WO2012046111A1

WO2012046111A1 - Method for the production of a metallic reel for spinning machines and reel for spinning machines thus obtained

Info

Publication number: WO2012046111A1
Application number: PCT/IB2011/000318
Authority: WO
Inventors: Enzo Scaglia
Original assignee: Scaglia Spa
Priority date: 2010-10-06
Filing date: 2011-02-18
Publication date: 2012-04-12
Also published as: CN103298722A; ITUD20100180A1; IT1402252B1

Abstract

Method for the production of a metallic reel for spinning machines (10), in aluminum, an alloy thereof, and similar materials, comprising a cylindrical tubular body (11) to the ends of which (15, 16) respective flanges (12) are associated. The method comprises a step of obtaining the rough flanges (12), a step of obtaining the rough cylindrical body (1 1), and a step of connecting the flanges (12) to the cylindrical body (1 1) by means of friction welding. The connection step comprises a first leveling sub-step of the flanges (12) or the free ends (15, 16) of the cylindrical body (11), and a second sub-step of friction- welding the flanges (12) to the cylindrical body (11).

Description

"METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A METALLIC REEL FOR SPINNING MACHINES AND REEL FOR SPINNING MACHINES THUS

OBTAINED" FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a method for the production of a reel for spinning machines, made of metal material, normally but not necessarily aluminum, its alloys and similar or comparable materials, comprising a cylindrical body at the ends of which flanges are friction welded in order to contain the yarn.

In particular, any type of yarn can be wound onto the reel, whether it is natural, synthetic, metal or mixed, to make cops with weights varying from some hundreds of grams up to a number of kilograms, for example up to 15 - 20 kilograms, even working with very high operating speeds, even in the order of some tens of thousands of rpm.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A method for the production of a reel for spinning machines, of metal material, preferably aluminum, has been known and used for more than 30 years. The reel comprises at least a cylindrical body, internally hollow, to house a corresponding spindle for spinning machines, at the ends of which two rough flanges are associated by means of friction welding, in order to contain the yarn.

In particular the known method provides a step to obtain the flanges, a step to obtain the cylindrical body and a subsequent step of welding the flanges to the ends of the cylindrical body.

In the state of the art, the flanges are obtained rough by separating orthogonally slices of an appropriate thickness from a round piece having a suitable diameter, or by shearing them from sheet metal having a predefined thickness

In the state of the art, the surfaces which will subsequently be friction welded remain the rough ones resulting from the separation or shearing of the sheet metal as described above.

The preparation step of the cylindrical body provides to shear to size a tube with a cylindrical section. The flanges and the cylindrical bodies thus obtained are placed in suitable stores to be subsequently removed and sent to the welding step and subsequent workings to obtain the final reel.

It is known that if surfaces, in particular but not only, obtained by shearing or punching are left in the air, they are subject to oxidization and if the oxides are not eliminated they are absorbed into the weld, thus compromising the resistance of the welded zone.

In order to increase the capacity of a given reel, the winding tension of the thread must be increased, thus increasing the quantity of thread and therefore the pressure exerted on the flanges. A greater winding tension of the thread also means a better unwinding uniformity and therefore higher quality of the twisted thread wound.

In the reel this determines an exponential increase in the stresses on the flanges, due to the elastic return action of the thread on the flanges which, if the flanges break, causes dangerous conditions for the operators who are near the spinning machines.

Moreover, while it is being wound onto the reel, the yarn generates lateral and axial forces, due to its elastic return; such forces stress both the cylindrical body and also, laterally, the flanges, accentuating the problems connected with the speeds of rotation.

The Applicant has discovered that by exceeding the normal winding tensions, that is, the tension imparted to the yarn during its winding, the breakage of the reel around the welding zone between the flanges and the cylindrical body can occur.

One purpose of the present invention is therefore to perfect a method for the production of a reel which, using the same material, allows to increase the productivity of the spinning machines, increasing the winding speed and tension of the yarn, even up to 130% - 150% without any danger of breakages.

It is also a purpose of the present invention to perfect a method for the production of reels for spinning machines which is simple and does not cause an increase in production costs.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

In accordance with the above purposes, the present invention concerns a method for the production of a reel in metal material such as aluminum or its alloys, which can be used on spinning machines.

The general method comprises at least a step to obtain the flanges in rough form, a step to obtain the cylindrical body, also in rough form, and a step to connect the flanges to the cylindrical body and subsequent working on machines to obtain the desired sizes and the surfaces of the final reel.

According to a characteristic feature of the present invention, the connection step comprises at least a first leveling sub-step by removing chip from the welded surface of the flange, or a leveling sub-step, again by removing chip, of the free end of the cylindrical body, and a second sub-step of friction welding of the flange and of the cylindrical body.

Indeed, Applicant has found that, in order to increase the mechanical resistance of the reel with respect to the state of the art, it is indispensable to level the part which during the friction welding is made to rotate. The irregularities possibly present on the stationary part are evened during the welding process thanks to the vibrations triggered off by the part made to rotate and the non- perfect clamping of the piece on the rotating part.

During this step either the flange or the cylindrical body can be made to rotate. In general it is advantageous to provide that the flange is made to rotate.

According to one feature of the invention, during the first sub-step the flange is leveled in order to parallelize the surface affected by the friction welding, and to remove from it the layer of oxide or impurities possibly present there.

According to a variant, during the first sub-step the leveling of both the flange and of the free end of the cylindrical body is provided.

Proceeding as indicated, the mechanical resistance of the welding is increased, making it possible to increase the winding speed of the reel.

According to one feature of the invention, in the first sub-step, the flange is clamped on a first clamping mean of the welding machine, and the cylindrical body is clamped on a second clamping mean of the machine. In particular the second clamping mean is facing the first clamping mean and is coaxial with it along a common axis of rotation. In the second sub-step the flange is made to rotate.

During the rotation, at least one of either the first clamping mean or the second clamping mean is thrust linearly along the axis of rotation, by means of axial movement means, in order to draw the cylindrical body and the flange closer to each other until a reciprocal permanent union is determined by friction welding. To prevent the formation of oxides on the surfaces affected by welding, according to a variant of the invention, the first and second sub-step are performed one after the other, without interruptions.

According to a variant, the welding surface of the flange is obtained substantially flat.

In a further variant of the invention, the flange is made with a protruding edge to define a welding surface having sizes substantially mating with those of the end of the cylindrical body. In this case, the protruding edge at least partially acts as filler material during the welding step. This solution, from the point of view of mechanical resistance, is advantageous.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferential form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

- fig. 1 is a section of a reel for spinning machines according to the present invention before the finishing workings;

- fig. 2 is a section of a detail in fig. 1 according to a first form of embodiment;

- fig. 3 is a section of a detail in fig. 1 according to a second form of embodiment;

- fig. 4 is a schematic representation of some steps in the production method according to the present invention;

- fig. 5 is a schematic representation of a variant in fig. 4.

To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify common elements in the drawings that are substantially identical. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one form of embodiment can conveniently be incorporated into other forms of embodiment without further clarifications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERENTIAL FORM OF

EMBODIMENT

With reference to fig. 1, a reel for spinning machines still in the rough form is shown, which is indicated in its entirety with the reference number 10.

Subsequent finishing operations of the surfaces allow to obtain the final reel which can be used on the spinning machines.

In particular the reel 10 comprises a cylindrical body 1 1 and two flanges 12 which are associated to the respective ends 15 and 16 of the cylindrical body 1 1.

Both the cylindrical body 1 1 and the flanges 12 are made of metal material, in this case aluminum alloys, so as to guarantee an optimum compromise between mechanical resistance and lightness.

The cylindrical body 1 1 has a substantially tubular shape, it has an external diameter E and an internal hollow 17 with an internal diameter D to house the spinning machine spindle.

The flanges 12 (fig. 2) are substantially disc shaped and, after the friction welding, are axially holed with the same internal diameter D as the cylindrical body 1 1.

The flanges 12 are associated to the cylindrical body 1 1 by friction welding along a welding bead 21 which extends circumferentially between them.

The method to produce the reel 10 according to the present invention comprises a step to obtain the flanges 12, a step to obtain the cylindrical body 1 1 and a step to connect, by means of friction welding, the two flanges 12 respectively to the two ends 15 and 16 of the cylindrical body 1 1.

The step to obtain the flanges 12 provides to shear to size by means of shearing from a round piece with a diameter suitable to the desired external diameter of the flange 12.

According to another form of embodiment, the flanges 12 can be obtained by cutting, for example by means of stamping, shearing or punching, of sheet metal. This form of embodiment is advantageous from the point of view of mechanical resistance, given that a rolled product has a higher mechanical resistance than products obtained directly from casting.

The step to obtain the cylindrical body 1 1 provides to shear it to size from a tube of the commercial type with cylindrical section.

The friction welding step (fig. 4) provides to mount one of the flanges 12 and the cylindrical body 1 1 respectively on a first 35 and, if desired, on a second mandrel 32 of a machine for friction welding 30.

The two mandrels 32 and 35 face each other and have their own axes of rotation aligned along a common axis of rotation Z.

The machine for friction welding 30 also comprises axial translation means 37 of the first mandrel 35 and tool-bearing means to execute the chip removal workings.

More specifically, the friction welding step comprises a first sub-step of leveling the flange 12 in order to obtain a completely fiat welding surface 13 and a second sub-step of welding the flanges 12 on the cylindrical body 1 1. In an advantageous form of embodiment, the first sub-step also comprises the leveling of the free ends 15 and 16 of the cylindrical body 1 1.

The cylindrical body 1 1 (fig. 4) is mounted on the second mandrel 32, kept stationary, of the welding machine 30.

The flange 12 is mounted on the first mandrel 35 of the welding machine 30 and with a facing tool 36 proceeds with the leveling of the surface of the flange 12.

This operation provides to remove a constant thickness of the material 34, in order to obtain a substantially flat welding surface 13.

A variant (fig. 3) provides to remove a variable thickness of material 38 in a radial direction so as to define an edge 20 of machining allowance having an external diameter B which is slightly bigger than the external diameter E of the cylindrical body 1 1. In this way the formation of welding burrs in proximity to the shoulder between the cylindrical body 1 1 and the flanges 12 is prevented; as well as being difficult to remove, these would compromise the mechanical resistance of the weld itself.

The operations to level the flange 12 and the cylindrical body 1 1 can be carried out one after the other or, to optimize production times, at the same time. Subsequently (fig. 4), keeping the rotation of the mandrel 32 stopped, the mandrel 35 is made to rotate and, driving the axial translation means 37, the first mandrel 35 is moved axially closer to the second mandrel 32, so as to bring the end 16 of the cylindrical body 1 1 into contact with the flange 12.

In particular the flange 12 is pressed with a determinate pressure against the cylindrical body 1 1 to effect the friction welding thereof, and to generate, by friction, the heat needed to obtain the welding bead 21.

Once the welding of one of the two flanges 12 has been carried out, the cylindrical body 1 1 is removed from the welding machine 30, turned and clamped again to the second mandrel 32 in order to weld the other flange 12.

In this case too, before the welding, the facing of the end 15 of the cylindrical body 1 1 or of the surface of the other flange 12 to be welded is provided, in the same way as described above.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the method for the production of a reel for spinning machines and the reel for spinning machines thus obtained as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

For example (fig. 5), it is possible to provide a welding machine 130 comprising three mandrels disposed in succession with respect to each other and aligned along a common axis of rotation Z.

In particular, a first mandrel 135 is disposed between a second and a third mandrel 132 and 139, and the cylindrical body 1 1 is clamped on it, substantially through. Two tools 140 are suitable to level, advantageously but not necessarily, the two ends 15 and 16 of the cylindrical body 1 1 simultaneously.

On the second mandrel 135 a first flange 12 is clamped for the leveling operation with a first tool 131, in the same way as described above.

The third mandrel 139 is disposed facing the second mandrel 135 and the other flange 12 is clamped to it, for the leveling operation with another facing tool 138 and in the same way as described above.

The leveling operations of the flanges 12 and of the ends 15 and 16 of the cylindrical body 1 1 can be carried out all simultaneously, in this way reducing the production times of the reel.

Once these operations have been carried out, the first mandrel 135 and the third mandrel 139 are moved closer linearly along the axis Z, so as to bring the flanges 12 into contact with the ends 15, respectively 16, of the cylindrical body 1 1 and to join them together by friction welding.

During the welding step, the second mandrel 132 is kept clamped.

In another form of embodiment, the second mandrel 132 is made to rotate in opposite directions with respect to the direction of rotation of the first mandrel 135 and the third mandrel 139.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of method for the production of a reel for spinning machines and a reel for spinning machines thus obtained, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

Claims

1. Method for the production of a metallic reel for spinning machines (10), in aluminum, an alloy thereof, and analogous materials, comprising a cylindrical tubular body (1 1) to whose ends (15, 16) respective flanges (12) are associated, said method comprising a step of obtaining said rough flanges (12), a step of obtaining the rough cylindrical body (1 1), and a step of connecting the flanges (12) to the cylindrical body (1 1) by means of friction welding, characterized in that the connection step comprises a first sub-step of leveling said flanges (12) or said free ends (15, 16) of said cylindrical body (1 1), and a second sub-step of friction-welding the flanges (12) to the cylindrical body (1 1).

2. Method as in claim 1, characterized in that the first sub-step comprises the leveling of said flanges (12) and of said free ends (15, 16) of the cylindrical body (1 1).

3. Method as in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in said first sub-step one of said flanges (12) is clamped onto a first clamping mean (35) and the cylindrical body (1 1) is clamped onto a second clamping mean (32), facing and coaxial with respect to a rotating axis (Z) common to said first clamping mean (35), and in said second sub-step at least one of either said cylindrical body (1 1) and/or said flange (12) are made to rotate, and at least one of either said first clamping mean (35) and second clamping mean (32) is thrust linearly along said rotation axis (Z), by means of axial movement means (37), in order to draw said cylindrical body (1 1) to said flange (12) until a reciprocal permanent join is determined by friction welding.

4. Method as in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in said first sub-step said flanges (12) are clamped respectively on a first (135) and a third clamping mean

(139), and said cylindrical body (1 1) is clamped on a second clamping mean (132), disposed between said first (135) and third clamping mean (139) and aligned therewith along a rotation axis (Z), and in said second sub-step at least said first (135) and third clamping means ( 139) are made to rotate and said first (135) and said third clamping means (139) are thrust linearly along said axis (Z) in order to draw said flanges (12) to the ends (15, 16) of said cylindrical body (1 1) until a reciprocal join is determined by friction welding.

5. Method as in any claim heretofore, characterized in that said first and second sub-step are performed one in succession to the other.

6. Method as in any claim heretofore, characterized in that in said first sub-step a substantially flat welding surface (13) of said flange (12) is obtained.

7. Method as in any claim from 1 to 5, characterized in that in said first sub- step a welding surface (13) is obtained on a protruding edge (20) of said flange

(12).

8. Reel for spinning machine obtained by the method as in any claim heretofore.