US3882578A

US3882578A - Method and apparatus for transferring crimped tow

Info

Publication number: US3882578A
Application number: US394075A
Authority: US
Inventors: Nobuharu Izawa
Original assignee: Teijin Ltd
Current assignee: Teijin Ltd
Priority date: 1972-09-07
Filing date: 1973-09-04
Publication date: 1975-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 1992-05-13
Also published as: IT998562B; CH1292073A4; DE2345299B2; DE2345299A1; CH570484B5

Abstract

A stuffer crimped synthetic fiber tow is introduced to an entry of a chute, passed through the chute, transferred onto a moving conveyor and folded erect and to regular traverse length. When passing through a hollow path in the chute, the crimped tow is twisted through about 90* and pleated erect with respect to the surface of the conveyor. An exit of the chute makes reciprocating turns substantially horizontally and almost perpendicular to the moving direction of the conveyor. The stuffer crimped tow discharged from the chute is folded erect on the conveyor.

Description

United States Patent 11 1 Izawa May 13, 1975 [54] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR 3,302,839 2 1967 Spruill 226/200 x 3,466,716 9/1969 Hancock 226 197 x TRANSFERRING CRIMPED TOW Nobuharu Izawa, Ehime-ken, Japan Assignee: Teijin Ltd., Osah, Japan Filed: Sept. 4, 1973 Appl. No.: 394,075

Inventor:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 7, 1972 Japan 47-89110 July 25, 1973 Japan 48-83032 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,112,054 11/1963 Fleissner ..226/172X Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sherman & Shalloway [57] ABSTRACT A stuffer crimped synthetic fiber tow is introduced to an entry of a chute, passed through the chute, transferred onto a moving conveyor and folded erect and to regular traverse length. When passing through a hollow path'in the chute, the crimped tow is twisted through about 90 and pleated erect with respect to the surface of the conveyor. An exit of the chute makes reciprocating turns substantially horizontally and almost perpendicular to the moving direction of the conveyor. The stuffer crimped tow discharged from the chute is folded erect on the conveyor.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures I. I w

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING CRIMPED TOW The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for transferring a stuffer crimped synthetic fiber tow onto a heating conveyor, and more particularly for arranging the tow erect on the heating conveyor from a stuffer crimper.

In general, a synthetic fiber tow is fed to a crimper after drawing for crimping, transferred onto a conveyor after the crimping and dried and heat set with a heater where a heat transfer medium circulates.

Apparatuses for transferring the crimped tow onto the conveyor are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Pat. Publication No. 3,312/65 and Japanese Pat. Publication No. 22,883/71. In the apparatus of Japanese Pat. Publication No. 3,312/65, a conveyor is arranged below a stuffer crimper and the tow discharged from the crimper is introduced into a J-shaped stationary chute the entry and exit of which are twisted through about 90 degrees and the cross section of which is in order of increasing size from entry to exit. The tow is passed through the chute by gravity and stood erect on the conveyor to the width of the exit of the chute. In the device disclosed in Japanese Pat. Publication No.-

22,883/71, the crimped tow discharged from the crimper is uniformly stuffed in a stationary chute with a swinging cylinder and stood erect on a conveyor to the width of the exit of the stationary chute. With these apparatuses, it is impossible to stand a crimped tow erect to uniform width and density, because stick-slip of the crimped tow occurs within the chute. Consequently, heating fluid passes unevenly and drying and heat setting become very irregular, resulting in nonuniform mechanical properties or abrasioncharacteristics of the fibers and causing troubles in the subsequent textile processing.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and an efficient apparatus for transferring a synthetic fiber tow from stuffer crimper to heating conveyor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for standing a crimped tow discharged from a stuffer crimper erect and pleating it down to the substantially uniform traverse length and density on a running conveyor in order that a heat-set tow having a uniform and favorable crimp may be secured.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for standing a crimped tow smoothly and accurately erect on a conveyor.

A further object of this invention is to obtain a heatset tow having a highly favorable crimp with a comparatively simple apparatus.

According to this invention a method is provided for transferring a stuffercrimped tow onto a running conveyor in which the tow is stood erect on the surface of the running conveyor and caused to make reciprocating motions substantially horizontally and almost perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor.

According to this invention there is also provided an apparatus for transferring a stuffer crimped tow onto a running conveyor characterized by a chute having an entry to receive the crimped tow from a stuffer crimper and an exit to discharge it onto the running conveyor, twisting the crimped tow entering from the entry through about 90 and leading it to the exit and means of traversing at least part of the chute such that the exit makes reciprocating turns within the desired range substantially horizontally and almost perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor.

With the method and apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to arrange a stuffer crimped tow erect to substantially the same width and density as each other and obtain a heat-set crimped tow having a uniform and satisfactory crimp.

The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompany drawings. It is to be understood however that the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments illustrated and described but includes all of the obvious variations and modifications within the spirit of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 2 to 4 are simplified side views of modified embodiments of the invention.

With reference to FIG. 1, drawn tow T, 100,000 150,000 total denier comprising synthetic filaments such as polyamide, polyolefin, polyester and polyacrylonitrile is fed to stuffer crimper l and crimped into crimped tow CT. The resultant crimped tow CT is transferred onto running conveyor 2 with stainless steel nets or a porous plate. The crimped tow is transferred to a heat setter (not shown) where a heat transfer medium is circulating with the conveyor and undergoes drying, heat setting and the like.

Crimped tow CT discharged from stuffer crimper 1 is transferred onto transfer plate 3 without being subjected to any substantial change in the as-discharged shape, introduced in entry 5 of chute 4 and discharged onto conveyor 2 from exit 6 of the chute via a hollow path of the chute. The tow may, however, be directly led from crimper l to the entry of chute 4. In this case, it is advisable to make part of the upper wall of the chute detachable or capable of being opened because the tip of the tow which has not undergone crimping should be removed.

Chute 4 has entry 5 and exit 6 and its inner hollow path has a twist of about around the longitudinal axis of the path in order that the crimped tow entering from entry 5 may be twisted through about 90 degrees and led to exit 6. Crimped tow CT which has entered chute 4 from entry 5 in the parallel state with respect to the surface of conveyor 2 is twisted through about 90 while passing through the hollow path of chute 4 and discharged from exit 6 almost perpendicular (that is, erect) to the surface of conveyor 2. It is desirable that the cross sectional shape of the hollow path of chute 4 corresponds to that of the crimped tow, for instance a rectangle and the cross sectional area is slightly greater than that of the crimped tow. That is, if the tow is of a rectangle, 1 mm wide and h mm high, the hollow path is preferably of a rectangle, which .has a width of (1 1+ 5) l (l 30) mm and a height of (h 5) h mm (h 30) mm. Further it is preferable that the cross sectional area of entry 5 is slightly greater than that of other portions of the chute and takes a funnel shape such that crimped tow CT easily enters the chute from transfer plate 3. Chute 4 and transfer plate 3 are preferably of stainless steel in view of its anti-rust and sliding properties.

Chute 4 is pivotally mounted on support shaft 7 and makes reciprocating turns around support shaft 7 by a suitable means designated by 8. Therefore, exit 6 is traversed almost perpendicular to the running direction of conveyor 2 to the desired traverse length. As the means 8 of traversing chute 4, various well-known types besides the illustrated type may be in use. In the embodiment, the whole chute 4 is traversed, but the chute may be longitudinally divided to give reciprocating turns only to that portion which is on the side of exit 6, and traverse the exit 6 also.

In this way, exit 6 makes reciprocating motions substantially horizontally and almostperpendicular to the running direction of conveyor 2 to the desired traverse length and the crimped tow is folded on the conveyor 2 in the erect state and in the traverse length. The arranged state, density and the like depend upon the reciprocating speed of exit 6 and the running speed of conveyor 2, which are to be optionally selected by the feed speed of crimped tow CT to be supplied to the entry of chute 4. The filling density of the crimped tow on the conveyor is rendered great and disappearance of crimp is prevented by lowering fairly the running speed of conveyor 2. The traversing speed of exit6 is substantially the same as the feed speed of crimped tow CT (discharge speed of tow from exit 6) and consequently the tow is transferred onto the conveyor from the crimper in theas-discharged state. On the other hand, it is possible to control crimp performance by increasing the reciprocating speed of chute 4 or the running speed of the conveyor when the amount of crimp is too large. For instance, when the feed speed of the tow is 5.49 m per minute, the preferable reciprocating speed of exit 6 is 3.8 reciprocations per minute in a traverse length of 0.8 m and the preferable running speed of the conveyor is 0.208 m per minute. It is also possible to alter the traversing speed of exit 6and/or the running speed of conveyor 2 with variations of feed speed of the tow so that the filling speed of the tow on the conveyor may be maintained constant.

In an embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, the crimped tow discharged from exit 6 is traversed on the conveyor perpendicular to the surface of the conveyor and it is advisable to traverse the tow with a slight forward tilting with respect to the surface of conveyor 2 (tilting slightly toward the running direction of the conveyor) such that the crimped tow immediately after its movementonto the conveyor does not fall down. As shown in FIG. 2, tow-filling portion 9 of the conveyor is slightly tapered with angle a and crimped tow CT discharged from exit 6 and traversed on conveyor 2 is arranged on the conveyor such that the plane of the tow (wall surface of erect, band-like tow) is tilted with respect to the perpendicular direction toward the running direction of conveyor 2 through angle 6. The tilt is modified to be almost perpendicular where conveyor 2 starts to be horizontal. When crimped tow CT discharged from chute 4 is led onto the conveyor while it is slightly tilted, the crimped tow will not fall toward the chute and the subsequent tow will be filled continuously and stably.

In FIG. 2, the fall of the tow is prevented by tilting the tow-filling portion of conveyor 2, whereas in FIG. 3 plate 10 tilted through angle 01 is disposed between chute 4 and conveyor 2 to receive the crimped tow from chute 4. In FIG. 4, chute 4 is tilted through angle a with respect to horizontal and the tow is tilted through angle 6 to the running direction of conveyor 2.

Angle of inclination 6 is to 45, preferably to 30. It is found by experiments that with the angle less from the perpendicular direction through 5 to than 5, the tow tends to fall and with the angleabove i 45 it. cannot smoothly restore the tilting when it reaches the horizontal portion of conveyor 2, resulting in the poor circulation of hotair, etc. at the timeof the subsequent drying and heat treatment. With the angle of inclination at 10 to 30 theresults are best.

In the illustrated embodiments, stuffer crimper l and conveyor 2 are substantially on a level with each other.

When crimper 1 is located higher than conveyor 2, the

crimped tow discharged from crimper 1 may bele'd" I onto conveyor 2 with the use of a curved chute, for in stance, a Jshaped chute. In the light of saving in space,

it is evident that crimper I and conveyor 2 are .prefera I bly located ona level with each other.

What is claimed is: 1. A method of transferring a stuffer crimped tow onto a running conveyor characterized by standingthe stuffer crimped tow erect with respect to the surface of the running conveyor and traversing :the tow substantially horizontally and almost perpendicular to therunning direction of the conveyorand thereby arranging the tow on the conveyor in a pleated-erect pattern comprising:

crimping a tow of synthetic filaments in a 'stuffer crimper; feeding the crimped tow running conveyor;

onto the surface of said running conveyor and;

traversing the exit of said chute substantially horizon-f tally and almost perpendicular .to the running di rection of the conveyor whereby the tow is arranged in a pleated-erect pattern on" said running I' conveyor.

2. The method of transferring a stuffer crimped tow I as set forth in claim 1 wherein the crimped tow to be arranged on the conveyor is prevented from falling down, comprising tilting the tow discharged from the I chute to the running directionof the running conveyor prior to feeding said crimped tow onto the running conveyor.

an entry for receiving the crimped tow from a stuffer crimper and an exit for discharging the crimped tow.

onto the conveyor, a hollow passageway connecting said entry and said exit, said passageway having a twist j through about about its longitudinal axis and means.

of traversing at least one portion of the chute such that the exit makes reciprocating turns substantially horizontally and almost perpendicular to the running direc- 7 tion of the conveyor in the desired traverse length.

4. The apparatus for transf erring a stuffer crimped tow as set forth in claim 3 further comprising means of i tilting the erect, crimped tow from the perpendicular direction tothe running direction of the conveyor through 5 to 45 to thereby prevent the crimped tow to be arranged on the conveyorfrom .falling down.

dischargedfrom the stuffer v 5 crimper in its as-discharged shape along a horizontal path to a chute having an :entrance and an exit and a hollow passageway therebetween, said pas sageway having a twist of about 90,about its longitudinal axis, said chute being disposed above said i said entry of the chute is slightly larger than the crosssection of the other portions of the chute.

7. The apparatus for transferring a stuffer crimped tow as set forth in claim 3 further comprising a transfer plate between the stuffer crimper and the entry of the chute.

Claims

1. A method of transferring a stuffer crimped tow onto a running conveyor characterized by standing the stuffer crimped tow erect with respect to the surface of the running conveyor and traversing the tow substantially horizontally and almost perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor and thereby arranging the tow on the conveyor in a pleated-erect pattern comprising: crimping a tow of synthetic filaments in a stuffer crimper; feeding the crimped tow discharged from the stuffer crimper in its as-discharged shape along a horizontal path to a chute having an entrance and an exit and a hollow passageway therebetween, said passageway having a twist of about 90* about its longitudinal axis, said chute being disposed above said running conveyor; feeding the crimped tow through said passageway of said chute to thereby discharge the crimped tow from the exit of said chute perpendicularly to and onto the surface of said running conveyor and; traversing the exit of said chute substantially horizontally and almost perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor whereby the tow is arranged in a pleated-erect pattern on said running conveyor.

2. The method of transferring a stuffer crimped tow as set forth in claim 1 wherein the crimped tow to be arranged on the conveyor is prevented from falling down, comprising tilting the tow discharged from the chute to the running direction of the running conveyor from the perpendicular direction through 5* to 45* prior to feeding said crimped tow onto the running conveyor.

3. An apparatus for transferring a stuffer crimped tow onto a running conveyor comprising a chute having an entry for receiving the crimped tow from a stuffer crimper and an exit for discharging the crimped tow onto the conveyor, a hollow passageway connecting said entry and said exit, said passageway having a twist through about 90* about its longitudinal axis and means of traversing at least one portion of the chute such that the exit makes reciprocating turns substantially horizontally and almost perpendicular to the running direction of the conveyor in the desired traverse length.

4. The apparatus for transferring a stuffer crimped tow as set forth in claim 3 further comprising means of tilting the erect, crimped tow from the perpendicular direction to the running direction of the conveyor through 5* to 45* to thereby prevent the crimped tow to be arranged on the conveyor from falling down.

5. The apparatus for transferring a stuffer crimped tow as set forth in claim 3 wherein the cross section of the chute corresponds to the shape of the crimped tow and is slightly larger in cross-section than the crimped tow.

6. The apparatus for transferring a stuffer crimped tow as set forth in claim 5, wherein the cross section of said entry of the chute is slightly larger than the cross-section of the other portions of the chute.