US2933263A - Yarn packaging means - Google Patents

Description

April 19, 1960 H. c. KENNEDY 2,933,263

YARN PACKAGING MEANS Filed June 29, 1955 FIG. I F|G.2

INVENTOR Hoyt C. Kennedy ATTORNEY Unit The present invention relates to yarn collecting devices and more particularly to yarn packaging means such as take-up bobbins, spools, and beams that are used in the formation and treatment of yarns.

Nylon yarn has been referred to as a yarn with a memory since its elastic recovery is excellent. Although nylon yarn will not immediately return to its original length, it will return or creep back slowly under normal conditions to its original length. in some instances nylon yarn may take several days or longer to recover fully under no load condition. This delayed recovery action necessitates uniform thread tensions in forming yarn packages since the nylon yarn does not actually snap back or recover immediately after release of tension but it constantly attempts to return or reorient itself to its original shape. When nylon yarn is collected in a stretched condition particularly it will exert a tremendous crushing force upon any packages on which it is wound until allowed or permitted to contract. The crushing force normally exerted by stretched nylon yarn has necessitated greater care and attention to the winding of cones, spools, bobbins, and beams since the more wraps the package contains the greater will be the potential crushing action on the supporting yarn package device. Furthermore, when nylon yarn is exposed to elevated temperature increased tensions are required to keep the yarn from shrinking. This shrinking action further produces tensions which have not been encountered in the use of the conventional yarns made from animal or vegetable fibers.

Replacement and repair costs have increased considerably with the use of nylon and several of the other synthetic yarns because several of these yarns, whether of the monofilament or multifilament type, have this inherent physical property which tends to urge the yarn to return to its original length. This delayed recovery produces a crushing action on wound yarn convolutions which is particularly destructive by distorting 'or twisting the barrels and flanges of bobbins, and also destroying spools and cones.

In at least one process for producing stretch nylon yarn, the yarn is wound on a deformable cylindrical tube that is usually made of cardboard or other suitable deformable material, to form an initial yarn package. The yarn wound in convolutions on the deformable tube usually has some twist imparted to the yarn prior to winding on the tube. This yarn package is then subjected to a yarn setting temperature which causes the convolutions of yarn to shrink appreciably thereby causing the deformable tube to collapse under the greatly increased stresses that are exerted by the shrinking yarn. In this way a crimped or wavy effect is imparted to the yarn filaments since the yarn twist is set while in the yarn twisted condition. Yarn Wound on the deformed tube is usually removed therefrom and subsequently subjected to a fluid treatment such as dyeing, after which the yarn is wound onto a take-up bobbin which may he subse quently mounted to a creel. Some of the yarn adjacent to the deformed tube is wasted as it is not recoverable from within the folds of the tube.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a yarn packaging means for receiving convolutions of nylon yarn or the like on a barrel periphery without subjecting the packaging device to permanent distortion.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a yarn packaging device which will permit convolutions of yarn Wound thereon to be subjected to a fluid or heat treatment whereby the yarn will shrink readily without injuring the packaging device.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a reusable yarn collecting means having a yieldable yarn supporting body on which convolutions of yarn may be wound and permitted to shrink without subjecting the yarn supporting body to permanent distortion.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a yarn collecting bobbin having a yieldable yarn collecting periphery that is freely reducible when subjected to stresses produced by the shrinkage of yarn convolutions wound on the yieldable periphery.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a flanged bobbin with a yieldable yarn collecting barrel that is formed by a plurality of longitudinally extending elements that are each displaceable radially when subjected to yarn stresses produced by the contraction of yarn wound on the elements which describe the barrel periphery.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a yarn collecting bobbin having means for resiliently supporting longitudinally extending elements on which yarn may be collected for radial displacement as the yarn is subjected to yarn stresses.

Yet further objects of the present invention are to provide a yarn collecting device having readily removable and interchangeable parts, one that is simple to assemble and requires a minimum of maintenance and care, and one which may be readily modified to compensate for the relative shrinkage diiferentials encountered in various yarn deniers.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention for use in the collecting and processing of synthetic yarns particularly nylon, Will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art during the course of the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view, with a section removed, of one form of the present invention in the form of a flanged bobbin in an initial condition of the yarn package having several yarn convolutions thereon;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the bobbin illus trated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the bobbin of Fig. 1 illustrating another condition of the yarn package;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the plane of line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a partial side elevational view illustrating a modification of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view of the modified structure illustrated in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1 there is illustrated therein a yarn package that is formed on a flanged bobbin which comprises, broadly, a central spindle on which are mounted flanges that are axially spaced from one another to confine yarn convolutions therebetween, as the yarn is wound on longitudinally extending elements that are normally a suitable resilient means.

urged outwardly by aseaaee For the purposes of this description the term take-up bobbin or bobbin shall be used for illustration only and not for limitation, since the inventive concept may be equally applicable with some minor structural modifications to cones, spools, headless bobbins, and also to beams.

The bobbin is provided with a spindle 11 having a threaded portion 12 at each spindle end that are spaced axially from each other and over which a flange or bobbin head 13 will pass to be positioned firmly against a spindle shoulder 14. Flange retaining caps 15 are threadably engaged to the threaded spindle portions on the spindle and are securely fastened in position by a suitable spanner tool which will engage within the blind holes 16. Each flange 13 has a central opening 17 to receive the bobbin spindle therethrough and also a plurality of radially extending slots 18 that are preferably spaced uniformly from the center of the flange so that each slot extends outwardly for an equal distance. The flanges 13 are mounted on the spindle with the slots 18 in each flange aligned to receive one end of a rigid rod element 19 that is slidably guided in the flange slots '18 for radial movement. As

clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 there is provided a plurality of rod elements that extend longitudinally between the flanges and the elements are circumferentially spaced from each other to form a barrel periphery on which yarn may be wound.

A cylindrical helical spring 20 having a rectangular cross section extends axially between the end flanges 13. The outside diameter of the helical spring 20, in the spring relaxed condition, will urge or bias each of the elements 19 to the outermost radial position within the slots 18, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The helical pitch of the spring 20 may be designed so that the intermediate portion of each element 19 may be supported against any deflection intermediate the length of the element as yarn is wound thereon.

The spring 20 may be designed for the requisite resilience that will correspond to the tension with which the yarn is wound onto the elements 19. In this way, as

yarn is initially wound to form a yarn package the elements 19 will remain in the outermost radial position and the spring 20 will not be subjected to any load stresses or tortional distortion.

Although the present invention as above described may be used in place of the conventional take-up bobbins for forming nylon yarn packages without encountering the destructive crushing effects of the nylon yarn, with some structural modifications the bobbin may be used effectively in the production of stretch nylon yarn. In the batch type process of producing stretch yarn, nylon yarn is first processed to impart a twist to the yarn and then the yarn is wound on a deformable cardboard tube to form a yarn package. The complete yarn package is then subjected to a plasticizing yarn-setting temperature at which time the nylon yarn convolutions exert a tremendous crushing effect during shrinkage to completely deform the tube on which the yarn is wound. Yarn is thereafter removed from the tube with some yarn loss occuring adjacent to the crushed tube. Due to the impenetrability of the heat treating medium, usually steam,-

into the yarn convolutions adjacent to the deformable tube there is a great deal of non-uniformity in the end product, particularly in the last layers of yarn close to the tube.

Therefore, by providing a series of axially spaced openings 21 within the flange spindle 11 as well as arcuate openings 22 within the flange retaining cap 15 the yarn heat treating medium, such as steam, may penetrate into the inner yarn convolutions as well as the outer yarn to produce a more uniform end yarn product. As the yarn is subjected to this heat treatment the convolutions of yarn shrink and cause the longitudinally extending elements 19 to move radially inward thereby causing the spring to be subjected to some torsional distortion and and into the yarn through the openings 21 therein.

A further modification of the inventive concept is depicted in Figs. 5 and 6 wherein there is illustrated a pair of axially spaced spiders 25, each of which is provided with a plurality of radially projecting resilient leg members 26. Each of the leg members 26 has at its distal end an element bearing surface 27 on which a longitudinal yarn supporting element 28 may be secured as by V the fastening means 2?. In some instances the leg. members 26 may be inclined from the vertical depending upon the biasing or resiliency required. Furthermore, the bearing surface 27 may be provided with an elongated slot so that the fastening means may slide therein during radial movement of the elements 28. The individual leg members 26 may be turned substantially normal to form a fastening lip Sil which may be fastened as by spot welding or other suitable means to the rim of the ring 31.

The embodiment shown in Figs; 5 and 6 may be used as a headless bobbin or the spider elements may be axially spaced and mounted on a bobbin barrel, cone or on a beam modifying the relative size to suit the application, and the yarn may be wound on the elements 28 that form a barrel or yarn receiving periphery. Subsequent fluid treatment of the yarn package may be facilitated with this modification as' with the previously described embodiment.

It has been found desirable to use non-corrosive metals which have the requisite physical properties for essentially all the structural elements due to the possible corrosive action of the various fluids to which the yarn package may be subjected. However, it is contemplated that laminated plastic materials may be used effectively for some of the elements. On those units presently tested able yarn receiving peripheryas well as the resilient means for supporting this periphery in the light of the above teachings without departing from the real purpose of this invention. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims many modified forms of structure as well as the use of mechanical equivalents may be reasonably included and modifications are contemplated.

What is claimed is:

l. A device of the character described for use in receiving yarn convolutions to form a yarn package comprising a spindle having a hollow core and axially and circumferentially spaced openings communicating with the hollow core, flanges axially spaced and slidably received on said spindle, each of said flanges having a central spindle receiving opening and a plurality of slots radiating from the central opening and in spaced relation thereto, each of said slots extending between radial limits, said flanges being mounted on the spindle to provide slot alignment between flanges, flange retaining helical spring having a rectangular cross section encircling said spindle and spaced radially therefrom to normally urge said plurality of elements outwardly to a radial limit whereby upon fluid treatment and shrinkage of said yarn the stresses to which the yarn convolutions are subjected will reduce the yarn supporting periphery which is free to move inwardly.

2. A device of the character described for use in receiving yarn convolutions to form a yarn package comprising a spindle having a hollow core and a plurality of openings communicating with the hollow core, flanges axially spaced on said spindle, each of said flanges having a central spindle receiving opening and a plurality of radially extending slots spaced from the central opening, each of said slots extending between radial limits, said flanges being mounted on the spindle to provide slot alignment between flanges, flange retaining caps mounted on the spindle adjacent to each of the flanges to resist axial thrust on the flanges produced by a crushing action of yarn wound between the flanges said caps extending radially outward to substantially cover the slots in the flanges, a plurality of elements reaching between and receivable in the flange slots, said elements being spaced to provide a supporting periphery for receiving yarn thereabout, resilient means cooperatively engaging and supporting said elements in an outward direction substantially to an outer radial slot limit whereby there is provided a yieldable yarn supporting periphery which will permit radial movement of the elements to an inner radial slot limit.

3. A device of the character described for supporting CJI convolutions of yarn thereon comprising axially spaced end members, longitudinally extending means for receiving yarn convolutions thereon extending between said end members and cooperatively receivable therein for guided radial displacement, said means including at least one pair of diametrically opposite linear elements, and a helical spring means bearing on said elements substantially along their entire length for normally urging said elements outwardly as yarn is wound therearound and whereby upon yarn shrinkage said elements are yieldably displaceable inwardly to relieve yarn stresses.

4. A device of the character described for receiving yarn convolutions comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending elements circumferentially spaced from each other, and a helical spring reaching axially for substantially the length of said elements for normally urging said elements outwardly to receive yarn wraps therearound and whereby upon yarn shrinkage said elements are yieldably supported to move inwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,994,118 Swanson Mar. 12, 1935 1,999,606 Grumney et a1. Apr. 30, 1935 2,074,217 Grauer Q Mar. 16, 1937 2,576,254 Fletcher Nov. 27, 1951

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