(under subclass 219) Method or apparatus for effecting lateral distention, expansion or separation of a condensed or grouped number of parallel continuous filaments by flattening out and forcing apart the component members thereof.
(1) Note. Included herein are opening or spreading operations performed on tows of crimped or textured continuous filaments which, in addition to expanding and widening the tow, effect level-ing, dephasing or deregistering of the crimps throughout the width of the tow band or sheet to improve the characteristics thereof.
(2) Note. Ancillary functions of the opening or spreading operation include the removal of folds or twist from the tow imposed therein by prior processing.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
103+, for rearrangement of a tow into a coherent, entangled unitary nonwoven web.
213, for an expansible thread comb or guide for altering the width of a sheet of threads in the form of a warp. 220+, for tow opening or spreading combined with another diverse thread finishing operation.
271+, for fluid jet texturing, i.e., bulking or crimping of a tow.
287+, for opening or separating thread in hank or skein form.
