US3484032A

US3484032A - Yarn handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3484032A
Application number: US790597A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald D Aldrich; Richard G Hilbert
Original assignee: Leesona Corp
Current assignee: Leesona Corp
Priority date: 1969-01-13
Filing date: 1969-01-13
Publication date: 1969-12-16
Anticipated expiration: 1986-12-16

Description

Dec. 16, 1969 I ET-AL YARN HANDLING APPARATUS Original Filed June 22, 1967 w a m m a M Y,

Ill Y4 .4 4 k5 s/ 7 B 4 Wm 3 3 n O W DONALD D. ALDRICH By RICHARD G HILBERT and? A ATTORNEYS 3,484,032 YARN HANDLING APPARATUS Donald D. Aldrich, West Warwick, and Richard G.

Hilbert, Smithfield, RJL, assignors to Leesona Corporation, Warwick, RL, a corporation of Massachusetts Continuation of application Ser. No. 648,022, June 22, 1967. This application Jan. 13, 1969, Ser. No. 790,597 Int. Cl. B65 17/32, 23/00 US. Cl. 226-97 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A guide for an advancing strand of yarn in false twist apparatus. A plurality of the guides direct the strand in a circuitous path across a plate-type heater. A thin layer of air between a guide groove surface and the strand of yarn reduces frictional contact sufiiciently so that the twist may pass freely around the guide.

This is a continuation of Ser. No. 648,022 filed June 22, 1967, now abandoned.

This invention relates to apparatus for guiding a strand of yarn and, more particularly, to guiding a strand of yarn through a false twist machine in such a manner that the twist may migrate along the strand.

During the operation of conventional false twist machines, a continuously advancing strand of yarn passes through a twist stop (such as feed rolls which stop migration of the twist) and a heater (which heats the yarn to a desired processing temperature), and then through a false twist spindle (to provide a twist which migrates through the strand to the twist stop). Then the strand of yarn is wound on a take-up spool. It should be noted that the twist imparted to the advancing strand of yarn migrates through the yarn. The nature of the process is such that in order to speed up the passage of the yarn and increase capacity, the length of the yarn path in the heater must be increased to maintain the desired processing temperature. This results in lengthening the heater and poses a limiting factor in the capacity of commercially successful false twist equipment.

It has been found commercially impractical to use multipath heaters in false twist equipment. The reason is that guides pro osed for directing the advancing strand of yarn through a plurality of passes in the heater act as twist stops in preventing or substantially retarding migration of the twist through the strand and back to the intended twist stop previously mentioned. Also, many proposed guides are too expensive or mechanically undesirable in the operating environment of a false twist machine. For example, vibrating guides as well as guide wheels rotated in a direction opposite the direction of the advancing strand of yarn have not been found to be industrially adequate.

The invention, in brief, is directed to yarn guides for false twist apparatus in which an advancing strand of yarn is directed by the guides in a circuitous path through a heater. Frictional contact between the guides and the advancing strand of yarn is effectively reduced by providing a thin layer of fluid, for example air, therebetween so that the twist imparted to the strand of yarn may migrate over the guides.

A primary object of the invention is to provide new and useful yarn guide.

Another object is to provide new and useful yarn guide for yarn processing apparatus in which a low frictional contact is maintained between a guide surface and an advancing strand of yarn. A related object is provision for maintaining a thin layer of fluid along the guide nited States Patent surface to provide the low frictional contact with the advancing strand.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following descriptions and the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, schematic front elevational view of a false twist machine with a heater embodying features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of a portion of FIG. 1 showing details of a yarn guide;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, sectional view taken generally on the line 33 in FIG. 2 (and in FIG. 1); and

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the yarn guide.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, two false twist assemblies 11 in a false twist machine 12 are shown. Each assembly includes a supply bobbin 13 from which a strand of yarn Y passes through a yarn guide 14 and a suitably twist stop device 15 shown as feed roll ap paratus for controlling the tension of the yarn. From the twist stop the yarn passes through another yarn guide 16 and into a false twist heater 17 of the plate-type. The strand of yarn passes through a groove 18 in a heated plate 19 and around a guide 20 where its direction is reversed, then through another heater groove 21 and around a second guide 22 from which the strand of yarn passes through a third heater groove 23. From the heater 19, the strand of yarn passes through a false twist spindle 24 and traversing mechanism 25 for guiding the yarn onto a driven take-up spool 26.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged detailed views of an upper one of the guides 20 shown in FIG. I, the other guide 22 being identical except for orientation. Each guide includes a porous, hollow, cylindrical guide body 27 secured in a recess 28 in the heater plate 19 by a special bolt or fitting 29 threaded into a coupling 30 which is in turn threaded into a bore 31 extending through the heater plate. The opposite guide body ends 32 and 33 are tightly clamped between an annular shoulder 34 on the head of the bolt 29 and the face of the heater plate recess 28 to prevent escape of air therebetween. A U-shaped groove 35 in the guide body 27 receives the strand of yarn Y. This guide groove, shown in greater detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, is shown as annular and it should be noted that the width of the groove between its side surfaces 36 is much greater than the diameter of the strand of yarn on the bottom or inner surface 37 of the groove so that any slubs (enlarged portions in the yarn) may pass easily through the groove as the yarn path conforms generally to the circular configuration of the inner or bottom surface 37 of the groove.

Migration of twist along the yarn Y is assured by low frictional contact provided between the advancing strand of yarn and the groove surface. Suitable, fluid such as air, and preferably hot air to prevent cooling the yarn, is supplied through a manifold 38 (FIG. 3) to a tube 39 connected with the hollow coupling 30 and then through an axial passage 40 in the bolt 29 which communicates with a radial passage 41 opening into an annular channel 42 in a cylindrical shank portion 43 of the bolt. From the channel 42 the air passes through the porous guide body 27 into the guide groove 35 to provide a thin layer of air between the advancing strand of yarn Y and the surface of the guide groove 35.

The guide body 27 is of a porous material such as sintered aluminum or bronze or preferably stainless steel, or an adequately porous ceramic material. The pores in the body provide passages for the air into the guide groove 35. In order to reduce escape of the air from the guide body 27, the cylindrical shank 43 has firm sliding engagement with the bore 44 of the guide body. The

opposite ends

32 and 33 of the guide body are in tight engagement with the face of the heater plate recess 28 and the annular shoulder 34 of the bolt 29 to effectively prevent escape of the air through these paths. The remaining outer surfaces of the guide body 27, other than the groove surface, are sealed by a suitable coating or by smearing of the porous surfaces. Desired migration of the twist as the yarn Y moves across the guide surfaces is assured by an air pressure in the manifold 28 in a range of 40 to 50 psi. and a volume of .01 to .02 c.f.m. for 70 denier yarn (such as nylon).

Any suitable fluid may provide the layer between the guide surface and the yarn, and a gas such as air is preferred, in part because of availability and ease of handling.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to various features and embodiments, additions and changes may be apparent to one skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for guiding an advancing strand of yarn, comprising a guide mount, guide means for guiding the strand through a change in direction and including a guide body having opposite ends and a groove for receiving said strand, and a bore opening through opposite ends of the body, means for mounting the guide body on said guide mount and including a fitting having a shank extending through said bore in said guide body, a head on an end of said shank adjacent one of said opposite ends of said body, and a mounting end on said shank opposite said head and releasably secured to said guide mount, means for reducing frictional contact between the guide body groove and said strand and including passage means for the flow of a fluid into said groove, said passage means including a passage in said shank having an inlet opening, and a passage in said guide body communicating with the shank passage and said groove for the flow of said fluid from said inlet into said groove.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said guide body is porous and said passage in said guide body comprises the pores.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said guide body is porous and said passage in said guide body comprises the pores, and sealing means for directing substantially the entire flow of said fluid from said passage means into said groove.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which said sealing means comprises a sealing layer on the surface of said body other than at least a portion of said groove.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said fitting tightly clamps the stud head against said one end of said body and the other opposite end of said body against said mount.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the mounting end of said shank is threaded and is threadedly received by said guide mount, the shank passage has a portion which extends axially of said shank and includes said inlet at the threaded end of the shank, and a transverse portion communicating with the axial portion and opening through the outer periphery of the shank.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 in which said shank has a channel in said outer periphery, said channel facing said body and communicating with said transverse portion of said shank passage and said passage in said body.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said guide mount is a yarn heater, said guide body is porous and said passage in said guide body comprises the pores, the mounting end of said shank is threaded and is threadedly received by said guide mount and tightly clamps the stud head against said one end of said body and the other opposite end of said body against said mount, said shank engages the surface of the guide body bore with a snug sliding fit and has a channel in said outer periphery, said channel facing said porous body, said shank passage has a portion which extends axially of said shank and includes said inlet at the threaded end of the shank, and a transverse portion communicating with the axial portion and opening into said channel, and means for directing substantially the entire flow of said fluid from said passage means into said groove.

9. A guide for a strand of yarn, comprising a porous guide body having opposite ends, a bore opening through said ends, and a strand receiving groove in the outer surface of said body, and a fitting having a shank extending through said bore, said shank having opposite ends and a channel therebetween facially opposed to said guide body, a head on one of said opposite ends of said shank, said head being in abutting relationship with an adjacent one of said opposite ends of said body, a threaded end on the other of said opposite ends of said shank, said threaded end being adapted to be threadedly received by a guide mount for tightly clamping said guide body between said mount and said head, and said shank having a passage extending between an inlet and said channel for the flow of fluid from said inlet through said body and into said groove.

10. A guide according to claim 9 in which said guide body has means comprising a sealing layer on the surface of said body other than at least a portion of said groove for directing substantially the entire flow of said fluid from said inlet into said groove.

11. A guide according to claim 9 in which said inlet is at the threaded end of said shank.

12. Apparatus for guiding an advancing strand of yarn and adapted to be mounted on guide mount means comprising, guide means for guiding said yarn strand through a change in direction and including a guide body having opposite ends, a groove on said body for receiving said strand, and a bore in said body; means for mounting said guide body on said guide mount means and including a shank in said bore extending from one end of said guide body adapted to be attached to said guide mount means; and means for reducing frictional contact between said groove and strand including passage means for the flow of fluid into said groove, said passage means including a passage in said shank having an inlet opening and further passage means in said guide body communicating with said shank passage and said groove whereby fluid may be passed from said inlet opening to said groove to provide a cushion of fluid upon which said strand will ride.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said further passage means in said guide body comprises pores in said guide body.

14. Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein sealing means covers the ungrooved portion of said guide body to direct substantially the entire flow of said fluid from said inlet to said groove.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 226- 196