Abstract: An elongated knit web is flattened and guided by an apparatus having a support frame which extends longitudinally in a plane and which has an upstream and a downstream end. A pivot supports this frame for pivoting about a pivot axis transverse to the plane at the upstream end. A pair of transversely extending and longitudinally spaced spreader rollers are provided on the frame adjacent the upstream end and each has a pair of screwthread formations of opposite hand, these spreader rollers being driven to spread out the web transversely. A pair of transversely extending and longitudinally spaced guide rollers are provided on the frame between the spreader rollers and the downstream end, these guide rollers being freely rotating and having surfaces which are made to adhere to the web to prevent its edges from curling up. A control system pivots the frame about its pivot axis to position the edges of the exiting web.

Abstract: A twisted textile web is detwisted by continuously withdrawing the web from a supply and passing the web longitudinally along a path and over a curved deflecting surface formed by a roller that deflects the web and divides the path into an upstream leg and a downstream leg that are out of alignment with each other. The deflecting surface can pivot about a pivot axis which passes through a pivot located to the upstream side of a straight line passing through the center of curvature of the deflecting surface and angularly equispaced between the legs. In a central position of the deflecting surface the two legs, the surface, and the pivot are all coplanar so that a twist in the web will pivotally deflect the surface in a direction depending on the direction of twist. The extent of pivoting is detected and the web is detwisted in the upstream leg in response to the detected pivoting of the surface.