EP0921220A2

EP0921220A2 - Loop yarn processing method for apparatus thereof

Info

Publication number: EP0921220A2
Application number: EP98122864A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Teiji Aiki Seisakusyo Ltd. Okada; Akio Aiki Seisakusyo Ltd. Mizomata
Original assignee: Aiki Seisakusyo Ltd
Current assignee: Aiki Seisakusyo Ltd
Priority date: 1997-12-03
Filing date: 1998-12-02
Publication date: 1999-06-09
Also published as: JPH11172537A; EP0921220A3

Abstract

A yarn is supplied to a fluid injection nozzle under an over feed, an compressed air is jetted into the fluid injection nozzle so that the yarn is subjected to fluid jet processing (spinning), and a heat is given to the yarn supplied to the fluid injection nozzle.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a loop yarn processing (spinning) method which can obtain a loop yarn from a yarn such as nylon, polyester fiber or the like, and to an apparatus thereof.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Conventionally, there has been known a watering loop yarn processing method which can obtain a loop yarn having a uniform loop and a high entanglement (interlace) strength, as a processing method of obtaining a loop yarn from a yarn such as nylon, polyester fiber or the like.
The watering loop yarn processing method has a problem that the apparatus itself becomes complicated because water is used and running cost is high.
In order to solve the above problem, a waterless loop yarn processing method has been known.
However, a loop yarn obtained by the aforesaid waterless loop yarn processing method becomes non-uniform and has a low entanglement (interlace) strength, as compared with a loop yarn obtained by the aforesaid watering loop yarn processing method. Further, the waterless loop yarn processing method has a problem that processing is not performed at a high speed as compared with the watering loop yarn processing method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made taking the aforesaid problem in the prior art into consideration. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a loop yarn processing method which can obtain the same yarn quality as that obtained by a watering loop yarn processing method, and to provide an apparatus thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a loop yarn processing method which can spin a loop yarn at a high speed with a low running cost, and to provide an apparatus thereof.
A first aspect of the invention provides a loop yarn processing method which comprises the following steps of: supplying a yarn to a fluid injection nozzle under an over feed; injecting an compressed air into the fluid injection nozzle so that the yarn is subjected to fluid jet processing (spinning); and giving a heat to the yarn supplied to the fluid injection nozzle.
A second aspect of the invention provides a loop yarn processing apparatus which comprises : a fluid injection nozzle which jets a compressed air to a yarn supplied under an over feed so that the yarn is subjected to fluid jet processing (spinning); and heating means for giving a heat to a yarn supplied to the fluid injection nozzle on a supply side of the fluid injection nozzle.
Therefore, according to the above processing method and apparatus, the yarn before being supplied to the fluid injection nozzle is heated by means of the heating means, and then, is fed to the fluid injection nozzle in a state of having a heat with a proper over feed rate, and thus, is subjected to fluid jet processing by the compressed air in the fluid injection nozzle. Whereby it is possible to obtain a loop yarn which has a uniform loop, a high entanglement (interlace) strength and the same yarn quality as the loop yarn obtained by the conventional watering loop yarn processing method. Further, processing can be performed at a high speed as compared with the conventional case, and also, a running cost can be reduced.
Preferably, the yarn supplied to the fluid injection nozzle comprises a core yarn and a sheath yarn, and a heat is given to at least sheath yarn.
Preferably, the yarn supplied to the fluid injection nozzle comprises a core yarn and a sheath yarn, and the apparatus further comprises heating means for giving a heat to the sheath yarn just before being supplied to the fluid injection nozzle on a supply side of the fluid injection nozzle.
Therefore, according to the above processing method and apparatus, in the case where the core yarn and the sheath yarn are used as the yarn, at least sheath yarn before being supplied to the fluid injection nozzle is heated, and then, the sheath yarn in a state of having a heat is fed with a proper over feed rate together with the core yarn, and thus, is subjected to fluid jet processing by the compressed air in the fluid injection nozzle. Whereby it is possible to obtain a loop yarn which has a uniform loop, a high entanglement (interlace) strength and the same yarn quality as the loop yarn obtained by the conventional watering loop yarn processing method. Further, processing can be performed at a high speed as compared with the conventional case, and also, a running cost can be reduced.
Preferably, the compressed air supplied to the fluid injection nozzle is a hot compressed air.
Preferably, the apparatus further comprises hot compressed air generating means for heating the compressed air.
Therefore, according to the above processing method and apparatus, the compressed air is made into a hot compressed air by the hot compressed air generating means, and thereafter, the hot compressed air is supplied to the fluid injection nozzle, and thus, the yarn is subjected to fluid jet processing. Whereby it is possible to obtain a preferable yarn quality more than that of the loop yarn obtained by the loop yarn processing method according to the first aspect.
Preferably, a hot water is given to the core yarn.
Preferably, the apparatus further comprises hot water supplying means for giving a hot water to the core yarn.
Therefore, according to the above processing method and apparatus, the hot water is given to the core yarn by the hot water supplying means, and then, the core yarn is fed to the fluid injection nozzle, and thus, fluid jet processing is performed. Whereby it is possible to obtain a preferable yarn quality more than that of the loop yarn obtained by the loop yarn processing method according to the invention of the first aspect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a loop yarn processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied;
FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing another loop yarn processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied;
FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing another loop yarn processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied;
FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing another loop yarn processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied;
FIG. 5 is a side view schematically showing a loop yarn processing apparatus in which the present invention is applied to single processing of a single yarn; and
FIG. 6 is a side view showing a structure of a loop yarn obtained by the processing method of the present invention.
Fig. 7A is an evaluation table for a number of loops and size of loops with regard to a loop yarn obtained by a processing apparatus shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 7B is an evaluation table for a number of loops and size of loops with regard to a loop yarn obtained by a waterless and heatless processing.
Fig. 7C is an evaluation table for a number of loops and size of loops with regard to a loop yarn obtained by a watering and heatless processing.
Fig. 7D is an evaluation table for a number of loops and size of loops with regard to a loop yarn obtained by a processing apparatus shown in Fig. 4.
Fig. 8 is an evaluation graph which compares a number of loops and size of loops shown in Fig. 7D with each of them shown in Figs. 7B and 7C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a loop yarn processing apparatus 1 is provided with a pair of feed rollers 3A and 3B; 5A and 5B for feeding a yarn, for example, a core yarn C1 and a sheath yarn E1. Yarn guides 7 and 9 are located below the paired feed rollers 3A and 3B; 5A and 5B, respectively. Also, a heater 11 which functions as heating means is provided above the paired feed rollers 3A and 3B; 5A and 5B.
Further, a fluid injection nozzle 13 is located above the heater 11, and a compressed air generated by a compressor 15 is supplied to the fluid injection nozzle 13. A pair of feed rollers 17A and 17B is located above the fluid injection nozzle 13, and a yarn guide 19 is located above the fluid injection nozzle 13. A wind-up roller 21 is located on the side of the yarn guide 19.
In the heater 11, an electric power is used as a heat source for example, and heat transfer comprises both contact type and non-contact type.
With the aforesaid construction, the core yarn C1 is drawn out of an original yarn pirn P1 around which the core yarn C1 is wound, and then, is fed between the feed rollers 3A and 3B via the yarn guide 7. On the other hand, the sheath yarn E1 is drawn out of an original yarn pirn P2 around which the sheath yarn E1 is wound, and then, is fed between the feed rollers 5A and 5B via the yarn guide 9. These core yarn C1 and sheath yarn E1 are heated by means of the heater 11, and thereafter, are supplied to the fluid injection nozzle 13.
A compressed air generated by a compressor 15 is supplied to the fluid injection nozzle 13, and then, in the fluid injection nozzle 13, fluid jet molding is performed so that the sheath yarn E1 is entangled(interlaced) with the core C1 to generate a loop. A loop yarn Y1, which is subjected to fluid jet processing (spinning), passes between a pair of feed rollers 17A and 17B, and thereafter, is wound around a winding package TP on a rotating winding roller 21 via a yarn guide 19.
The loop yarn Y1 thus obtained has a uniform loop in a longitudinal direction thereof as shown in FIG. 6, and also, has a high entanglement(interlace) strength. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the same yarn quality as the loop yarn obtained by the conventional watering loop yarn processing method. Further, a yarn speed is improved by the same level as the yarn speed of the conventional watering loop yarn processing method.
In FIG. 2, there is shown another loop yarn processing apparatus 1 different from that shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, like reference numerals are used to designate the same members as FIG. 1 in order to omit an overlapping explanation. In FIG. 2, the heater 11 is provided in order to heat only sheath yarn E1. In this case, it is possible to obtain the substantially same quality as the loop yarn Y1 processed in FIG. 1. Further, it is possible to improve a yarn speed by the same level as the processing method of FIG. 1.
In each of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, there is shown another loop yarn processing apparatus 1 different from that shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, like reference numerals are used to designate the same members as FIG. 2 in order to omit an overlapping explanation. In FIG. 3, the compressed air generated by the compressor 15 is temporarily supplied to a tank 23, and then, is heated in the tank 23 so as to generate a hot compressed air. Thereafter, the hot compressed air is supplied to the fluid injection nozzle 13, and then, is used for fluid jet processing (spinning).
As a result, it is possible to obtain a preferable loop yarn having a uniform loop and a high entanglement(interlace) strength more than the loop yarn Y1 obtained by the loop yarn processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2. Also, it is possible to improve the yarn speed by the same level as that of FIG. 2 or more.
In FIG. 4, a yarn guide 25 and a hot water supplying device 27 are provided in the order from the bottom between the pair of feed rollers 3A and 3B and the fluid injection nozzle 13. The hot water supplying device 27 is composed of a pair of rollers 29A and 29B and a tank 31 in which hot water is stored.
With the above construction, the core yarn C1 passes between the pair of roller 29A and 29B, and thereby, hot water is supplied to the core yarn C1. And then, the core yarn C1, to which hot water is supplied, is fed to the fluid injection nozzle 13 together with the heated sheath yarn E1, and thus, fluid jet processing (spinning) is performed.
As a result, it is possible to obtain a preferable loop yarn having a uniform loop and a high entanglement(interlace) strength more than the loop yarn Y1 obtained by the loop yarn processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Also, it is possible to improve the yarn speed by the same level as that of FIG. 2 and Fig. 3 or more.

Example:

A used yarn, that is, a nylon 70^D-48^F stretching (drawing) yarn was used as the core yarn C1; on the other hand, a nylon 70^D-72^F stretching yarn was used as the sheath yarn E1, and then, fluid jet processing (spinning) was performed under the following processing conditions with the use of the loop yarn processing apparatus 1 shown in each of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.
Yarn speed: 400 m/min
Pressure : 10 kg/cm2
Over feed of core yarn C1 : +10%
Over feed of sheath yarn E1: +30%
Winding tension: 15g
Fluid injection nozzle: nozzle manufactured by HeverLine Co.
Fluid jet processings under a waterless and heatless condition and under a watering and heatless condition were performed due to comparison reapectively. The processing conditions followed the above-conditions except for over feed of core yarn C1,+11.5% and over feed of sheath yarn E1, +33.5%. In the both processings, a yarn temperature before being supplied to the fluid injection nozzle was ordinary temperatures (15 °C to 25 °C).
As a result, a yarn quality of each loop yarn obtained thus was the same as the loop yarn obtained by the conventional watering loop yarn processing method or more. The yarn quality was evaluated by size of loops and a number of loops per a unit of length. A yarn become better as loops are smaller and a number of loops is more.
In detail, as shown Figs. 7A, 7B, and 7c, size of loops of a loop yarn obtained under waterless and heating condition (Fig. 7A )was smaller than that of a loop yarn obtained under waterless and heatless condition(Fig. 7B), and a number of loops under waterless and heating condition was more than that under waterless and heatless condition. Size of loops and a number of loops under waterless and heating condition (Fig. 7A) were equivalent to those of a loop yarn obtained under watering and heatless condition(Fig. 7c).
A yarn is basically made of thermoplastic synthetic fiber and gets softer when being heated. Thus, loops are easy to be entangled(interlaced) when the yarn is processed under softening condition, and thus size of loops become stable and uniform.
As shown in Fig. 8, a number of loops of a loop yarn obtained under watering and heating condition (Fig. 7D) was more than that of the loop yarn under watering and heatless condition (Fig. 7C) at size of 0.1 mm.
As shown Fig. 7A, a yarn temperature before being supplied to the fluid injection nozzle 13 is preferably, 40 to 100 °C, in particular, 60 to 80 °C, and further preferably, about 70 °C in the case of nylon. The reason for more than 40 °C is because a second-order transition point of nylon is at temperatures of 35 to 50 °C, and segments of molecular chain overcome intermolecular force and begin to move when nylon is more than the temperatures. The reason for less than 100 °C is because a yarn quality is prevented from changing (deteriorating).
In this case, the yarn temperature was measured with the use of a contact type thermometer situated at a position 3 to 5 cm lower than the fluid injection nozzle 13. Moreover, it is preferable that a temperature of hot compressed air in FIG. 3 is 20 to 60 °C in the case of nylon, and a temperature of hot water in FIG. 4 is 30 to 40 °C in the case of nylon. Therefore, a heating temperature of the heater 11 varies depending upon a yarn speed and a thickness of yarn. Further, in the case of polyester, it is preferable that each temperature of hot compressed air and hot water is 40 to 80 °C higher than the case of nylon. Also, in other fibers, it is possible to make a preferable yarn temperature.
The present invention is not specially limited to the aforesaid embodiment, and various modifications are made. Thus, the present invention is carried out according to other modes. In this embodiment, a nylon stretching (drawing) yarn has been used as a yarn. The present invention may be applied to a synthetic fiber such as other polyester fibers or the like. In addition, a semi-stretching yarn, non-stretching yarn may be used as a yarn. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, the present invention may be applicable to single processing of a single yarn without using both core yarn and sheath yarn as a yarn. In this case, the single (filament) yarn F1 is drawn out of an original yarn pirn P3, and then, is fed between the feed rollers 3A and 3B.

Claims

A loop yarn processing method comprising the following steps of:

supplying a yarn to a fluid injection nozzle under an over feed;

injecting an compressed air into the fluid injection nozzle so that the yarn is subjected to fluid jet processing; and

giving a heat to the yarn supplied to the fluid injection nozzle.
The loop yarn processing method according to claim 1, wherein said yarn supplied to said fluid injection nozzle comprises a core yarn and a sheath yarn, and a heat is given to at least sheath yarn.
The loop yarn processing method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said compressed air supplied to said fluid injection nozzle is a hot compressed air.
The loop yarn processing method according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein a hot water is given to said core yarn.
A loop yarn processing apparatus comprising:

a fluid injection nozzle which jets a compressed air to a yarn supplied under an over feed so that the yarn is subjected to fluid jet processing; and

heating means for giving a heat to a yarn supplied to the fluid injection nozzle on a supply side of the fluid injection nozzle.
The loop yarn processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said yarn supplied to said fluid injection nozzle comprises a core yarn and a sheath yarn, and said apparatus further comprises heating means for giving a heat to said sheath yarn just before being supplied to said fluid injection nozzle on a supply side of said fluid injection nozzle.
The loop yarn processing apparatus according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein further comprises hot compressed air generating means for heating said compressed air.
The loop yarn processing apparatus according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein further comprises hot water supplying means for giving a hot water to said core yarn.