US2325129A

US2325129A - Yarn finishing

Info

Publication number: US2325129A
Application number: US417431A
Authority: US
Inventors: Vernal R Hardy
Original assignee: EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
Current assignee: EIDP Inc
Priority date: 1941-11-01
Filing date: 1941-11-01
Publication date: 1943-07-27
Anticipated expiration: 1960-07-27

Description

July 27, 1943. v. R..HARDY YARN FINISHING Filed Nov. 1, 1941 ATTORNEY h 0 I I L r:

INVENTOR Vg rwa .4 Hard Liquid Level before openzf/bn 5/ Patented July 27, 1943 UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE YARN FINISHING Vernal R. Hardy, Wilmington, Del., alsignor to E. I. du Pont de N emom's & Company, Wilming ton, DBL,

a corporation of Delaware Application November 1, 1941, serial No. 417,431

5 Claims.

This invention relates to yarn finishing, and more particularly it relates to an apparatus for uniformly applying a liquid, such as a size or "all showing several modified forms of liquid applicators;

Figure 9 is a perspective view showing still another modifled form oi'liquid applicator.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, reference numeral H designates a reservoir for a liquid. The reservoir H contains a slot l3 into which. a liquidv applicator I! may be positioned,

In the application of liquids to yams,- it is I known to cause the yarn to pass over devices contacting in one of several ways a pool of the liquid to be applied to the yarn. It is known, for example, to run the yarn over a wick dipping into the liquid and to depend on capillarity to keep the operating portion of the wick constantly and uniformly supplied with the liquid. Wicks,

however, are notorious for being undependable when small and strictly uniform qualities of liquid are to be applied, with the result that very complicated mechanical'devices have been employed for the purpose. This is probably due to the fact that the capillary passages of a wick are of unknown shapes and dimensions.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for applying to a yarn, passing in contact therewith, a dependably uniform quantity of liquid over very long periods of time.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The objects of this invention are accomplished, in general, by an apparatus comprising a liquid reservoir, a liquid applicator projecting from within said reservoir, said applicator comprising solid confining walls about a capillary passage of a predetermined given size which will draw the liquid from the reservoir to the yarn passing in contact with the liquid in the capillary passage.

The details of the apparatus of the present invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying illustrations, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of liquid applying apparatus constructed 'in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1;'

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a modified form of liquid applying apparatus;

Figure 4 is a front elevational view paratus shown in Figure 3;

Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 are front elevational views,

of the ap- Jects from withinthe reservoir The liquid may be circulated through the reservoir II by means of inlet opening I5 and outlet opening I1. The liquid applicator I! which prois comprised of two substantially parallel plates 2l and 23. A V shaped groove 22 is cut transversely across the top of the plates. The sides of the plates are sealed by means of elements 25, which may' consist of sealing wax-or small spacing elements. A pair of

spacing elements

21 and 29 are positioned between plates 2| and 23 so as to maintain a capillary passage between the plates of a predetermined given size. The

spacers

21 and 29 will have a thickness such that the liquid willrise in the capillary passage between the plates to at least the bottom of the V shaped groove 22. Preferably, the spacers will be of such thickness that the liquid will rise to completely fill the capillary passagebetween the said

plates

21 and 23. A

pair ofyarn guides

33 and 35 are positioned to guide the yarn 3| into contact with the bottom of the V shaped groove 22, and, therefore, in contact with the liquid in the capillary passage between the plates. The yarn passing through guides 33 and 85 will pick up a constant and uniform amount of liquid from the capillary passage, the capillary passage continuing to draw liquid from the reservoir to the Referring to the modification shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing, a pair of substantially

parallel plates

43 and 45 are maintained in spaced relationship to each other by means of spacer 41. The spacing will be such that the. liquid is caused to rise from the reservoir II to a line designated in the drawing as the liquid level before operation." In this modification of the invention, the edges of the plates are not sealed as in the modification shown in Figures 1 and 2. The liquid applicator in this modification is provided with a pair of

yarn guiding elements

49 and 55. These elements will aid in maintaining the

plates

43 and 45 in fixed spaced relation to each other.

As shown in Figure 3, the yarn 3| is passed between the spaced plates and within the capillary passage between the plates by passing the yarn about elements 49 and I5; The applicator is provided with fixed wings 5| and 53, as shown in Figure 4. The applicator may be rigidly fixed to the reservoir by means of bolts passing through these wings.

In this modification of the invention, the yarn passing between the plates will lower the liquid level in the capillary passage to the approximate line shown in the drawing as "liquid level in operation. The continued passage of the yarn through the applicator capillary passage will apply to the yarn a constant uniform quantity of liquid which it continues to draw from the reservoir H.

The liquid applicator I9a, shown in Figure 5, is similar to the applicator l9 shown in Figures 1 and 2 except that a small notch 65 is cut in the bottom of the V shaped groove. Under certain circumstances, it is found that such a small notch will apply a liquid to all sides of a yarn passing therethrough.

In the modified form of applicator shown in Figure 6, the fine notch 63 is cut transversely across the tops of the parallel plates. This fine notch will function in substantially the same manner as the notch 65 in the bottom of the V shaped groove 22 shown in Figure 5.

The modification shown in Figure '7 is substantially the same as that shown in Figure 6 except that the fine notch BI is positioned at an angle to the vertical.

In the modification shown in Figure 8, the yarn is passed through a small circular hole 61 cut through the two plates. The yarn passing through the small hole 61 will contact the liquid in the capillary.

Figure 9 of the drawing illustrates a form of capillary tube suitable for use in accordance with the present invention. The capillary tube II is provided with a V shaped groove 13 transversely across the top thereof and the small capillary, opening 15 passes through the center of the tube and connects with the bottom of the V shaped groove. Yarn passing through, in contact with the bottom of the V shaped groove 13, will pick up a constant uniform quantity of liquid from reservoir 11.

The liquid applicator may have substantially any desired form or shape. Furthermore the side walls of the applicator may be made of any convenient thickness to serve as a bearing surfacefor the yarn. The capillary passage must, of course, have such a dimension that the liquid will be drawn thereby from the reservoir to the point of contact of the yarn with the capillary passage. The capillary passage need not necessarily be of uniform shape and cross section. However, it should be of such a predetermined given size as to apply to the yarn the proper quantity of liquid in constant and uniform application. The particular size and shape of the capillary passage and external confining walls may be adjusted to suit the viscosity, surface tension of the liquid, the temperature of the operation, the amount of liquid to be applied, relatiVe to the speed of the thread, as desired by anyone skilled in the art. Such adjustments will be obvious to an operator, once the desired rate of liquid application is established.

The confining walls of the capillary passage may be made of any desired material, for example, they may be composed of corrosion-resistant metals, glass, porcelain, rubber, resins, or any other desired material. In one embodiment of liquid applicator, which has been found to function very well in applying a tannic acid subcoating to a synthetic linear polyamide yarn, the applicator was comprised of two glass plates having the approximate thickness of microscope slides. These two glass plates were spaced from each other by the insertion therebetween of two glass spacers 0.006 inch thick. The glass spacers were comprised of microscope cover glasses. The glass plates were held together with spacers therebetween by means of sealing wax. The glass plates were approximately three-quarters of an inch in height and contained transversely across the top thereof a 60 V groove, three-sixteenths of an inch deep. The structure was maintained in a holder and positioned so that the bottom of the assembly projected into the liquid.

The quantity of liquid (per cent based on the weight of the yarn) which a capillary applicator of the type herein disclosed will apply to a yarn or thread is dependent upon the size of the capillary, the speed of the yarn, the character of the liquid, and somewhat upon the size of the yarn and the twist in the yarn. In order to apply a uniform quantity of liquid to a yarn with the apparatus of the present invention, it is, of course, necessary that the yarn be passed tautly in contact with the applicator, otherwise, the yarn may move from its proposed path of travel and thus cause spotty application of the liquid. The amount of solid applied to the yarn from a solution or emulsion can be varied for any given apparatus by changing the concentration of the solution or emulsion.

The apparatus of the present invention may be used for the application of any liquid solution or emulsion to a yarn, thread, or the like. For example, it may be used for the application of oils, dyes, finishes, antistatic agents, sizes, coating compositions, and the like.

The apparatus of the present invention may be used for the application of liquids to substantially any type of filamentous structure, such as yarns, threads, cords, ropes, or filaments.

It will be obvious that the device may be used to apply liquid to yarn in combination with any operation where the yarn runs from one position to another, such as on a spinning machine, coning machine, sizing machine, uptwister, downtwister, skein winder, warper, slasher, spooler, or knitting machine.

By means of the apparatus of the present invention, liquids may be applied to the yarns and the like in a simple, dependable manner, and with a high degree of position-to-position and day-to-day uniformity. The apparatus of the present invention is found to be capable of more uniform and constant application of liquids than previously known applicating devices, such as wicks. This is probably due to the fact that capillary passages in wicks are of unknown and indeterminate size and shape, whereas the capillary passages of the present invention are of predetermined given size. It has furthermore been found that the apparatus of the present invention has particular advantage over previously known liquid applicating devices in that a position may be started after a long period of inaction without any starting difiiculties and the yarn first led into contact with the applicating device of the present invention may be put into regular production.

Since it is obvious that many changes and modifications can be made in the details above described without departing from the nature and spirit of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to these details except as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for applying a liquid to a yarn which comprises a reservoir, a liquid applicator projecting from within said reservoir, said applicator comprising solid confining walls about'a capillary passage of a predetermined given size, said capillary passage adapted to draw the liquid from the reservoir solely by means of capillary attraction, and means for guiding said yarn across the upper surface of said confining walls into contact with the liquid in said capillary passage.

2. Apparatus for applying a liquid to a yarn which comprises a reservoir, a liquid applicator projecting from within said reservoir, said applicator comprising solid confining walls about a capillary passage of a predetermined given size, said capillary passage adapted to draw the liquid from the reservoir solely by means of capillary attraction, and groove means in the upper surface of said confining walls for guiding said yarn across said capillary passage into contact with the liquid in said capillary passage.

3. Apparatus for applying a liquid to a yarn which comprises a reservoir, a liquid applicator projecting from within said reservoir, said applicator comprising solid confining walls about a capillary passage of a predetermined given size, said capillary passage adapted to draw the liquid from the reservoir solely by means of cap-, illary attraction, and a V shaped groove means in the upper surface of said confining walls for guiding said yarn across said capillary passage into contact with the liquid in said capillary passage.

4. Apparatus for applying a liquid to a yarn which comprises a reservoir, a liquid applicator projecting from within said reservoir, said applicator comprising solid confining walls about a capillary passage of a predetermined given size, said capillary passage adapted to draw the liquid from the reservoir solelv by means of capillary attraction, and an e, ning through said confining walls for guiding'dfia-id yarn into contact with the liquid in said capillary passage.

5. Apparatus for applying liquid to a yarn which comprises a reservoir, a liquid applicator projecting from within said reservoir, said applicator comprising spaced confining plates about a capillary passage of a predetermined given size,

a groove in said plates connected with said capillary passage, said capillary passage adapted to draw liquid from said reservoir to said groove solely by means of capillary attraction, and means for passing a yarn in said groove in contact with said liquid in said capillary Passage.

VERNAL R. HARDY,