Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
  • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
  • D04H3/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length
  • D04H3/08—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of strengthening or consolidating
  • D04H3/16—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of strengthening or consolidating with bonds between thermoplastic filaments produced in association with filament formation, e.g. immediately following extrusion
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
  • D01D—MECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS
  • D01D5/00—Formation of filaments, threads, or the like
  • D01D5/12—Stretch-spinning methods

Definitions

• This invention relates to air guns or filament 5. draw nozzles used for the production of spun bonded nonwoven fabrics.
• Prior art draw nozzles used for the production 25. of nonwoven webs have a number of shortcomings, being generally characterized by their relatively complex design, often incorporating numerous parts, which results in high replacement cost and problems in maintaining the accurate alignment of parts. 30. This latter problem can lead to asymmetric air flows which create swirl and thus roping of the filaments being conveyed by the nozzles.
• prior art nozzle constructions are often prone to plugging and wear problems and require 35. high air pressure to operate. Thus, their
• Prior art draw nozzles also characteristically generally are difficult to thread initially and have relatively low fiber entrainment capacities due in 5. large part to the fact that they commonly incorporate fiber feed tubes having relatively small internal diameters. Further, prior art draw nozzles, due to their complexity of construction, do not readily adapt themselves to internal vacuum
• the components are self aligned when assembled. Assembly itself if quite simple since the three filament draw nozzle components are slip fit into position.
• the components are a throughbore defining means, a housing, and fiber inlet defining means which
• continuously converging (and thus accelerating) flow passages are provided between an annular air cavity which receives pressurized air and the flow
• FIG. 1 is an elevational view in section of a preferred form of filament draw nozzle constructed 25. in accordance with the teachings of the present invention
• Fig. 2 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1 but illustrating an alternative embodiment
• Fig. 3 is a view similar to that Fig. 1 but 30. illustrating yet another alternative embodiment; and Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of a filament draw nozzle and associated structure; and
• Fig. 5 is an elevational view in section showing operational details of selected elements of 35.
• the nozzle of Fig. 1. BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
• Fig. 1 illustrates a preferred form of filament draw nozzle 10 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
• the 5. nozzle receives a plurality of fibers from a fiber source (not shown) and transports them downwardly through a draw pipe 11 (Fig. 4) to a moving wire 13.
• a foil element 15 of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 115,308, filed
• the nozzle 10 includes a throughbore defining
• means 12 having a throughbore 14 formed therein and a shoulder 16 extending about the periphery of means 12 at a location spaced from the throughbore.
• Means 12 additionally comprises an upwardly projecting annular boss 18 having a
• cylindrical peripheral wall 20 leading to a generally smoothly curved surface 22 extending to throughbore 14.
• a peripheral channel 24 is formed in means 12 at a location adjacent to shoulder 16, said channel accommodating an 0-ring seal 26.
• defining means so that throughbore 14 and aperture and 32 are coaxial. Precise coaxial alignment may be accomplished by positioning a mandrel (not shown) in throughbore 14 and aperture 32 and then securing the housing to the throughbore defining
• ' 26 provides an airtight seal between throughbore defining means 12 and housing 30. Together the wall • 20 of boss 18 and the inner wall of the housing define therebetween an annular air cavity 5. which is in communication with the interior of a conduit 34 connected to a source (not shown) of pressurized air.
• the annular air cavity is also in communication with a generally increasingly restricted annular passageway or slit leading from 10. the annular air cavity to throughbore 14.
• the restricted annular passageway is partially defined by the housing 30 and the generally smoothly curved surface 22 of boss 18.
• the nozzle of Fig. 1 additionally comprises 15. fiber feed tube 42 having a smooth cylindrical outer wall and slip fit into aperture 32 with said wall bearing against housing 30.
• the interior of fiber feed tube 42 has a circular cross section and is in communication with throughbore 14 and 20. concentric therewith.
• the diameter of the fiber feed tube interior is at least 0.2 inches. Because it is slip fit the tube may be readily removed and cleaned by the operator. .It should be noted that the inner wall of housing 30 is smoothly curved 25. toward the feed tube outer wall so that said outer wall defines with surface 22 of boss 18 a continuation of the restricted annular passageway or slit.
• Fiber inlet defining means 40 additionally 30. includes a body member 44 connected to the fiber feed tube 42 in any desired fashion as by means of set screws, press fit, etc. Alternatively, of course, the body member 44 and fiber feed tube 42 could be integrally formed.
• Body member 44 has 35. formed therein a shallow bell mouth surface 46 leading to the interior of the fiber feed tube.
• the term "shallow” as used herein and as applied to surface 46 shall mean that the bell mouth surface formed in body member 44 has a radius of curvature 5. R not exceeding 150 percent of the inner diameter of fiber feed tube 42.
• the upper extent of surface 46 is preferably curved to define a radius R lying in the range of from about 1/16 inch to about 3/8 inch. It will be noted that fiber feed tube 42 is
• spacer means in a form of a ring 50 is positioned between fiber inlet defining means 40 and the top
• the fiber feed tube 42 may be raised or lowered by using different sized rings.
• FIG. 5 illustrates in detail the cooperative relationship existing between fiber feed tube 42, housing 30 and boss 18 at the location whereat the tube projects from the bottom of aperture 32.
• inner wall and surface 22 of boss 18 gradually reduces in thickness from a central location at the top of the boss to the location whereat the housing terminates and the slit is defined by the tube and boss.
• the slit thickness at its central location at the top of the boss is preferably less than 30% of the width of the annular air cavity.
• Fig. 5 details of a nozzle actually fabricated are provided wherein such midpoint slit thickness 5. is 0.060 inches.
• the width of the annular air cavity of such constructed nozzle was 0.375 inches.
• the slit thickness has been reduced by approximately half to 0.035 inches.
• the slit continues to reduce 10. in thickness due to convergence of boss surface 22 and the outer wall of tube 42 until a point is reached whereat curvature of the surface 22 terminates and the boss outer surface has a constant diameter for a distance of 0.050 inches. 15.
• the slit defines a throat having a constant thickness of 0.012 inches or approximately 5% of the fiber tube inner diameter of 0.250 inches.
• the length over which the constant slit thickness extends is preferably in 20. the order of 3 to 4 times minimum slit thickness.
• the boss wall then forms a divergent at an angle in the order of 15 vertical until the diameter of throughbore 14 is matched. .
• the annular passageway or slit throat and the 25. diverging passageway to which it leads constitute the elements of a supersonic nozzle and sonic flow at the throat and supersonic flow at the exit of the divergent is established by providing sufficiently high air supply pressures upstream 30. therefrom.
• Exit Mach numbers ratio of exit velocity to the velocity of sound
• the area of the divergent can be changed by changing the length of divergent, i.e., 35. by the positioning of the lower end of the fiber inlet tube relative to the divergent within a range X.
• the annular passageway drops upon tube removal since the communication to the throughbore 14 occurs through a much longer exit slit (in the order of three times) and the nozzle operates as an internal Coanda nozzle directing the air flow in a
• pressurized air is introduced through conduit 34 into the annular air cavity of the nozzle.
• the pressurized air then flows through the generally increasingly restricted annular
• CMFI 42 Because of the rapidly converging shallow bell mouth surface a high vacuum is located at the fiber inlet opening. Consequently, rapid nozzle threading is facilitated and nozzle plugging is 5. minimized. In fact, it has been found that a nozzle of the type illustrated in Fig. 1 is virtually self cleaning in that broken filaments disposed about the nozzle tops will be continuously vacuumed off by the high inlet suction.
• the 10. relatively large diameter of tube 42 permits even clumps or polymer beads up to a quarter of an inch to readily pass therethrough.
• Fiber inlet defining means 40 can be easily instrumented with a static pressure probe 52, in 15. communication with the fiber feed tube below the bell mouth surface 46, thus providing continuous monitoring of nozzle performance and loading.
• Fig. 4 schematically illustrates a vacuum gauge 53 associated with such a probe. It will be 20. appreciated that nozzle 10 is only one of many disposed in an array over wire 13 and that the nozzles have different performance characteristics. To make up for any such differences different air pressures may be applied 25. to the nozzles to ensure that the vacuums in the fiber inlet tubes are essentially the same as shown by vacuum gauges attached to each nozzle. This is first done without* filaments passing through the nozzles, air pressure adjustment being made by a 30. control valve 19 between the nozzle and a source of compressed air.
• a separate quick shut off valve 21 is also preferably employed in line 34 as is a swirl control handle 23 if a swirl control mechanism of the type shown, for
• the fiber inlet defining means may be readily removed by the operator for
• FIG. 2 an alternative embodiment of filament draw nozzle constructed in
• Fig. 2 is quite similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1 and corresponding parts carry corresponding part numbers with the addition of modifier reference
• a separate tail pipe 70 is secured in any desired manner to the rest of throughbore defining means 12a as by being press fit thereto, for example.
• a separate tail pipe can cause excessive noise and
• OMPI perfectly matched to the throughbore defining means. For that reason a one piece throughbore defining means such as that shown in Fig. 2 is preferred.
• fiber inlet defining means 5. 40a has a somewhat different configuration than fiber inlet defining means 40 in Fig. 1 and has incorporated therein a monitoring probe 72 soldered or otherwise fixedly secured to body member 44a.
• the precise geometry of the nozzle annular 10. air cavity and restricted annular passageway differs somewhat from that of the Fig. 1 embodiment.
• Fig. 3 shows yet another embodiment of the filament draw nozzle of the present invention, the primary difference residing in the elimination of a 15. restricted passageway defined by generally smoothly curved surface 22b of boss 18b. In other words, the width of the passageway leading from the annular air cavity of the nozzle in Fig. 3 approximates that of the annular air cavity. This 20. arrangement has not been found to be quite as satisfactory as the arrangements illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.
• nozzles constructed in accordance with the teachings of the 25. present invention have several advantages over prior art nozzles.
• the nozzles of this invention may operate even at very low supply pressures (in the range of two atmospheres) and still establish supersonic flow expansion even at high fiber 30. loading. These nozzles, however, can also work at high pressures, e.g. twenty atmospheres. Operational pressure is chosen depending upon the denier of the fibers. Normal operation is at about ten atmospheres.
• the nozzles are easy 35. to load, clean, repair and monitor and have low noise characteristics.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Spinning Methods And Devices For Manufacturing Artificial Fibers (AREA)
• Yarns And Mechanical Finishing Of Yarns Or Ropes (AREA)
• Continuous Casting (AREA)
• Inorganic Fibers (AREA)
• Guides For Winding Or Rewinding, Or Guides For Filamentary Materials (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

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Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 1980
  • 1980-10-02 US US06/192,973 patent/US4322027A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1981
  • 1981-07-13 WO PCT/US1981/000938 patent/WO1982001180A1/en unknown
  • 1981-07-13 JP JP56502776A patent/JPS619221B2/ja not_active Expired
  • 1981-07-22 CA CA000382288A patent/CA1165991A/en not_active Expired
  • 1981-08-20 DE DE8181303804T patent/DE3174312D1/de not_active Expired
  • 1981-08-20 AT AT81303804T patent/ATE19104T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1981-08-20 EP EP81303804A patent/EP0049563B1/en not_active Expired
  • 1981-10-02 MX MX189460A patent/MX153464A/es unknown

Patent Citations (6)

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