US3174270A

US3174270A - Method and apparatus for winding thread

Info

Publication number: US3174270A
Application number: US252759A
Authority: US
Inventors: Blaschke Emil
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-01-25
Filing date: 1963-01-21
Publication date: 1965-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 1982-03-23
Also published as: NL288095A; GB980488A; DE1435344A1; DE1435344B2; CH404848A; USB317427I5; NL139046B; DE1785589A1; BE627345A

Description

March 23, 1965 BLASCHKE 3,174,270

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR w mnmc THREAD Filed Jan. 21, 19s:

Jnvenfor: 62ml BZaschKe I M l 5. Sinker United States Patent 3,174,270 E'ETHOD AND AIWARATUS FOR WlNDlNG THREAD Emil Blaschke, Endersbach, Schorndorferstrasse 20, Stuttgart, Germany Filed Jan. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 252,759 Uaims priority, application Germany, Jan. 25, 1962, B 65,649 9 Claims. (Cl. 57-67) The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for winding thread and especially synthetically produced thread of polymers, such as polyamides, polyester, and the like.

It is a fact well known in the art that threads which are made of polymers do not attain their final strength until they have been subjected to a stretching process after being spun. In general, the required stretch ratio lies between 1:4 and 1:5.

Since the spinning speed of synthetic threads amounts to 800 m. to 1200 m. per minute and more depending upon the type of polymer and the yarn thickness, the final speeds which would result if the stretching process were carried out directly after the spinning process would amount to 4000 to 5000 m. per minute. It has, however, so far not been possible to wind up threads at such high speeds since the high centrifugal forces which then act upon the bobbin at a peripheral speed of 80 to 90 in. per second prevent the formation of a properly wound package. Furthermore, when employing the conventional bobbins which are driven by friction, the friction attainable between the friction drum and the bobbin would then also no longer be suflicient to attain the high speeds of the bobbin as required.

Prior to this invention it was therefore necessary to carry out the spinning and stretching processes separately from each other, that is, to wind up the thread without being stretched and to carry out the stretching process thereafter by a separate operation at a low speed.

This necessity of carrying out these two functions by two separate operations obviously involved a high cost of labor and machinery and because of the required rewinding it often also resulted in a product of poor quality and in considerable amounts of waste.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method which permits the two mentioned operations to be combined so that the threads may be stretched directly and also to be wound up perfectly at high final speeds and without requiring any interruption in the spinning and stretching processes. This object is attained according to the invention by dividing the winding process into several components, that is, in the present case into two components, which taken together result in the final speed. The stresses to which the rotary elements are subjected are then reduced to a fraction of those to which they would otherwise be subjected. The new method permits threads running at a high speed to be wound up at speeds which can still be easily controlled and which permit a package of a proper formation to be built up. Under these conditions, there is no longer any need for carrying out the spinning and stretching processes, separately and it is therefore now possible to carry out the stretching operation directly on the spinning machine.

The various features and advantages of the present in vention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawing of an apparatus for carrying out the inventive method, in which- FIGURE 1 shows a side view, partly in section, of this apparatus; while FIGURE 2 shows a diagrammatic plan view thereof.

As illustrated in the drawings, the apparatus according to the invention generally consists of a winding bobbin 1 on which the yarn package 2 is to be wound and which is driven by an electric motor 3, the speed of which is variable. Although in the drawings the bobbin 1 is shown as being applied directly on the shaft of motor 3, it may, of course, also be driven indirectly, for example, by a pulley as conventional in a twisting machine.

Bobbin 1 is surrounded by a hoop-shaped element 4 which contains a thin guide channel 5 through which the thread is fed and which is preferably made in the form of a bell so as to be better dynamically balanced. This hoop or bell 4 is driven by an electric motor 8 through a pulley 6 and a belt 7 in the direction opposite to that in which the bobbin 1 is driven.

The thread 9 which is fed to the apparatus at a predetermined high speed is injected by compressed air through a nozzle 10 into the thread channel 5 and is then wound upon bobbin 1, for example, in the clockwise direction, as indicated in FIGURE 2. If bobbin 1 were standing still, the winding speed per minute would amount to D-mnb, wherein D represents the diameter of the bobbin and uh the speed of the hoop or bell 4. At a certain thread feeding speed V, the speed of bell 4 would then amount to nb=V:Dn-. If, on the other hand, bobbin 1 is driven by motor 3 in the counterclockwise direction, while bell 4 is standing still, the amount of thread wound upon bob bin 1 merely by its own rotation would be Dmns meters per minute.

From this results that, if bobbin 1 and bell 4 rotate in opposite directions to each other, the two winding speeds are added to each other and the total winding speed then amounts to Dn-(nb-i-ns) so that the sum of the revolutions of the bobbin and bell elements multiplied by the circumference of the bobbin is the winding speed of the bobbin. If therefore the speed of bobbin 1 and the speed of bell 4 are made equal, the rotary speed of the bobbin for producing the actual winding speed will amount to one-half of the rotary speed at which the bobbin would have to rotate to produce alone a high winding speed corresponding to the feeding speed of the thread. The centrifugal forces acting on the circumference of the thread package will be reduced to one fourth, inasmuch as the centrifugal forces increase with the square of the speed.

Therefore, even at high feeding speeds of the thread, it is possible to attain rotary bobbin speeds which can be easily controlled and permit the package to be properly formed while the attained winding speed corresponds to the high speed at which the thread is supplied. The rotary speed of the bobbin is below the maximum speed determined by the centrifugal force. That this is true may also be clearly seen from the following example:

Assuming, for example, the thread feeding speed to amount to 5000 in. per minute, which at a stretch ratio of approximately 1 to 4.3 is equivalent to a spinning speed of approximately 1200 m. and assuming the diameter of bobbin 1 to be mm. the speed of the bobbin will amount to approximately 7500 r.p.m., provided that the speed of bell 4 and that of bobbin 1 are alike. These are speeds which can be easily controlled, as may be seen by the fact that in twisting mills much higher spindle speeds are frequently applied.

If the speed of the relatively light hoop or bell 4 is increased, for example, to 10,000 or 12,000 r.p.m., the speed of the bobbin may be reduced to 5000 or 3000 r.p.m., respectively. It is therefore evident that heavy yarn packages with a weight of 10 to 12 kg. of yarn may be produced without any difiiculty.

In order to build up a package 2 of the required formation, an elevating device 1 1 is provided for reciprocating the spindle so that the thread will be wound parallel and closely adjacent to each other upon the bobbin. For preventing the thread from slipping off as the package increases in thickness, the length of the reciprocating strokes of the spindle is gradually reduced. The package produced will thus have a double-conical cop shape. Although in FIGURE 1, the elevating device 11 is illustrated in the form of a hydraulic cylinder and piston, it may, of course, also consist of any other suitable reciprocating means.

As the result of the rotation of the hoop or hell 4, the thread 9 while being fed therethrough is also twisted. Since the thread 9 usuallyconsists of many fine capillary threads which when lying parallel to each other will easily split olf, this protective twist is of a very great advantage since it facilitates the unwinding of the thread from the bobbin during the subsequent processing. The extent or degree of twisting the thread may be varied within certain limits by varying the speed of the hoop or hell 4.

Since the peripheral speed of bobbin 1 increases as the package thereon increases in thickness, which means that gradually the thread would be drawn off at a greater speed than that at which it is being supplied, it is necessary gradually to reduce the speed of the bobbin so that the feeding speed of the thread 9 will always remain the same. For this purpose, a tension measuring roller 12 is provided which by means of an electronic amplifier and governor 13 reduces the speed of the motor 3 in accordance with the increasing thickness of the package.

The spinning of synthetic threads should always be carried out as a continuous process which should not even be interrupted by a change of bobbins. Apartfrom the fact that the operation of applying the thread at high speeds is extremely difficult, an interruption of the spinning'process would cause considerable trouble because of the unstretched thread ends which would be caused if the machine had to be stopped and newly started. The waste in thread which would be caused by such interruptions would also be very great.

According to the invention, the apparatus is therefore provided with a compressed-air feeding nozzle which will continue to draw off the thread even when the bobbins are being changed. The feeding nozzle 10 is therefore made of a pivotable construction. 7

Whenever a full bobbin-is to be exchanged for an empty bobbin, nozzle 10 is pivoted so that the thread will be blown at full speed into and through a waste tube 14 and then be collected in a container. As soon as the bobbins have been chan ed, nozzle 10 is pivoted backv to its vertical position and the thread is blown through channel upon bobbin 1. stretching process on the machine itself is therefore not interrupted.

The advantages of this method over the conventional winding methods are clearly evident. By dividing the winding process into several phases, for example, two as in the present case, namely, by the bobbin 1 andthe hoop or hell 4, it is possible to make the effective speed of the bobbin, i.e. the winding speed, so low as to insure that the package will always be properly formed and that the centrifugal forces will be of a size which will not harm the package. 7

Thus, for example, it is possible by increasing the speed of the hoop'or bell 4 to reduce the effective or winding speed of bobbin 1. This is of advantage since it is easier to rotate such a hoop or bell of a light weight at a high speed that it is to rotate a heavy winding bobbin. It is thus possible to produce very heavy bobbins without any difficulty.

Moreover, the rotation of the hoop or bell 4 results in a protective twisting of the thread and thus prevents the capillary threads from splitting off, and it also facilitates unwinding of the bobbin for further processing of the thread, i

By making the compressed-air feeding nozzle of a pivotable construction, the operation of originally threading the channel and of again threading it after a The spinning and change of bobbins may be carried out almost automatically while the machine continues running. Therefore, there is also no need for any interruption in the continuous run of the thread even while the bobbins are being changed. Consequently, the method according to the invention allows the direct stretching of synthetic threads Without interruption of the run of the thread.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, I wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiment, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for winding thread comprising a member forming a bobbin, driving means for rotating said bobbin in one direction at a rotary speed limited by the centrifugal force acting on the circumference of said bobbin, a member forming a thread guide, means for feeding a thread at a predetermined high speed to and through said thread guide and upon said bobbin, and driving means for rotating said thread guide in the opposite direction around said bobbin at such a speed that the sum of the revolutions of said two members multiplied by the circumference of said bobbin results in a winding speed of the thread on said bobbin corresponding to said predetermined high feeding speed.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a means for varying the speed of at least one of said driving means.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for reciprocating said two members relative to each other in the axial direction of said bobbin so as to wind the thread back and forth along said bobbin.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said thread guide is shaped and rotatably mounted in a manner so as to twist the thread while passing through the revolving thread guide to said bobbin.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising control means for sensing said predetermined feeding speed of said thread and for electronically regulating the speed of at least one of said members in accordance with said feeding speed.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising control means for sensing the tension of the thread fed to sa-id'thread guide and for regulating the speed of at least one of said members in accordance with said tension.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said member forming said thread guide is a bell-shaped guide member of a substantially U-shaped cross section partly surrounding said bobbin during the winding operation, means for mounting said guide member so as to be rotatable coaxially with and around said bobbin, said guide member containing a thread guiding channel forming said thread guide and having an inlet opening at one end of said bell-shaped guide member coaxially with said bobbin and an outlet opening at the other end of said guide member laterally and spaced from said bobbin during the Winding operation.

8. A method'of winding a thread continuously supplied at a predetermined high speed upon a first member having a maximum rotary speed limited by the centrifugal force acting on thread wound around the circumference of said first member so that said maximum rotary speed multiplied by the circumference of said first member results in a winding speed less than said predetermined high speed, comprising the steps of feeding the thread at said predetermined high speed through a second member to said first member; rotating said second member around said first member at a first selected rotary speed in one direction of rotation; and rotating said first member at a second selected rotary speed not exceeding said maximum speed in the opposite direction of rotation, said first and second rotary speeds being selected so that the sum of the 9. A method of stretching and Winding a thread con tinuously supplied from a spinning device at a predetermined high speed upon a bobbin having a maximum rotary speed limited by the centrifugal force acting on thread wound around the circumference of said bobbin so that said maximum rotary speed multiplied by the circumference of said bobbin results in a Winding speed less than said predetermined high speed, comprising the steps of feeding the thread at said predetermined high speed through a thread guide to said bobbin; rotating said thread guide around said bobbin at a first selected rotary speed in one direction of rotation; and rotating said bobbin at a second selected rotary speed not exceeding said maximum speed in the opposite direction of rotation, said first and second rotary speeds being selected so that the sum of the revolutions of said thread guide and of said bobbin multiplied by the circumference of said bobbin corresponds to said predetermined high speed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,949,621 3/34 Pool 5758.79 2,101,395 12/37 Kato 5798 2,160,010 5/39 Whittemore 57-67 2,511,638 6/50 Koella 57-58.79 2,940,244 6/ 60 Drtina 57--74 X FOREIGN PATENTS 492,203 9/38 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. AN APPARATUS FOR WINDING THREAD COMPRISING A MEMBER FORMING A BOBBIN, DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID BOBBIN IN ONE DIRECTION AT A ROTARYSPEED LIMITED BY THE CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ACTING ON THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID BOBBIN, A MEMBER FORMING A THREAD GUIDE, MEANS FOR FEEDING A THREAD AT A PREDETERMINED HIGH SPEED TO AND THROUGH SAID THREAD GUIDE AND UPON SAID BOBBIN, AND DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID THREAD GUIDE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AROUND SAID BOBBIN AT SUCH A SPEED THAT THE SUM OF THE REVOLUTIONS OF SAID TWO MEMBERS MULTIPLIED BY THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID BOBBIN RESULTS IN A WINDING SPEED OF THE THREAD ON SAID BOBBIN CORRESPONDING TO SAID PREDETERMINED HIGH FEEDING SPEED.