US3407583A - Splicing of textile strands - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 29, 1968 |Rw|N ET AL 3,407,583

SPLICING OF TEXTILE STRANDS Filed June 12, 1967 A TiduP/VEYI United States Patent 3,407,583 SPLICING 0F TEXTILE STRANDS Malcolm F. Irwin, Philadelphia, and Frederick J. E.

Hampel, East Grecnville, Pa., assignors to Techniservice Corporation, Lester, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 609,463,

Jan. 16, 1967. This application June 12, 1967, Ser.

11 Claims. (Cl. 57-22) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Textile strands are spliced in an elongated chamber open at both ends and having a conduit for directing fluid, such as air, into the chamber to create a rotating air current and thereby swirl the component filaments into engagement with one another. The fluid is admitted to the conduit through an adjustable valve means.

This invention relates to splicing of textile strands composed of a plurality of filaments, i.e., multifilament strands. The strands to be spliced together are overlapped, and the overlapped lengths are subjected to fluid rotating circumferentially thereof, which swirls the component filaments so that the strands will not be separated by applied tensions. Gun type apparatus for doing so and for applying an auxiliary adhesive agent is provided.

This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application, Ser. No. 609,463, filed J an. 16, 1967 now abandoned.

There is a considerable need for a simple, reliable, and cheap strand-splicing method to replace the old-fashioned method of tying and knotting, which has its own disadvantages, being conducive to snagging and breaking of the strands in ordinary textile processing. Some methods for joining or splicing textile strands together utilize solvents or actually melt component filaments and are limited to thermoplastic strands. Fluid jet methods whereby air or the like is blown at or through textile strands to entangle the component filaments have been devised also. These and other splicing methods are either so complex as to be too costly or are unreliable in their operation or results or produce an undesirable knot-like lump.

A primary object of the present invention is provision of a method for air-splicing textile strands.

Another object is provision of gun type apparatus for practicing that method.

Other objects of the present invention, together with means and methods for attaining the various objects, will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment and the accompanying diagrams.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus component useful according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of apparatus of this invention including the component apparatus of FIG. 1 (sectional transversely) and showing two strands therein about to be joined;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of two such strands on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 2, showing part thereof in alternative positions;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of the apparatus component of FIG. 1 with strands to be joined in place;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of a resulting splice of textile strands;

FIG. 7A is a sectional elevation through the splice taken at 7A7A on FIG. 6 on the same scale as FIG. 3; and

3,407,583 Patented Oct. 29, 1968 "ice FIG. 7B is a sectional elevation therethrough taken at 7B7B on FIG. 6.

In general, the objects of the present invention are accomplished by juxtaposing the respective strands side by side, rotating fluid circumferentially of the juxtaposed strand lengths and thereby swirling the component filaments from both of the strands into an inseparable structure. The invention provides, as means for doing so, splicing apparatus comprising a tubular chamber, open at its opposite ends, with a slot extending from one end to the opposite end and communicating with the exterior and with the chamber interior throughout its length, and having a fluid inlet extending from the exterior to the chamber interior between the ends.

FIG. 1 shows splicing chamber 11 in the form of a rectangular parallelepipedal block having longitudinal bore 12 from end to end and slot 13 extending along the top from end to end and communicating with bore 12 throughout. Tube 14 fits into one side of the block midway of its ends and nearer the slotted top surface of the block than the bottom, terminating esen'tially tangentially of the cylindrical interior. Affixed to the bottom and extending beyond the opposite ends of the block is strip 15, which has upstanding from each of its ends one of a pair of clips 16 extending past the bore axis.

FIG. 2 shows, in side elevation and partly in section, splicer 10 of this invention including (in transverse section) chamber 11 of FIG. 1 with two similarly sectioned strands ll, 1' shown at approximately the chamber axis. The strands are shown enlarged in FIG. 3, from which it can be seen that each contains numerous individual filaments. The nearer clip holding the strands outside the chamber is ahead of the sectional view in FIG. 2 and, therefore, not seen; the further clip, which normally would be visible at the rear, is omitted in the interest of clarity of the showing.

The splicer includes, in addition to the chamber and its attachments, gun 21 provided with intake fitting 22 at the base of grip 23. Supply hose 24 for air or other fluid (preferably gaseous) medium is attached to the intake fitting. Upper adjusting nut 25 limits the inflow of the air or other gas, which is initiated by depressing pivotally mounted trigger 20. Also carried by the gun is liquid container 31, which threads at its top into cap 32 aflixed to intake fitting 33 on barrel 29 of the gun. Lower adjusting nut 26 limits the inflow of liquid from the container to be propelled through and out the barrel by the air or other gas.

FIG. 4 shows trigger 20 of the splicer gun in three successive alternative positions: A (solid line), B (dotdashed line), and C (broken line) corresponding, respectively, to the OFF position (no gas or liquid flowing), the BLOW position (gas only flowing) and the JET position (gas plus liquid flowing). Although the interior of the gun is not shown, a conventional paint-spray gun may be used, in which the desired action and control are obtained by means of sliding valve elements which progressively move valve pistons (not shown) to uncover internal valves in the gas and lqiuid intake lines successively, the degree thereof being determined by the setting of the respective adjusting nuts, which vary the position or effective length of the valve pistons.

In the practice of this invention, as will be apparent, a plurality (usually two but more can be used) of strands are juxtaposed by being overlapped for a length of at least as great as the spacing between clips 16 and are inserted through slot 13 in the top of the block comprising chamber 11 until they are received by the clips, which hold the overlapped strand lengths along substantially the axis of bore 12. With the strands thus in place the trigger is depressed from position A (OFF) to position B (BLOW) for a short time (such as a few seconds) whereupon air (or other suitable gas, such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen) under pressure is injected into the chamber from gun barrel 29 through interconnecting tube 14. Rotated by the blast of gas so injected into the chamber, the juxtaposed strand lengths are swirled about to such an extent that filaments of each become interengaged with filaments of the other.

The resulting strand structure is unitary along most of the length of the chamber bore inasmuch as so much interengagement of filaments occurs that the original strand identity is. lost there. Thus, FIG. 7A shows (in somewhat stylized form) a representative transverse cross-section through the splice at a location midway of the chamber ends, showing the component filaments sectioned essentially end-on. The central plane, in which this view is taken, as indictaed on the view of the spliced structure in FIG. 3, is also the locus of maximum rotation by the jet. At this location the structure is somewhat looser than elsewhere in the splice, except at the ends, probably attributable to the fact that the induced twist (more properly false twist) in the strand reverses midway. The interstices at this central location are especially amendable to take-up and retention of adhesive when used. In FIG. 7B, which represents (similarly stylized) a representative transverse cross-section through the splice at a location intermediate the central portion and the end, the structure is generally similar to that shown in FIG. 7A but differs therefrom in reduced interfilament spacing, attributable at least in part to twist and interengagement of the component filaments. Thus, while many and perhaps most of the filments at this location are also sectioned essentially end-on, many of them are sectioned along an angle other than perpendicular to the longitudinal filament axis, resulting in more elongated or elliptical sections.

If greater splice security is desired, as with strands of relatively few filaments or otherwise, further manual depression of the trigger to position C (JET) causes liquid resin to be atomized from container 31 and to be propelled into the chamber by the flow of air or other gas and onto the filaments, where it solidifies to retain them in their spliced configuration. If desired, heat may be applied by any suitable means, as by a heating coil in the chamber, to cure the resin after application. Suitable resins will be apparent to those persons having ordinary skill in the art and may be of readily available melamine-formaldehyde, urea-formaldehyde, or epoxy type. The splice should be retained in place with the air turned off or nearly so to avoid disturbance of the filament configuration during curing or setting of the resin.

Whether a resin or other adhesive is applied or not, the splice is removed from the chamber through the slot, and the unspliced ends or tails preferably are eliminated by cutting them off near their junction with the body of the splice. No special precautions are necessary in handling the spliced strand during performance of normal textile operations. The splicing process is quick and easy, and if desired the splicing apparatus can be provided with automatic timing means (not shown), which may be adjustable for different splicing periods as for strands of different composition, total denier; denier per filament, tension, or twist.

Unlike air-splicing methods of the prior art the present invention is especially useful in joining strands having appreciable twist therein, i.e., more than one turn and as much as several turns per inch, as the twist is backed out at least partially on one side from the central plane and although it is tightened somewhat on the other side therefrom a good, though perhaps unsymmetrical, splice results. Of course, it works as well or better on strands having little or no initial twist. Nor is it necessary to increase or reduce tension in the strands to be joined as unten sioned strands may be treated at low fluid pressures or resulting velocities, and the flow may be increased in accordance with increasing strand tension. It often is desirable to start the fluid flow at a low pressure or rate and to increase it markedly during the formation of each splice as the swirling action takes place.

Unlike previous splicing methods, whether they 'relied upon solvent or thermal softening or air entanglement; the present invention does not produce a relatively hard nub or knot-like structure at the center of the splice but provides a splice having its central or twist-reversal portion more nearly like that of the starting stnandsunless resin or other adhesive is added. The component filaments at such location are relatively parallel and although tightening under tension are as disengageable'or relatively loose under tension-free conditions as in the original strands under like conditions. The splice diameter is substantially uniform throughout.

Other advantages and benefits of practicing the present invention in accordance with the disclosure of a pre-' ferred embodiment and modifications therein, as suggested, will be apparent. The respective starting strands cannot be reconstructed from the spliced structure except by painstaking manual separation of the individual filaments to permit restoration of them to their original positions. Ordinary textile processing tensions will not separate it into the two (or more) original strands either. Excessive tensions may break individual filaments or even all the filaments before separation of the splice itself.

Some modifications have been suggested above, and others may be made to the apparatus or process of this invention, as by adding, combining, or subdividing parts or steps, while retaining advantages and benefits of the invention, which itself is defined as follows.

The claimed invention:

1. Method of splicing a plurality of multifilament textile strands together comprising juxtaposing lengths of the respective strands side by side, rotating fluid circumferentially of the juxtaposed strand lengths, and thereby swirling component filaments from each of the strands together into an inseparable structure.

2. In the air-splicing of a plurality of multi-filament textile strands, the improvement comprising rotating air circumferentially about lengths of the respective strands juxtaposed side by side. i

3. Splicer for multifilament textile strands comprising a tubular chamber, open at its opposite ends, with a slot extending from one end to the opposite end and communicating with the exterior and with the chamber interior throughout its length, and having a fluid inlet extending from the exterior to the chamber interior between the ends.

4. The splicer of claim 3 wherein the fluid inlet intersects the chamber interior essentially tangentially along the interior surface thereof.

5. The splicer of claim 4 wherein the tubular chamber and the fluid inlet have their respective longitudinal axes mutually perpendicular.

6. The splicer of claim 3 having extending beyond and in line with the opposite ends of the tubular chamber a pair of clips, one at each end, for holding the strands to be spliced.

7. The splicer of claim 3 having attached to the fluid inlet a valve mechanism for controlling the flow of fluid into the tubular chamber.

8. In splicer apparatus for joining multifilament textile strands together, the combination of a chamber open at its opposite ends, a fluid inlet communicating transversely with the chamber interior, valve mechanism for controlling the flow of fluid through the fluid inlet into the chamber, and a plurality of fluid sources interconnectable separately and together to the fluid inlet, by means of the valve mechanism. I

9. The splicer apparatus of claim 8 wherein one of the fluid sources comprises a supply of gas andthe other lluid source comprises a liquid. v n

10. The splicer apparatus of claim 9 in pistol form References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Bunting et al. 28-72 XR Sparling. Gonsales.

Gonsales 57-142 6 11/1966 Fletcher et a1. 28-72 2/1967 Rosenstein 57-22 4/1967 Alexander 57-22 XR 9/1967 Dodson et a1. 57-159 10/ 1967 Gemeinhardt et a1. 57-22 FOREIGN PATENTS 4/1964 Great Britain.

FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner. DONALD E. WATKINS, Assistant Examiner.

U.$. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PATENT QFFICE Washington, D.C. 20231 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3 ,407 ,583 October 29 1968 Malcolm F. Irwin et a1.

It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 3, line 17, "indictaed" should read indicated line 23, "amendable" should read amenable line 61, "denier; should read denier, line 63, "art" should read art,

-; line 67, "plane" should read plane, line 72, "joined" should read joined, Column 4, line 39, "multifilament" should read multifilament Column 5, lines 10 and 11, "Gonsales", each occurrence, should read Gonsalves Signed and sealed this 3rd day of March 1970.

SEAL) Attest;-

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. Fletcher, J r.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer

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