US2481197A

US2481197A - Device for catching broken threads

Info

Publication number: US2481197A
Application number: US723850A
Authority: US
Inventors: Caille Charles
Original assignee: Sulzer AG
Current assignee: Sulzer AG
Priority date: 1944-09-08
Filing date: 1947-01-23
Publication date: 1949-09-06
Anticipated expiration: 1966-09-06
Also published as: NL70121C; FR941217A; CH250075A; GB599741A; BE471061A; GB627075A

Description

p 6, 1 9. c. CAILLE 2,481,197

DEVICE FOR CATCHING BROKEN THREADS Filed Jan. 23, 1947 INVENTOR Grid/'10.: 6217/:

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 6, 1949 DEVICE FOR CATCHING BROKEN THREADS Charles Caille, Winterthur, Switzerland, assignor to Sulzer Freres, Societe Anonyme, Winterthur, Switzerland Application January 23, 1947, Serial No. 123,850 In Switzerland February 9, 1946 27 Claim.

This invention relates to a device for catchin up the oncoming portion of thread after a break has occurred in .one or more running threads. The invention is characterized by a jet of air or gas directed through a nozzle outlet towards the running thread and cooperating with a catching device arranged beyond the running thread.

.Devices of the prior art which operate by sucking-up broken threads are effective only to a slight depth. The air currents produced by suction flow into a suction opening from all directions. Even at a slight distance from such an opening the currents set up are not sufllcient to carry a broken thread with them, since they are distributed in the form of a fan over a large field and the suction energy thus decreases approximately in proportion to the square of the distance from its source. Such suction devices therefore require an extraordinarily great quantity of air in order to be effective.

A jet of air or gas emerging from a blast opening maintains nearly uniform energy over a considerable distance. In the device of the present invention, the whole flow is concentrated on a narrow zone across the path of the running thread, since the blast jet traverses that space without changing its direction to any considerable extent. If the thread breaks, the oncoming part will thus be entrained in a strong stream of air or gas, and can be thus blown into a suitably located catching device. In consequence of the great concentration of the blast effect, the quantity of air required for proper functioning is also appreciably diminished from that required by a suction device.

The blast opening is preferably formed as a nozzle, and may for instance be connected to the delivery side .of a delivery device or to the high pressure side of a Venturi device. If the device is adopted on machines handling threads, for instance when spinning, doubling, winding or weaving, theblast opening may be connected to the ventilating equipment of the machine room.

The catching device may, in its simplest arrangement, be formed for instance as a container in which the caught part of the thread is separated from the blast jet. The catching device may also comprise a pair of rollers running on each other or a conveyor belt by which the part of the thread introduced by the blast jet is caught and led away. The catching device may also comprise a flow-through passage for the air or gas, this passage having a catching opening lying opposite to the blast opening. Such a flow through passage may be connected to the in the passage.

delivery side or to the inlet side of a delivery device or to a spot on a Venturi arrangement. In particular when connected to the inlet side of a delivery device, or to a low-pressure part of a Venturi arrangement, it is advisable to provide the end lying opposite the connection with an opening through which air may enter from the room and maintain a continual conveying stream The passage of the catching device may also have a Venturi-like constriction of the cross-sectional area of flow in the region of the catching opening. If the catching device is adopted on machines for working up thread, the passage of the catching device may, like the blast openings, be connected to the ventilating device of the machine room. A separator or a filter may be connected to the passage of the catching device and in it the caught part of the thread is held back.

In the case of a plurality of running threads, as for instance in a machine working-up threads, one common catching device may be provided for each thread opposite individually arranged blast openings. Such a catching device may have a passage through which air or gas flows, and which has a catching opening opposite each blast opening. It is advisable to connect passages of this kind to a delivery device, for instance at their inlet side ,or at their delivery side, or in certain cases to a Venturi arrangement. When connected to the inlet side of a delivery device or to a low-pressure part of a Venturi arrangement, the passage has preferably at the opposite end an opening for maintaining a conveying stream. Passages of catching devices for several running threads may for instance have a plurality oi Venturi-like constrictions through which air or gas flows one after the other, each constriction being arranged in the neighbourhood of a catching opening.

Selected elements, at least, of that part of the device through which the air or gas flows may be made of a transparent material in order to be able to supervise the working more easily. Devices may also be provided which make the air or the gas electrically conducting or, at least, charge certain parts of the catching device electrically, in order to avoid disturbing influences from electrically charged threads and electrically charged anus-r 3 running thread of a simple device according to the invention for catching up a single thread;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, but illustrating a modified form of catching up device;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a device similar to that of Fig. 1 employing a further modified form of catching up device;

Fig. 4 is a plan on'a plane perpendicular to the running thread of a device according to the invention for catching up a single thread in a flow-through form .of catching up device;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but illustrating a modified form of flow-through catching up device;

Fig. 6 is also a view similar to Fig. 4, but illustrating a further modified form of flow through catching up device;

Fig. 7 is a plan on a plane perpendicular to the running threads of a device according to the invention for catching up a plurality of threads; 7

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, but illustrating a modified form of multiple device;

Fig. 9 is also a view similar to Fig. 7, but illustrating a further modified form of multiple device; and

Fig. 10 illustrates the adaptation on a spinning machine of a device according to the inventlon.

The nozzle i (Fig. 1) has a blast opening 2 from which the air jet 3 issues. The outlet of the blast opening is directed towards a thread 5 run ning in the direction of the arrow 4 and against a thread catching device 8 arranged behind the thread. When the thread is running, there is a risk of its breaking. After breaking, the-part of the thread arriving at the break would continue to run on, but could no longer reach its proper destination. It would, on the contrary, be snarled somewhere or possibly be carried along by some other part and thereby cause breakdowns in the working or at least annoying disturbances. In order to prevent this drawback, the part of the thread 5a continuing to come on freely after breaking is entrained in the air jet 3 and blown towards the opening 1 of the catching device 6. This catching device is designed as a receiver in the form of a cyclone in which the caught part of the thread 5b is separated from the blast stream and lies on the wall of the container.

Even if the broken part of the thread does not at once come into the air jet 3, or should be pulled out of it by some disturbance, it will be again sucked up by the flow phenomena at the edge of the jet and introduced into the jet. The air flowing into the container 6 may pass out through the opening 8 after being separated from the caught part of the thread.

In the catching device according to Fig. 2, a pair of rollers 9, l0, running on each other, is adopted. The blast jet 3 is directed against the nip ll of the rollers. There it cannot pass through between the rollers, but distributes itself towards both sides and flows over the surface of the rollers. The broken part 5a of the thread is however projected against the nip of the rollers in consequence of its inertia, is seized by them and led between them. After passing through, it runs further with the surface of the roller 10 until it falls in consequence of its weight into the collecting holder I2; 4

In the catching device according to Fig. 3, the blast jet 3 is directed against a conveyer belt I3 which runs round the rollers l4 in the sense 01' '4 the arrows. The broken thread part in is, in consequence of its inertia, projected against the surface of the belt II, to which it can adhere.

The belt conveys the caught part of the thread So out of the normal path of the running thread to a place where it can be removed by hand or by means of a suitable device not shown,

In the catching device according to Fig. 4, the catching device is formed as a passage l5, through which air flows in the direction of the arrows. The thread I6 runs through from above to below and is shown in the illustrated projection only as a point. After a break, the runningofl' part lSa of the thread is caught by the jet l1 and led with it into the catching opening ll of the passage i5 which is situated opposite the blast opening i9. In the passage itself the caught part Nb of the thread is carried along further by the air stream.

At the end, the passage i5 is connected to the delivery side of a delivery device 20. This delivery device is formed as a centrifugal fan which withdraws air from the room and introduces it at a higher pressure into the passage i5. At the other end of the passage IS a separating device 2i is connected in which the caught part iiib of the thread is separated from the air stream. The thread may for instance lie on the wall of the separating container, whilst the air is led again into the room through the opening 22. The nozzle 23 is also connected to a delivery device 24, which too withdraws air from the room and leads it at a higher pressure to the nozzle 23. The two

delivery devices

20 and 24 are of such dimensions that the pressure in the nozzle 23 is higher than the pressure in the passage l5, so that the air jet l'i passes through the room and enters through the opening into the passage I 5 against the pressure within the passage.

In the passage 25 of the catching device shown in Fig. 5, a Venturi-like constriction of the crosssectional area of flow is provided in the neighbourhood of the catching opening 26. The wall 2! built into the passage 25 produces a constriction of the cross-sectional area of flow at the catching opening. Because of the acceleration of the speed caused thereby, the air flowing through has at this spot a diminished pressure, so that the entering blast jet 28 produced by the delivery device 29 and nozzle 30 meets with a diminished resistance. In the following diffusor-like part of the passage, the velocity is again converted into pressure. A separating device 3! for holding back the broken thread 32 is connected to the passage. From it the air freed from the thread and from dust and fluff enters into the delivery device 33. The delivery device is formed as a centrifugal blower and as such may serve for separating out fine dust.

The nozzle 34 and the passage 35 may also, as shown in Fig. 6, be connected to one common delivery device 36. First of all the air required for the jet 31 issues through the blast opening II. The rest of the air passes further through the passage 39 and causes a lowering of the pressure at the spot 40 in consequence of its inertia; this drop in pressure causes more'air to flow through the passage 35. To make up for the air thus flowing through the passage 35, air, in addition to the air introduced by the delivery device, enters the passage 35 from the surrounding space through the opening 4|. Principally the air introduced through the opening 4| maintains a conveying stream continually in the passage 35, and this stream, after the threadbreaks, draws the the catching device, as shown in Fig. 7, may have one blast opening for each thread. The threads 45 run through in the normal direction from above to below and are seen in the projection as points. Opposite the blast openings 46 is one common catching device 41. This catching device consists of a passage 48 through which the air flows and which has a catching opening 48 opposite each blast opening 48. The nozzles 58 are connected to one common pipe which receives compressed air from the ventilating delivery duct 52 of the room in which the device is placed. A quantity of air flows out of the ventilating delivery duct 52 through the pipe 53 past the place 54 leading to the passage 48 and creates a fall in pressure there in consequence of the inertia effect. The conveying stream thereby produced in the passage 48 serves to lead away the thread parts which are caught and also the blast air through the passage 55 into the separator 5B.

The catching device illustrated in Fig. 8 consists of a passage 51 which is connected through a separator 58 to the inlet side of the delivery device 59. The blast nozzles 68 are connected to the delivery device 8| through a common piping 63.. The passage 62 also contains a device 64 in which the air led to the blast openings is made electrically conducting by means of electric sparks. The device 84 is connected by the conductingwires 65 to an electrical device 66 producing the necessary tension. The electrical device 61 is connected to the electrical main line by the conducting-wires 61. Electrically conducting air is able to free particles of dust, flufi and threads from an electric charge. In this way it is possible to prevent parts endeavouring to get away from each other because of bearing a. charge of the same sign and thus rendering the catching operation more diflicult. Further, by means of an electric charging device 68 connected by the conducting wires 69 to the electrical device 56, the walls of the passages 51 may be electrically charged. In this way, for instance, an unlike charge on dust, particles, fluff and thread, may be compensated for. i

If the passage 18 of the catching device is connected to a jet blower 4|, as shown in Fig. 9, the compressed air may be introduced by means of one single delivery device 12, which is suflicient for the nozzles I3 in the passage 14 and for maintaining the necessary conveying stream in the passage 18 with the catching openings I1. The exhaust air from the jet blower passes into the separator 15 and then issues through the passages l8.

The spinning machine according to Fig. has a drawing means 18 in which the thread 19 coming from a bobbin B0 is stretched. After this stretching operation, the thread I8 passes through a guide device 8! on to the spinning bobbin 82 and is there spun and at the same time wound up. If the thread breaks in the drawing mechanism, the part of the thread following will no longer be wound up by the spinning bobbin 82. It will rather be caught on neighbouring thread guides and thread bobbins of the spinning machine and cause trouble there which may possibly lead to further threads breaking. In this way it is possible that the breaking of a single thread may cause breaks in a whole series of other thread paths before the trouble can be removed. To prevent this, a nozzle 83 with blast opening 84 is provided for each thread path. The outlet of the blast opening is directed against the'running thread 19 and the catching opening 85 of the passage 86 arranged behind the thread. The blast air is led to the nozzle 83 through the passage 81. If the thread breaks, the broken part of the thread is led by the blast jet 88 into the opening 85 of the conveying passage 86, where it is caught by an air current and carried away. In this way it cannot cause any further trouble. Preferably the passage 81 may be connected to the ventilating device of the spinning room. The ventilating device in its turn may have an air conditioning plant. so that air which is conditioned and possibly also rendered electrically conducting may be blown into the neighbourhood of the thread path. Naturally the passage 81 has a separate nozzle for each of the separate thread tracks-which as usual in spinning machines are arranged in a large number beside each otherand each of these nozzles has opposite it an opening l8 leading to the conveying passage IS.

The catching device according to the invention may also be adopted on doubling machines, winding machines, looms and in general on all filament-working and filament-preparing machines in which there is a risk of breaking the filament moving in any given moving filament path. By the term filaments just used is here to be understood not only single filaments of natural or artificial fiber, metal, or mineral composition, but also finished and unfinished threads and yarns in the generally understood sense in the textile industry in connection with which the foregoing detailed description has been given. The term filaments is also intended to comprehend flexible twisted or braided cords, narrow woven or knitted tapes and ribbons handled on analogous machinery.

If the filament material in question is very inflammable, an inert gas, for instance nitrogen, may be used instead of air to guide away the broken part. In this case it is also particularly -'recommended to make the air or the gas electrically conducting, so that electric charges may not accumulate at any place long enough to cause sparking.

The blast opening may be designed as a simple opening in a passage, or as the opening of a noz- .zle or of a simple conducting pipe. As supply devices to introduce compressed air or to lead away air, jet delivery devices, all types of fans, for instance centrifugal or axial fans, may be adopted. In addition to broken filaments, any dust and fiufi given oil by the threads may also be led away.

I claim:

1. A filament catching device for catching up the oncoming part of a normally taut running filament after abnormal breaking comprising a blast opening directed towards the running fila ment for producing a continuous gaseous jet traversing the path of said filament and a catching device arranged beyond said path opposite said opening.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the blast opening is formed as a nozzle.

3. The device of claim 1 further comprising a delivery device the outlet side of which is connected to the blast opening.

4. The device of claim 1 further comprising a Venturi-device the high pressure side of which is connected to the blast opening.

5. The device 01' claim 1 in which the catching device is formed as a container in which the caught part of the filament is separated from the Jet.

6. The device of claim I in which the catching device comprises two rollers running on each other in a direction to cause the motion of the nip to be away from the Jet.

7. The device of claim 1 in which the catching device comprises a conveyer belt having a surface to which the filament will adhere.

8. A filament catching device for catching up the oncoming part of a normally taut running filament after abnormal breaking comprising a blast opening directed towards the running filament for producing a continuous gaseous jet traversing the path of said filament and a catching device arranged beyond said path opposite said opening, said catching device comprising a passage for the through flow of a gaseous stream and an opening in said passage opposite the blast opening.

9. The device of claim 8 in which the catching device additionally comprises a delivery device the outlet side of which is connected to the passage.

10. The device of claim 8 in which the catching device additionally comprises a delivery device the inlet side of which is connected to the passage.

11. The device of claim 10 in which the passage is provided with an opening to the atmosphere at the end opposite its connection to the delivery device.

12. The device of claim 8 in which the catching device additionally comprises a Venturi device the low-pressure side of which is connected to the passage.

13. The device of claim 12 in which the passage is provided with an opening to the atmosphere at the end opposite its connection to the Venturi device.

14. The device of claim 8 in which the passage is provided with a Venturi-like constriction of its cross-sectional area. of fiow in the vicinity of the catching opening.

15. The device of claim 14 in which the passage is provided with a plurality of catching openings and associated constrictions.

16. The device of claim 8 in which the catching device additionally comprises a. separator connected to the passage in which the broken filament is separated from the gaseous stream.

17. The device of claim 8 in which the catching device additionally comprises a gas permeable filter fitted in the passage for holding up the broken filament.

18. A filament catching device for catching up the oncoming parts of a plurality oi normally taut running filaments after the abnormal breaking of any or all of them comprising separate blast openings directed toward each running filament for producing a continuous gaseous jet traversing the path of such filament and a common catching device arranged beyond said paths opposite said openings.

19. The device of claim 18 in which the catching device comprises a single passage for the through flow of a gaseous stream and a separate catching opening therein opposite each blast opening.

20. The device of claim 19 in which the catching device additionally comprises a delivery device the inlet side of which is connected to the passage.

21. The device of claim 20 in which the passage is provided with an opening to the atmosphere at the end opposite its connection to the delivery device.

22. The device of claim 18 in which the catching device comprises a single passage for the through flow of a gaseous stream, a separate catching opening therein opposite each blast opening, and a Venturi device the low-pressure side of which is connected to the passage.

23. The device of claim 22 in which the passage is provided with an opening to the atmosphere at the end opposite to the Venturi device.

24. The device of claim 1 further comprising a device for rendering the gas of the jet electrically conductive.

25. The device of claim 1 further comprising a device for electrically charging some portion of the catching device.

26. In combination, in filament handling machinery, a normally taut running filament, a continuous gaseous jet traveling in the path of said filament and a catching device arranged beyond said path in the stream of said jet.

27. The device of claim 8 in which the passage for the through-flow of a gaseous stream is made of a transparent material.

CHARLES CAILLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,207,105 Payne July 9, 1940 2,250,866 Hewton July 29, 1941 2,431,726 Bechtler Dec. 2, 1947