IL25868A - Tow tie-in method - Google Patents

Description

9/23/338 α^&½ _Ό?3 Vl Patents Form No. 3 PATENTS AND DESIGNS ORDINANCE.

SPECIFICATION. " oys TiE-isr ΜΕΪΗΟΟ« i/w*. -m & o ^g a corporation organized ana.extsting ^ Unlted-States o£ S *.. Louis, iliSBouPi, United States of Ataertoa, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement : - The present invention relates to a method and to an apparatus for incorporating or "tieing-in" a separate throadline into a moving tow by one or more properly directed fluid jets.

Various textile manu acturing processes involve handling of tows traveling at high speeds. Heretofore it has been difficult to incorporate a further threadline into such a moving tow without danger to operating personnel or substantially without damage to the threadline or the tow, since the tow may pass through various nip rolls, fluid baths, and the like. This problem has been effectively solved by the method and apparatus described below.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for incorporating a separate threadline into a moving tow.

A further object is to provide such a method and apparatus which is particularly adapted for use with a rapidly moving tow.

A further object is to provide such a method and apparatus which produces minimum damage to the tow and threadline.

A further object is to provide such a method and apparatus which does not require manual threading of the threadline along the entire path of the tow.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others thereof, which will be of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary spinning machine incorporating the invention; FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view, partly broken away, of the preferred embodiment of the tie-in apparatus; and FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIGURE 2.

The practice of the present invention is illustrated in FIGURE 1 as applied to spinning machine 20 producing a plurality of threadlines, which are then combined in side-by-side relationship to form a tow 2i. Threadline 22 is extruded from a corresponding spinneret 26, and, after solidification of the threadline, a finish liquid is applied thereto by finish wheel 28 located below spinneret 26.

Threadline 22 next passes through a plurality of wraps about feed roll 30 and separator roll 32, then past an idler roll 3 to travel generally horizontally to the right as viewed in Fig. 1. Several other identical spinning positions produce other threadlines, which are successively combined as one proceeds to the right along spinning machine 20, to form the tow 21j..

Tow 2l is fed past tie-in station 36 and through nip rolls 38 to take-up mechanism lj.0 generally illustrated as a well known jet piddler of the type disclosed under light tension in the vicinity of tie-in station 36, for example by providing a slightly greater peripheral velocity of nip rolls 38 than of feed rolls 30. By light tension is meant that the tension on the tow is below that level which would be required to significantly draw or elongate the tow.

Tie-in station 36 includes a fluid jet mechanism 1+2 mounted on frame member adjacent tow 2I4..

Auxiliary optional tow supporting rolls I .6 and I4.8 are mounted on frame member IJJLJ. on opposite sides of jet mechanism lj.2, to support tow, 21+ during operation of jet mechanism 1+2.

As best shown in Pig. 2, an auxiliary frame member $0 extends forwardly from frame Ι+Ι+, and supports jet mechanism 2» Jet mechanism t+2 includes a pair of isolated hemi-toroidal chambers 52 and $ having first ends connected together by a hinge 56. A magnet 8 normally urged the opposite ends of chambers 2 and $k into contact while permitting chambers 5 and 5 to be separated and pivoted apart about hinge 56, to facilitate introduction of an in-dividual threadline. Fluid supply passages 60 and 62 extend through frame 1+1+ for supplying a pressurized fluid to the interior of chambers $2 and respectively. A plurality of jet orifices 6I4. in each chamber extend from the chambers* interiors in directions convergent on tow 21+. The pressurized fluid may conveniently be air.

Referring to Pig. 3, the fluid exiting from the jet orifices 6I . forms an angle σ<Ζ with the portion of tow between the point where the fluid stream contacts the tow and the take-up mechanism, as distinguished from angle where the jet stream contacts the tow and spinning machine 20. The significance of these angles will be explained below.

It may be assumed that the polymer is beginning to be extruded from the leftmost spinning position in Pig. 1, and that it is desired to add threadline 22 to the tow 21+, which latter is already threaded through the entire apparatus and being collected by mechanism 1+0. The end of threadline 22 coming out of 26 is caught by an auxiliary take-up means, which may be a conventional waste collecting aspirator gun. Such a gun is not shown in the drawing because it does not form part of the spinning machine 20.

Threadline 22 is then strung up around feed roll 30 and separator roll 32 and carried along under idler roll 3l+ to tie-in station 36. Upper chamber £2 may then be pivoted upwardly momentarily to permit placement of threadline 22 through the toroid of jet mechanism 1+2. Threadline 22 will now be substantially parallel with and closely adjacent tow 21+, although still physically separate therefrom.

Threadline 22 is incorporated into tow 21+ by momentarily blowing an intermediate section of the thread-line into an adjacent intermediate section of the tow with a blast of fluid through jets 61+, while substantially simultaneously severing the threadline at a point near the intermediate section of the threadline and between the intermediate section of the threadline and the auxiliary take-up means. The fluid stream from the jet momentarily separates the filaments or threadlines composing tow 21+ and permits the newly-cut end of threadline 22 to be forced into the interior of the tow by the fluid stream. It should be threaded through nip roll I .8 and piddler.l+O but that it readily threads itself along with tow 21+, with very little likelihood of development of filament wraps around rolls 38.

It has been discovered that with tow speeds less than about 625 yards per minute, angle o 3 ¾θ between 30° and 150°. However, for tow speeds greater than about 625 yards per minute, angle c ^ must be in the range between 30° and 90°. That is, the fluid stream from the jets must have a component which is countercurrent to the air flow generated by the moving tow. Although in the illustrated and preferred embodiment the jet mechanism I4.2 has been disclosed as a general toroidal member which includes a large number of inwardly directed jets, other configurations are operative. For example, the illustrated structure performed satisfactorily with three-fourths of its jets plugged. A single jet, properly directed, will accomplish the same result, hence 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.

However, providing a plurality of jet orifices reduces the likelihood of operator error and renders the tie-in process much easier.

It has been found that the air pressure supplied by chambers 5 and should be increased as the tow speed goes up. Thus at low speeds I4.O psi suffices, while at speeds above about 625 yards per minute, air pressures up to 90 psi may be required. Selection of an appropriate may readily be made by one skilled in the art.

It should be noted that air is supplied to jet mechanism 1+2 only momentarily, during the actual tie-in operation. This not only reduces air consumption, but avoids disturbing or entangling the tow unnecessary as might occur if air were continually supplied to jet mechanism I.2.

Although the above description has referred to tow 2lj. as including a large number of individual thread-lines, which is normally the case, the present method would be equally satisfactory if tow 2I4. consisted of a single threadline. Thus only the first threadline must be threaded through the entire system; later threadlines may be readily tied in to any running threadline or tow by the present method. This cannot be accomplished on friction and false twist type tie-in devices, which may require as many as eight 27ΟΟ denier single ends to be running before another end or threadline can be consistently tied in at high speed. It should likewise be understood that neither the tow source nor the threadline source need be a spinning machine.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in carrying out the above method and in the construction set forth without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent iss

Claims (9)

HAVIMG HOW par icularly a ascribed aad ascertained the nature of our said Invention and In what manner the same is to be performed, we deolare that what we claim is s

1. A method for incorporating a separate threadline into a tow moving from a source to take-up means, said method being characterized by the steps of: a. momentarily blowing an intermediate section of said threadline into an adjacent intermediate section of said tow with at least one fluid jet directed toward said tow at an which is of a value greater than about 30° and less than about 15>0°, b. and substantially simultaneously severing said threadline at a point near said intermediate section and between said intermediate section of said threadline and said take-up means.

2. The method of claim 1 as applied to a tow moving at a speed greater than about 625 yards per minute, characterized in that than about 30° and less than about 90°.

3. The method of claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of said jets are used. ij..

4. The method of claim 2, characterized in that a plurality of said jets are used.

5. · A method for incorporating a threadline into a tow moving from a source to a tow take-up means, said method comprising, in combination: a. continuously collecting said threadline with an auxiliary take-up means while aligning said threadline substantially parallel • b. and characterized by simultaneously: momentarily blowing an intermediate section of said threadline into an adjacent intermediate section of said tow greater than about 30 0 and less than about 150°, and severing said threadline at point near said intermediate section and between said intermediate section of said threadline and said auxiliary take- up means.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said tow is moving at a speed greater than 625> yards per minute, characterized in that said angle is greater than about 3 ° and less than about 90°.

7. The method of claim f>, characterized in that a plurality of said jets are used.

8. The method of claim 6, characterized in that a plurality of said jets are used.

9. An apparatus for incorporating a separate threadline into a moving tow, comprising; 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 continuously feeding a threadline into the vicinity of said tow intermediate region, and characterized byj at least one fluid jet between said threadline source and said collecting means, said jet being arranged at an ° The apparatus of claim 9» characterized in that said jet is part of a toroidal member concentrically arranged around said tow, a pressurised fluid source leading into the hollow outer portion of said aenfbeTf and a plurality of Jet openings leading from the inner wall of said member towards said tow, the axes of eaoh of said openings forming said angle with said tow* 11* She apparatus of claim 10» characterised in that said toroidal member is formed of two portions whieh are separable relative to eaeh other and Includes means to olose said two portions togethe 9 12· An apparatus for incorporating a separate threadline into ¾ tow substantially as desoribed with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying draig* 3* A tow whenever produced by the process elaitaed in any one of claims 1 to 8· fk* A tow whenever produced by the apparatus claimed in any one of elaios 9 to 12* Attorney for Applicants*