GB1122532A - Tow tie-in method - Google Patents

Abstract

1,122,532. Tow tie-in method and apparatus. MONSANTO CO. 31 May, 1966 [1 June, 1965], No. 24240/66. Heading B5B. [Also in Division D1] Apparatus for incorporating a threadline into a tow moving from a source to a tow take-up means, comprises a tow source, a tow collecting means, and an intermediate tow region between said source and said collecting means, a source of a separate threadline (e.g. spinneret 26) continuously feeding a threadline 22 into the vicinity of tow 24, and at least one fluid jet 42 between the threadline source and the collecting means, set jet being arranged at an angle of between 30 and 150 degrees to said tow, and especially between 30 and 90 degrees. As shown, said jet may be part of a toroidal member concentrically arranged around said tow, a pressurized fluid source leading into the hollow outer portion of said member, (52, 54, Figs. 2 and 3), and a plurality of jet openings 64 leading from the inner wall of said member towards said tow, the axes of each of said openings forming said angle with the tow. Preferably the toroidal member is formed of two portions separable relative to each other and includes means to close said portions together, (e.g. magnet 58). In operation a tow 24 is extruded from the leftmost spinning position in Fig. 1 and it is desired to add a threadline 22 to tow 24, which latter is already threaded through the apparatus and collected at 40. The end of threadline 22 emerging from 26 is caught by an auxiliary take-up means, which may be a conventional waste collecting aspirator gun. Threadline 22 is then laced around feed roll 30 and separator roll 32 and carried along under idler roll 34 to tie-in station 36. Upper chamber 52 may then be momentarily pivoted upwardly to permit placement of threadline 22 through the toroid of jet mechanism 42. Threadline 22 will now be substantially parallel with and closely adjacent tow 24, although still physically separate therefrom. Threadline 22 is then incorporated into tow 24 by momentarily blowing an intermediate section of the threadline into an adjacent intermediate section of the tow with a blast of fluid through jets 64, while substantially simultaneously severing the threadline at a point near the intermediate section of the threadline and between said intermediate section and the auxiliary take-up means. The fluid stream from the jet momentarily separates the filaments or threadlines composing tow 24 and permits the newly-cut end of threadline 22 to be forced into the interior of the tow by the fluid stream. The new thread line 22 need not be manually threaded through nip roll 48 and piddler 40 but readily threads itself along with tow 24, with little likelihood of the development of filament wraps around rolls 38. Using tow speeds less than about 625 yards per minute, angle a (see Fig. 3) may be between 30 and 150 degrees, but for tow speeds exceeding this, angle α should be between 30 and 90 degrees. In general, the fluid stream from the jets must have a component which is countercurrent to the air flow generated by the moving tow. As shown, the jet mechanism may comprise a general toroidal member having a large number of inwardly directed jets, but a smaller number of jets or even a single jet, properly directed, may be used. Thus a portable or fixed aspirator gun may be readily modified to not only collect the waste yarn but to also simultaneously blast the threadline into the tow and sever the waste from the tied-in threadline. The air pressure supplied by chambers 52 and 54 should be increased with increasing tow speed. At low speeds 40 p.s.i. is sufficient, but at speeds above about 625 y.p.m., air pressures up to 90 p.s.i. may be required. It should be noted that air is supplied to jet mechanism 42 only momentarily, during the actual tie-in operation. This reduces air consumption, and avoids disturbing or entangling the tow unnecessarily. As described, tow 24 includes a large number of individual threadlines, but the present method may also be used if tow 24 consists only of a single threadline. As described, the tow source and the threadline source are both spinning machines, but the apparatus can also be used when neither tow source nor threadline source is a spinning apparatus.