US2745146A

US2745146A - Process for coiling sliver in cans

Info

Publication number: US2745146A
Application number: US289450A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert C Wilkie
Original assignee: Pacific Mills
Current assignee: Pacific Mills
Priority date: 1947-12-06
Filing date: 1952-05-23
Publication date: 1956-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 1973-05-15

Description

May 15, 1956 R. c. WlLKlE 2,745,146

PROCESS FOR COILING SLIVER IN CANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Dec. 6, 1947 y 15, 9 R. c. WELKIE 2,745,146

PROCESS FOR COILING SLIVER IN CANS Original Filed Dec. 6, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mrrzeg United States Patent PROCESS FOR COILING SLIVER IN CANS Robert C. Wilkie, Andover, Mass., assignor to Pacific Mills, Lawrence, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Original application December 6, 1947, Serial No. 790,158, now Patent No. 2,598,738, dated June 3, 1952. 12813122?) and this application May 23, 1952, Serial No.

9 Claims. c1. 19-159 This invention relates to a process for coiling sliver in cans. Its object is to pull the sliver into the can and to compact it in the can in evenly symmetrical helical coils uniformly disposed from the bottom to the top of the can whereby the can is filled with the maximum volume and weight of sliver.

In the use of cans, known in the art as sliver cans, the can is given a horizontal orbital motion without rotation underneath a rotating coiler head which carries the sliver through a tube from the calender rolls and deposits the sliver in coils in the can. In the case of cotton and other cellulosic fibers, the sliver, compacted by the calender rolls, readily passes into and through the tube of the coiler head into the can. Wool, on the other hand, is resilient and springy with the result that on leaving the calender rolls the sliver expands to such an extent that it is difiicult for it to enter and pass through the tube of the coiler head. Efforts have been made in certain types of Wool coiling mechanisms to overcome this difiiculty by introducing devices under the calender rolls to confine the sliver closely until it enters the tube of the coiler head and by employing devices operated beneath the coiler head. But these devices add complications to the machine and have not been entirely successful. An objection to former methods is that the actual coiling of the wool sliver does not take place immediately on the delivery of the sliver into the can.

The wool sliver is whirled around in the can and no actual coiling takes place until the material fills the can sufliciently to exert an upward pressure against'the coiler head. Of the total amount of wool placed in the can, the part actually coiled comprises only about one-third.

I overcome these objections by gripping the untwisted wool sliver as soon as its end is delivered through the tube on the coiler head and by pulling the wool sliver under light tension through the tube, as hereinafter set forth. I p

A preferred form of my invention is shown in the drawings in which:

Fig. l is an end view showing the calender rolls, coiler head and driving means for the same;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the sliver can;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the sliver can;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section of the spring device shown in Pigv 2; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the form of the coils of sliver.

The wool sliver, taken as typical of the resilient and springy fibers for purposes of description of my process,

is fed to the calender rolls 1 and 2, Fig. 1, from a source of supply. It is compressed and delivered by thecalender rolls to the tube 3 on the rotating coiler head plate 4 through which tube it passes to a hole 6 in the coiler head plate 4. As soon as it passes through this hole it is gripped by the nip of the plate 7, Fig. 2, at the top of the sliver can 10 against the bottom of the plate 4 2,745,146 Patented May 15, 1956 wool against the bottom of the plate 4.

The sliver can 10, Fig. 2, which may be one of a group or series of cans is supported on a table (not shown) which is given an orbital motion in a horizontal plane by mechanism which is known in the art and need not be described.

The sliver can 10 is offset, i. e. eccentrically positioned, with respect to the coiler head, and as the orbital motion of the can is at a much slower speed than the rotation of the coiler head, the wool sliver is deposited in the can in a helix of superposed and nearly circularcoils tangential to the inside surface of the cylindrical can and passing beyond the center of'the can, Fig. 5.

To this end the hole 6 in the plate 4 is disposed close to the edge of the plate and the rotation of the plate brings the hole close to the projection of the inside surface of the can and the distance from the inner edge of the hole in the plate to the axis of rotation of the plate is so related that the radius of the can that this edge of the hole passes beyond the projected axis of the can.

The coiling of the wool sliver is started immediately as soon as it passes through the hole 6 in the coiler plate by means next to be described.

A ring 11 is vertically movable within the can, Fig. 2,

and on the ring rests the plate 7 constituting a circular false bottom, which is held on the ring by a circumferential rib. To three points equally spaced around the lower outside periphery of ring 11 are attached the ends of cords 13 which pass around pulley sheaves 14 which are mounted on pins in openings at equal intervals around and at points just below the rim of the can. A cord 13 passing over each sheave is fastened to a helically grooved drum lS, Fig. 4. One end of a coil spring 16, contained within the drum, is fastened to the drum and the other end is fastened to a pin 17 on which the drum is mounted. When the ring is in its uppermost position at the start of the operation of filling the can with wool sliver, the springs 16 are under sufficient tension to press the plate 7 against the bottom of the coiler head plate 4 with such force as to grip the wool delivered through the hole 6 in the coiler plate 4 against that plate and the rotation of the plate 4 starts to pull the wool through the tube 3 under a light tension and to carry it around in a circle with the rotation of the coiler head.

I have found that for best results the plate 7 should be pressed against the bottom of the coiler head plate 4 with a pressure of about 15 pounds, that is, each spring should exert a pull of about 5 pounds, when the plate 7 is in its uppermost position against the bottom of the plate 4.

As the plate 7 is lowered by the accumulation thereon of coiled wool, the springs pull on the cords to maintain an upward pressure on the plate 7 which increases as the plate descends, thereby compensating for the additional weight of the coiled wool on the plate and providing the desired upward pressure of the coiled Wool against the bottom of the coiler plate 4 to grip the wool against the plate so that the wool sliver is pulled through the differential, causes theuniform delivery of the wool sliver from the calender rolls through the tube into the can.

The mechanism by which I prefer to provide this speed differential is as follows:

Attached to the coiler plate 4, Fig. l, is a peripheral gear 41 which is rotated about its axis by a gear 21) which is attached to a shaft 21 to which is attached a bevel gear 22 driven by a bevel gear 23 on shaft 24 to which is attached the sprocket wheel 25. The latter is driven by a sprocket chain 26 which is driven by a sprocket 27 fast on the shaft of the calender roll 2. A sprocket wheel 23 fast on this shaft is driven by a sprocket chain 29 from a sprocket 30 fast on the shaft 31 which is driven by any suitable source of power (not shown). The calender roll 1 is geared to the calender roll 2 so that these rolls have the same surface speed.

When the linear speed of the inner edge of the hole 6 in the coiler head plate is from 2 to 15% greater than the speed of the wool sliver delivered by the calender rolls, determined by the peripheral speed of the calender rolls, the wool sliver from the beginning to the end of the operation is pulled through the tube 3 under light tension smoothly and continuously and is wound in compact helically laid coils on the plate 7 in the can so that the entire can is filled with compacted coils of Wool tangential to the inside surface of the can and extending beyond the axis of the can as shown in Fig. 5.

The desired ratio of the linear speed of the inner edge of the hole in the coiler head plate to the surface speed of the calender rolls may be achieved in any suitable manner. For example, I may vary the number of teeth in the gear 20 with relation to the number'of teeth on the gear 41, or I may vary the number of teeth on the sprocket wheel 27 on the shaft of the calender roll 2 with relation to the number of teeth on the sprocket 25.

As an example, assume that the calender rolls are 2 inches in diameter and are rotating at 240 R. P. M., that there are 17 teeth on the

sprocket

27, 22 teeth on the sprocket 25, that there are 20 teeth on the gear 20 and 108 teeth on the gear 41 and that

bevel gears

22 and 23 are of the same size. Under these conditions the peripheries of the calender rolls run at a speed of approximately 1500 in. per minute and the inner edge of the hole in the coiler head rotates at a linear speed of approximately 1540 in. per minute or about 2.8% faster than the speed at which the wool is delivered by the calender rolls.

I have found that the speed differential of from 2 to 15 between the surface speed of the calender rolls and the greater linear speed of the inner edge of the hole in the coiler head plate is critical and that if the differential is reduced below this lower limit the wool will not be pulled through the tube and be coiled properly in the can. Preferably the speed differential should not ordinarily exceed 7 /2%, though, if a somewhat smaller strand is desired or may be permitted, the differential may be increased to or even to If the differential is greater than 15% the tension on the wool sliver, which is untwisted, is apt to break it.

When the mode of operation above described is followed, the can is filled from bottom to top with a compact mass of helically arranged coils. For example, pounds of wool sliver can be filled into a can 12 in. in diameter and 36 in. high, compared with a maximum of 8 or 10 pounds by previous methods.

The present application is 'a division of my prior application Serial No. 790,158, filed December 6, 1947, now Patent No. 2,598,738 granted June 3, 1952.

I claim:

1. The method of filling a sliver-can compactly from top to bottom with sliver through a rotating coiler head having an opening therein eccentric of its axis of rotation which comprises delivering the sliver from a point along the axis of rotation of the coiler head continuously to the opening in the head at a predetermined speed, continuously rotating the coiler head to move the portion of the sliver within the opening in a circular path at a linear speed 2% to 15% greater than said predetermined speed of delivery, and pressing the sliver issuing from the opening between the under surface of said coiler head and a relatively stationary surface within the can, whereby the sliver is pulled through the opening and into the can.

2. The method of feeding a resilient and springy sliver from a rotating coiler head having an opening therein eccentric of its axis of rotation into a sliver can below the head which comprises delivering the sliver from a point along the axis of rotation of the coiler head to the opening in the head at a predetermined speed, rotating the coiler head to move the portion of the sliver within the opening in a circular path at a linear speed 2% to 15% greater than said predetermined speed of delivery, pressing the sliver immediately it issues from the opening between the under surface of the head and a relatively stationary surface within the can, thus pulling the sliver under tension through the opening and into the can, and thereafter continuously during the filling of the can maintaining tension in the sliver passing through said opening by continuation of said pressing and said rotation of the head.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the sliver in the can is maintained continuously during filling under compression depthwise of the can.

4-. The method of filling a resilient and springy sliver into a sliver can through a coiler head located above the can, rotating with respect to the can and having therein eccentric of its axis of rotation an opening into the can, which comprises delivering the sliver at a predetermined speed into the opening in the head, and rotating the head at a speed such as to move the opening at a linear speed 2% to 15% greater than said predetermined speed and inhibiting relative rotation between the can and the portion of the sliver issuing from the opening, to cause the sliver after it issues from the opening to be pulled with a force suificient to pull the sliver under tension from the opening and into the can but insufiicient to break the sliver.

5. The method of feeding a resilient and springy sliver into a sliver can through a coiler head located above the can, rotating with respect to the can and having therein eccentric of its axis of rotation an opening into the can, which comprises delivering the sliver into the opening in the head at a predetermined speed, rotating the coiler head to move the portion of the sliver within the opening in a circular path at a linear speed 2% to 15 greater than said predetermined speed and inhibiting relative rotation between the can and the portion of the sliver issuing from said opening, thus pulling the sliver under tension through the opening and into the can.

6. The method of filling a sliver can compactly from top to bottom with sliver through a coiler head located above the can, rotating with respect to the can and having therein eccentric of its axis of rotation an opening into the can, which comprises delivering the sliver at a predetermined speed into the opening in the head and rotating the head at a speed such as to move the opening at a linear speed 2% to 15% greater than said predetermined speed and inhibiting relative rotation between the can and the portion of the sliver issuing from the opening, to cause the sliver after it issues from the opening to be pulled with a force sufficient to pull the sliver under tension through the opening but insufiicient to break the sliver, and thereafter continuously during the filling of the can delivering the sliver to the opening and maintaining said speed differential to maintain sufiicient tension in the sliver passing through the discharge end of said opening to cause uniform passage of the sliver through theopening but insutficient to break the sliver by continuation of said pulling upon the sliver after it has issued from said opening.

7. The method of filling a sliver can compactly from top to bottom with sliver through a coiler head located above the can, rotating with respect to the can and having therein eccentric of its axis of rotation an opening into the can, which comprises delivering the sliver from a point along the axis of rotation of the coiler head continuously to the opening in the head at a predetermined speed, continuously rotating the coiler head to move the portion of the sliver within the opening in a circular path at a linear speed 2% to 15% greater than said predetermined speed of delivery, and continuously inhibiting relative rotation between the can and the portion of the sliver issuing from said opening, whereby the sliver is pulled through the opening and into the can.

8. The method of filling a sliver can compactly from top to bottom with sliver through a coiler head located above the can, rotating with respect to the can and having therein eccentric of its axis of rotation an opening into the can which comprises delivering the sliver from a point along the axis of rotation of the coiler head into the opening in the head at a predetermined speed, rotating the coiler head to move the portion of the sliver within the opening in a circular path at a linear speed 2% to 15% greater than said predetermined speed of delivery and inhibiting relative rotation between the can and the portion of the sliver issuing from said opening, thus pulling the sliver under tension through the opening and into the can, and thereafter continuously during the filling of the can maintaining sufiicient tension in the sliver passing through said opening to cause uniform passage of the sliver through said opening by continuing said rotation of the coiler head and inhibiting relative rotation between the can and the portion of the sliver issuing from said opening.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the sliver in the can is maintained continuously during filling under compression depthwise of the can.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Weinberger Mar. 28, 1939 Wilkie July 16, 1949