EP1815054B1 - Needling method and device, needling loom equipped with same, and method of producing a pile carpet, such as a cut pile carpet - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a needling device which is used to form a non-woven fabric. The inventive device is characterised in that it comprises: needles (3) which are used to needle a fabric web (7), and a stripper (1). The invention is also characterised in that the stripper comprises at least one zone formed by drop wires (2), the aforementioned needles being disposed such as to move between said wires. The invention also relates to a needling loom which is equipped with one such device and to a method for the needling of a non-woven pile using one such needling loom.

Description

The present invention relates to a needling device, particularly used in a needling machine to form a nonwoven pile. This invention also relates to a needling machine equipped with such a device, as well as a method for forming a velvet, in particular a shaved velvet.

A needling machine comprises needles that are reciprocated through a web of nonwoven fabric and withdrawn from the web. By penetrating into the tablecloth, the needles consolidate the tablecloth and form loops giving the textile the appearance of a velvet. If the needles penetrate the textile from top to bottom, the loops are formed down below the textile web. The web is generally carried by a carpet formed of brushes articulated between them. The needles emerge from the web down between the bristles of the brushes. The loops thus remain formed between the bristles of the brushes. A stripper is used, above the sheet, to prevent the needles cause the sheet with them when they emerge from the sheet.

To achieve a quality velvet, then shave the loops thus formed during needling. The goal is to obtain, for each loop, two hairs that are no longer connected to each other in the form of a loop. Another goal, for a velvet of quality, is that the hairs of velvet have all the same length.

However, to properly shave the velvet, the loops formed during needling must have substantially uniform lengths. If some loops are less well formed and of insufficient size to be shaved, they remain in the form of a loop. Velvet uniformity is affected, and residual loops are traps for small elements, such as dust, chippings, crumbs, to which the velvet may be exposed. Velvet gets dirty faster; it is more difficult to clean, the elements being retained by the loops. This disadvantage is very significant, in particular for the velvet used for the interior lining of motor vehicles, more particularly as floor mats. If you cut very short a velvet to Irregular loops to shave even the shortest loops, the velvet maker then suffers a significant loss of material when shaving.

The document FR 2 704 007 discloses a method of manufacturing a needle punched velvet felt.

The document FR 2 105 180 A discloses a method of manufacturing a needled nonwoven fabric.

The document US 5,148,584 A discloses a needling device in which needles are arranged in rows transverse to the direction of movement of a nonwoven, each row being formed of a plurality of needle lines which extend in the direction of travel of the nonwoven and which are spaced from each other in the transverse direction.

The document AT 322 870 B discloses a needling machine in which the needles of the last row or rows are arranged closely together, along a row.

The object of the invention is to provide a device for obtaining loops sufficiently regular to allow to shave the velvet in good conditions.

The idea underlying the invention is as follows: the loops located along the same transverse line of the web have a length which is a function of their respective age, that is to say according to a loop was formed at the beginning or at the end of the passage under the needles. To standardize the length of the loops it would ideally be necessary for all the loops of the same transverse line to be formed at the same time. To get closer to this ideal, it is necessary to reduce the distance between the needles. The débourreurs generally used today have the form of plates pierced with orifices distributed homogeneously and randomly, to avoid the marking of the textile. Each orifice of the plate is a passage for a respective needle through the stripper. However, such a stripper does not allow drilling sufficiently close to allow the formation of sufficiently uniform loops lengths. In this type of stripper, the distance between the needles is generally 7 to 8 millimeters. There is a minimum distance imposed by the need for sufficient mechanical strength of the plate, a distance that can be increased locally to meet the need for a random, that is to say irregular, distribution of the needles.

According to the invention, the needling device for forming a nonwoven fabric comprises a stripper and needles for the needling of a textile web, the needles being mounted on a needle board and intended to be actuated back and forth. through orifices of said stripper, said stripper comprising at least one zone where the orifices are defined between lamellae and can receive several needles.

According to the invention, a lamella is a structural element, or part thereof, having a small thickness measured parallel to the plane of the web. For example, a lamella may have a thickness close to or of the same order of magnitude or even less than a diameter of the needles. Similarly, the thickness of a lamella will advantageously be close to or of the same order of magnitude or even less than a desired distance between two neighboring needles.

The lamellae are advantageously substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the needles. Thus, it is possible to arrange the needles very close to each other between the slats, which significantly improves the quality of the velvet thus obtained. A thin lamella also makes it possible to limit the distance between two needles in two neighboring orifices separated by this lamella. Advantageously, the distance between two needles is substantially similar or of the same order of magnitude or even less than a diameter of these needles. For commonly used needles, two neighboring needles will advantageously be 3 to 5mm apart.

Each slat is preferably arranged to be in contact with one of its slices with the sheet, in order to maintain the sheet on the mat and prevent the sheet is driven by the needles when they perform their withdrawal movement.

Preferably, the slats are biased relative to a direction of movement for the sheet in the device. Thus, the lineage formation on velvet is avoided, reproducing in the final textile, the position of the slats.

Advantageously, a carpet formed of brushes articulated between them makes it possible to move and to carry the textile web in the device. The loops formed by needling remaining anchored in the carpet brushes, the fact that the slats are biased does not cause transverse drift of the web.

Preferably, the bias is chosen so that the angle formed between the slats and the direction of movement of the sheet is less than 45 degrees, preferably less than 30 degrees. Too great transverse forces can be limited and distributed if the slats are arranged to form a mesh between them, or if they are arranged to form rafters. The mesh may for example form rectangles, squares or lozenges. The rafters can form angles of which the bisector is transverse or longitudinal relative to the direction of movement of the web.

To further limit the lineage, the slats can be arranged so that any point of the web, moving in the device, crosses at least one slat.

The needles can be grouped into one or more rows between two substantially parallel strips. The needles may be staggered so as to optimize the density of the needles.

The zone composed of lamellae may be located downstream of a perforated area of the stripper relative to the direction of movement of the web in the device. The stripper can then comprise, upstream, an area consisting of a plate pierced with orifices, a respective needle corresponding to each orifice. This upstream zone makes it possible to reinforce the sheet by pre-needling, before denser needling, in the slatted area. Such pre-needling consolidates the web by reinforcing the bonds between the fibers of the web, before the passage of the web in the slatted area. Thus, the fibers being better bonded together, it is possible to increase the density of the needles between the lamellae while avoiding a phenomenon of jamming of the fibers between the needles. In the devices of the prior art avoids the risk of jamming by isolating each needle in the stripper, which has limited opportunities for bringing the needles.

The lamellar zone may advantageously represent 20 to 30 percent of the length of a needling zone, measured according to the direction of movement of the web in the device.

The use of a slat deboner allows, without changing the stripper, a wide variety of arrangements for the needles, unlike a single-needle orifice stripper where it is necessary to change the stripper to change the position of the needles, each piercing in the stripper corresponding to a fixed position for a needle. Such a change in the position of the needles is facilitated by a stripper according to the invention, especially since the change of a stripper takes about three hours, while it takes just a few minutes to change a needle board. So, by combining a provision particular needles, on one or more successive needling devices, with a given pitch of the web in the device can be, in a particularly simple manner according to the invention, creates and vary patterns in velvet.

According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a needling machine equipped with a device as previously described, in particular a needling machine adapted to form a nonwoven pile fabric.

According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a method for forming a nonwoven pile fabric, particularly a shaved nonwoven pile, characterized in that such a needling machine is used.

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description below, relating to non-limiting examples.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique et en élévation d'une aiguilleteuse selon l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en coupe d'un détail de l'aiguilleteuse de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 3 est une vue en plan schématique, d'une zone d'un débourreur comprenant des lamelles disposées longitudinalement relativement au sens de déplacement de la nappe;
• la figure 4 est une vue en plan schématique, d'une zone d'un débourreur comprenant des lamelles en forme de chevrons dont la bissectrice est transversale relativement au sens de déplacement de la nappe;
• la figure 5 est une vue en plan schématique, d'une zone d'un débourreur comprenant des lamelles en forme de chevrons dont la bissectrice est longitudinale relativement au sens de déplacement de la nappe;
• la figure 6 est une vue en plan schématique, d'une zone d'un débourreur comprenant des lamelles en forme de maillage ;
• la figure 7 est une vue en plan schématique d'un détail d'un dispositif selon l'invention, montrant une lamelle ondulée ;
• la figure 8 est une vue en plan schématique d'un dispositif selon l'invention comprenant une zone amont de pré-aiguilletage et une zone aval à lamelles;
• la figure 9 est une vue schématique partielle, longitudinale et en élévation d'un mode de réalisation similaire au mode de réalisation de la figure 8 ; et,
• la figure 10 est une vue en plan, selon 10-10 du débourreur du mode de réalisation de la figure 9.

In the accompanying drawings:

• the figure 1 is a schematic and elevational view of a needling machine according to the invention;
• the figure 2 is a sectional view of a detail of the needling machine of the figure 1 ;
• the figure 3 is a schematic plan view of an area of a stripper comprising lamellae arranged longitudinally relative to the direction of movement of the sheet;
• the figure 4 is a schematic plan view of an area of a stripper comprising chevron-shaped slats whose bisector is transverse relative to the direction of movement of the sheet;
• the figure 5 is a schematic plan view of an area of a stripper comprising chevron-shaped slats whose bisector is longitudinal relative to the direction of movement of the sheet;
• the figure 6 is a schematic plan view of an area of a stripper comprising meshes-shaped slats;
• the figure 7 is a schematic plan view of a detail of a device according to the invention, showing a corrugated plate;
• the figure 8 is a schematic plan view of a device according to the invention comprising an upstream pre-needling zone and a downstream lamella zone;
• the figure 9 is a schematic partial, longitudinal and elevational view of an embodiment similar to the embodiment of FIG. figure 8 ; and,
• the figure 10 is a plan view, according to 10-10 of the stripper of the embodiment of the figure 9 .

The figure 1 is a needling 10, in elevation in a plane parallel to a direction of displacement S of a web 7 of nonwoven fabric in the needling machine. The figure 2 represents a detail view of the needling machine of the figure 1 . The needling machine 10 comprises a frame 110. An endless belt 60 is mounted on the frame 110. The frame conveys the web 7 in the needling machine between an input device and an output device not shown in the figures. A needling head 104 is mounted movably relative to the frame 110, so that during needling, it is driven by a vertical reciprocating movement A. A needle board 4 is fixed on the head 104 and animated by the same movement . Needles 3 are fixed on the needle board 4. They extend from this plate, vertically downwards, perpendicularly to the plane of the sheet 7.

The endless belt 60 is formed of brushes 6 articulated with each other. It is partially shown in FIG. figure 2 . The web 7 of nonwoven fabric rests horizontally on bristles 8 of the brushes 6. As illustrated in FIG. figure 2 at the place of the carpet where the tablecloth rests, the hairs are oriented upwards. The displacement of the belt causes the displacement of the ply 7 in the needling device, according to the direction of movement S.

During needling, the needle board 4 and the needles 3 attached to it are driven by the same vertical reciprocating movement A as the head 104, so that the needles penetrate and pass through the sheet and then emerge from below, where they form loops 5, between the bristles 8 of the brushes 6, then the needles are extracted from the web from above. This movement is repeated alternately during the movement of the web in the needling machine.

The needling machine 10 further comprises a stripper 1 located between the ply 7 and the needle board 4. This stripper is a kind of grid whose orifices are separated from each other by lamellae 2. The slats 2 have substantially the shape of a parallelepiped. They are arranged vertically so that they are substantially in contact with a lower longitudinal edge 9 with the ply 7. The lower edge 9 is substantially parallel to the ply. The needles 3 are arranged to move in these orifices, between the lamellae, during the movement back and forth. This stripper 1 is part of a needling device for the web 7 of nonwoven fabric. It prevents the web is driven upwards by the needles 3, when the needles are withdrawn from the web upwards.

In the embodiment of the figure 3 , The stripper 101 is formed of a plate with orifices 30, of substantially rectangular shape, elongate in the direction of displacement S of the web. The orifices are arranged in four transverse rows, relative to the direction of displacement S. On the same row, the orifices 30 are each separated from an adjacent orifice 30 by a strip 2 disposed parallel to the direction of travel S of the sheet 7. The lamellae are interconnected by transverse connecting zones 21. The lamellae 2, the connecting zones 21 and a peripheral frame form the orifices 30 between them.

The stripper 101 defines a needling width L7 for the sheet 7. The transverse dimensions L30 of the orifices 30 and L2 of the strips 2 are chosen such that an appropriate offset of each row relative to the others ensures that, over the needling width L7, any point of the sheet which passes through the needling device passes next to the same number of orifices. Such an arrangement allows a substantially uniform needling of the ply 7. In the embodiment of the figure 3 , the width L2 of a lamella is equal to one third of the width L30 of a current orifice, so that a transverse offset of the value L2 between two adjacent rows makes it possible to ensure that each point of the lap, which regardless of its position on the needling width L7, passes opposite three orifices 30 and facing a lamella 2. reduced width complete each row of orifices to form the needling width L7.

In each of the orifices 30, the needles 3 are arranged in three longitudinal rows, parallel to the lamellae 2. The rows are staggered relative to each other, so as to optimize the density of the needles in the same hole. It can also be expected that in each orifice, the needles are arranged irregularly and / or substantially random, to avoid lineage effects. It can also provide a particular provision to form a pattern in the textile.

The figure 4 illustrates a stripper 1 of another embodiment for a needling device according to the invention. The lamellae 2 of this stripper 101 are arranged biased relative to the direction of displacement S of the web 7. The stripper 1 is formed of two zones 11,12 symmetrical with each other relative to a bisector B common angles formed by each slat of a area with a coverslip from the other area. This bisector is transverse to the direction of displacement S of the web. Thus, one 11 of the zones of the stripper is downstream of the other zone 12, relative to the direction of displacement S of the ply 7.

In each zone, the slats are parallel to each other. The lamellae of the two parts 11,12 together form chevrons. The lamellae 2 form between them orifices 30 for the displacement of the needles 3. Between two parallel and parallel lamellae, the needles are aligned in four rows equidistant from each other and parallel to the neighboring lamellae. The needles of each row are staggered relative to the needles of the adjacent row, to optimize the density. The lamellae can advantageously be interconnected by transverse beams, as illustrated more particularly in FIG. figure 8 and / or by a peripheral frame. The orifices are then formed between two adjacent lamellae and two neighboring beams.

The figure 5 is similar to the figure 4 . The device differs in that the chevrons are substantially symmetrical relative to a bisector B longitudinal relative to the direction of movement S of the web. In the vicinity of the bisector B, the ends of the lamellae of each zone are shifted transversely to each other and relative to the bisector, so as to avoid the formation of a lineage to the right of this bisector.

The figure 6 is a top view, partial, of a device according to the invention comprising a stripper 102. The stripper 102 comprises lamellae forming a mesh between them, that is to say that the slats are crossed and form between them diamond-shaped orifices 30 in which the needles 3. In the illustrated example, a diagonal of the rhombs is parallel to the direction of displacement S for the ply 7. The rhombic orifices 30 each comprise twelve or thirteen needles arranged in staggered rows. , between them and relatively to the needles of neighboring orifices.

The figure 7 represents a detail of a corrugated strip 201. The thickness L2 of the lamella, seen in plan, is substantially constant. Such a lamella 201 can be used instead of the rectilinear lamellae 2 illustrated in FIGS. Figures 1 to 6 . In the illustrated example, the corrugations are formed to remain each at a substantially constant distance from a needle 3 locally closest to the lamella. Thus, such a lamella makes it possible to bring together two rows of needles arranged in staggered rows on either side of the lamella 201. This makes it possible to further increase the density of the needles, and the regularity of the needling. This is particularly the case in the provision of the figure 3 when the strips are arranged parallel to the direction of displacement S of the sheet 7. The rows on either side of a corrugated plate 201 may have a spacing substantially identical to the spacing of two adjacent rows between two strips, or only slightly higher.

A preferred embodiment is particularly illustrated in the figure 8 . The figure 8 illustrates in plan view, and schematically, a device according to the invention comprising a pre-needling zone 16. The pre-needling zone 16 comprises an area formed of a plate stripper 103, that is to say comprising a plate pierced with orifices 31, each orifice 31 being dedicated to the movement of a single needle. The orifices 31 are arranged substantially randomly and homogeneously in the plate. The device of the figure 8 further comprises a finishing needling zone 17 equipped with a slatted stripper, of the style previously described with reference to the figure 4 . The pre-needling zone 16 is disposed upstream of the finishing zone 17 relative to the direction of travel S of the web. The pre-needling zone 16 makes it possible to reinforce the cohesion of the fibers of the ply 7, before needling with a greater density of needles in the finishing zone 17.

Each needling zone is advantageously associated with a needle board of its own. Thus, it is not necessary to change the needle board in the pre-needling zone when it is desired to change the needle arrangement in the area of the slat stripper. Similarly a needling head, or a needling, can be assigned to each needling zone.

The Figures 9 and 10 illustrate a substantially similar embodiment of the embodiment of the figure 8 . The Figures 9 and 10 represent a slatted needling zone 17 which will be described only in that it differs from the preceding figures.

The stripper 1 is carried from the top, by a supporting structure 40. This carrying structure comprises jacks 41 for adjusting the height of the stripper relative to the frame 110, and more particularly to the needle board 4 and the mat carrying the sheet 7. The needles 3 are not represented individually, but are represented at the figure 9 by dotted lines illustrating their size. The needling head 104 is shown in a high position, so that the needles are entirely located above the stripper 1.

The stripper 1 is formed of modules 111, one of which is particularly illustrated in FIG. figure 10 . Each module 11 is carried individually by the carrier structure 40. This configuration allows, by combining several modules, to achieve large needling widths. Each module 111 has a module width L111. For example, each module can have a width of thirty centimeters. Thus, to make a needling machine for the needling of a sheet six meters wide, it is possible to use twenty modules arranged side by side transversely.

The slats are made of sheet steel and are fixed at each of their ends to transverse beams 15, 115. The beams carrying the slats 2 have a maximum thickness E15, substantially equal to a height H2 of the slats, so that the beams do not interfere with the reciprocating movement A of the head, above the stripper, or the displacement of the slick S, under the stripper. In each zone, upstream and downstream 11,12, the lamellae are held between two beams 15,151. An intermediate beam 151 ensures the simultaneous maintenance of a downstream end of each lamella of the upstream zone 11 and an upstream end of each lamella of the downstream zone 12.

Thus, the slats can be of various shapes, or arranged differently between them. In particular, a sipe may comprise corrugations that can be formed to bypass a group of multiple needles at each ripple.

In addition, the invention makes it possible to free spaces between each lamella making it possible to vary the arrangement and the number of needles occupying each space. Thus, rather than wanting to obtain a uniform velvet by increasing the density of the needles, one may wish to obtain patterns in velvet. We can then, without changing the stripper, but only by changing the number and the arrangement of the needles in each space, create the desired pattern. Simply use a needle board whose needles are properly arranged and adapted to create the desired pattern.

The use of a carpet formed of brushes is also not a necessity. The web may, for example, be supported by a needling table formed of lamellae complementary to the slats of the stripper, leaving under the sheet a free passage to the needles vis-à-vis the orifices of the stripper lamella.

A device according to the invention can also be used for needling other textiles than velvet.

Claims (16)

1. A needling device for producing a non-woven textile, comprising a stripper (1, 101, 102) and needles (3) for needling a textile fleece (7), said needles mounted on at least one needle board (4) and intended to be reciprocably actuated through orifices of said stripper, said stripper comprising at least one zone where said orifices are defined between fins (2, 201) and are each able to receive several needles, characterized in that said fins comprise oblique fins with respect to a displacement direction for the fleece in the device.
2. A device according to claim 1, characterized by comprising an endless belt (60) consisting of brushes (6) articulated between them, for driving and supporting the fleece.
3. A device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that each fin is positioned thereby to have one of its edges (9) being substantially in contact with the fleece.
4. A device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the fins comprise fins together forming a meshing.
5. A device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the fins comprise fins being parallel to a displacement direction (S) of the fleece in the device.
6. A device according to one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that the fins comprise fins being in a herringbone (11, 12) arrangement.
7. A device according to claim 6, characterized in that the herringbone arrangement makes an angle the bisector of which is substantially transverse to the displacement direction of the fleece in the device.
8. A device according to claim 6, characterized in that the herringbone arrangement makes an angle the bisector of which is substantially longitudinal to the displacement direction of the fleece in the device.
9. A device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the needles are grouped in rows between two substantially parallel fins.
10. A device according to claim 9, characterized in that the needles are arranged in staggered rows.
11. A device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that in the zone composed of fins, two neighbouring needles are at a mutual distance of 3 to 5 mm in a same orifice.
12. A device according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the zone composed of fins is a downstream zone (17) of the stripper (103, 1) with respect to the direction of displacement of the fleece in the device.
13. A device according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the fins zone represents 20 to 30 percent of the length of a needling zone (16, 17), as measured along the direction of displacement of the fleece in the device.
14. A device according to one of claims 1-13, characterized in that each fin (201) comprises undulations for extending round the neighbouring needles on either side of said fin.
15. A needling loom (10) equipped with a device according to one of claims 1 to 14.
16. A method of producing a cut pile carpet, characterized by the use of a needling loom according to claim 15.

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