US3468284A

US3468284A - Means to splay and coat filamentary yarn

Info

Publication number: US3468284A
Application number: US755680A
Authority: US
Inventors: Castulo Chaban Jr
Original assignee: EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co
Current assignee: EIDP Inc
Priority date: 1968-08-27
Filing date: 1968-08-27
Publication date: 1969-09-23
Anticipated expiration: 1986-09-23

Description

p 1969 c. CHABAN, JR

MEANS TO SPLAY AND COAT FILAMENTARY YARN Filed Aug. 27, 1968 INVENTOR CASTULO CHAB AN JR BY A/waxi I? u/mi:

ATTORNEY United States Patent U.S. Cl. 118-44 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for diverting and splaying an advancing filamentary yarn in contact with a driven finish applicator roll. A guide with a convex surface is mounted centrally behind the yarn path for swinging outward and inward movement about an axis parallel to the axis of the finish roll to divert the yarn from the roll and splay the yarn into a uniform width then release the yarn to the roll.

Background of the invention This invention relates generally to the manufacture of synthetic fibers and more particularly to improvements in an apparatus for applying finish to a moving threadline.

In the manufacture of a filamentary yarn from synthetic polymers such as nylon, it is common practice to apply a liquid finishing composition to the yarn surface immediately following the spinning and quencing operation. The finish functions primarily to lubricate the filaments from rubbing and abrasive action on guide surfaces and to hold together the substantially parallel filaments in the yarn bundle during subsequent processing. Commonly, finish is applied by advancing the filaments in contact with the exposed surface of a driven roll which dips into a finish pool. The roll may be covered at the point of contact with a stationary layer of gauze as shown, for example, in US. Patent 3,336,900. Finish applied in this manner migrates within the filament bundle in time to a substantially uniform level. However, in high speed, coupled spin-drawn processes, particularly at low levels of finish-on-yarn, the brief interval between application of finish and drawing of the yarn restricts finish leveling by migration before drawing which can result in yarn of inferior quality. Increasing the level of finish application to improve quality and performance is undesirable due to increased cost and excessive fouling of customer processing equipment.

Some improvement can be realized when a cloth or gauze skirt is placed at the point of contact between the yarn and the finish roll and when the yarn is passed over the skirt splayed out in ribbon form. Particularly, with such a finish application method, it has now been found that large variations in finish level from one spinning position to another and from doff-to-doff can result due to variations in the width of the yarn ribbon in contact with the finish applicator. These variations exist because lateral friction between the yarn, and the applicator is sufiicient to prevent the yarn from spreading to an equilibrium ribbon width, which would be the same for each position or each dofiing cycle. Consequently, the ribbon Width on the finish roll and the amount of finish applied are subject to uncontrolled variables of operation during the initial string-up of the yarn on the machine by one or more operators.

Consequently, an object of this invention is an apparatus which permits more uniform control of the width of the yarn ribbon in contact with a finish applicator roll during the string-up operation.

3,468,284 Patented Sept. 23, 1969 Summary of the invention This invention is an apparatus including a driven yarn ribbon finish applicator roll preferably engaged by a gauze skirt at an area of contact with a continuously advancing filamentary yarn ribbon, guide means for temporarily diverting the yarn ribbon from contact with said roll, said guide means comprising: a fixed support; a guide holder movably mounted on the support; a convexsurfaced, guide mounted on said holder in axial parallelism with said driven roll; spring means biasing said holder away from said yarn diverting position; and actuator means for advancing said guide into said yarn diverting position. Thus, in use the guide diverts the yarn ribbon from contact with the finish applicator and the yarn ribbon is splayed out in a uniform manner; the ribbon is permitted to come to an equilibrium width before being released to contact the finish applicator. This then assures a uniform width for the yarn ribbon in contact with the finish roll from position-to-position and doff-to-doff, thus improving finish uniformity from one yarn package to another.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a schematic illustration of a process installation into which the yarn diverting guide of the present invention has been incorporated.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the finish applicator roll and the diverting guide.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the diverting guide shown in FIG. 2.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment The process installation chosen for purposes of illustration in FIG. 1 includes a spinning block 10 from which two ends of filamentary yarn 12 are spun through a quenching chimney 14. Yarn 12 advances as two converging bundles over a planar guide 16 past a diverting guide, generally designated as 18 and over a driven finish applicator roll 20. Gauze skirts 22 are positioned between the yarn 12 and the finish roll at the area of yarn contact with roll 20. The yarn then converges laterally as compact bundles at convergence guides 24 and is then forwarded in several wraps around feed roll 26 and its associated separator roll 28 and from which it is forwarded for further processing. Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3 rotatably driven finish roll 20 dips into a liquid finish contained in pan 30. Diverting guide 18 includes L-shaped fixed supports 32, guide holder 34, a pair of elongated guides 36 mounted in holder 34 and an actuating arm 38 attached to holder 34. Guides 36 are positioned so their mid-points are in substantial alignment with yarn bundles 12 and have convex surfaces as shown which center about their mid-points. Holder 34 is mounted in supports 32 by bolts 40 for swinging outward and inward movement about the common axis of the bolts which is substantially parallel to the axis of roll 20. A spring 42 is shown connected between arm 38 and a fixed lug 44 for biasing the holder 34 inwardly away from the yarn 12. FIG. 2 shows a force being applied to arm 38 such that holder 34 is moved outwardly and guides 36 are in contact with yarn 12 diverting it from contact with finish roll 20 and its associated gauze skirt 22.

In operation, pressure on the actuating arm 38 advances splayer guides 36 into contact with the yarn pushing it away from contact with the finish applicator guaze 22. Because of the convex surface of the guides 36 the yarn ribbon is splayed. After the yarn attains an equilibrium width, actuating arm 38 is released, spring 42 moves holder 34 inwardly thus permitting the yarn to return into contact with the cloth gauze 22 whereupon friction maintains a constant width of the splayed yarn ribbon. This operation is performed immediately after string-up at the beginning of each yarn package and need not be repeated until string-up after the next dofiing cycle.

In practice, it has been found that the use of the apparatus of this invention results in a more uniform finish application from doif-to-doff and position-to-position, thus overall quality of the product is improved and lower finish levels may be employed. Accordingly, this apparatus is particularly advantageous in a coupled spindraw process where a necessary characteristic of the finish for spinning and drawing may be undesirable in the end product. With more effective application of the processing finish at low levels of finish-on-yarn, a post application of product finish for improved textile processing is facilitated.

Generally, the diverting splaying guide should be centrally positioned with respect to the yarn path in order to provide a uniform splaying action across the width of the yarn ribbon. The curvature of the splaying guide surface should be sufiicient to provide a positive splaying action but should not be so highly curved that it tends to distort the width of the ribbon much beyond the normal equilibrium width of the converging filaments at the point of contact. For maximum benefit in maintaining uniformity from one position to another, the processing apparatus must be arranged to provide an equal angle of convergence and equal equilibrium width of the planar, converging yarn ribbon from one position to another.

This apparatus may be employed with any conventional, liquid yarn finish. It is particularly beneficial with oil-based finishes which tend to be more viscous and penetrate more slowly than less viscous water-based oil emulsions.

Although the invention has been illustrated with respect to the preferred embodiment of a finish applicator roll engaged by a gauze skirt at the yarn contacting area because of its higher lateral surface friction, this invention may also be used with more conventional finish applicator rolls, e.g. ceramic rolls, without the skirt to assure more rapid attainment of equilibrium width of the yarn ribbon after the string-up operation.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus including a driven finish applicator roll in contact with an advancing filamentary yarn, a guide for diverting the yarn from the roll and splaying the yarn into a uniform ribbon, said guide comprising: a fixed support positioned behind said yarn; a guide holder movably mounted on said support for swinging outward and inward movement about an axis substantially parallel to that of the roll; an elongated guide mounted on said holder in axial parallelism with said roll, said guide having a mid-point aligned with said yarn, said guide having a convex surface centered about said mid-point; means for biasing said holder inwardly away from said yarn; and an actuator associated with said holder for swinging said holder outwardly toward said yarn so that said guide contacts said yarn and diverts it from said roll and splays it into a uniform ribbon.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including a gauze skirt engaging said finish roll at the point of contact with said yarn.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,488,298 3/ 1924 Thomayer. 1,576,013 3/1926 'Ihomayer 68-203 X 2,160,300 5/1939 Baldwin 188-234 X 2,464,502 3/ 1949 Hall et al. 3,118,790 1/1964 Gonsalves 118-44 3,166,822 1/ 1965 Starkie 28-1 3,226,773 1/ 1966 Paliyenko. 3,336,900 8/ 1967 Hitt. 3,345,697 10/1967 Aspy. 3,384,944 5/ 1968 Medeiros et al.

MORRIS KAPLIN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.