US2249711A - Method of manipulating thread or the like - Google Patents

Description

TIT-Ef July 15, 1941;

METHOD OF MANTPULATING THREAD OR THE LIKE y w. F. KNEBUsl-l Filed Jan. 25,

Fili. 0

f 'E 25 `W TERFIKNEBUscl-l Patenied July 15, 1941 METHOD 0F MANIPULATING THREAD 0R THE LIKE Walter F. Knebusch, Rocky River, Ohio, assigner to Industrial Rayon Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application January 25, 1938, Serial No. 186,802

3 Claims. \(Cl. 18-54) This application, directed to a novel method of manipulating thread or the like, is a continuation in part of copending application Serial No. 7113, filed Fabruary 18, 1935, for Method and apparatus for processing thread (Patent 2,225,- 641). In a preferred form, the invention relates to the transfer of threador the like from one reel to another of a thread-processing machine embodying at least two thread-advancing reels, the thread or the like being discharged from the rst reel, flung` from one reel to another by centrifugal force, and caused to wind upon such second reel. By the present invention, many if not all of the difficulties experienced in attempting to transfer the thread or the like by manual methods are overcome.

While the invention is capable of use in connection with the manufacture of thread-'like articles generally, it may to advantage be employed in the processing of artificial silk thread manufactured by one of the well known methods; e, g., the viscose, cuprammonium, nitrocellulose and cellulose acetate processes. For convenience, the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing as employed in the manufacture of multiple lament viscose artificial silk thread. In the drawing, Figure 1 represents more or less diagrammatically a side elevation of a continuous processing machine; Figure 2, a corresponding front elevation partly in section on line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3, a more or less diagrammatic plan; Figure 4, a sectional elevation on line 4 4 of Figure 2; Figure 5, an end elevation from the left in Figure 4; and Figure 6, a fragmentary vsectional elevation on line 6-5 of Figure 4.

Machines of the kind capable of being employed. in the practice of the present invention can and do take various forms, but ordinarily include a plurality of like units each capable of producing a single multiple filament Viscose artificial silk thread. Thus in the unit illustrated in Figure 1, the thread 1, having been formed by extrusion of viscose intoca suitable spinning bath, isled to a series of reels 8, 9, I and II shown disposed in descending arrangement vwith the driving and receiving end of each reel beneath the thread-discharging end of the preceding reel, but so arranged that the thread progresses in theA same direction along al1 reels. This arrangement has the advantage of presenting the ends of the reels to the operator, thus facilitating the manipulation, control and inspection of the thread.

Each reel may, if desired, be generally of the same form and operate inthe same` manner as the reel shown, describedY and claimed in copending application Serial No. 652,089, filed January 16, 1933, for Winding reel (Patent 2,210,- 914), to which reference may be'had for a complete description of the principle of operation of the reel shown in Figure 3. The reels illustrated in the accompanying drawing have the important advantage of being of cantilever form in the sense that they are supported and driven entirely from one end, the other end being substantially unobstructed; further, by virtue of the arrangement shown and described, the supported end of each reel is in opposite relation to the unsupported end of the preceding reel. The direction of travel of the thread is preferably toward the unsupported end of each reel.

The illustrated reel includes two members l2 andV I3, respectively, each of which is rigid in the sense that all of its parts are xed and immovable with respect to each other.

Member i2, which may be termed the concentric member, is disposed concentrically of and rotates with drive shaft I4. It includes a body portion of generally cylindrical kform with its periphery slotted to form a series of alternating bars l5 and recesses I6, the body being mounted upon a sleeve Il keyed to the shaft lll and held in place thereon by a cap screw I8 threaded into the shaft. The head of said cap screw passes through and clamps in place an imperforate disc I9, the beveled periphery of which seats against and forms a sealed joint with the correspondingly beveled end of the wall of the drum-like body of member I2. Thus the body of member I2 is in effect a hollow drum with its inner chamber entirely sealed, so that no treating liquid gains access to the interior thereof.

The other member I3 of the reel may be called its eccentric member, because While it is generally of cylindrical form, it is mounted with its axis both offset slightly from and also inclined to the axis of the shaft vIll. The member I3, as shown, comprises -a head formed of inner and outer rings 20 and 2|, the former of which has peripheral slots to receive bars 22. Rings 20 and 2l are respectively externally and internally tapered,

being held together in their home position by screws 23 which serve to clamp the bars in place. The inner ring Z is attached to a sleeve 24 journalled to rotate upon a supporting tubular mem` ber 25 which surrounds shaft I ll and is spaced therefrom,

The eccentric member I3 has-its axis slightlyv offset from and inclined tothe axis of concentric reel member |2-. Supporting memberA 25 is preferably of such nature that it will enable the degree of inclination of eccentric member I3 to be adjusted from time to time. The advance of the thread is dependent upon the degree of inclination between members I2 and I3, so that the greater the angle of inclination the wider the spacing between successive turns of thread. The offset and inclined relation of the reel members provides an advance of the thread lengthwise of the reel in a large number of closely spaced generally helical turns, as many, for example, as fifty to two hundred.

Each reel is provided with suitable means for supplying and removing the treating liquid to the action of which the thread is to be subjected while stored on the reel. The reagent is delivered to the reel by the distributor 35, which may be of any suitable form such, for example, as that shown in Patent No. 2,054,087. The spent processing medium is collected in a drain trough 36 from which it flows by suitable conduits either to the sewer, in the event that the liquor is wash water to be thrown away, or to a make-up reservoir and then to the proper pump for recirculation, as when the processing medium is of a character making itsre-use d-esirable.

The parts of the reel which come in contact with chemical reagents are preferably made of such materials and in such manner as to be unaffected by the processing media. In the reel shown, member I2 is composed of hard rubber, Bakelite or similar material molded around or in such manner as to include the central metal bearing sleeve I '1. The parts of member I3 are all molded of similar material, the ring 20 being molded around or to include the central metal bearing sleeve 24. The disc I9, screws, nuts, bars and other parts of the reel are either made of or coated with some similar material unaffected by processing media; however, they may, if desired, be shielded from the processing media by other suitable means, as will be understood.

The reels of the various units may be mounted in any convenient manner, being usually so disposed with respect to each other as to be capable of drive and control from the same source or sources of power. Thus in Figures 1 and 2 the drive shaft 2S is provided at intervals with spiral gears 2'I, each of which drives a spiral gear 28 on a short shaft 29 connected by change speed gears 3U to a shaft 3I extending lengthwise of the machine and arranged to drive corresponding reels in different units. Each shaft 3| is provided with a spiral gear 32 driving a spiral gear 33 loosely rotatable on the reel shaft I4 and capable of being operatively connected to it by a clutch 34. Shaft I 4 is connected to, supports and drives the concentric member I2 of the reel which, in turn, drives the eccentric member I3 by bar-to-bar contact.

In thread-processing machines heretofore proposed employing a plurality of thread-advancing reels, the operation of transferring the thread from one reel to another has usually been performed manually. There are, however, in some circumstances disadvantages characterizing the hand method of transferring the thread in such machines some of which disadvantages will be mentioned hereinafter. So serious are these disadvantages that to some extent, at least, the objections to manual methods of transferring the thread have retarded the commercial utilization of thread-processing m a c hin e s employing thread-advancing reels.

Prominent among these diiiiculties are the considerably increased labor cost involved in handling the thread, the ineiiiciency of hand transfer methods, and the introduction of the human element. In addition, hand methods are sometimes dangerous for the operator; for example, it has in the past been necessary for the operator to reach in between two adjoining rotating reels, grasp the leading end of the thread, and Wrap one or more turns of the thread about the reel on which it is to be advanced. Furthermore, if the operator experiences diiculty in grasping the thread or if he overlooks a reel from which the thread is ready to be transferred to the succeeding reel, the thread may override the end of the reel and jam the bearings at the end of the reel toward which the thread is advancing. Other diiiiculties also characterize the use of hand transfer methods.

By contrast, the improved practice contemplated by the instant invention eliminates these difficulties. Among other things, the invention takes advantage of centrifugal force to fling the leading end of the thread from the reel over which it has advanced into contact with the reel on which it is to be caused to wind. To the successful practice of the invention it is important that the diameter of the reel, its speed of rotation, and any other variables known to be pertinent be so related as to develop the desired amount of centrifugal force. If the necessary amount of centrifugal force is not developed under the circumstances under which the reel is operating, the self-transferring action contemplated by the present application will not ordinarily be obtained; instead, it will be necessary to assist the transfer of manual, fluid or mechanical means.

In the operation of a machine of the type `shown and described, the thread is advanced lengthwise along the surface of an upper reel until the leading portion of the thread leaves the unsupported end thereof. The unsupported end of the reel, which is substantially unobstructed by anything impeding the discharge of the thread, thus constitutes the thread-discharge zone of the reel. The leading portion of the tread tends to adhere to the reel, but on reaching the thread-discharge Zone the extent of its contact with the reel is of course reduced, thus reducing or eliminating the adhesion of the thread to the reel.

If Athe leading portion of the thread is free, the thread discharges from the reel in the form of a single turn followed in due course by the other turns as they successively reach the end of the reel; but if, as is occasionally the case, the leading portion of the thread is wound under one or more succeeding turns, the Vthread discharges from the reel in the form of a bundle made up of a plurality of associated turns. In either case, however, the leading portion of the thread, the adhesion of which to the reel has thus been reduced or eliminated, is flung from the reel by centrifugal force and, aided by the action of gravity, is caused to engage the next lower reel.

Whether the thread on being discharged from the upper reel comes at once into contact with the next lower reel at a point, immediately below the point of its discharge from the upper reel is not important; indeed, the thread may come into contact with the next lower reel at a point a considerable distance nearer the front of the machine than the point of its discharge from the upper reel. In the case of any two reels disposed as described, the action isrsuchthat regardless of the point on the succeeding reel at which the thread comes into contact therewith, the thread promptly travels back lengthwise of the reel until it can start to wind from the point on the lower reel defining the shortest distance between the two reels. Thereafter the reel winds the thread into the form of a travelling spiral of the desired number of generally helical turns.

' In tests upon vertically stepped reels having diameters of 21/2 inches and operating at 400 R. P. M. it has been found that sufficient centrifugal force can be developed to effect satisfactory transfer of the thread. Thus 'moist untwisted thread can be led to the upper reel from any suitable source, advanced over its surface in the desired number of helical turns, and flung by centrifugal force from the unsupported end of the reel. The action of gravity causes the thread to contact with the surface of the next succeeding reel, thereby completing the transfer operation. Obviously, the diameter and angular speed of the reels may be varied provided these factors are so related as to preserve Vthe centrifugal force at the Value necessary to fling the thread from the reel.

In the operation of a machine of the type shown in the drawing, the thread may be led to the first reel, as, for example, from the coagulating bath, after which it will be caused by the action of the elements thereof to wind therearound in generally helical form. When it reaches the unsupported end of such reel, transfer takes place, after which the thread advances along the second reel. In due course it reaches the unsupported end of such reel, discharged therefrom and coming into lcontact with the third reel. This sequence of events continues until the thread passes from the last reel of the series to collecting means of some suitable form, such, for example, las a spinning pot, collecting spool or cap twister. In some circumstances, the thread may be caused to transfer itself from the last reel of the series to the collecting means by an operation similar to that above described.

It is obvious that the apparatus and method hereinabove described represent the preferred way of carrying out the invention. Various modifications within the scope of the appended claims will occur to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is further evident that the invention may be employed in connection with threadlike articles generally; e. g., laments, threads, thread bundles, tapes, ribbons, etc., hereinafter referred to as threadf It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty reside in the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of transferring wet thread from a preceding to a succeeding thread-advancing reel each of which continuously advances the thread lengthwise thereof in a plurality of generally helical turns comprising advancing the leading portion of the thread along said preceding reel into the discharge zone thereof, meanwhile rotating said reel at an angular speed, which, taking into account the diameter of the reel, is sufficient to fling the leading portion of the thread by centrifugal force into Contact with said succeeding reel, whereby the thread is transferred between said reels.

2. The method of transferring wet thread from an upper to a lower thread-advancing reel each of which continuously advances the thread lengthwise thereof in a plurality of generally helical turns comprising advancing the leading portion of the thread alo-ng said upper reel into the discharge zone thereof, meanwhile rotating said upper reel at an angular speed which, taking into account the diameter of the reel, is sufficient to fling the leading portion of the thread by centrifugal force into contact with said lower reel, whereby the thread is transferred between said reels.

3. 'Ihe method of transferring wet thread from a preceding to a succeeding thread-advancing reelr each of which has one substantially unobstructed end toward which the thread is advanced in a plurality o-f generally helical turns comprising advancing the leading portion of the thread toward the unobstructed end of said preceding reel, meanwhile rotating said preceding reel at an angular speed which, taking into alccount the diameter of the reel, is suicient to icause the leading portion of theithread upon reaching the unsupported end of said reel to be flung by centrifugal force into contact with the succeeding reel, whereby the thread is transferred between said reels.

WALTER F. KNEBUSCH.

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