US2089200A

US2089200A - Apparatus for the manufacture or treatment of textile threads

Info

Publication number: US2089200A
Application number: US25054A
Authority: US
Inventors: Finlayson Donald; Greenwood Ernest Leslie; Helme Charles
Original assignee: Celanese Corp
Current assignee: Celanese Corp
Priority date: 1934-06-30
Filing date: 1935-06-05
Publication date: 1937-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 1954-08-10

Description

Aug. 10, 1937. o. FINLAYSON ET AL APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF TEXTILE THREADS Original Filed June 5, 1935 E mvENwRS I rm ATTOR NEMS Patented Aug. 10, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE 0B TREATMENT OF TEXTILE THREADS Application June 5, 1935, Serial No. 25,054. newed February 26, 1937.

June 30, 1934 Re- In Great Britain 6 Claims. (01. 117-26) This invention relates to apparatus for the manufacture or treatment of textile threads, and particularly though not exclusively of crepe threads, especially those containing filaments of cellulose acetate.

Fabrics exhibiting crepe eflects have long been obtained by employing in their construction highly twisted threads of natural silk in the gummed state, the crepe efiects appearing mainly when the fabrics so formed are subjected to an aqueous scouring treatment. The fabrics obtained by this process are highly valued on account of their pleasing appearance and handle. The production of crepe fabrics in an analogous manner by the use of crepe threads of cellulose acetate has, however, been accompanied by very great difliculties. Generally, little or no crepe efiect is obtained by simply applying to a cellulose acetate thread a twist of the order of that commonly employed in connection with natural silk, weaving the twisted threads into a fabric, and scouring the latter. Some crepe efiect may sometimes be obtained by employing extremely high degrees of twist, but in this case it is usually found that the crepe threads are so weak that frequent breakages are experienced during twisting, and moreover the strength of the resulting fabric is so low as to render it commercially useless.

U. S. applications S. Nos. 746,134 and 746,135 both filed 29th September 1934, however, describe a new process for the production of crepe threads of cellulose acetate filaments by which there may be obtained crepe effects of an excellence hitherto unattained with such materials. The new process comprises subjecting the threads to the action of wet steam during the application of the crepe twist, as by applying wet steam to the travelling thread over at least a portion of that part of its track in which twisting actually tal res place. The new process enables cellulose acetate crepe threads to be produced which have an average strength very much greater than that of cellulose acetate crepe threads produced by a simple twisting operation without the wet steam treatment during twisting characteristic of the new process.

Further, apart from the great advantage of a strong resultant thread and fabric the twisting operation itself is greatly facilitated in that twisting may satisfactorily be accomplished under conditions of twist and spindle speed which in the absence of the steaming step would give rise to frequent thread breakage.

The subjection of the thread to the action of the wet steam may be carried out in operations in which the crepe twist is applied in more than one stage, the steam being applied at least in the stage in which there is applied the final amount of twist necessary to impart the creping property to the thread.

Wet steamcan also be advantageously em-,

ployed in the stretching of cellulose acetate threads, operations for the stretching of travelling threads in the presence of wet steam being described in U. S. application S. No. 4,510 filed 1st February 1935. v

The apparatus according to the present invention is particularly suitable. for carrying out the operations described above, and consists in a chamber to which steam may be applied, and a hollow member connected to said chamber afiording a passage for the thread offset with respect to the chamber, suitable guide openings being provided to lead the thread into and out of the passage. The chamber is of such cross-section as to supply the desired amount of steam to the thread undergoing treatment, while the ofiset passage is of such dimensions as to ensure adequate treatment of the thread by the steam.

For use in a machine for treating a plurality of 'iairly closely spaced threads simultaneously, the

apparatus according to the invention conveniently comprises a common chamber extending over the length occupied by the threads and having offset members appropriately spaced along its length to provide steam passages for each of the threads being treated.

The length of thread exposed to the action of the steam depends upon the duration of the steaming treatment required. For example, in a crepe twisting operation with the thread passing at a speed of about 2 metres per minute, a 3" passage through the steam has been found to give satisfactory results, though lengthier treatments may be employed, as, for example, by passing the thread at the said speed through 6 to 12" of steam or more. The member providing the passage for a thread has therefore a length in accordance with such length of treatment. To give the same period of treatment with higher thread speeds, the length of the passage is proportionately greater.-

The invention will now be described in greater detail with respect to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a twisting apparatus in front elevation; and

Fig. 2 shows a sectional detail of Fig. 1 to a larger scale.

Twisting bobbins 3 are mounted on spindles 4, thread 5 leaving each bobbin passing through a floating ring device 6 carried upon an upwardly extending portion of the spindle 5, and from there through a guide eye 1.

From the guide eye 7 the thread passes directly upwards to a guide aperture 8 in the bottom wall of a chamber formed by a steam pipe t. In the top wall of the pipe 9, immediately above the guide 8, a tube it! is screwed to form an upwardly extending ofiset member which terminates in a guide it through which the thread 5 emerges.

The tubes ill form hollow offset members extending from the steam chamber constituted by the pipe 9, and in the apparatus shown the tubes H) are so disposed that the threads 5 pass both across the pipe 9 and through the tubes. The guide openings 8, I l in connection with each tube I!) are disposed vertically one below the other, so that steam escaping through them does not inconvenience the operative.

Because of the flow of steam'from the pipe 9 to the openings 8, l i, the steam is moving lengthwise of the thread over the major part of the travel of the thread in the steam, and in the example shown, the steam moves in the same direction as the thread over the length within the tube in.

The tubes 10 are conveniently made of metal to facilitate such condensation of the steam within the tubes as to ensure that the steam is in the desired wet condition, the pipes also being left exposed to the air. The pipe 9 itself, however, may be lagged to minimize condensation otherwise than in the ofiset member, so resulting in economy in steam consumption.

After its subjectionto the steaming treatment, the thread passes over a guide l2 on a traverse bar l3, and is wound on to a take-up bobbin M conventionally shown as being supported on and driven by a drum i5 mounted upon a shaft l6. Steam is supplied to the pipe 9 from one or more pipes ll, conveniently located at an intermediate point or points in the length of the pipe 9, the cross-section of the pipe 9 being sufficient to secure an adequate supply of steam to each of the tubes l0.

Where the thread 5 enters the bottom of the chamber formed by the pipe 9, the guide 8 constituting the inlet opening is of sumcient length l to extend some little distance into the pipe, so as to form a wall or rim projecting into the pipe that prevents condensed steam collecting in the pipe from escaping by this opening. The guides 8, ll may be made of material such as porcelain and cemented in place. A suitable drain or drains l8 may be provided to lead away condensed steam from the pipe.

The inlet opening 8 for the thread is substantially in line with the vertical twisting spindle 4. In some cases the said inlet opening 8. may replace the guide I disposed above the spindle to receive the thread 5. Again, the thread may proceed from the surface of the package 3 direct to the inlet opening 8, provided such opening is disposed substantially in line with the twisting spindle at a suitable distance above the spindle. The twisted thread proceeds directly from the outlet opening I l to the traverse guide I2. The steaming operation is, therefore, carried out with relatively little deviation of the thread.

The apparatus according to the invention, by having the offset member in which the major part of the steaming is eifected formed in direct communication with the chamber to which the steam is supplied, is of compact construction and can easily be disposed between the top of a twisting spindle and the take-up device, as well as providing for simple threading of the material through the guide openings. The compactness of the apparatus also enables the take-up device to be readily accessible and in clear view of the operative.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. Apparatus for the treatment of travelling threads, said apparatus comprising a chamber, a hollow member extending upwardly 'from the chamber and being offset with respect to the chamber and in communication therewith, guide openings to lead a thread into and out of the ofiset member, one of said guide openings being formed in the bottom wall of said chamber and being provided with a rim to prevent condensed steam escaping by said opening, and means to admit steam into the chamber.

2. Crepe twisting apparatus comprising a twisting spindle, a take-up device, a chamber disposed above the twisting spindle, a guide opening in the bottom wall of the chamber and substantially in line with the spindle to receive a thread from the spindle, a rim on said guide opening to prevent condensed steam escaping by said opening, a hollow offset member extending vertically upwards from the chamber above the guide opening, a further guide opening in the upper end of the offset member to lead the thread after its passage across the chamber and through the member to the take-up device, and means to admit steam to the chamber.

3. Apparatus for the treatment of travelling threads, said apparatus comprising a chamber, a plurality of hollow members offset with respect to said chamber and in communication therewith, a twisting spindle associated with each 01!- set member, guide openings to lead a thread being twisted by said spindle into and out of said ofiset member, and means to admit steam into said chamber, said spindle, offset member and guide openings being so disposed that twist is imparted by said spindle to the thread at a point where the thread is under the influence of the steam so admitted.

4. Apparatus for the treatment or travelling threads, said apparatus comprising a chamber, a plurality of. hollow oflset members extending from one side of said chamber and in communication therewith, a twisting spindle associated with each offset member, a guide opening in the wall of said chamber opposite each 01' said oflset members, a guide opening in each of said ofiset members; said guide openings being adapted to lead a thread being twisted by each spindle into and out 'of the associated offset member, and means to admit steam into said chamber, said spindle, oifset member and guide openings being so disposed that twist is imparted by said spindle to the thread at a point where the thread is under the influence of the steam so admitted.

5. Apparatus for the treatment of travelling threads, said apparatus comprising a chamber, 'a plurality of hollow ofiset members extending vertically upwards from said chamber, a twisting spindle associated with each offset member and disposed belowsaid chamber, a guide opening in the bottom wall of the chamber and substantially in line with each spindle to receive a thread coming directly from said spindle, a further guide opening in the upper end of said ao eaaoo 3 ofiset member, and means to 11 mi. t steam to said chamber, said spindle, ofiset member and guide openings being so disposed that twist is imparted by said twisting spindle to said thread at a point within the chamber and ofiset member.

6. Apparatus for the treatment of travelling threads, said apparatus comprising a chamber, a plurality of. hollow ofiset members extending vertically upwards from said chamber, a twisting spindle associated with each ofiset member and disposed below said chamber, a guide opening in the bottom wall of the chew and substantially in line with each spindle to receive a thread coming directly from said spindle, a thread guide disposed between and substantially in line with said guide opening and said twisting spindle. a further guide opening in the upper end of said ofiset member, and means to admit steam to