Abstract: An improved finishing treatment for pile carpets is described. The improvement lies in providing a method and apparatus for producing a controlled manner, uniform and unidirection pile lean, and to stabilize the pile lean with that orientation to restrict reversal of the pile lean during actual use of the carpet on the floor. One method of the invention is to transport the pile carpet past a pre-orientation brush or roller, through a pair of compression rollers that cause the pile to lean in the trailing direction whilst subjecting the pile to a compression cycle. The improved treatment may be applied to both cut and loop pile carpets and may find application in carpet manufacture, making the carpet resistant to pile reversal in use and reducing the propensity of the carpet to shade in an objectionable manner.

Abstract: A wool or the like fiber scour including at least one of the following, (a) scouring process wherein the fiber is subjected to an acid extraction process to remove absorbed iron, and by to greatly improve the brightness (Y tristimulus value) of the wool; (b) a scouring process wherein a bleaching process is carried out part way through the wet process following by dying, rewriting and chemical reduction, therefore stabilising the bleached color to prevent subsequent reversion in the dyebath; or (c) a scouring process wherein scoured clean fiber is dried and dusted, and then reimmersed in liquors containing detergents and dispersants, thereby effectively removing extra amounts of residual dirt. The scour produces an improved quality of fibres.

Abstract: A method and mechanism for manufacturing long-tailed neps useful as a fill or effect material the method including feeding a synthetic or natural fibrous material to a woollen opening mechanism with its outlet closed, running the opening mechanism for a predetermined period, opening the outlet of the opening mechanism so that a rotating fan doffer roller of the opening mechanism throws therefrom a plurality of modified fibre neps, each of which has a nep-shaped region from the fibres of which extends a tail (long-tailed neps). The fibrous material can be scoured wool, a synthetic fibrous material or woollen fibres in an unclean state with vegetable matter and other contaminants entrained therewith.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing spun yarns of various constructions which includes separating a potentially highly productive drafting stage from a spinning process and thereafter by the use of an apparatus which can be used to spin and ply two yarns while inserting an amount of twist of one sense into each yarn while concurrently plying those yarns with an equal amount of twist of the opposite sense. The apparatus can also be used to spin singles yarns while concurrently inserting twist into that yarn in a two-for-one mode. The yarns can be two twistless staple yarns or a singles yarn which is spun and plied with a two-fold yarn to produce a three-fold yarn structure. The twist in the three singles components of the three-fold yarn structure can be equal in magnitude and sense while the plying twist between the three singles yarns can be equal in magnitude and opposite in sense to the twist in the singles yarns.