US2871502A

US2871502A - Vacuum wheel for extracting liquid from tow

Info

Publication number: US2871502A
Application number: US415309A
Authority: US
Inventors: John K Whisnant
Original assignee: American Enka Corp
Current assignee: Akzona Inc
Priority date: 1954-03-10
Filing date: 1954-03-10
Publication date: 1959-02-03
Anticipated expiration: 1976-02-03
Also published as: NL194239A; ES220527A1; FR1119974A; GB765007A; BE535467A

Description

2,871,502 VACUUM WHEEL FOR EXTRACTING LIQUID FROM TOW Filed March 10. 1954 Feb. 3, 1959 J. K. WHISNANT.

2 Sheets-Sheet -1 INVENTOR JMIUY. Wilma/Ii BY i ATTORNEY IIIIIIIIIIIIIII 3 4 4 wr/ Q2 Feb. 3, 1959 J. K. 'WHISNANT 2, 7

VACUUM WHEEL FOR EXTRACTING LIQUID FROM TOW Filed March 10, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jfg' 6.

as *r mi a2 INVENTOR JbMIY. Wilma!!! A'I-TORNEY n a a 9 a United States Patent VACUUNI WHEEL FOR EXTRACTING LIQUID FROM TOW Application March 10, 1954, Serial No. 415,309 Claims. (Cl. 15-306) This invention relates to the manipulation of multiple yarns or tows and more particularly to the propulsion of and liquid recovery from a running tow of viscose rayon.

In the manufacture of staple fibers and the like, it is customary to spin a large number of parallel yarns and to effect the aftertreatment of these yarns in a group which is called a tow. Because the aggregate denier of the tow is very high, the forces required to move it are high and the loads imposed on driving equipment are high enough to render the control of slippage a problem.

In the liquid treatment of tow, the entrained treating liquid is considerable in volume and the waste incident to its removal from the system is relatively great.

Heretofore, attempts to meet the slippage problem have involved various expedients tending to increase friction between driving sheaves and the tow. Some of these schemes cause yarn damage and none of them is related to liquid recovery.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a tow propulsion device which will maintain good driving contact with the tow not only in a manner to avoid damage thereto but whereby simultaneous liquid recovery is effected.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sheave having suction means for withdrawing liquid from the tow groove which is characterized by a high degree of pump ing economy in the maintenance of the desired suction.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a tow propulsion Wheel according to the present invention in a typical position of use;

Figure 2 is a view in section of the tow wheel of Figure 1 taken on the line 22 of that figure;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view in elevation of a modified type of tow propulsion wheel according to the present invention;

Figure 5 is a view in section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a view in section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

If more detailed reference is made to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be noted that the feed or transfer wheel 10 of the present invention is a sheave or pulley having a peripheral groove 11 of arcuate cross section for tow and a narrow annular groove 12 at the bottom of the tow groove 11. A series of radial passageways 13 extend inwardly from the groove 12 to a common inner annular space or manifold 14 located in the hub of the wheel 10. The wheel 10 is fixed on hollow hub portions 15 and 15a which define between them an annular space registering with the inner manifold 14 of the wheel 10 and placing that manifold in communication with the hollow interior of the hub portions. The hub portion 15a is a part of a hollow stub shaft 16a closed at one end. The hub 15 is a part of hollow shaft 16 the interior of 2 which is served by a vacuum connection 18 which comprises a box sealed against leakage at 19 and 20 to the shaft 16 and providing an interior annulus 21 served by a conduit 22. The shaft 16 is provided with ports at 23 which register with the annulus 21.

Since it is intended that the groove 12 shall be maintained under negative pressure, a suitable vacuum pump, not shown, is connected to conduit 22, which together with ports 23, shaft 16 and manifold 14, provides conduit means for permitting application of suction to passageways 13. The load on this pump would be very high indeed for a tow extending for as short an are as is indicated in Figure 1 were it not for the sealing of the groove 12 in the portions of the arc of movement where there is no contact with the tow. To do this, a sealing shoe 24 is provided to bear on the bottom of the groove 12 in the portion of the arc of movement where there is no tow. In order that the sealing shoe may have its arcuate sealing surface properly centered, the shoe is provided with a slot through which it may be adjustably bolted to a stationary part of the machine.

The

guide wheels

25 and 26 may be ordinary pulleys or may be of the type of the present invention. In any event, a typical tow path is shown in Figure l and the effect of it, due to the suction created, is to make a good positive drive for the tow at the same time to extract considerable residual treating liquid or other moisture therefrom. Shaft 16-1641 is, of course, provided with ordinary bearings, not shown. It is to be understood that the sheave 10 and the shaft 1616a turn as a unit. The propulsion of the shaft 1616a is accomplished by any convenient means, not shown.

In the modification of the invention shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the sheave bears reference numeral 27. Instead of being a unitary body with drilled radial ports, it is an assembly which is made up of two cast elements or

sides

28 and 29 which are mutually complementary. The

elements

23 and 29 each include a central space or manifold 30, 31. Grooves or

channels

32 and 33 extend radially outwardly from the

manifolds

30 and 31. These grooves are cast or cut on the inner faces of the

sheave elements

28 and 29 and they extend for less than the full radius of the half sheave. Marginal complementary peripheral grooves definea tow groove 34 having an arcuate cross section. When the

sheave elements

28 and 29 are assembled, a sealing plate 35 is located between them. This plate is so shaped that its upper half does not cover the ends of the

grooves

32 and 33 while its lower half does, see Figure 4. Thus, suction applied to the grooves through the

center manifolds

30 and 31 will be effective through that part of the groove 34 in the path which the tow contacts but will not be effective in the remaining part of the groove 34.

Aside from the foregoing differences, the structure of the embodiment of Figures 4, 5 and 6 is not very different from that of Figures 1, 2 and 3. The sheave elements are mounted on a hollow shaft 36 by

hub members

37 and 38 so that the shaft 36, the

hubs

37 and 38 and the

sheave elements

23 and 29 turn as a unit. Shaft 36 has a series of ports 39 leading to manifold 30 and another series of ports 40 leading to manifold 31. Still a third series of ports 41 lead to the annular interior 42 of a suction box 43 provided with a suction conduit at 44.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that when suction is applied at 44, the reduced pressure within the shaft 36 will be communicated to the

manifolds

30 and 31 and from them to the

grooves

32 and 33. Because the sealing plate 35 does not extend to the outer ends of the grooves in the are through which the tow passes,

sheave elements

28 and 29 are spaced apart so that the suction is com municated to the groove 34.

The path of the tow to, from and over'the sheave 27 may be the same as is shown in Figure 1. The shaft 36 and the sheave 27 turn as a unit, but the plate 35 is.

held stationary as for example by a boltpassing through the aperture at 45.

Although in Figure 6 the

ports

32 and 33 are indicated as being in circumferential registry on opposite sides of the plate 35, this registry is unimportant to the operation of the device.

Among the more important aspects of this invention is the provision of a sheave having a tow groove, a suction groove at the bottom of the tow groove and means to seal the suction groove during those parts of the annular movement in which the groove is not in radial registry with tow.

In using the device of this invention in the aftertreatment of tow, it will be appreciated that the conduits 2-2 and 44 may be used to withdraw treating liquidswhich may then be delivered to suitable recovery apparatus.

Should the particular liquids recovered be corrosive, suitable precautions are taken.

What is claimed is:

1. A rotatable wheel for the propulsion of tow, said wheel having a marginal groove of arcuate cross section for the reception of the tow, a narrower groove at the bottom of said marginal groove, circumferentially spaced ports extending radially within said wheel and communicating with said narrower groove, means to apply suction to said ports and stationary sealing means occupying said narrower groove in a part of its path of rotation, said sealing means extending beyond the periphery of the wheel.

2. A rotatable wheel for the propulsion of tow, said wheel having a marginal groove of arcuate cross section for the reception of the tow, a narrower groove at the bottom of said marginal groove, a hollow shaft supporting said wheel for rotation, means to apply suction to the hollow interior of said shaft, means establishing passageways interconnecting the hollow interior of said shaft with said narrower groove at circumferentially spaced points thereabout and stationary sealing means occupying said narrower groove in a part of its path of rotation, said sealing means extending beyond the periphery of said wheel.

3. A rotatable wheel for the propulsion of tow, said wheel having a marginal groove of arcuate cross section for the reception of the tow, a narrower groove at the bottom of said marginal groove, circumferentially spaced ports extending radially within said wheel and communicating with said narrower groove, means to apply suction to said ports, a plate having an arcuate edge complementary to said narrower groove, means located beyond the periphery of said wheel to hold said plate stationary with the arcuate edge in said narrower groove to seal the same in a part of its arc of movement.

47 A rotatable wheel for the propulsion of tow, said wheel having complementary sides mounted for rotation about an intermediate stationary spacer plate and defining therebetween a marginal tow receiving groove of arcuate cross section, at least one of said sides having radial grooves therein extending short of said tow groove, said sides being spaced apart so that said grooves communicate with said tow groove, and means to apply suction to the radially inner end of said grooves, said plate being radially shorter than said grooves in one sector thereof and radially longer than said grooves for the remaining sector thereof whereby in said radially longer sector said radial grooves are closed.

5. A rotatable wheel for the propulsion of tow, said wheel having-complementary sides mounted for unitary rotation about an intermediate spacer plate and defining therebetween a marginal tow receiving groove of arcuate cross section, each of said sides having radial grooves therein on the side facing said plate, said grooves terminating short of said tow receiving groove, said sides being spaced apart so that said grooves communicate with said tow groove, means to apply suction to the radially inner ends of said grooves, said plate being radially shorter than said grooves in one sector and in the other being radially longer than the grooves, a portion of the radially longer sector extending beyond the margins of the wheel to constitute a support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 793,092 Porter et a1 June 27, 1905 1,629,154 De Ybarrondo May 17, 1927 2,008,402 Regan July 16, 1935 2,753,181 Anander July 3, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 687,924 Germany Feb. 8, 1940 570,795 Great Britain July 23, 1945