EP1339902B1 - Method and device for making a strand comprising glass filaments - Google Patents

Abstract

A process and apparatus for manufacturing a strand including glass filaments. The process and apparatus include a drawing roll, around which the filaments coming from a bushing are wound in web form, a prespinning unit storing the filaments intended for scrapping, a spinning unit allowing the filaments to be removed from the roll and taken up, and a mechanism for guiding the filaments in the spinning unit and as far as a winder in the form of a strand. The prespinning unit is placed downstream of the spinning unit.

Description

The invention relates to obtaining a winding of a glass wick, made in particular of glass filaments directly from a die. This die can be indifferently fed either in balls or pieces of glass other shapes (reflow fiber-drawing process), either in molten glass from of a furnace (direct fusion fiberization process). The glass may be glass E, glass C, or any other composition likely to be fibered.

A known device, as partially described in the patent application EP 0 928 840 consists of a drawing cylinder, located substantially vertically of the die and around which are wound in the form of a tablecloth the filaments of glass falling from the die, into a spinning assembly transforming the sheet of filaments in a wick, and in a winder for winding the wick.

The spinning assembly comprises a squeegee, or tool intended to scrape, swivel, adapted to abut against the surface of the cylinder to loosen the filaments of said cylinder after a rotation of approximately 270 °, and an elongated conical element parallel to the axis of rotation of the cylinder, located above the cylinder and presenting a longitudinal opening which is arranged in the continuity of the doctor blade and by which are directed the filaments after their detachment of the cylinder, the element oblong being traversed from one end to the other, centrally, by a wire of soul around which wrap the projected filaments in the form of a wick from the cylinder. The wick comes out of the open conical end of the element oblong to be wound on the winder placed laterally to the oblong element. In this document, the core wire is made of plastic material and used to provide a composite wick more resistant to traction than a composite wick only glass.

Not described in this document but in known manner, it is advantageously provided in such a device of the prior art, a set of pre-spinning which is disposed upstream of the spinning assembly, at substantially 180 ° relative to the arrival of the filaments on the drawing cylinder. The location of the pre-spinning assembly is thus considered at the rear of the cylinder, the front being defined by the location of deposition of the filaments on the cylinder. In the description that follows, the terms upstream and downstream are defined with respect to the direction of scrolling filaments on the cylinder from the die.

The pre-spinning assembly is essentially operated at beginning of the drawing of the filaments during the rise in speed of the cylinder. The arrival of the filaments to the spinning assembly is short-circuited, thus avoiding obtaining a winding that would present at the beginning a wick in the title not conform to that provided by the standards.

The pre-spinning assembly is provided with a swivel squeegee capable of coming into stop on drawing cylinder and drum with internal spindle winding of the filaments. When the pre-spinning assembly is operational, the pre-spinning scraper takes off the filament web, therefore before its arrival on the squeegee, the filaments coming to wind around the spindle pre-spinning drum. Pre-spinning squeegee is removed from the draw roll when the speed of the cylinder has reached a regime establishing the desired diameter filaments.

In order to avoid too much accumulation of filaments around the spindle of the pre-spinning drum, the operator must proceed with the extraction at the back cylinder; however it should be able to simultaneously monitor in front of the cylinder any occasional breakage of the filaments delivered by the die, which would justify immediate intervention. So, at the start of the device winding or during a recovery of the winding after a breakage of filaments, two operators are in fact required, an operator who is solicited to be present at the back of the draw cylinder to assist manual extraction pre-spin drum, while the other is at the front to ensure the stretching of the filaments.

Moreover, the existing device proves too bulky to allow an integration of several of them arranged side by side in an installation direct fusion.

The object of the invention is to obviate these disadvantages by providing a winding device of a glass wire whose operation generates a reduced manpower and high productivity.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the size of the device of spinning, allowing the insertion of one or more devices into a direct fusion fiberization, the dimensions of which are imposed by various technical and economic constraints.

• un cylindre d'étirage autour duquel sont enroulés sous forme de nappe les filaments;
• un ensemble de filage qui comprend d'une part, une racle de filage escamotable apte à venir en butée contre la surface du cylindre de façon à décoller les filaments et pourvu d'une surface de glissement, et d'autre part, un élément de réception des filaments décollés par la racle;
• des moyens de guidage des filaments dans l'élément de réception et jusqu'au bobinoir sous forme de mèche, et
• un ensemble de pré-filage pour les filaments destinés à être mis au rebut, l'ensemble de pré-filage étant muni d'un tambour de pré-filage et d'une racle de pré-filage apte à soulever les filaments du cylindre d'étirage afin qu'ils soient projetés dans ledit tambour,

est caractérisé en ce que l'ensemble de pré-filage est disposé en aval de l'ensemble de filage, et à proximité de l'arrivée des filaments sur le cylindre.According to the invention, the device for obtaining the winding of at least one wick of glass filaments on a winder from a multitude of filaments, comprising

• a drawing cylinder around which the filaments are wound in sheet form;
• a spinning assembly which comprises, on the one hand, a retractable spinning doctor capable of abutting against the surface of the roll so as to loosen the filaments and provided with a sliding surface, and, on the other hand, an element of reception of the filaments detached by the doctor blade;
• means for guiding the filaments in the receiving element and to the winder in the form of a wick, and
• a pre-spinning assembly for the filaments to be discarded, the pre-spinning assembly being provided with a pre-spinning drum and a pre-spinning squeegee capable of lifting the filaments of the spinning cylinder; stretching so that they are projected into said drum,

is characterized in that the pre-spinning assembly is disposed downstream of the spinning assembly, and near the arrival of the filaments on the cylinder.

The pre-spinning assembly is thus located at the front of the cylinder, a single operator is sufficient to manage and control the operation of the device. This provision at the front of the drawing cylinder also has the advantage of not having to dispose of and manage only one glass waste sink that receives both the breakage filaments of the die and the flock formed around the drum spindle pre-spinning.

According to one characteristic, the receiving element of the spinning assembly has a bottom abutting the sliding surface of the doctor blade, a rear wall cylindrical concavity of longitudinal axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the cylinder and a longitudinal façade opening. Preferably, the receiving element is integral with the spin doctor and is arranged so that its bottom and the surface of slip of the squeegee are coplanar, moving the squeegee against the cylinder surface being realized by the pivoting of the spinning assembly.

Advantageously, the bottom of the receiving element and the surface of slip of the squeegee are embossed to help slip the filaments.

According to another characteristic, the guide means in the element of receiving the spinning assembly are provided to cross from one side to the other said receiving element in a diagonal line from one end lower front of the longitudinal opening to an upper lateral point of the receiving element. The guide means consist rather in a traction wire, which may be glass or thermoplastic for example. This tractor wire can be either cut after the raise, or kept inside the wick, constituting in the latter case a core wire for the wick which he increases the tensile strength.

Advantageously, a Venturi tube capable of sucking the towing wire is arranged so as to project it into the receiving element of the set of spinning. Preferably, a guillotine is associated with the outlet of the Venturi tube to cut the towing wire after the beginning of winding of the wick.

According to yet another characteristic, a rotating annular device is provided at the exit of the receiving element of the spinning assembly towards the winder to round the wick. Just downstream of this ring device, is placed an air injection nozzle in front of which the wick passes to complete its smoothing.

Sizing means are provided arranged respectively upstream of the deposition of the filaments on the cylinder and upstream of the spinning assembly for coat the surface of the roll before depositing the filaments and filaments before their detachment of the cylinder, which ensures the sizing filaments over their entire outer periphery.

Finally, it may be advantageous if the device comprises at least two spinning assemblies arranged upstream of the pre-spinning device and suitable for work together or separately. Each spinning set includes in this case a spinning squeegee whose width of the blade corresponds to a width part of the cylinder and complementary to the width of the other blade so as to separate and take off in two parts the filament web.

• la figure 1 illustre schématiquement une vue en coupe et de côté d'un dispositif de l'art antérieur;
• la figure 2 est une vue de dessus de la figure 1;
• la figure 3 illustre schématiquement une vue en coupe et de côté d'un dispositif selon l'invention;
• la figure 4 est une vue de dessus de la figure 3;
• la figure 5 est une vue agrandie de l'ensemble de filage de la figure 3;
• la figure 6 représente une vue en perspective de l'ensemble de filage du dispositif;
• la figure 7 illustre schématiquement une vue en coupe et de côté d'une variante du dispositif de l'invention;
• la figure 8 est une vue de dessus de la figure 7.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the description which follows, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• Figure 1 schematically illustrates a sectional and side view of a device of the prior art;
• Figure 2 is a top view of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 schematically illustrates a sectional and side view of a device according to the invention;
• Figure 4 is a top view of Figure 3;
• Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the spinning assembly of Fig. 3;
• Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the spinning assembly of the device;
• Figure 7 schematically illustrates a sectional view and side of a variant of the device of the invention;
• Figure 8 is a top view of Figure 7.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 is illustrated the device of the prior art, it allows drawing glass filaments 10 from a die 11 and winding them onto a winder 12.

This device comprises a thread puller 13 which makes it possible to pre-stretch the filaments when falling from the die 11, a rotating drawing cylinder around which rolled in the form of a sheet the filaments 10 brought from the wire puller and clad against the surface 21 of the cylinder, substantially over its entire width and according to a deposition line L, a spinning assembly 30 comprising on the one hand a doctor blade retractable spinning device 31 disposed substantially at 270 ° from the deposit line L filaments and for detaching filaments when abutting against the surface 21 of the cylinder, and secondly, a receiving element 32 for the tapered filaments which is of conical shape, as well as a through core wire 40 the receiving element 32 and around which the filaments 10 are wound, the thread of core surrounded by the filaments being wound on the winder 12.

The device of the prior art also comprises a set of pre-spinning 50 consisting of a rotary pre-spinning drum 51, and a pre-spinning doctor blade 52 adapted to be moved or pivoted between a rest position and a operating position for which the doctor blade is pressed against the surface 21 of the cylinder at the beginning of the stretching of the filaments or during a restart of the drawing filaments after a breakage of these. The rotary drum 51 comprises an internal pin 53 around which the projected filaments are wound in the drum via the doctor blade 52.

A sizing system 60 of the filaments, for example of the spray type, is provided downstream of the pre-spinning assembly 50 and upstream of the spinning assembly 30, this system having a translation movement back and forth parallel to the axis of rotation of the cylinder 20 so as to spray the assembly the filament web rotating on the cylinder.

The device of the prior art operates as follows: the core wire 40 from a reel of wire not shown in Figures 1 and 2 is drawn to the winder 12 crossing the receiving element 32 of the set of spinning from one end to the other, parallel to the axis of rotation and so central, while the filaments 10 falling from the die 11 are brought manually against the surface 21 of the cylinder to be plated. Filaments are wrapped around the cylinder 20 in rotation and the pre-spinning assembly 50 is made operational at the start of the stretching of the filaments, that is to say at the beginning of the rotation of the cylinder. The sheet of filaments is peeled off by means of of the squeegee 52, the filaments being thrown into the drum 51 by force centrifuge that was transmitted to them during their rotation around the cylinder 20. They are then received around the internal pin 53 drum 52 and quickly form fluff, which is manually pulled by an operator, at medium for example of a wire puller, to avoid excessive accumulation in the drum 51.

When stretching is considered suitable, that is, the speed of rotation of the cylinder reached the set point so that the diameter of the filaments has the desired size, the doctor blade 52 of the pre-spinning assembly 50 is raised in the rest position so that the filament web continues its rotation to the squeegee 31. The spinning squeegee 31 was brought in the lowered position so that its blade presses on the surface 21 of the cylinder of so that the filaments come off the surface 21 and walk on the surface sliding surface 33 of the doctor blade, this sliding surface being inclined in direction of the receiving element 32 to which the filaments are guided, the projection of the filaments being favored by the centrifugal force that was transmitted during their rotation on the cylinder. The reception element 32 presents a deflection wall 34 adapted to return the filaments to the core wire 40 passing through from one side and longitudinally said receiving element. Filaments wrapping around the core wire then constitute a wick M which is drawn to the winder 12 to be wound.

FIGS. 3 to 6 illustrate the device of the invention, the common elements to the device of the prior art are identified by identical references.

The device of the invention provided with its drawing cylinder 20 comprises even a spinning assembly 30 and pre-spinning assembly 50, as well as means 40 for guiding the web of the spinning assembly to the winder, which are constituted by a tractor wire. With the difference, however, that the set of pre-spinning 50 has been disposed downstream of the spinning assembly 30, and preferably beyond 270 ° of the deposit line L so that the filaments, thus starting the lowering the cylinder, are more easily caught by the pre-spinning doctor blade 52.

This new provision of the invention makes it possible to solicit only one only operator, since it can remain positioned at the front of the cylinder 20 of way to pull on the wrap wrapped around the pin 53 of the set of pre-spinning 50 when starting the device while monitoring the stretching of the filaments from die 11 in order to be able to intervene immediately in case of break the filaments. The flock also wraps up much more easily because filaments are driven in the downward direction of the cylinder. A waste pit common 14 is sufficient to collect the floss and glass in case of breakage.

In addition, the location of the pre-spinning assembly of the prior art in upstream of the spinning assembly had the disadvantage that at the time of raise the pre-spinning doctor to allow the tablecloth to reach the squeegee spinning, the risk that the blade of the pre-spinning squeegee hangs some filaments existed, damaging the sheet of filaments arriving towards the spinning assembly.

Furthermore, the spinning assembly 30 comprising the doctor blade 31 and the element of reception 32 differs from that of the prior art in that the element of reception 32 does not have a conical shape. The conical shape of art front towards the exit of the core wire towards the winder allows to channel the circulating air to facilitate the winding of the filaments around the core wire and facilitates the guiding of the wire surrounded by the filaments. The invention achieves this goal differently.

The spinning assembly visible in FIGS. 5 and 6 comprises a bottom 36 of width equivalent to that of the cylinder 20, the side walls 35 and a wall cylindrical rear longitudinal 34 which delimit an opening of 37 longitudinal facade, the rear wall 34 having a function identical to the deflection wall of the prior art.

The bottom 36 is inclined according to the slope of the sliding surface 33 of the spinning bay. Preferably, the blade 31 is integral with said bottom 36 to ensure perfect continuity of sliding surface for the filaments; and by the way, this fastening has the advantage of only rotating one piece. Moreover, to optimize the sliding of the filaments, the bottom 36 as the surface 33 of the doctor blade are advantageously embossed.

The cylindrical shape of the rear wall 34 generates a concavity which is a deflecting surface of circulating air to facilitate winding filaments projected around the tractor wire 40.

The side wall 35 located on the side of the winder 12 is provided with an orifice 38 allowing the withdrawal of the towing wire surrounded by the filaments towards the winder, the thread tractor 40 being unwound from a reel 41, and running in the element of receiving 32 along a diagonal that starts from the lower lateral end 39 of the opening 37 located opposite the side wall 35 provided with the orifice 38 and which opens out at the orifice 38. The tow wire 40 may advantageously be brought to the level of the end 39 by means of a Venturi tube 42 ensuring the aspiration and the projection of the wire to be recovered manually at the level of the orifice 38 by a brush not shown.

The diagonal path followed by the tractor wire implies that the distance between the sheet of filaments and the tow wire passing at the end 39 is minimized so that upon the arrival of the web on the sliding surface 33 of the squeegee after its detachment by the blade 31a of the squeegee, first filaments can begin to wrap in order to cause the following of the tablecloth as a snowball effect which guarantees a better winding of filaments, unlike the prior art showing a soul wire arranged so central in the oblong element accommodating the glass filaments.

The towing wire of the invention is not necessarily plastic as in the prior art but may be simply glass. Thread tractor is not primarily intended to guarantee a stronger wire but primarily serves as a guide wire and stimulus. Indeed, this tractor wire is necessary for the formation of the wick to then be pulled to the winder in order to be rolled up.

As soon as the winding of the wick has started on the winder, the towing wire or guidance becomes no longer indispensable since the filaments of the wick pulled by the winding of the latter automatically lead the filaments peeling off the cylinder. For this purpose, it is provided at the outlet of the Venturi tube 42 a guillotine 43 which serves to cut the towing wire after the beginning of the winding of the wick.

Of course, in case of breakage of the wick, the tow wire, then called recovery, is again essential to revive the winding of the filaments around it as soon as they detach from the cylinder.

Traction wire 40 also has the advantage of allowing the arrangement of the winder 12 at any location relative to the spinning assembly, that either on the same level or on a different floor making the wick's journey non-rectilinear output of the spinning assembly, the towing wire constituting a wire guide and total support for the entire wick which facilitates its conduct along a more sinuous path lowering the risk of breaking the wick. The thread 40 is above all a tow wire according to the invention and not necessarily a wire soul since it is usually cut from the beginning of winding of the wick.

Finally, thanks to two or more tractors, the single operator restart two or more strands in a single operation, allowing significantly increase the productivity of the facility.

Other features complete the device of the invention. At the exit of the orifice 38 is arranged a device 70 called "false twist" constituted by a annular member rotating at high speed through which the wick to roll on itself to round it up. However, it is still necessary at the exit of the device 70 to adjust the volume of the wick so that it is not shaggy the otherwise rendering it unusable, but that the filaments remain in alignment with the wick. An air injection nozzle 71 located immediately downstream of the device 70 is therefore intended to further entangle the filaments and smooth the outer surface of the wick.

A power-up system 72, well known in the state of the art, consisting of bars staggered so that the wick straddles these bars, is disposed after the nozzle 71 to give the wick the voltage necessary for the correct construction of the coil which must reach a density of 400 kg / m ³ .

Advantageously, a second spray system 61 is provided (FIG. 3), positioned downstream of the pre-spinning assembly 50 and upstream of the deposit line L filaments to coat the surface 21 of the cylinder 20 to ensure a perfect sizing of the inner surface of the sheet of filaments that stick to the same the surface 21 of said cylinder.

Moreover, if in the prior art, the supply of the filaments of the thread puller 13 to cylinder 20 is manually, in the invention on the contrary, an articulated arm not shown is provided for mechanically positioning the filaments on the cylinder.

Finally, it is possible to envisage a variant of the device, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, where are arranged a single pre-spinning assembly 50 and two spinning assemblies 30, each spinning assembly comprises a doctor blade whose blade 31a has a length which corresponds to the number of filaments desired to be peeled off to separate the filament web into two separate parts so winding, respectively, with two separate tractive wires, two wicks on two individual winders.

The arrangement of the pre-spinning assembly 50 downstream of the two sets In particular, spinning makes it possible to operate only one spinning assembly for winding only a part of the sheet if necessary, for example for tests, the other part of the sheet being recovered by the pre-spinning assembly to be directly thrown into the waste pit 14.

A similar case, namely two sets of spinning arranged one after the other, of which only one put into operation, could not be realized by the device of the prior art since the pre-spinning assembly, located upstream of two sets of spinning, would therefore take off the entire web and not only one part to reserve the other part for winding.

In the same way, it is possible to envisage all variants consisting of a set of pre-spinning and more than two sets of spinning to manufacture simultaneously as many locks on as many individual winders, by means of as many tractor wires.

Claims (16)

1. An apparatus for obtaining a package of at least one strand (M) comprising glass filaments (10) wound on at least one winder (12), the apparatus comprising:

   a drawing roll (20) around which the filaments are wound in web form;

   a spinning unit (30) which comprises, on the one hand, a retractable spinning scraper (31) capable of butting against the surface (21) of the roll so as to remove the filaments therefrom, and is provided with a sliding surface (33), and on the other hand, a unit (32) for taking up the filaments removed by the scraper;

   means (40) for guiding the filaments in the take-up element (32) and as far as the winder (12) in the form of a strand (M); and

   a prespinning unit (50) for the filaments intended to be scrapped, the prespinning unit being provided with a prespinning drum (51) and with a prespinning scraper (52) capable of lifting the filaments off the drawing roll so that they are thrown into the said drum,

   characterized in that
   the prespinning unit (50) is placed downstream of the spinning unit (30).
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the take-up element (32) of the spinning unit has a bottom (36) joined to the sliding surface (33) of the spinning scraper, a rear wall (34) of cylindrical concavity with a longitudinal axis parallel to the rotation axis of the roll and a longitudinal front opening (37).
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the take-up element (32) is fastened to the spinning scraper (31) and is arranged so that its bottom (36) and the sliding surface (33) of the scraper are coplanar, the movement of the scraper against the surface of the roll being produced by the pivoting of the spinning unit.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the bottom (36) of the take-up element and the sliding surface (33) of the scraper are goffered.
5. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the guiding means (40) in the take-up element (32) of the spinning unit are provided so as to traverse from one side of said take-up element to the other along a diagonal line going from a front lower end (39) of the longitudinal opening (37) as far as an upper lateral point (38).
6. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guiding means (40) consist of a haul-off yarn.
7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the haul-off yarn is made of glass.
8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the haul-off yarn is made of a thermoplastic.
9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that it includes a Venturi tube (42) capable of sucking up and throwing the haul-off yarn (40) into the take-up element (32).
10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that a guillotine (43) is associated with the outlet of the Venturi tube (42) in order to cut the haul-off yarn (40) after the strand has started to be wound on the winder.
11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that a rotating annular device (70) is provided at the outlet of the take-up element (32) in the direction of the winder (12).
12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that it includes, after the annular device (70), an air injection nozzle (71) past which the strand runs.
13. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes sizing means (61, 60), these being placed upstream of the point where the filaments are deposited on the roll (20) and upstream of the spinning unit (30) respectively, in order to coat the surface of the roll before the filaments are deposited and to coat the filaments before they are removed from the roll, respectively.
14. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least two spinning units (30) placed upstream of the prespinning device (50) and capable of operating together or separately.
15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that each spinning unit (30) has a spinning scraper (31) the width of whose blade corresponds to a partial width of the cylinder which is complementary to the width of the other blade so as to divide and remove the web of filaments in two parts.
16. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the glass forming the filaments is E-glass or C-glass.

Images