DE112016002637B4 - ELECTROSTATIC MIXING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MIXING FILAMENTS - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrostatic mixing device (100) for mixing filaments, the electrostatic mixing device (100) comprising:a) a hopper (1) adapted to statically charge the filaments passing through it;b) an extension tube ( 2) adapted to receive and pass through the statically charged filaments, the extension tube (2) being detachably attached to an operative lower portion of the funnel (1) and having a plurality of slots (3), arranged on the periphery thereof to receive a plurality of electrodes (3'), the polarity of the plurality of electrodes (3') being selectively changed to modify the spatial arrangement of the statically charged filaments and thereby the statically charged filaments to mix together to obtain mixed charged filaments; andc) an electrically grounded disk (4) adapted to receive and neutralize the commingled charged filaments, the electrically grounded disk (4) being removably attached to the extension tube (2) and having an opening (O) thereon to allow the commingled charged filaments to pass therethrough.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of textile technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electrostatic blending device and method for blending filaments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

During melt-spinning of polymer filaments, a melt-spinnable polymer is melted and extruded through a plurality of fine orifices arranged on a spinneret plate, thereby producing a number of molten strands or fine filaments, which are then solidified by cooling in an air stream and in a winding section be wound on spools. Due to their parallel arrangement, these fine filaments do not have the necessary cohesive strength. In addition, the parallel arrangement of the fine filaments creates difficulties in the winding, unwinding and web-forming processes.

Therefore, in order to overcome the above problems, the fine filaments are mixed during spinning. In particular, the intermingling of the fine filaments increases the cohesive force between the fine filaments by changing the spatial arrangement of the fine filaments, thereby forming a single yarn bundle.

A traditional mixing nozzle is a block of metal drilled with two holes or channels that meet at the right angle. A first channel of the block allows the polymer filaments to pass therethrough and a second channel of the block, meeting the first channel at the right angle, allows air to pass therethrough. Blowing the air at right angles allows the polymer filaments to be mixed. In addition, it is necessary to blow compressed air through the second channel to mix the polymer filaments, which increases the running cost of the entire process.

EP 1 887 121 A1 provides an improved process of using electrostatics in the formation of nonwoven webs. A fiber source is provided. The fibers and filaments are subject to an electrostatic charge generated across an electrostatic unit, the first side and second side of which face each other. Once subjected to the electrostatic charge, the fibers are collected on a forming surface to form a nonwoven web.

U.S. 4,009,508 A provides a method of applying a very high electrical charge to a plurality of filaments being advanced through an air jet to a forming zone, wherein filament charging is achieved by impinging the filaments in bundle form on a target electrode and applying a charge to the filaments at the point of impact while allowing the filaments to propagate from a bundle configuration to a fan configuration while the filaments are being loaded.

U.S. 3,319,309 A relates to a device for attracting, collecting and discharging a sheet of electrostatically charged fibrous elements. The device comprises in combination a continuous surface adapted to move continuously in a given direction. A charged plate is placed on and conforms to one side of the continuous surface. It is further adapted to generate an opposite polarity electrostatic field along the path of the continuous surface. The plate extends transversely to the top and has a top and a bottom, the bottom converging upwards and terminating at the top from a sharp edge along the rear end of the plate to provide a corona discharge between the plate and the said plate.

US 2005/0 087 287 A1 teaches an apparatus and method for making a nonwoven web. Multiple fibers are subjected to a pneumatic dampening force in a draw slot to impart velocity to the fibers. The fibers are decelerated in a diffusion chamber (formed between opposing diverging sidewalls). The fibers are subjected to an applied electrostatic charge and then collect the fibers in a web on a moving mold surface.

the EP 0 800 593 B1 discloses a method and apparatus for electrostatically charging a strand or web of plexifilamentary film-fibril from a flash spinning process.

Therefore, there is a need for an alternative to blending the polymer filaments and avoiding the above disadvantage.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

Some of the objects of the present invention, which satisfies at least one of the embodiments presented here, are as follows: It is an object of the present invention to improve one or more problems of the prior art, or at least to provide a viable alternative.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for blending polymer filaments.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for blending polymeric filaments.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for blending polymer filaments that is economical.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an electrostatic mixing device for mixing filaments. The electrostatic mixing device consists of a hopper, an extension tube, a plurality of slots, a plurality of electrodes and an electrically grounded disc.

The funnel can be adjusted to statically charge the filaments that pass through it.

The funnel can be made of at least one material selected from the triboelectric series and having a positive charge.

The funnel can be a glass funnel.

The extension tube can be adjusted to receive the statically charged filaments and allow them to pass through.

The extension tube may be detachably attached to an operative lower portion of the funnel.

The plurality of slots may be arranged on the periphery of the extension tube to receive the plurality of electrodes.

The polarity of the plurality of electrodes can be selectively changed to modify the spatial arrangement of the statically charged filaments and thereby intermingle the statically charged filaments to obtain intermingled charged filaments.

The electrically grounded disc can be adjusted to pick up and neutralize the mingled charged filaments.

The electrically grounded disk may be removably attached to the extension tube.

An opening may be placed on the electrically grounded disc to allow the intermingled charged filaments to pass therethrough.

Each of the plurality of electrodes is electrically connectable to a high voltage generator.

The high voltage generator can be in data communication with a microcontroller.

The present invention also relates to a method for intermingling the filaments, carried out in the steps described hereinafter.

In the first step, the filaments are allowed to pass through the hopper and rub against a wall of the hopper to obtain statically charged filaments.

In the second step, the statically charged filaments are allowed to pass through the extension tube.

In the third step, the polarity of the plurality of electrodes accommodated in the plurality of slots is selectively changed so that the spatial arrangement of the statically charged filaments is modified and thereby the statically charged filaments are mixed together to obtain mingled charged filaments.

In the fourth step, the mingled charged filaments are neutralized by allowing the mingled charged filaments to pass through the electrically grounded disc to obtain neutralized mingled filaments.

character list

• 1 veranschaulicht eine teilweise Querschnittsansicht einer elektrostatischen Mischvorrichtung nach der vorliegenden Erfindung;
• 2a veranschaulicht eine Vorderansicht der elektrostatischen Mischvorrichtung aus 1 ;
• 2b veranschaulicht eine in der Mitte durchgeschnittene Ansicht der elektrostatischen Mischvorrichtung aus 1 ;
• 3a und 3b veranschaulichen eine montierte Ansicht der elektrostatischen Mischvorrichtung aus 1 ;
• 4 veranschaulicht eine schematische Ansicht der elektrostatischen Mischvorrichtung aus 1 ; und
• 5A, 5b und 5c veranschaulichen einen Querschnitt der statisch aufgeladenen Filamente in der elektrostatischen Mischvorrichtung aus 1 .

An electrostatic mixing device and method for mixing filaments will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

• 1 Figure 13 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of an electrostatic mixing device according to the present invention;
• 2a FIG. 12 illustrates a front view of the electrostatic mixing device of FIG 1 ;
• 2 B Figure 12 illustrates a center cut view of the electrostatic mixing device 1 ;
• 3a and 3b 12 illustrate an assembled view of the electrostatic mixing device 1 ;
• 4 FIG. 12 illustrates a schematic view of the electrostatic mixing device 1 ; and
• 5A , 5b and 5c Figure 12 illustrate a cross section of the statically charged filaments in the electrostatic mixing device 1 .

The table illustrates various components of the electrostatic mixing device, which are represented by the following reference numbers: components Reference sign Electrostatic mixing device 100 funnel 1 extension tube 2 variety of slots 3 variety of electrodes 3' Electrically grounded disk 4 bulge 5 opening O high voltage generator V microcontroller M

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described hereinabove, two holes or channels have been drilled into a metal block of a conventional mixing nozzle so that the channels meet at right angles. A first channel of the block allows the polymeric filaments to pass therethrough and a second channel of the block allows air to pass therethrough. Blowing air in a direction perpendicular to the polymer filaments allows the polymer filaments to be mixed. In order to effectively mix the polymer filaments, it is necessary to inject compressed air through the second channel. However, increasing the pressure of the air is a capital intensive process which increases the operating cost of the entire polymer filament blending process.

The present invention therefore provides an electrostatic mixing device and a method for mixing the filaments, so that the above disadvantage is avoided.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the electrostatic mixing device (100) in 1 , 2a , 2 B , 3a , 3b and 4 illustrated. The electrostatic mixing device (100) consists of a hopper (1), an extension tube (2) which can be detachably attached to an operative lower portion of the hopper (1), a plurality of slots (3) made on the periphery of the extension tube (2) a plurality of electrodes (3') to be received in the plurality of slots (3) and an electrically grounded washer (4) removably attachable to the extension tube (2). and an opening (O) arranged thereon.

The funnel (1) can be made of at least one material selected from the triboelectric series and having a positive charge.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the funnel (1) can be a glass funnel.

The plurality of electrodes (3') can be electrically connected to a high voltage generator (V).

The high voltage generator (V) can be in data communication with a microcontroller (M).

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, 6 to 18 slits may be arranged on the periphery of the extension tube (2).

According to another aspect of the present invention, the method of blending the filaments in the electrostatic blending device (100) is described hereinafter.

In the first step, the filaments to be mixed are allowed to pass through the hopper (1) and rub against a wall of the hopper (1) to obtain static filaments. In particular, when rubbing against the wall of the funnel (1), the filaments gain electrodes to become statically charged (negatively charged).

The material of the filaments can be polyester.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the polyester may be polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

According to another embodiment of the present invention, nylon, polypropylene (PP) or any other polymer capable of being charged electrostatically (positively or negatively) when rubbed against a wall of the hopper (1) can be used.

• • • Länge des Trichters () und
• • • der Kontaktzeit der Filamente mit der Wand des Trichters ().

The static charge of the filaments can be controlled by varying the:

• • • length of the funnel () and
• • • the contact time of the filaments with the wall of the funnel ().

In the second step, the statically charged filaments are allowed to pass through the extension tube (2). The statically charged filaments carry the same charge, therefore they tend to repel each other causing separation of the statically charged filaments in the extension tube (2).

Furthermore, the inner profile of the extension tube (2) has a bulge (5) so that after the statically charged filaments have been separated, these statically charged filaments no longer touch the inner surface of the extension tube (2).

In the third step, the polarity of the plurality of electrodes (a to f) (as in 4 shown) accommodated in the plurality of slots (3) are selectively changed by the high voltage generator (V) so that the spatial arrangement of the statically charged filaments is modified and thereby the statically charged filaments are mixed together to obtain mingled charged filaments .

The polarity and its duration can be controlled electronically by a microprocessor or the microcontroller (M).

According to the present invention, the modification of the spatial arrangement of the statically charged filaments is described with reference to FIG 5a , 5b and 5c illustrated.

The original spatial arrangement of the statically charged filaments (1-r) before the selective polarity change is shown in 5a shown.

The electrodes are momentarily activated by the high voltage generator (V) at a high voltage so that the statically charged filaments (1 and p) are affected by the electric field of the plurality of electrodes (3'). Due to this, the static filament (1) is repelled by the negative charge on the electrode, and the static filament (p) is attracted by the positive charge on the electrode, thereby changing the original spatial arrangement of the static filaments (1- r) changed (as in 5b shown).

In particular, due to the influence of the electric field, the positions of the statically charged filaments (1 and r) are reversed, resulting in the intermingling of the statically charged filaments (1-r) to obtain intermingled charged filaments (as in 5c shown).

In the fourth step, the mingled charged filaments are neutralized by allowing the mingled charged filaments to pass through the opening (O) arranged on the electrically grounded disk (4) to maintain the changed spatial arrangement of the mingled charged filaments and neutralized to obtain mixed filaments.

• • • Zugspannung der in den Trichter () gelangenden Filamente
• • • statische Ladung der Filamente
• • • Anzahl der Elektroden ()
• • • Spannung, die an den Elektroden () anliegt
• • • Polarität der Elektroden () und
• • • Frequenz der Polaritätsänderung der Elektroden ()

The intermingling of the statically charged filaments to create a yarn can be controlled by:

• • • Tension of the filaments entering the funnel ().
• • • static charge of the filaments
• • • Number of electrodes ()
• • • Voltage applied to the electrodes ().
• • • Polarity of the electrodes () and
• • • Frequency of polarity change of the electrodes ()

The running cost of mixing the statically charged filaments using the electrostatic mixing device and method of the present invention for producing a yarn is comparatively lower than the conventional method and devices for mixing the filaments.

TECHNICAL PROGRESS AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

• • • effizient die Filamente vermischt; und
• • • wirtschaftlich ist.

The present invention described hereinabove comprises various technical advances including the realization of an electrostatic mixing device and method which:

• • • efficiently mixes the filaments; and
• • • is economical.

The invention has been described herein with reference to the accompanying embodiments, which do not limit the scope and scope of the invention. The description is provided by way of example and illustration only.

The embodiments contained herein and their various features and advantages are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as not to obscure the embodiments contained herein with unnecessary detail.

The foregoing description of specific embodiments thoroughly discloses the general nature of the embodiments contained herein that, through the application of current knowledge, others may easily modify and/or adapt the specific embodiments for various applications without departing from the general concept. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and should be understood within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It should be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments included herein have been described in terms of the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments included herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments described herein.

Claims (6)

An electrostatic mixing device (100) for mixing filaments, the electrostatic mixing device (100) comprising: a) a hopper (1) adapted to statically charge the filaments passing through it; b) an extension tube (2) adapted to receive and pass through the statically charged filaments, the extension tube (2) being detachably attached to an operative lower portion of the funnel (1) and having a plurality of slots (3) arranged on the periphery thereof to receive a plurality of electrodes (3'), wherein the polarity of the plurality of electrodes (3') is selectively changed to modify the spatial arrangement of the statically charged filaments and thereby to intermingle the statically charged filaments to obtain intermingled charged filaments; and c) an electrically grounded disk (4) adapted to receive and neutralize the mixed charged filaments, the electrically grounded disk (4) being detachably attached to the extension tube (2) and having an opening (O) thereon to allow the commingled charged filaments to pass therethrough. Electrostatic mixing device according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of electrodes (3') is electrically connected to a high voltage generator (V). Electrostatic mixing device according to claim 2 , wherein the high voltage generator (V) is in data communication with a microcontroller (M). Electrostatic mixing device according to claim 1 , wherein the funnel (1) consists of at least one material selected from the triboelectric series and having a positive charge. Electrostatic mixing device according to claim 1 , wherein the funnel (1) is a glass funnel. Method of blending filaments in the electrostatic blender claim 1 , the method comprising the following steps: i. allowing the filaments to pass through the hopper (1) and rub against a wall of the hopper (1) to obtain statically charged filaments; ii. allowing the statically charged filaments to pass through the extension tube (2); iii. Selectively changing the polarity of the plurality of electrodes (3') received in the plurality of slots (3) to modify the spatial arrangement of the statically charged filaments and thereby intermingling the statically charged filaments to form intermingled charged filaments obtain; and iv. neutralizing the mingled charged filaments by removing the mingled charged filaments ments is allowed to pass through the electrically grounded disc (4) to obtain neutralized mixed filaments.

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