WO2009047342A1

WO2009047342A1 - Two-component composite textile product and method for its manufacture

Info

Publication number: WO2009047342A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/063662
Authority: WO
Inventors: Claudio Gabrieli
Original assignee: G.M. Automation & Service Di Claudio Gabrieli
Priority date: 2007-10-10
Filing date: 2008-10-10
Publication date: 2009-04-16
Also published as: ITMO20070309A1

Abstract

A two-component composite textile product constituted by a bundle that is mainly but not exclusively filament-like, with a diameter of even from approximately 2 mm to half a millimeter or less, whose strength, in conditions of inextensibility obtained by applying a traction load, can even reach and exceed 400 kg/mm2. Its cross-section is constituted by a core (A) of high-performance textile fiber (12) such as red 'P.B.O.', in parallel rectilinear individual filaments which are mutually jointly connected by means of universal adhesive (3), stabilized so as to form a circular cross-section by helical winding with an individual stablizing filament (2) made of red 'P.B.O.' textile fiber; a sheath (4) made of white polyethylene fiber such as 'HT' in chain-stitched fabric, or better in a knotless helix, constitutes a protective cladding.

Description

TWO-COMPONENT COMPOSITE TEXTILE PRODUCT AND METHOD FOR ITS MANUFACTURE

Technical Field

The invention relates to a two-component composite textile product and to the corresponding manufacturing method, i.e., to a "technical product" whose main appearance is filament-like, but not exclusively, and has a composite nature, i.e., is constituted by multiple components and is adapted to become inextensible and to acquire a specific strength that may be even very high in use, after the application of an adequately high traction force.

Such product, which in the present invention is constituted advantageously by two textile components that are adapted to determine its resulting strength, plus a sheath which has a mainly cladding function, is herein the subject of a patent rights application together with a possible method for its manufacture.

The product according to the present invention is substantially the simplest of three distinct products of a same family, which are separately the subject of a request for protection on the part of the same Applicant: in its various morphological compositions, it is referenced hereinafter conventionally as of "type A", with two components, in order to distinguish it from "type B" and "type C", respectively with three and four components that cooperate to achieving the high (or very high) resulting specific mechanical strength of the product, where such a degree of strength is required, plus the sheath. Background Art

The background art comprises composite, flexible "technical products", which are rendered inextensible and are given a high specific mechanical strength by applying an adequate preliminary traction force, such as a cable, i.e., which are linear or open, with high values of the cross- sectional diameters that decrease to a minimum value of more than approximately 2 mm, substantially around the upper limit of the diameters of the products that we consider more appropriately to constitute a new sector: the sector of composite filament-like products that are not manufactured in a linear open form but in a closed bundle form: from which it is optionally possible to obtain, by cutting, products in open linear form, i.e., cables, when needed.

The sector of filament-like products is considered here, also and mostly, for use in new specific applications, which are often very different from the characteristic ones of linear products and of any preceding looped products.

The manufacturing method related to bundle products, considered here, is substantially different from the manufacturing method of the linear product, i.e., of the cable.

The fundamental concept of the new method for obtaining the product in bundle form according to the present invention consists in forming the core of the bundle by drawing the individual filament unwound from a corresponding spool by means of a new and advantageous device, which is constituted by a driving pulley with a race that is aligned with the race of a guiding pulley, such individual filament being initially wound and tensioned in such races to form a loop, i.e., an elementary traction bundle, in order to draw the additional amount of such individual filament, unwinding it from such spool in order to complete the core of the bundle to the intended cross- sectional diameter, as a base element for manufacturing the product in bundle form. In addition to reaching and optionally exceeding the specific strength values that currently can be obtained for slender products such as a cable manufactured specifically as a linear product, the Applicant presents here the convenient manufacture of a new loop product such as the bundle, since it can assume uniform cross-sectional characteristics, i.e., without joints that determine a significant lack of uniformity and local expansions, such as knots, and without separation or discontinuities, such as those determined by the strands of the cables.

The product in bundle form must, for example, be applicable directly as a very convenient conveyor of parts in the field of apparatuses for checking for surface defects of metallic findings or other kinds of findings, performed by means of optical instruments; when appropriate, such product must have a high strength, must be inextensible and must have high working tension values such as to not cause deflection or slippage of any kind at all.

The aim of the adoption of such a filament-like conveyor is first of all to avoid the concealment of considerable parts of the surface of the parts that are the subject of the surface checks, as determined for example by the excessive extension of their regions of contact with the two belts or with the recesses or templates of ordinary conveyors, and also to avoid the flexing of the conveyor branch that carries the parts and further tension variations along the bundle that constitutes the filament-like conveyor. All this being particularly intended to avoid slippages of the filament-like product and also vibrations and skipping of the parts during checking, which at the intended conveyance speeds would prevent reliable optical detections; such speeds being optionally higher than traditional ones in order to increase productivity in operations for checking the surface defects of parts, such as lesions, deformations, errors in dimensional values and in reference elements, as well as color variations and others.

The conveyor according to the invention, which has a filament-like appearance and has for example diameters of up to approximately 2 millimeters even starting from a minimum of 1/2 millimeter and less, as a purely technological limit, is adapted to greatly reduce the surface of contact between each part and such conveyor, in order to obtain checks of the surface defects on surfaces that are as extensive as possible with respect to the surfaces to be checked and are therefore far more complete, precise and have a much higher productivity. Moreover, in addition to the need to find flexible technical products that have a high mechanical strength, are inextensible and have a filament- like consistency and appearance, to be used for example in the mentioned checking of the surface of findings in order to obtain an advantageously high tension in the branches of the conveyance bundle and a lack of vibrations, in the background art there are shortcomings and drawbacks, and therefore the need is felt to obtain textile bundles, particularly but not exclusively as filament-like products, which are for example adapted to wrap mechanical elements that are subjected to very high centrifugal forces, to prevent the extremely dangerous possibility of their breakup, such as, as a non-limiting example, for the hubs of wheels of racing cars which rotate at an extremely high-speed and in very severe and risky operating conditions.

There is also the need to use technical products in bundle form, with diameters that have a much larger consistency than 2 millimeters, such as those of the cable type, for example for slinging loads, or for applying extremely high traction forces to any element in order to subject it to tension, as well as for towing, lifting and drawing loads in the most disparate sectors of technology.

Finally, there is the need to use composite filament-like or non- filament-like high-strength textile products that are not in bundle form but are open, such as a cable, i.e., linear, and can be obtained if necessary by cutting the bundle or loop, the manufacture of which in a bundle and the subsequent use of which in line, i.e., in the open state, are also a specific subject of the present invention. This occurs in order to obtain uniformity of composition and consequent uniformity of distribution of forces along the entire cable, starting from the particular manufacturing method in bundle form, which indeed allows to ensure uniformity of composition and of distribution of forces along the entire bundle.

In addition to the above-mentioned current shortcomings and drawbacks, for textile filament-like products having a cross-sectional diameter of less than approximately 2 mm, and even down to less than half a millimeter, or in any case at the attainable technological limit in terms of thinness, particularly to obtain the highest specific performance and uniformity possible by manufacturing in bundle form, there is the need to take particular care in the steps for forming such bundle as regards the expected characteristics, which require the absence of joints with significant expansions and therefore of harmful nonuniformities: this occurs especially in case of great thinness of the component materials and of the resulting filament-like product, which substantially do not allow tolerance in terms of nonuniformity.

Moreover, in terms of uniformity, it is stressed that it is necessary to avoid the composition of the cross-section in strands, which is a characteristic of linear products.

The present invention solves the complex technical drawback that arises by adopting new composite textile products, which are adapted to be rendered inextensible before use, in order to withstand even tensile loads that are, as an indication, close to, or greater than, 400 kg/mm², with such new composite textile products initially in the form of a bundle, specifically a filament-like one. Moreover, especially but not exclusively in the case of very low bundle core diameter values, the forming of such bundle by means of the extremely thin elementary individual filament (whose diameter can be measured in "tex", a textile unit of measurement that corresponds to the diameter of an elementary individual filament that is 1 km long and weighs 1 g), would not allow to obtain a cross-section that has a constant circular contour or sufficiently approximates such contour, along the entire bundle core, such as to meet the fundamental condition of uniformity and substantially uniform distribution of the forces in the cross-section along the entire length of such core. The current practical impossibility to obtain a cross-section of the bundle core that tends sufficiently to the circular profile and also the difficulty in rendering negligible, i.e., on the order of hundredths of a millimeter or little more, the dimensional increases caused by joints and by the locking of the ends of the filaments, are very important aspects of the complex technical problem that underlies the present invention. Disclosure of the Invention

The aim of the present invention is to solve first of all the drawback relating the attainment of high strength, by providing a two-component composite textile product having two particular components that cooperate to reach the resulting strength value of such product and are tightly wrapped by means of a protective cladding sheath.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to obtain a cross- section of the bundle that is as uniform as possible by adopting the new concept of wrapping tightly around the first component, i.e., around the core of the bundle constituted by parallel rectilinear individual filaments that are mutually jointly connected, an element for stabilizing the circular contour of such cross-section, as a second component, which is constituted by at least one individual filament that is wound tightly in a helix around such parallel rectilinear individual filaments along the entire length of the bundle. Another object of the present invention is to solve the drawback concerning the need to obtain joints that do not cause significant enlarged portions, in the simplest cases caused by the need to join the individual feed filament to the body of the traction bundle or to join to the core of the bundle the leading ends and the cut feed ends, by spreading preferably transparent universal adhesive, for example such as the one commercially known by the trademark "Pattex" by Henkel S.p.A., on such leading ends or trailing feed ends, which are advantageously spread in a fanlike arrangement in their component filaments distributed on the surface of the traction bundle, or of such core, or of the bundle being finished. Another object of the invention is to obtain a textile product in bundle form, previously rendered inextensible and with a high strength by application of an intense traction force, to obtain strength values that are even higher than those currently obtained so far and even so as to reach and exceed, as an indication, the value of 400 kg/mm²; this is done for every possible application: for example, in checking surface defects of findings, in traction, in slinging, in lifting or in drawing that entail intense loads, as well as in the safety envelope of the mass of elements rotating at high speed.

Another object of the invention is to employ the present textile product, in the form of a filament-like bundle with a cross-sectional diameter that can even be very small, even smaller than 0.5 mm, in various fields of technology: particularly to check for surface defects of findings with completeness, high efficiency and high productivity.

Another object of the present invention is to obtain bundles that are not filament-like, with a cross-section that may even have a large diameter, by stratifying, around a core of rectilinear filaments that constitute the core, an alternation in a radial direction of at least one ring of individual filament that is wound in a helix with a ring of rectilinear filaments: all this being clad with a cladding sheath, which is protective or of another kind.

Another object of the invention is to reach conditions of uniformity in each element of the cross-section along the entire bundle.

Another object of the invention is to obtain a product in bundle form even with a large cross-sectional diameter that can be converted by cutting into a cable with uniform composition.

Another object of the invention is to obtain a knotless joint for example for finishing the cladding sheath safely and with a uniform cross- section for each element along the entire bundle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a product manufactured in bundle form which is advantageous from an economic standpoint, in view of its important applications, including new ones. This aim and these and other objects, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by the present two-component composite textile product, comprising textile materials adapted to form it so that it is adapted to be rendered inextensible and to attain high strength by applying, before use, an adequately high traction force, characterized in that it is formed by a core of a bundle of individual filaments made of high- performance textile fiber such as the red "P.B.O." textile fiber, said filaments being rectilinear and parallel, with a value of for example 273 dtex, mutually jointly connected by means of universal adhesive, so as to constitute the first component of the product; the second component being constituted by at least one individual filament, made of the same textile fiber, wound helically around the first component in at least one layer, as an element for stabilizing the circular profile of the cross-section of the core; the assembly of said two components, which cooperate to the resulting strength of the textile product, being clad by a protective sheath, made for example of textile fiber that is effective against ultraviolet rays and wear, such as white "HT" polyethylene fiber, to complete said product.

The family of products that have the mentioned type A, type B, type C compositions is the subject of corresponding patent applications on the part of the same inventor, which are simultaneous with the application of the already mentioned apparatus for checking surface defects of findings, which uses at least one of the types of product having such compositions.

More explicitly, the type A product according to the present invention, which constitutes an embodiment for resolving the already cited complex technical drawback, is characterized by a core made of a bundle in individual filaments of high-strength textile fiber, for example available commercially under the trademark "Zylon" of the Japanese company Toyobo and known as "P.B.O.", which has a characteristic natural reddish color, more briefly "red": the individual filaments (for example 273-dtex filaments, equal to 166 internal filaments) being rectilinear, parallel and mutually jointly connected by means of preferably transparent universal adhesive, such as the one commercially available under the trademark "Pattex" by Henkel S. p. A..

At least one layer of the element for stabilizing the circular contour of the cross-section of the core is tightly wound helically around the set of such individual filaments of such core thus jointly connected, i.e., around the first component, according to the possible characteristics, i.e., substantially with constant or variable pitch, in a longitudinally packed manner or not, even crossed, and is made of at least one individual filament of high-strength material, such as the above cited "P.B.O." textile fiber, i.e., the same material of such core, to constitute the second component of the type A product.

This assembly of the two components is advantageously provided with a cladding sheath for protection mainly against UV rays and wear, which is formed for example by at least one individual filament of polyethylene fiber such as "HT" (also known as white due to its whitish natural color), commercially available under the trademark "Dyneema" by the Dutch company DSM, woven separately by means of a chain stitch, as a sheath that is tightly wound to completely cover such core.

Moreover, to avoid, during use with the bundle in motion, vibrations thereof that are made possible in the case of a chain-stitch fabric cladding sheath, which moreover is expensive and has an undesirable knot of detectable joining, it is more advantageous to adopt a helically wound cladding sheath, which has possible characteristics for constant or variable pitch composition, in a longitudinally packed manner or not, even crossed, with at least one helix of at least one individual filament, even having a different diameter and/or made of a different material, for example made of the same white "HT" polyethylene fiber, reserving the use of chain-stitch fabric sheath as an alternative, which is not advantageous also in that it has a knot with significant enlargement. As regards the colors indicated for the textile fibers used, reference has been made to natural ones, which however can be modified without modifying the characteristics of such textile fibers.

Sometimes, and particularly when having to provide very small diameters, for example approximately a couple of millimeters, one millimeter or even half a millimeter and even less, such second component can constitute, at least partially and with its outer part, a protective sheath.

Instead, particularly in the case of bundles having a sectional diameter that is larger than the filament-like one, the bundle with two textile components that cooperate to the resulting mechanical strength of the product is constituted by a core of high-strength textile fiber, for example once again "P.B.O.", constituted by at least one rectilinear individual filament, which is wound in multiple turns in the grooves of the pair of driving and guiding pulleys, the set of turns being jointly connected by means of universal adhesive, with at least one layer of high-strength textile fiber, such as again "P.B.O.", wound helically around it in a helix, according to the possible characteristics that have already been indicated (or even other ones); at least one other layer of parallel rectilinear individual filaments of the same textile fiber can be distributed around said layer, and so forth, with the alternation of a layer with parallel rectilinear individual filaments with a layer of filament wound helically, alternated so as to constitute a cross-section with a distribution of the components along radially consecutive rings, until the desired diameter value is reached, after finishing with a cladding sheath: the parallel individual filaments of each layer can be jointly connected to each other by way of universal adhesive. This last morphology of the two components, for example completed by means of a cladding sheath made of said "HT" white polyethylene fiber, in the already cited modes of chain-stitch fabric or, more conveniently, in a helix, constitutes a particular embodiment of the type A product that is especially adapted to reach diameters whose value is even much larger than those of a non-filament-like bundle, particularly to obtain cables from it by cutting such bundle.

As regards the joints, which must not provide a significant nonuniformity in the cross-sections of the bundle, in the case of the ends of individual filaments wound in a helix around parallel straight individual filaments, it is sometimes impossible to comply with the need to avoid generating significant expansions and nonuniformities, or it is not possible to adopt joining by means of adhesive, especially when the axial forces on the joints are very high, or when it is not possible to adopt a stronger knot because it is too bulky, as in the case of adoption of the "fisherman's noose" or "knot", which nonetheless ensure high tensile loads and strength. It is therefore necessary to solve also the additional aspect of the technical drawback related to the adoption of a type of joint that is entirely satisfactory.

Besides, the knots provided for parallel rectilinear filaments do not seem to be advantageously adoptable in the case of a helically wound individual filament, as for the bundle according to the invention, for example with particular reference to the necessary final operation for locking the cladding sheath when provided helically.

The further aspect of the technical drawback of the joint is solved by the present invention by adopting a joint that uses the rectilinear end portion of the individual filament at the end of helical winding to insert it appropriately below the initial portion, which is conveniently extended, of the last turn of coils of such winding: this occurs by laying initially on the arm, advantageously the upper one, of the set of individual filaments of the core to be clad by means of the element for stabilizing the circular contour of its cross-section, an auxiliary element that has the nature of an extractable noose, which is transversely symmetrical with respect to the axis of the bundle and is constituted by a thin but strong piece of filament that is contoured so as to form an eye at one end, with the intermediate part of its two outgoing arms downstream of such eye very close together for a convenient extent and with the two ends of such auxiliary element divaricated for grip: both the eye and such two divaricated ends being raised with respect to the core of the bundle, respectively to avoid hindering the end and the start of the turn (of the last turn) of helical winding that forms the sheath. The curved contour of the end of the eye is directed toward the incoming side of the last turn of the individual filament wound helically, which is conventionally directed forward; the two opposite ends, or tails, of such auxiliary element being divaricated, for example for grip between the thumb and index finger: this occurs so as to be able to pull forward such auxiliary element when the rectilinear portion of the end, diverted longitudinally by the last coil, has been inserted with an advantageous fanlike spread of its component filaments: after extraction, such rectilinear portion with the corresponding end spread in a fanlike arrangement thus remains firmly trapped along its entire length below the intermediate portion of such auxiliary element, for example for 30-40 mm or more, surmounted by a group of the first coils of such last turn of the sheath, fastened in that portion so as to form a knotless joint by simple radial compression by such first coils, which is adapted to generate sufficient friction resistance against the sliding force due to the expected value of the working tension of the bundle.

To obtain such a joint, a motorized helical winder is adopted and operated.

Ultimately, the manufacturing method for obtaining the type A product with two components plus the knotless cladding sheath according to the described morphologies, as a solution to the complex technical problem, substantially entails setting up, in a textile station, in the races of a pair of pulleys with advantageously coplanar horizontal axes, a driving pulley and a driven pulley, which are aligned and advantageously vertical, a first closed- circuit textile element constituted by a traction bundle, even formed by a single complete turn of individual filament that arrives from the feed and can be obtained in particular but not exclusively by conveyance, for example with manual treatment of such filament, as follows.

The individual filament, unwound from the corresponding spool with which the textile station is provided by means of a bundle winder, constituted by such pair of pulleys, is passed through the guiding eye and the adjustable knobs of a brake, to be guided, always braked and tensioned with preloading, for example by a roller; it is then inserted and wound in the races of the pair of pulleys: this is done for more than one complete turn, locking its head or front end, in a point that is located beyond the point of completion of the first full turn and due to the need to use an attachment point in order to tension such filament and interrupt the feed to optionally isolate the traction bundle; in which case extraction from the spool of the individual filament is then resumed, restoring the continuity of the feed for subsequent completion of the core of the bundle to the intended cross- sectional diameter value.

The configuration of the components that constitute such traction bundle and the optional separation from the feed occur as follows.

After dosing universal adhesive advantageously on a piece of fabric, or another convenient distribution element, such adhesive is spread, for example manually, on a rectilinear region of each of the two arms of individual filament that compose the traction bundle, both proximate to the guiding pulley, in order to lock the individual filament at the front end and toward the feed end.

Spreading is performed advantageously on the individual filaments by means of a vigorous rotary angular alternating motion of the distribution element, waiting for the adhesive to set, for approximately 2 to 5 minutes. The front end of the individual filament is cut approximate to its attachment point and the same type of adhesive is passed advantageously thereon in order to embed such end, after fan-like spreading or otherwise scattering it, against an advanced point of the lower arm of the traction bundle, always so as to not determine a significant surface discontinuity or detectable local enlargement, and waiting for it to dry. The individual feed filament is then cut upstream of the guiding pulley, operating the shaft of the driving pulley enough to make the cut (and spread) end retract to a point that allows its adhesive bonding to the upper arm of the traction bundle, its grip and its subsequent drying.

In order to reach the cross-sectional diameter intended for passing from the traction bundle to the completion of the core of the bundle, if the feed of the individual filament has not been interrupted, it is sufficient to slowly start the motor means of the textile station up to a convenient speed, making the traction bundle perform the number of turns that is needed in total to draw the individual filament and unwind it from the corresponding spool, even in multiple steps, spreading by portions and in the same manner the adhesive dosed at each step, for example every 5 turns, stopping upon completion of each portion in each step for the time needed to diy and perform again the dosage of adhesive for the subsequent spreading step, which again is performed by means of an advantageous vigorous rotaiy angular alternating motion: by hand or, if necessary, by machine.

Once such steps have ended, one acts on the tensioning element on which the support of the shaft of the driving pulley is mounted, in order to move it back toward the guiding pulley, thus loosening the core of the bundle to extract it, for example in order to make the adhesive react completely on a suitable stand, where necessary.

In order to obtain the two-component bundle, at least one individual filament of such second component element that originates from a corresponding spool, is wound tightly in a helix on the core of the bundle, in at least one layer, which constitutes the element for stabilizing the contour of the cross-section of the core of the bundle to the circular shape.

The adoption of the helical stabilizing element, as proposed by the present invention, entails the adoption, in the textile station for forming the core of the bundle, of a motorized helical winder, with braking of the filament in order to tension it and compact it; the axis of such helical winder is inserted coaxially along the axis of the tensioned upper arm of the core of the bundle, for example between the guiding pulley and the optional adhesive dosage device interposed before the driving pulley; the motion of the helical winder being coordinated with the motion of such pair of pulleys.

As regards a mentioned embodiment that is advantageous with respect to the adoption of the sheath as can be obtained at the serger with a knotted joint that constitutes a significant bulge, the protective cladding of the two-component bundle is instead wound helically on such bundle: in this case, the textile station must be provided with a second helical winder in series with the first one; unless the bundle to be clad is passed to another textile station that has a similar helical winder associated with such pair of pulleys that support such bundle; this is done expressly in order to obtain the helical cladding thereof according to the possible characteristics that have already been indicated and for example with crossed helices, which is more compact. In the case of the mentioned and particular type A product that has a cross-section constituted by a central core of jointly connected parallel rectilinear individual filaments and by alternating concentric rings of individual filament wound helically and rectilinear individual filaments that are also jointly connected and follow one another in succession in a radial direction, in the textile station one proceeds always by creating the traction bundle and with the subsequent operations as described separately. Brief description of the drawings Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the two-component composite textile product according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is an enlarged-scale partial stepped longitudinal sectional view of a portion of an arm of a bundle of product (type A) to illustrate its core, the element for stabilizing the cross-section in the substantially circular form, which in this case is for example tightly wound in a non- packed helix, in addition to the protective cladding, which is also tightly wound in a helix but is packed;

Figure 2 is a sectional view, taken along the line II-II, of the core of the bundle of Figure 1 , with the individual stabilizing element wound in a helix, for example in a single layer;

Figure 3A is a sectional view, taken along the line IH-III, of the product of Figure 1 , complete with a protective cladding sheath;

Figure 3B is a sectional view of the two-component bundle, generally for small diameters, with the second component also acting as cladding;

Figure 3 C is a cross-sectional view, related to the product according to the preceding Figure 3B, but with the addition of an autonomous protective cladding sheath;

Figure 3D is a cross-sectional view related to a type A product whose diameter is even larger than that of the products according to the preceding

Figures 3A and 3C, the latter having stratifications in the form of rings alternately made of individual helically wound filament and of parallel rectilinear filaments;

Figure 4 is a schematic elevation view of a textile station that is suitable for manufacturing the core of the bundle;

Figures 5, 6, 7 are partial elevation views, interrupted in order to highlight the feeding of the individual filament of the first component, the situation in which the traction bundle, constituted for example by the winding of almost two turns of individual filament, with the end fixed to a clamp has been set up; then the subsequent situation of cutting and joining with adhesive the end part of the individual filament, and also the even later situation of cutting to separate the traction bundle from the individual feed filament that originates from the spool, and finally the situation of corresponding joining of the cut end by means of adhesive to such traction bundle;

Figure 8 is an elevation view of the same station, but with the helical winder of the stabilizing element, i.e., of the second textile component, inserted therein in axial alignment with the axis of the upper branch of the bundle. The helical winder for providing the cladding when it is in helical form, which if possible can be installed in series with the winder of the stabilizing element in the same station, is not shown;

Figures 9, 10, 11, 12 relate to the special joint of a cladding sheath with an individual filament wound in a helix, without a knot, particularly adapted to withstand intense traction forces.

It should be noted that the rectilinear and parallel individual filaments of Figures 3C and 3D may conveniently be jointly connected by means of adhesive. Ways of carrying out the Invention

With reference to the figures, the type A two-component product is formed by a core A constituted by rectilinear and parallel individual filaments Ia, which implement the elementary traction bundle as the first component and are joined by universal adhesive 3 which is advantageously transparent and are tightly contained in an orderly manner by a second component, which is constituted by at least one individual filament 2 that is tightly wound in a helix as an element for stabilizing the circular contour of the cross-section in at least one layer.

A protective cladding sheath 4 is tightly wound around the assembly of such two components; in this case, advantageously by helical winding and with a final knotless joint.

The textile station of Figure 4 for manufacturing the traction bundle and the core of the bundle with the first component is constituted mainly by a spool 5 for dispensing the individual filament 1 a, by a subsequent brake 6 with knobs and by a guiding roller 7, starting from which the individual filament Ia, which is braked and tensioned, is initially sent, for example manually, tangent to the upper point of pulleys 8, 9, which are respectively a guiding pulley 8 arranged on the feed side and a rearward driving pulley 9, in order to enter the bottom of respective races 10 optionally by acting on a handwheel 11 of a tensioning element 12, for example of the slider type, which moves longitudinally the support (not shown) of a driving shaft 13, obtaining the coupling, tensioned by preloading, of the individual filament Ia that has entered the races 10. An optional adhesive dispenser 14 is provided with a spreader 15 to perform the operations for applying adhesive to the traction bundle, where possible semiautomatically or automatically.

The warm air for optional drying of the adhesive in the various steps of its application is emitted by a dryer 16, followed by motor means 17 of the driving pulley 9, which are controlled by an appropriately provided electrical panel, which is programmed electronically and is not shown. Figures 5, 6, 7 respectively indicate the steps for clamping the end of the individual filament Ia of the traction bundle and for completing the core A of the bundle with the same individual filament Ia, as well as for cutting the filament Ia, respectively to embed its leading end of the traction bundle, for example after performing the first turn, but before completing the second turn, and to complete the core of the bundle after any separation and reattachment of the feed filament 1 a by means of adhesive 3 ; the reference numeral 18 further designates therein an optional clamp for fixing the end of the individual filament Ia of a traction bundle 19 and the numerals 20, 21 respectively designate a cutting of the individual filament Ia after completing the first turn but before completing the second turn and a cutting for separation of the traction bundle 19 from the feed filament Ia; the reference signs Zi, Z₂ designate regions for welding by adhesive bonding, respectively the upper and lower regions, of the traction bundle 19 to allow such cuts without disarraying it. Figure 8, which relates to the same textile station with the additional insertion of a helical winder 22 for winding helically on the core A of bundle at least one individual filament 2, with corresponding motor means 23, transmission 24, electrical panels 25 with suitable electronic controls, and a frame 26, illustrates the same elements of the textile device of the preceding figures, but in the step that directly precedes the separation of the core A of bundle from the individual feed filament 1 a, with integration of the station with a motorized helical winder 22.

Figures 9, 10, 1 1, 12, related to the method of the knotless joint provided in a sheath G of a product that is conveniently simplified and unified, to the advantage of simplicity of graphical representation also for type B and type C, show respectively an enlarged-scale portion of core A of the bundle formed by rectilinear individual filaments 1 a with the stabilizing element 2 wound helically thereon, on the assembly of which the sheath G is tightly applied; the individual filament 2 of the sheath G, tightly wound helically, begins with a coil S of the last turn (if the sheath G is constituted by multiple turns) of individual filament 2 which surmounts the intermediate portion that follows a eye O of an auxiliary element D arranged on a portion of the assembly 1, 2: other coils of such last turn, after the first coil, enough to obtain a safe joint, surmount consecutively the auxiliary element D up to a coil S', which is the first among the ones that form the last layer of the sheath G without surmounting the auxiliary element D, but passing below corresponding tails t_ls t₂ until the last full turn of helical winding is provided around the assembly 1, 2. This turn ends with a last coil S" under the forward part of the eye O; the corresponding individual filament 2, which is rectilinear because the helical winding has ended, is distinctly diverted with its final rectilinear portion S¹" from the last coil S" to insert it in the eye O; the tails ti and X₂ that lie opposite the eye O act as a grip element, for example for the thumb and index, or for a grip element such as a clamp (if performed automatically) to draw axially the auxiliary element D to pull the final portion S¹" forcing it under the group of coils that wrap around the intermediate part of the auxiliary element D, from the coil S to the one that precedes S' directly, which compress it between the helically wound sheath G and the bundle core A on which the corresponding stabilizing element 2 is wound. The end of the final portion S'" is advantageously open in a fanlike arrangement V, in order to distribute approximately its component filaments in the longitudinal microgrooves that exist between peripheral parallel rectilinear individual filaments Ia so as to cooperate in making the joint undetectable.

It should be noted that in Figure 12, as besides also in Figures 10 and 11, the core A has not been shown by way of graphical simplification; further, in Figure 12 the number of coils initially overlapped on the intermediate portion of the auxiliary element D is much larger than that of Figures 9, 10, 1 1 : this is done to highlight more clearly the extent of the anchoring region of the knotless joint that generally affects a large number of coils and consequently an adequate length of the rectilinear portion S"¹ of the individual filament Ia. It is understood that the intermediate portion of the auxiliary element must be longer than the one of the preceding figures.

In practice, the materials, the proportions, the values of the parameters and of the performance, the details of execution may vary and be different from the ones that have been indicated, but technically equivalent thereto, without abandoning the protection of the appended claims.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MO2007A000309 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference. Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A two-component composite textile product, comprising textile materials adapted to form it so that it is adapted to be rendered inextensible and to attain high strength by applying, before use, an adequately high traction force, characterized in that it is formed by a core (A) of a bundle of individual filaments ( 1 a) made of high-performance textile fiber such as the red "P.B.O." textile fiber, said filaments being rectilinear and parallel, with a value of for example 273 dtex, mutually jointly connected by means of universal adhesive (3), so as to constitute the first component of the product; the second component being constituted by at least one individual filament (2), made of the same textile fiber, wound helically around the first component in at least one layer, as an element for stabilizing the circular profile of the cross-section of the core (A); the assembly of said two components, which cooperate to the resulting strength of the textile product, being clad by a protective sheath (4), made for example of textile fiber that is effective against ultraviolet rays and wear, such as white "HT" polyethylene fiber, to complete said product.

2. A two-component composite textile product, comprising textile materials adapted to form it so that it is adapted to be rendered inextensible and to attain high strength by applying, before use, an adequately high traction force, characterized in that it is formed by a core (A) of a bundle of individual filaments ( 1 a) made of high-performance textile fiber such as the red "P.B.O." textile fiber, said filaments being rectilinear and parallel, mutually jointly connected by means of universal adhesive (3), so as to constitute the first component of the product; the second component being constituted by at least one individual filament (2) of textile fiber, wound helically around the first component in at least one layer, as a second component and as an element for stabilizing the circular profile of the cross- section of the core (A); in its outer part, acting as a protective cladding that is effective against ultraviolet rays and wear, such as advantageously the white "HT" polyethylene fiber, to complete the product which particularly has a very small diameter.

3. A two-component composite textile product, comprising textile materials adapted to form it so that it is adapted to be rendered inextensible and to attain high strength by applying, before use, an adequately high traction force, characterized in that it is formed by a core (A) of a bundle of individual filaments ( 1 a) made of high-performance textile fiber such as the red "P.B.O." textile fiber, said filaments being rectilinear and parallel, mutually jointly connected by means of universal adhesive (3), so as to constitute the first component of the product; the second component being constituted by at least one individual filament (2) of high-strength textile fiber, wound helically around the first component in at least one layer, as a second component and as an element for stabilizing the circular profile of the cross-section of the core (A); a protective sheath (4), which is coordinated with said second component, constituting the cladding of said product.

4. A two-component composite textile product, comprising textile materials adapted to form it so that it is adapted to be rendered inextensible and to attain high strength by applying, before use, an adequately high traction force, characterized in that it is formed by a core (A) of a bundle of individual filaments (Ia) made of high-performance textile fiber such as the red "P.B.O." textile fiber, said filaments being advantageously rectilinear and parallel, mutually jointly connected by means of universal adhesive (3), so as to constitute the first component of the product; the second component, made of textile fiber such as the white "HT" polyethylene fiber, or other high-strength fiber, being wound helically around the first component as an element (2) for stabilizing the core (A): parallel rectilinear individual filaments (Ia) and helically wound individual filaments as stabilizing elements (2) being distributed around said second component in multiple radially alternated layers and in the form of rings: particularly for the former, it being convenient to jointly connect them by means of universal adhesive; and so forth, up to the cladding sheath (4), according to the diameter, which may even be large, chosen for the product.

5. The product according to claim 1 or 3 or 4, characterized in that said protective sheath (4), which clads said two components that form the core (A) to complete the bundle up to the intended diameter, is chain-stitch woven.

6. The product according to claim 1 or 3 or 4, characterized in that said protective sheath (4), which clads said two components that form the core (A) to complete the bundle up to the intended diameter, is wound helically around said core (A).

7. The product according to one of claims 1 or 2 or 3, characterized in that the diameter of the cross-section of the filament-like bundle can reach the value of a few millimeters, starting from half a millimeter and even less, with a uniform composition in all of its elements and without any knots.

8. The product according to claim 4, characterized in that the diameter of the cross-section of the bundle can reach large values with a uniform composition in all of its elements and without any knots.

9. The product according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that said core (A) of bundle being manufactured is constituted initially by at least one complete turn of individual filament (Ia) to form the elementary traction bundle (19), which is subsequently increased by at least one turn of individual filament ( 1 a) to increase the value of its diameter, until the final value is reached.

10. The product according to one of claims 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 and one of claims 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, characterized in that the specific mechanical strength of said bundle can reach and exceed the value attained so far with composite textile products.

11. The product according to claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 and one of claims 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, characterized in that the specific mechanical strength of said bundle can reach and exceed, as an indication, the value of 400 kg/mm².

12. The product according to one of claims 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 and one of claims 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, characterized in that said bundle can be converted into a cable by cutting the bundle, preserving its value of mechanical strength, the uniformity of its elements and the absence of knots along its extension.

13. The product according to one of claims 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 and one of claims 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, characterized in that since it is provided with at least one turn of individual filament (1) wound helically and/or with at least one sheath (4, G), the knotless joint is constituted by a rectilinear end portion S"¹ of the last turn of individual filament (1) with an optional spreading fan V, which is longitudinally trapped between the core (A) of the bundle stabilized by said stabilizing element (2) and the overlying portion of turns that begin with the turn S of the helical winding of the last turn of said sheath (G) that is already wound on said intermediate portion of the auxiliary element (D).

14. The product according to claim 13, characterized in that an auxiliary element (D) is arranged longitudinally during finishing on the core (A) of the bundle constituted by parallel rectilinear individual filaments (1), jointly connected by means of adhesive (3) and surrounded helically by the individual filament (2) that acts as a stabilizing element for the cross-section of said core (A) having a circular contour, or in any case on the last layer that precedes the sheath (4, G) being formed, and can be extracted longitudinally in a flat thin filament, constituted by an eye (O) followed by an intermediate portion in which the two arms of said contoured filament constitute an extension of the same eye and are parallel and adjacent, with corresponding divaricated tails t_1} t₂, and tightly surmounted, in its said intermediate portion, by the first group of coils (S) of the sheath (G) at the beginning of the last turn of their helical winding: said auxiliary element (D) being adapted to be drawn longitudinally in order to draw the final portion S"¹, which has remained rectilinear, of the individual filament that creates said sheath (G) between said first group of starting coils of said sheath (G) and the underlying core (A) wrapped by the stabilizing element (2), with the interposition of optional other layers without deforming them harmfully.

15. A method for manufacturing a two-component composite textile product, constituted according to claims 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 and one of claims 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, characterized in that the dispensing of the individual feed filament (Ia), in the weaving station, from the corresponding spool for manufacturing the "bundle" product, is obtained by drawing said filament (Ia), under tension and braked, by means of a driving pulley (9) that is associated with a guiding pulley (8), which is made to advance toward said spool (5) from which said driving pulley (9) unwinds said individual filament (Ia); both of said pulleys (8, 9) being arranged on the vertical plane, aligned at the respective races (10) which advantageously have the same bottom diameter and are adapted to accommodate said individual filament (Ia) to manufacture the bundle.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that on said guiding pulley (8) and said driving pulley (9) the individual feed filament (Ia) unwound from the spool (5), kept tensioned and braked, passes tangentially on the bottom of the upper race first of the guiding pulley (8) and then of the driving pulley (9) so as to constitute an upper arm, subsequently winding in the lower races to form the lower arm and until it completes the first turn, continuing so as to form the upper arm of the second turn, followed by the lower one: the initial end being locked before completion of a second turn, advantageously not winding it for the second time in the guiding pulley (8).

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that a region of the upper ami that lies proximate to the guiding pulley (8) and the corresponding region of the lower arm of the traction bundle (19) being prepared are spread with universal adhesive (3) to lock the configuration thus obtained and allow the cutting of the locked initial end of the individual filament (2) and the one of the feed filament (Ia) upstream of the guiding pulley (8), if the traction bundle (19) must remain isolated: the corresponding ends being glued respectively to the lower arm and to the upper arm of the bundle without significant, bulging.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that the core (A) of the bundle is obtained from the traction bundle (19) by drawing again the individual filament (Ia) to wind on the pair of pulleys (8, 9) for the number of turns needed to reach the intended diameter of the cross-section of the core (A): this can occur also in multiple steps, each constituted by a modest number of turns: after the first step, the adhesive (3) is spread on the core (A) being formed, after dosage for example on a piece of fabric, imparting a vigorous alternating angular motion to each portion and waiting for setting and drying: after each step, the adhesive (3) is dosed and subsequently spread until said core (A) is finished.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that at least one individual filament (Ia) is wound tightly in a helix around the core (A) of the bundle wound on said pair of pulleys (8, 9) and constitutes an element for stabilizing the cross-section of said core (A) according to a substantially circular contour and in at least one layer: for this purpose, a motorized helical winder (22) is used which is inserted conveniently for example on the upper arm of said bundle core (A) to that its longitudinal axis coincides with the longitudinal axis of the core (A) of said bundle.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that since the protective cladding of the bundle is advantageously wound in a helix on the core (A) of said bundle with straight filaments mutually jointly connected by adhesive (3), constituting the first component on which the second component is wound helically, the last turn (S") of the helical winding constituting the protective sheath of the bundle product having no knots.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the last turn (S") of said helical winding with packed coils ends with an interrupted coil, the extension of which is constituted by a portion of rectilinear individual filament (I a) that is diverted longitudinally so as to pass by forcing below the first group of coils of said last turn, which is sufficiently numerous and axially extended to compress and conceal said portion of straight individual filament to constitute a firm joint without knots and without significant bulges.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that the forced passage of said diverted rectilinear individual filament portion (S'") is performed by pulling said filament by actuating, for longitudinal sliding, a longitudinal extractable auxiliary element placed beforehand on a portion of the advantageously upper arm of the first two components of the bundle symmetrically in a longitudinal direction; once extraction of the longitudinal auxiliary element (D) has been performed, said filament remains trapped in that position by the pressure of the overlying first group of coils of the last helical winding of the sheath of the bundle.