US2980354A - Thread winder - Google Patents

Description

H- G. MASON THREAD WINDER April 18, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 3, 1959 A TTORNE Y6 April 18, 1961 H. G. MASON 2,930,354

THREAD WINDER Filed Marh 3, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Harv/son 6 Mason BY ,17,; ALA-4+4; 06 4 ATTORNEYS THREAD WINDER Harrison G. Mason, Winnebago, Ill., assignor to lfarber- Colman Company, Rockford, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 796,969

3 Claims. (Cl. 242-18) This invention relates to the winding of a thread on a sleeve of the type which permits subsequent immersion of the sleeve and thread package in. a dye solution for coloring the thread mass uniformly. Such dye sleeves are usually formed of sheet metal and apertured intermediate their ends to facilitate the flow of the dye solution under pressure to the interior of the thread mass, opposite end portions of thesleeve being imperforate and relatively smooth.

The primary object of the present invention is to contour the external surface of the sleeve in a novel manner so as to prevent objectionable inward slipping of the thread along the end portions of the sleeve by the action of the traversing member even when the sleeve is made from polished stainless steel.

A more detailed object is to avoid such objectionable slipping of the thread by the use of a single groove disposed adjacent the sleeve ends and having inner side walls of suflicient depth and inclination to catch the turns of the initially laid on layer of thread and so limit the inward shifting of these turns as to avoid objectionable deformation of the final thread mass.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the elements of a winding machine embodying the novel features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the improved dye sleeve.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the dye sleeve having a thread mass partially formed thereon.

Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Fig. 3 illustrating the distribution of the thread along the dye sleeve in the initial stages of the winding.

In the drawings, the invention is incorporated in a conventional machine for unwinding a thread from a bobbin 11 or other supply package and winding the thread in successive layers onto a sleeve 12 to form a larger package such as a cheese 13. The sleeve is telescoped detachably onto a core 14 which in turn is freely rotatable on spindle 15 projecting laterally from a plvoted arm 16 which permits the core and sleeve to rest on the top of a drum 17 power rotated about an axis paralleling the axes of the core 14 and the arm 16.

After passing through a stationary guide 18, the thread is received in an endless helical groove 19 formed in the drum and operating to traverse the thread back and forth along the rotating drum 17 to distribute the thread of the successive layers uniformly along the sleeve. The axial length of the groove determines the range a of the traverse and therefore the length of the finished cheese To facilitate subsequent distribution of the solution for dying the thread of the cheese thus formed, the intermediate portion of the sleeve 12 is corrugated by a plurality of ribs 20 and intervening grooves 21 paralleling and closely spaced around the sleeve axis. Apertures 21 in the bottoms of the grooves permit the free flow of the dye solution to the interior of the cheese. Such flow is stopped short of the ends of the cheese by spacing the outer ends ofthe sleeve slots 21 inwardly from the limits of the range a through which the thread is traversed back and forth during the winding of the cheese. For this purpose, the outer end portions 22 of the sleeve 12 are left uninterrupted and preferably smooth and cylindrical with a diameter substantially equal to the intermediate or ribbed portion of the sleeve. The range a of the thread traverse usually overlaps the imperforate areas 22 by about one fourth of an inch. These areas terminate in curls 23 at the ends of the sleeve.

In accordance with the present invention, the areas 22 of the stainless steel preferably used are left smooth and preferably electroplated along with the remainder of the sleeve and means capable of being formed easily in a metal working operation is provided for limiting the inward slipping of the first layers of the thread so as to insure a distribution of the thread of such layers along the sleeve with suflicient uniformity to form a cheese of the desired compactness, to avoid the leaving of burrs on the sleeve surface, and to permit eflicient distribution of the dye solution.

This means comprises outwardly opening peripheral grooves 24 formed in the sleeve at the junctions of the ribs 20 and the areas 22 and having inner sidewalls 25 forming outwardly facing abutments which are inclined relative to the axis of the sleeve at an angle sufliciently large to prevent the initially laid on turns of thread from sliding inwardly past the grooves during the back and forth traversing of the thread.

In the present instance, the side walls 25 are formed by the outer ends of the ribs 20 on the sleeve and are disposed substantially perpendicular to the axis of the sleeve. The outer walls of the groove are of lesser slope being inclined at about 45 degrees in the present instance relative to the sleeve axis. A groove of this shape may be formed conveniently to the desired depth, preferably about li of an inch, by conventional metal working operations and without leaving burrs or edges of objectionable sharpness.

In the use of a sleeve of the above character to form the cheese 13, a few turns of the thread drawn from the bobbin are wrapped around the sleeve and then the sleeve is lowered onto the drum to initiate the winding. Although the turns of the first layer thus wound are laid onto the sleeve uniformly along the length of the latter, those turns which are disposed outwardly beyond the grooves 24 are urged inwardly as an incident to the thread traversing motion and these turns actually slide along the smooth end areas 22 and into the grooves 24. In and adjacent the latter, these turns lie side by side (see Fig. 4) because their endwise sliding is limited effectually by virtue of the abruptness of the shoulders 25. At the same time, the turns laid onto the interme diate or slotted portion of the sleeve in the first traversing motion remained separated from each other as shown in Fig. 4. Thus, in the succeeding traversing motions, the turns of thread laid onto the end portions 22 of the sleeve quickly fill out the remaining exposed areas of these portions, as shown in Fig. 5, and thus form in themselves a surface which is sufficiently rough to prevent end sliding of the subsequently laid on turns.

By thus limiting the inward sliding of the thread layers initially laid onto the sleeve, the partially formed cheese remains of substantially uniform thickness and is extended quickly to a length equal to the range a of the traversing motion. The completed cheese thus possesses the desired shape and compactness and is adapted for sufiicient distribution of the dye solution.

" I claim as my invention:

1; In a' thread winder, .the combination of a rotary spindle, a generally cylindrical sleeve constituting a 'cheese core detachably received on said, spindle, .said

sleeve having longitudinally extending slots therethrough side walls oflsaid grooves being disposed'in planes substantially perpendicular to the axis of said sleeve, means i for rotating said sleeve to wind thread thereon While traversing the thread back and forth along the sleeve through a 'range slightly greater than the axial spacing of said grooves, said inner Walls of said grooves constituting stops for engaging the convolutions of said thread initially laid on said sleeveand'limiting the sliding of such convolutions inwardly past the grooves.

2. For use in combination with a winder having a winding drumand means for traversing a thread back and forth through a predetermined range corresponding to the length of a mass to be formed, a sleeve on which said thread is to be Wound during engagement with said drum, means supporting said sleeve and the thread wound thereon in driving engagement with said drum, said sleeve being longer than said thread-traversing range and having 'angularly spaced slots therethrough extending over a length of the sleeve shorter than said range, and two outwardly opening peripheral grooves formed in said sleeve and disposed at and in communication'with the ends of said slots but within said range, each of said 7 grooves being of generally V-shaped cross-section and having inner walls inclined at sufficient angles to prevent the turns of thread initially laid on the outer-ends of the sleeve from sliding inwardly along the sleeve past said grooves. V

3. For use in combinationwith a" winder having a winding drum and-means for traversing a thread back and forth through a predetermined range corresponding to the length of a mass to beformed, a sleeve onrwhich said thread is to be wound during engagement with said drum, means supporting said sleeve and the thread wound thereon in driving engagement with said drum, said sleeve being longer than said thread-traversing range and having angularly spaced slots therethrough extending over a length of'the sleeve shorter than said range, and two outwardly opening peripheral grooves formed in said sleeve and disposed at and in communication with the ends of said slots but within said range, each of said grooves being V-shaped with the inner wallthereof coned at a greater angle than the outer wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES'PATENTS' V a V Barthelemes Feb. 27; 1934 2,011,331 Wichmann Aug. 13, 1935 2,258,900 7 Little cttal. Oct; 14, 1941 2,431,876 Mackie Dec. 2, 1947 2,550,086 Rouge Apr 24,1951

' FOREIGN PATENTS p 69,149 ;Germany mea Nov. 29, 1891

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