A conveyor driven fabric dyeing machine includes a dyeing tube for improving fabric dyeing effect. The dyeing tube is arranged rearward of or below a nozzle and has an entrance opening and an exit opening and an intermediate section located between and set lower than the entrance opening and the exit opening so as to form height differences at front and rear end parts of the dyeing tube that allows dye liquid to fill up and remain in the dyeing tube. During a course of fabric moving through the dyeing tube, the fabric is allowed to stay and soak in the dye liquid within the dyeing tube to provide an extended period of time of interaction between the fabric and the dye liquid for penetration so as to enhance the result of dyeing.

A fluid-driven apparatus continuously feeds fabric in open-width form. The apparatus is associated in combination with a tumbler processing the fabric. The apparatus includes a tubular duct, with a substantially rectangular transversal cross section, has boundary walls which delimit an internal cavity inside the duct. A manifold supplies gaseous fluid into the duct through an opening formed in the top or bottom wall of the duct. Ports for the fluid extend in a direction longitudinal to the duct, into and out of the cavity. The manifold abuts the opening to divide the duct into two distinct stretches delimited by the manifold and by the ports. The manifold includes a diverter for selectively directing the fluid towards one of the stretches of the duct. A portion of one of the duct stretches is divergent in shape, with a transversal cross section increasing from the manifold to the respective end port.

A fluid-driven apparatus continuously feeds fabric in open-width form. The apparatus is associated in combination with a tumbler processing the fabric. The apparatus includes a tubular duct, with a substantially rectangular transversal cross section, has boundary walls which delimit an internal cavity inside the duct. A manifold supplies gaseous fluid into the duct through an opening formed in the top or bottom wall of the duct. Ports for the fluid extend in a direction longitudinal to the duct, into and out of the cavity. The manifold abuts the opening to divide the duct into two distinct stretches delimited by the manifold and by the ports. The manifold includes a diverter for selectively directing the fluid towards one of the stretches of the duct. A portion of one of the duct stretches is divergent in shape, with a transversal cross section increasing from the manifold to the respective end port.

Disclosed is a control method for synchronized fabric circulation in a conveyer drive fabric dyeing machine. During a dyeing process of fabric, the fabric is driven by a fabric guide to move in a circulating manner and the time period for a cycle of circulation is set in consistency with the time period that a conveyor moving from a rear end to a front end so as to achieve synchronization that makes the circulation smooth. The control method is performed with a computer or a PLC control unit that is supplied with fabric length data or fabric weight data and fabric unit weight data and, based on such data, performs an automatic operation of computation and supply of a signal to speed controllers of the fabric guide motor and the conveyor motor to set the speeds thereof at a predetermined ratio with respect to each other for synchronized operations.

The machine (1) for the treatment of fabrics according to the invention comprises a treatment tank (3) arranged for containing the fabric or other material to be treated (TC) and a treatment liquid. The head losses that the treatment liquid undergoes along the different collecting ducts (37A, 37B) between the treatment tank (3) and the relative entry nozzle (370A, 370B) in the collector (39) mutually differ at most of 10% of the losses themselves. The head losses that the treatment liquid undergoes between each entry nozzle (370A, 370B) in the collector (39) and the entry (410) in the chamber (41) of the pump impeller differ at most of 10% between the various entry nozzles (370A, 370B). The level of liquid on the bottom of the tank (3) is more even, and it is thus possible to make the machine (30) work with very low bath levels.

The machine (1) for the treatment of fabrics according to the invention comprises a treatment tank (3) arranged for containing the fabric or other material to be treated (TC) and a treatment liquid. The head losses that the treatment liquid undergoes along the different collecting ducts (37A, 37B) between the treatment tank (3) and the relative entry nozzle (370A, 370B) in the collector (39) mutually differ at most of 10% of the losses themselves. The head losses that the treatment liquid undergoes between each entry nozzle (370A, 370B) in the collector (39) and the entry (410) in the chamber (41) of the pump impeller differ at most of 10% between the various entry nozzles (370A, 370B). The level of liquid on the bottom of the tank (3) is more even, and it is thus possible to make the machine (30) work with very low bath levels.

A machine for treating a fabric (T) with air, comprises a tunnel (10) for pneumatically transporting the fabric and means for injecting the air into the tunnel above and/or below the fabric and comprising at least one diverting valve (16;18) located substantially half way along the tunnel and having two channels (16a,16b;18a,18b) which are oriented to direct the air flow entering the tunnel in one direction or the other. The valve comprises an adjustable baffle (17;19) adapted to shut off access to the channels (16a,16b;18a,18b) either wholly or partly. In the treatment method of the invention, the air flow (F;F) entering the tunnel is divided into two unequal components (F.sub.1, F.sub.2; F.sub.1, F.sub.2) directed towards opposite ends of the tunnel.

A machine for treating a fabric (T) with air, comprises a tunnel (10) for pneumatically transporting the fabric and means for injecting the air into the tunnel above and/or below the fabric and comprising at least one diverting valve (16;18) located substantially half way along the tunnel and having two channels (16a,16b;18a,18b) which are oriented to direct the air flow entering the tunnel in one direction or the other. The valve comprises an adjustable baffle (17;19) adapted to shut off access to the channels (16a,16b;18a,18b) either wholly or partly. In the treatment method of the invention, the air flow (F;F) entering the tunnel is divided into two unequal components (F.sub.1, F.sub.2; F.sub.1, F.sub.2) directed towards opposite ends of the tunnel.

Disclosed is a method for controlling a dyeing process of a conveyor drive rope-like dyeing machine, which uses the number of cycles of circulation of fabric in a dyeing bath as a control unit for controlling the dyeing process. In other words, the entire dyeing process, including the speed of adding chemicals, the speed of heating/cooling, the time interval of holding temperature, and the time interval of rinsing with water, and the likes of the dyeing process, is controlled with the number of cycles of circulation of fabric as the control unit for a computer or a programmable logic controller to control the dyeing process.

A circulation protection device is provided for a conveyor-driven fabric dyeing machine that includes a machine body having a front end in which a fabric circulation detection idler and a fabric movement sensor are mounted and a rear end in which a rear fabric guide and a fabric management device are mounted. Control is conducted with a computer program so that when the fabric circulation detection idler detects the fabric is not in movement, the conveyor is shut down; and when the fabric movement sensor detects the fabric is moving excessively fast or slow or gets jamming and stopped, the conveyor is controlled to automatically adjust the speed thereof or stops operation. When the fabric falls from a dyeing tube down to a conveyor, the rear fabric guide adjusts an entry angle of the fabric and the fabric management device allows the fabric to be orderly deposited on the conveyor.