GB1603717A

GB1603717A - Production of yarn

Info

Publication number: GB1603717A
Application number: GB1871378A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: James Mackie and Sons Ltd
Current assignee: James Mackie and Sons Ltd
Priority date: 1978-05-25
Filing date: 1978-05-25
Publication date: 1981-11-25

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE PRODUCTION OF YARN (71) We, JAMES MACKIE & SONS LIMITED, a British Company, of Albert Foundry, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT12 7ED do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent ma be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- One of the many well-known ways for forming a yarn from textile fibres as an alternative to a spinning process is to wrap a thin yarn or other form of strand in a helical path around a central core of the fibres.The effect of the wrapping of the yarn is to bind the core together to form a coherent yarn without the need for spinning or twisting, although the use of a core of which, in addition, has a small amount of twist is by no means excluded.

Such a form of yarn is commonly known as a "core" yarn and the binding material as the "wrapper" yarn although, in practice, it need not strictly be a yarn at all and may comprise, for example, mono- or multifilaments, natural or synthetic yarns, tapes, wire and so forth. Both these expressions are used in the sense just defined in the remainder of the specification. The core comprises a bundle of fibres which may take various forms, but most commonly is constituted by a sliver delivered directly from a drawing head so that the fibres proceed directly from the delivery rollers of the head to the wrapping point.

The general principles of a wrapping head for carrying out the wrapping or binding action are also well known and such a head includes a hollow spindle through which the core material passes and which supports a package of wrapper yarn. In practice, the complete spindle is generally caused to rotate, but all that is strictly necessary is that at least part of the spindle should be driven so as to wrap the wrapper yarn around the core material. During the wrapping process, the wrapper yarn is withdrawn over-end from the package and is wound around the core in the helical path referred to above. It is also possible to pass effect material along with the core material through the spindle, this effect material being overfed in relation to the core material so as to give a slub or effect yarn, the two being wrapped by the.

wrapper yarn.

It is desirable to apply a false twist to the core material so that the material is twisted at the time of wrapping. If the yarn also includes effect material, as just described, the false twists assists in winding the effect material around the core material prior to the wrapping action. A variety of different constructions have been proposed whereby false twist may be applied to the core material.

According to the present invention, wrap spinning is carried out by positively feeding core material to and through a hollow spindle supporting a package of wrapper yarn in the usual way, at least part of the spindle, including the exit end, rotating so as to rotate the package and wrap the wrapper yarn around the core material in the region of the entrance of the spindle and the path of the core material through the hollow spindle is such that it bears against the exit end of the spindle and thereby has false twist applied to it which extends back through the spindle and past the wrapping point.By using the engagement between the core material and the exit end of the spindle to apply the false twist to the core material, both the method and the apparatus used in the method are simplified, firstly because no additional components are required for the application of the false twist and secondly because the core material and also the effect material, if included, can pass freely into the entry end of the spindle without any obstruction.

Expressed in somewhat more detailed terms, in a method in accordance with the invention at least a core material is fed to the entrance of a hollow spindle, or of the first of a number ofhollow spindles arranged in sequence, by driven delivery mechanism having a delivery surface moving towards the spindle, the core material through the spindle or spindles to a take up mechanism, at least a part of the or each spindle being driven for rotation so as to rotate a wrapper yarn which is carried by the respective spindle around the core to bind it in the region of one end of the spindle and the position of the spindle or of the last spindle relative to the take up mechanism, or the position of guide components between the exit of the spindle or of the last spindle and the take up mechanism, is such that the path of the core material causes it to bear against a rotary yarn engaging surface at the exit of the spindle or of the last spindle so as to apply to the core material a false twist which will extend back through the spindle or spindles and beyond the point at which a wrapper yarn first wraps around the core.

As so far described, the wrapping action referred to applies the wrapper yarn in a single helical path around the central core of fibres. For some types of yarn, a double helix may be advantageous and for this purpose, the core material either alone or together with effect material may be passed in succession through two hollow spindles and bears against the exit end of the second spindle, each spindle applying wrapper yarn so that the final product is double-wrapped.

If the two spindles rotate in opposite directions, helices of opposite hands will be obtained and this may improve the wrapping action. Alternatively, a single spindle carrying two wrapper bobbins may be used, one of which (conveniently the upper) is mounted on the spindle on bearings for rotation in the opposite direction to the spindle and other bobbin. The yarn from the upper bobbin will wrap the core at the entrance to the spindle while that from the lower bobbin will wrap it in the opposite direction as it leaves the exit end of the spindle.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention for forming a core yarn comprises means for delivering core material to a wrapping head having a hollow spindle for supporting a package of wrapper yarn, the delivery means having a delivery surface capable of movement towards the spindle and an associated drive; a drive for rotating at least part of the spindle, including the exit end, so as to wrap the wrapper yarn around the core material passing to the spindle, in the region of the entry end of the spindle, and take up mechanism which by itself or in conjunction with an associated guide defines a path for the wrapped yarn such that the yarn bears against the exit end of the spindle, the rotary exit end of the spindle constituting at least the primary means for applying false twist to the yarn.

If double-wrapped core yarn is to be obtained, as described above, the wrapping head may have a pair of hollow spindles mounted end to end for supporting respective packages of wrapper yarn and a drive for rotating at least part of each spindle including the exit end of the second spindle so as to wrap wrapper yarn from both packages around core material passing through the spindles, that associated with the first spindle being wrapped in the region of the entry end of that spindle and take up mechanism which by itself or in conjunction with an associated guide defines a path for the wrapped yarn such that the wrapped yarn bears against the rotary exit end of the second spindle.

Examples of apparatus operating in accordance with the invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a complete wrapper head for the production of a straightforward core yarn; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure I but showing a modification for the production of an effect yarn; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing two rotary spindles arranged end to end; and Figure 4 shows a modification of the arrangement of Figure 3 in which the two spindles are supported by a common mounting.

Turning first to Figure 1, the wrapping head illustrated includes a hollow spindle 1 carrying a package of wrapper yarn 2. Sliver 3 passes through a double apron arrangement indicated generally as 4 and then through a pair of front drafting delivery rollers 5 before passing to the entry of the spindle 1. The spindle 1 is journalled at its lower end at 8 and is supported by a mounting plate 9 which is pivoted at 10 so as to be capable of angular adjustment, being locked in any selected angular position by a clamping arrangement 11. The spindle 1 is driven by a belt drive 12 in the usual wav.

As can be seen, wrapper yarn from the package 2 is wrapped around the core material represented by the sliver 3 in the region of the entry to the spindle 1 as indicated at 15. The core material passes freely into the entry of the spindle with at most only light contact with the entry end.

On emerging from the exit end 16 of the spindle, however, the wrapped core, now in the form of a yarn, changes its direction in passing to a pair of take-up rollers 17 and consequently bears against the interior of the spindle 1 at the exit 16. Engagement with the rotating spindle at this point causes false twist to be applied to the yarn and this is driven up towards the delivery rollers 5 and past the wrapping point 15. Conse quently, the yarn is wrapped while in a twisted condition although the false twist may subsequently disappear after wrapping.

The force with which the yarn bears against the exit 16 of the spindle 1 varies with the magnitude of the change of direction and can be adjusted by adjusting the angular position of the spindle as already described. The magnitude of the engagement needs to be sufficient to drive the false twist up past the wrapping point 15 also as previously described, and provided this is done, no separate false twisting component is required. As mentioned previously, there may be light engagement between the yarn and the entry of the spindle 1, depending on the angular adjustment, but this will never be sufficient to produce any appreciable false twist and under all circumstances, it will be the exit end 16 which will constitute the primary means for applying false twist to the yarn.As an alternative to adjusting the angular position of the spindle 1 in order to adjust the bearing of the yarn against the exit 16, it is possible to include an adjustable guide between the exit 16 and the take up rollers 17 so as to adjust the path of the yarn subsequent to it leaving the spindle.

The wrapping head shown in Figure 1 is suitable for the production of a straightforward core yarn such, for example, as a carpet yarn. The modification of Figure 2 is for the production of a more bulky effect yarn and here the double apron arrangement 4 is shown displaced from the entry to the spindle 1 so as to deliver effect material 20. The core material is constituted by yarn 21 delivered by rollers (not shown) and the false twist in the yarn is driven up past the point defining the nip of the delivery rollers 5 for the effect material and probably as far as the nip of the core yarn delivery rollers.

The yarn passes first through a pigtail guide 22 and then through a region 23 where it is joined by the effect material 20 which meets it at an angle and is twisted around the core material 21 by the effect of the false twist.

The other parts of the wrapping head are the same as illustrated in Figure 1 and are indicated by the same reference numerals.

As illustrated at 25, the resultant yarn is considerably more bulky than that illustrated in Figure 1 and is in the form of a slub yarn suitable, for example, for drapes. The take up rollers 17 are not illustrated in this Figure, but the change of direction at the exit 16 of the spindle 1 can be seen quite clearly and can be adjusted in the same way as described in relation to Figure 1. Once again, the exit end 16 of the spindle 1 constitutes the primary means for the application of false twist.

In a typical example of the operation of a wrapping head as illustrated in Figure 1, an acrylic sliver of 8 grammes per metre was given a draft of forty in the drafting head represented by the double apron arrangement 4 and front delivery rollers 5 and was fed to the spindle 1 at a delivery speed of 100 metres per minutes. The wrapper yarn from the package 2 was a multi-filament nylon of 44d/tex. The spindle 1 was driven at a speed of 15,000 r.p.m. and the take up rollers 17 were driven at a speed such as to have a very slight tensioning lead of approximately one percent over the delivery rollers 5. The resultant yarn was suitable for a tufted carpet.

In a similar example of the operation of a wrapper head in accordance with Figure 2, the core material was a 37 tex two-ply polyester delivered to the spindle 1 at 100 metres per minute while the effect material was a 5 Nm. polyester sliver which was overfed so as to be delivered at 125 metres per minutes.

The spindle 1 was again driven at 15,000 r.p.m. and a similar lead was given to take up rollers 17. The resultant yarn was suitable for weaving into drapes and upholstery fabrics.

The modified forms of apparatus shown in Figures 3 and 4 are illustrated only diagrammatically, but the mechanical arrangements are smaller to those shown in Figures 1 and 2. In Figure 3, there are two rotary spindles 1A and 1 B mounted end to end and core material 30 from delivery rollers 5 passes through the two spindles in succession.As illustrated, there is no engagement with the spindle 1A, the function of which is to wrap the core material 30 by means of wrapper yarn from a package 2A carried by the spindle IA. The spindle 1B carried out a second wrapping action by means of a wrapper yarn from a package 2B and according to whether the two spindles are driven in the same or opposite directions, the winding helices will also be in the same or opposite directions.

On leaving the spindle 1B, the double wrapped yarn now shown as 31 changes direction in passing to the take up rollers 16 and the engagement with the exit 16B of the spindle 1 B is sufficient to drive false twist back through both the spindle I B and spindle IA as far as the nip of the delivery rollers 5. Consequently, the material is in a twisted condition at both the wrapping points 15A and 15B. The general principles involved are exactly the same as already described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 except that engagement with the exit of the spindle 1B supplies sufficient false twist for both spindles, the yarn passing freely through the spindle IA.

Figure 4 shows a slight modification of the arrangement of Figure 3 in that the construction is a little more compact since both spindles, again shown as 1A and IB are sup ported by a common mounting 32, the spindle IA being driven at its lower end at 33 and the spindle 1B being driven at its upper end at 34.As a result of this construction, it is no longer possible for the yarn to be wrapped at the entry to the spindle 1B and instead, wrapper yarn from the package 2B is wrapped around the already singly-wrapped yarn in the region shown as 35 immediately following the exit 16B of the spindle 1B. As with the arrangement of Figure 3, the engagement at the exit 16B is sufficient to drive the false twist up through both spindles beyond the first wrapping point, and again the two spindles can be driven either in the same or in opposite directions.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A method of wrap spinning by positively feeding core material to a hollow spindle supporting a package of wrapper yarn, of which at least part, including the exit end, rotates so as to rotate the package and wrap the wrapper yarn around the core material in the region of the entry to the spindle, and in which method the path of the core material through the hollow spindle is such that it bears against the exit end of the spindle and thereby has false twist applied to it which extends back through the spindle and past the wrapping point: 2.A method of wrap spinning in which at least a core material is fed to the entrance of a hollow spindle, or of the first of a number of hollow spindles arranged in sequence, by driven delivery mechanism having a delivery surface moving towards the said entrance, the core material passing through the spindle or spindles to a take up mechanism, at least a part of the or each spindle being driven for rotation so as to rotate a wrapper yarn, which is carried by the respective spindle, around the core to bind it in the region of one end of the spindle, and in which method the position of the spindle or of the last spindle relative to the take up mechanism, or the position of guide components between the exit of the spindle or of the last spindle and the take up mechanism, is such that the path of the core material causes it to bear against a rotary yarn engaging surface at the exit of the spindle or of the last spindle so as to apply to the core material a false twist which will extend back through the spindle (or spindles) and beyond the point at which a wrapper yarn first wraps around the core.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the core material is fed to the spindle by means of a delivery roller or rollers.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims in which effect material is also passed through the spindle so as to be wrapped along with the core material and is overfed in relation to the core material so as to give a slub or effect yarn.

5. A method according to claim 4 in which the core material passes directly to the spindle and the effect material changes direction where it meets the core material.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims in which the core material either alone or together with the effect material is passed in succession through two hollow spindles and bears against the exit end of the second spindle, each spindle applying wrapper yarn so that the final product is double-wrapped.

7. A method according to claim 6 in which the two spindles rotate in opposite directions.

8. A method according to claim 6 or claim 7 in which the wrapping action occurs at the entry to each spindle.

9. Apparatus for forming a core yarn comprising means for delivering core material to a wrapping head having a hollow spindle for supporting a package of wrapper yarn, the deliver means having a delivery surface capable of movement towards the spindle and an associated drive; a drive for rotating at least part of the spindle, including the exit end, so as to wrap the wrapper yarn around the core material passing to and through the spindle, in the region of the entry end of the spindle, and taken up mechanism which by itself or in conjunction with an associated guide defines a path for the wrapped yarn such that the yarn bears against the exit end of the spindle, the rotary exit end of the spindle constituting at least the primary means for applying false twist to the yarn.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 for forming double-wrapped core yarn and including bearings on the spindle for supporting a second package of wrapper yarn and a drive for driving it in the opposite direction to the spindle whereby wrapper yarn from one package will wrap the core at the entrance to the spindle and wrapper yarn from the other package will wrap it in the opposite direction at the exit.

11. Apparatus for forming doublewrapped core yarn comprising a wrapping head having a pair of hollow spindles mounted end to end for supporting respective packages of wrapper yarn and a drive for rotating at least part of each spindle including the exit end of the second spindle so as to wrap wrapper yarn from both packages around core material passing through the spindles, the wrapper again associated with the first spindle being wrapped in the region of the entry end of that spindle, and take up mechanism which by itself or in conjunction with an associated guide defines a path for the wrapped yarn such that the wrapped

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. ported by a common mounting 32, the spindle IA being driven at its lower end at 33 and the spindle 1B being driven at its upper end at 34. As a result of this construction, it is no longer possible for the yarn to be wrapped at the entry to the spindle 1B and instead, wrapper yarn from the package 2B is wrapped around the already singly-wrapped yarn in the region shown as 35 immediately following the exit 16B of the spindle 1B. As with the arrangement of Figure 3, the engagement at the exit 16B is sufficient to drive the false twist up through both spindles beyond the first wrapping point, and again the two spindles can be driven either in the same or in opposite directions. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A method of wrap spinning by positively feeding core material to a hollow spindle supporting a package of wrapper yarn, of which at least part, including the exit end, rotates so as to rotate the package and wrap the wrapper yarn around the core material in the region of the entry to the spindle, and in which method the path of the core material through the hollow spindle is such that it bears against the exit end of the spindle and thereby has false twist applied to it which extends back through the spindle and past the wrapping point:

2.A method of wrap spinning in which at least a core material is fed to the entrance of a hollow spindle, or of the first of a number of hollow spindles arranged in sequence, by driven delivery mechanism having a delivery surface moving towards the said entrance, the core material passing through the spindle or spindles to a take up mechanism, at least a part of the or each spindle being driven for rotation so as to rotate a wrapper yarn, which is carried by the respective spindle, around the core to bind it in the region of one end of the spindle, and in which method the position of the spindle or of the last spindle relative to the take up mechanism, or the position of guide components between the exit of the spindle or of the last spindle and the take up mechanism, is such that the path of the core material causes it to bear against a rotary yarn engaging surface at the exit of the spindle or of the last spindle so as to apply to the core material a false twist which will extend back through the spindle (or spindles) and beyond the point at which a wrapper yarn first wraps around the core.

yarn bears against the rotary exit end of the second spindle.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11 in which the drive causes the spindles to rotate in opposite directions.

13. Apparatus according to claim 11 or claim 12 in which the arrangement is such that the wrapping occurs at the entry end of each spindle.

14. Apparatus according to claim 11 or claim 12 in which both spindles are supported by a common mounting.

15. Apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 14 and including delivery rollers for feeding the core material to the spindle or the first spindle.

16. Apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 15 and including means for overfeeding effect material in relation to the core material so that the effect material changes direction where it meets the core material.