EP0211748B1 - Apparatus and method for simulatneously winding a plurality of separated filaments on a rotating core - Google Patents

Abstract

The installation comprises a spinnerette which receives a thermoplastic material, and a rotating spindle carrying a support or tube which ensures the drawing of the filaments from the spinnerette as well as the winding of the filaments. There is an assembly and a guide device and a traverse mechanism comprising a filament guide, which has an opening facing spindle which communicates with an internal guide zone with at least two slots. Pref. slots of the filament guide are regularly spaced on either side of a line through the centre of the yarn guide perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the spindle. The depth of the slots is different for the slots on one side of the guide. Device with slots is attached to a rod parallel to the axis of rotation by the intermediate of means which allows the regulation of the distance sepg. the guide from the preceeding zone. Mainly used in the mfr. of glass filaments, assures sepn. of individual filaments in subsequent unwinding.

Description

The invention relates to a winding device and method for manufacturing windings from several continuous wires.

More particularly, the invention relates to a winding device and method for obtaining straight flank windings formed from several separate wires.

In many applications, continuous wires extracted from windings or coils formed on cylindrical supports are used. The extraction of these threads is carried out by unwinding them by scrolling from the outside or inside of the winding.

It is particularly important, for the implementation of these wires, that this extraction takes place as regularly as possible, smoothly to avoid their damage, as well as the entanglement of adjacent turns which are at the origin of loops or packets and, consequently, faults. This operation is all the more delicate to carry out since several separate wires have been wound simultaneously on the same support.

The regular extraction of the wire or wires is essentially conditioned by the method of construction of the winding. This is formed by winding at least one wire on a rotating support and simultaneously moving said wire in a back-and-forth movement, parallel to the axis of rotation of said support. This movement of the wire can be ensured by different guide members which give the final winding such and such a shape.

Certain windings have a relatively thick central part extending towards the ends of the winding by zones whose thickness decreases regularly. This type of winding does not ensure regular extraction when several separate wires have been wound simultaneously; in fact, the wires unwound together come from turns deposited on areas of different diameters, hence differences in length between the wires causing the formation of loops.

Other windings, obtained using a movable wire guide, have substantially the shape of a cylinder whose lateral flanks are more or less regular. In fact, when the wire guide driving the wire (s) in a back-and-forth movement arrives at the end of the stroke, it marks a very brief stop time before starting again in the opposite direction. During this downtime, the turns are superimposed and can be distributed on either side of a plane, perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the support, marking the end of the race of the wire guide. When several separate wires are wound simultaneously, these stick to each other during this short instant; the bonding thus produced remains on scrolling and modifies the presentation of the wire, which affects the quality of the products produced subsequently.

On the other hand, when certain turns are deposited outside this plane, they can more easily leave the side of the winding and be damaged during storage and handling of said winding. This can be the cause of the formation of loops or the breaking of a wire during the extraction of said wire.

In applications where windings made up of several separate glass strands are used, such as for example the manufacture of cut strands intended to reinforce materials based on polymers or elastomers, or the production of chopped strand mat, the quality of the final product is largely conditioned by the separation rate of the wires: the separation ratio is the ratio between the number of single wires obtained during extraction and the number of single wires initially wound. The higher or lower value of the separation rate is linked to the partial and completely irregular bonding of the wires between them during winding, bonding which increases with the enlargement of the windings and which has led to limiting their dimensions and their weights .

These drawbacks have been the source of various solutions in an attempt to remedy the construction defects of the cylindrical windings and / or the imperfect separation of the wires during winding.

One of the solutions proposed, disclosed by patent US-A-4 486 686, consists in modifying the shape of the wire guide and in using stops placed at the end of the travel of said wire guide.

According to this invention, the end of the wire guide, which is generally planar, has a part cut in the shape of a triangle, of diamond. This cutting can even be semi-circular or semi-elliptical; it has a central opening through which the wires are introduced at the start of the winding operation.

The fiberizing installation comprises a die filled with molten glass, the orifices from which flow a large number of mechanically drawn glass nets in the form of elementary filaments. These filaments are combined into at least two separate plies which pass over a sizing device, then over an assembly device, each ply giving rise to a thread. The different wires thus obtained pass through at least one device provided with notches or any other means making it possible to ensure and maintain the separation of the wires during their journey.

These separated wires are introduced into the head of the wire guide. During the winding operation, the threads slide alternately from one side to the other of the cutout made in the head of the thread guide.

Stops, consisting of two cylindrical rods, are arranged on the drive device of the thread guide, transverse to the back and forth movement and near each end of travel. These stops have the function of gathering the wires into a single wire at the ends of the winding. This operation makes it possible to obtain clear lateral flanks and practically at right angles.

A second solution is recommended by US-A-4,509,702. The entire fiberizing installation is identical to that of the previous patent, except for the thread guide. It has several slots starting from its periphery and ending in a bent part. The bent ends of these slots are aligned in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the winding support. Each wire is introduced into a different slot and guided positively during the winding operation.

The stops arranged at the end of the travel on the thread guide displacement device serve to increase the tension of the threads which, during the period of time in which they are in contact with said stops, are wound on the same turn at the ends of the winding. These stops make it possible to obtain clear lateral flanks and practically at right angles.

In these two documents, there is no question of automatically transferring the wires from a support on which the winding has reached the desired diameter onto an empty rotating support.

A third solution is provided by patent US-A-3,547,361. The fiberizing installation used is substantially identical to those described in the preceding documents, with the exception of the thread guide. This consists of a rectangular part which has a central U-shaped recess communicating laterally with the outside. The branch of the U, closest to the support on which the winding is carried out, is provided with several notches. The bottoms of these notches are in a plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the winding support.

Two stops are fixed on the criss-cross device controlling the movement of the thread guide, near the latter's limit switches. These stops, provided with a slot, are arranged so as to gather part of the wires at the bottom of said slot when the wire guide reaches the end of its travel.

When a winding is finished, it is necessary during a period of stroke stop, to manually replace the threads in the notches of the thread guide before starting the winding of a new winding.

The prior art, illustrated by these three documents, offers solutions which do not seem compatible with an automatic restart of the winding operation.

The subject of the present invention is a method which makes it possible to wind several separate continuous wires simultaneously and to ensure the separation of said wires during the entire winding operation.

The invention relates to a device ensuring the implementation of said method, which overcomes certain drawbacks presented by the prior art, in particular that illustrated by US-A-3,547,361.

The invention particularly relates to a device and a method which make it possible to obtain a cylindrical winding formed from several separate wires, the lateral flanks of which are straight and the constituent wires of which remain separate from the start to the end of the winding. .

The invention has as a particularity an arrangement of the guide members of the wires which also ensure the tension of the said wires throughout the duration of the winding.

The invention also has the particularity of a distribution member making it possible to positively guide several separate continuous wires, and capable of being used in an installation equipped with a device for automatic transfer of said wires from a support in rotation onto another support in rotation.

The device according to the invention, intended for the manufacture and simultaneous winding on the same support of several separate continuous wires, made of thermoplastic material such as glass, comprises at least one die receiving the material and keeping it in the molten state, at least one rotary spindle carrying said support and ensuring the mechanical drawing of the threads of material coming from the orifices of the die in the form of elementary filaments, then their winding in the form of separate wires, at least one assembly and guide device for group the elementary filaments into at least two separate threads and guide said threads towards the spindle, an embedding device, kept close to the spindle, comprising at least one movable thread guide positively guiding the threads, animated by a movement of back and forth to distribute them on the support and two stops placed at the end of travel of said wire guide, characterized in that the guide device (s) is (are) placed (s) outside ior of the area between the two planes perpendicular to the reciprocating movement of the thread guide which pass through the limit switches of said thread guide, the end of the thread guide having an opening facing the spindle communicating with an internal zone for guiding the wires, said zone being provided at its periphery with at least two notches or slots, the notches located on the same side with respect to a plane which passes through the center of the wire guide perpendicularly to the 'axis of rotation of the spindle, being arranged so that the distance between the end of the bottom of each of these notches of said plane is different for each notch.

The dimensions of the opening and of the internal zone of the wire guide can be very varied, but the opening must always have a sufficient width to allow the passage of the wires. Thus, the opening can be quite narrow and give access to a much wider internal area; on the contrary, the opening can be wider than the internal area itself. This is, for example, the case when the end of the thread guide is cut into a V shape. The notches are then made on at least one of the edges delimiting one of the branches of the V. The edges of the internal zone are not not necessarily straight as in the previous example; they can be curved.

The notches are preferably distributed regularly on either side of the plane passing through the center of the wire guide and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the spindle. The bottom of the notches is preferably inclined relative to a vertical plane. This inclination is such that the straight lines passing through the bottom of two opposite notches converge below the wire guide.

When at least two notches are located on the same side with respect to the previous plane, the distance separating the end of the bottom of each notch from said plane must be different for each notch.

As it is desirable that the width of the sheet formed by the wound wires, each of them being placed in a notch, is fairly small, it is preferable that the ends of the bottom of the notches are located in different vertical planes parallel to the axis of rotation of the spindle.

When the notches, thus staggered, are regularly divided into two groups on each side of the plane passing through the center of the wire guide and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the spindle, the vertical planes passing through the ends of the bottom of the extreme notches of each group make an angle, preferably between 5 and 90 ° C.

This angle is more or less important depending on the size of each wound wire, according to the desired spacing on the winding, also according to the nature of the size deposited on the son.

The thread guide of the invention is connected to an embedding device, the mechanism of which ensures the reciprocating movement of said thread guide parallel to the axis of rotation of the spindle by means of a piece of suitable shape. The wire guide and the connecting piece are preferably as light as possible. This lightness is obtained through the use of low density material and / or by making recesses in said parts.

The fiberizing installation according to the invention also comprises a device making it possible to maintain the separation of the wires and to put them under tension during the whole winding operation. This device consists of at least one means provided with notches or slots, such as a comb, placed a little above the embedding device carrying the thread guide and outside the zone between the two. planes passing through the limit switches of the wire guide, perpendicular to the reciprocating movement of said wire guide.

In a manner known per se, this means provided with slots or notches is integral with an arm fixed at the end of a jack making it possible to move said means from a high position to a low position and vice versa.

In conventional installations, the tension given to the thread decreases more or less at the turning point of the thread guide. The slackening of the thread tension, at the precise moment when it is wound at the end of the winding, can be the cause of a fault. It is even more difficult to avoid this drawback when several wires are wound simultaneously.

The arrangement of the guide means described above eliminates this risk by permanently ensuring the tension of the threads.

The winding method according to the invention, according to which elementary filaments are mechanically stretched from the threads flowing from the orifices of a die filled with molten material using a rotary spindle, said filaments are separated in at least two plies, said plies passing over a sizing member, the filaments of each ply are assembled in a single thread on a joining member, the separation of the threads thus obtained is maintained by at least one upper comb and at least one lower comb, and the said wires are wound on a support carried by the rotating spindle by distributing them using a thread guide moving back and forth, parallel to the axis of the spindle , consists of spreading the wires, using the lower comb, from the area between the two planes passing through the limit switches of the wire guide and perpendicular to its back and forth movement during the whole operation of winding and to positively guide the wires which remain separated res until they are distributed on the support.

This method can be used either with a winding machine comprising a single spindle, or with a barrel winding machine comprising two pins and allowing the automatic transfer of the threads from one spindle to the other.

• la figure 1 est une vue, en perspective, d'une installation de fibrage et de bobinage utilisée pour la fabrication de fibres de verre continues, équipée des dispositifs selon l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue partielle, en perspective, d'une partie du dispositif équipant l'installation représentée figure 1,
• la figure 3 est une vue, en perspective, d'un mode de réalisation du guide-fil selon l'invention,
• la figure 4 est une vue, en perspective, de l'installation représentée figure 1 pendant une des phases de l'opération de transfert des fils d'une broche en rotation sur une autre broche en rotation.

The advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description which relates to embodiments of the device according to the invention. These particular embodiments are described with reference to the following figures:

• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fiberizing and winding installation used for the manufacture of continuous glass fibers, equipped with the devices according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of part of the device fitted to the installation shown in FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the thread guide according to the invention,
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of the installation shown in Figure 1 during one of the phases of the operation of transferring the son of a rotating spindle to another rotating spindle.

The installation shown in FIG. 1 comprises a die 10, indicated schematically by the base of a rectangular parallelepiped, which is supplied with molten glass by a power source not shown in the figure.

The bottom of the die 10 is provided with a large number of orifices, through which the molten glass flows in the form of threads which are thinned and transformed into elementary filaments 11 under the influence of the drawing force produced by pin B _i .

These filaments, joined together in the form of several distinct plies 12, pass over a sizing member symbolized by the roller 13. These plies, eight in number in the illustrated example, are then led into an assembly and guide device formed by 'one or more plates 14 provided with notches located below the roller 13. These guide members, which can take a wide variety of forms, are generally called combs. It is from these combs 14 that the wires 15 truly take birth.

The guide device also comprises one or more combs 16 arranged at the lower level close to the winder 17. The two combs 16 are integral with a rod 18 by means 19 making it possible to adjust their spacing. The structure of a comb 16 is shown in Figure 2. It consists of a bar 20, on which are fixed plates 21 slotted with a notch 22 bent at its end, into which is inserted each wire 15 Other modes of separation and guidance of said wires, well known to those skilled in the art, can also be used.

These combs 16 are arranged on either side of the zone situated between the two planes passing through the limit switches of the wire guide 23, perpendicular to its reciprocating movement. The rod 18, arranged parallel to the axis of rotation of the spindle 6 ₁ , is itself secured to the end of an arm 24, fixed to a jack 25. The stem 18 may be secured by one of its ends of this arm; however, it is recommended that it be united by its environment.

The jack 25 can be integral or independent of the winder 17.

After passing through the combs 16, the wires 1 5 converge on the wire guide 23, suitably connected to an embedding device 26 housed in a body 27. The mechanism of the embedding device 26, as described for example in patent FR-A-2 182 381, ensures the back-and-forth movement of said thread guide parallel to the axis of rotation of the spindle B _l .

The embedding device 26 comprises two stops, each being located near each end of travel of the wire guide 23. They are formed of a cylindrical rod disposed substantially in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the spindle B _l . These stops are described in detail in US-A-3,371,877, and have therefore not been shown to avoid unnecessarily weighing down the figures.

The device 26 is fixed to the end of an arm 38 oscillating around an axis, so as to gradually move the wire guide 23 away from the spindle B, under the effect of the magnification of the winding 28. This can be produced, for example, by the means described in patent EP-B-0 000 853.

The winder 17 has on its front face a barrel 29 carrying two pins B ₁ and B ₂ which are placed alternately in front of the setting device 26.

The various driving members necessary for the operation of the spindles and the embedding device are protected by the cover 30.

FIG. 3 represents an embodiment of the wire guide 23. The latter is formed from a flat plate 31 cut so as to have an opening 32 opening towards an internal guide zone, in the shape of a V, symmetrical with respect to in the median plane passing through the xy axis. This internal zone has on the sides two series of V-shaped notches 33, distributed symmetrically with respect to the median plane passing through the x-y axis. The bottom of said notches is inclined relative to the vertical.

The part 31 is fixed by suitable means, such as rivets 34, to a connecting part 35. This part 35, doubly bent at a right angle, has perforations 36 to lighten it. It is connected in a manner known per se to the mechanism of the embedding device 26.

Many other embodiments can be designed for the thread guide according to the invention; whether they are in one piece, as in the previous examples, or made up of several fixed or mobile parts in order to modify the configuration of the internal guide zone, the wire guides according to the invention have as a common point be provided with notches on at least one of the sides of said zone, the bottoms of the notches arranged on the same side being located at different distances from the median plane by the xy axis.

In the thread guide according to the invention, each thread 15 is placed at the bottom of a notch and guided positively during the entire winding operation. The wires 15 are thus maintained by virtue of the fact that they pass beforehand through the combs 16 arranged on either side of the zone situated between the two planes passing through the limit switches of the wire guide 23, perpendicular to the axis of spindle B rotation,

The stops fixed on the embedding device 26 are adjusted in such a way that the end wires 15a, 1 5b and their symmetrics touch each of said stops in turn.

Thanks to the arrangement of the notches of the thread guide 23, to that of the combs 16 and to the adjustment of the stops, the different threads 15 are deposited separately on the winding 28 for the entire duration of the winding, including at the ends of the winding. .

The device according to the invention can be used with a winder having only one spindle. It is more advantageously used with a barrel winder equipped with at least two pins Bi and 8 ₂ and means making it possible to ensure the automatic transfer of the wires from pin B ₁ to pin 8 ₂ .

This operation is illustrated by Figures 1 and 4.

When the winding 28 has reached a given weight after a predetermined winding time, the spindle 8 ₂ , provided with a support or cuff 37, is rotated and the combs 16 are moved to their high position under the action of the jack 25. Simultaneously, the arm 38 supporting the embedding device 26 pivots while moving the latter away from the spindle Bi, and the telescopic arm 39, provided at its end with a device 40 intended to gather the wires 15, brings them together and moves them to the end of the spindle B _i on which they are wound.

The barrel 29 pivots placing the spindle 8 ₂ in the working position and the spindle B ₁ in the rest position. The wires 15, still spaced apart by the arm 39 and the device 40, are then wound on the end of the pin B ₂ . The transfer of the wires from pin B ₁ to pin B ₂ can be ensured by various means not shown, in particular by those described in patent FR-A-2 425 399.

The arm 39 returns to its initial position and, simultaneously, the embedding device 26 is brought close to the spindle 8 ₂ in rotation, the wires being automatically introduced into the wire guide 23. The combs 16 are brought back to their position low under the action of the jack 25, and each wire 15 then finds its place in one of the notches 33 of the wire guide 23.

The device and the method according to the invention make it possible to produce windings whose weight can reach thirty kilograms and for which the separation rate of the wires is practically equal to 100%.

The lateral flanks of the windings obtained are straight and the extraction of the wires takes place without difficulty.

The present description relates to the winding of glass strands, but it is obvious that the invention applies to the winding of all continuous strands obtained from a thermoplastic material, since at least two strands must be kept separate. during their winding on the same support.

Claims (9)

1. Device for shaping and winding several continuous threads (1 5) made of thermoplastic material such as glass, on the same support (37) comprising at least one die plate (10) which receives the material maintaining it an a molten state, at least one rotatable pin (B₁) carrying the support (37) and causing mechanical drawing od threads issuing from the orifices in the die plate (10) in the form of elementary filaments (11), and then winding them in the form of separate threads (15), at least one assembly and guidance device (14, 16) for rearranging the filaments (11) into at least two separate threads (15) and guiding these threads towards the pin (B₁), a a crossing device (26) maintained near to the pin, comprising at least one mobile thread-guide (23), which positively guides the threads (15) actuated by a reciprocating movement to distribute them on the support (37) and two stops located at the end of the travel of the thread-guide, characterised in that the guidance device(s) (16) is (are) located outside the area defined between the two perpendicular planes in the direction of movement of the thread-guide (23) which passes through the ends of the travel of the latter, and the said thread-guide (23) includes an opening (32) opposite the pin (8₁) communicating with an internal guidance area for the threads (15), the said area being provided on its periphery with at least two notches or grooves (33), the notches (33) situated on the same side relative to an x-y plane, which goes through the middle of the thread-guide perpendicular to the rotational axis of the pin (B₁), being disposed in such a way that the distance which separates the end of each of these notches of the said plane is different for each groove.

2. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the notches of the thread-guide (23) are regularly distributed on both sides of the x-y plane.

3. Device according to one of the Claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the ends of the bottom of the notches are situated in several vertical planes parallel to the rotational axis of the pin (B_i).

4. Device according to Claim 3, characterised in that the notches (33) are spread out in the groups on each side of the x-y plane passing through the centre of the thread-guide (23) perpendicular to the rotational axis of the pin (B_i) are disposed in such a way that the vertical planes pass through the ends of the bottom of the furthest notches of each group, making a total angle preferably of between 5 and 90°.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the bottom of the notches (33) is tilted compared to the vertical position.

6. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the guidance device(s) (16) of the separate threads (15) fitted with grooves or notches, is (are) attached to a rod (18), disposed parallel to the rotational axis of the pin (B_i) by the average intermediary (19) allowing the distance separating the device(s) (16) from the area previously defined to be controlled.

7. Device according to Claim 6, characterised in that the middle of the rod (18) is attached to an arm (24) fixed to a jack (25) which causes the device(s) to be moved from a high to a low position and vice versa.

8. Process for manufacturing and winding several continuous threads (15) made of thermoplastic material such as glass on the same support (37) disposed on a rotatable pin (B₁), consisting in mechanically drawing the threads of material issuing from the orifices of a die-plate (10) in the form of elementary filaments (11) by the action ot rotation of the pin (Bi) to separate the filaments (11) into at least two layers (12) assembling the filaments of each layer into one thread (15), maintaining the separation of the thread (15) by at least one upper comb (14) and at least one lower comb (16), distributing the threads (15) on the support (37) with the help of a thread-guide (23) actuated by a reciprocal movement parallel to the rotational axis of the pin (B₁), characterised in that it separates the threads (15) with the help of the lower comb (16) from the area defined by the two planes passing through the ends of travel of the thread-guide (23) and perpendicular to the reciprocal movement of the latter during the whole winding operation and which positively guides the threads (15) which remain separate until they are distributed on the support (37).

9. Process for transferring the threads (15) from a pin (B_i) onto a pin (B2) in the process according to Claim 8, which consists in ejecting the thread (15) onto the end of the pin (B₁) to convey the pin (B₂) to the location of pin (B₁), in transferring the threads onto the end of pin (B₂) and then in following the winding on the support (37) disposed on pin (8₂), characterised in that before the threads are ejected, the lower comb (16) is removed by the pin (B₁) to a high position near to the upper comb (14) then, as soon as the winding on the support (37) of pin (B₂) commences, in returning the lower comb (16) to its original position, the latter being maintained outside the area defined in Claim 8 during the whole transfer operation.

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