US2900144A - Thread guide - Google Patents

Description

R. MAIER THREAD GUIDE Aug. 18, 1959 INVENTOR Roberfi Mzzz'er Filed April 24, 1957 United States Patent THREAD GUIDE Robert Maier, Esslingen (Neckar), Germany, assignor to American Feldmnehle Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April 24, 1957, Serial No. 654,822

1 Claim. 01. 242-453 This invention relates to winding machine tensions and similar thread guides in the textile industry. More particularly, the invention relates to novel winding ma chine tensions having detachable wear members.

Tension devices such as winding machine tensions, pigtails and other types of guides have long been used in'the textile industry for spinning, winding or twisting thread, or in similar processes. These tension devices have not been long-lived due to the fact that the thread which is drawn through a wash board tension will in time out into the wearing surface of the winding machine tension due to constant rubbing of the thread. In recent times the use of synthetic fibers has been particularly destructive of the tensioning devices owning to their severe cutting action. The synthetic fibers are frequently filled with a pigment, often referred to as a delustrant, which may be titanium dioxide, for white fibers, and carbon black, for black fibers. The pigment filler has. a highly abrasive effect on the tension devices. The abrasive effect roughens the surface on which the fiber runs, which, in turn, tends to inflict damage on the fiber as it passes over the rough surface.

In the usual tension devices the wearing of the gripping surfaces makes it necessary to repair or to discard the entire tension device at regular intervals. In such cases it is necessary to close down the machine in order to replace the winder, thereby creating a wastage of material as well as a curtailment in production due to the shutdown.

There has long been a need in the textile industry for long-lived tension devices. Attempts have been made to increase the period of usefulness of the devices by constructing them of materials more resistant to wear. However, these devices have not really solved the problem. Another attempt involves the use of detachable wear members to cover the surfaces over which the thread is drawn or otherwise comes into contact therewith. Turcotte in Patent No. 2,480,344 discloses a tension device having detachable wear members. The tension device of this invention is an improvement over previously known tension devices having detachable wear members.

The detachable wear members have been found to be particularly useful since they may be replaced when they become cut by the thread, consequently eliminating the necessity of replacing the complete device. However, the textile industry up to now does not have available a device having detachable wear members which are extremely long-lived. In other words, the industry has met the problem to some extent but has not solved the problem of obtaining a longer useful life from the detachable wear members.

Another problem in the use of detachable wear members has been found in connection with attaching the wear members to the device. The wear members are not large so that the problem of fashioning a suitable wear member that can be easily attached and detached has not been solved. Further, the wear members are subjected to shocks of various sorts sothat the members N ICC must be held securely. This has further enhanced the ditficulty for providing a suitable tension device.

Accordingly, this invention relates to a winding machine tension and similar washboard [guides having'detachable members which have a long, useful life and are easily replaceable on the device. The device is similar to the usual winding machine tension device of the washboard type, comprising a plurality of tension bars and detachable wearing members. The detachable members are mounted in the tension bars by means of a dovetail projection on the underside of the wearing member which fits into slots in the tension bars. The detachable wearing members may be made of any suitable material that will be resistant to the cutting action of the filamentary material. Materials which are useful in the practice of the invention are hard metals, ceramics, and a preferred embodiment is to employ high purity sintered aluminum oxide. The use of sinteredaluminum oxide is particularly advantageous since it is considerably harder than any convention metal surface.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel thread guide which imparts a tension to filamentary material passed therethrough.

- It is a further object of the present invention to provide detachable wear members for tension devices with wearing surfaces that come in contact with the filamentary material that can be quickly and efficiently attached to the remainder of the tension device.

- It is another object of the present invention to provide athread guide having means through which detachable wear members can be quickly and efficiently detached.

' It is yet another object of the present invention to provide detachable Wear members for tension devices and similar thread guides that have a long, useful life.

Additional objects, if not specifically set forth herein, will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention.

The tension device of the invention is more fully shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one type of winding machine tensioning device to which the detachable wear members are applied.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the lines 22 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the lines 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the lines 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, the tension device as indicated by the numeral 10 consists of a plurality of tension bars 11 and detachable wearing member 12. over which the thread is drawn and are arranged in rows.

When these winding machine tension bars are in operation, the thread will eventually cut into the surface thereof and therefore in place of replacing the entire winder tension, the tension bars are provided with detachable wearing members 12 having dovetails 13 along the underside which are arranged to slide into slot 14. Slot 14 is restricted in a portion thereof by projections 15 and 16, which are appurtenant to one end of the dovetail portion of the wearing member.

In order to attach the wearing member, the slot in the tension bar is first widened by means of some suitable tool and then the dovetail portion of the wearing member is inserted into the slot. When the wearing member has been inserted to a point just beyond the projections, the slot is permitted to resume its normal position. One end of the dovetail section is appurtenant the end of the slot while the other end is appurtenant the projection. There is therefore no danger of any slippage of the wearing members after they have been placed in the $10 of the tension bars.

In order to detach the wearing member, the slot is again expanded by suitable means. The Wearing member is removed by sliding it through the slot and out of the tension bars.

By employing the tension device of this invention, it will be noted that when one or more of the wearing members are scarred by the filamentary materials, all that is necessary to be done is to simply replace the damaged wearing members with new wearing members. There is, therefore, an avoidance of time-consuming delays which would ordinarily occur due to the cessation of the machine utilizing these winder tensions. Additionally, the necessity of replacing the complete winder tension device with a new tension device is eliminated.

The inserts have raised portions 17 and 18 which are adapted to prevent the filamentary material from slipping out of the tension device. There is a fiat area between the projections which represents the surface over which the filamentary material is drawn.

The use of detachable wearing members made of high purity aluminum oxide is a feature of this invention. Sintered aluminum oxide having a purity of higher than 95% has a hardness which is particularly useful in that detachable wearing members manufactured from it are extremely long-lived.

The tension device of this invention provides wearing surface materials which cannot readily be employed in the structure of the tension device. In other Words, such materials as ceramics and aluminum oxide can be used to provide the surface over which the filamentary materials pass, however, the body or supporting structure is preferably made out of such relatively flexible materials as metals, because ceramics are relatively easily damaged by mechanical shock. Metals can also be more cheaply formed into tension devices than the materials used herein as Wearing members, particularly sintered aluminum oxide.

It will, therefore, be seen from the foregoing that it is unnecessary to halt the machine in order to replace the tension device. It is only necessary to replace one or more small parts in the form of the detachable members, and then immediately put the machine back into operation. Thereby operating time is increased, operating costs are reduced and total production is increased.

It will be apparent that many changes and modifications of the several features of the tension device described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing description is by way of illustration of the invention rather than limitation thereon.

What is claimed is:

In a tensioning thread guide assembly for textile machinery, a guide and tensioning device comprising one set of spaced parallel thread guide supports, a second set of thread guide supports positioned over and in ofiset relation to said first set whereby said thread guide supports are in staggered clamping relationship, said sup ports having transverse slots formed therein, Wear members consisting of aluminum oxide bars formed with a convex cross-sectionon one side to engage the thread and on the opposite side with a projecting dovetail portion to engage and be supported in said slots, each slot having a bar-Supporting portion and an adjacent slot portion tapered toward said bar-supporting portion to facilitate theinsertion and removal of said bars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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