Collection tubes for rotary collection of filamentary material

Abstract

A collection tube for collecting filamentary material, like glass strand or roving, into a wound package; the tube has apertured projections on its exterior surface for engagement with the interior layers of a package to inhibit movement of the package on the tube during formation of the package thereon.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It has been conventional practice in the textile industry to wind strand, yarn, roving and the like on a thin-walled tube telescoped onto a driven rotatable mandrel. While simple conventional tubes have been adequate, more current developments, both in technology and in commercial demand, call for larger wound packages. And this is true for glass strand and roving packages.

Considerable forces are developed during high speed rotational formation of larger wound packages. During rotary collection these forces can cause a package to slip on its collection tube and cause the tube to slip in its mandrel. This is undesirable.

So there is a need for an improved tube for collecting linear textile elements into wound packages, especially larger wound packages, to prevent package and tube slip during package formation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is an improved method of collecting a linear bundle of textile filaments such as glass strand and roving into a wound package.

Another object of the invention is an improved collection tube for rotary collection of filamentary material into a wound package.

Yet another object of the invention is a thin-walled collection tube having exterior apertured projections or bumps along its length for use on an expandable collet of a winder to inhibit slippage of a wound package on the collection tube during its build-up.

The above and other objects and advantages will become more apparent as the invention is described in more detail with reference made to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of apparatus for collection of glass roving on a winder into a wound package according to the principles of the invention. The winder includes an expandable collet upon which a stretchable collection tube with apertured projections has been telescoped.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the collet and tube arrangement shown in the apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 more clearly shows radially movable segments that are moved to modify the diameter of the collet. Also, FIG. 2 more clearly shows the apertured projections on the external circumferential surface of the collection tube.

FIG. 3 is a simplified end elevation view of the collet segments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to indicate their movement. The dashed lines indicate the extended position of the segments.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevation view of a portion of the collection tube shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged showing of one of the apertured projections of the collection tube shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

FIG. 6 is an end elevation view of the collection tube and its wound package shown in FIG. 1. The tube is shown in partially collapsed condition in preparation for tube removal from the interior of the wound package.

FIG. 7 is a showing of apertured projections having another shape.

FIG. 8 is still another showing of another apertured projection.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of another projection and aperture figuration for a collection tube according to the principles of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a showing of an annular bump according to the principles of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of glass filament forming apparatus for collection of glass strand into a wound package according to the principles of the invention. The collection tube shown in FIG. 1 is telescoped onto an expandable collet of a winder.

FIG. 12 is an end elevation view of the collet shown on the winder of FIG. 11.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention is particularly valuable in collecting glass strand and roving into a wound package. But the invention is generally useful in packaging linear filamentary material or textile elements into wound packages. So disclosure of apparatus collecting glass strand and roving into a wound package is only an example to explain the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a winder 10 collecting a glass roving 12 into a large cylindrically shaped wound package 14 on a thin walled sleeve or tube 16.

A gathering shoe 18 above the winder 10 combines individual glass strands 20 from a source, such as a creel, into the filament bundle or roving 12.

As the roving 12 speeds downwardly from the gathering shoe 18, a roving traversing arrangement 22 of the winder 10 reciprocates the traveling roving 12 in a direction axially of the collecting package 14. So the roving 12 is distributed lengthwise of the package 14.

The winder 10 can package linear textile material, such as the bundle 12 of glass strand 20, supplied from a variety of sources besides a creel. For example, it is possible to use the winder 10 and tube 16 in a fiber forming operation (see FIG. 10).

The winder 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is like the winder disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,311. And the winder 10 includes an expandable mandrel or collet 24. As illustrated the collet 24 is a mechanically expandable assembly like those commercially available under the name SPEED-COR from Great Lakes Industries, Toledo, Ohio. Other types of expandable collets can be used; for example, a pneumatically expandable collet might be used.

A variable speed electric motor 26 within the winder 10 drives both the traversing arrangement 22 and the collet 24. As shown, sheaves 28 and 30 are fixed on the output shaft 32 of the variable speed electric motor 26; so the sheaves 28 and 30 rotate with the motor output shaft 32. A belt 34 connects the sheave 28 with a shaft 29 comprising a part of a drive system that moves the traversing arrangement 22; a belt 36 connects the sheave 30 with a drive system that rotates the collet 24. So the rotational speed of electric motor 26 determines the rotational speed of the collet 24 and speed of the traversing arrangement 22.

The traversing arrangement 22 is held by a support 38 that is movably mounted on an upper horizontal tubular guide 40 and a lower horizontal guide member 42. The traversing arrangement 22 includes a guide 44 slidably held adjacent to the circumferential or lengthwise surface of the winding package 14 for engagement with the roving 12 and means for reciprocating the guide 44. A rotatably mounted cylindrical cam within a cam housing 46 on the support 38 reciprocates the guide 44.

The driven shaft 29 rotates the cylindrical cam through a drive system within connectors 48 and 50 joined together in a toggle arrangement.

A cylindrical roller bail member 52 rotatably held on the housing 46 extends in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the collet 24. The cylindrical member 52 is biased against the moving axial surface of the collecting package 14 throughout its formation. The biasing means as shown includes an air motor 54 within the winder 10, rotatably mounted disc guides 56 and 58 and cords or cables 60 and 62 connected to the support 38 and the piston of the motor 54. When air under pressure from an appropriate source enters the air motor 54, the air urges the motor's piston to move the cords 60 and 62 to press the cylindrical member 42 against the package 14 with a selected pressure.

The winder 10 also includes controls that maintain a substantially uniform roving collection speed throughout formation of the package 14. These controls are explained in U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,311.

The collet 24 is more clearly seen in FIG. 2. As illustrated, it includes a movable handle 70 at its free end and four movably mounted longitudinal leaves or segment members 72. Movement of the handle 70 about the axis of the mandrel (shown by the arrows in FIG. 2) moves the segment members radially inwardly or outwardly. So the collet 24 has two diameters: a smaller diameter, denoted in FIG. 3 by the reference D.sub.1, and a larger diameter, denoted in FIG. 3 by the reference D.sub.2.

The collection tube 16 is telescoped onto the collet 24 with the segment members 72 in their retracted positions (diameter D.sub.1). The handle 70 is turned to move the segment members radially outwardly to their fully extended or expanded condition (diameter (D.sub.2) to tightly secure the tube 16 thereon to prevent slippage of the tube 16 during package collection.

FIG. 3 illustrates the expanded positions of the segment members 72 in solid lines; the retracted positions of the segment members are shown in dashed lines.

The collection tube 16 is more clearly seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 through 6. As shown, the tube 16 is thin-wall tubular body with an internal passageway 74 extending therethrough from end to end. The external surface of the circumferential wall 76 of the tube 16 has apertured projections or bumps, denoted by the reference numeral 78. The apertured bumps 78 engage the inner layers of the package 14 to prevent the package 14 from slippage thereon during package formation. The apertures or openings, which are denoted by the reference numeral 80, open through the circumferential wall 76 to communicate with the interior passageway 74. As can be more clearly seen in FIG. 5, the projections or raised portions 78 on the exterior surface of the circumferential wall 76 define the openings 80. In a sense, the apertured projections 78 form a volcano-like configuration by their somewhat reducing cross section and their upper opening defining end region.

In the embodiment shown, the openings 80 were formed in the circumferential wall 76 of the tube 16 by apparatus that punches holes from the interior of the tube 16 (passageway 74) outwardly. But the tube 16 can be produced using other methods. For example, a casting method might be used to form apertured projections.

The openings 80 and the cross section of the projections 78 are shown generally circular in shape.

The apertured projections 78 are shown in straight, spaced apart, parallel rows extending lengthwise of the tube 16. And as illustrated, these rows extend substantially the entire length of the tube 16. Other arrangements for the projections 78 might be used. For example, projections disposed in rows that are disposed in helical fashion about the circumferential surface of the tube 16 might be used. Then too, the apertured projections between rows might be in staggered relationship.

The interior surface of the circumferential passageway of the tube 16 is smooth and apertured. The smoothness of the interior surface assists movement of the tube 16 on the collet 24 during placement thereon and removal of the tube therefrom. But the material used to form the interior surface is selected to produce considerable friction between it and the collet to inhibit slippage of the tube on the collet during formation of the package.

The size of the apertured projections 78 is a function of such things as the size of package to be wound on the tube and the type of linear textile material to be collected. The apertured projections 78 are of sufficient size to inhibit slippage of a collecting package (package 14) thereon throughout package formation. So they are generally larger for packages of larger diameter. In practice, the apertured projections having a width (shown as W in FIG. 5) of from 0.1 to 0.5 inches and having a height (shown as h in FIG. 5) of from 0.05 to 0.25 inches have given good results in collection of larger size glass roving packages having a weight of from 200 to 600 pounds and a diameter of from 18 to 28 inches. The tube 16 can be used to collect both larger as well as smaller packages.

While the apertured projections 78 of the tube 16 are formed of the material of the wall 76 itself, raised portions can be formed around openings on the exterior of a tube by joining raised portions of material, for example plactics, that is the same as or different from the material of the tube.

The tube 16 in its preferred embodiment as shown is made of a flexible, stretchable material that permits the tube 16 to expand in diameter under the influence of the extended segmented members 72 and that permits the tube 16 to contract when the segmented members 72 are moved to their retracted position. In practice, tubes having a wall thickness of from 0.030 to 0.060 inches made of readily deformable polyurethane resins and acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene resins (ABS) have given results when used with collets having segment members made of stainless steel. Collection tubes made of other materials, e.g., other resins, having a high friction with the surface of the collet can be used.

In operation an operator slides the tube 15 onto the collet 24 with the segment members 72 in their retracted positions. The operator then turns the handle 70 to fully extend the segment members 72. The tube 16 is thereby stretched and held in tight fit nonslipping relationship on the collet 24. So in the fully extended segment position, the tube 16 is stretched to inhibit its slippage on the collet 24 during collection of the wound package 14.

The operator then starts the winder 10 to begin formation of the package 14.

The apertured projections 78 engage the interior filamentary layers of the roving package 14 as the package is being formed. And this engagement inhibits relative motion between the package 14 and the tube 16 during rotary collection of the roving 12.

So the tube 16 inhibits slippage between itself and the collet and itself and the package to promote a package position that is in fixed relationship with respect to the collet during package formation.

Upon completion of the package 14 the operator turns the handle 70 to move the segment members 72 to their retracted position. The openings 80 assist in releasing any sealing effect between the collet 24 and the tube 16. The package 14 can be removed from collet 24.

Upon removal of the package 14 from the collet 24, the operator collapses the tube 16 along its entire length generally as shown in FIG. 6. The openings 80 assist in releasing any sealing effect between the package 14 and the tube 16. Also, off the collet 24 the tube 16 begins to contract to resume its unstretched size; such contraction promotes release of the package 14 from the tube 16. And the projections 78, in a sense, tend to effect, together with the tube contraction, a pushing of the tube 16 away from the package 14 generally as indicated in FIG. 6. So the operator can easily remove the tube 16 from the interior of the package 14.

The operator can now put the same or a different tube 16 on the collet 24 to begin formation of another package.

Apertured projections or raised portions of other shapes can be used. For example, FIG. 7 shows a raised region 78' including individual projecting leaves or tapered members 90 and formed of the material of a tube itself to define an opening 92. And FIG. 8 shows a somewhat rectangular box-shaped raised portion or apertured projection 78" defining an opening 94 in the exterior lengthwise wall of a collection tube.

FIG. 9 illustrates a portion of the circumferential wall of another tube according to the principles of the invention. As illustrated, the portion includes an aperture 96 in the circumferential wall, but the projection is an annular raised portion 98 having an inside diameter larger than the diameter of the opening 96. So there is an annular region 100 between the opening 96 and the raised portion 98. FIG. 10 shows the raised portion 98 on another tube, but without an opening. The region 100 and opening 96 are replaced by a solid region 102.

FIG. 11 illustrates apparatus according to the principles of the invention used in a continuous glass filament forming position. As illustrated, a container or feeder 110 holds a supply of molten glass. The container 110 may connect to a forehearth that supplies molten glass from a furnace or may connect to other molten supply means such as a melter that reduces glass marbles to a heat-softened condition.

At the ends of the container 110 are terminals 112 that connect to a source of electrical energy. Electrical current passing through the walls of the container 110 through the terminals 112 generates heat by conventional resistance heating to maintain the molten glass in the container 110 at proper fiber-forming temperatures and viscosities.

The conatiner 110 has a bottom wall 114 that includes orifices or passageways for delivering molten glass streams 116. As shown, the orifices in the bottom 114 comprise rows of depending orificed projections or tubular members 118.

The molten glass streams 116 are attenuated into individual continuous glass filaments 120. A gathering shoe 24 below the container 110 combines the filaments 120 into a strand 28.

While the filaments 120 may be protected only by the application of water to them, it is desirable in most instances to apply a conventional liquid sizing or other coating material to them. In the embodiment shown, a nozzle 132 is near the bottom wall 114 and sprays water onto the newly formed advancing filaments 120 before the gathering shoe combines the filaments 120 into the strand 28.

An applicator 136 supported within a housing 140 applies a liquid sizing or other coating material to the advancing filaments 120. The applicator is just above the gathering shoe 124. While the applicator 136 can be any suitable means known to the art, it is illustrated as an endless belt that moves to pass through liquid held in the housing 140. As the speeding filaments 120 travel across the surface of the applicator, some of the liquid material on the applicator transfers to them.

The strand 128 collects as a wet wound package 144 on a winder 150. A strand traverse arrangement 152 moves the advancing strand back and forth lengthwide of the package 144 as the strand 28 winds on the collection tube 16. The tube 16 is telescoped over a mandrel or collet 158; the collet 158 is journalled for rotation on the winder 150. A motor within the housing of the winder 150 appropriately rotates the collet 58 and the traverse 152.

The collet 158 in an expandable collet like that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,544,016. As more clearly seen in FIG. 11, the collet 158 includes fingers or segmented members 160 about its circumference and extending lengthwise thereof. These members 160 are mounted for limited radial movement and are spring biased radially outwardly as explained in U.S. Pat. No. 3,544,016.

The depressed finger position provides a collet diameter slightly smaller than the size of the inside diameter of the tube 16. The fingers 160 are forced radially outwardly to a fully extended position during rotation to tightly engage the tube 16. To permit balanced operation of the collet during collection the tube 16 must permit the fingers 160 to move to their complete radial extension.

The apertured projections 78 of the tube 16 engage the package 144 as they do against the interior layers of the package 15 shown in FIG. 1.

Upon removal of the wet package 144 from the collet 158, the package can be more readily dried on the tube 16 because of the holes 80.

Claims

We claim:

1. A collection tube for use on a winder collet for rotary collection of filamentary material into a wound package comprising a thin walled tubular member having projections which are spaced axially and circumferentially one from another, each of which define an aperture in the wall thereof, interior filamentary layers of a wound package being engaged by the projections to inhibit relative motion between the package and the tubular member during rotary collection of the filamentary material.

2. The collection tube of claim 1 in which the tubular member is made of stretchable material so that the member can be secured on the collet in a nonsipping relationship.

3. The collection tube of claim 2 in which the tubular member is made of material capable of returning to its original shape after being stretched so that the member is reuseable.

4. The collection tube of claim 1 in which the apertures extend through the circumferential wall of the tubular member to communicate with the interior thereof.

5. A collection tube for use on a winder collet for rotary collection of filamentary material into a wound package comprising a resilient plastic tubular body having openings punched through its circumferential wall from the interior thereof to its exterior circumferential surface and projections which are spaced axially and circumferentially apart one from another on the exterior of the tubular body, said projections defining the openings, the interior filamentary layers of the wound package being engaged by the raised portions to inhibit relative motion between the package and the tubular body during rotary collection of the filamentary material.

6. A collection tube according to claim 5 in which the projections are projecting leaves formed of the material of the tube itself when the openings were punched.

7. An apparatus for collecting filamentary material into a wound package comprising:

a. a rotatable, expandable collet;

b. a stretchable tubular sleeve on the collet, the sleeve having an unstretched inside diameter which is larger than the outside diameter of the unexpanded collet and having projections which are spaced axially and circumferentially one from another on the exterior of the tubular sleeve, each of the projections defining an aperture in its central region passing through the sleeve;

c. means for expanding the collet to an outside diameter which is larger than the unstretched inside diameter of the sleeve, the sleeve thus being stretched on the collet to tightly secure it thereon to prevent slippage between the tube and the collet during material collection;

d. means for rotating the collet to wind the filamentary material on the sleeve, the interior filamentary layers of the wound package being engaged by the projections on the sleeve to inhibit relative motion between the package and the tubular sleeve during rotary collection.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 in which the tubular sleeve is flexible such that the sleeve can be removed from a wound package without damage to the filamentary material on the inside of the package.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 in which the tubular sleeve is elastically stretchable so that after being used in winding a package the sleeve returns to its original shape and can thus be reused in winding another package.