US2749736A - Apparatus for applying liquids and tints to textile fibers - Google Patents

Description

J. w. POWISCHILL ETAL 2,749,736

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS AND TINTS TO TEXTILE FIBERS June 12, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 26, 1954 J n 1 6 J. w. POWlSCHlLL EI'AL 2,749,736

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS AND TINTS TO TEXTILE FIBERS Filed July 26, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS AND TINTS TO TEXTILE FIBERS John W. Powischill, Cheltenham, and Edward M. Hyde, Lafayette Hill, Pa., assignors to Proctor & Schwartz, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 26, 1954, Serial No. 445,562

4 Claims. (Cl. 68-205) The present invention relates to fiber blending apparatus and processes, and more particularly to novel means for applying conditioning fluid to the fibrous material.

Heretofore the practice followed in mixing and blending various kinds of fibers, fibers of the same general but of different staple length, and dyed fibers whether for a specific shade of the same color, or the blending of colors to produce a different color, has been by mechanical means utilizing a plurality of bale breaker feeds, each feed opening one component or part of a component of the mixture and delivering its proportionate share to a common conveyor apron in a continuous stream of partially opened fiber bundles. This discharge of the fiber bundles from the multiplicity of bale breaker feeds was laid in rough laminar disposition on the common conveyor apron, somewhat resembling a series of a disconnected piles. The height of the piles was largely controlled by manipulatingthe surface speed of the common conveyor apron and since the accurate setting of the surface speeds, of the various spike aprons of the multiplicity of bale breaker feeds and the common conveyor apron, was virtually impossible, the proper dispersion of the Various fiber bundles could not be accurately achieved.

Furthermore, the foregoing was a continuous process and the stock so handled could not be brought to rest for stabilization of any component in the blend, hence, equalization of the moisture content was not attained. It is well known that no two bales of any fibrous material have either exactly identical physical characteristics or exactly identical moisture content and that further, no two batches of dyed stock have identical colors or identical moisture contents at the time they are to be blended and mixed. Therefore, a true homogeneous blend could not heretofore be made where long and short fibers are dispersed in a uniform manner with each cubic foot of the blend having a moisture content identical to that of every other cubic foot of the blend. Further, the results of the improper mixing and blending is weak yarn and the cloth from such yarn cannot conceivably be of first quality.

Related to the foregoing problems for applying conditioning liquids to fibrous materials is that of applying tints of various colors to textile fibers for identification, conditioning and other purposes. Apparatus for such purpose has, heretofore, been very unsatisfactory and. commercially inefficient because the tinted stock was very spotty and in many cases too wet for immediate carding; the pumping devices required excessive maintenance; pipe lines and the pump could not be readily flushed out when colors and emulsions were changed; and the orifices in the spray nozzles frequently became clogged. As a result of these inherent weaknesses, a considerable amount of time was lost daily trying to keep the apparatus operative even though the results were unsatisfactory.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for applying tints of various colors to textile fibers in an etficient and efiective manner without producing spotty stock or one which is too wet for carding.

This and other objects of the invention and the numerous features and details of the construction and assembly of the elements thereof are fully set forth and described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. la is a side view in elevation of one portion of a fiber blending apparatus which forms an associated part of the system of the invention;

Fig. 1-b is a side view in elevation of the apparatus as continued from Fig. 1-11;

Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation, partly broken away, of a control section of the system of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a detail view broken away of a spray unit and its control;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4, of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5, of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 5.

Referring initially to Figs. l-a and 1-b, one form of fiber blending apparatus is shown comprising a hopper 19 into which the fibers, whether natural, synthetic or dyed, are placed to be delivered to a bale breaker 11, of any conventional type, for opening the stock for delivery into the trunk line of the system. As the stock is opened in the breaker 11, a pneumatic lift including a conveyor duct 12 and exhauster 13, carries the stock upward to enter a condenser 14, preferably of the double drum type, such as shown in Patent No. 2,452,427, where the refuse and fine particles are drawn off and the cleaned stock delivered into a chute 15' leading to a hopper 16 supplying the picker feed unit 17. This unit 17 discharges the partially opened stock upon the feed table 18 for automatic delivery to the primary picker 20.. The picker 20 communicates by way of a duct 21 with a second condenser 22, also preferably of the double drum type, the stock being conveyed pneumatically through the duct 21 under the suction produced by an exhauster 23 by way of a, conduit 24 which communicates with the condenser 22.

The stock is discharged from the condenser 22. onto a conveyor 25 for delivery to a roller distributor 26, preferably of the type shown in Patent No. 2,433,790, where the thoroughly opened fibers are distributed in a layer upon the fioor of the primary magazine 27. This floor, in the present instance, is a controlled belt conveyor 28 arranged to remain idle until the bin has become, filled or partly filled according to requirements, as which time it is started to transfer the bin contents to a secondary magazine bin 30 where the floor is again a controlled conveyor 31, which is arranged to remain idle for a predetermined period.

The stock is fed by the conveyor 31 onto an inclined conveyor 32 which carries it through the breakdown unit 33 where the rotary action of the breakdown rolls cuts through the multiplicity of layers of the component parts to thoroughly mix them during the passage of the stock through the breakdown and delivery section 3.4, which latter discharges upon a suitably driven apron 35 for delivery to a feed table 36 of a secondary mixing picker 37. If additional emulsion or other wetting agent is now desired it can be applied at this point. The secondary mixing picker 37 is arranged to discharge the blended stock into an airtrunk line 38 where pneumatic means conveys it to the card room or any other place.

In case additional mixing of the dyed stock is found necessary, a return trunk line 39 leads from the trunk line 38 to communicate with the duct 21, and thus discharges the stock again into the condenser 22 pneumatically by the exhauster 23. A manually operable damper 40 is located at the junction of the ducts 38 and 39 for selectively controlling the stock delivery. In one position 3. the blended stock exits by line 38 to the card room, and in its other position returns stock for reblending. When returned for additional treatment, the condenser 22 discharges the stock onto the roller distributor 26 for relaying in the magazine 27 and completing the treating cycle. This reblending step can be repeated as often as required until the desired effect is obtained and without danger of fiber breakage. This relaying of the blends is especially effective in processing dyed stock and blending by color.

While the foregoing relates more specifically to the batch blending of the fibers, the invention comprehends a novel means of applying condition fluids, such as dyes and other tinting agents, to the fibers. Referring to Figs. 2 to 6, one form of apparatus is shown for applying liquid tints of various colors to the textile fibers, such apparatus being arranged to spray the stock as it leaves one or the other of the mixing pickers 20 or 37 as the selected position may be. As here shown, this tinting unit is located in the duct 21, just beyond its junction with the return line 39, so that either blended or stock for reblend ing can be tinted according to requirements, and comprises a duct 72 having a restricted passage 73 with which two or more spray heads 74 communicate respectively from opposite sides thereof. The passage 73 functions as a Venturi to change the velocity of the air relative to fiber bundles due to inertia difference to air and thereby produce maximum turbulence and uniform contact of spray with fibers. The static velocity of the air through the duct 72 is of the order of 3,500 feet per minute, increasing to 10,000 or 12,000 feet per minute at the throat, though it may be varied to meet conditions. This high velocity of the air assists in complete atomization of the spray particles. Use of the Venturi passage 73 has the further advantage of a static pressure drop at the throat thus reducing the air pressure below that of the surrounding room so that the fitting of the spray nozzles in the Venturi can be done without seals against the outleakage of the air, spray and fibres.

For supplying the tinting liquid to the spray heads 74, a supply pipe 75 connects by way of two flexible pipes 76 with the respective heads 74, and is under the control of a solenoid valve 77 in the discharge pipe 78 of a pump 80. The pump 80 is driven by a motor 81 and has its suction pipe 82 immersed at its lower end in the liquid supply tank 83. The pipe 78 has a return 84 to the tank 83 and includes a pressure regulating valve 85. The solenoid valve 77 is included in an electrical circuit 86 including a suitably mounted switch 87, preferably of the micro type. In the present instance with the switch closed the solenoid is energized to close the valve 77, but when the circuit is broken by the opening of the switch the solenoid is deenergized and mechanically opens the valve 77 in a well-known manner for the spraying operation. The tank 83 may be provided with a special pump for recirculating settling solids so that the dyes may be mixed with water directly in the tank and maintained in mixed condition without settling out of the solids. The arrangement of the tank 83 and nozzles is such that flushing out of the tank and changing of the dye color can be readily accomplished simply by pumping out the tank and refilling it by selectively opening and closing appropriate valves.

. For controlling the switch 87, one or more detector gates 88 are pivotally suspended by ears 90 upon a fixed rod 91 ,to extend transversely across the conveyor belt 18 so that the lower end of each terminates in the path of material upon the conveyor which traverses the casing as will be understood. Preferably, the lower ends of the gates 88 are curved to present convex faces towards the incoming material. Also, the several gates are connected to swing in unison by a connecting strap 92. The supported position of the switch 87 is such that when the gates 88 hang vertically, that is with no material feeding, its roller spring contactor 93 is biased into contact with that face of one of the gates which projects above the pivot point 91. In this position the switch 87 is held closed but any moving material contact with the gates 88 causes a counter-clockwise swing of the gates 88, from the position shown in Fig. 3, which is followed by the biased contactor 93 to open the circuit. Thus, so long as material is contacting and holding the gates offset from the vertical the solenoid valve will be open for the required spraying operation while the set regulating valve maintains the predetermined supplied pressure.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not intended to limit the invention to such disclosures, and changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A spray mechanism for textile fibers, comprising the combination of a duct, pneumatic means for feeding fibers through said duct, a conveyor for conducting the fibres to said pneumatic means, a spray head in said duct for discharging a liquid upon the passing fibers therein, a valve for controlling said head, means connecting said valve to a source of liquid under pressure, and means actuatable by the passage of fibres on said conveyor operable to maintain said valve open and discharge spray onto the fibres in said duct so long as the conveyor continues to conduct fibres to said pneumatic means.

2. A spraying mechanism for textile fibers in accordance with claim 1, wherein said actuatable means is a pivoted member suspended above the conveyor in the path of the fibres thereon.

3. A spraying mechanism for textile fibers in accordance with claim 1, wherein said valve controlling means includes an electrical circuit, a solenoid in said circuit operatively connected to said valve to open the same when energized and a switch operated by movement of said actuatable means to effect energization of said solenoid.

4. A spraying mechanism for textile fibers, comprising the combination of a duct having a Venturi passage therein, pneumatic means for feeding fibers through said duct and passage, spray heads arranged in said passage for discharging a liquid upon the passing fibers therein, a valve for controlling said heads, means connecting said valve to a source of liquid under pressure, conveyor means to conduct the fibers to said pneumatic feeding means, and means actuatable by the passage of fibers on said conveyor operable to maintain said valve open and discharge spray onto the fibers in said Venturi passage so long as the conveyor continues to conduct fibers to said pneumatic means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,008,780 Booth Nov. 14, 1911 1,403,126 Lyth Jan. 10, 1922 2,114,723 Paasche Apr. 19, 1938 2,568,499 Hood Sept. 18, 1951 2,578,427 Hussey Dec. 11, 1951

Claims (1)

1. A SPRAY MECHANISM FOR TEXTILE FIBERS, COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF A DUCT, PNEUMATIC MEANS FOR FEEDING FIBERS THROUGH SAID DUCT, A CONVEYOR FOR CONDUCTING THE FIBRES TO SAID PNEUMATIC MEANS, A SPRAY HEAD IN SAID DUCT FOR DISCHARGING A LIQUID UPON THE PASSING FIBERS THEREIN, A VALVE FOR CONTROLLING SAID HEAD, MEANS CONNECTING SAID VALVE TO A SOURCE OF LIQUID UNDER PRESSURE, AND MEANS ACTUATABLE BY THE PASSAGE OF FIBRES ON SAID CONVEYOR OPERABLE TO MAINTAIN SAID VALVE OPEN AND DISCHARGE SPRAY ONTO THE FIBRES IN SAID DUCT SO LONG AS THE CONVEYOR CONTINUES TO CONDUCT FIBRES TO SAID PNEUMATIC MEANS.

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