US3253803A

US3253803A - Tow guide and tensioning assembly

Info

Publication number: US3253803A
Application number: US339980A
Authority: US
Inventors: James E Smithey
Original assignee: Monsanto Co
Current assignee: Monsanto Co
Priority date: 1964-01-24
Filing date: 1964-01-24
Publication date: 1966-05-31
Anticipated expiration: 1983-05-31
Also published as: DE1660455A1; GB1061872A; IL22832A

Description

May 31, 1966 J. E. SMlTHEY TOW GUIDE AND TENSIONING ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 24, 1964 INVENTOR JAMES E. SM/THEY 8Y2 X ATTORNJ United States Patent 3,253,803 TOW GUIDE AND TENSIONING ASSEMBLY James E. Smithey, Decatur, Ala., assignor to Monsanto Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 339,980 4 Claims. (Cl. 242-153) This invention relates to a tow guide and tensioning assembly. More particularly, this invention relates to a tow guide and tensioning assembly which may be adjusted to vary the amount of tension on a tow bundle of synthetic filaments being advanced to a staple cutter and obtain a reproducible lace-up thereby to improve the cutting quality of said filaments into staple fiber.

In the textile industry today a majority of the processing machinery used by textile manufacturers for making end use products from man-made fibers require, prior to carding, fibers in uniform staple lengths. If the synthetic filaments are not cut into uniform staple length, a poorer quality yarn is produced since the nonuniform lengths may cause slubs or knots to appear in the yarn. Thus, uni-form staple is required in the manufacture of high quality yarn on this type equipment. Moreover, because of the waste involved, staple fibers having uniform length may be processed more efliciently on the conventional type processing machinery used.

As will be recognized by anyone in the art, broken filaments, loose filaments, slack selvage and non-uniform tension across the tow bundle may contribute to longer and shorter staple than that which is desired. To eliminate all of these unsatisfactory conditions which contribute to poor cutting quality of synthetic filaments, the tow bundle must be guided along an extended path whereupon the bundle is properly supported to accomplish a uniform tension and thereby safeguard against any looping thereof.

The known apparatus used for guiding tow bundles are of two types generally. One of these are designed to advance a tow bundle along a substantially horizontal path, while the other known assembly is designed to advance a tow along an extended guide path whereupon the guide bars are spaced farther apart than in the first mentioned apparatus. The guide bars in the guide assembly having the shorter guide path are spaced together closely to provide adequate support and control over a bundle of filaments being advanced through the assembly. An apparent disadvantage is encountered with this type assembly in that the tension on the tow bundle is not always uniformly distributed across all of the filaments therein because of the limited travel of the filaments between the supply container and staple cutter. In the past, attempts have been made todistribute a minimum uniform tension across the tow bundle by increasing the length of the guide path without increas ing the number of guide bars. Although the tension on the filaments is not excessive in this type guide assembly, the tow bundle tends to sag between the remotely spaced guide bars thereby inducing a looping condition which occasionally damages the tow and is obviously objectionable. With these problems in mind, it is a particular object of this invention to provide a novel tow guide and tensioning assembly having a vertically extending guide path to provide auniform tension on the filaments comprising a tow bundle to improve the cutting quality of synthetic filaments int-o staple fibers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel apparatus capable of attaining a reproducible lace-up on each denier size tow bundle of synthetic filaments.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for obtaining a uniform tension on eachfilament in a tow bundle.

Ice

Other objects of this invention will appear from a de tailed description and the accompanying drawing in which A single figure illustrates a schematic view wherein a tow is fed over a tow guide and tension assembly from a container to a staple cutter.

One embodiment of the present invention contemplates an inverted U-shaped structure extending upright and having a plurality of guide bars, preferably Alsimag having a plurality of guide bars, preferably Alsimagcovered, selectively spaced around the said structure for guiding a tow ribbon along the path formed by the guide bars. A tension control arm having a plurality of movable Alsimag-covered bars is mounted at one side of the U-shaped structure, extending radially outward from said U-shaped structure. A tow, which is advanced from a container'to the guide assembly, is laced-up around the Alsimag-covered bars mounted to the upright guide assembly and the tension assembly. Thereafter, the tow is passed through a poteye located at the outer end of the tension assembly to converge the tow ribbon to a desired width prior to entering the staple cutter.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, there is shown a row of selectively spaced Alsimag-covered bars 10 mounted between a pair of similar U-shaped members 11 and 12, preferably tabricated from 6" channel iron. T hemembers 11 and 12 are mounted to a frame 13 and held in an inverted upright position above the ground level. A U-shaped structure is provided to increase the length of the guide path and yet conserve floor space. The overall length of the guide pat-h provided by the U-sh-aped structure illustrated and described herein is 20 feet, the leg portions thereof being approximately twice the length of the base portion. It is to be understood, however, that the guide path may be changed without departing from the scope of the present invention by lengthening either the legs or the base parts of U-shaped members 11 and 12.

A tensioning assembly 14 comprising

members

15 and 16 is made integral with a leg of the U-shaped structure and extends laterally therefrom. Alsimag-covered bars 10 having their axes along a single horizontal plane are located near each end of the laterally extending members -15 and 16. Near the intermediate portion of member 15 there is spaced a thin rectangular plate 17 having va plurality of slots 18 spaced along the upper edge of said plate. A similar plate 20 having slots 21 is mounted on the top side of member '16 and positioned so that when rollers are placed in the slots =18 and 21 the rollers lie transversely of

members

15 and 16. At the outer end of members 15 and '16, a poteye 2-2 is spaced between the said members.

One leg of the U-shaped guide assembly is. shorter than the other to accommodate a tow container 23 placed directly thereunder having a tow bundle 25 in the container for supplying a tow ribbon to a staple cutter via the tow guide and tensioning assembly. The tow ribbon 25 is passed through a poteye 26 to the Alsimag-covered bars '10. As shown by the drawing, the tow ribbon is laced along the ladder-like row of Alsimag-covered bars 10 in a manner so that the tow passes on the opposite side of the adjacent bars. The group of three guide bars nearest poteye 26 are spaced closely together to guard against balls of tow or entangled portions of the tow ribbon which exist occasionally in the supply container. It will be appreciated from the illustrated upright structure and lace-up arrangement thereof that the tow is subjected to frictional torces substantially lower than experienced with a conventional guide as sembly.

From the above description of the improved guide assembly illustrated, it will be understood that this arrangement will permit the individual filaments to pass gently over the guide bars and provide adequate support for the filaments to prevent twisted conditions in the tow ribbon heretofor induced by looping or swirling conditions imparted to the tow ribbon because of inadequate support thereof. This is explained by the fact that only a nominal amount of friction exists between the tow ribbon and guide bars along the vertical portions of the guide path. Thus, the vertical sections of the guide assembly provide an extended path for the filaments to be properly oriented prior to cutting without increasing the frictional forces substantially on the filaments and thusly avoid over 'tensioning the filaments; As will be recognized by the trade, the amount of friction between the tow ribbon and guide bars can be reduced by lacing the ribbon over rfewer guide bars.

After tow ribbon 25 has advanced along the ladderlike path formed by the 'U-shaped guide assembly, the tow is then laced along the Alsim-ag-covered bars, which are selectively spaced on the tensioning assembly 14, to poteye 22. The oval shaped design of the poteye causes the tow ribbon to converge down to a narrow band. Thereafter, the tow is advanced to a staple cutter, not shown, by godet roll 27.

The amount of tension required on tow ribbons varies between different ribbons. This variation is caused by change of denier size, moisture content and the like. Accordingly, the tension assembly 14 is designed to enable the operator to make the necessary adjustment by selectively spacing the guide bars longitudinally along the lengths of slotted

plates

17 and 20. For example, the two Alsimag-covered bars shown can be spaced farther apart to increase the amount of tension applied to the tow ribbon, or additional bars can be used whereby a lace-up condition is obtained. The adjustment is simple to make when a change in the tension on the tow ribbon occurs and can be made quickly to obtain a reproducible lace-up of the tow. To reduce the tension on the tow ribbon to a minimum, all of the guide bars may be removed except one.

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

I claim:

1. A tow guide and tension combination:

(a) a frame,

(b) a first section mounted to the frame in an upright vertical position,

() a second section connected to the upper end of the first section and extending outwardly therefrom along a horizontal plane,

(d) a third section connected to the second section at the end opposite the first section and extending vertically downwardly, said second section being less than one half the length of said first and third sections to provide .an extended guide path in a confined floor-space area whereby a moving tow can be controlled with a minimum amount of frictional drag imposed thereon,

(e) a fouth section connected to the downwardly extending end of the third section to form substantially a right angle therewith,-

(f) a plurality of cylindrical guide bars selectively spaced along the longitudinal axes of each said section and transversely thereto, said bars having axes which occupy a single plane with respect to each section,

assembly comprising, in

(g) means for advancing a tow laced on opposite sides of every other guide bar, and

(h) means for varying the tension on the tow being advanced along the guide path.

2. A tow guide and tension assembly comprising in combination:

(a) aframe,

(b) a first section mounted to the frame in an upright vertical position,

(c) a second section connected to the upper end of .the first section and extending outwardly therefrom along a horizontal plane,

(01) a third section connected to the second section at the end opposite the first section and extending vertically downwardly, said first and third sections being at least twice the length of said second section to provide vertical portions of great length with respect to the horizontal portion,

(e) a fourth section connected to the downwardly extending end of the third section to form substantially a right angle therewith,

(f) a plurality of cylindrical guide bars selectively spaced along the longitudinal axes of each said section and transversely thereto, said bars having axes which occupy a single plane with respect to each section to form a guide path,

(g) means for advancing a tow along the guide path,

'and

(h) a rtensioning assembly having a pair of slotted members mounted on the fourth section, and

(i) a plurality of guide bars selectively spaced in aligning slots on the slotted member to impart a tensioning effect to the tow.

3. In an apparatus for guiding a tow of continuous filaments along an extended path under minimum tension comprising:

(a) a first plurality of spaced parallel bars located in a first single vertical plane,

(b) a second plurality of spaced parallel bars located in a second single vertical plane, said first and second planes being parallel and in relatively close proximity to each other,

(c) a bar spaced between and parallel with the uppermost bar in each vertical plane arrangement to provide 'a guide path for the tow,

(d) a third plurality of spaced parallel bars located in a horizontal plane and being adjacent to the lowermost bars of said second vertical plane to extend the guide path in a horizontal direction therefrom,

(e) at least one bar spaced above said third plurality of bars and being removable whereby the amount of tension on the tow can be varied, (f) means for converging the tow into a uniform fiat ribbon, and (g) driven means for advancing a continuous tow laced on the oppositesides of alternate bars from a supply container along the extended guide path of said apparatus to properly align the continuous filaments for conversion into staple fibers. 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the first and second plurality of bars each consist of a group of at least 4 of said bars.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,727,764- 9/1929 Gibbs l9l57 2,031,430 2/1936 Schletter 242154 X 2,335,880 12/1943 Ouzts 2828 2,981,498 4/1961 Yuryan 242-154 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

S. N. GILREATH, Examiner.

Claims

1. A TOW GUIDE AND TENSION ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A FRAME, (B) A FIRST SECTION MOUNTED TO THE FRAME IN AN UPRIGHT VERTICAL POSITION, (C) A SECOND SECTION CONNECTED TO THE UPPER END OF THE FIRST SECTION AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM ALONG A HORIZONTAL PLANE, (D) A THIRD SECTION CONNECTED TO THE SECOND SECTION AT THE END OPPOSITE THE FIRST SECTION AND EXTENDING VERTICALLY DOWNWARDLY, SAID SECOND SECTION BEING LESS THAN ONE HALF THE LENGTH OF SAID FIRST AND THIRD SECTIONS TO PROVIDE AN EXTENDED GUIDE PATH IN A CONFINED FLOOR-SPACE AREA WHEREBY A MOVING TOW CAN BE CONTROLLED WITH A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF FRICTIONAL DRAG IMPOSED THEREON, (E) A FOURTH SECTION CONNECTED TO THE DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING END OF THE THIRD SECTION TO FORM SUBSTANTIALLY A RIGHT ANGLE THEREWITH, (F) A PLURALITY OF CYLINDRICAL GUIDE BARS SELECTIVELY SPACED ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF EACH SAID SECTION AND TRANSVERSELY THERETO, SAID BARS HAVING AXES WHICH OCCUPY A SINGLE PLANE WITH RESPECT TO EACH SECTION, (G) MEANS FOR ADVANCING A TOW LACED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF EVERY OTHER GUIDE BAR, AND (H) MEANS FOR VARYING THE TENSION ON THE TOW BEING ADVANCED ALONG THE GUIDE PATH.