the length to the width is within the range between 1 and 15. In this embodiment, the flexibility of the abrasion means (2) is further limited by the abrasion means (2) being podgy, which results in effectively achieving of the partial abrasion of textiles in a further shortened processing time. Fig.13 schematically exemplifies several podgy abrasion means substantially in the form of (a) sphere (e.g. a spherical clew), (b) ellipsoid, (c) cylinder, and (d) torus.

Provided that said ratio (L/W) of the length (L) to the width (W) is within the range between 1 and 100, the abrasion means (2) can have said cross section substantially in the form of circle, such that said width (W) can be considered as a diameter of said circle. Alternatively, the cross section can be substantially in another form such as a polygon (e.g. a rectangle).

In the context of the present invention, the cross section of e.g. a typical rope or a typical clew can also be considered to be substantially in the form of a circle. Fig.14(a) to Fig.14(e) depict exemplary cross-sections which fit to the definition as substantially having the form of a circle, wherein substantially circular circumferences of exemplary cross-sections are shown with dashed circles. Thus, the inner surface (11) of the device (1) can be provided with one or more of abrasion members (2) which fit to such description.

Since the abrasion means (2) is formed from elongate members (22) which can be twisted or braided together, it is evident that geometric forms of the cross-sections or the bodies mentioned in the description are inherently imperfect by having indentations around neighboring twists or braids on an outer face of the abrasion means (2). Furthermore, the twisting or braiding provides that the elongate members (22) on the outer face, are backed by other elongate members (22) or other zones of an identical elongate member (22), located in rather central portions of the abrasion means (2). This fact is visualized in the Fig.12, Fig.13 and Fig.14 over random examples of the abrasion means (2) which are suitable to be employed in the device

(1) according to the present invention. Thus, the indentations on the outer face of the abrasion means (1) are resistant to compression, thereby providing an extended effectiveness at abrasion of textiles by friction. Thus, the indentations provide an extended friction performance, substantially along said outer face onto the textile to be subjected to partial abrasion.

Considering said ratio (L/W) of the length to the width being within the range between 1 and 15, the abrasion means (2) can have a width (W) within the range between 5 millimeters and 150 millimeters. During the partial abrasion process, a width (W) lower than 5 millimeters may result in an early wear-off due to erosion of the abrasion means

(2). A width (W) above 80 millimeters may take up too much space in commonly used drum sizes, minimizing the volume inside the drum dedicated to textiles to be processed. Therefore this range of the width renders the partial abrasion process more profitable in terms of both process and investment costs.

The abrasion means (1) can have a length (L) within the range between 1 cm and 225 cm. In the case where the ratio (L/W) of the length to the width (i.e. the aspect ratio) is within the range between 1 and 15, and where the width (W) is optionally kept between 5 millimeters (0.5 centimeters) and 150 millimeters (15 centimeters); said range of length (L) provides highly favorable sizes of abrasion means (2), especially in terms of increased compressive strength when subjected to forces from any aspect angle, and increased momentum at collisions between the abrasion means (2) and the textile to be partially abraded. The length of the abrasion means (2) being 1 cm or higher, facilitates obtainment thereof through cutting of a rope.

Thus this embodiment according to the present invention provides an enhanced performance in partial abrasion of textiles. In a further favorable subset of this embodiment, the abrasion means (2) can have a length (L) within the range between 10 cm and 30 cm. This provides a further favorable pudginess for furthering the effect for further shortening the processing time, along with for facilitated montage of the one or more abrasion means (2) onto the inner surface (11) of the device (1). In the case where the abrasion means (2) in the form of a rope, the locking of the one or more ends (23) can be performed by whipping said ends (23); or alternatively, by covering said one or more ends (23) with a cap (231). Said cap (231) may include a polymeric material. In the latter alternative, one or more ends (23) can be coated with a rubber compound in the form of a cap (231), or the cap (231) can be in the form of so-called "polyboot" ends (23), substantially made of a polymeric material, e.g. rubber; or the cap may be made of a heat shrink material which provides facilitated securing of the cap (231) onto respective ends (23).

As an alternative option, in the abrasion means (2) said one or more ends (23) can be free (non-locked), thereby allowing mechanical friction between said ends (23) and a textile subjected to the partial abrasion. In such case, at the expense of shortening the service life of the abrasion means (2) by fraying of the free ends (23), respective portions of the elongate members (22) at said ends (23) serve as finely abrading protrusions which are able to reach into narrow indentations of the textile to be partially abraded, e.g. to the vicinity of stitches of a textile product. Thus, this embodiment enables the obtainment of a partially abraded textile product with decreased visual contrast around its recesses (e.g. stitches).

The elongate members (22) mainly forming the abrasion means (2) can be natural materials (e.g. cellulose fibers such as cotton, bamboo, hemp, jute, wool, linen, etc.) or synthetic based (e.g. polyester, polyamide, etc.) materials, or their mixtures. Although natural materials are slightly more prone to erosion when compared to synthetic based materials e.g. nylon, their environmental impact is lower than that of the synthetic based materials. This even reduces the water treatment costs upon a partial abrasion process using the device (2) to the present invention.

In another aspect, synthetic based materials usually have a longer service life when compared to that of natural materials, which result in decreased costs related to the replacement of the abrasion means (2) for further use. Thus, the elongate members (22) can comprise recyclable (e.g. thermoplastic) synthetic materials, which enables the use of recycled raw materials and thereby make a positive environmental impact.

That the one or more abrasion means (2) is fixed or attached onto an inner surface (11) of the device (1) according to the present invention, provides that said inner surface (11) gets into contact with textiles to be partially abraded. In a textile processing method using the device (1) according to the present invention, textile can be effectively processed without necessitating a further step of separating the textile from the abrasion means upon leaving the device (1).

Furthermore it is possible that, additional abrasion means which are not fixed to the device (1) can be introduced into the device (1) to minimize the duration of a partial abrasion process by providing an increase in abrasive surfaces in the device (1). Furthermore, one or more of the abrasion means (2) fixed onto the inner surface (11) of the device (1) are inherently reinforced by relatively rigid (e.g. metallic) structure of said inner surface (11), thereby the flexibility of said abrasion means (2) is further minimized and thus the abrasion means (2) show a further increased abrasion performance. Thus, a predetermined extent of abrasion can be achieved in a shorter duration of partial abrasion step.

In a method of textile processing using the device (1) according to the present invention, a textile to be processed can be contacted with or one or more colorants, and/or with one or more chemical bleaching agents such as ozone during the process of partial abrasion. The device (1) can include fluid outlets for releasing process water by centrifuging the device (1) (as a rotatable drum) at the end of the textile processing.

In an alternative embodiment according to the present invention, the body (21) of the abrasion means (2) can be in the form of a mat, partially or completely covering the inner surface (11) of the device (1). The body (21) can be substantially formed from one or more elongate members (22) selected from the list consisting of yarns, plies, fibers or strands, e.g. by weaving.

The device (1) can have a substantially cylindrical, prismatic or any other shape suitable to be used as a textile processing drum. The inner surface (11) can be an inner side of a circumferential side surface of the drum as exemplified in the Fig. 1 to Fig.9; and/or an inner side of a base of the drum as exemplified in the Fig.10 and Fig.11.

The abrasion means (2) attached onto the inner surface (11) of the device (1) inherently moves along with the device (1) (e.g. rotatable drum) with the same speed relative to textile products to be processed. Said relative speed is inevitably higher than expectable relative speed between unattached abrasion means optionally mixed with and introduced along with said textile products, into the device (1) for processing. Accordingly, the device according to the present present invention provides a much higher extent of abrasion at a unit time, when compared to unattached abrasion means introduced into a regular rotatable drum known in the art. Optional combination of the use of the device according to the present invention, with unattached abrasion means introduced thereinto, provides a further enhanced extent of abrasion at a unit time.

The abovementioned shortcomings of the prior art are overcome, and a textile processing device with decreased costs, and increased predictability is provided by the present invention. All features and details explained above may be combined in any technically enabling combination.

List of reference signs

1 device

11 inner surface

12 base

13 upper base (iid-side)

14 rib

2 abrasion means

21 body

22 elongate member

23 end

231 cap

L length

W width