US2807162A - Tensiometer - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 24, 14957 E. N. scHwENNlNGER HTM.

TENSIOMETER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 21. 1954 rnv,

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TENSIOMETER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 21, 1954 Unite fates 2,807,162 Y TENsroMErER Application May 21, 1954, Serial No. 431,447 12 Claims. (Cl. 73--143) This invention relates to a recording tensiometer and i more particularly to a tensiometer for recording fluctuations in yarn tension. Y

' It is often desirable in textile operations to ascertain the tension in running yarns, particularly since-many fabric defects and dyeing properties are related to yarn tension and to changes in such tension. However, owing to the large and rapidly-occurring variations of the tension in running yarns, it has been difficult to record the tension continuously, in a; precise manner, and without a relatively large movement of the yarn-receiving portion of the tension-measuring device.

lt is an object of this invention to provide an accurate and responsive tensiometer for recording the fluctuations in the tension of a running yarn or filament as it passes.

over rollers or guides in predetermined arranged courses.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a force measuring device in which the measurement of the force involves .only a small movement of the force-receiving portion of the device.

Other objects of this invention, together with certain details of constru-ction and arrangements of parts, will be apparent .from the following description and claims.

A preferred form of this inventionis illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side view, mainly 1n cross-section, of the tensiometer of this invention,

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View taken along the line 2-2of Fig. l, Y

Fig. 3 is a plan view taken in the direction indicated by the arrows 3-3 of `Fig. l Aand showing the manner in which the beam of the tensiometer is pivotally mounted,

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. l, and f Fig. 5 is a View in cross-section taken along Vthe line 5-5 of Fig. 1. Y

Referring now to the drawings, reference numeral 11 designates a running yarn, whose tension is to be measured. This yarn passes over a freely rotatable roller 12 which is supported at the end of a. tiltable, generally horizontal beam 13. The beam 13 is resiliently supported, on a stationary manifold 14, for angular movement in a vertical plane, by means of an arrangement of thin metallic strips or fiexurebands 16, 17,-17a (see also Fig. 3)described in detail below.

One band 16 .(see also Fig. 3) is disposedhorizontally while the other two bands 1717a are disposed vertically on both sides of the horizontal band 16. The horizontal band 16 is fixed at one end to the manifold 14, as by means of screws 1S, and is secured at the other end toa T-shaped plate 19 by means of fasteners 21, 22. The plate 19 is in turn attached to the beam -13 by the fastener 22 and by another fastener 23. Theupper ends of the vertical bands 17, 17a are joined to angle irons 24, 24a, respectively, by means of screws 26, 26a, respectively, these angle irons 24, 24a being in turn fixed to the manifold 14, as by means of the screws 18. The lower ends of the vertical bands 17, 17a are secured to opposite atent O` ice y beam 13 pivots about a horizontal axis situated generally at about the line of intersection of thehorizontal plane of the band 16 and the vertical `plane of the bands 17, 17a. Tilting of the normally horizontal beam 13 causes the bands 16, 17, 17a to bend slightly, though the extent of such bending is, of course, not sufficient to cause permanent deformation of said strips. For example, each of the bands 16, 17, 17a, which may be termed flat springs, may be made of sheet Phosphor bronze, 1&0 inch in thickness, with the free span between the fixed portions of each band being about 2/3 inch. The arrangement of bands provides a substantially frictionless and trouble-free pivotal support for the beam 13. Y p v The force applied to the end of the beam 13 by the running yarn 11 is opposed by air pressure which is applied to the beam 13 through the action of a bellows 29 (Figs. 1 and 4) having `a pointed head 31, adapted tol 36' of the bellows 29 is secured. The port 33 communicates with the interior of the bellows 29 through a passageway 37 in a screw 38, which screw passes through the central bore 39 of the block 34 and is threaded into the base 36.`

The air under pressure is supplied to the flexible line 32 and bellows 29 from an air supply zone 41 (see also Fig. 2), which zoneis maintained at a constant uniform pressure. From the supply zone 41 the air passes through a pipe l42, then through a passage 43 (see also Fig. 2) in themanifold 14, to a passage 44 in a pilot valve assembly 46 (Fig. l) supported on said manifold. In the pilot valve assembly 46 the air travels from the passage 44 past a ball 47 to a chamber 43, a portion of the air in the chamber 48 being exhausted or bled to the atmosphere through the bore 49 of a tubular fitting 51 mounted in said asssembly 46. The pressure of the air in the chamber 48 is transmitted, through a passageway 52 in the of a pressure gauge 54 which is connected to the passageway 52 by means of a pipe 56 (see also Fig. 2).

The rate at which the air flows from the air supply zone 41 to the chamber 48 (Fig. l) in the pilot valve assembly 46 is regulated by the position of the ball 47. The Yposition of the ball 47 also determines how much, if any, of this air is exhausted from the chamber 4S to the atmosphere through the bore 49 of the tubular fitting 51. Thus, the ball 47 is adapted to be pressed against either a lower tapered seat 57 or against an upper tapered seat 58 or to be in a position between, and disengaged from, these two seats depending on the position of a plunger 59 abutting against said ball and described below. The upper seat 58 is situated at one endof the tubularrfitting 51, which is screwed into the main body 60 of they pilot valve assembly 46. Similarly, the lower seat 57 is situated at one end of a tubular lower fittingy 61 screwed into said main body 60. Theshape and spacing of the seats 57, 58 are such that the ball 47 is prevented from leaving the zone betweensaid seats. Mounted VWithin the lower tubular fitting 61 is a push rod 62,

slightly thinner than the bore 63 of said lower fitting 61, which push rod is urged upwardly against the ball 47V by the action of a relatively weak spring 64, operating in compression. The upper end of the spring 64 abutS against a shoulder 66 on the push rod 62, while the lower end of the spring 64 presses against a plug 67 which is screwed into the main body 6). ln order to prevent leakage of air around the plug, a gasket 68 is provided. The tendency of the push rod 62 and ball 47 to move upwards due to the force exerted by the spring 64 is resisted by the plunger S9, which is of slightly smaller diameter than the bore 49 of the upper tubular fitting 51. The lower end of the plunger 59 is adapted to engage the top of the ball 47, while the upper end of the plunger is adapted to abut against the tip of a screw 71 adjustably mounted on the beam 13.

in operation, assuming the parts to be inthe position shown in Fig. l, the force applied by the yarn 11 traveling over the roller 12 tilts the beam 13 forward, causing upward movement of the screw 71, and, accordingly, causing the ball 47 to move upward away from the seat 57 and towards the seat 53. Air, from air supply 41, ows past the ball 47 until -the pressure in the bellows 29 has increased suiiiciently to balance the force applied by the yarn 11, thus causing the beam 13 to tilt back to a position such that the ball 47 will be situated between and spaced from the two seats 57 and 58. In this position a controlled amount of air will pass into the chamber 48 and a controlled amount of air will be bled from said chamber to the atmosphere. If the pressure in the bellows 29 should be greater than that necessary to balance the force applied by the yarn 11, e. g. if the tension in the yarn should decrease, the beam 13 will be tilted back still further, causing the screw 71 to move downwards and thereby moving the ball 47 closer to the lower seat 57. This movement causes a decrease in the pressure in the bellows 29 by decreasing the amount of air flowing into the chamber 48 and increasing the amount of air being bled to the atmosphere. Conversely, if the pressure in the bellows 29 is insuilicient to balance the force applied by the yarn 11, e. g. if the tension in the yarn should increase, the beam 13 will be tilted forward causing the screw 71 to move upward and thereby moving the ball 47 closer to the upper seat 58, thus increasing the pressure in the bellows 29 by increasing the amount of air ilowing into the chamber 48 and decreasing the amount of air being bled to the atmosphere.

It is to be understood, of course, that the apparatus shown in the drawings is so constructed that substantially no air escapes therefrom to the atmosphere, except through the bore 49 of the tubular fitting 51.

It will be apparent from the drawings that in the embodiment illustrated therein, the weight of the beam 13 is not evenly balanced. Accordingly, even when there is no load on the beam 13, for example, when no yarn is passing over the roller 12, there will be a tendency for the beam to tilt forward and for the roller 12 to move downward. The screw 71 should be so adjusted that when there is no load on the beam 13 the ball 47 will be in a position between its two seats 57 and 58 whereby a controlled amount of air will be bled from the chamber 48 to the atmosphere.

The tensiometer of this invention also comprises means for adjusting the range thereof, that is, the range of yarn tensions which may be measured thereby. To this end, provision is made for varying the point where the air pressure is applied to the beam 13, means being provided for moving the bellows 29 horizontally so that its pointed head 31 slides along the bottom of the horizontal strip 16. Thus, the block 34, to which the bottom 36 of the bellows 29 is secured, is mounted on a carriage 72 (see also Fig. 4), while the carriage 72 is in turn mounted on two identical horizontal screws 7?, 73a, as shown in Fig. 4, and is adapted to be moved horizontally by the rotation of said screws. The screws 73, 73a are operatively connected to pinions 74, 74a, respectively (Figs. 1 and 5), which are adapted to be driven by a meshing gear wheel 76 Xed to a shaft 77. In order to permit the gear wheel 76 to be rotated manually, as desired, the shaft 77 is provided with a slot 78 for receiving the blade of a screw driver.

The assembly of screws 73, 73a, pinions 74, 74a, and gear wheel 76 is mounted on a framework 79, which framework is attached to a base 81, as by means of screws 82 (Fig. l). The manifold 14 is also attached to the base 81, as by means of screws 83 (Fig. 2), and the whole tensiometer, except for the air supply 41, pressure gauge 54 and the end of the beam 1,3 carrying the roller 12, is enclosed within a housing 84.

The pressure gauge 54 may be of any suitable type such as a Bourdon tube gauge or a recorder-controller of conventional construction. The use of the recordercontroller is particularly advantageous when it is desired to control a process, e. g. a physical or chemical treatment of the yarn, in accordance with variations in the tensions of the yarn. Thus, the recorder-controller may be so connected as to vary any desired control agent for said process in accordance with the variations in the air pressure transmitted to said recorder-controller through the pipe 56.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having described our invention what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A force measuring device comprising a member mounted for movement, `a guide for receiving a continuous moving element and operatively connected to said member for applying thereto the force exerted on said guide due to the tension in said moving element, a chamber, means for continuously supplying a fluid under pressure to said chamber, means providing a passage for continuously bleeding uid from said chamber, means for applying the pressure of the fluid in said chamber to said member in a direction to oppose said force, valve means operatively connected to said member and controlled by said member for regulating the rate at which uid is supplied to said chamber, said valve means serving to increase the rate of fluid supply to said chamber when the pressure of said fluid in said chamber is insuflicient to balance said force, and vice versa, and means for measuring the pressure of the fluid in said chamber whereby to obtain an indication of the magnitude of said force.

2. A force measuring device comprising a member mounted for movement, a guide for receiving a continuous moving element and operatively connected to said member for applying thereto the force exerted on said guide due to the tension in said moving element, a chamber, means for continuously supplying a uid under pressure to said chamber, means providing a passage for continuously bleeding fluid from said chamber, means for applying the pressure of the fluid in said chamber to said member in a direction to oppose said force, valve means operatively connected to said member and controlled by said member for regulating the rate at which uid is bled from said chamber, said valve means serving to decrease the rate of bleeding from said chamber when the pressure of said fluid in said chamber is insuicient to balance said force, and vice versa, and means for measuring the pressure of the iiuid in said chamber whereby to obtain an indication of the magnitude of said force.

3. A force measuring device comprising a member mounted for movement, a guide for receiving a continuous moving element and operatively connected to said member for applying thereto the force exerted on said guide due to the tension in said moving element, a chamber, means for continuously supplying a lluid under pressure to said chamber, means providing a passage for continuously bleeding iluid from said chamber, means for applying the pressure of the fluid in said chamber to said member in a direction to oppose said force, valve means operatively connected to said member and controlled by said member for regulating the rate at which uid 'estime is supplied to said chamber and the rate at which fluid is bled from said chamber, said valve means serving to increase the rate of fluid supply to said chamber and decrease the rate of bleeding from said chamber when the pressure of said fluid in said chamber is insutcient to balance said force, and vice versa, and means for measuring the pressure of the yiluid in said chamber whereby to obtain an indication of the magnitude of said force.

4. A device for measuring the tension in a moving yarn, comprising a member mounted for angular movement, yarn receiving means operatively connected to said member for applying thereto the force exerted on said yarn receiving means due to the tension in a running yarn engaged by said yarn receiving means, a chamber, means for continuously supplying a iiuid` under pressure to said chamber, means providing a passage for continuously bleeding fluid from said chamber, means for applying the pressure of the fluid in said chamber to said member in a direction to oppose the force due to the tension in said yarn, valve means operatively connected to said member and controlled by the position of said member for regulating the rate at which uid is supplied to said chamber, said valve means serving to increase the rate of fluid supply to said chamber when the pressure of said uid in said chamber is insuicient to balance the force to be measured, and vice versa, and means for measuring the pressure of the fluid in said chamber whereby to obtain an indication of the tension in said running yarn.

5. A device for measuring the tension in a moving yarn, comprising a member mounted for angular movement, yarn receiving means operatively connected to said pivoted member for applying thereto the force exerted on said yarn receiving means due to the tension in a running yarn engaged by said yarn receiving means, a chamber, means for continuously supplying a fluid under pressure to said chamber, means providing a passage for continuously bleeding fluid from said chamber, means for applying the pressure of the iuid in said chamber to said member in a direction to oppose the force due to the tension in said yarn, valve means operatively connected to said member and controlled by the position of said member for regulating the rate at which uid is bled from said chamber, said valve means serving to decrease the rate of bleeding from said chamber when the pressure of said fluid in said chamber is insufficient to balance the force to be measured, and vice versa, and means for measuring the pressure of the fluid in said chamber whereby to obtain an indication of the tension in said running yarn.

6. A device for measuring the tension in a moving yarn, comprising a member mounted for angular movement, yarn receiving means operatively connected to said member for applying thereto the force exerted on said yarn receiving means due to the tension in a running yarn engaged by said yarn receiving means, a chamber, means for continuously supplying a fluid under pressure to said chamber, means providing a passage for continuously bleeding fluid from said chamber, means for applying the pressure of the iiuid in said chamber to said member in a direction to oppose the force due to the tension in said yarn, valve means operatively connected to said member and controlled by the position of said member for regulating the rate at which fluid is supplied to said chamber and the rate at which fluid is bled from said chamber, said valve means serving to increase the rate of uid supply to said chamber and decrease the rate of bleeding from said chamber when the pressure of said uid in said chamber is insufficient to balance the force to be measured, Iand vice versa, and means for measuring the pressure of the fluid in said chamber whereby to obtain an indication of the tension in said running yarn.

7. A device as set forth in claim 4 in which said means for applying the pressure of the fluid in said chamber to .said member comprises a bellows for receiving said liuid,

chamber, a ball movable between said seats to vary vaifle'xible "line connecting said chamber to said bellows, -said bellows operatively engaging said beam at a point gaging saidy bellows and for moving said bellows parallel to said beam on rotation of said screw.

9. A device according to claim 6 in which said valve means comprises a pair of opposed valve seats in sai sai rates of supply and exhaust, and a rod operatively engaging said ball and said member for controlling the position of said ball.

10. A device for measuring the tension in a moving yarn, comprising a beam, a yarn receiving roller mounted at one end of said beam to transmit the tension in said yarn to said beam, said beam being mounted for angular movement solely by means of a plurality of iiexible strips extending i-n intersecting horizontal and vertical planes between said beam and a xed support, a bellows having a pointed tip operatively engaging said beam at a point spaced from the fulcrum of said beam, a pair of screws parallel to said beam and operatively engaging said bellows for moving said bellows parallel to said beam to vary the distance between said tip and said fulcrum, pinions on said screws, a gear Wheel engaging each of said pinions for rotating said screws, a chamber communieating with the interior of said bellows, a flexible line connecting said chamber to said bellows, means for continuously supplying air under pressure to said chamber, means providing a passage for continuously bleeding air from said chamber, valve means operatively connected to said beam and controlled by the position of said beam for varying the rate at which air is supplied to said chamber land the rate at which air is bled from said chamber, said valve means serving to increase the rate of uid supply to said chamber and to decrease the rate of bleeding from said chamber when the pressure ofrsaid fluid in said chamber is insufficient to balance the force to be measured, and vice versa, said valve means comprising a pair of opposed valve seats in said chamber, a ball movable between said seats to vary said rates of supply and bleeding and a rod operatively engaging said ball and said beam for controlling the position of said ball, and means for measuring the pressure of the fluid in said chamber whereby to obtain an indication of the tension in said running yarn.

ll. A force measuring device comprising a member mounted for angular'movement, a guide for receiving a continuous moving element and operatively connected to said member for applying thereto the force exerted on said guide due to the tension in said moving element, a chamber, means for continuously supplying a uid under pressure to said chamber, means providing a passage for continuously bleeding fluid from said chamber, means for applying the pressure of the fluid in said chamber to said member in a direction to oppose said force, valve means movable with said member and controlled by said member for regulating the rate at which fluid is supplied to said chamber, said valve means serving to increase the rate of iiuid supply to said chamber when the pressure of said fluid in said chamber is insuiiicient to balance said force, and vice versa, and means for measuring the pressure of the fluid in said chamber whereby to obtain an indication of the'magnitude of said force.

l2. A device for measuring the tension in a moving yarn, comprising a member mounted for angular movement, yarn receiving means operatively connected to said 7 member for applying thereto the force exerted on said yarn receiving means due to the tension in a running yarn engaged by said yarn receiving means, a chamber, means for continuously supplying a uid under pressure to said chamber, means providing a passage for continuously bleeding uid from said chamber, means for applying the pressure of the fluid in said chamber to said member in a direction to oppose the force due to the tension in said yarn, valve means movable with said member and controlled by the position of Said member for regulating the rate at which uid is supplied to said chamber and the rate at which uid is bied from said chamber, said valve means serving to increase the rate of Huid supply to said chamber and decrease the rate of bleeding from said chamber when the pressure of said uid in said chamber is insufficient to balance the force to be measured, and vice versa, and means for measuring the pressure of the fluid in said chamber whereby to obtain an indication of the tension in said running yarn.

VReferences'Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,240,243 Mason Apr. 29, 1941 2,268,783 Tate Jan. 6, 1942 2,284,364 Breezeale May 26, 1942 2,343,181 Heinz Feb. 29, 1944 2,431,200 Rosenberger Nov. 18, 1947 2,443,049 McVey Tune 8, 1948 2,493,012 Moore Jan. 3, 1950 2,581,990 Weber Jan. 8, 1952 2,623,741 Brockhuysen Dec. 30, 1952 2,662,539 Markson Dec. 15, 1953

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