US2847718A

US2847718A - Drawing frame needle bar mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2847718A
Application number: US487236A
Authority: US
Inventors: John S Dudley
Original assignee: Whitin Machine Works Inc
Current assignee: Whitin Machine Works Inc
Priority date: 1955-02-10
Filing date: 1955-02-10
Publication date: 1958-08-19
Anticipated expiration: 1975-08-19
Also published as: DE1080000B; CH342876A

Description

1958 J. 5. DUDLEY 2,847,718

DRAWING FRAME NEEDLE BAR MECHANISM Filed Feb. 10, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Jim 6. DUDLEY.

l BY WM ATTORNEYS Aug. 19, 1958 .1. s. DUDLEY 2,847,718

' DRAWING FRAME NEEDLE BAR MECHANISM Filed Feb. 10, 1955 s Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHN S. Duo/.5).

BY 2 g ATTORNEYS United States Patent DRAWING FRAME NEEDLE BAR MECHANISM John S. Dudley, Douglas, Mass., assignor to Whitin Machine Works, Whitinsville, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 10, 1955, Serial No. 487,236

3 Claims. (Cl. 19-130) This invention relates to the art of textile drafting and to a needle bar mechanism for drawing frames and similar machines for processing wool or other long fibers preparatory to spinning.

In the operation of such mechanisms, it has been customary to move the needle bars through a closed circuit including a working section, in which the needles of certain of the bars are engaged with the fibers under treatment, followed by an idle or non-working section. The common practice has been to control the needle bars by holding them against free rotation abount their axes throughout the entire circuit, the primary purpose, of course, being to establish and maintain a desired orientation of the bars and their needles with respect to the fibers throughout the working section of the circuit.

It has been discovered heretofore that improvements in sliver and yarn uniformity result if the needle bars are released from such control prior to their withdrawal from the fibers, that is, at a point adjacent but in advance of the end of the working section, so that the needles of each bar, as it reaches that point, are free to move with and to be moved by the fibers themselves. 7

Problems have persisted, however, in the maintenance of such frames due to the tendency of fibers carried forward by the needles into the non-working zone to accumulate and ball-up to the extent of clogging the frame and even, in extreme cases of distorting the needles.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide protection for the needles against damage from such cause and to minimize the formation and facilitate the removal of such fiber accumulations.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred form of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

In such drawings:

Fig. l is a longitudinal, vertical section on the line 1--1 of Fig. 2, of a drafting unit embodying the invention, parts being omitted for clearness of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the unit with the top rolls part sectioned removed, partially broken out and in on the line 22 of Fig.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate the needle bars;

Fig. 5 is a section of the line 55 of Fig. 2;.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 7 is a broken out sectional view illustrating the action of the needles.

Referring first to Fig. l of the drawings, the illustrated unit is shown as incorporating a frame 10 on which are mounted top and bottom back rolls, 11, 12, a top front 10. The shaft of roll is the driven shaft of the unit 2,847,718 Patented Aug. 19, 1958 and shaft 19 and the shaft of

rolls

14 and 12 are driven from it through

gears

22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28. The desired draft between the back and front rolls and also the tension draft between shaft 19 and the back rolls is obtained by appropriate selection of these gears.

The needle bar mechanism comprises a frame or carrier in the form a a sleeve 29 mounted on and secured to shaft 19 as by set screw 30 and having at its ends, flanges or spaced disks 31, 32 provided with peripherial openings for removably supporting the needle bars. Two series of such bars are employed, the bars: of one series being like the bar 33 of Fig. 3 and the bars of the other series being like the bar 34 of Fig. 4. As will be recognized, the bars ofthe two series are of similar construction but reversed, end for end. The reduced ends 35 of the series of bars 33 are located in openings 36 of frame disk 32 and the opposite ends of these bars seat in slots 37 of disk 31. Similarly, the reduced ends 38 of the series of bars 34 are located in openings 39 of disk 31 and the opposite ends of these bars are seated in slots 40 in disk 32. In other words, as shown more particularly in Fig. 6, the periphery of each frame disk has a series of alternating holes and slots receiving the alternately, oppositely disposed needle bars. To complete the bearings for the large ends of the bars and to confine them in their slots, split collars 41 and 42 are clamped needle bars serves to hold erect or substantially normal to the travel of the fibers, the needles which are in engagement with the fibers or those which for convenience may be referred to as being in the working section of the cycle. It has been found heretofore, however, that if the bars and their needles continue to be locked throughout the entire working section of the cycle and the needles withdrawn from fibers simply by the rotation of the frame, the needles adjacent the exit end of the working section tend to drag and cause shading to occur in the resultant sliver and an uneven finished yarn. This dragging of the needles results from the fact that the fibers gripped and positively advanced by the front or drawing rolls travel several times as fast as the fibers held by the slower moving needles.

each set of needles would be free to be pulled forward by the fibers themselves, thus insuring that in the indicated zone, the fibers and needles travel at the same speed.

The primary control of the needle bars is effected by control elements preferably consisting of crank members mounted on the ends of the bars. Fig. 3, each bar 33 is provided with a head 48 at one end and carrying a crank pin 49 on which is mounted a bearing 50. Similarly, each bar 34 is provided with a head 51, crankjpin 52 and bearing 53. These crank elements, or more particularly, theirbearings, are arranged to trail the respective bars and to be located in and operated by appropriate cam tracks which, by determining the angular positions of the bars, lock the series of needles in correct relation to the fibers.

In this particular embodiment, two

identical cam tracks

54 and 55 are utilized, the tracks being formed in the inner faces of

blocks

56 and 57 adjacent the outer faces In order to avoid such dragging, provision was made for the releasing or Thus, as shown in of disks31 and 32 inpositionto receive theouter surfaces.

of

bearings

50 and 53. The cam track blocks are seated on the bushings 20 and are secured to blocks 21 by studs 58' and 591 Thus; as shaft 19:is:rotated, the positions ofthe needle bars andtheir. needlesare determined andfaceof a" removable insert 61 normally held in place by screw 62'. A similar, aligned and removable insert 63 and' screw 64-are-provided for track 55. It may be noted here: that in-Fig. for clarity of-illustration, the reduced ends-35of'intervening bars 33v are omitted, as also are the details-of bearing 53 of the bars-34.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that as each needle barreaches a point where its trailing bearing enters the cam track enlargement, itis released from control by-the-cam track and becomes subject t-ocontrol by the advancing fibers. By'the action ofthe fibers engaged with the needles of thebar', it is rotated or rocked into. a position approximately as indicated by the needles 65 in Figs. 1 and 5.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that a brush, generally designated 70, is mounted on theframe, the axes of the lower front rolls and of the frame being angularly disposed about the axis of the brush. In this preferred form, the brush carries alternating series of long bristles 71 and shorter bristles72, the distance of the frame axis fro-m the brush axis being such that all of the bristles sweep a. portion of the path of the needlesand the distances of the. roller axes from the brush axis being such that the short bristles clear and the long. bristles sweep portions of the peripheries of the lower front rolls.

It has been found that fibers tend to accumulate in the zone bounded roughly by the descending needles, the brush andthe rear front'roll, such an accumulation being indicated at 73 in Figs. 1 and 7. that, unless provision is made to prevent it, the accumulation tends torotate-andj build upin the said zone.

According to the present invention, this tendency is minimized and the needles are protected in their passage throughthe danger zone by relieving the inner cam track surface so that the needle bars are free to rotate clockwise as viewed in Figs. 1, 5 and 7', that is, in the opposite. directionto that inwhich they are rotated as the result ofthe relieved portion of the outer cam track surface. AS will. be understood, relieving or recessing the inner. cam tracksurface permitsthe trailing crankmem-v bers of, theneedle bars to move radially inwardly if any pressure is applied tov the. tips of the needles, as by the indicated fiber. accumulation. The preferred form of inner cam track recessillustrated at 74 in Fig. 5 takes the form of a fiat surface or chord. This relieved portion starts at a point adjacent or opposite to the relievedportion. of the outer track surface and terminates adjacent but in advance of the cleaning zone, that is, the zone where the brush is illustrated as sweeping a portion of the path of the needles in Fig. 1. Thus, throughout that portion of their path ahead of the cleaning zone where the needles wouldbe likely to encounter the fiber accumulation they are free to fall back to the extent of being supported on the following needle bar (Figs. 1 and 7) but are again controlled and rotated to extending outwardly in time to be swept by the brush (Fig, 1).

It has also been found IthaS. beenfound that as a result of so freeing the needles they contribute less to the build up of a fiber accumulation, the fibers more readily finding their way out of the accumulation zone. Some of them, as indicated at 76 (Figs. 1 and 7) appear to be more readily carried up and over the rear front roll. Others, as indicated at 77 (Fig. 7) are more readily carried forward by the brush in the space created by the short bristles.

In the light of the foregoing description of the principles of the invention the following is claimed:

1. A drawing frame needle bar mechanism comprising the combination of a rotatable needle bar frame incorporatingrigid, spaced disc portions; a series of needle bars extending between and rotatably supported by said disk portions; needles carried by the bars for entry into and Withdrawal from the fibers under treatment upon rotation of said disk portions; a stationary cam track adjacent the outer sideof at least one of said disk portions, said track including inner-andoutertrack surfaces; needlebar crank members engaged with the said track surfaces to position the needle bars with respect tottheir axes; the.cam track'surfaces having successive relieved sections adjacent the zone ofwithdrawal of the needles from the fibers, the said relieved sections located one in the outer track surface and thegother inthe inner track surface and thereby affording the needle bars freedom of. movement first in one direction and then in the opposite direction.

2. A drawingframe. needle bar, mechanism comprising the combination of a rotatable needle bar frame incorpo:

rating rigid, spaced disc portions; a series of needle bars.

extending between and rotatably supported by said disk portions; needles carried by the bars. for entry into and.

withdrawal from thefibers under treatment upon rotation of said disk portions; astationary camtrack. adjacent the outer side of at least one of saidv disk portions, said track including inner and outer track surfaces; needle bar crank members engaged with the said track surfaces.

to position the needle bars with respect to their axes; thecam track surfaces eachhaving a'relieved sectionadapted to free the crank members. and permit rotation. of the needle bars. about their axes, the relieved portion. of. the outer track surface being located adjacent the zone of withdrawal of the needles from the fibers and in advance of the relieved portion of the inner cam track surface.

3. In a. drawing: frame, the combination witharotatable needle bar frame incoporating needle bars andxneedles projecting therefrom, apair of lower front rolls and. an upper front roll engagedtherewith, of a. rotary cleaning brush having circumferentiallyalternating series of. long and short bristles, the axeso-f the saidlower front rolls and of the said needle bar frame being above and angu-. larly disposed about the axis of the brush, the distance of the frame axis from the brush axis being such. that all ofthebristles sweep a portion of the path of the needles and the distance of'the roller axes from the brush axis beingsuch that the short bristles. clear and the long bristles sweep portions of the peripheries ofboth of said lower rolls.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS.

106,130 Davis et al. Aug. 9, 1870 2,740,996 Dudley et' al. Apr. 10', 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,336. GreatBritain of 1860 6,759 Great Britain of 1915 7,959 Switzerland Jan. 15, L894